As college football prepares to wrap up its season and the NFL playoffs prepare to warm up, we’re taking our time to review TCU’s present and future, nitpick Texas basketball, question Jimbo Fischer, and along the way, to fix the college’s transfer portal. football and the entire student basketball season:
1. Will TCU fulfill its Herculean mission and knock out Georgia on Monday night?
Bols: Alas, there will be no frogs. I really hope I’m wrong, because I always root for the league I cover. But I’m afraid the bubble will burst and the Bulldogs will get their second wind after the Ohio State panic and play their very big potential in a 45-24 Nutty win.
Gold: No, but that doesn’t mean The Horned Frogs is no longer one of the best sports stories of the season. Sonny Dykes is arguably the most popular coach in America, and defenseman Max Duggan is one of the country’s most inspiring players. The Bulldogs probably should have lost to Ohio State, but I expect them not to make the mistake Michigan did of overlooking the frogs. I’m taking Georgia on a 38-20 replay.
2. Check out the late Cliff Gustafson’s top 5 players.
Bols: This is not an easy task. But in the top five, I would include third baseman Keith Moreland (the best hitter in college baseball), Bert Hooton (one of the best pitchers in the history of the game), Greg Swindell (winner of 43 games and the best lefty pitcher in Texas). ever), two-sided star Brooks Kischnik (two-time Dick Howser Trophy winner) and stellar shortstop Spike Owen.
Bols: Cliff Gustafson was more than a winner, he was the favorite of…everyone.
Gold: There have been so many greats, and five is such a short list, but I’ll start – in no particular order – with Keith Moreland, Greg Swindell, Scott Bryant, Brooks Kisnick, and Burt Hooton. Compiling this list is a reminder of how busy Gus’ teams have been. There are literally at least 10 other men who should be seriously placed in the top five. That’s why we love lists.
3. How would you change the NCAA transfer portal rules?
Bols: I would limit athletes to two transfers with immediate eligibility, and a third transfer would require a sit-down season that would effectively cancel any third transfers. It’s funny when players like quarterback JT Daniels play for four schools. Is it free agency? Actually, yes, it is, except that it’s even more free than the NFL. I bet 80% of the transfers go to the highest bidder, which is hardly the essence of college football.
Gold: I would require players to spend at least two seasons on a college campus before they are allowed to enter the portal. And I would also limit this as a one-time deal. It has become free for everyone and NIL has played a huge role in increasing the number of players leaving for what they see as greener pastures. The NCAA really didn’t handle it.
4. Are you in favor of expanding the NCAA Tournament from 68 to 90 teams?
Bols: Absolutely not. This is a crazy and crazy idea. Absurd, really. Number 68 is enough, and cool four-team games are a mouth-watering teaser. If they get to 90, what’s to stop the NCAA from allowing all 363 teams to play and hold the tournament before May Madness?
Gold: Not at all. It’s big enough. There comes a time when you need to make a smart decision and not dilute an event that never lets us down. More teams do not guarantee that we will get the same quality of the game as in the current format. This will reduce the number of bubble teams that don’t count, but we will see an increase in the number of big eliminations in the first round, degrading the overall quality.
5. Would you like college basketball to start its season on January 1st?
Bols: I could. Hey, the NHL and NBA could go through in June, so why not college hoops? It may never happen, but it’s a shame, because basketball players spend almost half of the season in the shadow of college football before the fans take notice, and the regular season is almost meaningless when so much attention is paid to the tournament.
Gold: No, it’s too late. Late autumn is normal, even if football overshadows everything that happens. I like how it works now: in January, the teams go to the conference. Starting in January, the regular season is too long, and teams are not allowed to shorten the time frame. Keep it the same.
Bols: Texas should be commended for handling the firing of Chris Beard
6. On a scale of 1 to 10, how concerned are you about the Texans playing defensively against Kansas State?
Bols: If 10 is the max, I’d say 5. I might be more dismayed if I didn’t see the same team playing great defensively earlier this season. However, the Longhorns’ defensive play faltered badly in Chris Beard’s absence, falling from 3rd to 41st in the nation ahead of Saturday’s game. Hey, the top five teams on kenpom.com — Houston, Tennessee, UCLA, UCLA, and Kansas — are collectively 68-8 and ranked second, first, fifth, seventh, and 10th in defensive performance.
Gold: I’ll take 9 because it wasn’t an isolated incident. Before Saturday’s game in Oklahoma State, the Horns were down 96 points or more in three of their four games. This is not what we are used to in the last season and the changes. Kansas State did just about everything it threw away, but it was more disturbing to see Texas’ undeniable downtime and lack of real rim tread in the paint. We knew before the season started that size would be an issue, but they also need to hone their perimeter defense.
7. Do you agree that Texas A&M hired Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator?
Bols: Of course. Why not add to the chaos perhaps the biggest villain in the game? College Station has been looking like a circus lately with the most disappointing season in all of college football with a 5-7 record and no bowl, and more Aggie (27) has passed through the portal than players from any other school.
Gold: Not really. I think good things happen to questionable people. Petrino’s poster still hangs on the wall of every post office in Atlanta saying how many years ago he quit the Falcons, and we’re not even in Louisville’s lover and motorcycle saga. This may be an untimely comment about a dysfunctional coach, but I think there is a lot to be said for being a good offensive coach. You can always find someone willing to give you a million dollars.
8. Should Jim Harbaugh just go to the NFL?
Bols: Since he’s not doing anything to dispel the rumors, why shouldn’t he just leave? He’s apparently taking a keen interest in the NFL after flirting with the Minnesota Vikings during the off-season last year. He certainly doesn’t do Michigan any favors with all the rampant rumors as Coach Khaki does nothing to put an end to them and is now facing multiple NCAA charges against him and his program.
Gold: Of course he should. Go ahead, call him Pete Carroll without the championships. Harbaugh would be well placed to get a couple of steps ahead of the NCAA squad because he’s on his way and sanctions are probably in the works. If an NFL team wanted to hire him, he would be wise to leave, though that wouldn’t make him a popular figure in Ann Arbor.
9. Which of the top 2022 college football teams will experience the biggest decline in 2023?
Bols: I’m going to take the risk of telling TCU, just because it’s unimaginable that the Frogs could replicate this type of magic. They have been successful thanks to the rise of Max Duggan, who turned pro after Monday’s game, and the arrival of star linebackers Johnny Hodges, a transition from the Navy where he played lacrosse, and Dee Winters, a wide receiver in high school. Chandler Morris is a redshirted freshman quarterback who started in Season 1 and has a lot to prove, and against Georgia there will be 12 seniors – 13 if junior running back Kendra Miller can’t get away with a knee – and that’s not counting the senior. kicker and player. But the fall from 13-1 might just be 9-3.
Gold: I’m worried about the Houston Cougars. They are 20-7 with a couple of cup wins over the last couple of seasons under Dana Holgorsen, but they really took a step back in 2022 with a 7-5 mark, including a defenseless loss to SMU 77-63. With a move into the ultra-competitive Big 12 in 2023, it looks like the Cougars have started to decline after a 12-2 season in 2021.
10. Did the NFL do the right thing by canceling the Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game?
Bols: It definitely is. It was nice to see the two head coaches firmly against the game, as well as the league with its humane stance. I’m not a big fan of neutral playoff sites because it robs the NFL of that special home game quality we saw in last year’s crazy playoffs. Just give home field advantage to the teams with the best win percentage. Nothing fairer than this.
Gold: I was against them resuming play this week with Hamlin’s life hanging in the balance, but I would like them to find a way to push the playoffs back a week and play the game because of the huge stakes involved in seeding. The scenarios I’ve seen lately involving games on neutral grounds and possible coin tosses for home advantage don’t quite work for Bengals.
