Putting this right out there. I'm NOT a fan of the College Football Championship playoff in it's present form. Doubt if many outside of a few cities and fan bases are.
Four teams compete, but it's the SAME DAMN four teams, by and large, year after year. Until this format is expanded to eight teams, we'll still have this issue. Carrying this another step, let's limit scholarships to college teams. Why should the Clemsons and Alabamas of the world be able to hoard talent? The "Transfer Portal" is a step in the right direction, but we need to take it further.
A bit of parity would go a long way to help the health of college football nationwide.
AM NOT a fan of Alabama football, either. The rich get richer in college football, that's just a fact. This was Coach Nick Saban's seventh national title (six at 'Bama, one at LSU) and that breaks a tie with Bear Bryant, who won six titles with Alabama -- when the champion was "mythical". (Yes, I'm showing my age here!).
But I do respect this year's Saban-coached team more than any other. Why? Because this year Alabama didn't feast on teams equal to The Little Sisters Of The Poor. Instead, they played ONLY teams in the tough SEC. And still went unbeaten.
Would love to see the Big Five conferences go this way in the future. Skip the cupcakes, go to the main meal. Won't happen, but it sure would be fun!
FOR THE FIRST TIME in his Green Bay Packer career, quarterback Aaron Rodgers will get to have home cooking throughout the NFL playoffs. Prior to this, he's been the road when the Packers reached the NFC Championship game (going 1-3).
Green Bay's Saturday foe in a 3:40 p.m. kickoff is the Los Angeles Rams. And the Rams have only played in Wisconsin in December (or later) twice in recent history. I went back as far as 1960, and in the 1960s the NFL schedule makers tended to have Green Bay close out the season with a West Coast road trip, facing San Francisco and Los Angeles. If the Rams did come to Wisconsin, it was in September or October.
The last Rams' playoff visit came in Green Bay's 1967 Super Bowl II season, a Packer 28-7 win in Milwaukee, no less. So Los Angeles is a stranger to the Frozen Tundra.
That's why I'm thrilled to see the early weather forecast for Saturday -- cold and light snow.
LAST CHIME for Pittsburgh's Big Ben? Yes, the Steeler QB threw for over 500 yards in the loss to the Cleveland Browns -- but had four interceptions among his 68 pass attempts. And since Cleveland had a BIG lead, Browns' DBs played pretty soft....he's really showing his 37/38 years and, let's face it, Pittsburgh needs to move on. The Steelers don't fire coaches, so Mike Tomlin's job is secure. This team has a good defense and some pieces, but it's time for a change at quarterback.
KEEP THINKING positive thoughts -- we're just about a month away from pitchers & catchers reporting for spring training!
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