Thinking to myself is not the same as a thoroughly researched symposium where all sides are presented. There are problems with the current bowl system: too many of them and their significance is being diluted by players declaring for the draft or entering the transfer portal. Throw in the playoff system and it’s likely expansion and post season bowls like the Acme Something the Cat Coughed Up Bowl go the way of dial telephones and 8 track cassettes. Probably not a bad thing. Spring games won’t happen unless someone AND the NCAA can figure out a way to make money off of them.

I was thinking to myself the other day (I do that a lot anymore) that for teams like this season’s Iowa or Kentucky a non-playoff or low to mid-level bowl game is not so much a postscript to the 2022 season as it is a couple of weeks of pre-pre-season practice and a pre-season game for 2023..

And a spring game has to beat playing outdoors in front of a dozen fans in Fenway Park in December like Cincinnati and Louisville did yesterday. What kind of reward for a winning season was that? It would have been cheaper to fly a plane load of fans from Boston to play in the Bengals’ stadium.

(And having bowl games in the spring would give Harbaugh a legitimate reason to take the team on a spring vacation like he did a few years ago.)

Can't find it now, but saw an online article recently about the effect of the transfer portal as well as people declaring for the draft on the college bowl season. One example is Iowa v Kentucky in the Music City bowl. Kentucky's starting QB has declared for the draft. Iowa's starting QB is out due to recent surgery and the back up has entered the portal. Whoever they select Iowa will start a QB who has not compiled a stat all season. Throw in other players on both teams who have declared for the draft, or entered the transfer portal, and two of the most anemic offenses in the FBS...(to say nothing about the fact that they played each other in the Citrus Bowl last year...) I may be the only person west of the Missouri RIver who even watches the game....andeven I may forego watching to do something important like re-arrange my sock drawer.

Anyway, the portal has had an effect on post season games, and the lower the bowl game, the more pronounced the effect.

Rams v. Broncos on Christmas Day could be lowest watched NFL game since the founding of the league. Players’ families might stay home to be with their in-laws.

reply="cmt;48539"] Beyond the nuts and bolts of coaching the game, college coaches have to get on the road and recruit. Has Garrett ever done that? And as we have noted, recruiting for Stanford has its own issues.

"In fairness to William & Mary it was 17F at kickoff"

I can see moving the Sac game to get ahead of the storm, and the North Dakota State game was indoors, but why move the Montana State game from Saturday afternoon to Friday night? 17 degrees at kick off and a visiting team from Virginia? Forecast for 1:00 today in Bozeman is a balmy 37 degrees.

"What was Sac's attendance yesterday?"
13722 according to Sac's Athletics website.

I won't miss him being at Sac. Always hoped he'd go to Cal, but the timing didn't work out.

Now how much of his staff goes with him (or what kind of budget does he have to get them to Silicon Valley?) Folsom High School did not lose a step when he left. Richardson or Fresques could probably keep the program going at a pretty high level.

The Sac athletic department has done a pretty good job with the last few head coaching hires...football, both basketball teams....

And players: I don't know how many of them could pass muster with the admissions people at Stanford, but for those who can't, two words: "transfer portal."

Football gods shine on the Bison come playoff time as they now get another home game. Their defense will be tested and their offense will have a tough time playing “who has the ball last” against IW.

Home team is now 17-2 in these playoffs..

Who do you think Stanford is likely to hire if not Taylor?

NDSU plays winner of Sac/UIW game. Sac is a very good team, but the Bison kick it into a higher gear in the playoffs.

North Dakota State up 17-0 five minutes into the third quarter.

"No word on whether he will see the playoff run through or not if [Sac wins] tonight.”

The FCS playoff schedule makes it hard to stick around. Semi-finals on December 16th and 17th, but finals not until January 7th. The new school is probably not going to want to wait that long for the coach to make the move.

And even if players cannot follow a coach to a new school, they may consider the transfer portal to a different school. Hint, hint....

The bigger school calls the shots. Look how many coaches have moved on when their current school still has a bowl game. If this is true, Stanford wants recruits to know who's going to be the coach.

Stanford's current QB, Tanner McKee, just declared for the NFL draft: https://www.si.com/college/stanford/football/stanford-quarterback-tanner-mckee-declares-for-2023-nfl-draft

However they have a commitment from a four star recruit at QB....who is apparently only a junior, but may graduate from high school and enter college a year early...which makes you wonder what Stanford's notoriously tight admissions office has to say. https://www.si.com/college/stanford/recruiting/stanford-lands-massive-commitment-from-four-star-quarterback-myles-jackson

A four star QB and Taylor could be interesting....

So a confederation of convenience comprised of nondescript FCS teams, plus a couple of teams which have not yet fully transitioned from D-II to FCS, and a school that doesn't even have a football program yet, have FBS and big money TV contract dreams.

God, I love this country!

So far the higher seeded and home team has won 15 of the 16 FCS playoff games.

And after two weeks the only teams standing are the top 8 seeds....

ESPN also reports Baldwin headed to ASU to be offensive coordinator.

Between men’s and women’s basketball and men’s water polo I am picking up the tab for my next coffee with a friend who is a UOP alum.

And I was the one who suggested we make the next meeting a friendly wager based on this week’s contests.