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In case you slept through it, a predawn lunar eclipse occurred at 5:38AM CST this morning (Tuesday, March 3). The “Worm Moon” (as dubbed by the astronomy community) is a nod to earthworms which tend to emerge from the ground at this time of year during winter thawing. Anyone living south of I-20 knows a thing or two about thawing of late.  Air conditioners here in the deep South have also emerged from hibernation after a recent wave of 80+ degree temperatures – even before the end of February. As can happen during these full moon events, the weekend featured a number of rather unusual sports stories. Women’s half-marathon in Atlanta ended with a surprise finish Sunday’s women’s Half Marathon Championship in Atlanta provided a lead vehicle in front of the leaders pack.  These are commonly used for races in major cities.  With a little more than one mile to go in the race, the top three women runners followed such a vehicle. Unfortunately, it led the top trio off the race course and down the wrong street! The other runners in the field quickly noted the error, made the proper turn, and proceeded on toward the finish line. The confused race leader needed about 60 seconds to notice that she was running the wrong way.  She and the other two leaders quickly made a U-turn.  Those unfortunate detour required almost two minutes in order to return to the original course route.  By then, the confused trio of competitors would complete the race in 9th, 12th and 13th place. The top prize of $20,000 went to another runner. This threesome of wayward runners filed an immediate protest afterwards.  It was denied. Officials claimed that the entry form clearly required each runner to know the race layout prior to the start of the competition. What about that lead vehicle?  Ironically, the vehicle was provided by the host city’s Atlanta Track Club. Driving in a big city like Atlanta can be challenging, but that was downright embarrassing. USC’s 26-year old (!) top scoring basketball player is no longer with the team The 18-11 USC Trojans men’s basketball team has lost five straight games.  After the team’s weekend loss to #12 Nebraska, USC announced that its 19 point-per game starting forward was no longer with the team. Chad Baker-Mazara went down with an apparent injury early in the second half of Southern Cal’s 82-67 home loss to the surprising Cornhuskers on Saturday. Instead of sitting down on the team’s bench, the 6’7” basketball player was found sitting in the stands near the bench between a young lady and another injured teammate. The trio was seen having a delightful chat during the second half of USC’s fifth straight loss. USC has fallen from a likely NCAA March Madness selection to a team unlikely to make the field unless they win the upcoming Big Ten basketball tournament. Second year coach Eric Musselman was unaware of the severity of Chad Baker-Mazara’s injury during the game other than the trainer telling the coach, “He couldn’t go.” Chad Baker-Mazara is from the Dominican Republic. He has played collegiately for Duquesne (Pittsburgh), San Diego State, Northwest Florida State, Auburn (2023-2025) and at USC this season.   He has a history of being rather temperamental on and off the court. The 26-year old Baker-Mazara was listed as a graduate student at Southern Cal.  However, he was drafted in late January by a professional basketball league based in Puerto Rico. Perhaps he’s had enough of those tough grad school courses at age 26 to get that degree. Famed “Bear Trap” snared PGA golfer Shane Lowry in Sunday’s final round The 15th, 16th, and 17th holes at PGA National’s Champion course are well known to professional golfers. Called “The Bear Trap” to honor course designer Jack “The Golden Bear” Nicklaus, this trio of holes is among the most difficult on the PGA Tour.  Add a stiff Florida ocean breeze and carding a par on each of those three holes is considered a big success. The 2019 British Open champion Shane Lowry was atop the leaderboard by two shots coming into the infamous “Bear Trap” holes at the Cognizant Classic in Palm Beach, Florida Sunday. Lowry made a par 3 on the 15th hole to retain his lead. At the par-4 16th hole, Shane Lowry’s tee shot drifted to the right and splashed down into the adjacent lake.  A double bogey six tightened the match and allowed his playing competitors back into the game. The final “Bear Trap” obstacle was the treacherous par-3 17th hole.  With mounting pressure and gusting winds, Shane Lowry’s tee shot again drifted right and sank to the bottom of a lake.  That second consecutive double bogey also sank Lowry’s chances to win the golf tournament. Columbia’s Nico Echavarria held steady and gladly accepted his good fortune to claim a victory and paycheck of more than $1.7 million.  Shane Lowry finished in a tie for second place.  His payday of $726,000 was one million dollars less than he would have received for first place. Ouch! Thought about the weekend NFL Combine – New York Jets coach needs more sleep The woeful New York Jets will have four of the first 44 selections during Round 1 and 2 in late April’s NFL draft in Pittsburgh. Head coach Aaron Glenn finished 4-13 during his first season with the Jets in 2025.  He was in the stands watching the NFL’s annual college player combine over the weekend at Indianapolis. The NFL Combine is where potential pro draft choices showcase their ability to run fast, jump high, and sparkle in a series of drills in front of all 32 teams. The Jets coach apparently was so bored by the proceedings that he was caught briefly napping during the Combine. That’s OK, coach! I tried to watch about 15 minutes of that stuff over the weekend.  It definitely works better than No-Doze in putting you to sleep.  Zzzz. The NFL Combine can serve as a launching point for an athletically-gifted player – especially those coming from the smaller schools.  The combine also reveals weaknesses which might negatively affect your potential NFL draft value, too. Former Arkansas Razorback quarterback Taylen Green is basking in ESPN’s rays of praise Taylen Green was already ESPN’s #7 quarterback heading into the NFL Combine last weekend.  After an impressive showing, he may be moving up some teams’ draft board. Taylen Green ran a speedy 4.36 second 40-yard dash.  Zoom! He established a quarterback record with a 43 ½ inch vertical leap.  Is he playing basketball or football? Green posted a broad jump of 11′ 2”.  Why is that important for a quarterback? Welcome to the unique world of the annual NFL Scouting Combine.    Taylen Green was quarterback for an Arkansas Razorback football team which finished only 2-10 last year.  He passed for 19 touchdowns but also had 11 interceptions.   Taylen Green averaged more than 3.13 seconds from the time he received the snap until making a throw while at the University of Arkansas.  That was 4th slowest among all 136 FBS major college starting quarterbacks last season. He must to trim that statistic by a full half-second in the NFL, or he will be pummeled regularly by speedy on-coming defenders. Taylen Green may go on to have a terrific NFL career.  But, then again…??? Let’s remember a few recent first-round quarterbacks flops after being praised by the ESPN Draft Day hype train! ESPN’s enthusiastic NFL insider Mel “Hyper” Kiper practically drooled when fawning over former first round quarterback Kyler Murray in 2019.  Arizona selected Murray with the first overall pick in that year’s NFL draft. Seven years later, the Arizona Cardinals are desperately trying to trade Kyler Murray away.  He has led the team to just one playoff game over seven seasons and his contract will pay him $40 million this season.  Good luck trying to make any deal, Cardinals! In 2021, the NFL Combine shined the athletic spotlight brightly onto North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. He wowed the scouts at the combine with an exceptional ability to run fast, jump high, and leap over tall buildings in a single bound.  (Oops, wrong guy!) The San Francisco 49ers talked themselves into selecting Trey Lance with the 3rd overall selection in the first round of the 2021 draft. Sadly, Lance was a flop in his first three seasons in San Francisco.  He was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.  Lance was cut loose by the Cowboys after just one year in Big D.  The Los Angeles Chargers signed Lance last season to serve as a back-up to starter Justin Herbert. Don’t forget about 2023’s NFL Combine star quarterback Anthony Richardson Much like Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green, Anthony Richardson became the darling of the NFL Combine in 2023.  Richardson had finally become the starting QB for the Florida Gators in his third year at the school. He made a number of poor decisions behind center that season but was often bailed-out by his uncanny running skills.  The Gators went a pedestrian 6-6, but the team’s quarterback convinced himself that he was ready to play in the NFL. An impressive showing at the 2023 NFL Combine helped to elevate draft hype about Anthony Richardson.  He would vault all the way into the 4th overall selection by the Indianapolis Colts three years ago in 2023. After just three NFL seasons, the Colts are now practically begging someone to take Richardson off their hands right now. Anthony Richardson has started only 15 games in three years.  He has more career interceptions (13) than touchdowns (11).  Richardson suffered concussions in his rookie season from frequently running with the football.  Since then, he has dealt with a myriad of injuries. Anthony Richardson has one season left on his rookie NFL contract which pays him “only” $8.5 million in 2026.  With a relatively affordable price tag, Richardson is likely to be traded to another team willing to give him a second chance. The NFL Draft Combine nearly sunk 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was the last college football player selected in the 2022 NFL draft. “Mr. Irrelevant” (the sarcastic nickname assigned to the final person selected in each year’s NFL draft) was a very accurate and successful quarterback for three seasons at Iowa State. However, Brock Purdy’s participation in that spring’s NFL Combine produced a pedestrian 4.84 second 40-yard dash and a lackluster 27” vertical leap.  His perceived lack of athleticism caused Brock Purdy to drop further down the draft boards after an underwhelming showing at the NFL Combine. Five years later, “Mr. Irrelevant” is the 49er’s starting quarterback, has played in a Super Bowl and now earns $53 million per year. Moral of the story – Don’t place too much stock in the NFL Combine results when evaluating a future pro football player – especially at the quarterback position! The post Beware! The Worm Moon is upon us! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Football season is over, so it’s time to catch-up on this year’s basketball action. I have followed basketball ever since I could read the box scores.  That said, I must admit that my interest in the National Basketball Association has been waning over the past few decades. Perhaps it is a lingering 23-year bout of “LeBron James Syndrome.” The King (of flopping) is still playing hoops for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 41.  Incredibly, LeBron James is scoring 21 points per game during his 23rd NBA season.  Will this guy EVER retire? The defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder is still leading the Western Conference. A vastly-improved San Antonio Spurs team is in hot pursuit and only two games back. The NBA Eastern Conference finds the (gasp!) Detroit Pistons leading the Boston Celtics by 5 ½ games. However, a growing number of losing teams are now trying to out-lose each other in order to finish with the coveted last place title. Welcome to tanking – the NBA regular season soap opera’s not-so-new problem A general definition of the term “tanking” is to intentionally field a noncompetitive team in order to take advantage of league rules which benefit the team losing the most games. In the NBA, the biggest loser generally has the most likely chance to select #1 in the annual player draft.  The current system utilizes a weighted average format with the worst of the 14 non-playoff teams having the best chance to receive the top pick. Unlike football or baseball, basketball has just five starting players.  Adding the top college basketball player might be enough to help your team become an immediate playoff contender. The NBA’s defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder “tanked” for three years (2021-2023).  By making some solid draft picks and a few nifty player trades, OKC is positioned to be a top team for several years to come. Once Oklahoma City transitioned from nearly worst to first, others are following the playbook. Case #1 – this year’s Detroit Pistons Detroit finished at or near the bottom of the NBA’s Eastern Conference for five consecutive years from 2020 through 2024.  The team’s lousy record earned the Pistons a number one choice (Cade Cunningham in 2021) plus the #5 pick three times and the #7 overall selection once. This year’s Detroit Pistons are now in first place in the NBA East with a 43-14 record.  Cade Cunningham averages 25 points per game and is an NBA All-Star.  Three of the team’s other four high draft selections are averaging about ten points per game for Detroit. Was it worth finishing near the bottom for several years to, perhaps, move to the top of the standings down the road? Case #2 – The San Antonio Spurs The five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs also went “all in” on tanking from 2022 through 2024.  They finished at the bottom of the NBA’s Western Conference in 2023 and earned the #1 overall selection. San Antonio’s talented 7’4” center Victor Wembanyama is now in his third season and averages 24 points and 12 rebounds per game.  He was the top pick in 2023 and has helped transform a woeful Spurs team into a contender in just two years. San Antonio also struck gold with 2024’s #4 overall selection, Stephon Castle.  The talented guard is averaging 17 points per game in his second NBA season. The rest of the NBA is copying Detroit and San Antonio with excessive tanking Nearly one third of the NBA’s teams are trying to lose games at a record pace this season. Winning even one basketball game can reduce your team’s chances to finish with a bad enough record to “win” a top NBA pick in June. There’s even a website called “Tankathon.com” dedicated to providing the daily odds of each NBA team trying losing its way to receive the #1 overall draft pick. Today’s stats showed that the leader (worst team in the NBA) is Sacramento (13-46).  The Kings have dropped nine of their last ten games.  Woo hoo – nice job, Sacto! In hot pursuit of the Kings are the Indiana Pacers (15-44) and Brooklyn Nets (15-42).  Both of those NBA teams have lost eight of their last ten games.  That’s just not good enough to be #1, guys! The woeful Washington Wizards sit in fourth place today at 16-41 with the New Orleans Pelicans perched right behind at 17-42.  The Pelicans’ coach may be in big trouble, though.  His team has actually won two games in a row! The Utah Jazz are trying to get into the mix for the #1 pick by fading fast, too.  They have an 18-40 record today but are on a three-game losing streak.  Lose, Jazz, lose!   Be careful what you wish for That group of NBA teams is hoping their fans will fantasize about having the top pick in the annual player draft in June. Historically speaking, the majority of these overall #1 choices will have a fairly productive NBA career. A few even blossom into NBA All-Stars. Unfortunately, most #1 overall selections do not lead their teams into the NBA Finals. Let’s remember a few failed #1 NBA picks from the past decade LSU’s “one and done” forward Ben Simmons was selected first in 2016 by the Philadelphia 76ers. His skills regressed with every season as a professional basketball player.  Already traded twice, Ben Simmons’ basketball play became so embarrassingly poor that none of the 30 NBA teams have this 29-year old player on their roster this season. Another #1 NBA flop has been shooting guard Markelle Fultz. Like Simmons, Fultz was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the top pick in the 2017 draft.  Another prolific “one-and-done” freshman scorer in college, Markelle Fultz has been a major disappointment in the NBA.  He has averaged a meager 10 points per game over his first eight pro seasons and has been traded twice already. It’s still a bit early to say whether the Atlanta Hawks’ 2024 #1 overall pick is a draft bust.  However, 6’8” French forward Zaccarie Risacher is scoring just 10 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as he comes off the bench during his second NBA season. Other recent #1 overall picks have included: 2018 – Deandre Ayton (drafted by Phoenix, traded to Portland, and traded in 2025 to the Los Angeles Lakers) 2019 – Zion Williamson (New Orleans Pelicans – unlikely to make the playoffs) 2020 – Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves) 2021 – Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) 2022 – Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic) 2023 – Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) 2025 – Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks – unlikely to make the playoffs) None of the past ten #1 overall picks has led their team to the NBA Finals. Watch out, tankers!  The NBA Commissioner is actually cracking down Adam Silver knows that nearly half of his NBA franchises are intentionally trying to lose games right now.  He understands that it is bad for business over the long run.  The NBA is morphing into two different leagues – the competitors and a growing legion of purposeful losers. Earlier this month, Commissioner Silver fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and Indiana Pacers $100,000 for purposefully keeping healthy starters on the bench during the fourth quarter of games to insure that their teams would lose. “Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition,” said Silver. No kidding, Commish! Hall-of-Famer Charles Barkley has a few ideas to help end tanking.  He recently said that he wants every NBA team failing to make the playoffs to receive only ONE ping-pong ball in the NBA’s lottery when selecting the top 14 picks.  Each of the 14 losing teams would then have the same 7% (1/14) chance of receiving the #1 pick. That’s a good place to start, Chuck! He also asked the Commissioner to ban any NBA team finishing with less than a .500 record from raising ticket prices the following season. The NBA owners would give that particular idea of Barkley an overwhelming thumbs down! One “anti-tanking” proposal is receiving a lot of positive feedback Incentives work.  That is why so many NBA teams are trying to lose as many games as possible down the home stretch to receive the top draft pick this summer. Here’s an excellent idea receiving a lot of support. Each of the NBA’s 14 non-playoff teams would still be assured of receiving a pick from #1-14.  However, the draft order for those first 14 selections would be based on the number of WINS which each team collects over the second half of the NBA season. That would incentivize every NBA team to try to win every game during the second half of the season.  The upper tier of teams will be positioning for a better playoff seed.  All of the bottom tier of teams would be battling to enhance their own draft position. The biggest complainers about this proposal are teams which may have lost star players to injuries and cannot compete as effectively through season’s end. To that, I say, “Tough luck!” Do it, Commissioner Silver! Have you heard…the current #1 college basketball player may be tanking, too! The #14-ranked Kansas Jayhawks put months of effort and doled out millions in NIL loot into the recruitment of talented 6’6” freshman guard Darryn Peterson. Kansas coach Bill Self’s top recruit has been exceptional – at times.  He has also been mysteriously invisible for several games this season, too. Darryn Peterson has missed several games with a lingering hamstring injury early in the season.  Since then, he has claimed to suffer from cramps after playing a certain number of minutes in KU basketball games.  More recently, the highly touted Peterson sat out a few more games with a mysterious illness. Teammates, fans, and the media have wondered if the freshman was, effectively, self-tanking to avoid injury ahead of the NBA draft. NBA scouts have been whispering to Darryn Peterson’s family that the freshman player is likely to become this year’s top selection. Peterson’s not-so-humble father, Darryl, provided this quote Monday, “We embrace what comes with this journey.  The good and the bad.  It has taught us so many life lessons to prepare Darryn and our family for what he’s about to go through being the #1 pick and future face of someone’s franchise and the league.” The young basketball player transferred away from his primary high school in Canton, Ohio to play his junior year at Huntington Prep School in West Virginia.  For his senior year, Darryn Peterson transferred to play high school basketball in California for Pacific Prep. How many high school kids would be willing to do that – just to market himself better for college and pro basketball? Thankfully, not very many (yet). Darryn Peterson has not helped to dispel the growing concerns of his teammates and loyal Kansas basketball fans. They are questioning the freshman’s commitment to the program’s success and whether the team is better off without him. Kansas (now 21-7) has gone 9-2 in the games where Peterson was absent.  The Jayhawks are 12-5 in the games Peterson has played. An increasing number of Jayhawks supporters would prefer for the freshman prima donna to hit the road right now and wait by the telephone for his name to be called by the NBA. Tanking (whether as a team or by an individual) should never be a winning strategy. The post Tanks for Nothing appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Many of you have already cut the cord from your longtime cable television provider.  I wrote about my evaluation of doing this back in 2023. Giving up a security blanket called cable television has been hard to do.  In 2023, I successfully negotiated a cheaper overall rate by agreeing to a multi-year fixed price deal with our cable television and internet service provider. We could have opted to switch to an internet-based television provider at the time.  The price difference came out to less than $10/month to switch.  My wife and I agreed that the hassles probably weren’t worth $10 per month – yet. Three years later, it was time to go to bat with the same large cable television and internet service provider.  This time, the outcome would be different. We have enjoyed a three decade love/hate business relationship You may have seen a number of advertisements for our current cable/internet provider during the Winter Olympic games.  While watching the women’s US Olympic curling team lose the Bronze medal to the evil Canucks the other night, my wife and I saw the company’s promotional ad several times. It proudly proclaimed, “$50/month for 5 years of 1 GB internet service.  No price increases.  No contract required!” That’s funny.  The same company has been charging us $99 per month for the same level of service.  Why are they offering such a deep discount to newbies? Talk about bad timing.  The cable/internet company had just mailed the February bill to us late last week. It contained a big 20% surprise! The company raised our bill by $36.17 per month for our combined cable television/internet package (125 TV channels plus their “Superspeed” internet service). Our former bill was $182.33 per month. The new bill amounted to $218.50 per month.  There were no added services. Hey, that’s almost 20% more?  What is going on here?!!! Our cable television package has zero add-ons for premium movies or sports packages.  Just the 125+ channel tier has been fine for us. The menu of cable television services offered by this national provider has relatively few (five as of today) bundled packages at various price points. Their so-called basic package isn’t cheap and generally provides an assortment of local channels. No, thanks!  That’s why I bought my $29 Phillips plug-in antenna (for use as a back-up to watch local TV stations when needed). The next price level had been our current 125-channel line-up.  My wife was happy with her favorite channels like Food Network, HGTV, and a few movie options such as USA, Freeform, and AMC.  Her sports-nut husband generally watches ESPN, Golf Channel, and a few others from his 10′ x 10′ SwampSwami SportsCave in the back portion of the house. It’s OK to laugh and call me cheap.  I prefer being called “fiscally prudent” with respect to our monthly entertainment expenditures. We played this same game exactly three years ago We took a hard look at our options in 2023 after a similar price hike surprised us by the same folks. Here’s a link to that story. First, we decided to get rid of one of the two cable “boxes” and saved $14/month.  A $49 Roku stick on the TV back in my SportsCave allowed me to watch the same cable television offerings via our wireless internet. We had already purchased our own internet modem ($150) to jettison another of their monthly rental fees. It paid out in less than a year. When I was finally able to bargain to lock-in a multi-year pricing deal in 2023, the net price increase came to less than $10 month. We opted to stick around – and watch. Your cable company will pass along the higher prices of ESPN and others Some television pirates like ESPN have spent billions in the past decade bidding-up the cost of sports to maintain a dominant market position. They are quite aware that the vast majority of us sports-addicted viewers are likely to pay the higher tab. I get it.  You must also step back and evaluate your purchasing habits at times, too. Economics 201 would define this as the Elasticity of Demand.  At some price point, people will reject your product and walk away. Grocery and utility prices have gone up.  They are passing along the incremental costs of doing business.  Customers have to make some hard choices. Watching your wife shiver on the sofa during winter because her cheapskate husband wants to keep the thermostat at 68 degrees is not easy. Are those tears or icicles coming from her eyes? I no longer purchase as much of the now-$9/pound lean hamburger or my favorite hot chocolate mix anymore to save a few bucks. Tonight, it’s red beans and rice Monday at our house. Anyone from New Orleans knows that the dish is a local tradition borne out of economic necessity. We used to add smoked sausage to our Monday mixture years ago.  Alas, not anymore. Perhaps my waistline should send a thank-you note to our local grocer for pricing us out of few items which I loved to consume. Time for the latest big negotiation with the cable TV and internet provider! This weekend, I prepared myself for the upcoming discussion with a “Customer Retention” representative.  You have to be willing to walk away when arriving at this level.  That negotiating tactic had saved us hundreds of dollars in previous years. I updated my 2023 spreadsheet this weekend to affirm the TV channels we most heavily watch. Then, I looked-up the top internet-based television providers to see which one best satisfies our desires at a competitive price. By the way, here is my updated analysis of product offerings and prices for various providers as of February, 2026: My big telephone negotiation with our giant cable television/internet provider was not centered on the rising costs charged by ESPN, the local TV stations, and our overpriced regional sports channel. I wanted the company to defend its Winter Olympic offering a $50/month internet price to new customers while having the gall to charge us $99/month for the same speed and service level. Since the internet arrives at our house via their own lines installed years ago, that leaves only one party responsible for the $50 monthly internet price disparity. How did the call go? The cable television/internet provider’s customer service rep was quite skilled at defending his company’s $36+/month rate increase. I countered by asking how they can justify raising our home prices $36+/month while offering new customers a $50 lower internet monthly rate than this long-time customer is being charged. He said, “We’re probably losing money on that deal, sir.  To grow our customer base, we need to entice new customers to come onboard by offering something of value to them.” I responded, “So, you’re willing to raise the rates of a long-time customer like me who quietly pays his bill on time in order to lure others with a discount.  It seems like it should be the other way around.” He didn’t argue that point. Instead, he quickly deflected to asking about our cell phone provider!  The same cable/internet rep who raised the rates now wanted to discuss our cell phone business?  He was quite sure they could offer a lower price than Ma Bell was likely charging us. I told him that I was quite aware there were cheaper cell phone providers, but this call was about his company’s television and internet rates.  Please stay on topic. The representative mentioned their relatively new “Sports and News” TV package which is $15 per month less than our current service level.  Already aware of the option, I said the service tier also contained significantly fewer channels – including several of my wife’s favorite channels. The old axiom “Prior preparation prevents poor performance” is still valid. Ultimately, the cable TV/internet rep failed to offer a lower price for our current level of service.  He mentioned that we could save $10 month.  That was only if we would allow their company to directly bill us via credit card instead of having them prepare and mail a rather environmentally unfriendly monthly bill to us. I reminded him that their paper bill was how we noticed the significant rate increase like this one. We do utilize e-payments with business partners who do not unilaterally attempt to charge higher prices without a providing a higher level of service to go with it.  No, thanks. It was actually a rather civil conversation with an extremely knowledgeable representative who boldly held the company line. Here’s a good rule to remember about customer service interactions.  An unhappy customer will tell an average of 20-25 people about their bad experience with a company.  A happy customer will only mention their positive experience to, perhaps, four or five others on the average.  Bad news travels fast, too.   Ask Cracker Barrel. Their stock price dropped by 50% in a matter of weeks last year and still hasn’t recovered. And the winner is…??? We signed-up for and started using YouTube TV today.  It was very simple and took about ten minutes.   It comes with a five-day free trial.  Then the rate begins at a discounted $59.99/month level for two months.  The price will convert to the current standard $82.99/month after that. I will now receive the Big Ten Network, ACC Network, and CBS Sports Network in this package.  My wife (who felt uncomfortable about making this big change) seems pleased, too. We’ll both learn more about new internet-based TV product this week.  I will plan to return the cable TV box back to those other guys soon. For now, we are still utilizing the current provider’s internet service. Other fiber-optic providers have sent cards and letters for months wanting our business. That will be a much trickier business decision to make. I’ll be dialing for dollars to learn more soon. There is just one negative.  We will lose MeTV (one of our favorite channels) as part of this switch.  However, I just verified that we can receive MeTV via our local UHF channel in the SwampSwami Sports Cave utilizing my little ol’ $29 Phillips plug-in digital antenna. Our “exciting” Saturday nights watching classic TV favorites (Svengoolie, Batman, Star Trek, and Superman) has been rescued!   Victory is sweet!!! The post Cutting the Cord – for good appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

News of this week’s passing of former University of Southwestern Louisiana (now UL-Lafayette) basketball star Dwight “Bo” Lamar sparked a lot of memories.  Lamar was 74 and passed away at a nursing home in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. College basketball in Louisiana when Lamar played during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s was filled with dominant scorers and very little defense.  The word “defense” seemed to have been banned during this period. Explosive offense had become the name of the game. This brief period was defined by expert marksmanship and crowd-pleasing showmanship.  The high scoring antics of college basketball players like LSU’s “Pistol” Pete Maravich and the University of Houston’s “Big E” Elvin Hayes (born in Rayville, Louisiana) captured the imagination of fans. Less than an hour west of Pistol Pete Maravich and LSU, Bo Lamar and the USL Ragin’ Cajuns were entertaining fans in front of packed basketball arenas, too. Lamar was a virtual basketball scoring machine for the Ragin’ Cajuns from 1969-1973.  He averaged 31.2 points per game over his entire four-year college basketball career.  A first-team All-American as a senior, he was joined on that squad by future basketball Hall-of-Famers Bill Walton of UCLA and David Thompson of North Carolina State. The 6’2” Bo Lamar had one of the best jump shots I have ever seen. He elevated off the floor with ease and then lofted up a high arcing shot from long-distance.  This came nearly 20 years before college basketball would adopt the three-point shot.  He would have averaged over 40 points per game with today’s three-point line. Bo Lamar glided down the basketball court with ease in leading USL’s frantic fast breaks.  He bombed-in a school-record 62 points during a game against Northeast Louisiana University (now UL-Monroe). Scoreboards routinely registered more than 100 points during Ragin’ Cajun basketball games in this era. A 1984 Louisiana Sports Hall-of-Fame inductee, Bo Lamar opted to play professional basketball for the ABA’s San Diego Conquistadors in 1973.  He scored 50 points in one game during his rookie year while averaging nearly 21 points per game. After several years in the pro ranks, Lamar later became part of the radio broadcast team for Ragin’ Cajuns basketball games. Mike Green at Louisiana Tech became one of Bo Lamar’s biggest foes If you have watched current NBA star Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets, he looks and plays like a modern version of former Louisiana Tech basketball star, Mike Green.  The 6’10” Green played for the Bulldogs from 1969-1974. Mike Green was listed as a center but possessed an incredible outside shooting touch to stretch the opposing defenses. Like Bo Lamar at USL, Green was a prolific college basketball scorer.  He averaged 31 points per game as a senior at Louisiana Tech.  Add a 15.4 rebounds per game career average, and you understand why Mike Green earned the AP’s Small College Player of the Year award in 1973. He was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall-of-Fame in 1996. A friend of mine attended Louisiana Tech in 1971 during the Mike Green basketball era. He recalled a highly anticipated home game against high-scoring Bo Lamar and the nationally ranked Ragin’ Cajuns.  Fans lined up for hours hoping to gain entrance to watch this game.  Mike Green scored 22 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and blocked numerous shots as the Bulldogs raced to 103-94 win at Tech’s Memorial Gymnasium. Future Louisiana Tech Hall-of-Fame women’s basketball coach Leon Barmore also witnessed that encounter.  He recalled, “It was the greatest game ever at Louisiana Tech – bar none!” While he was a sophomore, Mike Green’s Louisiana Tech team averaged 101 points per game for the entire season. Defense?  What defense? Mike Green passed away in 2018 at the age of 67. Time to celebrate Centenary College center Robert Parish! Shreveport’s 7’1” center Robert Parish took Louisiana’s top college basketball player baton from Bo Lamar and Mike Green during the early 1970’s. Robert Parish played high school basketball in the late 1960’s during a difficult time when federal integration mandates forced some schools to close.  Parish and his fellow Union High School students suddenly found themselves being bussed to nearby Woodlawn High School. Though this period caused angst for both students and teachers, Woodlawn’s basketball team morphed into a state powerhouse with the addition of talented center Robert Parish. He led Shreveport’s Woodlawn High School to the Class 4A state basketball title as a senior in 1972.  Parish was named a national high school All-American. To the dismay of national college recruiters, Robert Parish chose to stay in Shreveport and attend Centenary College.  As a freshman, Parish lined-up to play in one game against Louisiana Tech’s talented senior big man Mike Green. Green dazzled the crowd by scoring 40 points on the young Robert Parish. Robert Parish continued to work and improve his game every year.  He collected a school record 33 rebounds in one game.  Parish’ gifted shooting touch produced 25 points per game for Centenary.  His dominant offensive and defensive play as a senior led to a first-team college basketball All-America selection. Parish became a first round draft choice of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. Traded four years later to the Boston Celtics, Robert Parish (along with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale) won three NBA titles and played 21 seasons in the NBA.  Parish was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Naismith Basketball Hall-of-Fame in 2003. Have you heard of Olympic gold medal winner Glynn Saulters? Today’s story about talented Louisiana college basketball stars of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s wouldn’t be complete without mentioning an Olympic gold medal winner. In the year 1968, Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) basketball star Grady Glynn Saulters was nearly invisible on the national college basketball stage. The Lisbon, Louisiana native didn’t possess the blazing court speed of Southwestern Louisiana’s Bo Lamar or the shot-blocking skills of Louisiana Tech’s Mike Green. Oh, but Glynn Saulters could shoot a basketball with the best of them. He became a prolific college scorer. Saulters averaged a nifty 31 points per game as a senior in 1968 to lead the Gulf States Conference in scoring.  Not too shabby. The Olympics games were being held in Mexico City a few months following Saulters’ senior season.  The year 1968 was an extremely politically charged period as Dr. Martin Luther King and presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy were assassinated.  Several top college basketball players such as Lew Alcindor and Elvin Hayes decided not to even try-out for the US Olympic team in 1968. That opened the door for NLU’s 6’2” guard Glynn Saulters to qualify for the Olympic basketball team. His competition included stars like high-scoring Pistol Pete Maravich of LSU and Niagara guard Calvin Murphy.  Surprisingly, neither Maravich nor Murphy made the final cut.  Ditto for Kentucky’s Dan Issel and Purdue sharpshooter Rick Mount. But Glynn Saulters from tiny Class “C” Lisbon High School in north Louisiana made the US team. Legendary college basketball coach Hank Iba’s “No Name” US Olympic basketball squad was comprised of several small college role players and just a few top college stars. Future NBA Hall-of-Fame forward Spencer Haywood and guard JoJo White led the US team in scoring.  Glynn Saulters and the US Olympic team went a perfect 9-0 in Mexico City to bring home the gold medal. Glynn Saulters was inducted into the ULM Sports Hall-of-Fame in 1978 and into the Louisiana Sports Hall-of-Fame in 1981. Don’t forget “AJ from the Parking Lot!” New Orleans’ Cohen High School basketball player Aaron James journeyed northward from the Crescent City to Grambling State University to begin a memorable college basketball career.  The 6’8” sharpshooting forward poured in more than 32 points per game as a senior at Grambling to become the Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year in ’73-74.  He earned the nickname “AJ from the Parking Lot” for his uncanny accuracy on long-distance shots.  Aaron James was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Minden and Webster High School product Louis “Sweet Lou” Dunbar was another prolific high school scoring sensation.  This 6’9” big man also possessed a sweet jump shot.  Dunbar received numerous college scholarship offers and left his home state to play for the University of Houston in the early 1970’s.  He averaged 22 points and eight rebounds over his career with the Cougars. Louis Dunbar would join the Harlem Globetrotters and play for the next 27 years!  “Sweet Lou” is one of only eight Globetrotters to have his jersey (#41) retired.  Dunbar was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.   Let’s not forget Shreveport Valencia High School basketball star Roosevelt Fuller.  This silky-smooth high-scoring guard torched the nets for 64 points in a Shreveport high school basketball game in the late 1960’s.  Fuller averaged an incredible 44 points per game one season at Valencia High. He played college hoops from 1970-1972 at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, TX. He still holds the school scoring record of 53 points and posted a 28 points per game average as a sophomore.  Roosevelt Fuller was inducted into the Trinity Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2025. No, it wasn’t just Pistol Pete Maravich exciting Louisiana’s basketball fans during the late 1960’s into the early 70’s. This week’s passing of Dwight “Bo” Lamar served as a reminder of just how special his era of basketball was in the Pelican State. The post Remembering Dwight “Bo” Lamar and Louisiana’s High Scoring Basketball Era appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Last weekend featured several of professional golf’s “Welcome back!” celebrations. PGA Tour star Collin Morikawa braved 30 mph winds at the famed Pebble Beach Golf Links in California on Sunday to earn his first title in 2 ½ years.  It was Morikawa’s seventh career PGA Tour victory. Shreveport’s 59-year old David Toms won for the first time in nearly three years at the PGA Champions Tour event in lovely (but windy) Naples, Florida. It was DT’s fifth win on the senior circuit to go with his 13 wins on the PGA Tour. But neither of these two stories can compare with what LIV Golf’s Anthony Kim accomplished over the weekend.  Kim had not won a professional golf tournament in nearly 16 years since capturing the Shell Houston Open on April 4, 2010. The magic returned…5,976 days later After literally giving up professional golf for more than a decade, Anthony Kim’s wife and young daughter Bella have served as his inspiration to give the game one more try. LIV Golf’s then-chief Greg Norman invited Anthony Kim back to compete for a permanent spot on the LIV Golf tour in 2024.  His comeback didn’t go well at first. Kim finished 56th out of 59 golfers at season’s end. His best tournament finish was in 36th place.  That wasn’t exactly a stellar return for the three-time PGA title holder. Anthony Kim had to win a spot in LIV’s 2025 field by placing high enough in the tour’s qualifying tournament.  After making the tour again in 2025, Kim finished the year as #55 of the 61 LIV golfers. His best finish was a tie for 25th place. For a second straight year, Anthony Kim had to earn his 2026 spot in LIV Golf by performing well in the qualifying tournament. He did. The first LIV Golf event in 2026 was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  Anthony Kim posted his best finish in his two seasons on the LIV Golf tour with a tie for 22nd place. His final round six-under par 66 In Saudi Arabia may have lit the fuse on what was going to happen the following week in Australia. LIV Golf’s second stop was the very popular annual event in Adelaide.  As Aussie golf fans cheered for countryman Cam Smith and his Ripper GC golf team, unheralded Anthony Kim came out the gate with opening rounds of -5, -5, and -4 to move into third place going into the final round. If that wasn’t enough pressure to make 40-year old Anthony Kim nervous, he was paired in the final round with former World #1 golfer Jon Rahm and long-hitting two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau. Anthony Kim knew that it would take a terrific final round to beat these two young golf phenoms.  After opening with three straight pars, Kim then birdied nine of the next 14 holes to zoom past his two competitors and take the tournament lead. He would finish at 23-under par to win by three shots over Spain’s Jon Rahm. The 9-under par closing round of 63 earned Anthony Kim his first professional golf victory since April, 2010. Why has it taken nearly 16 years for Anthony Kim to win again? Success came early and often for talented young golfer Anthony Kim.  After three successful years playing college golf at the University of Oklahoma, Kim qualified to play on the PGA Tour in 2006 at age 21. Two years later, he won two PGA events in 2008 and earned a spot on the victorious US Ryder Cup team. Anthony Kim would add a third PGA victory in April, 2010 at the Shell Houston Open.  He wasn’t quite 25 years of age and was already ranked among the world’s top 20 golfers. Kim injured one of his thumbs and had surgery one month after his 2010 victory in Houston.  He was unable to play golf for several months.  An Achilles tendon injury then put Anthony Kim on the shelf for much of the year 2012.  He received a medical exemption from the PGA Tour in 2013 during his physical rehabilitation period. The year 2014 brought the surprising announcement from Anthony Kim that he was no longer playing golf – even for fun. Golf fans were perplexed as to how one of the game’s brightest young stars could literally fall off the map so quickly.  The rumor mill added dark stories about Anthony Kim’s off-the-course personal issues.  Another circled about Kim trying to collect upwards of $20 million from a disability insurance policy after his run of significant injuries. Kim would later say that he had been victimized by some “bad people” during this time of his life.  He also admitted to having an addictive personality and sought professional counseling.  He claims to be sober for three years as of February, 2026. Anthony Kim’s wife Emily has been at the center of the golfer’s return to the top There’s nothing like having your wife suggest that she wants to learn how to play golf to inspire Anthony Kim to give the game another go himself. While mentoring wife Emily Kim, the process rekindled a renewed interest in playing golf by the talented husband.   After more than ten years without golf in his life, Anthony Kim said that he discovered that he was falling in love with playing the sport for the very first time. During an insightful interview two years ago with LIV Golf’s David Feherty, Anthony Kim claimed to have felt extra pressure from his family and friends to excel at golf entering college. Feherty, a recovering alcoholic, encouraged Kim to share that how easy it was to fall prey to bad influences away from the golf course.  Kim acknowledged that he developed an alcohol and drug problem to go with his mental health struggles. The pro golfer also revealed that 98% of his former friends are no longer a part of his new life. Anthony Kim acknowledges that the game of golf is very hard.  His mantra is to “get 1% better every day” in golf and, now, in his role as a husband and father. Introducing the star of this week’s show – 4-year old daughter Bella Kim Anthony Kim’s incredible golf comeback has paralleled his time after becoming a first-time father four years ago.  Bella was born three months prematurely and experienced a number of early struggles. Upon receiving an offer from Greg Norman to return to professional golf with LIV Golf two years ago in 2024, Anthony Kim made a significant modification to his golf ball.  “Papa” Kim drew a “B” onto his golf ball.  It was to remind him that he was now playing on behalf of his young daughter, too. “I had no self worth until I became a father”, said the now 40-year old Anthony Kim. “Now I have a duty, a responsibility of taking care of my family and being the best role model for my daughter as I could be. That gives me purpose every morning, and I just didn’t have that before.” Welcome back into the winner’s circle in golf and life, Anthony Kim! The post 1% Better Every Day! Anthony Kim’s Miraculous LIV Victory appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

***Special thanks to KEEL Radio’s Erin McCarty and Mike Martindale; to Tony Taglavore (shreveportbossierjournal.com) for his excellent 2024 feature story about Larry Ryan, and to Twin Blends: Northwest Louisiana History Hunters’ Facebook page for a few photos in today’s story.  I had the pleasure of working as a part-time announcer for Larry Ryan nearly 50 years ago. During the early 1960’s, Larry Ryan may have heard the phrase “You’re fired!” more times than cartoon’s George Jetson did from his boss, Mr. Spacely. The young radio announcer had bounced around from one radio market to another in search of a few extra dollars per week. This 26-year old disk jockey was offered a $25/week raise to move to Shreveport, Louisiana and begin working the evening shift at Top 40 radio station KEEL 710AM in 1964. For more than 60 years, Shreveport, Bossier City and Ark-La-Tex region have embraced “Lovable” Larry Ryan and his immense radio creativity and talent. Last Friday, Ryan’s most recent Shreveport radio station employer (which played “The Greatest Hits of All Time” oldies format) abruptly advised him and his morning crew that their long-time popular morning show was being canceled. Effective immediately. The FM station was recently acquired by a new owner.  They wanted to go in a different direction with their 6-9AM morning show. Though it had been awhile, Larry Ryan was quite familiar with hearing that line again. Today, Larry Ryan’s first radio station employer in Shreveport brought him back on the air to provide him with a very dignified way to say, “Good bye” to his legions of loyal radio listeners. The final hour of Wednesday’s News/Talk 710 KEEL morning show featuring Erin McCarty and Mike Martindale was filled with tributes to the area’s radio broadcasting legend. Shreveport mayor Tom Arceneaux and Bossier City mayor Tommy Chandler each read proclamations making it “Larry Ryan Day” in both cities (February 11, 2026). How did Iowa native Larry Ryan become so beloved in Shreveport, LA? Larry Ryan is a native of Marshalltown, Iowa – just northeast of Des Moines.  After a one year stint at what is now Northern Iowa University, he joined the Air Force. If he thought it was cold in Iowa during the winter, Larry Ryan found himself stationed in frigid Minot, North Dakota.  That’s when he knew it was time to leave the Air Force and find a real job. He would become a radio announcer (DJ, if you prefer) who worked at stations in Iowa, Arkansas, Alabama, and Virginia prior to receiving an offer to work the evening shift at AM powerhouse KEEL Radio in Shreveport.  Larry reminded listeners today that he also brought along his long-time girlfriend, Suzy. They were married in Marshall, Texas upon his arrival in Shreveport.  More about Suzy Ryan in a bit. Larry Ryan’s evening show became a huge hit with the younger audience. He interacted with callers, had fun doing creative “live” spots for sponsors, and even created funny comedy song features such as “Hide The Booze” (performed to the instrumental version of “The Can-Can Song”). It wasn’t long before Larry Ryan was promoted to become KEEL’s morning show host. The 50,000 watt daytime signal of KEEL AM stretches from Texarkana to the north and southward through northeastern Texas and western and central Louisiana down I-49 to Lafayette. “Lovable” Larry Ryan’s morning show beginning in the mid-1960’s featured Top 40 rock and roll hits along with topics of local interest.  Talented radio newsmen like Ken Booth and Scott Hodges, syndicated commentator Paul Harvey, and a very unlikely local weatherman added more flavor to this increasingly popular show. This morning, Larry recounted that KEEL’s morning newsman Ken Booth did not like being asked to read the weather at the end of his local newscasts.  KEEL’s co-located FM affiliate KMBQ was playing automated reel-to-reel tapes of beautiful music.  Larry quickly grabbed the FM station’s young audio operator named Ralph Montgomery and said, “Get in here!  I want you to come read the weather on the air for me – now!” Ryan introduced his nervous and totally unprepared 6:05AM weather man to KEEL’s massive audience. “And now…the effervescent…Mr. Weather!”  Ralph Montgomery somehow made it through that first weather forecast and won a 50+year radio co-hosting role alongside of Larry Ryan. Mr. Weather’s unique sense of humor always seemed to tickle Larry’s funny bone. It was pure radio magic Larry Ryan & Mr. Weather became the foundation for KEEL’s incredible radio ratings success for the next decade.  KEEL’s morning show captured an unheard-of 50% of the total radio audience as both youngsters and their parents were fans of the show. Larry became KEEL’s program director and hired a number of extremely talented on-air personalities to work at other times of the day.  Howard Clark, Steve Kelly, Tommy Kramer, Ronald F. Montgomery (no relation to Ralph “Mr. Weather” Montgomery) and many others graduated to work at major market radio stations after being mentored by Larry Ryan at KEEL in Shreveport. Producing a top-notch commercial for clients is very important for radio stations. The creative voice and production talents of Larry Ryan and his team of announcers was in high demand for producing effective commercials on behalf of local, regional and national ad agencies. Larry’s wife, Suzy, became involved in selling radio advertising for KEEL.  She possessed a sincere belief in the effectiveness of the station’s primary product – especially her husband’s top-rated radio show.  Suzy remained laser-focused on business and supported Larry’s creative talent behind the microphone.  The duo’s business acumen translated into solid income for their soon-to-be growing family. After Suzy became pregnant with each of the couple’s two children (Corey and Casey), Larry frequently brought Suzy on the air to talk about how she had been feeling.  Their willingness to share such personal details over the air further endeared the couple to thousands of KEEL’s adult listeners. Larry Ryan played sports in high school and brought his love of sports to Shreveport Ryan formed the KEEL “Dirty Dribblers” basketball team and the KEEL “Nasty Nine” softball team.  The basketball team featured a few of the radio announcers but included legitimate sports talent such as former Northwestern State University basketball player-turned-media advertising specialist Al LeGrand.  The KEEL Dirty Dribblers and Nasty Nine softball teams played dozens of fund-raising games against the teachers and coaches at area schools. The goodwill resulting from those charity games served to reinforce the personal bond between the radio station’s listeners and “Lovable” Larry Ryan’s radio team. By 1974, the World Football League had started a new pro football league.  This came a few years after the American Football League had successfully merged with the NFL in 1970. The new WFL franchise located in Houston was already failing in Year #1. Larry Ryan took to the air expressing his firm belief that Shreveport and Bossier City (with about 350,000 residents) was quite capable of supporting the Houston WFL franchise – assuming it could be moved to Shreveport. Within weeks of Ryan’s daily on-air encouragement to local businesses and governmental leaders, the WFL’s Houston Texans (that was their name!) moved the franchise to Shreveport midway through the initial football season. The Shreveport Steamer of the World Football League was born.  A local crowd of more than 21,000 attended the Steamer’s first home game against Memphis in September, 1974.  Though Shreveport’s attendance remained solid, the WFL folded midway through its second season in 1975 under mounting financial pressures. Around this time, Larry and Suzy Ryan were offered a chance to buy another local radio station in Shreveport.  Unlike KEEL’s 50,000 watt signal, local station KBCL’s signal was just 250 watts and operated on a daytime-only frequency. The duo took the plunge anyway. They built a top-notch on-air and sales staff and pursued FCC approval to relocate the radio station onto a frequency with 24-hour capability.  Talented on-air personalities like Randy Davis (who enjoyed a long career in New York City), K.C. Daniels, Howard Jennings Hart, and Larry “Charlie” Monk joined the staff. Current FOX Sports football and basketball broadcaster Tim Brando also worked for Larry Ryan at KBCL prior to moving to a larger radio market and into his future television career. Though this under-powered AM radio station’s ratings were quite impressive, the inability to obtain a 24-hour operating frequency from the FCC, a declining local employment market, and the rise of FM competition forced the Ryans to return to their radio roots in the early 1980’s. Bringing it forward Larry Ryan would work for another 40 years (!) in the Shreveport area at various radio stations. He spent most of the past few decades playing 70’s and 80’s music formats for his faithful listeners. Ralph “Mr. Weather” Montgomery began a career in another field, but his employer allowed him to work early mornings with his long-time partner, too. Long-time friend and sales pro Al LeGrand stuck with Larry, too.  Al provided sports commentary for Ryan’s morning shows and enjoyed participating in some of the on-air hijinks until retiring several years ago. LeGrand built a very successful media advertising agency in Shreveport. Larry’s one-woman dynamo wife, Suzy Ryan, proudly formed her own media advertising agency.  She would (of course) provide sales support for Larry’s successful radio programs.  The Ryans’ two children would also enter the media business after completing their education. Sadly, Larry Ryan’s beloved wife and life partner, Suzy, passed away in 2013.  Larry has (at least until last Friday) continued to work his morning radio show for a local FM station. Interviewed two years ago, Larry Ryan (now in his 80’s) knew that his time behind the microphone would eventually come to an end. In that print interview in 2024, Larry Ryan said, “I’ve done good.  I’ve been nationally recognized, which really doesn’t mean that much other than ego.  That has never been part of my being.  I had fun!” And so have we!  Thank you for six decades of terrific memories, Lovable Larry! The post Celebrating Lovable Larry Ryan’s 60-year Shreveport Radio Career appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Watching Sunday’s NFL title game has become one of my least favorite major sports events of the year. You must credit the NFL for making fans wait for two full weeks for the season finale to be played.  This brilliant marketing move allows word-of-mouth to spread to the once-per-year viewers who just show-up to watch the commercials and enjoy a party. Those of us season-long football fans are ready to get this final game of the year over with.  The pro football season continues to be stretched out longer and longer.  Rest assured that football season will eventually shrink if demand falls. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots had exceptional regular seasons with identical 14-3 records.  Unfortunately for Patriots fans, their favorite team’s offense was as cold as the weather back east in Boston last weekend. Seattle toyed with New England throughout the first half like a kitten batting around a ball of yarn.  A 3-0 first quarter Seattle lead became an equally boring 9-0 halftime advantage for the Seahawks. Sunday’s third quarter likely put many to sleep.  Seattle’s kicker Jason Myers added his fourth field goal of the game. Wowee!   It was 12-0 heading into the final 15 minutes of the NFL season. At least New England punter Bryce Barringer had the chance to say “Hi, Mom!” as he punted an incredible eight times in the first three quarters.  This game was played in perfect weather conditions in Santa Clara, California. Yawn. Some of us tinfoil hat conspiracy theorists put forth that the NFL has exposed a rather interesting “fourth quarter” trend.  Nearly every playoff game played this season had an explosion of points coming in the fourth quarter of play. Why has that been happening? Sunday’s season finale was no exception. This game’s final quarter produced (gasp!) 30 points between these two sleepy combatants.  Seattle was never in jeopardy of losing the lead during the final quarter.  The Seahawks completed a touchdown pass to open-up a 19-0 lead on the hapless Patriots. New England’s passing game finally awakened long enough to produce two late touchdowns after this game was effectively over.  Final score:  Seattle 29, New England 13 Seattle’s “Dark Side Defense” deserved the MVP The Seahawks’ defense appeared to know New England’s offensive playbook as well as the Patriots did.  Blitz after blitz sacked New England’s 23-year old second year quarterback Drake Maye.  He was taken down six times, hurried on nearly every throw, had two interceptions, and lost a critical fumble. Seattle’s defense literally threw the kitchen sink at Drake Maye on Sunday.  They suffocated New England’s running game, too.  The team’s quarterback ran for his life for 37 yards to lead all New England rushers Sunday evening. Seahawks’ running back Kenneth Walker III had a tremendous game with 135 yards on the ground. His backfield dance moves should earn him an invitation to the next season of “Dancing with the Stars”. Walker’s running ability provided some of the only excitement during the first three quarters of this rather boring football game.  Walker received the game’s MVP award.  It’s a shame that the Seattle defense couldn’t receive this award as a group. New England Patriots – Were they simply lucky to have made it this far? Many are pointing out that New England’s 2025 regular season schedule was loaded with weaker teams.  The Patriots played 12 of their 17 regular season games against teams which would post a losing record in 2025. New England finished with a stellar 14-3 record after going 4-13 just a year ago.  The Patriots’ excellent defense carried this team into the NFL title game.  New England allowed just three points (at home vs. the Chargers), 16 points (home vs. the Texans) and only seven at Denver in three playoff games leading up to Sunday’s NFL title game. This year’s group of AFC playoff teams were, being generous, offensively-challenged.  Top-seeded Denver’s defense carried the Broncos all season long.  The Houston Texans had a terrific year – on defense.  Jacksonville’s surprising season was also led by a better-than-expected defense. It didn’t matter which team emerged from the AFC to face Seattle on Sunday.  The Seahawks had a defense capable of clobbering any AFC contender this year and just enough offense to win. That was Seattle’s simple recipe for victory all season long. Is Seattle a dynasty in the making or was this just one great season? Don’t forget that the Los Angeles Rams gave the Seattle Seahawks a run for the NFC West title all year long.  The banged-up San Francisco 49ers also gave the Seahawks and the Rams a run for the money.  All three NFC West competitors made it into the second round of the playoffs. Seattle finished 14-3 in the regular season.  They played just eight teams with losing records this year. The Seahawks’ defense was already considered top notch.  The offense, though, surprised many with an improved performance in 2025. Seattle scored less than 20 points in only three of 20 total games this season. The Seahawks’ eighth-ranked offense developed into a perfect complement to the NFL’s top-rated defense. A number of Seahawks players will want more money to stick around for next season. Assuming they will lose a few to players to free agency, the nucleus of this team is still young and talented. Coach Mike Macdonald’s magic with this team is much like college football’s Indiana Hoosiers under coach Curt Cignetti.  Macdonald’s Seattle Seahawks always seemed better prepared for games than their opponents. Yes, Seattle should be a force in the NFL again next season – assuming that they remain relatively injury free. Sunday’s commercials didn’t move my meter.  How about you? The commercials for Sunday’s game ran $8 million per 30-second ad.  I challenge you to point to one specific commercial which will move you to purchase that company’s product this week. A national newspaper just published its annual ranking of these expensive ads. The beer commercial featuring a horse saving a baby bird (which turned out to be an American eagle) flew into the top spot.  Will it sell any more beer this week or simply convince 100 million people that this particular beer maker is more patriotic than its competitors? A potato chip maker’s tearjerker ad showing an aging farmer handing over the keys of his farm equipment to his daughter captured second place.  It was a very nice spot, but I doubt millions will drop an extra bag of the company’s $5 potato chips into their grocery cart this week. The bronze medal winner featured an iconic polar bear (long representing the top cola maker) coming to grips that his major competitor’s new sugar-free cola actually tastes better.  Will millions now check-out the taste of the polar bear’s new favorite soft drink?  Doubtful. I wanted to like the Neil Diamond imitator singing a knock-off of “Sweet Caroline” as he sprayed mayo onto sandwiches inside of a cafe.  The commercial’s ending was just a bit weird. My “creepy-but-effective” commercials award went to an AI developer.  Their commercials all began with a person asking AI for advice.  A computer generated character then provided a cringy answer and suddenly morphed into an unexpected product sales pitch.  Effective, but who’s buying their product? My thoughts on the 30-minute halftime show?  I haven’t watched it in decades Did you know that the NFL’s “big game” primarily featured college marching bands beginning in 1967 for ten years until mid-1970’s?  A wholesome singing group known as “Up with People” was featured five times over the next ten years as the primary halftime entertainment. Even us younger viewers (at the time) cringed. The year 1991 brought “New Kids on the Block” as the first pop-oriented group performing at halftime.  Michael Jackson’s 1993 appearance officially solidified the change to one primary performer for future halftime shows.  Major popular artists like Diana Ross, Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, and the Rolling Stones would appear over the next ten years. The last 20 years has produced younger artists to help attract that demographic to the annual football extravaganza. This year’s halftime show featured a polarizing performer who became the first to sing a halftime show entirely in Spanish.  Many liked the show.  Some didn’t and changed the channel. I didn’t watch the halftime show (as usual) in order to grab a snack and check my email. Happy trails to you, football! Adios to college and pro football for another season.  The Indiana Hoosiers and Seattle Seahawks were deserving champions this year. Though some of us will be tempted to watch a game or two of spring football in a few months, America’s most popular sport needs to hibernate until next fall. Less truly is best. The post Super Bore 60 appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Earlier this week, Pennsylvania’s resident rodent Punxatawney Phil predicted six more weeks of winter.  According to my calendar, we were already slated for six more weeks of winter prior to the official arrival of spring! For sports fans, there are just a few days left until the end of traditional football season.  We’ll discuss the big game coming up on Sunday in just a bit. Pro football (like the other major sports) has slowly stretched-out its regular season.  The NFL went from 14 games to 16 back in 1978.  A 17th regular season game became a reality after the franchise owners wisely trimmed the pre-season from a ludicrously long four games down to three in 2021. It isn’t a secret that the NFL owners now want to expand to an 18th regular season game in a few years. They are reportedly offering to cut the preseason from three meaningless games to two.  However, the NFL has telegraphed a desire to have each of the league’s 32 teams play one international game per year after expanding to 18 games. The NFL doesn’t do anything without a keen eye on profits.  They have calculated the value of international television rights and global merchandising.  It apparently makes financial sense. On Thursday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees named to the NFL Hall-of-Fame! Saints fans are rejoicing today knowing that the greatest player in franchise history was voted into the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame Thursday in his first year of eligibility. Drew Brees received only two major college scholarship offers coming out of high school in Austin, Texas.  After three terrific seasons as the starting quarterback at Purdue, Brees also excelled in the classroom by earning a degree in Industrial Management. It’s hard to believe that the (cough) 6′ Drew Brees was not a first round NFL selection in 2001.  He was drafted on the first pick of the second round by the San Diego Chargers. Did you know that Drew Brees spent his first five NFL seasons playing for the Chargers? Fortunately for New Orleans Saints fans, Drew Brees was acquired by Louisiana’s Black and Gold team in 2006.  His arrival in the Crescent City coincided with the hiring of offensive-minded first-year head coach Sean Payton. The Saints’ new dynamic duo provided a much-needed shot of optimism into the region following the devastation caused by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints eventually won the Saints’ first and only Super Bowl title on February 7, 2010 with a 31-17 win over Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts. Has it really been 16 years since that game was played? Brees and the Saints should have earned a second Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2018 season.  The NFC Championship game played in New Orleans featured the all-time worst “non-call” by NFL referees on a quite obvious pass interference penalty late in overtime.  The visiting Los Angeles Rams won 26-23 but lost to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots two weeks later in the NFL title game. After a 21-year NFL career, Drew Brees retired at the end of the 2020 season.  The Saints legend set numerous NFL passing records including his incredible 54-game streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass. Drew Brees was an intense leader on the football field, an inspiring community leader off the field and is a proud father of four children. He has invested in several business ventures following his retirement from pro football.  Brees also returned to television in 2025 to cover regional NFL games for FOX Sports. Only 1.5% of NFL players will ever be inducted into the Hall-of-Fame.   Drew Brees deserved this honor and was voted-in during his first year of eligibility! Why is there even Pro Bowl game anymore? I don’t know. The NFL’s Pro Bowl game was played on Tuesday night. If I had known about it, it wouldn’t have mattered. My wife and I were fixated on the final night of the Westminster Dog Show (won by Penny the incredlble Doberman Pinscher). The top canines provided more compelling viewing than the NFL’s cringeworthy post-season fare. Tuesday night’s NFL Pro Bowl drew an embarrassing 1.9 million viewers.  That is down from last year’s slightly-less embarrassing 4.7 million Pro Bowl viewers. Historically, the Pro Bowl game would pit the NFL’s most talented players from the teams which had been eliminated from playoff competition.  The game (played in full pads and helmets) was held from 1980 and for more than three decades in lovely Honolulu, Hawaii on the weekend prior to the NFL’s title game. That tropical setting was once considered a big enticement for players to participate and bring their families along for a week-long vacation.  Those of us watching on television at home could enjoy a mental warm-up watching football being played in the toasty sunshine featuring nearby beaches. Not anymore.  Football players who are making millions of dollars per year don’t seem to value a fully-paid vacation week in Hawaii like they once did. In 2023, the Pro Bowl morphed into today’s goofy assortment of skills challenges and a 7-on-7 flag football game.  The venue was also scaled down.  This year’s game was played on Tuesday night in a 4,000-seat convention center arena in San Francisco. In case you cared, the NFC All-Stars rallied for a (cough) thrilling 66-52 flag football win over the AFC All-Stars. Zzz. The NFL’s championship game kicks-off Sunday at 5:30 PM CST on NBC This year’s season finale pits the AFC’s New England Patriots against the NFC Seattle Seahawks. Before the 2025 NFL season kicked-off, the oddsmakers in Las Vegas had last year’s champion Philadelphia Eagles plus the AFC’s Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills as the most likely teams to reach the championship game. Seattle and New England were significantly further down that list. Both teams missed the playoffs after the 2024 season.  The Seahawks at least finished 10-7, but New England was a dismal 4-13 just one year ago. Only the 1999 St. Louis Rams had won just four games in a season (going 4-12) prior to returning the following year to win the NFL title.  Rams’ quarterback Kurt Warner’s led the “Greatest Show on Turf” to an NFL championship.   What caused such a terrific turnaround for this year’s New England Patriots? Last season’s 4-13 record by New England resulted in the team firing head coach Jerod Mayo.  Former Patriots’ linebacker Mike Vrabel was given the chance to coach his former team beginning this season. Adding a talented coach like Vrabel certainly helped, but it doesn’t fully explain the Patriots’ turnaround story this season. The coach would replace 13 of the 22 starting players from last season.  Every one of New England’s 11 NFL draft selections last spring made the cut and is still playing on the team as of this week.  Add several financially prudent free agent signings, and the New England Patriots entered this season with a new team and a winning attitude. Coach Vrabel wanted “tough” minded players as he evaluate players being drafted or signed via free agency. A three-time NFL champion as a linebacker, Mike Vrabel played for legendary coach Bill Belichick and alongside quarterback Tom Brady for several years.  He saw what type of mindset won titles in New England over the past quarter century. The Patriots steamrolled to a 14-3 record and won the AFC East title during the regular season.  They beat the Houston Texans 28-16 in the divisional round and downed the #1 playoff seed Denver Broncos 10-7 in the AFC championship to earn a title shot this week. Seattle Seahawks traded their Pro Bowl quarterback and still improved in 2025 Gino Smith had been Seattle’s starting quarterback for two seasons through the end of the 2024 campaign.  Smith had been named to the NFL’s Pro Bowl for two consecutive years. Surprisingly, the Seahawks traded Gino Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders during the offseason and were left without a starting quarterback. Seattle then hit the free agent jackpot by signing journeyman Sam Darnold to a three-year contract.  Darnold is playing for his fifth NFL team in eight seasons and struggled for his first six years in the league.  His breakout 2024 season with the Minnesota Vikings helped Sam Darnold gain a more permanent home in Seattle. The Seahawks’ stingy defense was rated #1 in the NFL allowing just 17 points per game in leading Seattle to a sterling 14-3 regular season.  The Seattle offense also scored 28 points per game which was eighth best in the league. Coach Mike MacDonald was a successful high school football player who suffered a serious injury in his final game.  He attended the University of Georgia and didn’t play football. However, he started coaching a high school football team while still in college. A summa cum laude graduate in Finance, Mike MacDonald jumped into coaching upon graduating from college.  He would eventually become the defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.  The youthful 38-year old coach then accepted the head coaching job in Seattle two years ago. The Seahawks, like their head coach, play fundamentally sound football and rely on their top-rated defense to win games. You won’t find many familiar stars in this Sunday’s NFL title game Can you name the starting running backs for either Seattle or New England?  I can’t. America is going to get a chance to learn a lot about these two unheralded competitors and their coaches on Sunday night in Santa Clara, California. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots quietly did the weekly work to climb the standings and finish with identical 14-3 regular season marks. The two starting quarterbacks aren’t flashy but both passed for more than 4,000 yards in the regular season.  New England’s Drake Maye tossed 31 touchdowns but only had eight intercepted.  Seattle’s Sam Darnold had 25 touchdowns but was picked-off 14 times (third highest in the NFL this year). These two teams have identical season records, great defenses, and effective quarterbacks.  The biggest surprise to me is that New England is considered a 4 ½ point underdog in Sunday’s game. Enjoy watching those very expensive $8 million per 30-second commercials and, perhaps, the game itself! The post It’s Football Friday! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The fifth season of upstart LIV Golf teed-off today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  This year’s season opener is being played in the home country of the league’s $1 trillion owner, the Saudi Public Investment Fund. LIV Golf will feature some of golf’s top names like Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, Spain’s Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia, and Australia’s Cam Smith.  Each is a major championship winner. Differentiating themselves from the PGA Tour, LIV Golf starts each round at the same time for all players.  With 57 golfers in the field, they are positioned at each of the 18 tee boxes as a shotgun start begins play.  The daily playing conditions are identical for all golfers.  I really do like that concept. You’ll still find LIV Golf’s unique 4-player team concept this season, too. A significant pool of prize money is paid to the top three golf teams which have the lowest composite scores at the conclusion of each tournament.  This encourages every golfer – from first to last place – to try harder to help their team’s score. You will continue to hear music being played over loud speakers around the course during play. It doesn’t seem to affect the players one way or the other.  LIV Golf seems to think the music turns their golf tournament into a party for the fans. SwampSwami Rant ALERT!  LIV Golf’s US TV viewers must play “FOX Sports Whack-a-Mole” to watch the action this season The 14 LIV Golf events in 2026 (with only four being played in the US) will be televised again by FOX Sports.  Good luck trying to find the action on television from day to day. Today’s first round in Saudi Arabia began on FS1.  Two hours later, viewers were told to migrate over to FS2 to continue watching the golf action. Note to LIV Golf.  Not many US cable providers carry FS2 unless you pay for the highest price option.  I don’t.  To watch LIV Golf on television again this year, you will need a combination of the following channel options from day-to-day during their tournaments: Your local FOX TV affiliate FS1 FS2 Fox Business Network Fox Sports App (internet) The same issues occurred last year.  Sadly, it is being repeated in 2026. The US channel-surfing options might be more tolerable if LIV would simply offer a simulcast of the entire televised round via an internet (perhaps on a LIV Golf app?) as a service to viewers. LIV Golf needs the ratings support, so please make viewing as easy as possible. This maddening game of “Fox Sports Whack-a-Mole” is a major pain for American golf fans.  This should have been addressed and resolved during the lengthy off-season. These golfers said “Goodbye to LIV” In late December, it was five-time golf major champion Brooks Koepka walking out of LIV Golf’s door as he has announced a decision to rejoin the PGA Tour. Last week, former Masters champion Patrick Reed announced that he was no longer under contract with LIV Golf for 2026.  He wants to return to the PGA Tour just like Brooks Koepka. Keep in mind that LIV Golf doled out over $150 million in signing bonuses – just to snare both Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed less than four years ago. Koepka worked a deal with the PGA Tour and competed at last week’s stop in San Diego. Patrick Reed’s defection from LIV Golf came just one week before his former LIV Golf four-player team called the 4 Aces was set to start the 2026 golf season. That left LIV Golf’s 4 Aces a card short today. Team captain Dustin Johnson and Belgium’s Thomas Detry and Thomas Pieters scrambled to find a sub to take Patrick Reed’s spot in this week’s season opening event. Reed pocketed over $42 million in tournament earnings over his four seasons with LIV Golf starting in 2022.  That money was in addition to his initial signing bonus. The PGA Tour will not allow Patrick Reed to return for at least 12 months after his last appearance in a LIV Golf event (August, 2025). In the meantime, Patrick Reed quickly scored a victory ten days ago while playing on the DP World (formerly European) Tour.  He plans to enter several more European events this spring and summer until he is cleared to return to the PGA Tour in late summer. Na, Na, Na, Na…Hey, Hey, Hey…The LIV story…of Kevin Na Five-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Na also took the leap to LIV Golf in June, 2022.  The 42-year old Na had quietly amassed $38 million in PGA Tour earnings over his 17-year career. Kevin Na was made team captain of LIV Golf’s Iron Heads Golf Club four-man team in 2022.  He did not win a tournament at LIV Golf but still managed to pocketed more than $11 million in four seasons. Surprisingly, South Korean-born Kevin Na was recently booted off of his own LIV golf team! He was replaced with journeyman PGA golfer Ben An.  The LIV Golf team then renamed itself the “Korean Golf Club” for 2026. Ironically, one of the team’s current players is New Zealand citizen Danny Lee. Lee was born in South Korea.  His family moved to New Zealand when he was eight years old. Upon getting booted from LIV Golf, Kevin Na has also requested to be allowed back onto the PGA Tour.  His reinstatement status has not been announced. Pat Perez packed-up his LIV Golf bag, too Former LIV golfer Pat Perez (a three-time PGA Tour winner) is also seeking his PGA Tour reinstatement.  The 49-year old Perez was cut by LIV Golf after a dismal 2024 season but returned as their on-course television announcer in 2025. Like Kevin Na, Pat Perez is waiting to hear when he will be allowed to tee-it up again on the PGA Tour.  Perez will turn 50 in March and may opt to play on the PGA Champions (senior) Tour at some point. The biggest question remains – Will LIV’s top draw Bryson DeChambeau stay or go after this season? The charismatic 32-year old Bryson DeChambeau won the US Amateur title and later added two US Open major championships to his trophy case. In 2022, DeChambeau pocketed a reported $125 million signing bonus from LIV Golf to join the fledgling golf tour.  He has earned another $50 million in tournament winnings during his four seasons playing for LIV Golf. Bryson DeChambeau has worked hard to build his own personal brand.  His YouTube channel attracts millions of mostly younger viewers. DeChambeau’s popularity has been one of the few bright spots for the LIV Golf brand.  His four-man LIV Golf team called the Crushers is a fan favorite, too. Bryson DeChambeau’s contract with LIV Golf will expire at the end of the tour’s 2026 golf season this August. Word has it that he is asking for upwards of $500 million to sign a contract extension to remain with the Saudi-backed golf group. LIV Golf didn’t help matters if they wanted DeChambeau to stick around One recent change for the 2026 LIV Golf season has not set well with the popular Bryson DeChambeau. LIV (which is “54” in Roman numerals) played 54-hole golf tournaments over three days in previous years.  This helped to differentiate the league from the PGA Tour’s 72-hole four-day events. A stodgy organization calling itself “Official World Golf Rankings” assigns numerical rankings to professional golfers.  Their board of directors was unwilling to grant any points to top finishers for the LIV Golf for the past four years due to its 54-hole events. That issue has been a sore spot for LIV golfers since the league’s first season in 2022. The OWGR rankings are used to determine which golfers receive invitations to play in some of golf’s four major events. The LIV golfers have earned zero ranking points the past four years.  Top players keep falling down the world rankings list. LIV’s Jon Rahm was ranked #1 at the time he signed with LIV Golf three years ago.  Despite winning twice over the past three seasons and rarely finishing out of the top ten, Jon Rahm had dropped all the way to #96 in World Golf Rankings this week. To appease the overlords of rankings, LIV Golf will start playing 72-hole events this season. The World Ranking body announced Tuesday that LIV Golf’s top ten weekly finishers will now be awarded points for the new 72-hole events. Bryson DeChambeau spoke up recently that the initial premise for LIV Golf was to be different than the PGA Tour.  He had been in favor of maintaining the 54-hole tournaments to bring more focus and urgency to golfers on the course each day. “It’s definitely changed away from what we had been initially told it was going to be,” said DeChambeau.  He added, “We didn’t sign-up to play 72 (holes).” What happens if Bryson DeChambeau decides to leave LIV Golf after this season? DeChambeau is one of the league’s biggest draws.  His enthusiastic personality and famous length off the tee has been a fan magnet for LIV Golf. The PGA Tour won’t admit it publicly, but they would love to see Bryson DeChambeau return to help put the proverbial nail into LIV Golf’s coffin. Yes, LIV Golf would still have former World #1 golfer Jon Rahm under contract as its best player.  Australia’s Cam Smith and 53-year old Phil Mickelson still have plenty of LIV fans, too. Though LIV Golf has lost an estimated $2 billion during its first four seasons, the Saudi Public Investment Fund seems quite proud of simply owning a worldwide golf league.   Oil money literally flows out of the ground and right into their bank to replace the massive losses of LIV Golf. The PGA Tour has started to lure several of its more popular golfers by offering a more family-friendly US-based tour.  LIV Golf’s far-flung worldwide events have made it difficult on golfers with young families like Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed. The reputation of LIV Golf is starting to sink as more top golfers bail-out and return to the PGA Tour. The loss of Bryson DeChambeau after the 2026 LIV Golf season would be quite difficult to overcome. This would seem to be a great time for LIV Golf to broker a peace deal with the PGA Tour.  Allow golfers on both pro tours a chance to participate in a limited number of events on either tour every year. While you’re at it, please fix the “Fox Sports Whack-a-Mole” LIV Golf TV coverage, too!  The post Season 5 Begins – Is this Goodbye to LIV? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

LSU’s athletics department released data a few weeks ago showing that Louisiana’s flagship public university raked-in more than $200 million in sports revenues over the past year.  The athletics department also spent all but $3 million of the money.  It turned a profit of $3 million. About 40 miles west of Baton Rouge, the athletics program at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette is currently fighting for survival.  The school’s athletics department recently cut 35 staff positions to trim its budget from $46 million to $42.7 million per year. Why is UL-Lafayette’s athletics program losing money? The Ragin’ Cajuns’ athletics programs have lost upwards of $5 million in each of the past few years.  Much of the shortfall can be attributed to the school’s football program. The UL-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns have fielded winning teams in four of the past six football seasons.  Local fans are quite aware that their local team had become a top competitor within the Sunbelt Conference. UL-Lafayette (like so many mid-major and smaller universities) is having trouble keeping pace with the rising costs in college athletics.  Fan support at home athletic events has not significantly increased as costs have skyrocketed. Big money support from the school’s alumni and corporate base has also failed to move the revenue needle enough to cover the increasing costs. In fact, the Ragin’ Cajuns have a lot of company in dealing with a growing phenomenon called “donor fatigue.”  It is the economic reality that most mid-major athletics programs simply cannot expect to compete for national titles with the giants of major universities. UL-Lafayette’s annual athletics budget is 25% of nearby LSU LSU’s rabid fan base fills-up 102,000 seat Tiger Stadium for most football games.  A seemingly never-ending demand exceeds the annual supply for prime seating in Baton Rouge.  LSU athletic donors are effectively bidding against themselves for better accommodations by donating more and more money into the school’s athletic funds. A quest for national championships by LSU in football, basketball (well, at least the women’s team), baseball and gymnastics has driven sports fanaticism.  LSU’s athletic supporters have (thus far) been willing to dole out incredible amounts of cash to support that drive for success.  Of course, those same donors get to retain prime seating accommodations at the school’s athletic events. The incredibly deep pockets of key athletics donors agreed to cover LSU’s massive $54 million buy-out of football coach Brian Kelly last fall. That same huge war chest of funding helped to guarantee the hiring of new coach Lane Kiffin at a price of $90 million over the next seven years. Louisiana’s second-largest public university is struggling to pay the bills UL-Lafayette has nearly 20,000 students.  It is the second largest public university in Louisiana behind only LSU (34,000 undergrads plus 7,000 graduate students). The football team for UL-Lafayette plays in the $65 million recently-renovated 30,000 seat Cajun Field. This ambitious stadium upgrade took nearly two years to complete and was put into service last fall.  The football stadium was originally constructed in 1971. The revamped Cajun Field offers better outdoor seating options, luxury boxes, and other improved aesthetics to provide a better fan experience.  Funding for this upgrade came from the school’s largest donor groups and a few key corporate sponsors. Donors were provided the opportunity to spend money for naming rights within the upgraded stadium. You could have placed your name on the stadium’s new scoreboard for $3 million. The “SwampSwamiSports.com” concession stand would have cost me a cool $250,000 to have my name on it (ha ha – good luck with that one!). You could even place your name on the stadium’s four oak trees for a pledge of $50,000. Last fall’s initial season in the Cajuns’ upgraded football stadium produced an average home attendance of 19,981 per game.  That is 2/3 of capacity.  UL-Lafayette’s game against nearby McNeese State produced the season’s largest crowd of 26,067. Ten years earlier, UL-Lafayette’s 2015 average home football attendance was 21,596 per game. In other words, the athletic support from the school’s home market seems to have remained relatively flat from year-to-year. The Ragin’ Cajuns $40 million annual athletics budget is near the bottom of the Sunbelt Conference UL-Lafayette has been a member of the Sunbelt Conference since 1991.  The league was comprised of 14 members last fall for the 2025 football season. Last year’s Ragin’ Cajuns athletics budget of more than $40 million placed it ahead of only Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Southern Miss, and in-state rival UL-Monroe ($20.9 million). The Sunbelt expanded in the year 2022 to include James Madison University and Old Dominion University in Virginia plus Marshall University in West Virginia. A road trip from Lafayette, Louisiana to each those schools requires more than 1,000 miles each way.  That means that air travel is needed for not just football but basketball, baseball, softball, and other team sports playing on the road at those destinations. One source estimated that the increase in travel costs to play the recently-added Sunbelt members added a few million dollars in transportation expenses (mostly via air) for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Should UL-Lafayette try to increase athletics revenues, cut costs, or both? Playing in the Sunbelt Conference brings both UL-Lafayette and in-state rival UL-Monroe more than $2 million apiece in media revenues from ESPN and other sources.  A departure out of the Sunbelt Conference to drop back into the FCS level would mean an immediate loss of media revenue for athletics. A very significant near-term problem for Louisiana’s mid-major football programs is the SEC’s decision to play nine conference football games beginning this fall.  Going from eight to nine SEC games leaves just three non-conference opportunities available in the football schedule for LSU and other regional SEC teams. The LSU Tigers have been quite generous in scheduling Louisiana-based teams to come play at Tiger Stadium for non-conference games in recent decades.  Those road teams generally pocket more than $1 million to become “Tiger Bait” for their three hour fall visit to Baton Rouge playing in a non-conference football game against LSU. UL-Lafayette’s Ragin’ Cajuns played only one big “money game” last fall at the SEC’s University of Missouri. In-state Sunbelt rival UL-Monroe played two payday road games in 2025 – at SEC powerhouse Alabama and at the Big Ten’s Northwestern University.  The Warhawks’ athletics war chest (half the size of UL-Lafayette) depends heavily on at least two money games per year to keep the school’s athletics budget adequately funded. SEC football teams will now have one less spot to fill in their football schedule.  That means increased competition among today’s mid-major football programs seeking for the chance to land one or two payday games every season. This will likely to drive the monetary guarantees for these games down in the years to come. LSU Director of Athletics Verge Ausberry will have even more football teams knocking on his door to fill future non-conference games in Baton Rouge.  Those paydays are likely to decrease for Louisiana’s current Sunbelt Conference members such as UL-Lafayette and UL-Monroe. Do students want to pay additional fees to help cover the growing costs of athletics? UL-Lafayette’s last increase in annual student fees dedicated to cover athletics came about 20 years ago.  It added just $10 per semester per student. Sunbelt member James Madison University (21,000 students) is similar in size to UL-Lafayette.  The Virginia-based school charges students a whopping $2,456 (correct) per academic year to pay for college athletics. This provides JMU with $50 million directly from students – whether they attend sporting events or not. Even UL-Monroe passed an increase in student fees dedicated to athletics from $20 to $75 per year beginning in 2025.  It will add about $600,000 annually to the Warhawks athletics budget. Getting UL-Lafayette’s students to kick-in additional cash for athletics may be a hard sell.  Don’t go looking-up many of the school’s primary athletics donors, either.  They are proudly pointing at the Ragin’ Cajuns’ $65 million renovated football stadium as proof of their recent philanthropy. What is happening at UL-Lafayette is not unique.  It is occurring all across the country as many universities struggle to determine if they should remain playing in the upper tier of college athletics. The rising costs necessary to sustain expensive college athletic programs are causing university administrators to (finally) take a much harder look at the economic realities. Many college athletics programs are currently on life-support. Who’s next? The post UL-Lafayette cuts 25% of Athletics Staff after Revenue Shortfalls appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

In case you weren’t depressed enough by the recent cold weather, icy roadways, loss of electricity and drinking water issues, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists just released its 2026 Doomsday Clock on Tuesday. This group of global Brainiacs said that the world’s destruction is now just 85 seconds away.  It has moved four seconds closer than the 89 seconds it was a year ago. The scientists’ symbolic Doomsday Clock has been around since 1947 after World War II ended.  This pessimistic bunch cited “hard-won global understandings are collapsing, accelerating a winner-takes-all power competition and undermining international cooperation.” Nuclear wars, climate change, misuse of biotechnology, and, newly added, the rapid development of artificial intelligence are now leading the concerns expressed by the worldwide group of scientists. Don’t panic – yet.   Most of us have succeeded in living productive lives for decades despite these looming ominous threats. But what about college sports? People on the left and right side of the political aisle may disagree about the urgency of the threats mentioned by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Both sides are likely to agree that America’s longtime college sports environment has been undergoing seismic changes in recent years.  The tectonic plates which have long supported college athletics have been shifting around faster than the San Andreas fault. College sports began as a way to develop friendly athletic competitions between regional colleges and universities. A rowing competition in August, 1852 between Harvard and Yale was considered the first official intercollegiate sporting match. The Harvard Crimson won “The Race” which covered two miles.  The Yale Bulldogs finally broke into the winner’s column in the fourth annual race. Harvard still leads the series 97-60, but Yale has been victorious in seven of the last ten matches. The evolution of athletic conferences Other colleges and universities quickly saw the benefit from developing annual sporting competitions with nearby regional schools. The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) originated in 1892.  This group would eventually spin-off today’s Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Western Conference (1896) became the predecessor for today’s Big Ten Conference. Remember the “Big 8” Conference?  It began in 1907 and has evolved into today’s Big 12.   A west coast group of schools called the Pacific Coast Conference began a sports affiliation in 1915 which later morphed into the Pac-12. Dozens of other conference affiliations began around the country for larger and smaller colleges and universities – primarily based on regional proximity. From 1900-2000, the “new” NCAA was (generally) able to manage college athletics For most of the 20th century, the number of college athletic conferences continued to grow and evolve. The larger schools had enough money to construct significant facilities dedicated to football, basketball, and other sports to entice the top student-athletes.  The “major” schools generally remained in geographically-friendly conferences to minimize travel costs and classroom interruptions for student-athletes. Mid-majors and smaller schools found alignments with regional rivals of similar school size and interests. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began in 1906.  It was intended to establish rules ensuring fair play for intercollegiate sports and protection of the competing athletes. The NCAA eventually divided colleges into the scholarship-driven Division I and Division II groups plus the non-athletic scholarship Division III.  Each division features its own national championship competitions in most sports. Many athletes attend college to refine their skills in hopes of quickly turning pro The term “student-athlete” has been used in connotation with college athletics for much of the last century. Athletic scholarships have been provided to talented sports participants.  It included the value of school tuition, room, and board in return for the student’s athletic participation.  This relatively small portion of the student population was expected to maintain close to a “C” grade point average in order to retain their scholarship from year to year. As expected, marginally qualified academic performers in high school started being recruited by some colleges for their athletic abilities. These weaker college students started being shuffled into “Beginner Basket Weaving” (just kidding – maybe) and less strenuous academic classes to keep them eligible for sports participation. The pro football’s NFL requires prospective players to be at least three years removed from high school.  College football has developed as the primary conduit necessary for players who dream of donning an NFL uniform some day. The term “one and done” refers to the NBA’s minimal requirement that future pro basketball players must be one year removed from high school.  That’s why most of your favorite freshman college basketball stars vanish every spring. The women’s WNBA currently requires future US players to be age 22.  Expect that to be challenged in courts and changed soon. This explains why many of today’s major college football and men’s basketball players only want to stick around for the bare minimum of time. What a surprise!  Disputes over cheating became more frequent NCAA investigations have revealed artificially enhanced high school grade-point averages.  Other allegations include under-the-table money and other valuable enticements being provided to athletes and/or their families prior to or after arrival at some colleges. SMU’s famous “Death Penalty” recruiting violation case was handed down by the NCAA in the 1980’s. It forced the school to cancel football entirely in 1987 and 1988.  This sent a message to other schools that the NCAA was serious about enforcing its rules. Much like WWE legend The Undertaker, SMU gradually arose from its football coffin and even qualified for the 12-team College Football Playoffs in 2024. Unfortunately, the NCAA has appeared to prefer focusing on administrative issues like adding the 3-point shot to college basketball (1986) rather than pursue investigations against member institutions (which supply a cadre of high-dollar attorneys) about alleged cheating allegations. Which brings us to today’s NCAA transfer portal and the NIL-A-Palooza Implementation of the NCAA’s transfer portal in 2018 began allowing student-athletes to transfer from one college to another in the same way that all other students are permitted to do. Previously, athletes had been barred from participating in sports at their new school for up to a full year. This was (supposedly) done to encourage athletes to keep their commitment to the original institution’s athletic program. It was in 2021 that the game-changing Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) program began. Chuckle if you wish, but the NIL was initially intended to give cash-starved college athletes an opportunity to earn some extra spending money via local advertisements and promotional appearances.  Most figured that this would fetch, at best, a few thousand dollars per year for some students to buy pizza, attend an occasional movie, buy clothes, and the like. Au contraire! They were quite wrong. The actual result of the combination of the NCAA transfer portal and the NIL cash has been the creation of a very lucrative pay-for-play system. College coaches are legally gambling by offering scholarships and massive NIL cash incentives to transfer portal players. Has the NCAA been actively involved in verifying whether the transferring athletes have met the academic standards of their previous school and the incoming entrance requirements of the new college? If the NCAA isn’t doing this, are we supposed to trust the coaches and athletic administrators to simply police themselves? University of Texas junior quarterback Arch Manning was identified by one publication as having an NIL value of more than $4 million per year.  A few of this January’s top transfer quarterbacks may have received offers of $5 million or more to change football teams for next season. A record 3,300 FBS major college football players entered January’s transfer portal. There are 136 football teams in the FBS classification. That means that an incredible 24 football players per school were playing musical chairs this month.  Current rules allow no more than 85 full scholarship football players per institution. New LSU football coach Lane Kiffin just returned to Baton Rouge with the #1-rated transfer portal class.  He signed more than 40 new players for the Tigers this fall.  Coach Kiffin was expected to spend more than $20 million to buy talent – for just one season. This same game is being played by college participants in men’s and women’s basketball. Even top baseball, softball, gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and golf stars are being lured to certain colleges with NIL cash offers. What is the NCAA going to do about all of this? Not much. The NCAA has been busy dealing with lawsuits filed by attorneys representing athletes demanding one additional year of college athletic eligibility.  Most cases are due to injuries which kept the player from participating for more than half of a previous year. The money being offered to remain one more year in college has become so high that increasing numbers of athletes want to stick around to build their financial nest egg. Why enter a professional sports draft when you are not assured of being selected by a team or making the final squad next season?  A growing number of college football players are opting for the “sure thing” by taking NIL cash which is likely more than they would earn as an NFL rookie. Starting football players for this month’s national champion Indiana Hoosiers had an average age of 23. Coach Curt Cignetti apparently knows how to play this transfer portal/NIL game quite well, too! The NCAA is considered to be (at least for now) a tax-exempt non-profit entity under IRS Section 501 (c)3.  It earns more than $1 billion in annual revenues – primarily associated with the television rights paid by networks for the men’s and women’s March Madness college basketball tournaments. Non-profits traditionally earn most of their income from charitable donations.  The NCAA might also be busy protecting its own business plan right now. Perhaps the NCAA doesn’t have much of an appetite to waste its financial and legal resources pursuing rogue schools and players.  All parties now arrive at the courthouse armed with their own high dollar attorneys. Does this mean that major college sports are operating on a Doomsday Clock? Perhaps. There is only one sure way to get things to change.  A large enough percentage of fans must stop buying season tickets, donating money to their schools’ athletics departments, and watching televised major college sports on television. When revenues noticeably drop, things might change. Will that happen anytime soon?  Don’t hold your breath!   The post The Doomsday Clock…of College Sports? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

If you live along the I(ce)-20 corridor from Dallas eastward through northern Louisiana into central Mississippi, you are fortunate to have electricity today (Monday, January 26). Some locations received a few inches of sleet and snow for the kids to play in.  Unfortunately, it was a layer of freezing rain which added another 1/2” or more of ice onto trees and power lines across the region on Saturday and Sunday. Several of the region’s electricity providers have power outage maps which are redder than Santa’s suit. Hundreds of thousands remain without power today.  Temperatures across the region are not expected to budge above freezing until Tuesday afternoon. Let’s try to warm things up today with a review of several interesting sports stories from this weekend which you may have missed. AFC Championship Game – New England Patriots 10, Denver Broncos 7 If you like snow, the second half of Sunday’s AFC title game in Denver was definitely the game for you! A 1 PM local kickoff started under sunny skies in the Mile High City.  Denver (playing without injured starting quarterback Bo Nix due to a broken ankle suffered one week ago) thrilled its orange-clad fans during the first quarter.  Back-up quarterback Jared “Stiddy” Stidham sparked the home team with a couple of timely completions in taking a 7-0 opening quarter lead. Who would have believed that seven points was all that Denver would score on Sunday afternoon? The resilient New England Patriots tied the game at 7-7 heading into halftime after “Stiddy” fumbled the football deep in Denver territory late in the second quarter.  New England quarterback Drake “Look ma…I can run!” Maye scampered in for a game-tying touchdown. Earlier snow flurries quickly turned into a Colorado snowstorm during the second half of this game. New England took advantage of the wind in the third quarter and booted a short field goal to grab a 10-7 lead going into the deciding fourth quarter. Denver’s defense provided its offense with several scoring opportunities. Alas, the Broncos failed to convert excellent field position into any points.  Former New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz missed two field goal attempts.  “Stiddy” became unsteady with his second half passing game.  He also didn’t show much of an inclination to run the football when the opportunity presented itself. Denver finished a woeful 181 yards of total offense in the AFC title game.  New England wasn’t much better with just 206 total yards – mostly on the ground. NFC Championship Game – Seattle Seahawks 31, Los Angeles Rams 27 Seattle came into the NFC title game with one of the league’s best defenses and the home field advantage.  The visiting Los Angeles Rams rolled into Seattle after having won two difficult road playoff games by three points each at Carolina and Chicago. The Seattle Seahawks offense took center stage in this high scoring back-and-forth title game Sunday evening.  Surprising quarterback Sam Darnold (who is playing for his fifth team in eight NFL seasons) sparked the Seahawks by completing 25 of 36 pass attempts for 346 yards and three touchdowns.   More importantly, Darnold did not throw an interception or lose a fumble during Sunday’s game against the Rams. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford looked sharp (as always) in keeping his team within striking distance.  He also passed for more than 300 yards with three touchdowns. The game’s outcome was unfortunately determined by a fumbled punt return by Rams’ special team player Xavier Smith early in the third quarter. Smith had dropped an earlier punt but quickly fell onto the ball.  On his second punt return attempt, Smith fell backwards while trying to secure the ball and fumbled deep in Rams’ territory.  The Patriots recovered and quickly took advantage.  One play later, Sam Darnold connected on a 17-yard touchdown pass to give Seattle a 24-13 lead which they would never surrender. The NFC #1 seed Seattle will now face the AFC’s #2 seed New England Patriots in the NFL title game in two weeks on Sunday, February 8 at 5:30PM CST and televised by NBC.  This year’s game will be played in Santa Clara, California on the home field of the San Francisco 49ers. Pittsburgh Steelers just hired…who? Former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy was fired one year ago by team owner Jerry Jones. McCarthy posted three winning seasons out of his five years in Dallas.  However, his Cowboys’ teams went a woeful 1-3 in the NFL playoffs despite posting three consecutive 12-5 regular seasons from 2021-2023. Ironically, Pittsburgh Steelers’ longtime coach Mike Tomlin resigned two weeks ago after his team failed to win a playoff game for a record-tying seventh consecutive time. Saturday afternoon brought a surprising announcement that the Steelers had hired 62-year old Mike McCarthy to become the team’s fourth head coach since the year 1969.  Each of the previous three Steelers’ coaches (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin) have taken Pittsburgh to one or more Super Bowl victories over the past 56 seasons. Before coming to Dallas, Mike McCarthy’s 13-year tenure in Green Bay (2006-2018) produced one Super Bowl champion at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Those Green Bay Packers were led by young quarterback Aaron Rodgers as they took a 31-25 win over Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers. A now-42 year old Aaron Rodgers became the Steelers’ quarterback last fall.  He piloted the Black and Gold to a 10-7 regular season and AFC North title.  However, the Steelers (and Aaron Rodgers in particular) were manhandled by the Houston Texans in an ugly 30-6 home playoff loss two weeks ago. Coach Mike Tomlin resigned the following day after 19 years in Steel City. Terrible Towel waving fans (like me) are now wondering what Steelers’ team owner Art Rooney II saw in Mike McCarthy to warrant giving him the head coaching job. Pittsburgh’s woeful offense struggled under coach Mike Tomlin.  Mike McCarthy’s success has come on the offensive side of the football, but his teams’ defenses in Dallas had been less than stellar. Can Mike McCarthy inject life into the Steelers’ offense while maintaining a top level defense? Dallas Cowboys fans are having a good laugh about the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers hiring their ex-coach.  Should Mike McCarthy succeed with the Steelers, Cowboys fans will have confirmation that the coach’s failure in Dallas was likely another case of meddling by team owner/general manager/face-of-the-franchise Jerry Jones. Speaking of meddling, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney filed tampering charges vs. Ole Miss over a recent NIL transfer LSU’s new football coach Lane Kiffin has been jetting around the country signing NCAA transfer portal players by the dozens.  In South Carolina, Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has been roundly criticized for the past few years for his well-known reluctance to participate in the NCAA Transfer Portal/NIL transfer sweepstakes game. The Clemson Tigers recently dipped into the transfer portal to lure University of California standout linebacker Luke Ferrelli with a nice NIL offer.  Ferrelli arrived at Clemson in mid-January.  He signed a revenue-sharing contract with Clemson and was already attending classes and football team meetings last week.   Until last Thursday, that is. Ole Miss apparently waved significantly more money (a reported $1 million per year for two seasons) under the nose of Luke Ferrelli during the final days of the latest NCAA transfer portal period.  It was enough to convince the young man to leave Clemson immediately and report to Oxford to play for the Ole Miss Rebels beginning this fall. Clemson is understandably fuming about this situation.  Coach Dabo Swinney and Clemson’s legal staff plan to file tampering charges against Ole Miss. Last Friday afternoon, Coach Swinney said, “It’s not about a linebacker at Clemson.  I don’t want anyone on our team that doesn’t want to be here.  It’s about the next kid and about the message being sent if this blatant tampering is allowed to happen without any consequences.” He added, “This is like having an affair on your honeymoon!” It appears that Clemson’s Dabo Swinney doesn’t want to annul the transfer linebacker’s hasty shotgun marriage to Ole Miss last week. Coach Swinney (like most college football fans) urgently wants the NCAA to enact some common sense rules to govern the Transfer Portal and then enforce them with stiff penalties for the offending parties. Good luck with that one, coach!  The NCAA that once struck fear into college athletics programs for wrongdoing seems to have vanished over the past decade. You can only hope to be as successful as Mayberry’s Gomer Pyle when he made a citizen’s arrest of Deputy Barney Fife!   The post Icy Monday Sports Update appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

NFL head coaches who finish the season with lousy records generally expect there is a good chance of getting the ax. This year, nine of the 32 NFL head coaches have been terminated.  That’s 28%!    Add one more coach (Mike Tomlin) who voluntarily stepped-down in Pittsburgh after 19 seasons last week. As my old Sesame Street buddy “The Count” might say, “That’s 10!  Ten coaching vacancies this year.  Ah-ha-ha!!!” The ninth fired head coach in this year’s NFL’s “hit parade” came as a rather big surprise. Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills was fired on Monday after his team’s 33-30 overtime loss at Denver in the second (divisional) round of the NFL playoffs. What did Buffalo’s head coach do wrong to justify being fired? Before the season began, Sean McDermott’s Buffalo Bills were considered one of the top two AFC contenders for this year’s Super Bowl. The team finished the 2025 regular season schedule behind the surprising 14-3 New England Patriots in the AFC East.  The Bills still qualified for the NFL playoffs with a not-too-shabby 12-5 record. Buffalo traveled to Jacksonville two weeks ago for an opening round Wild Card game.  The Bills scored a dramatic touchdown in the final minute to claim a 27-24 win over the 13-4 AFC South champion Jaguars.  Then it was on to Denver last weekend to face the #1 AFC seed Broncos. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen played another outstanding game but his two interceptions and two lost fumbles gave Denver some key scoring opportunities.  The Broncos eventually prevailed 33-30 in overtime. Denver will host this week’s AFC Championship game against Buffalo’s rival, New England, at 2PM (CST) Sunday afternoon on CBS. The Buffalo Bills have now appeared in the AFC Playoffs for seven consecutive years.  In each season, Buffalo has failed to reach the Super Bowl despite having one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks operating the team’s offense. The 51-year old Sean McDermott had been the defensive coordinator in both Philadelphia and Carolina prior to accepting Buffalo’s top job in 2017. Fans in Buffalo should remember that the Bills had cycled through nine head coaches in the team’s previous 17 seasons since their last playoff appearance in 1999. Coach Sean McDermott quickly rejuvenated the Bills and led them into the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons in Buffalo. Why would Buffalo Bills team owner Terry Pegula fire a coach who led this year’s team into the second round of the playoffs? That’s what many people are trying to figure out this week.  Coach Sean McDermott’s Buffalo Bills won nearly 2/3 of its games during his nine seasons with the team. Sure, the Bills failed to make the Super Bowl.  There are 30 other NFL teams which can say the same thing in any particular year. Yes, the Bills didn’t have to face and lose another playoff game to Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes for the fourth straight time this season.  The Chiefs failed to make the playoffs but they did not fire head coach Andy Reid (yet – ha ha). Sean McDermott has been Buffalo’s only head coach for the eight year NFL career of reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen.  Just remember that Josh Allen can only pass the football to Buffalo Bills receivers who had been selected and signed by the team’s General Manager – not the head coach. This year’s group of wide receivers in Buffalo was rather weak by NFL standards.  After wide receiver Khalil Shakir, Buffalo’s two tight ends were ranked #2 and #3 on the team in receiving yardage this season. Nothing against Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, but neither of the Buffalo tight ends possess game-breaking speed. Was it the fault of head coach Sean McDermott that Buffalo did not have a more competitive group of wide receivers on the roster for MVP quarterback Josh Allen to throw the ball to this year? Isn’t the team’s General Manager who is charged with finding and signing the talent for most NFL teams (unless you live in Dallas)? Did the Buffalo Bills fire the team’s General Manager, too? No.  In fact, 49-year old General Manager Brandon Beane was just promoted and given the upgraded title of President of Football Operations! Brandon Beane spent 19 years in Charlotte.  Beginning in 1998 as an intern, Beane worked his way up to become the team’s Assistant General Manager in 2015.  In May, 2017, he was hired by Buffalo to become the Bills’ General Manager. Ironically, head coach Sean McDermott also came to Buffalo via the Carolina Panthers.  McDermott had been hired by owner Terry Pegula four months earlier in January, 2017. Apparently, Buffalo’s team owner believed that his new head coach and new General Manager from Carolina would work well together in Buffalo. The duo led the Bills’ return into the NFL playoffs in eight of the past nine years. Buffalo has won ten or more games in seven consecutive seasons. Should the credit go to the team’s GM (Brandon Beane) and/or the team’s head coach (Sean McDermott)? Buffalo’s owner just fired a successful coach after his team lost to Denver Let that one sink in. Terry Pegula said that he became so negatively affected seeing the faces of his football team in the locker room following Saturday’s 33-30 overtime loss in Denver that he decided to fire the team’s head coach on Monday. “My decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,” said the owner on Wednesday.  “I want to take you in the locker room after that game.  I looked around.  First thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down, crying.  I looked at all the other players.  I looked at their faces and our coaches’.” Pegula added, “I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall, year after year.  So, I just sensed in that locker room, like, where do we go from here with what we have?  And that was the basis for my decision.” Sean McDermott has plenty of company in the “I’ve been Fired” NFL coaches’ club A head coach in the NFL is generally considered to be the face of the franchise in the eyes of the fans and media. Even a grumpy but very successful coach like Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots kept his job as long as the post-season hardware kept coming home.  Belichick eventually agreed to step down in New England in 2023 after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles. Likable coaches get the ax, too! Coach Tony Dungy was fired by Tampa Bay after six successful years with the Buccaneers. Much like Sean McDermott in Buffalo, Dungy took over a perpetual loser in Tampa Bay.  He quickly rebuilt the team into a playoff regular in four of his six seasons.  Tony Dungy was then fired by Tampa Bay after the 2001 season for (yes) failing to advance the team into the Super Bowl. Sound familiar? Fortunately for Tony Dungy, he was quickly hired by the Indianapolis Colts for the following season in 2002.  Dungy led the Colts into the playoffs in each of his first four seasons and then won a Super Bowl title in Year #5 with his new team. Having a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback like Peyton Manning certainly helped during Tony Dungy’s time with the Colts. Former Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott will not not remain unemployed for long. Bills owner Terry Pegula is opening his new football stadium this season and wants a fresh start Buffalo opens its shiny new $2 billion football stadium this summer just in time for the Bills’ 2026 football season. Five years ago in 2021, I wrote about Bills owner Terry Pegula.  He bought the Buffalo Bills NFL franchise in 2014 for $1.4 billion.  His bid was considered more favorable than an offer made by some guy named Donald Trump and his partner Jon Bon Jovi. Seven years after buying the Buffalo Bills, Pegula threatened to move the team south to fast-growing Austin, Texas.  He demanded the city of Buffalo, the state of New York, and season ticket holders to pony-up to build a more modern new football stadium for his NFL team. More than 54,000 Buffalo Bills fans have paid from $5,000 to $50,000 to purchase a PSL (personal seat licenses).  This PSL only grants the owner the right to purchase a Bills’ season ticket. Let’s assume that an average Buffalo PSL went for $20,000.  That would generate more than $1 billion being paid by NFL football fans living in western New York to finance the Bills’ new stadium. Buffalo is ranked #50 nationally in terms of TV market size.  It is even smaller than New Orleans at #45.  Only Green Bay plays NFL games in a smaller geographic region (#65) than Buffalo.  However, the Packers are generally considered to be #38 Milwaukee’s home football team as well. After team owner Terry Pegula’s grandstand play, the Bills have remained in Buffalo because he got his wish.  The Buffalo Bills’ new football stadium opens this summer. Terry Pegula’s firing of head coach Sean McDermott this week has created a new media buzz about his team.  It will serve to get fans to start thinking about a new future for the Buffalo Bills and help to push back those lingering “What if…?” thoughts from recent playoff losses. The team’s brand new head coach will usher-in a brand new football stadium in 2026. Did I mention that this soon-to-open outdoor football stadium will have 10,000 fewer seats than 52-year old Rich Stadium in suburban Orchard Park? That necessarily means higher prices are coming for Buffalo Bills season tickets, parking, concessions, and stadium merchandise in order to raise revenue to cover the loss of 10,000 football seats beginning this season. Look out, Jerry!  You have some competition at the top!!! Dallas Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones still retains professional football’s top spot for the title of “NFL’s biggest meddling owner”. Making a big move up the charts this week was Buffalo’s Terry Pegula.   Firing your team’s successful head coach based on the owner’s emotional “feel” of the locker room following a tough, overtime second-round playoff loss was a gutsy move, indeed. The Bills’ owner may be considered a local hero by some for keeping the NFL team in Buffalo.  But a growing number of western New Yorkers have a different viewpoint. Terry Pegula is just another greedy professional sports franchise owner who successfully coerced fans and governmental entities into financing his new (smaller) football venue at a cost of nearly $2 billion. Jones and Pegula have one other thing in common.  Neither Dallas nor Buffalo has appeared in a Super Bowl in more than 30 years.  “And the countdown continues!” The post Buffalo Bills Owner Fires…a Playoff Coach? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Nothing fancy.  No high school superstars.  Just play hard every down.  Execute your plays better than the other guys.  Run each play with incredible attention to detail at your position. Indiana did just that in a season-opening win over Old Dominion on August 30.  The methodical Hoosiers left some big tractor trailer tire imprints on one football opponent after another this season. So it was eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin’ for the Indiana Hoosiers all the way to Miami, Florida for the 12-team College Football Playoffs season finale. Indiana delivered once again in Game #16 against a very talented group of Miami Hurricanes in the national championship game on Monday night. The unbeaten Indiana Hoosiers were matched against a physically larger and very resilient Miami Hurricanes team.  IU finally applied its patented sleeper hold with a late pass interception in the final minute to secure a 27-21 victory and the school’s first college football national title in 139 years. Indiana finished with the first 16-0 record in FBS history.  The Hoosiers subdued their three College Football Playoff match-ups by a cumulative score of 121-46. IU returned to Bloomington, Indiana with a championship trophy in hand to show to the school’s jubilant fans who – like so many – still can’t believe this just happened. If you liked exceptional defense, this game was definitely for you! By early in the fourth quarter, Indiana and Miami (which finished 13-3) each had been able to muster only 220 yards in total offense.  This often-times brutal defensive battle was anything but boring, though. The final quarter would produce the same number of points by both teams (24) as the amount scored in all three of the previous quarters.  Indiana led 17-7 as the final period began. The Hoosiers and their Heisman Trophy quarterback Fernando Mendoza were pushed around all night by a burly NFL-quality Miami defensive front. The Dolphins would be wise to sign a few of these college football warriors for their pro team this spring in the NFL draft. The Hurricanes marching band kept their relentless defense fired-up all night by playing the Star Wars’ “Darth Vader March” over and over. I almost expected to see a TV camera shot revealing Emperor Palpatine as Miami’s defensive coordinator.  The Canes put up a tremendous defensive effort against Indiana. But Indiana’s defense was up to the task in this championship game as well.  They swarmed to every tackle and shut-out Miami for the entire first half as Indiana took a 10-0 halftime advantage. The Hurricanes’ running game was nearly invisible for much of the night.  However, Miami’s Mark Fletcher, Jr. finally broke through the stubborn IU defensive line during the third quarter for a 57-yard score. That put the Canes on the scoreboard and narrowed Indiana’s lead to 10-7. The Hoosiers defense came to the rescue minutes later by blocking a Miami punt for a touchdown to restore a ten-point IU advantage at 17-7. Both teams’ offenses finally came alive in the final quarter Former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck finally located a few open receivers and quickly moved the Hurricanes down the field. A second Mark Fletcher, Jr. touchdown run cut Indiana’s lead to 17-14 on the very first play of the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers would answer that rally.  Indiana made this game even more exciting during a tense fourth quarter as they successfully completed two gutty fourth down calls. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza surprised the Canes’ defense with a fourth down quarterback draw play.  He bounced off two different Miami tacklers en route to a 13-yard touchdown score. That gave IU a 24-14 lead with nine minutes to play. This game had become much like a very tense tennis match.  Back and forth they went during the final period.  Neither team gave up after the other team scored. Miami’s passing game responded once again.  Elusive running back Malachi Toney came alive with a couple of key pass receptions during the drive.  He raced through and around several IU defenders for a 22-yard score to cut Indiana’s lead to 24-21 with a little more than six minutes left. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza then connected on a couple of clutch third down pass completions to move the Hoosiers down the field one more time. A well-conceived series of runs and passes for first downs helped IU eat-up precious minutes from the fourth quarter game clock. The Hoosiers opted to kick a 35-yard field goal to extend their lead to 27-21 with less than two minutes to go in the game.  Miami now had one final chance to win this game. The Hurricanes’ last offensive possession quickly advanced the ball all the way to midfield with under a minute to play.  A long pass downfield from quarterback Carson Beck was then intercepted by Indiana inside its ten yard line to seal the victory for the Hoosiers and sink Miami’s title hopes. That last minute pass interception by Indiana was the only turnover committed by either team in this year’s championship game. By the way, did someone steal the referees’ whistles at this football game? Millions of fans (like me) watching on television yelled, “Pass Interference!” or “Late hit – throw a flag!” at various points of this football game. Did the referees swallow their whistles during Monday’s game? Miami’s defensive backs were grabbing the uniforms, shoulder pads, arms, and hands of Indiana’s receivers all night long with only a few of the most obvious infractions penalized.  IU’s defense responded in kind by grabbing a few Miami receivers on some pass plays, too. At least two different Miami players should have been whistled for delivering late hits out-of-bounds in this game.  Another quite obvious targeting head shot was delivered by a Miami defensive player to Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Nary a tweet was heard. Miami (one of the most penalized teams in college football this season) was whistled for only seven penalties and 60 yards.  Indiana chalked-up just five penalties for 38 yards. Perhaps the title game’s referees may have carpooled to a local “Vision for Less” optometrist to be fitted for new glasses and forgot that this game was underway. Let’s give the officials credit for being consistent, though.  They allowed both teams get away with far too much in the title game.  Thankfully, no one appeared to be seriously injured during any of those plays. Regardless of the sport, games should be officiated in the same way as contests are called during the regular season.  This officiating crew stunk it up on Monday night. “Hoosiers II – The Football Edition” is likely going to be filmed soon That fantastic 1986 sports movie about a small Indiana high school basketball team winning the state championship may have been topped by the 16-0 national champion University of Indiana Hoosiers’ football team. Long-time assistant coach Curt Cignetti finally received his first head coaching job in 2011 at a Division II college in western Pennsylvania. He was age 50 at the time.  He quickly transformed that football team into a winner.  A move to North Carolina produced similar results for FCS member Elon University outside of Greensboro. Curt Cignetti then took over at James Madison University in northwestern Virginia.  He led the Dukes to a 52-9 record over his five seasons as the team’s head coach. Perennial football wallflower Indiana then picked this late-blooming coach-turned-miracle-worker in 2024.  In two seasons, IU has grown into a college football monster. Coach Curt Cignetti’s two seasons in Bloomington have produced a record of 27-2 with two College Football Playoff appearances. This was topped-off by Monday night’s well-deserved national championship earned by Indiana’s 16-0 team. What is 64-year old Curt Cignetti’s secret formula? Indiana had only eight players who were considered 4-star or 5-star athletes in high school.  Quarterback Fernando Mendoza was labeled as a “2-star” prospect coming out of a high school just a few miles from the University of Miami campus.  He wasn’t offered a scholarship by “The U” so he headed west to accept his only big-time offer to play at Cal. Mendoza would transfer to Indiana this season to team-up with his younger brother Alberto (also a quarterback).  The rest is now history. Coach Curt Cignetti assembled a group of talented underdogs who were willing to work harder and longer than players on most other teams. More importantly, the Hoosiers followed the directions of the Indiana coaching staff and became a model of precision execution on offense, defense, and special teams. This year’s Indiana squad performed together in unison like a championship basketball team.  Every player knew his role and executed flawlessly during most games.  The coaches smartly exploited the weaknesses seen in each week’s opponents.  The preparation and execution of the players and coaches helped this team to operate like a finely-tuned machine from week to week. Indiana’s offense played keep-away from the opposing defenses.  The Hoosiers dominated time of possession (including 36 minutes to 24 for Miami on Monday night). This team’s devastating blocking, power running game, and pinpoint short-to-intermediate passing game wore down opponents every week.  Winning the time of possession without committing turnovers helped lead Indiana to a national championship. Indiana won 16 straight games by repeating the same formula over and over again There was nothing fancy about Indiana’s football game plan.  They won every game by executing their plays better than the opposing team did. Coach Nick Saban won seven college football national championships (six at Alabama and his first at LSU).  Curt Cignetti had been a very successful assistant coach at Alabama under Coach Saban from 2007 through 2010.  Cignetti’s recruiting class of 2008 at Alabama would result in six NFL first round draft choices. Now that Indiana and its head coach have climbed to the top of the college football mountain, will the Hoosiers be able to remain there? Coach Saban (now a commentator for ESPN) said Monday before the title game that it will now become harder for Coach Cignetti to find new players with the same hunger to win as this year’s team. “Now everybody wants to come because of what your program can do for them (the top players),” said Saban.  “That dynamic changes everything dramatically – in terms of how you’ve got to motivate your players and how you put together your team.” Another factor in Indiana’s championship season was the character of the players.   Some of today’s NIL transfer “stars” may not fit-in with the selfless, team-oriented demands being made by Coach Curt Cignetti and his impressive coaching staff. Indiana’s precision style of football execution should keep the Hoosiers near the top for years to come. The team’s now-champion head football coach has often said, “If you keep your nose down and keep working, anything is possible!” Congratulations, Indiana!  The best team won. The post Indiana’s 18-wheeler Football team made one final Delivery appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

One of Clint Eastwood’s trademark phrases from a Dirty Harry movie was, “Do you feel lucky?” The four NFL second round divisional playoff games this Saturday and Sunday have given yours truly a really tough time in trying to determine the winners.  Some teams haven’t participated in the playoffs very much in recent years.  Sunday’s games may have snow affecting play (Yes!). The people who follow the Las Vegas prognosticators believe the odds favor these winners (home teams in BOLD): Saturday, January 17: Denver (by 1.5 points) over Buffalo Seattle (by 7 points) over San Francisco Sunday, January 18: New England (by 3 points) over Houston Los Angeles Rams (by 4.5 points) over Chicago These are some very tough games to predict this week.  Let’s review each game and pick a winner!   Saturday – 3:30PM (CST) on CBS – #6 AFC seed Buffalo Bills at #1 Denver Broncos Coach Sean Payton’s three-year turnaround of the Denver Broncos has been nothing short of miraculous.  The Broncos had six consecutive losing seasons before the former New Orleans Saints coach was hired beginning with the 2023 season.  Payton’s first year 8-9 record was followed-up with 10-7 in 2024 (and a first round playoff loss) and a league leading 14-3 record this season. The Denver Broncos have done it with a reliable defense, a gritty young quarterback, and a large dose of timely good fortune.  Having the second-rated NFL defense has kept Denver close in nearly every game this season.  The Broncos give up only 18 points per game and allowed 30 or more points on just two occasions in 17 regular season contests. Quarterback Bo Nix is completing his second NFL season.  Having Sean Payton (a former college quarterback and professional tutor to Saints’ legend Drew Brees) as Bo Nix’ mentor has created a new dynamic duo in Denver.  Nix was rated the #8 QB in the league this season with 25 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.  It is his uncanny ability to play at his best when the game is on the line which endeared him to Broncos’ fans. Meanwhile, Buffalo came into this season as a Super Bowl favorite.  The Bills have lost three straight playoff games to Kansas City in recent years.  With the Chiefs’ collapse this fall, the door was left open for a seasoned playoff contender like Buffalo to make a late-season run to the league’s title game. Reigning NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen had another good season. However, his stats are nearly identical to Denver’s Bo Nix (25 TD’s and 10 interceptions).  Buffalo’s offense was much more productive than Denver.  The Bills were #4 in scoring offense with 28.4 points per game.  Compare that to Denver’s 23.6 ppg. Buffalo’s defense, though, allowed about 22 points per game (#12 in the NFL) which is four points more than Denver’s stingy 18 ppg. X-factor:  Buffalo’s playoff experience pays off in a last second victory. My prediction: Buffalo 31, Denver 28 Saturday – 7PM on FOX – #6 NFC seed San Francisco 49ers at #1 Seattle Seahawks The 49ers are one of three NFC West teams still playing among the four NFC playoff competitors this weekend. Coach Mike Shanahan’s walking wounded group of 49ers has found a way to overcome a significant number of injuries to key players all season.  The latest casualty was All-Pro tight end George Kittle.  He is out for the season after suffering an Achilles injury last weekend. Quarterback Brock Purdy only played in nine regular season games due to injury.  Since returning to the 49ers starting line-up on November 16, Purdy led San Francisco to seven wins in the team’s last eight games.  He has been clutch coming down the stretch. The league’s 13th rated defense has been just good enough (allowing nearly 22 points per game) to keep San Francisco in most of its games this season. Seattle is the host team for Saturday night’s game.  The Seahawks are flying high with the NFC’s #1 seed, a 14-3 regular season record, the #1 defense in the NFC, and the noisiest home stadium crowd in the NFL. That’s the good news. Second-year coach Mike MacDonald (not related to the pop singer with the same name) was the former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.  This 38-year old coach brought along his tough-minded defensive schemes to Seattle.  The Hawks allow only 17 points per game. Seattle’s offense has been led by journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold.  He is playing for his fifth team in eight NFL seasons.  Darnold passed for 25 touchdowns this fall but has given up 14 interceptions.  His history of turnovers while playing in pressure football games has Seahawks fans on pins and needles already.  An oblique injury has been troubling Darnold this week and may limit his mobility on Saturday night. X-factor: Seattle must not count on Sam Darnold to rally the team from behind in this game. My prediction: San Francisco 27, Seattle 21 Sunday – 2PM on ABC & ESPN – #5 AFC seed Houston Texans at #2 New England Houston’s fourth quarter ambush of Pittsburgh on Monday night helped finalize the decision by  Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin to retire after 19 NFL seasons.   The Houston Texans’ defense has lifted this team to ten consecutive wins coming into this weekend (including Monday night’s 30-6 mauling of the Steelers in Pittsburgh). Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans (a former linebacker for the team) has created the NFL’s #1 overall defensive unit giving up just 277 total yards per game. The Houston offense has been inconsistent from week to week.  Third-year quarterback C.J. Stroud passed for 20 touchdowns with nine interceptions but looked shaky at Pittsburgh on Monday night.  Houston’s All-Pro wide receiver Nico Collins suffered a concussion in Pittsburgh and has been ruled out of this Sunday’s game at New England. The home team New England Patriots have returned to the playoffs led by its first year coach Mike Vrabel. The former Patriots’ All-Pro linebacker won three Super Bowl rings during his playing days in New England.  As a coach, he has led the Patriots’ turnaround from 4-13 in 2024 into a 14-3 Super Bowl contender in just one season. Second year quarterback Drake Maye has proven worthy of his first round draft selection in 2024.  Passing for 31 touchdowns with just eight interceptions in the regular season was an amazing feat for a second year NFL quarterback.  He spread the ball around as ten different players caught touchdown passes this season. New England’s defense and special teams have been top notch this season as well. X-factor: Snow (!!!) and the absence of Houston wide receiver Nico Collins My prediction: New England 24, Houston 14 Sunday – 5:30PM on NBC – #5 NFC seed Los Angeles Rams at #2 Chicago Bears Los Angeles was considered a Super Bowl favorite this season.  Chicago Bears fans would have been thrilled just to make the NFL playoffs.  These two teams will meet in frozen Soldier Field in Chicago as the sun sets with temperatures below 20 degrees and snow likely during the game. The Rams are guided by ageless (soon-to-turn 38 years old) veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. He leads the NFL’s #1 offense which scores nearly 31 points per game.  The Rams’ defense isn’t shabby, either.  They give up 20 points on average. Los Angeles has won several high scoring shoot-out games in the past month leading into the playoffs.  The frigid weather conditions expected in Chicago on Sunday evening are not favorable to the Rams’ high scoring offense. Chicago flipped from 5-12 one year ago to a surprising 11-6 record under rookie head coach Ben Johnson.  Detroit’s former offensive coordinator brought his playbook filled with exciting plays to Chicago. Second year quarterback Caleb Williams (27 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions) has blossomed under Coach Johnson’s tutelage. The Bears’ defense was the most opportunistic in the NFL this season.  A total of 33 turnovers (23 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries) gave Chicago’s offense great field position and scoring opportunities. X-factor: Frigid weather and snow will hamper both teams.  Turnovers will determine the winner. My prediction: Los Angeles Rams 28, Chicago 20 The post NFL Divisional Playoff games are Difficult to Predict appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Tuesday’s surprising news came out of Steel City in western Pennsylvania.  Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s hard to believe that the 53-year old Tomlin had been the top man in Pittsburgh for 19 seasons. There have been only three Pittsburgh Steelers head coaches since the National Football League merged with the American Football League 55 years ago in 1970. Steelers head coach Chuck Noll started his head coaching career in Pittsburgh in 1969 by going 1-13.  His second season brought a 5-9 mark in 1970 and then just 6-8 in 1971. In today’s NFL, most other NFL teams would have fired future Hall-of-Fame Coach Chuck Noll after three years on “Black Monday” last week. You must win NOW, because fans and social media are all about instant gratification today. The Steelers transformed from an NFL laughing stock to 6-time Super Bowl champions Coach Chuck Noll’s fourth year 1972 Steelers (led by Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw and a host of impressive young draft picks) turned Pittsburgh into a winner by going 11-3.  The talented young Steelers lost in the AFC championship game that year to the last NFL team to complete an unbeaten season – the 1972 Miami Dolphins. From that point, the 1970’s “Super Steelers” went on to win four Super Bowl titles in just six seasons. The NFL franchise in Pittsburgh had never captured a single NFL title since the team began in 1933.  Coach Chuck Noll’s teams transformed the image of the Pittsburgh Steelers from lovable losers to a tough band of black-and-gold monsters on the football field. Noll put in 23 seasons as the Steelers’ head coach before handing the baton to Bill Cowher in 1992. Coach Cowher’s Steelers added the team’s fifth Super Bowl title (“One for the thumb”) in 2005.  The very intense Bill Cowher retired after the 2006 season after 15 years of NFL success in Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin took the reins in Pittsburgh in 2007 The 34-year old former defensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings immediately bonded with his new team and its very boisterous loyal fans. Like Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin’s college and NFL coaching experience had been on the defensive side of the football. Did you know that Mike Tomlin (the college football player) was a 2nd team All-Conference wide receiver at the College of William & Mary in Virginia?  He became a defensive backs coach upon entering the coaching profession. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers quickly added Pittsburgh’s sixth Super Bowl trophy in 2008. This endeared the team’s new coach to millions of Terrible Towel waving Steelers fans around the world. Mike Tomlin’s Steelers reached the big game once again in 2010 but lost 31-25 to (ironically) Super Bowl MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Ironically, the now 42-year old Aaron Rodgers signed to play quarterback for Coach Tomlin’s Steelers this past season. Rodgers led Pittsburgh to a 10-7 regular season record.  The Steelers were embarrassed 30-6 – at home – by the Houston Texans on Monday night in the wild-card round. Less than one day after Monday night’s ugly loss to Houston, Coach Mike Tomlin elected to voluntarily step down as the Steelers’ head coach Tuesday afternoon.  He finished with 193 regular season wins. That tied him with former Steelers coaching legend Chuck Noll for 9th place in NFL history. The pressure of winning in Pittsburgh takes a toll on its head coaches The Steelers’ six Super Bowl titles place significant pressure on the current head coach to add another piece of hardware into the team’s trophy case. Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh squads never finished below .500 in any of his 19 seasons. His Steelers won the AFC North eight times including this season’s 10-7 team. Coach Tomlin’s Steelers teams were defensively talented but inconsistent on offense.  Tomlin’s offensive units have further declined after the 2021 retirement of likely Hall-of-Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  One by one, offensive coordinators have struggled and been sent packing from Pittsburgh several times during Mike Tomlin’s 19 years at the helm. Monday night’s 30-6 loss – at home – in the opening round again highlighted Mike Tomlin’s difficulty at winning playoff games.  This week’s defeat was the Steelers’ seventh straight in the NFL playoffs. The loss tied Coach Tomlin with former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis for the most consecutive playoff defeats in NFL history. Ouch. The pressure to win a post-season game seems to have been the final breaking point for Pittsburgh Coach Mike Tomlin.  He looked ready to take a lengthy sabbatical from his coaching responsibilities.  Coach Tomlin is considered a likely candidate to work for one of the television networks as a studio host or analyst in the broadcast booth next season. Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton “retired” from the team in 2022 but took a job working as a studio host for FOX Sports that fall.  Payton then returned to the sidelines the following year in 2023 to become the Denver Broncos head coach. It’s likely that Mike Tomlin will patrol the football sidelines as either a head coach or defensive coordinator for another team at some point in the future. In the meantime, here’s hoping that Coach Tomlin will enjoy a very well deserved break. Jump ball!  Who wants to be the new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach? Let’s examine the positives first. Job security – There have been just three coaches in the past 55 seasons.  The Steelers ownership (the Rooney family) is the most patient in all of professional sports.  Getting a job as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers is, perhaps, the safest job in the NFL. Fan support – Is anything better than seeing 65,000 gold-colored Terrible Towels being waved in support of your team at every home game? Yes, there is! It’s when you see 20,000 or more Terrible Towels being waved by fans at your opponent’s stadium on road games!  Only the Dallas Cowboys may have as many loyal football fans as the Steelers. A livable, lovable city – Pittsburgh is one of America’s top major metropolitan areas in terms of the cost of living and safety.  The Steel City (much like New Orleans) has a very unique local population which fervently follows their beloved NFL franchise for 365 days per year. And now…a few of the negatives. Expectations are sky high – every year!  Mike Tomlin appeared to be one of the most even-tempered head coaches in NFL history.  Pittsburgh is the city which was home to Mister Rogers (the PBS children’s TV star – not the quarterback).  Football fans and media in Pittsburgh reminded Coach Tomlin (daily) that he had lost six consecutive post-season games leading up to Monday night’s playoff game versus Houston. The Steelers have six Super Bowl trophies in their display case.  The next head coach will feel immediate pressure to win playoff games again – quickly. Can the new head coach turn around the Steelers’ pop gun offense?  Aaron Rodgers was a “band-aid” type of quarterback for the Steelers this season.  The 42-year old legend could not and should not be attempting to scramble or run from freight train-sized NFL defensive linemen anymore.  Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard never left the bench during his first pro season.  Pittsburgh’s major investment in wide receiver D.K. Metcalf appears to be shaky after Year #1 with the team.  The Steelers need more speedy receivers who can reliably catch the football under pressure. Does the new coach look the part in Pittsburgh?  Mike Tomlin, Bill Cowher, and Chuck Noll had “the look” of someone intense enough and tough enough to command this rugged city’s pro football team. Projecting a personal toughness and strength will (initially) capture the hearts of Steeler Nation. Who does SwampSwami see as the next Pittsburgh Steelers head coach? A. Curt Cignetti Win or lose this coming Monday night vs. the University of Miami, Indiana Hoosiers football coach Curt Cignetti checks all of the boxes needed to turn the Pittsburgh Steelers into a top contender again. Did I say that the 64-year old college football coach is a Pittsburgh native?  Curt Cignetti signed a 7-year contract extension with the Hoosiers this fall.  Can the Steelers afford to pay for the buyout for his Indiana contract? Yes. Would they consider paying a sizable buyout in order to get Cignetti to Pittsburgh? Unlikely.  The Steelers’ ownership is notoriously thrifty.  B. Houston Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans Ryans is only 41 years of age (a year younger than this year’s Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers). The former All-Pro NFL linebacker has won ten or more games in each of his first three seasons as head coach of the Houston Texans.  Pittsburgh would need to provide significant compensation (draft picks and a lot of cash) to Houston in order to lure DeMeco Ryans to come coach in Steel City. Why would Ryans prefer Pittsburgh over Houston?  Have you ever lived in Houston during its six months of summer? C. One of these four relatively young NFL defensive coordinators Some names being floated today include Minnesota Vikings D-coordinator Mike Flores. He was formerly the head coach for the Miami Dolphins.  Flores’ exit from Miami became a bit messy, though.   My list of other top candidates includes Seattle Seahawks defensive guru Allen Durde, Green Bay’s Jeff Hafley, and Jesse Minter from the Los Angeles Chargers. There you have it!    SwampSwami’s list of his six top candidates for the Pittsburgh Steelers head coaching job! One name that I intentionally omitted was Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.  He has been quoted recently saying he had no interest in a pro football head coaching position. Then again, don’t coaches ALWAYS say something like that – right before they leave? The post Tomlin out in Pittsburgh – Who Wants the Best Coaching job in the NFL? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

There’s nothing like losing another PGA Tour tournament sponsor to motivate the long-time men’s golf league to invite a few LIV golfers back this season. The year 2022 saw PGA star Brooks Koepka among several big name PGA Tour players who accepted a reported $100 million signing bonus to join start-up LIV Golf. He has won five times during his four seasons on the new golf tour and earned millions more in the process. Brooks Koepka told the media in late December that he and LIV Golf had reached an agreement to release him from playing obligations during 2026.  He wanted to “prioritize the needs of his family and stay closer to home”. Koepka’s contract with LIV Golf was set to expire at the end of 2026. The rationale given sounded quite noble.  Koepka’s wife suffered a miscarriage in October during the fourth month of her second pregnancy.  The couple already had a two-year old son at home. The LIV Golf tour plays ten of its 14 tournaments this year outside of the United States.  Brooks Koepka would have been away from his young family quite a bit in 2026. Yes, this SOUNDED very noble – until Monday Yesterday, the PGA Tour announced an agreement allowing Brooks Koepka to return to play on the PGA Tour later this month at the Farmers Invitational in San Diego. My lovely wife and I speculated that, perhaps, Mrs. Koepka may have been ready to boot her husband out of the house after his relatively short sabbatical. The PGA Tour’s announcement about the return of Brooks Koepka strangely coincides with recent news that Farmers Insurance is exiting as a 16-year title sponsor for the tour’s long-time event in San Diego. The high cost of sponsoring pro golf tournaments has been taking a toll Want to sponsor a PGA Tour event?  The cost has been rapidly in recent years – even after the Tiger Woods era has effectively ended. Sponsorship costs have nearly doubled in the past decade.  A multi-year sponsorship agreement (usually for four or more years) will cost a company up to $20-25 million annually for a traditional spring or summer PGA Tour stop. A $100 million investment in a men’s golf tournament sponsorship must pass muster with corporate board overseers who will expect to see results to justify the exceptional costs. Don’t expect to see “The SwampSwamiSports.com Open” anytime soon! The PGA Tour has not delivered enough positive results to a growing number of former tournament sponsors Average television viewership for weekly PGA Tour events still brings nearly three million viewers – primarily on CBS.  The network’s advertisers buy TV spots to woo professional golf’s wealthy male audience.  High-dollar vehicles, investment firms and insurance companies dominate ads frequently seen on golf telecasts. However, the 64-year old average age for pro golf’s television viewers is the oldest demographic in all of professional sports. Compare that with NASCAR (58), baseball (57), NFL (50) and the NBA (42). Ironically, younger viewers are much more likely to part with discretionary income than their graybeard dads with fatter wallets. Watch any NFL game and notice the types of products being pitched to its viewers.  Growing families purchase houses, furniture, automobiles, fast food, beverages, and recurring household goods. That’s one reason why PGA Tour weekly telecasts seem to be waving their proverbial broadcast booth pom-poms for younger stars such as 36-year old Rory McIlroy, 29-year old Scottie Scheffler, and 32-year old Justin Thomas. The men’s pro golf tour is desperate to find “the next Tiger Woods”.  El Tigre has been sidelined in recent years with injuries and recently turned 50.  He cannot prop-up the PGA Tour forever. The rising price tag to host a PGA Tour stop may be indicative of fewer events in the future San Diego’s long-time PGA Tour stop has been sponsored by Farmers Insurance for the past 16 years. A press release by Farmers Insurance announced the end of the sponsorship recently stating, “The tournament has generated millions of dollars for charity and delighted golf fans in San Diego and beyond”. Perhaps a more honest comment might have been, “But we haven’t received a significant enough return on our investment after spending $20 million to prop-up this rather expensive event annually”. It’s not like Farmers Insurance is giving up on golf as an advertising vehicle. The company recently posted a news release that Farmers has become a title sponsor for this winter’s second-year of TGL (Tomorrow’s Golf League).  TGL is a weekly televised indoor golf contest aired on ESPN. A TGL spokesperson said, “Farmers Insurance recognizes the engagement that prime time team golf delivers with a wide spectrum of sports fans, especially younger fans.” Traditional PGA tournament sponsors expect to see positive results The loss of major male golf stars like Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Cam Smith and others to LIV Golf a few years ago really hurt the PGA Tour.  Every tournament sponsor wants their event to feature a top field of golfers which excites local fans to come out and see. The title sponsor is “sold” with the expectation that a significant national television audience will be watching from home. That sponsor wants to see thousands of happy golf fans attending their event in person, too.  This one-week golf tournament blitz is intended to capture the maximum positive name recognition today and some long-lasting goodwill associated with the company’s financial investment. This spring’s Colonial golf event (currently known as the Charles Schwab Invitational) in Fort Worth wants patrons to plunk down $85 for a one-day pass in late May.  North Texas golf fans want to see top golfers and popular regional favorites such as former University of Texas stars Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler in this year’s field. However, the PGA Tour does not require a golfer to play in any particular weekly event (yet), so the field in Fort Worth is still rather uncertain.  The upper echelon of PGA Tour golfers often decide to enter a particular event if played in a favorite geographic region or on a golf course which suits their game or which features significant prize money up for grabs. The title sponsor of any particular PGA Tour event bears a significant financial risk if not enough of the top golfers elect not to play in their tournament.  Fewer top stars at some events mean lower television ratings and a negative impact on tournament revenues. Have the costs exceeded with the desired benefits for some PGA tournament sponsors? Farmers Insurance is not the first major corporation to end a sponsorship of a PGA Tour event in recent years. Wells Fargo walked away from its tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina last year.  The year 2024 saw Honda Motor Company end its long-time association with a tournament in southeast Florida. Shriners Children’s Hospital walked away from its PGA event in 2023. The PGA Tour’s competition with LIV Golf caused weekly money to balloon to nearly $8 million per tournament in recent years.  These increased payouts to players has been passed along in the form of higher corporate sponsorship costs. Some companies believe that the current costs outweigh the perceived benefits.  The market is working. A $3 billion life preserver was received by the PGA Tour just in time for the 2024 season A unique partnership with private equity investor Strategic Sports Group provided the PGA Tour a massive cash infusion in January, 2024.  This $3 billion investment was intended to halt the migration of top golfers to LIV Golf and provide a long-term financial backstop against potential operational losses on the PGA Tour. Half of the new money ($1.5 billion) was set aside to pay for a new long-term incentive bonus plan to be paid to PGA Tour golfers.  The players must remain on the tour for several years in order to collect their full bonus share.  This would (theoretically) cause players to think twice about jumping to LIV Golf or any other golf tour. Will the three other major LIV Golf stars take the bait and return to the PGA Tour? Monday’s announcement by the PGA Tour to allow Brooks Koepka’s amnesty came along with a rather restrictive short-term offer to three other prominent (and young) LIV Golf stars.  The PGA’s “Returning Member Program” would allow LIV golfers Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cam Smith a chance to return to the PGA Tour this season if they should agree to accept the terms by February 2. Brooks Koepka (and the other three LIV golfers) will not be eligible for any FedEx bonus pool money in 2026.  The golfer must play in 15 PGA Tour events in 2026.  Koepka (and any other LIV golfers) will be excluded from the new PGA Tour bonus pool for the next five years.  That might result in a potential future loss of up to $50 million per player. Brooks Koepka also agreed to donate $5 million to charity as part of his “deal”.  Expect the other three golfers to be required to pay at least that amount to charity. LIV Golf’s youthful trio of DeChambeau, Rahm, and Smith still remain under contract with their employer to play this season.  They would have to quickly negotiate a buy-out for their LIV Golf contracts and then be fleeced again by the PGA Tour’s punitive terms and conditions. I don’t expect the other three golfers to take the bait.  Brooks Koepka had his own personal reasons to exit LIV Golf. The others?  Not so much – at least right now. Does this signal the end for LIV Golf? The Saudi Public Investment Fund is worth more than $1 trillion.  That Saudi PIF doesn’t seem concerned that LIV Golf has become a multi-billion dollar money loser. The loss of a few percentage points from this massive pile of cash is balanced by the Saudis’ perceived prestige as the owner of a worldwide golf tour. I believe that the loss of Brooks Koepka represents a relatively small hit for LIV Golf.  The five-time major champion was never very personable with fans and the media.  He doesn’t move the “fan favorite” needle as much as Bryson DeChambeau, Spain’s Jon Rahm, or even Australian Cam Smith. If DeChambeau, Rahm, and Smith follow suit and join Koepka to accept the PGA’s short-term “Come home” offer by February 2, worldwide interest in LIV Golf will plummet. The 2026 LIV Golf schedule has only 14 golf tournaments.  Ten will be played overseas with only four LIV Golf events to be played in the US this year. One of the US tournaments will be played in New Orleans at Bayou Oaks in City Park from June 25-28. Whose bad idea was that to schedule a golf tournament at that time of year in the Crescent City? Those of us who have lived in New Orleans will confirm the oppressive late June heat and humidity in the city.  Lake Pontchartrain, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf combine to create one of America’s hottest summer locations.  It will punish the golfers far more than the layout at the renovated City Park golf course. Conclusion The PGA Tour now desperately wants their wealthy competitor (LIV Golf) to surrender soon. LIV Golf is feeling no pressure to fold anytime soon. The PGA Tour, though, has new private financial backers who may be quietly demanding executives to show improved profitability after the group’s $3 billion investment into the long-time men’s professional golf league. Purses for men’s pro golf may have peaked due to competition from LIV Golf.  The average PGA Tour golfer earned more than $2.2 million in 2025.  They’ll somehow survive. This is getting very interesting.  Stay tuned! The post PGA Tour attempts to turn the screws on LIV Golf appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The large school division FBS football season began in late August as the fall semester was getting underway. Football players for the four major college football teams are still competing this week in the semifinal round of the 12-team College Football playoffs on Thursday and Friday night. Isn’t it strange that college football season is still underway long after the fall semester has ended? Don’t these young men have to attend classes in the new semester? Many colleges and universities have already started a new semester of classes in January. My review of the online academic calendars for each of the four remaining College Football Playoff teams indicated that new classes have or will start as follows: Oregon – Monday, January 5 (classes are already underway) Indiana – Monday, January 12 (starts on Monday) Miami (FL) – Monday, January 12 (ditto) Ole Miss – Tuesday, January 20 (this school apparently planned ahead anticipating to win the national title!) Two of these four teams will be eliminated after the semifinal games this week.  Players on the winning teams must wait until after the championship game on Monday night, January 19 for their football season to finally end. Who came up with this post-season schedule? (Hint – a sports media giant which pays billions of dollars for the exclusive rights to televise these games) Meanwhile, the NCAA’s Transfer Portal is now open and some players on the four remaining teams have already signed with another college football team! This college football season at Ole Miss began with redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Simmons under center.  He injured his ankle during the Rebels’ second game and was replaced by the talented Division II transfer quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Austin Simmons is an academic honor roll student who has already earned an Ole Miss degree in multi-disciplinary studies in May, 2025. He recently placed his name into the NCAA’s transfer portal and just signed to play football next season for the SEC’s Missouri Tigers.  By the way, Mizzou is slated to begin its spring semester on Tuesday, January 20. Questions like this are among the incredible complications facing college football today. How did we get here? The word “greed” is the rather obvious answer. The NCAA is supposed to provide the framework for college athletics, but they have effectively abdicated that role in the past few decades.  They now seem more concerned with preserving their own lucrative revenue stream than enforcing their own rules and risk being sued for every decision they make. Football already provided significant revenues for most major college programs.  For example, LSU has utilized the wealth from football revenues to support the majority of its other athletic programs on campus in Baton Rouge. The ability of college football to draw millions of television viewers on Saturday has created a relatively new problem.  Increasingly fragmented television networks are now lining up to paying billions for long-term television rights with major football conferences.  That’s because college football delivers several million mostly male viewers in the prime buying demographic (ages 25-49) every weekend from late August through early January. Don’t forget the increasing role of sports wagering, too.  There has been a dramatic rise in the number of sports wagering entities in recent years.  Billions of dollars (especially during this expanded playoff season) are being spent on major college football games every week. How can we control this NCAA Transfer Portal? The NCAA formerly required college athletes to sit-out for one year after transferring from one school to another. Not so today.  The NCAA’s wild and crazy Transfer Portal (which opened for business at midnight on January 2) now allows athletes to transfer from one school to another – just like the “average” college student can do.  As of Thursday, January 9, there were 4,500 NCAA Division 1 players who had their name in the proverbial hat trying to find a new school willing to commit to more playing time and, of course, more money. Unlike the rest of the student body, though, today’s highly recruited athletes seem to magically appear on campus at the very last moment.  His or her new coach is somehow (wink) able to pull the strings with the school’s administration to admit this new student immediately. Good luck to an average sophomore business major if he or she shows up less than a week prior to the beginning of a new semester wanting to transfer into the school! College athletes are now legally being paid – though the rules (?) are quite fuzzy The court systems now allow college athletes to receive compensation relating to their athletic accomplishments.  Since college football generates the overwhelming majority of revenue, those players want a significant share of the growing revenue pie. Would it surprise you to learn that several of the top college football quarterbacks are signing one-year NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) agreements this week for $5 million or more to play next fall at dear ol’ Wassamatta U? That is the equivalent to the NFL pay for a player selected with the 10th overall pick in the first round of last spring’s draft. It has become financially prudent for most football players to stick around and play another year of college football rather than risk being cut by an NFL team after the preseason games end next August. See also – Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia Vanderbilt’s undersized but highly successful quarterback Diego Pavia went from having zero football scholarships coming out of high school to earning millions of NIL cash this season.  The former junior college walk-on later transferred to New Mexico State and eventually to Vanderbilt University. Diego Pavia has been now been enrolled in college for six years. The soon-to-be 24-year old quarterback is about 5’10” tall and weighs 205 pounds.  He led Vanderbilt to its first 10-win season and finished as runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. Pavia is estimated to be the 11th rated quarterback if he enters next spring’s NFL draft.  He would be fortunate to be drafted before the fourth or fifth round. Diego Pavia has hired attorneys to petition the NCAA to allow the highly-effective college quarterback to return to Vanderbilt next season.  It would be his seventh year in college! He will easily earn more money playing at Vanderbilt next year than being a mid-to-late round selection in the spring NFL draft.  It’s a very smart business move. College sports seem to have become a hybrid of yesteryear’s rules and today’s professional sports It wasn’t long ago when college athletes were provided with valuable scholarships to cover the cost of their studies plus room and board in exchange for their athletic talents. Today’s total cost of attending an in-state public college is now $30,000 per year.  A private college will cost twice that amount. Let’s call the national average $40,000 per year per athlete. A recent NCAA study showed approximately 30,000 college football players participating in the FBS and FCS (smaller school) levels.  With 136 FBS schools and another 125 FCS football-playing universities, that averages to 115 football players per school. Using our $40,000 annual cost for each of the 115 football players per school, each major football school is forking out $4.6 million to cover the costs of their football team. On the revenue side, more than $3 billion is now being paid by television media companies to televise weekly football games and the playoffs.  With 136 FBS teams, that represents an average of $22 million of TV revenue per school. The players are quite aware of that remaining $17 million of TV revenue and want their share of it. How does this compare with how owners and players share revenue in the NFL? The NFL generates over $11 billion per year in television revenue.  With 32 NFL franchises, each team receives $340 million from TV alone.  The local teams also generate millions from ticket sales, parking, concessions, and merchandise. The players (like most corporate employees) are being paid about 50% of the team’s revenues. This year’s NFL salary cap was established at about $212 million per 53-player team.  That’s exactly $4 million per player. Now that we have a better handle on the numbers, it’s time to clean this mess up! A. What would the average “salary” be for major college football programs based on this year’s television revenues? Let’s use the NFL model and split the $3 billion of college football TV revenue.  The schools would receive 50% and the players can divvy-up the other 50%. The 136 FBS schools would divide their $1.5 billion.  That amounts to $11 million per school.  Schools could first utilize the money to offset the football players’ tuition/room/board annual costs of $4.6 million (as described earlier).  The remaining $6+ million could be used to support the revenue-deficient athletic programs at the university. Likewise, the other $1.5 billion could be split equally among the 115 players at each of the 136 FBS schools. Those 15,640 players would receive an average “pay” of $96,000 apiece in 2025. B. What about these NIL deals? Nothing should prohibit a top athlete from negotiating a legitimate contract based on his or her fair market value for promotional services.  Every NIL deal, though, must be approved by the school and then submitted for final review and approval by the newly appointed “Czar of College Sports” (Vote for me!). All fraudulent deals would result in an immediate suspension of the athlete for up to one year and the school being placed on probation (and loss of TV revenue) for a similar period.  The penalties must be stiff in order to prevent inevitable cheating. C. How would you fix the NCAA Transfer Portal? That’s easy!  First, let’s address the coaches. The coaches (head coaches and staff) must be retained by the school until the day following the winner of that sport’s national championship (January 19).  College coaches will have two weeks to sign with another school (or professional team) or elect to stay put during this two week period. For the players, each sport’s annual transfer portal season would begin on the day after the coaching moves occur.  The players’ transfer portal will be open for a minimum of one month and then close.  It’s “one and done” with no secondary portal seasons. D. When should colleges be allowed to sign high school athletes? It has never made sense that a high school athlete should be asked to sign a letter of intent to play in college sports before completing their final sports season as a senior.  Some kids are receiving scholarship offers coming out of the eighth grade!   Let’s change this! In our new “world”, a high school athlete may only sign a national letter of intent to play college athletics (1) during his or her senior year and (2) one week following the conclusion of his or her sport’s high school state championship game. Could changes like these happen anytime soon? Some want Congress to make new laws to cause some of these changes to happen. Good luck with that.  They can’t seem to agree on when to take a lunch break. It would be better for the conferences, schools, coaches, and players to voluntarily lock hands along with the (ugh) NCAA and establish a Czar of College Sports to make and enforce some new common-sense rules. Many of us would like to see former Alabama coach Nick Saban head this important task. His focus and passion is unmatched.  Hire that man for the job – if he really wants it! If there aren’t any applicants, though, you can reach always me at swampswamisports@gmail.com! The post Time for a Czar of College Sports! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The Monday following the final Sunday of the NFL regular season is known as Black Monday.  It is the day when under-performing head coaches are dismissed by some NFL teams. Two NFL head coaches had already been fired during the regular season. Tennessee parted ways with Brian Callahan on October 14 after the Titans started 1-5.  The New York Giants booted Brian Daboll a month later after the G-men dropped to 2-8. That made two “Brians” fired within one month of each other!   Go figure. Five additional NFL head coaches have been added to that list already this week There are now seven head coaching vacancies out of the 32 NFL franchises.  That’s nearly 22% of the league’s teams. The other unlucky coaches fired this week have been: Pete Carroll – Las Vegas Raiders (3-14) Long-time former Seattle Seahawks coach was sent packing after just one year in Las Vegas on Monday.  The 74-year old Pete Carroll will be credited with getting the lowly Raiders the first pick in next spring’s NFL draft with the team’s last place finish. Jonathan Gannon – Arizona Cardinals (3-14) The former coach of the lowly Cardinals finished on a nine-game losing streak.  Gannon’s three year stay in Phoenix featured a woeful 15-36 record and no playoff appearances.  No surprise here. Kevin Stefanski – Cleveland Browns (5-12) Six years was long enough for the Browns’ management to decide to move along from Stefanski.  He did take Cleveland to a couple of playoff appearances, though.  Don’t be surprised if Kevin Stefanski gets another head coaching gig soon. Raheem Morris – Atlanta Falcons (8-9) This was a surprising move as the Falcons finished on a four-game winning streak after beating New Orleans on Sunday.  Atlanta franchise owner Arthur Blank (CEO of Home Depot) may be planning to bring former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan onboard soon as a team executive.  Ryan would then hire a new coaching staff.  Raheem Morris is likely to land a defensive coordinator position with another NFL team quickly. John Harbaugh – Baltimore Ravens (8-9) Perhaps the most shocking coaching move happened today (Tuesday) as the Ravens sent 18-year veteran head coach John Harbaugh to the showers. The 64-year old Harbaugh took Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory in the 2012 season and led his team into the playoffs 12 out of 18 years (including three of the past four).  He will quickly land another head coaching job – assuming he is interested in any of the current openings. Two other NFL head coaches are hanging on by a thread Aaron Glenn – New York Jets (3-14) The woeful Jets appear to be sticking with rookie head coach Aaron Glenn for at least one more season.  Glenn (a former New Orleans Saints cornerback) received a lucrative multi-year contract last January and would be due a hefty contract buyout if dismissed after just one year with the team. Mike McDaniel – Miami Dolphins (7-10) Four years at the helm of Miami have seen Coach McDaniel’s teams finish with two playoff appearances but also two disappointing seasons.  His overall record is 35-33 with the Dolphins. McDaniel’s contract is reportedly about $4 million annually.  The relatively thrifty contract of Mike McDaniel makes him slightly less likely to get the ax – at least for another year.   Is it fair to fire a head coach without taking a hard look at the executive suite and the players signed to play for that team, too? NFL franchises are now doling out an average of $212 million per season to the 53 active players. That is exactly $4 million per player. Yes, some of the NFL’s top quarterbacks make ten times as much, but they can also propel a team into the Super Bowl. Football at every level still remains a team game.  All 22 starting players (11 on offense and 11 on defense) must contribute to overall team success (or the lack thereof). It is more convenient to blame a team’s under-performance on the head coach and send him packing after one or more disappointing seasons.  One report estimated that the average NFL head coach was earning about $6.5 million in 2025. Each NFL team must make decisions about the players who should be drafted and others to be signed as free agents.  That responsibility falls on the executive management group. Franchise owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys and General Manager Mickey Loomis of the New Orleans Saints have been discussed here regularly as being a primary reason for the recent decline of both franchises. We will discuss NFL management issues in an upcoming report. Let’s identify the most overpaid underachivers playing for every NFL team which just fired its head coach! Las Vegas Raiders (3-14) – Quarterback Geno Smith Now in his 13th NFL season, the former second round draft pick has bounced around the league.  He is on team #5 in Las Vegas.  The Raiders paid Smith $37 ½ million this season for 19 touchdown passes and a league-leading 17 interceptions.  That’s a very poor investment by this wayward NFL franchise.  The Raiders fired their coach (Pete Carroll) and will likely select a new quarterback with the #1 pick in next spring’s NFL draft.  Football fans in Oakland must be enjoying watching the Raiders’ collapse in Vegas after the team abandoned the Bay Area several years ago. New York Jets (3-14) – Quarterback Justin Fields Justin Fields signed a 2-year $40 million contract (with $30 million guaranteed) beginning in 2025.  Fields started the season as the team’s #1 quarterback and led them to an 0-7 start.  He was eventually benched in favor of 36-year old career back-up Tyrod Taylor.  The former first round draft pick of the Chicago Bears is playing on his third team in just five NFL seasons.  Gotham City’s J-E-T-S now own the second pick in the spring NFL draft and are looking for (surprise!) a new quarterback. Arizona Cardinals (3-14) – Quarterback Kyler Murray Murray made $46 million this season.  That’s 22% of the 53-man Arizona Cardinals’ entire payroll.  The former 2018 Heisman Trophy winner with the Oklahoma Sooners was selected first overall in 2019 by the Cardinals.  Kyler Murray has taken Arizona to the playoffs just once (2021) in six seasons.  However, Murray has now outlasted two coaches (Kliff Kingsbury and Jonathan Gannon).  The quarterback may be traded soon – assuming another team will pick-up the tab for his hefty contract.  Like Las Vegas and the Jets, the Cardinals might look to select yet another quarterback with the third overall pick in next spring’s draft. Cleveland Browns (5-12) – Quarterback Deshaun Watson The Houston Texans wisely traded Watson to the Cleveland Browns in March, 2022.  Watson quickly signed a 5-year $230 million contract (all money guaranteed regardless of how much he plays).  The oft-injured Deshaun Watson has played just 19 games for the Browns in the first three years of his contract.  The Browns are expected to give the $46 million dollar man one more try in 2026 assuming he recovers from his latest (Achilles) injury. Miami Dolphins (7-10) – Tie – Wide receiver Tyreek Hill and Quarterback Tua Tagovialoa This not-so-Dynamic Duo has been a big part of Miami’s demise this season.  The Dolphins paid an incredible $83 million (32% of the team’s payroll) to these two under-performing players in 2025.  Tua passed for 20 touchdowns but finished with 15 interceptions this season.  Tyreek Hill (who also has a history of off-the-field personal issues) played in just four games for Miami before injuring his knee.  One or both of these players may end-up playing for another team next season. Atlanta Falcons (8-9) – Quarterback Kirk Cousins Well-paid and well-traveled 14-year veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins started the 2025 season in Atlanta as the NFL’s highest paid back-up.  Second year QB Michael Penix, Jr. was injured in mid-season, so Cousins played in eight games for Atlanta for his $45 million annual paycheck.  That was a cool $5.6 million per game!  Since the Falcons have now fired their head coach, expect Kirk Cousins and his bloated contract to be playing for his fourth NFL team beginning next season. Baltimore Ravens (8-9) – Quarterback Lamar Jackson Two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson signed a 5-year $260 million contract two years ago with the Ravens.  His salary accounted for 23% of the Ravens’ team salary in 2025.  Jackson is obviously talented but has shown a tendency to fumble or toss interceptions during the playoffs.  The firing of Jackson’s only professional coach (John Harbaugh) may signal that the team is also willing to listen to trade offers for Lamar Jackson soon. The post Black Monday for NFL Coaches – Why not Fire a few Players, too? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Well, that didn’t take long! Three of the top four seeds in this year’s College Football Playoffs bit the dust in the quarterfinals this week. Only top-ranked Indiana (now 14-0) remains alive heading into next week’s semifinal round. We are into Year #2 of the 12-team College Football Playoffs.  Last year, all four top seeded teams lost after a bye week.  The 2024 top seed Oregon lost to eventual champion and #8 seed Ohio State.  Second seeded Georgia, #3 Boise State, and #4 Arizona State lost in the quarterfinal round, too. This year, add three more top teams to the “one and done” party. Say good-bye to #2 seed Ohio State, #3 Georgia, and #4 Texas Tech.  Those three teams all had to wait nearly a month before ESPN (oops, I mean the College Football Playoff Committee) allowed them to play their first game in this drawn-out post-season event. The top-seed Indiana Hoosiers finally figured out the secret formula on how to survive the long wait to play football again.  They blasted #9 seed Alabama 38-3 on New Year’s Day to become the only favorite remaining in this year’s College Football Playoffs. Here are a few thoughts about this week’s four College Football Playoff games Game 1 – Cotton Bowl – #10 seed Miami (FL) 24, #2 Ohio State 14 The Miami Hurricanes displayed a powerful gale force defense in blowing away 10-point favorite Ohio State Buckeyes in Wednesday night’s New Year’s Eve playoff game. The Canes jumped to a 14-0 halftime advantage and never looked back. Miami’s bruising running attack featuring senior Mark Fletcher, Jr. out-rushed the defending national champion Ohio State 153 yards to just 45.  The ability to keep the football out of the Buckeyes’ hands late in the game hindered the chances of Ohio State making a comeback. Miami will play in next Thursday’s semifinal game at the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix. Game 2 – Orange Bowl – #5 Oregon 23, #4 Texas Tech 0 Texas Tech definitely has a first-class defensive unit!  This game’s final score should have been much, much worse for the Red Raiders if their exceptional defense had allowed a few more touchdowns in this very lopsided affair. The Oregon Ducks’ offense misfired on several opportunities but still had plenty of points to beat the worst offense (by far) we have seen in recent college football memory. Need an example? Texas Tech’s senior quarterback Behren Morton passed for just 137 yards, lost 32 yards on six carries, was intercepted twice, fumbled once, and sacked four times.  Ouch. Oregon (now 13-1) moves on to play next Friday night against top seeded Indiana in a rematch of a game won by the Hoosiers 30-20 at Eugene, Oregon in October. Game 3 – Rose Bowl – #1 Indiana 38, #9 Alabama 3 The 14-0 Hoosiers dominated this game and put on a clinic in dispatching ESPN’s favorite team, Alabama.  The pre-game banter from ESPN’s GameDay crew came across as nauseatingly in favor of the mighty Crimson Tide taking down the overrated pretenders from Indiana. As former College GameDay crew member (and Indiana football coach) Lee Corso might say, “Not so fast!” Indiana’s Heisman-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza efficiently completed 14 of 16 passes for 192 yards including three touchdowns. The balanced Hoosier running game tacked on another 215 yards and two more scores. Alabama ended its season at 11-4. Coach Kalen DeBoer and his team will face more scrutiny in the coming weeks after being chosen ahead of 10-2 Notre Dame for a playoff spot. Indiana advances into the semifinal round next Friday night in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. Game 4 – Sugar Bowl – #6 Ole Miss 39, #3 Georgia 34 Ole Miss fans are thrilled about this post-Lane Kiffin team as it moved to 2-0 without its former coach in the post-season. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss continued to impress on New Year’s Day.  He led Ole Miss with a heroic fourth quarter rally to subdue the Georgia Bulldogs 39-34 in the biggest thriller of this season’s College Football Playoffs.  Chambliss passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns as the Rebels battled back and forth with an equally tough Georgia squad. Ole Miss is now 13-1 and will face Miami in the Fiesta Bowl next Thursday night. How did SwampSwami’s predictions about these four games fare? Not too bad!  My final story of 2025 gave my prediction for these four College Football Playoff quarterfinal games. I was 2-2 in correctly picking Indiana and Ole Miss to advance. Ohio State and Texas Tech let me down, but both deserved to go home after disappointing outings. A new champion in both the major college FBS and small college FCS will be crowned in January! Ohio State’s loss on Wednesday night insured a new champion for the large school FBS group. Likewise, North Dakota State’s loss to Illinois State in the small college FCS Playoffs insures a new champ on the lower division. The Redbirds (12-4) will face Montana State (13-2) in the FCS championship game on Monday night on ESPN at 6:30PM CST. Who is the happiest college football coach this week not participating in the College Football Playoffs? That would be former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin. He signed a new contract to coach at LSU beginning next season.  The Ole Miss Athletics Director told Kiffin to hit the road to Baton Rouge and wouldn’t allow him to coach this year’s team in the College Football Playoffs. Lane Kiffin is definitely rooting for his former players to keep on winning. He still loves his players from this season’s Ole Miss team.  Kiffin’s new contract at LSU calls for him to be paid the same bonus money he would have earned had he been coaching this year’s Ole Miss team in the College Football Playoffs. LSU wrote a check for $150,000 to Coach Lane Kiffin after his former team at Ole Miss qualified as a participant in the College Football Playoffs. The coach then pocketed another $250,000 after Ole Miss’ first round 41-10 win over Tulane. Coach Kiffin just added another $500,000 – to be paid by LSU – after Thursday’s thrilling victory by Ole Miss over Georgia. Should Ole Miss win next week’s semifinal game against Miami, Lane Kiffin will pad his bank account with another $750,000.  A national title by the Rebels in two weeks would cost LSU another $1 million. As of today, the tab for LSU is now up to $900,000.  Two more wins by the Ole Miss Rebels would bring the total being paid by the Tigers to new coach Lane Kiffin to an obscene $2 ½ million! Let’s go ahead and try to pick the two CFP semifinal winners! Semifinal 1 – Fiesta Bowl – Thursday, January 8 – 6:30PM CST on ESPN #6 seed Ole Miss vs. #10 Miami (FL) Miami has been slaying giants during the first two rounds.  Their opening game defensive struggle at Texas A&M featured 106,000 screaming fans making life miserable for the Hurricanes’ offense.  However, Miami’s defense and running game prevailed in a 10-3 squeaker. Those same two elements (defense and a pounding running attack) carried Miami to a 24-14 victory in the quarterfinals against defending champion Ohio State on Wednesday night. Ole Miss has scored 80 points in its first two playoff games.  Miami has allowed just 17 points in its two playoff games. Something’s gotta give. If Ole Miss can put 27 or more points on the board on Thursday night, it should be enough for victory.  Get your checkbook ready again, LSU athletics department! Prediction: Ole Miss 30, Miami 24 Semifinal 2 – Peach Bowl – Friday, January 9 – 6:30PM CST on ESPN #1 seed Indiana vs. #5 Oregon This rematch will be conducted in a domed stadium in Atlanta.  Did you know that neither team has played a game in a domed indoor facility all season? Oregon’s defense surrendered 34 points to James Madison in Round 1 and then shut-out Texas Tech in the quarterfinals.  Go figure. Texas Tech played its worst offensive game in decades, though.  I don’t think Oregon is going to shut down a very balanced Indiana attack – especially on artificial turf. Oregon must find a way to score early and often and put Indiana into an early hole.  The Hoosiers’ balanced run/pass offense operates like a Mack truck to wear down opponents and has rarely been required to come from behind. I like Indiana’s unheralded but highly effective defense to take the spotlight next Friday night. Prediction: Indiana 34, Oregon 21 The post New Year = New teams and new Champions! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The Christmas holiday season is now underway.  Yours truly will trek down I-20 to visit family in north Louisiana for several days later this week. This will be the final SwampSwami report for 2025, so let’s make it worth your time with some bold predictions for the upcoming playoff games! First, a review of last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoffs #9 seed Alabama 34, #8 Oklahoma 24 The Oklahoma Sooners looked unbeatable early in the second quarter of last Friday night’s opening game of this year’s playoffs. Alas, it was the second half of that same second quarter which wrecked the Sooner Schooner and its national title hopes. OU raced to 17-0 lead early in the second quarter by scoring on three consecutive possessions.  Alabama finally put some points on the board with a 75-yard touchdown drive to make it 17-7. Then Oklahoma’s All-SEC punter Grayson Miller accidentally dropped the ball just prior to punting it.  Bama quickly recovered and would kick a field goal to trail 17-10. On the next possession, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer completed a beautiful pass – right into the hands of Alabama defensive back Zabien Brown – for a 50-yard interception and score for the Crimson Tide. This game went to halftime tied at 17 apiece.  The Oklahoma football team and its home crowd of more than 80,000 looked shocked and deflated heading to the locker room after a self-inflicted second quarter collapse. Alabama tacked on ten more points in the third quarter to take a 27-17 lead.  The Tide went on to win 34-24 and will face #1 seed Indiana in a second round game on January 1. #10 seed Miami 10, #7 seed Texas A&M 3 Nobody could have predicted this putrid offensive performance by both teams in the first two quarters.  The scoreboard registered 0-0 at halftime on a dry, warm 75-degree Saturday afternoon in College Station, Texas. Miami finally got on the scoreboard with a third quarter field goal.  They were matched by Texas A&M early in the fourth quarter to make the score 3-3. That’s when Hurricanes’ running back Mark Fletcher, Jr. took over and literally carried his team on his back Saturday with 172 rushing yards.  His punishing fourth quarter runs carried the Canes downfield to take a 10-3 lead with two minutes to go. A final drive by the Aggies to the Miami 5-yard line ended when Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed was intercepted on a questionable pass into the end zone. Miami returns to the state of Texas next Wednesday night to play #2 seed Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve. #6 seed Ole Miss 41, #11 seed Tulane 10 Before you blinked, the Coach Lane Kiffin-less Rebels jumped to a 14-0 lead with only a few minutes gone in the first quarter.  You may remember that Ole Miss played Tulane earlier in the season and came away with a lopsided 45-10 victory. Tulane never had a chance (again) in stepping-up to play this high-scoring SEC foe.  The Green Wave finished the season with an 11-3 record. Ole Miss travels to New Orleans to face #3 seed Georgia next Thursday on New Year’s Day in the Sugar Bowl. #5 seed Oregon 51, #12 seed James Madison 34 The Ducks had their way with the JMU Dukes in Saturday’s final first round College Football Playoff game.  Oregon led 34-6 at halftime and coasted the rest of the way. James Madison finished its season with an outstanding 12-2 record. The Ducks of Oregon will migrate across the USA next week to play #4 seed Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Day. Prediction time! Wednesday, December 31 – 6:30PM CST on ESPN – Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas #2 seed Ohio State (12-1) vs. #10 seed Miami (FL) (11-2) Ohio State is rusty after nearly a month off, but they have more than enough firepower to sink Miami’s battleship.  The Hurricanes’ very expensive NIL transfer quarterback Carson Beck needs to have his best game of the year to deliver a win for the Canes. I don’t think he will. Prediction – Ohio State 31, Miami 14 Thursday, January 1 – 11AM CST on ESPN – Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida #5 seed Oregon (12-1) vs. #4 seed Texas Tech (12-1) Oregon and Texas Tech can light-up the scoreboard, but the Red Raiders’ defense should become the big difference in this game.  Oregon’s second half against James Madison displayed a number of defensive lapses.  Texas Tech took good notes and should exploit the Ducks secondary in rolling to a surprisingly easy win. Prediction – Texas Tech 38, Oregon 24 Thursday, January 1 – 3PM CST on ESPN – Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California #9 seed Alabama (11-3) vs. #1 seed Indiana (13-0) The only unbeaten team in major college football takes center stage in the famous Rose Bowl against SEC power Alabama.  Indiana’s gritty 13-10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game validated their claim to the #1 spot. Alabama’s offense must duplicate its second half performance against Oklahoma’s defense in order to stay close in this game.  In the end, Indiana’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza has a more balanced offense than Alabama and should prevail. Prediction – Indiana 28, Alabama 17 Thursday, January 1 – 7PM CST on ESPN – Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana #6 seed Ole Miss (12-1) vs. #3 seed Georgia (12-1) Watch to see if the Ole Miss offense can exploit enough weaknesses in the Georgia defense to stay close in the first half of this game.  If not, Georgia’s ball-control offense has a tendency to wear down opponents late in the game.  Georgia has a proven big-time coach in two-time national champion Kirby Smart.  I cannot pick four favorites, so I like Ole Miss to jump to an early lead and stun Georgia in the Superdome next week. Prediction – Ole Miss 27, Georgia 21 Now, let’s review Saturday’s FCS Semifinals and make a Championship Prediction! #2 seed Montana State 48, #3 seed Montana 23 Montana State has been really close to winning a national title in recent years.  The Bobcats have finished second to North Dakota State three times in the past five seasons. This year, the Bison of NDSU lost – at home – to fast-improving Illinois State and left the door open for a new champion.  Montana State (now 13-2) punched its ticket to the title game on January 5 in Nashville with an emphatic fourth quarter performance to eliminate intrastate rival Montana. The Bobcats scored 21 points in the final quarter on Saturday afternoon to pull away from the Grizzlies.  Montana State will be attempting to win the school’s first FCS national title since 1984. Unseeded Illinois State 30, #12 seed Villanova 14 Illinois State won its fourth consecutive road playoff game by wearing down Villanova in Philadelphia on Saturday night. The “Roadbirds” improved to 12-4 in advancing to the FCS title game in Nashville in less than two weeks.  Illinois State traveled south, north, west, and east to defeat Southeastern Louisiana, defending champion North Dakota State, UC-Davis, and Villanova in succession in this year’s FCS playoffs. Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse, school-record holding wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz, and the Redbirds’ relentless 220-pound running back senior Victor Dawson controlled the football for nearly 40 minutes to just 20 for Villanova in Saturday night’s latest win. The Redbirds will try to grab the school’s first FCS football championship against 13-2 Montana State in the title game. *Prediction – FCS Championship Game – Monday, January 5 – 6:30PM CST on ESPN in Nashville, Tennessee #2 seed Montana State (13-2) vs. unseeded Illinois State (12-4) The two teams which have defeated all comers and will face-off in a fascinating title game being held this year at Vanderbilt University’s football stadium in Nashville. Montana State is capable of beating teams methodically or with big plays on offense.  The Bobcats’ opportunistic defense has been stellar all season.  This confident Illinois State team fears no one.  The Redbirds just became the first FCS football team to go 4-0 on the road to reach the finals. Illinois State’s defense can be suspect at times.  Montana State must not allow the Redbirds to control the ball like they have done throughout their incredible run in the FCS playoffs. This game should be a dandy!  I like the experience of Montana State to prevail in a very competitive title game. Prediction – Montana State 35, Illinois State 28 Heaux, Heaux, Heaux – it’s time for me to geaux! Merry Christmas to all! The post Holiday College Football Review + Playoff Predictions! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

We all know that Santa Claus is a football fan.   How else can he stay so jolly while gearing-up for a one-night trip around the world in both freezing and blazing hot temperatures next week? This man definitely has the Dad bod of a jolly old soul who watches a lot of football games during the fall.  Too many cookies and hot chocolate can do that. “Ho, ho…oh, drat!  That scale must be wrong again.  Time to start my diet all over again come January, right?” This Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Santa’s Workshop will hand us a glorious assortment of pre-Christmas football games to watch as the elves keep one eye on their flat screen TV’s while they work. The football games help alleviate the stress which Santa and his crew are feeling ahead of next Wednesday night’s big deliveries. “Roll Tide or Boomer, Sooner? They play Friday night! Will Ole Miss miss Kiffin as Tulane puts up a fight? Sunday’s Jaguars at Broncos – the best game of the day? Or Steelers visit Motown – which team comes to play?” It’s a holiday weekend football celebration!  College football on Friday night and all day on Saturday.  NFL games are plentiful, too, on both Saturday and Sunday. If your Christmas shopping isn’t done, you’ve still got Monday and Tuesday, right? Let’s preview this wonderful slate of football games coming this weekend (all times CST) Friday 12/19 10 AM – ESPN – It’s the early bird special! Myrtle Beach Bowl – Conference USA champ Kennesaw State (10-3) vs. Mid-American champion Western Michigan (9-4) Put your bowl of Cheerios down and get started watching some college football!  This bowl game is played on the campus of nearby Coastal Carolina.  A partly cloudy day with 64 warm degrees will greet fans watching these two mid-major conference champions. 1:30PM – ESPN – Gasparilla Bowl – Memphis (8-4) vs. N. Carolina State (7-5) This fairly even match-up makes for a great spot to take your Friday afternoon siesta.  The NC State Wolfpack knocked-off top ACC teams like Virginia and Wake Forest this year.  Memphis (which saw head coach Ryan Silverfield leave for Arkansas three weeks ago) will try to break a three game losing streak in Tampa on a warm 78-degree afternoon. 7PM – ABC and ESPN – College Football Playoff Game 1 – Alabama (10-3) at Oklahoma (10-2) What a terrific Friday nightcap! The Sooners beat Bama 23-21 in Tuscaloosa on November 15. This is the “Something to prove” game.  Alabama’s quarterback Ty Simpson faded off the Heisman radar late in the year with several inconsistent efforts.  The agent for Bama head coach Kalen DeBoer has been fielding and deflecting calls from the University of Michigan about their head coaching job vacancy. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s offense ranks #77 in scoring and must produce more points on Friday to take some pressure off the Sooners’ vaunted sixth-ranked scoring defense. Gusty winds of up to 30 miles per hour will come sweeping down the plains in Norman, Oklahoma this Friday night.  Kickoff temperatures will be in the upper 40’s to greet these two SEC competitors. Saturday – 12/20 – The greatest day of football of the year! There will be three College Football Playoff first round games, two FBS semifinal games, and two NFL games played on Saturday. Are you ready for some football? 11AM – ABC and ESPN – College Football Playoff Game 2 – Miami (FL) (10-2) at Texas A&M (11-1) This is the first ever playoff game for the Texas Aggies. Yell practice on Friday night in College Station, Texas might be be heard as far away as downtown Houston!  Miami comes in as a 4-point underdog.  The Hurricanes’ experienced quarterback Carson Beck has been involved in playoff games in three seasons at Georgia prior to coming to Miami this year. The Aggies are at home. They are quite hungry to win their first playoff game, too. The mighty 12th man (the A&M fans) will unleash a wall of sound at Miami for the entire game.  Sunshine and 75 degrees await these two teams in College Station Saturday. 2:30PM – TNT – College Football Playoff Game 3 – Tulane (11-2) at Ole Miss (11-1) Keep your remote control nearby – just in case this game gets ugly early.  The Rebels trounced Tulane 45-10 earlier this year, so oddsmakers established Ole Miss as a 17-point home favorite in this game.  Ole Miss is without offensive guru head coach Lane Kiffin (who left for LSU). Defensive coordinator Pete Golding was tapped as the team’s new top man in Oxford. Tulane’s best hope is to get off to a good start and maintain pressure on the home favorite down the stretch.  Sunshine and 60 degree weather will prevail Saturday afternoon in northern Mississippi. 3PM – ABC – FCS Semifinal Game 1 – Montana (13-1) at Montana State (12-2) This is a rematch from a very exciting regular season finale won by Montana State 31-28 on the University of Montana’s home field.  The still angry Grizzlies will lumber to Bozeman on Saturday seeking to even the score and advance into the national championship game in Nashville on January 5. The Montana Grizzlies’ high powered offense has generated more than 40 points in their 13 victories this season. Montana State, though, specializes in defense.   The Bobcats are #6 nationally and allow a little more than 17 points per game.  Ticket prices for this semifinal playoff game are through the roof with resellers grabbing $650 apiece this week.  Sunshine and Montana-like temperatures of 30 degrees at kickoff await these two longtime foes Saturday afternoon. 6:30PM – ESPN2 – FCS Semifinal Game 2 – Illinois State (11-4) at Villanova (12-2) These two overachievers are now just one game away from playing for a national championship.  Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse has been on fire over the past month for Illinois State.  The Redbirds went on the road to knock-off #1 overall seed North Dakota State two weeks ago and downed #8 seed UC-Davis in California last weekend.  They are loose and playing like a team of destiny. The Wildcats from Villanova are the #12 FCS seed.  They fell behind 14-0 in last week’s game at #4 seed Tarleton State.  Villanova’s defense stiffened, and the offense roared back to score a 26-21 victory to advance into the semifinal round game at home against Illinois State.  A clear, cold night is ahead for these two teams in Philadelphia with temperatures falling into the mid-30’s. 6:30PM – TNT – College Football Playoffs Game 4 – James Madison (12-1) at Oregon (11-1) It’s the Dukes against the Ducks! The upstart James Madison Dukes from the Sunbelt Conference will travel 2,800 miles west to take on the Oregon Ducks. JMU’s defense is ranked #10 nationally and allows a miserly 16 points per game. Oregon’s high flying offense is #9 in the FBS group and generates more than 38 points per game.  Quarterback Dante Moore produced 24 touchdown passes this season versus six interceptions. It is expected to be perfect weather – for ducks – on Saturday night with rain expected and chilly temperatures in low 40’s. NFL – The chase for the playoffs continues Saturday and Sunday Saturday – 4PM on FOX – Philadelphia Eagles (9-5) at Washington Commanders (4-10) The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles can clinch a playoff spot Saturday with a win.  Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will not play after re-injuring his non-throwing elbow last week. Saturday – 7:20PM on FOX – Green Bay Packers (9-5) at Chicago Bears (10-4) The Pack needs to win to have any chance to capture the NFC North title.  No one (except some die-hard Bears fans) expected Chicago to be 10-4 and leading this division.  A win by Chicago at home Saturday night (and a Detroit loss on Sunday) would lock-up a playoff spot for da’ Bears. Sunday – 12 Noon – FOX – Los Angeles Chargers (10-4) at Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1) If Philadelphia should lose at Washington Saturday, Dallas retains a 1% chance of making the playoffs.  They will have to defeat a Chargers team which is on the brink of clinching a return to the AFC playoffs for the second straight year. Sunday – 3:05PM – FOX – Jacksonville Jaguars (10-4) at Denver Broncos (12-2) Both of these teams have surprised the so-called experts this fall.  Jacksonville leads Houston by one game and Indianapolis by two.  A win would solidify the Jaguars’ chances to make the playoffs.  Denver is trying to lock-up the AFC’s #1 seed along with home field advantage through the playoffs as the Broncos ride an 11-game winning streak. Sunday – 3:30PM – CBS – Pittsburgh Steelers (8-6) at Detroit (8-6) Can the Steelers offense score enough points to compete against the pinball machine offense of the Detroit Lions?  A loss by the Lions on Sunday would put them at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time in three years. Sunday – 7:20PM – NBC – New England Patriots (11-3) at Baltimore Ravens (7-7) The Ravens are fighting to stay alive in the AFC North as they battle the Pittsburgh Steelers for the division title.  New England is a surprising 6-0 on the road this year.  The no-name Patriots are fighting to stay one-game ahead of Buffalo in the AFC East. The post Santa Delivers Pre-Christmas Football Presents this Weekend appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Hey, Notre Dame!  Listen-up, Vandy fans.  You, too, BYU! How about getting behind today’s idea which would have placed your favorite large division (FBS) college football team into a new 24-team College Football Playoff system? The latest and greatest 12-team College Football Playoff format began last year in the 2024 football season.  The howling has continued about which teams make the 12-team field and which teams don’t. Last year, it was Alabama’s fans crying about being left out.  A few weeks ago, it was Notre Dame’s fans and administrators yelling the loudest about being left out of the 12-team field. Why don’t we hear similar complaints coming schools in the smaller division FCS? The FCS (comprised of 129 teams) has a smoothly-working playoff system which includes its top 24 teams. That’s right!  They begin with twice as many playoff teams as the major college FBS group (which had 136 teams this season). This year’s FCS playoffs began with eight first-round games played on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. After the first three rounds of elimination games, the two FCS semifinal games will be played this coming Saturday.  Surprising Illinois State visits Villanova and Montana State will host intrastate rival Montana. The FCS title game will be played on Monday, January 5, 2026 at 6:30PM CST in Nashville, Tennessee on ESPN. Contrast that with the FBS and its cantankerous 12-team College Football Playoff system The larger schools haven’t even played one first round playoff game yet. Friday night will have Alabama traveling to play Oklahoma (a rematch from November 15 in Tuscaloosa won by OU 23-21).  Three more opening round games will be played this Saturday. One of Saturday’s games features yet another rematch as Tulane visits Ole Miss for the second time this year. The larger schools’ College Football Playoffs will not crown a champion until Monday, January 19, 2026! Think about this. If #1 seed Indiana should reach the championship game, the Hoosiers’ spring semester would have been underway for a full week prior to the championship game involving last fall semester’s athlete/students. That is absurd! It is a consequence when major college football conferences and universities become hooked on television money.  The networks now dictate how, where, and when their games are played. How many total games are played in the FCS playoffs vs. the major College Football Playoffs? From start to finish, the small college FCS playoffs include 24 teams. The top eight seeds receive a first round bye.  The remaining 16 teams play eight first round games to trim the field to 16.  Another eight games are played in the second round, four in the quarterfinals, two in the semifinals, and finally the national championship. That makes a total of 23 playoff opportunities for television.  The FCS winner and runner-up may end-up playing five post-season games by January 5. Meanwhile, the 12-team major College Football Playoffs have 12 teams playing “4+4+2+1” for a total of 11 games.  The winner and runner-up will play no less than three but as many as four post-season games ending on January 19. Would anyone really care if we lost the major conference championship games? To emulate the small college playoff system, the major college (FBS) current 12-game regular season would not provide for an extra week to play those made-for-TV conference championship games. Eliminating conference championship games would end the complaining from the losers of those title games. For example, look at the SEC. Why should 11-1 Ole Miss and 11-1 Texas A&M receive a week to heal-up at home after “losing” the SEC’s four-team tiebreaker for first place?  Were 11-1 Georgia and 10-2 Alabama privileged – or penalized – by participating in the SEC Conference Championship earlier this month? This season, there were nine different conference championship games being played on the weekend of Saturday, December 6. The television partners carrying those conference title games (primarily Disney’s ESPN/ABC group) can fight over who will carry our new format’s eight first-round match-ups. Raise your hand if you would really miss losing six bowl games under this new 24-team plan! Adding the 12 additional playoff teams would eliminate six annual bowl games.  Before grabbing your box of Kleenex, please remember that 26 bowl games still remain for the 52 remaining teams which finish with at least a 6-6 record. ESPN’s massive bowl-a-rama of post-season games would receive an overdue trim.  The television ratings for any first round playoff game will easily eclipse Tuesday night’s “Salute to the Military” Bowl (won 17-13 by Jacksonville State over Troy). Who would be playing in a 24-team major College Football Playoff scenario? Let’s utilize the current FCS (small college) selection and its playoff format.  I will also use the major College Football Playoff rankings to determine this year’s 24-team playoff field. Part 1 – Select the nine conference champions and 15 at-large teams based on the CFP rankings Nine conference champions – The following nine teams receive an automatic bid: American – CFP #20 Tulane (11-2) Atlantic Coast (ACC) – unranked Duke (8-5) Big 12 – Texas Tech CFP #4 (12-1) Big Ten – Indiana CFP #1 (13-0) Conference USA – unranked Kennesaw State (10-3) Mid-American – unranked Western Michigan (9-4) Mountain West – unranked Boise State (9-4) Southeastern (SEC) – Georgia CFP #3 (12-1) Sunbelt – CFP #24 James Madison (12-1) 15 At-large teams – These participants are selected from the CFP’s highest ranked remaining teams. They would have been: #2 Ohio State (12-1) – Big Ten #5 Oregon (11-1) – Big Ten #6 Ole Miss (11-1) – SEC #7 Texas A&M (11-1) – SEC #8 Oklahoma (10-2) – SEC #9 Alabama (9-3) – SEC #10 Miami (FL) (10-2) – ACC #11 Notre Dame (10-2) – Independent #12 BYU (11-2) – Big 12 #13 Texas (9-3) – SEC #14 Vanderbilt (10-2) – SEC #15 Utah (10-2) – Big 12 #16 USC (9-3) – Big Ten #17 Arizona (9-3) – Big 12 #18 Michigan (9-3) – Big Ten Part 2 – Determine the top eight overall seeds by utilizing the CFP Final rankings These teams would receive a “bye” in Round 1 and host a playoff game on their campus during Round 2 the following weekend. #1 – Indiana (13-0) #2 – Ohio State (12-1) #3 – Georgia (12-1) #4 – Texas Tech (12-1) #5 – Oregon (11-1) #6 – Ole Miss (11-1) #7 – Texas A&M (11-1) #8 – Oklahoma (12-1) Part 3 – The next eight seeds (#9-16) will host a first round playoff game on their campus This year’s first round home games would go to: #9 Alabama (9-3) #10 Miami (FL) (10-2) #11 Notre Dame (10-2) #12 BYU (11-2) #13 Texas (9-3) #14 Vanderbilt (10-2) #15 Utah (10-2) #16 USC (9-3) Part 4 – The final eight teams in the playoff field do not receive a seeding Those final eight teams (according to the College Football Playoff rankings) would be: Arizona, Michigan, Tulane, James Madison, Duke, Kennesaw State, Western Michigan, and Boise State. Like the FCS small college playoffs, first round match-ups would be based on geographic proximity and the avoidance of conference rematches from the regular season. Let’s do a little first round matchmaking.  Grab your ancient Rand McNally maps and let’s go! #9 Alabama vs. Kennesaw State (202 miles) #10 Miami (FL) vs. James Madison (1,026 miles) #11 Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan (85 miles) #12 BYU vs. Boise State (390 miles) #13 Texas vs. Tulane (534 miles) #14 Vanderbilt vs. Duke (527 miles) #15 Utah vs. Michigan (1,621 miles) #16 USC vs. Arizona (491 miles) Part 5 – The eight first round winners hit the road in Round 2 to play at Seeds #1 – 8 in the second round. Since this is the first game for the top seeded teams, match-ups would consider geographic proximity and the avoidance of replaying a conference opponent. Part 6 – The highest seeded teams would continue to host games during the quarterfinals. At this point, the top seeds will simply host any unseeded teams or any remaining team with the highest seed number (for example, #1 vs. an unranked team or #16 or #15, etc.). Rematches between two regular season opponents are permitted at this point. Part 7 – The semifinal round will be played on New Year’s Day The “Final Four” would play a semifinal game at two of the former “big” New Year’s Day bowl game sites (Cotton, Rose, Sugar, and Orange). Part 8 – The national championship game would be played one week later and rotated at one of the former “big” New Year’s Day bowl sites (not being utilized in the semifinal round) Let’s summarize these changes if major college football should adopt the small college FCS 24-team playoff concept: No more conference championship games As a result, no more squabbling about the losing teams in conference title games 12 additional playoff teams More home playoff games Generating more television interest Six fewer lower-tier bowl games What are we waiting for? The post The FBS should utilize the FCS 24-team playoff model! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

There were several unusual sports stories which occurred over the weekend.  Let’s jump right in! WWE star performer John Cena finally ended his year-long “Good-bye” tour on Saturday night in a nationally televised wrestling event in Washington DC.  The 48-year old Cena was a 17-time WWE champion and, more recently, has become involved in the movie business much like former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Longtime NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, though, just exited his nearly five-year football retirement at age 44 on Sunday to lead the Indianapolis Colts.  Rivers last played NFL football in January, 2021. The irony is that it might be entirely possible that these two 40-something athletes might just find themselves doing the opposite at some point soon. Cena taps-out to the disappointment of millions of wrestling fans John Cena publicly announced his decision to retire from professional wrestling before the end of 2025 due to the physical nature of the sport and his advancing age.  That sounds rational and reasonable for a 48-year old man working in such a demanding and dangerous profession. John Cena’s wrestling ring motto was “Never give up!” Alas, the WWE scriptwriters for Saturday night’s final match ignored Cena’s favorite slogan. The popular John Cena tapped-out (gave up) in losing to a designated bad guy (“heel”) named Gunther. No, not Gunther Toody from “Car 54, Where are You?” There is actually a pro wrestler named Gunther! The wink-and-nod nature of pro wrestling etiquette is for the exiting top star to lose in their final match to promote an up-and-coming personality.  The exiting champion’s loss usually provides a significant “push” up the prestige ladder for the winner in popularity (good or bad) with pro wrestling fans. John Cena’s surprising loss to Gunther (a well-trained and very proficient wrestler who, unfortunately, has the personality of a dill pickle) means that something special is likely coming for Gunther soon in the WWE. Perhaps Gunther will receive a much-needed personality transplant and become a good guy (“baby face”) during 2026? Meanwhile, John Cena signed a 5-year deal to stick around WWE and help promote the business.  He claimed that his wrestling days were officially over as of Saturday night. But, hey, we’re talking pro wrestling here! You never know when a new script will developed by the WWE requiring none other than John Cena to save the day and make yet another “final” comeback, right? NFL: Ol’ Man Rivers…he keeps on rollin’ along! On the other end of the retirement spectrum, 44-year old quarterback Philip Rivers returned to the NFL on Sunday! The aging QB is now one good hit away from being sent back to his Alabama Gulf Coast home to begin a second NFL retirement soon. The Indianapolis Colts were the darlings of the NFL during the first two months of this season. They raced out to 7-1 start. Indy then lost four of its next five games. Making matters worse, starting quarterback Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending Achilles tendon injury one week ago in Jacksonville.  Back-up quarterback Anthony Richardson was already on injured reserve nursing an eye injury. The Colts turned to a rookie third-stringer named Riley Leonard to replace the injured Daniel Jones in the game at Jacksonville. The former Notre Dame signal caller completed 18 out of 29 passes for a measly 145 yards and one interception in the Colts’ 34-19 defeat.  The team’s record fell to 8-5. Indianapolis found itself one game behind Jacksonville in the AFC South.  The Colts’ playoff hopes were fading quickly. Enter Philip Rivers Quarterback Philip Rivers played 16 of his 17 NFL seasons with the San Diego-turned-Los Angeles Chargers. He became a free agent in 2020 and played for one final season with the Indianapolis Colts before retiring in early 2021 at age 39. The veteran quarterback has been living in southern Alabama wondering whether he might still be able to compete at a high level once again. Rivers said, “My wife always tells me that I’m crazy because there’s been times in the past three or four years when I said, ‘I wish I could just throw one and get hit hard!’ She’s like, ‘That’s not normal’!’”t A series of calls between Philip Rivers and his former Indianapolis coach brought the veteran signal caller out of retirement last week. He left the toasty Gulf Coast and traveled to frigid Indianapolis for one final NFL ride.  The likely Hall-of-Fame quarterback found himself in the team’s starting line-up days later on Sunday as the Colts traveled to play Seattle. Sunday’s game against the Seahawks saw Philip Rivers complete 18 of 27 pass attempts for a modest 120 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He led to the Colts downfield to take the lead with just 47 seconds remaining as newly signed (former Saints) placekicker Blake Grupe nailed a 60-yard field goal. Unfortunately, the Colts’ defense allowed Seattle to move the ball downfield to score a game-winning 57-yard field goal by Jason Myers with only seconds remaining. The Indianapolis Colts’ 18-16 loss dropped the team to 8-6 and two games behind Jacksonville in the AFC South. With three games left in the NFL regular season, Philip Rivers and the Indianapolis Colts face a daunting challenge to qualify for the playoffs. Their next two games come at home against San Francisco (10-4) and Jacksonville (10-4). The Colts will close the season against their AFC South rival Houston Texans (9-5). Ouch.  This won’t get any easier for Ol’ Man Rivers and his Indianapolis Colts. The New Orleans Saints have become the NFL’s 2025 spoiler team Two weeks ago, the New Orleans Saints were a pitiful 2-10 and in the running for earning the NFL’s #1 draft pick next spring by having the worst record in the league. However, two consecutive wins over NFC South leaders Tampa Bay and Carolina have injected the suddenly-spunky Saints with some late-season confidence. The Saints rallied from behind in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive week on Sunday in defeating this week’s NFC South leader Carolina 20-17.  The loss dropped the Panthers into a first place tie with the team which New Orleans beat last weekend in western Florida.  Tampa Bay and Carolina are now tied at 7-7. The Saints improved to 4-10 and have zero chance of receiving the #1 draft pick next spring. Sunday’s victory put New Orleans behind a 2-12 trio of the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants plus the 3-11 duo of the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. Most Saints fans couldn’t be happier, though. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has displayed rapid improvement and provided some much-needed leadership in the Saints’ offensive huddle. The New Orleans Saints defense has been excellent recently, too.  The team’s final three games are winnable (at home for the 3-11 Jets this coming Sunday and on the road at 2-12 Tennessee and 5-9 Atlanta).  A 7-10 finish would be a huge accomplishment for rookie head coach Kellen Moore and his staff. Saints fans are finally feeling a little renewed hope for their favorite team. Did you hear about the wild finish in a Louisiana high school state championship game last Friday? Imagine if your high school football team had scored the potential game-tying touchdown in the state championship game with just 35 seconds left to play.  The extra point kick would tie the score, but…he missed it! Oh, no! The St. Charles Comets from LaPlace (30 miles NW of New Orleans) were that team last Friday night in the Louisiana Superdome.  Their opponent was none other than the defending state champion Archbishop Shaw High School Eagles (also from the New Orleans area). The Comets trailed 21-20 and attempted an onside kick.  Shaw recovered. St. Charles used its two remaining timeouts after first and second downs.  With no more timeouts remaining, all Shaw’s Eagles had to do to claim the state championship was to take a knee and watch the game clock run out. On that fateful third down play, one of Shaw’s offensive linemen prematurely tossed his helmet into the air – thinking that his team had already won the state championship. The game officials said, “Not so fast!” Archbishop Shaw was whistled for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play.  The Eagles faced a fourth down punting situation after the premature celebration penalty was whistled. St. Charles then partially blocked the punt. The Comets remarkably had the football back but only seconds remaining to be played.  A sideline pass completion found the Comets’ receiver running out of bounds to stop the clock and bring on a potential game winning field goal attempt. Yes, the field goal kicker would be the same St. Charles high school placekicker who missed the potential game-tying extra point just moments earlier.   This time, he would attempt a 47-yard game-winning field goal on the game’s final play. Tyler Milioto’s kick went, as New Orleans Saints fans might say, “Right down Poydras Street!” and through the uprights. St. Charles emerged with an improbable 23-21 win as pandemonium ensued in the Superdome. The players, coaches, and fans of both teams had just experienced extreme sadness and happiness – all during the final minute of play. For Archbishop Shaw’s team and fans, there was understandable confusion and anger about how the referees could have penalized one of their young men for being overly excited about winning a state football championship. The St. Charles Comets fans couldn’t believe their own good fortune in getting a second chance to win the game.  The team’s kicker felt a very special redemption. “I felt like I had lost us the game, and then the next thing I know I’m out there kicking the game-winning field goal,” said St. Charles kicker Tyler Milioto. Indeed!  It was the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. No one will forget that high school football game! The post John Cena taps out and Philip Rivers tags in appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Most college football observers did a double-take when reading last Saturday’s FCS small college playoff scores. The undefeated defending FCS champion North Dakota State Bison lost – at home!  They were eliminated from the playoffs by Illinois State 29-28. NDSU’s loss has opened the door for a new national champion to be crowned in less than one month.  Villanova’s 2008 national championship was the most recent title won by a member of this year’s remaining eight quarterfinalist teams. What happened to North Dakota State last weekend? North Dakota State came into last Saturday’s home playoff game with Illinois State with a perfect 12-0 record in 2025.  The Bison had already defeated the Redbirds 33-16 at Illinois State a couple of months ago. However, my weekly FCS report last week noted, “That game saw the Bison leading by only two points (18-16) after three quarters before NDSU tacked-on two late scores for the final margin of victory”. Illinois State came into Fargo, North Dakota last Saturday with the knowledge that they had come really close to taking down the Bison in that previous meeting. By contrast, North Dakota State confidently entered last week’s game knowing they had won 14 straight games against their Missouri Valley Football Conference rivals. The Bison wasted no time in taking a 14-0 first quarter lead in NDSU’s always-noisy FargoDome stadium last Saturday. The first offensive play from scrimmage produced a 79-yard touchdown pass completion to Bryce Lance (yes, he is the younger brother of former Bison and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance).  North Dakota State tacked-on a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown to take a 14-point lead in the opening quarter. North Dakota State’s usually punishing offense was throttled all day. Illinois State held the Bison to just six first downs – for the entire game!  NDSU still led 28-14 early in the fourth quarter as Illinois State quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse tossed five interceptions which allowed the Bison to maintain the lead. However, the Redbirds’ quarterback saved his best for last. Rittenhouse tossed two touchdowns in the game’s final three minutes plus a two-point conversion to give Illinois State a thrilling 29-28 win. Illinois State controlled the ball – well, when they weren’t throwing one of those five interceptions to North Dakota State. The Redbirds kept possession of the football for 42 minutes compared to just 18 for the Bison. NDSU finished its season at 12-1. Illinois State improved to 10-4 and now travels west this week to play UC-Davis on Saturday afternoon. Let’s preview this week’s four FCS quarterfinal playoff games! #7 seed Stephen F. Austin (11-2) at #2 seed Montana State (11-2) – FRIDAY – 8PM CST on ESPN Two mirror image teams will meet on Friday night in Bozeman, Montana. The SFA Lumberjacks opened the season with two straight losses and have reeled-off a school-record 11 straight victories to reach Friday’s FCS quarterfinal game. The Southland Conference champions defeated the United Athletic Conference winner Abilene Christian 41-34 at home Saturday in Nacogdoches, Texas to advance to this weekend’s game. Ditto for Montana State! The Bobcats dropped a road “money game” at Oregon and were surprised in their home opener by South Dakota State. After an 0-2 start, Montana State’s defense has only allowed one team (Montana) to score more than 17 points in their current 11-game winning streak.  The Big Sky Champion Bobcats edged Ivy League winner Yale 21-13 last Saturday in Bozeman to advance into the quarterfinals at home on Friday night. Stephen F. Austin’s defense is doing its part this season, too.  The Jacks have allowed just 16 points per game over their current 11-game winning streak. Offensively speaking, Montana State ranks #9 nationally in scoring 36.8 points per game. Stephen F. Austin is #14 in the FBS in scoring by producing 36 points per game. The explosive Lumberjacks’ offense has produced 57 plays of more than 20 yards this season. Montana State expects nearly 20,000 fans for Friday night’s game.  The weather will be chilly with gametime temperatures around 40 degrees and brisk winds of 15-20 mph during this game. 11-2 Villanova at #4 seed Tarleton State (12-1) – Saturday at 11AM on ESPN The Wildcats come into Saturday’s quarterfinal game in north Texas on a 10-game winning streak. Villanova went on the road last Saturday to end the season for previously undefeated Lehigh 14-7 in a game played in Bethlehem, PA.  The Wildcats from the Coastal Athletic Conference took advantage of two Lehigh turnovers to secure a win in this tightly-contested game. Villanova’s fans must travel nearly 1,600 miles southwest to Stephenville, Texas (near Fort Worth) to attend this Saturday’s quarterfinal game. The Tarleton State Texans prevailed 31-13 over the University of North Dakota last week to advance into Saturday’s quarterfinals. The 12-1 Texans’ only blemish on its record came after a last minute field goal gave eventual United Athletic Conference champion Abilene Christian a 31-28 win on November 1. Tarleton State’s defense is ranked #10 nationally and allows just 18 points per game. The weather in north central Texas should be terrific on Saturday.  Sunny skies with gametime temperatures in the mid-60’s and light winds will make for perfect football weather conditions. Univ. of South Dakota (10-4) at #3 seed Montana (12-1) – Saturday 2:30PM on ABC The Coyotes of South Dakota and the Grizzlies of Montana will meet on Saturday afternoon for the first time in a playoff setting. These two FBS schools are spaciously separated by nearly 1,100 miles.  The University of Montana football team has never lost to USD (5-0) since the Coyotes moved up into the FCS football group in 2008. South Dakota wants to change that on Saturday. The Coyotes’ 10-4 record is deceiving.  Their losses came at FBS member Iowa State and against three other FCS playoff qualifiers (Lamar University, Illinois State, and North Dakota State). USD from the Missouri Valley Football Conference has blasted two consecutive playoff opponents. Last week’s 47-0 ambush at #6 seed Mercer raised a lot of eyebrows.  The Coyotes’ offense ran for 309 yards and passed for another 241 on Saturday in Macon, Georgia.  South Dakota’s defense stifled Mercer’s vaunted passing attack as it produced four interceptions. The Montana Grizzlies of the Big Sky Conference will have the home field advantage on Saturday.  This will mark the first-ever football game to be televised by ABC at picturesque Washington/Grizzly stadium in Missoula.  Montana is the FCS’ all-time leader in post-season appearances (29) with national championships won in 1995 and 2001. The Griz is #3 nationally in scoring (41.5 points per game). Their prolific passing attack produces almost 300 yards per game with an efficient 70% completion percentage. The weather forecast for Saturday’s game calls for afternoon sunshine and a balmy (by Montana standards) high temperature of 52 degrees. Illinois State (10-4) at #8 seed UC-Davis (9-3) – Saturday at 4PM on ESPN+ The final FCS quarterfinal game of this weekend will be played just west of Sacramento on the campus of UC-Davis.  UC-Davis and Illinois State are both seeking their schools’ first FCS national football championship. These two teams played each other in the second round of last year’s FCS playoffs.  The Aggies of UC-Davis cruised in a 42-10 home field decision over the Redbirds from Normal, Illinois. As we covered earlier, Illinois State (which finished in 3rd place in the Missouri Valley Football Conference regular season) will not be intimidated after traveling to #1 seed North Dakota State last weekend and taking a 29-28 victory over the defending champs. The “Road-birds” are now 13-1 over the past two seasons as a visiting team against FCS opponents.   Senior wide receiver Daniel Sobkowicz added three touchdowns against North Dakota State last week. He now owns the Illinois State school record with 36 TD catches in his career. Meanwhile, the UC-Davis Aggies of the Big Sky Conference feature one of the most balanced offensive attacks in the entire FCS.  Last week’s home playoff win over Rhode Island saw the Aggies pass for 277 yards and rush for 276 more as they pulled away in the second half in a 47-26 victory over the Rams. UC-Davis is hosting a quarterfinal game at home for the first time since 2001. Saturday’s weather in northern California will feature plenty of sunshine and a kick-off temperatures at a cool 47 degrees.  Enjoy this weekend’s FCS quarterfinal games! The post FCS Quarterfinals – No Mo’ Bison to worry about! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The college football world is buzzing to start this new week after the 12-team College Football Playoff teams were announced at midday Sunday. Just two years ago, 13-0 Florida State got jobbed. Alabama was selected as the final playoff team over the Seminoles as much of the nation booed in protest. Last year, Alabama was left behind after ACC runner-up 11-2 SMU was deemed more worthy of the final spot than a 10-2 Alabama team in the first-ever 12-team playoff field. Bama fans were understandably disappointed about being left out.  Some of us felt like it was a fitting payback from Alabama’s exceptional good fortune in the previous year. This year, the stars fell on Alabama once again. The Crimson Tide’s 10-3 record was deemed more impressive than 10-2 Notre Dame and a few other worthy two-loss competitors. Notre Dame became so angry about Sunday’s playoff slight than the Fighting (Mad) Irish have refused to accept any other bowl game invitation this holiday season (more on that later). How did we get here? From January, 1999 through January, 2014, the BCS Championship game was played one or two days after the traditional New Year’s Day games.  The major polls plus the computerized BCS ranking system determined the two top teams to play for the national title once the regular season and conference championship games concluded. Yes, those WERE the good ol’ days! A new four-team College Football Playoff system began in January, 2015.  This time, the top four teams (selected by a 13-member College Football Playoff committee) would play a couple of semifinal games on New Year’s Day.  The two winners faced-off about one week later to play for the national championship. The College Football Playoff committee (which rotates new members every three years) has been comprised primarily of current and former college athletic directors and football coaches. Can you believe that this group of 13 people meets (all expenses paid) up to ten times per football season? A more subtle but influential impact occurred when Disney’s ESPN unit purchased the exclusive rights to televise the College Football Playoff games. That move required college football fans to subscribe to cable television or a paid streaming services company to watch the two semifinals along with the championship game.  More recently, ESPN began to offer the College Football Playoff games via its own streaming service (at a monthly cost, of course). One year ago, a new 12-team College Football Playoff system was introduced. The expanded playoffs were expected to reduce the amount of fan complaining about the team(s) not selected for the 12th and final spot. If anything, the complaining about this 12-team playoff field has become even louder! On Saturday, two-loss Alabama just became the three-loss Crimson Tide. Bama lost a convincing 28-7 game to one-loss Georgia in the SEC championship in a nationally televised encounter for all to see. Yes, Alabama had defeated Georgia 24-21 – in Athens – earlier this season. Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M all finished 7-1 in the SEC regular season standings.  A series of tiebreakers gave the first and second place spots to Alabama and Georgia and a date to play in last Saturday’s SEC Championship game in Atlanta. Georgia dominated Saturday’s game from start to finish.  Alabama fans were rightfully concerned about being left out of the 12-team College Football Playoff field.  Several other worthy teams were available and under consideration. The following teams each had two losses and finished with a better season record than 10-3 Alabama: North Texas (11-2) – lost the American Athletic Conf. title game to Tulane 34-21 Brigham Young (11-2) – lost the Big 12 title game to Texas Tech 34-7 Miami (FL) (10-2) – finished in a five-way tie for second place in the ACC Notre Dame (10-2) – lost to Miami in its first game of 2025 (27-24) Vanderbilt (10-2) – lost two road games (at 10-3 Alabama and at 9-3 Texas) Utah (10-2) – lost two road games (at 12-1 Texas Tech and at 11-2 BYU) The College Football Playoff committee met on Saturday and into early Sunday morning to determine this year’s 12 playoff teams. Here are their 12 playoff teams: Indiana – 13-0 and winner of Big Ten Conference title game Ohio State – 12-1 and runner-up in Big Ten Conference Georgia – 12-1 and winner of SEC Championship game Texas Tech -12-1 and winner of Big 12 Championship game The four top seeds will receive a first round “bye” into the quarterfinals.  Those four teams will not play in the opening round of games scheduled for Friday, December 19 and Saturday, December 20. The following eight teams will play in the first round – which won’t begin for nearly two weeks: Oregon (#5 seed and 11-1) will host #12 seed James Madison (12-1 – Sunbelt Conference champs) Ole Miss (#6 seed and 11-1) hosts #11 seed Tulane (11-2 – American Athletic Conference champion) Texas A&M (#7 seed and 11-1) is at home vs. #10 seed and 10-2 Miami (FL) Oklahoma (the #8 seed and 10-2) will host #9 seed and 10-3 Alabama Before we discuss why 10-2 Notre Dame wasn’t chosen, the 13-member CFP committee just created two first-round rematches from the 2025 regular season! Ole Miss hosted and thoroughly pounded Tulane 45-10 on September 20 in Oxford. Oklahoma traveled to Alabama just three weeks ago and defeated the Crimson Tide 23-21 in Tuscaloosa. The College Football Playoff committee just gave us rematches involving those four teams.  Why? Couldn’t they have used a little bit of creativity in their rankings to give us the same eight teams but in different match-ups? Does anyone really care which teams are ranked #9, 10, 11, and 12 as long as their team was included in the playoff field? For example, the playoff committee could have sent Miami to face Oklahoma, Alabama to play at Texas A&M, Tulane to visit Oregon, and James Madison traveling to challenge Ole Miss.  Again, what difference does it make which teams were ranked #9, 10, 11 or 12? Giving us two first round rematches was a very preventable blunder by the CFP committee and their self-imposed rules which often make very little common sense to most football fans. What in the world were they thinking? Now, let’s examine Notre Dame’s case for that final playoff spot The 10-2 Fighting Irish lost their first two games in 2025.  Notre Dame’s first loss came at Miami in a tight 27-24 season-opening game.  The Hurricanes won on a field goal with one minute to play. Notre Dame returned home to South Bend for its second game of the season.  Visiting Texas A&M scored a touchdown with 13 seconds to play as the Aggies edged the Irish 41-40 and sent Notre Dame to 0-2. The Fighting Irish then steamrolled several teams in winning its final ten games of the season.  Five of those ten wins, though, came over some really weak teams.  Purdue was 2-10.  So was Arkansas and Boston College.  Syracuse had a lousy 3-9 season, and Stanford stumbled to a 4-8 record. On the plus side, Notre Dame beat then #20 USC 34-24 at home and took a road win over then-#22 Pitt 37-15. The Irish also sank the Navy (9-2) by a 49-10 score in South Bend. Notre Dame had good reason to be angry about the College Football Playoff Committee’s rankings in the weeks leading up to Sunday’s selections ESPN owns the rights to televise the College Football Playoffs. Much of ESPN’s daily sports talk programming has focused on the race to win one of those coveted 12 spots in the College Football Playoffs. ESPN is in business to make money.   They are also masters of self-promotion. The sports network hosts a weekly one-hour prime-time TV show every Tuesday night which brings the latest CFP committee weekly rankings to interested viewers. Those weekly rankings then provide much of the daily subject matter for hours of ESPN’s daily programming.  The network’s hosts and guests bloviate endlessly about which teams might have the best chance of making this year’s College Football Playoffs. “Come back on Tuesday night to find out where your team is currently ranked!” Notre Dame was ranked ahead of the Miami Hurricanes by the CFP committee every week for the past month prior to Sunday’s final selection show. Based on the weekly CFP ranking shows, Notre Dame was considered to be “safe” to make the playoff field by the majority of football fans and the school’s athletics department. That’s because neither Notre Dame nor Miami played a game on Saturday.  Nothing changed.  Both remained 10-2 – just like their records were one week ago. Sunday’s selection show surprisingly elevated Miami ahead of Notre Dame and into the final playoff position. Why? The CFP committee meekly acknowledged that they gave the nod to the Hurricanes based on their Week #1 squeaker win – at home – over the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame and college football fans just had the rug pulled out from under them.  Haven’t we seen this script before? Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bavacqua laid the blame squarely on the CFP committee and partner-in-crime ESPN. “If the (ESPN) ranking shows are legitimate, there is no logical explanation of what happened to us,” said the Notre Dame AD.  “Just have one ranking show at the end, like Sunday.  What’s the point of doing anything prior to that?” You are so right, Pete!  However… ESPN makes a lot of money selling expensive ads during the football season based on those weekly Tuesday night CFP ranking shows.  Their telecasts are watched in large numbers by interested college football fans.  The shows also generate a significant media buzz (and incremental revenue) for ESPN. ESPN knows exactly what it is doing.  We just keep falling for it every year. Notre Dame is fighting back! The Fighting Irish are, well, fighting mad! The school is not going to give Disney/ESPN/ABC an additional opportunity to generate incremental revenue on the backs of the Notre Dame football team.  Sunday’s snub by the College Football Playoff committee (televised on a 3-hour show by ESPN, of course) brought a surprise announcement from Notre Dame. The Irish will not participate in any bowl game this season. In case you didn’t know this, the most likely bowl games where Notre Dame would have been invited to play would be televised by (surprise!) Disney’s ESPN and/or its ABC affiliates.  Disney directly owns and/or televises nearly all of the 35 non-College Football Playoff bowl games. This might be a good time to remind you that the television rights for most of Notre Dame’s regular season football games are owned by NBC. The Fighting Irish football games generate $50 million of annual revenue for the school via NBC’s regular season television contract through the end of the 2029 football season. Notre Dame is going to long remember the 2025 football season and this year’s playoff snub. Good luck to any sales representatives from “Mickey Mouse” who have the courage to show-up in South Bend, Indiana in a few years trying to lure the Irish into switching TV partners. “Mouse trap!” The post ESPN Created this CFP Chaos – We fell for it again! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

This week, the so-called “big names” of college football are still waiting and arguing about which teams should be selected for their upcoming 12-team College Football Playoffs. The television networks will feature a limited slate of major conference championship games this weekend.  Most of this weekend’s FBS teams (win or lose) will probably make the 12-team playoff field. Yawn! By contrast, the FCS small college playoffs are now entering week #2 of their 24-team competition.  Yes, that is double the number of playoff teams compared to the major college football teams! Here’s how the FCS Playoffs work The 11 FCS playoff conferences do not play championship games. In the event of a tie for first place, each conference utilizes a set of tiebreaker rules to determine the league’s top team. Each of the 11 conference winners received an “automatic bid” into the 24-team FCS playoff field.  The other 13 teams were selected by the FCS Playoff Committee (comprised of one Athletic Director from each of the 11 participating conferences). The 11 conference winners are not guaranteed to host a home playoff game.  In fact, the winners of the Ivy League (Yale), Northeast Conference (Central Connecticut State), and Pioneer Football League (Drake) played on the road in Week #1. Last weekend’s first round had the top eight FCS seeds with a bye.  The remaining 16 teams were in action, though.  The next eight highest seeded teams (Seeds #9-16) hosted first round games last Saturday.  Their opponents were selected by the playoff committee with geographic considerations to minimize team travel costs (a very smart idea). Three road teams pulled Week #1 upsets last weekend. Surprising North Dakota clobbered #13 seed Tennessee Tech 31-6 in Cookeville.  Yale scored the final 29 points of the game in the second half to surprise #15 seed Youngstown State 43-42.  Illinois State prevailed over #16 Southeastern Louisiana 21-3 in Hammond. The other five teams eliminated last weekend were Central Connecticut State, Harvard, New Hampshire, Drake, and Lamar. The FCS is now down to its “Sweet 16” round on Saturday.   Let’s review each of the match-ups!  (All kickoffs shown are CST) #12 Villanova (10-2) at #5 Lehigh (12-0) – 11AM on ESPN+ When you’re hot, you’re hot!  The Villanova Wildcats lost two of their first three games of the season (to FBS Penn State and 9-3 FCS member Monmouth).  Since then, Villanova has won nine straight games.  That includes last Saturday’s 52-7 opening round shellacking of formerly 9-1 Harvard.  The Coastal Athletic Association runner-up Wildcats ran for 319 yards as part of a 519-yard offensive output in their home rout over Harvard. The Lehigh Mountain Hawks of the Patriot League enjoyed a first round bye.  Lehigh features the fourth best rushing offense in the FCS with more than 235 yards per game on the ground.  Lehigh (which was the SwampSwamiSports.com #1 regular season team) has limited eight of its 12 opponents to 14 points or less during the season.  Tickets for the first Lehigh home playoff game in Bethlehem, PA since 2004 are scarce.  Saturday’s game will be played in dry but chilly (upper 30’s) weather conditions. #11 South Dakota (9-4) @ #6 Mercer (9-2) – 11AM on ESPN+ South Dakota’s Coyotes from the Missouri Valley Conference eliminated Pioneer Football League champion Drake 38-17 last week in Round 1.  USD has won seven of their last eight games.  This week’s game is the first-ever football match-up of South Dakota and Mercer.  The Coyotes have advanced into the second round of the FCS playoffs for three consecutive seasons. The pass-happy Mercer Bears had a first round bye.  Mercer is second in the FCS with nearly 334 passing yards per game.  Alas, the forecast for Macon, Georgia features a 60% chance of rain with temperatures hovering around 50 degrees.  The weather conditions may dampen the effectiveness of the So-Con champion Bears’ dangerous passing attack. Illinois State (9-4) @ #1 North Dakota State (12-0) – 12 Noon on ESPN+ This is a Missouri Valley Football Conference rematch of North Dakota State’s 33-16 win over the Redbirds on October 4th in Normal, Illinois.  That game saw the Bison leading by only two points (18-16) after three quarters before NDSU tacked-on two late scores for the final margin of victory. Indiana State’s Redbirds are led by quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse.  He passed for 28 touchdowns and ran for seven more scores this season. North Dakota State is the defending FCS champion and is participating in the playoffs for the 16th consecutive season.  The Bison score 42 points per game (#3 nationally) and are #1 in defense by allowing less than 12 points per outing.  Expect another sell-out crowd in the noisy 18,700 seat FargoDome to cheer-on the unbeaten Bison this Saturday afternoon. North Dakota (8-5) @ #4 Tarleton State (11-1) – 12 Noon on ESPN+ I admit it.  It was quite surprising to learn that the 7-5 North Dakota Fighting Hawks were being selected to participate in the FCS playoffs over several other teams with much better season records.  UND finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Missouri Valley Conference.  They were dispatched 1,200 miles to the south to play a first round road game at 11-1 Ohio Valley/Big South champion Tennessee Tech.  The Fighting Hawks soared in the final quarter as North Dakota scored 21 points to secure a 31-6 win and advance into the second round. This week’s “reward” is a nearly 1,300 mile road trip to #4 seed Tarleton State of Stephenville, Texas (runner-up in the United Athletic Conference).  The North Dakota defense forced six turnovers last week in its win over Tennessee Tech. Tarleton State is no slouch on defense, either.  The Texans lead the FCS in turnover margin with a 2.42 “plus” turnover ratio.  Quarterback Victor Gabalis passed for 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions this year to lead Tarleton State’s offense.  Sunny weather and temperatures in the mid-60’s should make for a perfect day for playoff football in north Texas. Yale (9-2) @ #2 Montana State (10-2) – 1PM on ESPN+ Yale may be destiny’s darling in this year’s FCS playoffs.  After handing unbeaten Harvard its first loss and winning the Ivy League, the Bulldogs found themselves down 35-7 at the half at Youngstown State in last Saturday’s first round playoff game.  A furious second half rally saw Yale escape with an improbable 43-42 win to advance into Round 2. This week’s opponent is also on a roll.  Montana State defeated previously unbeaten Montana two weeks ago to win the Big Sky Conference title.  After a first round bye, the Bobcats can’t wait to play Yale this Saturday in Bozeman, Montana as snow and 38 degrees await the visitors from Connecticut.  Montana State rushes for more than 230 yards per game, so expect a ball-control offensive effort from the Bobcats on Saturday. #14 South Dakota State (9-4) @ #3 Montana (11-1) – 1PM on ESPN+ It took an overtime win in the regular season finale at North Dakota for the Jackrabbits to end their shocking four-game losing streak.  South Dakota State was rewarded by the FCS Playoff committee with a playoff spot.  The Jackrabbits (which finished 4-4 in the Missouri Valley this year) quickly dispatched New Hampshire 41-3 to advance to Round 2 and earn a visit to Missoula to play the University of Montana this Saturday. The hungry Montana Grizzlies are still seething from a season-ending 31-28 loss to rival Montana State.  Even with the loss, the Big Sky runner-up received a first round bye based on their sterling 11-1 regular season record.  The Griz want to avenge last season’s 35-18 playoff loss to South Dakota State in a game played in Brookings, SD.  Running back Eli Gillman (the Big Sky offensive player-of-the-year) leads the team with 105 yards per game and a team-high 17 touchdowns.  Light freezing rain and snow showers are expected during Saturday’s game with temperatures in the upper 30’s. #10 Abilene Christian (9-4) @ #7 Stephen F. Austin (10-2) – 1PM on ESPN+ These two Texas-based conference champions will tee-it up for a second time this season.  This time, the game will be played in Nacogdoches on Saturday.  The Wildcats beat Stephen F. Austin 28-20 in Abilene in early September.  United Athletic League champion Abilene Christian has won seven of its last eight games.  ACU dispatched third-place Southland Conference finisher Lamar 38-20 last weekend in Abilene during Round #1 of the FCS playoffs. The SFA Lumberjacks went 8-0 in the Southland Conference this year to take the league title for the first time since 2010.  Stephen F. Austin has won its last ten games and is allowing only 15 points per game on defense.  SFA was awarded a first round bye, and the school is “jacked” about hosting a home playoff game against the team which beat them in Week #2. #9 Rhode Island (11-2) @ #8 UC-Davis (8-3) – 9PM on ESPN2 “Road” Island is making a 3,000 mile cross-country trip to play this game on Saturday night in northern California.  The CAA regular season champion Rams earned the trip west by winning an opening round playoff game 27-19 at home last weekend over the stubborn Central Connecticut State Blue Devils.  Rhode Island quarterback Devin Ferrell leads the Rams’ offense with nearly 3,500 yards via the air and 22 touchdowns passes. UC-Davis finished third in the Big Sky Conference behind Montana State and the University of Montana.  The Aggies’ explosive offense passes for 258 yards per game and rushes for another 180.  Saturday’s match-up against Rhode Island will be the first-ever for these two teams.  This game will kick-off under clear skies with temperatures falling into the upper 40’s. Enjoy the second round of the FCS Playoffs this Saturday! The post FCS – Previewing the “Sweet 16” Playoff games appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

This weekend’s drama over “Where will Lane Kiffin coach college football?” reminded me of LeBron James’ over-hyped “The Decision” in July, 2010. Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin has become the hottest coaching commodity since Nick Saban’s younger days.  The Rebels 11-1 record this fall was the best regular season posted by either Ole Miss or in-state rival Mississippi State in the college football history of both schools. Lane Kiffin (now 50 years of age) used a late-season bye week in order to take his family to visit Baton Rouge (LSU) and Gainesville (University of Florida) to contemplate their respective head coaching openings. Coach Kiffin returned to Oxford a week later and led the Rebels to Friday’s 38-19 drubbing of Mississippi State to end the regular season. The Ole Miss Vice Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Keith Carter advised the media last week that Coach Kiffin would announce his decision (stay or go) on the day after Ole Miss played Mississippi State. Saturday’s lack of news coming out of Oxford led many to believe that the football coach may be getting cold feet. Don’t let the screen door hit you…on your way out! Lane Kiffin advised his 49-year old boss (Keith Carter) on Saturday that he was, indeed, taking the head coaching job at LSU. However, Kiffin wanted to have the chance to remain another month to coach his team through the remainder of the football season.  Ole Miss (ranked #6) is likely to host a first round College Football Playoff game on Saturday, December 13. The coach wanted to stay with his players through their final game. LSU agreed. Ole Miss athletics boss Keith Carter effectively told Lane Kiffin, “Not no, but heck no.” He refused to let the head coach even talk to his players on Sunday and made it known that Kiffin should skedaddle to Baton Rouge ASAP. Hours later, Lane Kiffin did just that.  A small group of Ole Miss fans loudly cursed the coach as he boarded a private jet in Oxford on Sunday afternoon. Lane Kiffin’s Defensive Coordinator, Pete Golding, was named the new Ole Miss football coach on Sunday as well. For the record, the 41-year old Pete Golding has never been a head football coach at any level prior to receiving this very generous battlefield promotion on Sunday. Meanwhile, Tulane and North Texas are allowing their departing coaches to continue This weekend also found Tulane’s football coach Jon Sumrall and University of North Texas coach Eric Morris taking the top jobs at the University of Florida and Oklahoma State respectively. Tulane Athletic Director David Harris posted that Coach Sumrall asked to coach the Green Wave for the remaining games of this football season.  Harris gladly obliged based on their years of mutual trust. The same thing happened with the University of North Texas and departing coach Eric Morris. He will coach the Mean Green football team for the remainder of the season and then move to Oklahoma State. Ironically, Jon Sumrall and Eric Morris will face each other this Friday night.  Tulane (10-2) hosts 11-1 North Texas in New Orleans in the American Athletic Conference championship game. Why didn’t Ole Miss athletics boss Keith Carter do the same thing for Coach Lane Kiffin? That’s a great question, and it may hold the key as to why Kiffin is moving on to LSU. In 2019, Keith Carter was promoted into his current job just weeks prior to the hiring of Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.  Carter (a former Ole Miss basketball player and a prolific fund raiser for Ole Miss athletics) is one year younger than Lane Kiffin. It’s safe to say that these two gentlemen are quite competitive by nature. Partial credit for the rise in the profile of Ole Miss football in the past few years should be given to Keith Carter for hiring Lane Kiffin in 2019.  Of course, Coach Kiffin, his staff, and players have made Ole Miss into a national force in college football in recent years. That same 44 year old Lane Kiffin had already been the head coach for the Oakland Raiders (one and 1/2 years), Tennessee Volunteers (one season), USC (three and ½ years), and Florida Atlantic (three years) prior to accepting his fifth head coaching assignment at Ole Miss in 2019. Ole Miss sports boss Keith Carter had to know that hiring Lane Kiffin came with the risk that his coach might not stick around for too many years. Kiffin’s six-year tenure at Ole Miss was, by far, the longest in his head coaching career. Lane Kiffin’s years in Oxford marked a time in which he has become closer to his family.  The coach gave up drinking nearly five years ago and says he is also more mentally sober today as well. He admits that his time in Oxford has been the greatest period in his coaching career. Keep in mind that Keith Carter (Kiffin’s boss) bleeds Ole Miss blue and red.  He reportedly offered to match the salary of any suitors (primarily LSU and Florida) to get his football coach to sign a contract extension to stay put. Keith Carter had to endure questions from local and national media as to why Coach Kiffin was traveling to visit Florida and LSU during the team’s recent bye week.  The school’s athletics chief desperately wanted his football coach to tell the media that he was staying put in Oxford. Lane Kiffin and family returned from their brief visits in mid-November and said that no decisions had been made. When Coach Kiffin finally confirmed that he was leaving for LSU last Saturday, it appeared that his boss (Keith Carter) felt rather offended after being strung along for more than a full week. I believe that is a big reason why Keith Carter rejected Coach Kiffin’s request to continue leading this year’s team through the upcoming College Football Playoffs. The College Football Playoff Committee should not “punish” Ole Miss after their head coach left The Ole Miss executive hierarchy immediately promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding into the permanent head coaching spot.  That decision seems primarily designed to give the College Football Playoff committee an assurance that this year’s Ole Miss football team is “stable” and deserves to host a first-round playoff game. This season’s Ole Miss players and the team’s fans deserve that much for a tremendous 11-1 season. The CFP committee (which has a tendency to listen to TV partner ESPN) angered many a few years ago by leaving out 13-0 Florida State after its quarterback was injured in the ACC Championship game. The loss of a football team’s star quarterback is a quantifiable loss.  How can the CFP committee fairly assess the value of a team’s head coach? Answer: They shouldn’t! LSU’s Athletics Director handed the keys over to Lane Kiffin Verge Ausberry was appointed as LSU’s new Director of Athletics on November 4.  His primary task was to find a qualified replacement for the recently-departed Brian Kelly. Ausberry somehow landed the biggest coaching fish in the college football ocean by signing Lane Kiffin to become the Tigers new head coach. Monday’s introductory press conference at LSU provided a big reason why Kiffin decided to come to TigerTown. He said that LSU AD Verge Ausberry told him, “I’m going to leave you alone and let you coach the team.  I like when I hear that (laughter from the crowd).  We’re going to give you everything to win, and I’m going to leave you alone and go coach the team and win championships!” Lane Kiffin is a talented football coach and a very creative innovator.  He may have felt a little constrained at Ole Miss by his former boss, Keith Carter. As we all know, some bosses are more hands-on than others. LSU’s Verge Ausberry is going to give Coach Kiffin plenty of room to design a national championship football team in Baton Rouge. Lane Kiffin (at least for the next few years) has the football team’s car keys, and he is definitely in the driver’s seat right now.  Tiger faithful are excited and cautiously optimistic about the team’s chances for a fifth national championship coming soon. Enjoy “The Lane Kiffin Show” while you can, LSU fans.  Just remember that his escape pod will be parked nearby. The post Lane Kiffin vs. Ole Miss AD – Farewell, Fair Weather Friends! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

It’s official!  The 12-0 Indiana Hoosiers team (football, not basketball) crushed nearly every opponent and have earned the final #1 ranking for the 2025 college football season. Other college football rating services made 12-0 Ohio State as their #1.  That’s quite understandable.  The Buckeyes are the defending national champions and have enjoyed another terrific season. However, the Buckeyes finished in second place in the SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for the 2025 regular season. My ranking system gave the edge to Indiana by virtue of the Hoosiers’ 30-20 road victory at 11-1 Oregon. By contrast, the Buckeyes’ toughest win of the season came last Saturday in Ohio State’s methodical 27-9 beatdown of 9-3 Michigan. The Big Ten has morphed into “The Big 18” teams.  That meant that Indiana and Ohio State will face a different set of conference opponents every season. Indiana handed Oregon its only loss of the season.  That’s why the Hoosiers are my #1 team as the regular season ends. Indiana and Ohio State are now the final two unbeaten FBS teams after 9-3 Texas handed Texas A&M its first loss of the season Friday night in Austin by a 27-17 final score. The Indiana Hoosiers will enjoy some unexpected home cooking this Saturday as they face the Buckeyes in the Big Ten championship game at 7PM (CST) on FOX.  Saturday’s game will be played (as always) at the home field of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. By this time next week, the FBS will have just one team with a perfect record heading into the College Football Playoffs. Congratulations to Indiana for being my top rated team in 2025! Why are 10-2 Alabama and 11-1 Georgia playing in the SEC Championship game instead of 11-1 Texas A&M or 11-1 Ole Miss? All four teams were 7-1 in SEC competition this season, but only two can play in Saturday’s SEC title game (3PM on ABC). Here are the SEC tiebreaker rules: A. Head-to-head competition among the tied teams. Alabama – won at Georgia 24-21 in late September.  Bama did not play either Texas A&M or Ole Miss this season.  Bama gets the nod over Georgia in a tiebreaker. Georgia – lost to Alabama 24-21.  The Bulldogs beat Ole Miss 43-35.  That win gives Georgia the advantage over Ole Miss.  The Bulldogs did not play Texas A&M this season.  Texas A&M – did not play Alabama, Georgia, or Ole Miss this year (odd, isn’t it?) Ole Miss – lost at Georgia (43-35) and did not play against Alabama or Texas A&M this season. In this first scenario, Alabama would eliminate Georgia (based on a head-to-head win) and Georgia would eliminate Ole Miss (another head-to-head win).  Texas A&M (which didn’t play any of the other three SEC teams with a 7-1 conference record this year) would still be “alive” at this point. B. Record against all common opponents among the tied teams. In the second tiebreaker scenario, Georgia beat Texas (35-10).  Texas A&M then lost to Texas 27-17 last Friday. Georgia’s win over Texas was enough to eliminate Texas A&M. How did 7-5 Duke make it into the ACC Championship game this Saturday? This year’s Atlantic Coast Conference football race was dominated early in the season by Georgia Tech and surprising Virginia.  The Yellow Jackets started 8-0 but faded by losing three of its final four games. The Virginia Cavaliers finished as the ACC’s #1 team by virtue of a 7-1 conference mark and a 10-2 overall record. This Saturday night at 7PM, the ACC Championship game features Virginia playing…7-5 Duke? Duke benefited from a weak conference schedule.  The Blue Devils’ six ACC wins came over teams with losing conference records. Duke was part of a massive five-way traffic jam for second place in the ACC at 6-2.  They were tied with 10-2 Miami (FL), 9-3 Georgia Tech, 8-4 SMU, and 8-4 Wake Forest. Somehow (I won’t try to explain this one), Duke won tiebreakers over Miami, G-Tech, SMU, and Wake Forest to emerge as the second place team. A win by Duke over Virginia on Saturday night would hand the ACC crown to the Blue Devils.  However, an 8-5 Blue Devils team would not receive an automatic invitation into the College Football Playoffs.  Other conference champions (such as the American or Sun Belt) could receive that slot in the playoff by virtue of having better season records. So, why do the Power Four Conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC) bother playing these conference championship games now? Television money, of course! This weekend’s reduced college football slate brings more TV eyeballs to the rather finite number of televised games.  That’s a bonanza for the networks (ABC/ESPN and FOX).  Their sales staff is busy selling prime advertising slots to a male-dominated audience of shoppers during the crucial Christmas merchandising season. Believe it or not, the SEC is paid about $470 million for its entire slate of games televised by ABC and ESPN for this season.  That doesn’t count extra money from the College Football Playoffs. The “Bank of SEC” takes in about $31 million per week over a 15-week season (12 regular season games over a 14-week span plus this weekend’s championship game). An incremental $31 million payday for this weekend’s SEC Championship game is why we are being forced to wait another week prior to the beginning of the College Football Playoffs. A special consolation note to U-Mass Minuteman football fans The University of Massachusetts (U-Mass) joined the Mid-American Conference beginning July 1, 2025. After November 29, 2025’s final weekend of college football games, U-Mass is still searching for its first Mid-American Conference football victory.  They didn’t win a single game this season! The Minutemen even lost (at home) to FCS member Bryant University 27-26 in September. U-Mass lost its home finale on Saturday to 4-8 Bowling Green 45-14 as the only FBS team in America to finish 0-12. First-year coach Joe Harasmyiak said after the team’s final loss, “The record is the record.  It’s crappy.  It’s not acceptable.” Indeed!  There’s only one way to go next season, right?!!! Hey, Swami!  Aren’t you going to discuss the Lane Kiffin situation today? Come back on Tuesday for that.  Here’s a teaser to think about today. Why did Tulane and North Texas allow their current coaches (who are leaving for Florida and Oklahoma State respectively) to keep leading their current teams until season’s end, but the Ole Miss Athletic Director did not? Let’s reveal the FINAL SwampSwamiSports.com FBS College Football Top 25 rankings for the week ending November 29, 2025: The post Indiana Hoosiers Earn SwampSwami’s 2025 Top Spot! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

I have been providing a weekly ranking of my Top 25 NCAA Division I FCS small college football teams every week since early October.  Below are the SwampSwamiSports.com rankings (expanded to show some additional teams this week) through the week ending November 15, 2025: This is my first season covering the FCS group.  I am using the same guidelines which have served me well in determining a weekly Top 25 ranking list for the major college FBS football teams over the past seven years. There are only a few major media services which provide significant weekly coverage of the FCS smaller college football teams.  My weekly rankings (click here for my FCS methodology) give you the chance to compare my top teams  vs. the long-time American Football Coaches Association FCS Poll.   The website for the Coaches Poll indicated that 26 FCS Board of Coaches determine their weekly Top 25 rankings for the smaller division teams. This week, we agree on 17 teams in our Top 25 rankings Below are the eight teams in my latest poll which were left out of the Coaches’ Top 25: #8 – 9-2 Presbyterian College (Pioneer Football League) #14 – 8-2 Alabama State (SWAC)* #16 – 7-2 Dartmouth (Ivy League) #18 – 8-3 Sacred Heart (Independent) #21 – 8-3 UT-Rio Grande Valley (Southland) #23 – 8-3 Delaware State (MEAC)* #24 – 8-3 South Carolina State (MEAC)* #25 – 8-3 Prairie View A&M (SWAC)* Here are the eight teams in the Coaches’ Top 25 which differ from my rankings: #14 – 7-4 UC-Davis (Big Sky) #16 – 7-4 North Dakota (Missouri Valley) #17 – 7-4 Youngstown State (Missouri Valley) #18 – 7-4 Abilene Christian (United Athletic Conference) #21 – 8-4 South Dakota Coyotes (Missouri Valley) #23 – 8-3 West Georgia Wolves (United Athletic Conference) #24 – 8-3 Lafayette Leopards (Coastal Athletics Association) *Denotes teams/conferences which will not compete in the FCS playoffs.  Instead, the MEAC and SWAC winners will play each other in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta. Who should be included in the 24-team FCS Playoff field? There is (of course) a national committee which will determine the 24 teams to be included in this year’s FCS playoffs.  The 2025 FCS Playoff Committee is comprised of one athletic director from each of the 11 FCS conferences which are participating in the playoff field.  This will be the first year for the Ivy League to send one or more representatives into the field. As previously noted, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) send their conference champions to compete in the Celebration Bowl for the HBCU title on December 13.  The MEAC and SWAC do not have a voting representative determining the 24 teams heading into the FCS playoffs beginning on November 29.    Each of this year’s 11 participating conferences will send their league champion team to the FCS playoffs.  The other 13 teams are considered “At-large” and will be determined by the selection committee on Sunday, November 23. First, let’s predict the 11 Conference Champions.  “Come on down!” All rankings shown are from the SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 published on Monday, November 17, 2025: Missouri Valley – #2 North Dakota State Bison (11-0) – clinched last week Southern (So-Con) – #7 Mercer Bears (10-1) – clinched last week Southland – #11 Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (9-2) – clinched last week Here are my predictions for the other eight conference champions receiving automatic bids: Big Sky Conference – #3 Montana Grizzlies (11-0) Coastal Athletic Association – #10 Rhode Island Rams (9-2) Ivy League – #4 Harvard (9-0) Northeast Conference– #36 Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (7-4) Ohio Valley/Big South Alliance – #6 Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (10-1) Patriot League – #1 Lehigh Mountain Hawks (11-0) Pioneer Football League – #28 Drake Bulldogs (7-3) United Athletic Conference – #31 Abilene Christian (7-4) Who should receive the other 13 “at-large” bids?  My personal belief is that the remaining 13 teams should be determined based on their performance on the field this season.  Wins and losses matter.  For example, a 9-2 team from Conference A has clearly sustained more on-field success than a 7-4 squad from Conference B. Determining the relative strength of schedule between teams at this level is even harder than evaluating the major college FBS teams.  Most fans are able to see the top major college teams on television several times during the football season. Let’s stick with my ranking system to select the following 13 teams to receive an At-Large invitation into Sunday’s FCS selection show (11AM CST on ESPNU): Tarleton State Texans (UAC – #5 ranking) – The 10-1 Texans won their first nine games of the year before losing 27-24 at Abilene Christian.  The Texans opened the season with an impressive 30-27 road win against 5-4 FBS member Army. Presbyterian Blue Hose (Pioneer and #8 ranking) – Presbyterian (9-2) plays in what is considered to be a relatively weak football conference.  However, the Blue Hose went to Macon, Georgia and gave the 10-1 Mercer Bears (champions of the So-Con) their only loss in 2025.  That’s good enough to justify a spot in my playoff field! Monmouth Hawks (CAA and #9 ranking) – The 9-2 Hawks lost one of their two games on the road at FBS member UNC-Charlotte 26-20.  When compared against fellow CAA member 8-2 Villanova, Monmouth wins my tiebreaker by virtue of their 51-33 drubbing of Villanova on September 20. Montana State Bobcats (Big Sky and #12 ranking) – Montana State is 9-2 heading into this weekend’s game with unbeaten Montana (11-0).  The Bobcats blew-out 7-3 UC-Davis 38-17 two weeks ago and receive my vote. Villanova Wildcats (CAA and #15 ranking) – Villanova (8-2) is red hot right now.  The Wildcats have won seven straight games heading into this weekend’s season finale against a very tough 8-3 Sacred Heart team.  Villanova’s only losses are to FBS member Penn State and at 9-2 Monmouth earlier this season. Dartmouth Big Green (Ivy League and #16 ranking) – Dartmouth is 7-2 with its only losses coming at 9-0 Harvard and 5-4 Penn.  If the FCS committee needs to be reminded, Dartmouth beat 7-2 Yale 17-16 earlier this season.  I expect Yale to lose at Harvard on Saturday.  If I’m wrong (it happens), then Yale should make the field, too. Sacred Heart Pioneers (Independent and #18 ranking) – The 8-3 Pioneers have played a fairly tough schedule.  Their three losses have come at 11-0 Lehigh (28-10), at 7-4 Central Connecticut State (42-35) and at 11-0 Montana (43-21).  Saturday’s season finale is at 8-2 Villanova. Another loss could knock Sacred Heart out of the playoffs, but their losses have come against likely FCS Playoff teams. Lamar Cardinals (Southland and #19 ranking) – Lamar (8-3) ran off seven straight wins earlier this season.  The Cardinals from Beaumont lost on Saturday at Southland Conference champion Stephen F. Austin 26-15 but hold my tiebreaker with wins over 8-3 Southeastern Louisiana and 8-3 UT- Rio Grande Valley. Southeastern Louisiana Lions (Southland and #20 ranking) – The 8-3 Lions lost two of their games on the road at FBS members Louisiana Tech and LSU.  The other loss came in a 14-12 thriller at 8-3 Lamar.  Southeastern has one of the top defenses in the FCS this year and has allowed less than 12 points per game to non-FBS opponents.  They are definitely in my 2025 playoff field! UT – Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (Southland and #21 ranking) – In case you are counting, this would be the fourth Southland Conference team in the FCS playoffs.  This is UTRGV’s first full season in the FCS, so I fully expect the playoff committee to shun them.  Not me.  The Vaqueros’ only three losses came on the road against playoff-bound Stephen F. Austin, Lamar, and Southeastern Louisiana. Illinois State Redbirds (Missouri Valley and #22 ranking) – Illinois State (8-3) lost its opener at FBS #8 ranked Oklahoma.  The Redbirds’ other two losses came – at home – to 11-0 North Dakota State (33-16) and 7-4 Youngstown State (40-35).  Illinois State is on a four game winning streak heading into Saturday’s home finale against 6-5 rival Southern Illinois.  They must beat the Salukis to get into the playoffs. Lafayette Leopards (Patriot and #26 ranking) – The 8-3 Leopards are playing at home Saturday in “The Rivalry” game against the 11-0 Lehigh Mountain Hawks.  If Lafayette wins, they’re in the playoffs as Patriot League champs and Lehigh will still receive an at-large bid. Should Lafayette lose on Saturday, they are at risk of being left out of the playoff field.  The Leopards’ “best win” came over 6-5 Richmond 35-28.  Another four-loss team with a better resume is likely receive this spot. West Georgia Wolves (UAC and #27 ranking) – West Georgia (8-3) has been omitted from my FCS Top 25 most of this season for good reason. The Wolves have swept teams with lousy records but lost all three games to tougher competition.  West Georgia (located in Carrollton or about 45 miles west of Atlanta) lost games at 7-4 Austin Peay, at home to 7-4 Abilene Christian, and at 10-1 Tarleton State. The Wolves’ weak non-conference schedule may be a hard sell to the FCS playoff committee. Let’s include two “stand-by” teams with the best chance to shout “Pick me!” to the FCS playoff committee: UC Davis Aggies (Big Sky and #29 ranking) – UC-Davis (7-3) had its season opener at So-Con champion Mercer canceled due to possible tropical storm conditions in Georgia.  The Aggies have one less victory than other competitors affected my rankings (eight wins beats seven in the SwampSwamiSports.com rankings).  Having only three losses, though, helped to elevate UC-Davis over the 18 FCS teams which have four defeats through last weekend’s games.  The UC Davis Aggies must beat conference rival Sacramento State (7-4) on Saturday to have a chance at securing a playoff spot. South Dakota Coyotes (Missouri Valley and #30 ranking) – The 8-4 Coyotes concluded their season last week on November 15.  South Dakota lost a “money game” at FBS opponent Iowa State to start the season.  They dropped to 0-2 after losing another road game at 8-3 Lamar (20-13).  The Coyotes can point to a win over likely Pioneer Conference champ 7-3 Drake (42-21) and a pair of 7-4 MVC foes in South Dakota State and North Dakota. Best of luck to all of the FCS teams this weekend!  Happy Thanksgiving!  The post Predicting all 24 FCS Playoff Teams! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Do you remember the half-hour cartoon show called “The Jetsons”? The futuristic 1962 prime-time half-hour cartoon became ABC’s very first color television program shown by the network.  After a one-year run in the evenings, reruns of “The Jetsons” remained on Saturday mornings for decades. The show’s premise involved a space-aged middle-class office worker named George Jetson and his family (including the family dog, Astro) as they dealt with issues of the day (which were remarkably like today’s). One particular episode introduced an extremely smart and sophisticated computerized robot “genius” named UniBlab.  The president of George Jetson’s company president bought UniBlab to improve efficiency and reduce the number of workers (including, of course, George Jetson). Artificial intelligence (AI) is now doing the same thing to many jobs today.  Let’s return to that subject a bit later. All Hail to “King” Kiffin and his SEC Court This week’s college football coaching carousel has one particular man being flown around and treated like a king in both Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Gainesville, Florida. Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin already makes $9 million per year.  His 10-1 Rebels are a virtual lock to play in their first College Football Playoff game in December. The Ole Miss Rebels have this week off as they prepare for a regular season finale against intrastate rival Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl game a week from Friday in Starkville. Coach Lane Kiffin was already the toast of Oxford, Mississippi.  The school’s athletics director has offered the football coach a very generous contract extension which currently is awaiting Kiffin’s signature – if he wants to remain the football coach at Ole Miss. November is a big season for hunters. Two of the SEC’s “Big Name” hunters are trying to bag a very expensive trophy named Lane Kiffin during this week’s open season on football coaches. LSU (which fired Brian Kelly) and Florida (ditto for Billy Napier) are openly courting Lane Kiffin to leave northern Mississippi and lead their SEC football programs next season. Both schools are expected to dangle upwards of $12 million per season to lure “King” Kiffin away from multitudes of his loyal subjects in Oxford, Mississippi. A fool and his money…??? At what point will major college football programs learn their lesson about signing coaches to long-term multi-million dollar contracts which require the payment of tens of millions of dollars if the deal doesn’t work out? There are plenty of wealthy benefactors at the University of Florida and LSU.  Ole Miss has its share of big money supporters, too. Most every major college football program today has wealthy alumni and fans who will gladly fork-over the money with one string attached. The new coaching hire must bring about the required return on investment made by the big rollers. It’s called, “Our team must make it into the College Football Playoffs and compete for a national championship nearly every year!” But what if it doesn’t? A little over a year ago, Penn State won its first game in the first 12-team College Football Playoffs.  The Nittany Lions clobbered SMU 38-10 in Round 1.  They beat Boise State 31-14 in Round 2.  PSU then lost a squeaker to Notre Dame 27-24 in the national semifinals. By any measure, Penn State had a fantastic season in 2024. Did the team’s success in 2024 help Coach James Franklin keep his job this fall? Penn State fired its 12th year head football coach in October after the Nittany Lions lost three straight games following a 3-0 start.  During his tenure with Penn State, Coach James Franklin’s teams won 70% of their games in what has become known recently as “Unhappy” Valley. James Franklin wasn’t unemployed for very long. Earlier this week, Coach Franklin found a new coaching home as he will lead Virginia Tech’s football program in 2026. Yes, it is true that Coach James Franklin still hasn’t won a national championship. Then again, neither has Virginia Tech. Neither had coach Brian Kelly (Western Michigan, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, and LSU). Ditto for coach Billy Napier (UL-Lafayette and Florida). This week’s rock star head coach (Lane Kiffin) hasn’t come close to winning a national championship, either Lane Kiffin is the well-traveled 50-year old son of legendary NFL defensive guru Monte Kiffin. The younger Kiffin played quarterback at Fresno State.  He quickly became a top college football assistant coach.  Kiffin worked his way up into the offensive coordinator position at the University of Southern California beginning in 2005. In 2007, the NFL’s Oakland Raiders hired 31-year old Lane Kiffin to become the youngest head football coach in franchise history.  After going 4-12 in his first NFL season, Kiffin was fired by Oakland the following season after a 1-3 start. Lane Kiffin returned to college football in 2009 as the head coach at the University of Tennessee.  After posting a 7-6 record during his first season in Knoxville, Lane Kiffin shocked Vol Nation by leaving to take the top job at USC in January, 2010. Coach Kiffin had three seasons of mild success with the Trojans before he was fired in late September, 2013 after losing two straight conference games early in his fourth season at USC.  Ironically, future LSU head coach Ed Orgeron replaced Kiffin as the interim head coach for the USC Trojans for the remainder of that regular season. Coach Nick Saban hired Lane Kiffin to become Alabama’s offensive coordinator a few months later in January, 2014. Kiffin performed well enough to be offered the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton (Fort Lauderdale area) beginning in 2017. The FAU Owls went 11-3, 5-7, and 10-3 before Lane Kiffin was hired by Ole Miss beginning with the 2020 football season. Lane Kiffin is now in his sixth year with the Rebels.  His Ole Miss football teams have produced a 74% winning percentage with four ten-win seasons in six years. Despite that success, Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels have not played in either the SEC Championship game or the College Football Playoffs. At least not yet. So, why does everyone want Lane Kiffin? This is purely a supply vs. demand problem. There are ten FBS college football teams searching for a new head coach.  The now 50-year old Lane Kiffin has acquired a great deal of experience and (perhaps) a bit of humility in his coaching journeys. Kiffin has also admitted that he is a recovering alcoholic for nearly five years.  He has become closer than ever to his family since taking the job at Ole Miss in 2020. Lane Kiffin is what I would call an “old soul” to be such a relatively young major college football coach.  His ability to recruit top players and assistant coaches for his staff have helped to make him the nation’s biggest coaching “get” on the market. However, Lane Kiffin will become the most hated man in the state of Mississippi for at least the next decade if should accept the top job at either Florida or LSU soon. Which brings us back to The Jetsons Why pay tens of millions of dollars to the next football coach (and an expensive assistant coaching staff) at Florida, LSU, Penn State, etc. if the new coach has such a small chance of succeeding? Remember 2022, Gator Nation?  Fans were giddy about their SEC title possibilities after they hired a former Nick Saban assistant coach named Billy Napier to become Florida’s newest head football coach. Ditto for LSU after they wrangled Coach Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame to coach for the Tigers starting in 2022. How did those deals work out for you? Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) could mean that (let’s say) Grok from Twitter might have a high statistical chance of replicating the success of most major college football coaches in game planning and play-calling. We already know that most major college football teams (especially Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels) lean heavily on advanced analytics and statistical models to make key decisions – especially on certain “down and distance” play calls. What if a college football team which rarely posts winning seasons (such as the UL-Monroe Warhawks) was to hire a cheaper and smaller group of under-30 coaches and fully utilize AI to find and sign key players, develop weekly game plans, and recommend play calls during the game? The money saved on the team’s coaching staff could be rolled into paying for better players. What would a struggling college football team have to lose by trying such an approach? The continued bidding war for both football coaches and players may put the proverbial nail in the coffin for a number of current FBS programs – even with the increased revenue from television and media deals. Perhaps hiring Coach AI UniBlab to run your favorite team may be coming sooner than you think! The post Ready for an AI College Football Coach yet? appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

The NCAA Division I FCS (smaller college) football teams have just one week remaining in the regular season. This Sunday at 11AM CST, the FCS Playoff Committee will announce the 24 teams which will participate in this year’s playoffs beginning on Friday, November 28. There are three FCS teams which have already locked-up a place in the playoff field by virtue of clinching their conference races last weekend.  The remaining 21 places in the field will be determined after this Saturday’s games conclude. Three down and 21 more to go! Congratulations to North Dakota State, Mercer, and Stephen F. Austin for securing the first three invitations to late November’s FCS playoffs. Defending FCS champion North Dakota State is now 11-0 and has a two-game lead in the Big Sky Conference with only one game remaining.  Bison head coach Tim Polasek is likely hearing overtures from some of the 11 major colleges seeking a new football coach.  Can Coach Polasek and his very talented herd of Bison remain focused, run the table, and close out a perfect season with yet another FCS title? The red-hot 9-1 Mercer Bears of the Southern Conference own a two-game lead over their closest competitor, Western Carolina.  Mercer clobbered UT-Chattanooga 63-17 Saturday to wrap-up a spot in the FCS playoffs for the third straight season.  The Mercer Bears from Macon, Georgia have won nine games in a row and have tallied 38 or more points in their last eight contests.  The coachless Auburn Tigers of the SEC will try to end the Bears’ winning streak this Saturday (1PM on the SEC+ Network) at Jordan-Hare Stadium in eastern Alabama. Surprising Stephen F. Austin disposed of Texas rival Lamar University 26-15 Saturday night to claim its first Southland Conference football title since 2010.  The Lumberjacks have sawed through nine straight opponents to move to 9-2 and grab their spot in the upcoming FCS playoffs.  SFA finishes on the road Thursday night (6:30PM on ESPN+) to play the struggling 1-10 Northwestern State Demons with the rivalry’s 7-foot wooden trophy called “The Chief” going home with the victor. Let’s review some of the “Win and you’re in” games coming on Saturday Coastal Athletic Association – The 9-2 Rhode Island Rams have never won the regular season title in the CAA. They have a chance to finish with a perfect 8-0 conference record at home this Saturday (11AM CST on ESPN+) with a victory over the struggling 2-9 Hampton Pirates.  A win gives the Rams a ticket into the FCS playoffs.  An upset loss by Rhode Island would open the door for 9-2 Monmouth and/or 8-2 Villanova to become involved in a complicated tiebreaker to determine the CAA champion. Ivy League – It’s hard to believe, but this is the first season in which the Ivy League champion will be participating in the FCS playoffs.  Historically, the Ivy League wanted its student/athletes to concentrate on academics (gasp!) as final exams occur during the FCS playoff season. Boston’s famed Fenway Park baseball stadium will host “The Game” this Saturday (11AM CST on ESPNU) between 9-0 Harvard and 7-2 Yale.  This annual football contest was first played in 1875. Saturday’s winner also claims the Ivy League’s first guaranteed spot in the FCS playoffs.  Pressure, anyone? Northeast Conference – The Central Connecticut State Blue Devils are 7-4 coming off Saturday’s 38-33 loss to Duquesne in Pittsburgh. The Blue Devils are 5-1 in conference action and control their chances to reach the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019.  A home win on Saturday (11AM CST on ESPN+) against the 5-6 Mercyhurst Lakers will give the NEC title to Central Connecticut.  If the Blue Devils lose, a tiebreaker may be needed with Duquesne. Ohio Valley/Big South Alliance – Tennessee Tech’s perfect 10-0 start ended last Saturday after the fast-improving SEC Kentucky Wildcats prevailed 42-10 in Lexington. The Golden Eagles return home to Cookeville on Saturday to face rival UT-Martin (6-5 overall but 6-1 in conference). Saturday’s winner receives an automatic bid into the FCS playoffs.  The game also marks Tennessee Tech’s final Ohio Valley Conference football game as the Golden Eagles fly into the Southern Conference next season in 2026. Patriot League – This weekend of big games wouldn’t be complete without the annual game pitting Lehigh (11-0) against Lafayette (8-3).  The game called “the Rivalry” has been played since 1884.  This year’s “Rivalry #161” takes place on Saturday at 11:30 AM CST (on ESPN+) in Easton, Pennsylvania. Lafayette’s Leopards are at home and will try to ruin the season for the unbeaten Mountain Hawks from nearby Bethlehem.  The winner takes home the Patriot League title and its automatic bid into the FCS playoffs. Pioneer Football League – The 7-3 Drake Bulldogs have surrendered only 10 points per game over its last seven games.  They are playing exceptional defense!   Drake controls its own fate to receive an automatic FCS playoff bid if the Bulldogs are able to take down Morehead State (6-5 overall and 4-3 in conference) on Saturday at 12Noon CST (ESPN+). Presbyterian College is 9-2 and still has a chance to take the top spot if (a) Drake loses and (b) the Blue Hose de-“feet” (ha ha!) Marist (5-6) on Saturday. United Athletic Conference – Abilene Christian’s upset of formerly unbeaten Tarleton State a few weeks ago has provided the Wildcats a one-game lead in the UAC. A win this Saturday by Abilene Christian (now 7-4) at Central Arkansas (3-8) would give ACU the UAC automatic playoff bid.  If da’ Bears are able to spring an upset in Conway, Arkansas, Tarleton State (currently 10-1) would win the league title with a home victory over 7-4 Austin Peay. The MEAC and SWAC have their own title on the line in December Winners of two FCS conferences featuring historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) will face-off in Atlanta on December 13 for the annual Celebration Bowl. The victor in this Saturday’s MEAC final regular season game between 8-3 South Carolina State at 8-3 Delaware State will receive an invitation to Atlanta to play in the Celebration Bowl. The SWAC holds its title game between the East Division winner vs. Prairie View A&M (the newly-crowned West Division champ) on Saturday, December 6.  That winner receives the other invitation to play in December’s Celebration Bowl. Alabama State’s Hornets (Montgomery, AL) and Jackson State’s Tigers share the SWAC’s East Division lead.  Both teams have identical 8-2 overall and 6-1 conference records.  Jackson State defeated Alabama State 38-34 earlier this season and may prevail in a tiebreaker.   Let’s reveal the latest SwampSwamiSports.com FCS Top 25 rankings for the week ending Saturday, November 15, 2025: The post Drama Galore as FCS Regular Season ends Saturday appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

Unbeaten Texas A&M is really, really looking forward to this Saturday’s “cupcake” college football game against struggling 1-10 FCS member Samford.  The Southern Conference Bulldogs from Birmingham, Alabama should be a much tastier morsel than last week’s early delivery from the SEC bakery in Columbia, South Carolina. The 3-6 South Carolina Cream Puffs (I mean, Gamecocks) were supposed to show-up in College Station on Saturday and bow down to the mighty 10-0 Aggies.  The folks in Las Vegas established the Aggies as a 17 ½ point home favorite and expected Texas A&M to cruise an 11th straight victory in 2025. I noticed that Coach Mike Elko’s name was scrolling along the bottom of ABC’s television coverage during the game on Saturday.  The A&M football coach had just signed a six-year contract extension worth more than $11 million per season after guiding the Ags to a sterling 10-0 start in 2025. Ever heard of the term “Battered Aggie Syndrome”? Texas A&M fans have a tendency to become overly excited about their football team.  Sadly, the past few decades have seen the fast-starting Aggies fade coming down the home stretch of nearly every football season. The Aggies have never won the SEC title since joining the league in 2012.  They have never appeared in the BCS nor College Football Playoffs. Texas A&M’s last national championship came in 1939. After years of football disappointment, a significant portion of the Texas A&M football fan base coined the phrase “Battered Aggie Syndrome”. They get excited early in the season and become depressed as the team falters late. It’s much the same as Peanuts character Charlie Brown after Lucy pulls the football away from him just before he gets to kick it. You know what’s going to happen to good ol’ Chuck every time. This year’s Texas A&M football team came into Saturday’s game 10-0.  The coach had just received a very expensive six-year contract extension (another story for another day). What could possibly go wrong? Plenty. South Carolina showed-up and played their finest first half of the football season. Texas A&M served the visiting team a first half assortment of tasty football-flavored turnovers such as two interceptions and a timely fumble recovery.  South Carolina played nearly flawlessly during the opening first two quarters and took full advantage of A&M’s generous Texas-sized home field hospitality. The gracious Aggies allowed their Carolina visitors to jump to a shocking 30-3 halftime lead.  Many in the Texas A&M’s crowd of more than 100,000 suddenly wondered why they didn’t wear their sad “Battered Aggie Syndrome” T-shirts to this football game. Texas A&M’s now wealthier football coach Mike Elko looked in shock as he departed Kyle Field for the locker room after the first half ended. Meanwhile, Coach Shane Beamer may have dropped a few hints at halftime that his South Carolina Gamecocks team should reciprocate some of that generous Texas hospitality during the second half of play. The Gamecocks listened and switched places with the Aggies in the second half. Texas A&M rolled-off 28 straight points to beat South Carolina 31-30 to complete the biggest comeback in school history. Carolina coach Shane Beamer is still employed as I write this on Monday, November 17.  The coach would be due nearly $28 million if South Carolina’s athletics boosters felt the desire to make Coach Beamer the 12th FBS coach fired this football season. The SEC Bakery offers a variety of pastries available this Saturday Check out this list of “Who made this schedule?” for some SEC teams this weekend: Texas A&M (11-0) hosts FCS Samford (1-10) Georgia (9-1) tackles American Athletic Conference member UNC-Charlotte (1-9) Alabama (8-2) is at home for FCS Eastern Illinois (4-7) LSU (6-4) plays host to Sunbelt Conference Western Kentucky (8-2)* South Carolina (3-7) is home for the Sunbelt’s Coastal Carolina (6-4)* *This game was EXPECTED to be an easy home contest but may not turn out to be The 11th game of the season has become “cupcake” week in the SEC after the league started playing a 12-game schedule.  Many teams want their final game of season to end with a historic rivalry contest. Next week’s final week of the SEC regular season features grudge matches such as Alabama vs. Auburn, Georgia taking on Georgia Tech, Ole Miss at Mississippi State, and Texas hosting Texas A&M. That leaves lonely Week #11 available for non-conference action. The reason Samford, Eastern Illinois, and the others accept invitations to play in in such games is to collect +/- $1 million in financial guarantees just for showing up. There were a few other close calls last weekend involving some top teams In addition to Texas A&M’s good fortune in the second half against South Carolina, a few other top-rated teams were fortunate to come out on top. Ole Miss (now 10-1) trailed “coachless” Florida 24-20 heading into the fourth quarter in Oxford Saturday night.  The Rebels scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to escape with a 34-24 win over a tough group of 3-7 Florida Gators. Georgia Tech (now 10-1) was on the verge of losing to 1-10 Boston College last Saturday in Beantown.  A short field goal with 11 seconds remaining lifted the Yellow Jackets to a 34-32 win over BC and kept Georgia Tech’s College Football Playoff hopes alive. Meanwhile, the 8-2 Michigan Wolverines nearly became an upset victim on Saturday, too.  Big Blue turned the ball over three times to the Northwestern Wildcats (now 5-5), but a field goal on the game’s final play lifted Michigan to a 24-22 win.  Michigan visits 4-7 Maryland this week before hosting archrival 10-0 Ohio State on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It’s time to check out the brand new SwampSwamiSports.com College Football Top 25 rankings for the week ending Saturday, November 15, 2025: The post FBS Top 25 + The SEC Bakery Reopens this Saturday! appeared first on SwampSwamiSports.com.

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