Game summaries coming!
My College Football Tourney
For over 30 years, I have used bowl results and computer rankings to play out a college football tournament
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Saturday, January 6, 2024
Friday, December 29, 2023
The Sporting News Predicts My 2023-2024 College Football Tournament
Actually, The Sporting News predicted the real bowls, and I took their results for my tournament projections...
Thursday, December 28, 2023
Hey Blanche, it is time for the 2023-2024 college football tournament selection show!
Let's go to tournament Commissioner Nelson, who will reveal this year's tournament.
Saturday, February 4, 2023
Repeat After Georgia; Bulldogs Take Second Consecutive Title, Beat Tennessee 36-13.
It would be a fairy tale ending no matter what team won the 2022-2023 college football national championship. For #1 Georgia, the defending national champion, undefeated SEC champion, they were roaming the countryside knocking over everything in their wake like a giant of yore. For #6 Tennessee, their QB Joe Milton III was a real Cinderella story: holding clipboards at Michigan and Knoxville, getting a chance to start in the last game of the season. Tennessee barely made the big dance as the last at-large team, and Milton made ugly stepsisters out of #3 Ohio State and #2 Michigan on his way to the big stage: SoFi Stadium in Southern California. Georgia had beaten Tennessee 27-13 at home at Sanford Stadium earlier in the season, but Milton made it in for a play. Time to see the Giant versus the Cinderella.
Tennessee took the opening kickoff, but Milton went 1-4 passing, and the Vols punted. Georgia's giants took the ball 87 yards, capped by running back Kendall Milton punching it in for a touchdown as the Bulldogs scored from 1 yard out, with just under 8 minutes to go in the first. Tennessee's possession played to the Vols strengths, as a 14 play, 75 yard, five and one half minute drive culminated in Jaylen Wright's matching 1 yard TD run to even the score with 2:10 left in the first frame. As the first quarter ended, Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny connected on a 57 yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead.
Tennessee's second quarter was offensively dismal: two punts and a Milton lost fumble on eleven total plays. On the Bulldog side of the ball, they added a 21-yard Podlesny field goal, and then a touchdown on Adonai Mitchell's 22 yard pass from Stetson Bennett IV, and finally a 48-yard Podlesny field goal as the first half ended. Georgia was in solid control after dominating the quarter, ahead 23-7 at the break.
Georgia started the second half with the ball, and controlled with a seven minute drive which culminated with a 38-yard Podlesny field goal, for a 26-7 lead. Tennessee continued to create the big plays that had been a big part of their portfolio, and produced a scoreless third quarter.
Podlesny started the fourth quarter scoring with a 38 yard field goal, and the 29-7 lead was starting to look insurmountable for Tennessee. The Vols did add a five minute 91 yard drive, ending with Wright's 2 yard TD run, to close the lead to 29-13, as the two-point conversion failed, and 9:03 remained. The Volunteer defense stopped the Bulldogs for a three and out to keep their hopes alive. However on a fourth down pass, Milton was sacked and lost the fumble. The Bulldogs had the ball in Tennessee territory. and Brock Bowers 22 yard pass from Bennett for TD stretched the lead to 36-13, with 2:29 to go. Tennessee drove downfield but Milton tossed an interception from the UGA 12 with 46 seconds left. The celebration started as Georgia wins back to back titles.
''We wanted our kids to play without fear,'' Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. ''All year I told them, I said, `We ain't getting hunted guys, we're doing the hunting, and hunting season's almost over. We've only got one more chance to hunt,' and we hunted tonight.''
''That was special,'' said Georgia QB Bennett. ''I'll remember that for the rest of my life. I love this team, I love those fans, I love our band. I love everybody. Back-to-back, baby. Back-to-back.''
''Last year's team probably had more talent on it,'' Smart said. ''But this year's team was different, like they had this eye of the tiger. They weren't going to lose.''
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Semi-Finals Syracuse: Georgia rolls over Alabama 33-7; Tennessee QB Milton Wins Michigan Reunion, 35-19
Things have a changed a bit since January, 2010, when Syracuse last hosted Football's Final Four. That day in 2010, not only was the weather different, gorgeous spring-ish sun back then compared to this year's light flurries, but that teams were Alabama taking on Florida, followed by Texas and Boise State. Fast forward to 2023, and only Bama is back; the Gators, Horns, and Broncos seem a ways off from Final Four returns.
Back then, two underdog seeds won their Semi's: Tim Tebow leading Florida past Alabama in an SEC rematch, and Boise State taking Texas playing without their star QB. After six of the closest set of games in tournament history, all eyes were on Syracuse to see how the next step in the tournament progressed.
SYRACUSE SEMI-FINALS:
GAME 1: #1 Georgia 33, #5 Alabama 7
Leading up to this Semi-Final, Alabama was a popular pick to pull an upset. The Saban mystique, not having played each other yet this season, questions about the Dawg defense, and coach Kirby Smart seeming a bit tight as a drum, all fed into the notion that Tide QB Bryce Young and his team would pull out a win.
But Georgia was ready for a battle. Bulldogs started the scoring with Jack Podlesny's 24 yard field goal to grab the head. But Young hit a 60 yard pass to give the Crimson Tide first and goal. From the 2 yard line, Young rolled left but found an open path to the end zone, and Alabama took a 7-3 lead with 4:45 to go in the first. But Georgia responded, on Adonai Mitchell's 10 yard pass reception from Stetson Bennett with 2:43 left in quarter one, and the frame ended with Georgia up 10-7.
The Bulldogs never looked back. Their defensive pass rush steamrolled Bama and Young was harassed all game. The Tide was shut out in the second quarter, and Georgia added another Podlesny field goal with 8:30 left in the half, and Bennett called his own number, ran left, gets a block, and #13 cruised into the end zone for a touchdown on a 21 yard run with 26 seconds left until the break. Halftime, Georgia 20, Alabama 7.
Georgia defensive dominance continued in the second half, and with 2:17 left in the third, Georgia QB Bennett stood in the pocket and connected with wide, wide open Ladd McConkey five yards deep in the end zone for a 37-yard touchdown pass. UGA up 27-7. With 7:23 left in the game, Georgia's Bennett kept it himself, ran left without a defender with yards of him, to increase Georgia's lead over Alabama to 33-7, after Podlesny's PAT failed.
Georgia makes a big step toward their second straight title and clear SEC dominance, and move on to SoCal's SoFi Stadium for the championship game.
GAME 2: #6 Tennessee 35, #2 Michigan 19
The second game matched two teams that won by a single point in their quarterfinal bowl game, but the first Football Final Four appearance by Michigan during the Jim Harbaugh era (he did make a Semi-Finals along with Andrew Luck and Stanford) had a unique storyline, as former Wolverine QB and Tennessee transfer backup Joe Milton III made another start with season long star starter Hendon Hooker out for the post-season. Milton had last game upset Ohio State, would his former matriculation also feel the pain of an SEC victory over the Big Ten?
Michigan took the opening drive to midfield, but Vol defensive back Tamarion McDonald picked off Wolverine QB J.J. McCarthy to give the Tennessee the ball. After a key 3rd and 13 play resulted in a 42 yard Milton pass completion, the Volunteers drive continued until Milton hit running back Jamari Small for a 15 yard TD with 9:39 left in the first quarter. Michigan responded with a systematic drive downfield, but Jake Moody missed a 51 yard field goal with 4:07 left in the first quarter. Both teams exchanged punts, when Tennessee had the ball back with 11:40 left in the second quarter. The Vols 80 yard drive included a Milton 29 yard pass and later a Michigan unnecessary roughness penalty against Milton. Finally, Milton hit tight end Princeton Fant for a 2 yard touchdown pass with 7:36 left in the first half, for 14-0 Volunteer lead.
Michigan drove down field again, leading to a Moody 41-yard field goal attempt. But Moody's attempt was blocked, and Tennessee ran the ball back for a special teams touchdown with 4:19 left. Seemingly suddenly, Michigan was down 21-0 at halftime.
Tennessee received the second half kickoff and went right to work. With 11:15 left in the third, Vols freshman running back Dylan Sampson ran in an 18 yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 28-0. Finally. Michigan scored on A. J. Henning's kickoff return, to get on the scoreboard 28-7. The two teams exchanged punts, and the Tennessee had a very succinct scoring drive: two Jaylen Wright runs, of 8 and 45 yards, the latter for touchdown. With 3:26 left in the 3rd, it felt like it was all wrapped up. Vols up 35-7.
Michigan did all the scoring in the fourth, with a 49 yard field goal by Moody, blocking a Vol punt through the end zone for a safety, and a QB McCarthy 20 yard run. The variety of scoring was admirable, but not enough. Milton was victorious over his former team, winning 35-19. Next up, a re-match with Georgia for the national title.
Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Here is my current projection of the proposed 12 team college playoff
Okay. No, I do not "love" the proposed 12-team college football playoff. But, here is my projection of the proposed 12 team tourney based on my unpatented method of indirect performance comparisons…waiting for TCU’s second game to project against Utah’s Rose Bowl game.