Sportz' College Football Super League

I have said for years that college football just needs to rip the Band-Aid off and form a new Super League that governs itself. No more SEC, Big Ten or ACC conferences. No "Power" or "Group Of" designations. Just break off and form a new, powerful, super league that not only creates outstanding matchups for itself and becomes a powerful media partner, but leaves alone the rest of college athletics so we can stop with the bastardizing of the college conference landscape.

College football has caused a lot of problems for conferences and schools in their non-football sports. Changing that would be another article, so let's just stick to this new football format.

HOW DID YOU COME TO DO THIS? 

To do this, understand that right now we have a Power 4 conference setup in football, plus Notre Dame. That means there are currently 68 power schools that exist right now. I wanted my format to be just 56 schools, but I decided to be cautious and include 64 schools in my new Super League. That would involve creating eight divisions filled with eight schools. 

-I attempted to create the divisions using historic conference ties as best as I could. Of course that is impossible with some conferences having more than eight members for a long time. But I did keep an eye on keeping current conference schools together.

-I only used the power schools. That means I left out Oregon State and Washington State. While they were in the Power 5 just two years ago, their future lies with the new Pac-12 being a Group of 6 conference, so I didn't include them.

-If you've done the math, you will understand that four current Power 4 schools will have to be let go. This was the hardest thing to do, which is why I didn't pare the league down to 56 schools. The four schools that didn't make the list? Cincinnati, UCF, Rutgers and Wake Forest. Cincinnati and UCF are newcomers to the power ranks, so they were a bit easier to leave out. Rutgers was difficult because they are the birthplace of college football, but they are kind of a power program just because of geography and no other reason. Wake Forest makes me the most sad. Unlike the other three schools, they've been part of a power conference for decades and decades. They've also been pretty good at times. But the small school nestled in North Carolina was the last team out. I'm sorry. 

WHAT WOULD THE DIVISIONS LOOK LIKE? 

So here are my eight divisions.



EASTERN DIVISION: Boston College, Maryland, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, West Virginia

This is the most unorthodox-ed division. It is sort of made up of scraps from the other leagues, but there is a purpose. For the most part, these are the eastern-most schools and all (but Maryland and Penn State) were once in the Big East conference (Notre Dame was for non-football). I put Notre Dame in here because they do associate as being an eastern program. They like playing a game each year in the New York area and they've had a nice Catholic rivalry with Boston College. Plus, shoving them into the traditional ACC (which they are aligned with now) or the traditional Big Ten would've caused more problems than it was worth. I did make the controversial move of bringing Penn State over as well. Penn State wanted to form an eastern conference before joining the Big Ten in the early 1990s. They are joined with geographic neighbors like Pitt, Maryland and West Virginia. Plus they give Notre Dame a great rival as a power program in this division. 

So Notre Dame and Penn State are the heavyweights here, with Pitt and Boston College with rich histories. Virginia Tech and West Virginia have the ability to make some noise. 

ATLANTIC: Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Virginia

The Atlantic Division is essentially the traditional old ACC, but cutting back a lot of the Big East influence of the 2000s. One difference is that Miami, who joined in 2004, sticks. Aside from leaving Wake Forest out of this entire thing, the toughest decision was leaving Virginia Tech out. Unless I was going to leave Duke out of the mix (and that was a strong consideration), the Hokies made the least sense of staying in this division. They did have ties to a lot of the programs in the Eastern Division, so it really was a no-brainer. Having said all of that, this division seems pretty standard.  

As a football league, its like what the ACC truly wanted when they went all in on football 20 years ago. They have Clemson, Florida State and Miami as their traditional powers, while NC State, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia Tech fully capable of making a run in certain years. 



SOUTHEAST: Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

Here is the part where things got a tad interesting -- how to break up the SEC. The SEC was a 10-team conference for a long time before adding two teams in the 1990s, and then ballooning to 16 teams today. In theory, breaking the SEC into two-eight team divisions seemed like an easy task ... and it should be. But remember that the SEC expanded west, so adding Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M means that an even split meant that some traditional western SEC schools would now be in the east. So, hello Alabama schools! Alabama and Auburn make the move to this Southeast Division to go alongside the traditional six SEC East schools. The good: it gives us that Alabama-Georgia boost everyone wants while keeping some great rivalries like Bama-Tennessee and Auburn-Georgia going. The bad: breaking those two schools away from LSU. Losing Alabama-LSU is a tough pill to swallow, but there are ways to keep that rivalry going, even if it would now be a non-division game. Plus, the realignment over the past 20 years has broken up so many rivalries that I cannot let something like this bring the division down.

SOUTHERN: Arkansas, LSU, Ole Miss, Miss State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M

The Southern Division is the SEC West without the Alabama schools, but it adds in Oklahoma and Texas to take their place. Plus, there is a twist. Missouri is now moved into another division altogether (more on that in a bit) so it opens up the ability to reunite Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Bedlam is back, baby! Again, It sucks to have to split LSU and the two Mississippi schools up from their longtime SEC brethren, but that's what happens when you make these types of decisions. 

Football? Well LSU, Texas and Oklahoma are long time great programs with A&M right behind them. There really isn't a bad team here, historically speaking. 

GREAT LAKES: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin

Just like the SEC, I had a tough time breaking up the Big Ten. Probably a tougher time than you'd think. These eight are part of the "ten" in the Big Ten. Remember that I have already moved Penn State to the Eastern Division, which means the western most schools got bumped into a more midwestern division. Also, Northwestern was on the cut list had I only made a 56 team league, making some of the decisions a bit easier. It is difficult to keep Wisconsin here and move Minnesota away, but ... again ... something has to give.

This will be a lot like the old Big Ten with Michigan and Ohio State fighting for dominance. Can any of the other schools challenge them? All have at one time or another been able to be relevant in the Big Ten, so there is potential. 



MIDWEST:  Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska 

The Midwest Division merges the two western most traditional Big Ten schools with some of the mid-plains Big 12 schools. It just made sense. So Iowa and Minnesota come to a division with Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State. Former Big 12 schools Missouri (SEC) and Nebraska (Big Ten) also come into the mix. The sorta outlier here is Louisville. They really don't fit anywhere perfectly. They aren't as geographically in tune here, but they shoving them into the Great Lakes division didn't make sense either. But Louisville was recently in the Big East and now in the Atlantic Coast Conference, so making geographic sense isn't something the Cardinals care about. They could form a nice rivalry with Missouri, I guess. 

Football? This is wide open. We all know how those Big 12 schools battle it out every year, and now they have Iowa, Minnesota and welcome back Mizzou and Nebraska. Louisville has been a wildcard in any division they've played in, so this is likely the NFC South of the college football divisions. 

CENTRAL: Baylor, BYU, Colorado, Houston, SMU, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah

The Central Division is made up of the hodgepodge of Big 12 schools that is mainly Texas and mountain based. Baylor, Houston, SMU, TCU and Texas Tech used to run together in the old Southwest Conference, so a Texas tussle would be fun again. All but SMU (ACC) currently play in the Big 12, so it works. BYU, Colorado and Utah all have joined the league over the last couple of seasons so there is some familiarity. 

Football should be fine. BYU has had its moments ... as has Utah. TCU was in the national title game a few years ago. Baylor and Colorado have produced Heisman trophy winners this century while Texas Tech gave us Patrick Mahomes. SMU won the ACC's regular season title last season and Houston ... well ... it's Houston. 

PACIFIC: Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Washington

This was by far the easiest division to create, though a bit heartbreaking. The Pacific Division is made up of the 8 power schools that made up the old Pac-10 conference. Leaving Washington State and Oregon State out was tough, but they were left behind for a reason and aren't considered power programs anymore. If, for some reason, there was a bump to, say, 70 schools in this thing with 10-team divisions then I can see those two coming back. 

Football? Hey, it's the Pac-10 band back together. 

WHAT'S THE REGULAR SEASON SUPPOSED TO BE?

As you can tell, every team will play the other teams in their division. ALL of them. So they will have seven division games. Here's a big change, however -- your total win-loss record determines who the division champion is. There is no more "conference record" like we have now. Just like the divisional record is only used for tiebreakers in the NFL, that's really the only use for it here. Since everyone in the division will play each other once, the head-to-head will be the main tiebreaker. Of course, if there are more than two teams with the same total record, the division record factors in. 

The schedule would be 13 games long with one bye week nestled in for everybody in the middle of the season. For this explanation, let's use the 2025 calendar. The season can start in late August (Saturday August 23rd with Week 1. Week 14 ... the final week ... would take place on November 22nd. 

So we have 7 conference games that will be played pretty much like we see it now. The schedule makers (yes, the Super League office will create the schedule and not the schools themselves) will fill out the rest of what the schedule looks like. There will be some sense made to keep some regional matchups intact with this division change (like Florida-LSU, Ohio State-Penn State, Florida-Florida State, Clemson-South Carolina, etc). and then four other non-division games. I'm sure the Super League would love to see different regions face off against each other, so we will see Michigan play Georgia, USC play Texas, and Notre Dame-BYU. Gone are cupcake games against FCS schools and Group of 5 opponents. If you want to play one of them, then schedule a preseason game against them. Every game will be power vs power. 

I'd like to see every team play six home games and six road games with at least one game at a neutral site. College football is such a great thing to see with neutral sites. Whether those are rivalry games like Texas-Oklahoma in Dallas or Georgia-Florida in Jacksonville ... we can also schedule some non-conference games like we currently have. 

Look back at how great Week 1 of this current college football season was with great top 10 showdowns. And then how crappy Week 2 was with big schools rolling up cupcakes. That's gone. Sure, there will be some duds mixed in (just like the NFL) but at least they are power opponents. 

SHOW ME AN EXAMPLE OF A SCHEDULE

Okay. Let's use Florida State as an example (* denotes division game). 

W1 at Duke*

W2 Mississippi State

W3 Wisconsin (Atlanta)

W4 at Clemson*

W5 at Virginia*

W6 Miami*

W7 North Carolina*

W8 BYE WEEK

W9 at NC State*

W10 at Maryland

W11 Iowa
W12 at Utah

W13 Georgia Tech*
W14 Florida

If you notice, there isn't a non-conference season that leads into a conference season like we're accustomed to. The schedule has division games mixed in just like we have in the NFL. There are 7 division games that will flip each year to where the game is played. I'd like that the "rivalry game" would coincide with this scheduling so that we have four home and four road games between your division and rival opponent. We continue the Florida State-Florida rivalry like always as one of the six non-division games. In this scenario, the Seminoles will host Florida, Mississippi State and Iowa while traveling to Maryland and Utah. They also play Wisconsin at a neutral site. Their bye week is in Week 8.

That means they will play 13 power teams and no cupcakes. No games against MAC foes like Kent State. No games against FCS teams like East Texas A&M. What I'd like to be the norm is scheduling games against teams like that for the preseason. 

Notice that Florida State travels to different parts of the country. This example has them in Utah. The next year they could go to a Pacific or Midwest school. 

WHAT DOES THE POSTSEASON LOOK LIKE?

First off: there are no more conference championship games. It already looks like college football right now will be trending away from that. It's a money grab, but adding more playoff rounds would fill that gap immediately. 

That's why the 24-team format that the Big Ten is currently floating around makes sense here. Is that too many? Well, it means that 37.5% of the Super League gets into the postseason. For reference, 43.7% of the NFL's teams reach the playoffs. So having a five-round playoff is doable.

The eight division champions are guaranteed a spot in the playoff, along with 16 at-large teams. Here's another twist: Unlike the NFL, we will continue to have rankings and a selection committee to determine who those at-large teams are. I know, I know! I wanted this to look a lot like how a professional league looks, but having that one nugget of the college system still feels right. With so much range in what schedules look like, it seems appropriate to keep this part of the tradition. 

Seeding will be based on those rankings. So the top eight ranked teams will get first round byes, while seeds 9 thru 24 will begin the first round of the playoffs. Those games will be played on campus over a two day period. Four games on Friday and four more on Saturday. I wouldn't be against having two games on Friday night and six games that overlap on Saturday (something like how the NCAA Tournament is). You could have Friday games at 6pm ET and 9:30pm ET (provided a west coast team was hosting a game) and then Saturday games at noon ET, 3:30pm ET, 7pm ET and 10:30pm ET ... with two games mixed in at 5pm ET and 8:30pm ET. 

Now, remember we are using the 2025 calendar for this exercise and that I had the final week of the regular season on November 22nd ... the week before Thanksgiving. That gives us a great treat to have college football playoff games on all day Friday and Saturday since most people would be off to watch them. 

The second round would see the top eight seeds hosting the winners of those games in a bracket-style format (no re-seeding). That round could be scheduled just like the first round with games on Friday and Saturday. That would be December 5th and 6th.

The quarterfinals would be the following week (December 12th and 13th). Now, I would prefer to have these games played on campus at the higher seeded team's home -- but I'm not against using a rotating "bowl" format like the CFP is currently using. I just think this round should be on campus. You can have one game on Friday night at 8pm ET and Saturday games at noon ET, 4pm ET and 8pm ET. 

The semifinals could be made to be at neutral sites. No more bowls, but bid out sites. Kind of like the NCAA Tournament's regionals are at four different sites, this could be held in two places ... like what we do now. Those games would be played on Saturday December 20th. The national championship game is also neutral ... and it can be played on New Year's Day. 

Of course there is the little issue of finals week, but now you are only disrupting a few schools and not the 80+ schools playing in bowls like you do right now. Having the title game on New Year's Day is a great way to honor a piece of tradition while also moving out of the way before the NFL playoffs start. 

ANY OTHER NOTES?

Yes. College football's new Super League would have its own commissioner. Just like the NFL. And instead of dealing with several conference commissioners, that new commissioner governs over the schools themselves. Rules are more unified, as are the punishments. I'm sure there will be a point where the players unionize, which will bring on collective bargaining and further oversight.

There will also be the way you watch college football on television. Instead of SEC games on ESPN and Notre Dame on NBC and Big Ten games on FOX ... we have full blown rights sold just like the NFL does. As you are aware, the NFL has Sunday packages for CBS and FOX, Sunday Night Football package for NBC, Monday Night Football package for ESPN/ABC, Thursday Night Football package for Amazon Prime, and several offshoots for other streamers like Netflix and YouTube. You all know that broadcast rights have led us to the point where the Pac-12 broke up to catch Big Ten money and to find survival rooms in the Big 12 and ACC. It's why we have 18-team conferences now. So imagine what the consolidation of this inventory could do.

With 64 schools -- or 32 games on non-bye weeks -- this Super League has twice the inventory that the NFL does. While it may be difficult to go against the NFL on Thursdays, there is still a lucrative package to be sold for that date. Fridays would also pull a nice number. And we could have an NFL-style setup on Saturdays, where NBC, ESPN/ABC, FOX and CBS all have games going simultaneously all day long. There is no "Saturday Night Football" on just one network ... and games don't stop at 11pm. But one network may pay more money for the top choice of games that Saturday while the others slot in a tier system. The money then is shared (just like the NFL) among all schools and not just the ones in the SEC or Big Ten. The Dallas Cowboys' share of broadcast rights is the same as the Jacksonville Jaguars. So will Ohio State and Pitt. 

Sportz 2025 NFL Predictions

Another year, another chance to me to look great -- and foolish.  So here are my picks for the 2025 NFL season.

NFC EAST: 1-Eagles*, 2-Commanders, 3-Cowboys, 4-Giants

Philadelphia will break the two decade trend of no repeat champions in the NFC East. They are the most put together team in the league and I believe they win this division pretty handily. I honestly had Dallas finishing second in this division, but that changed once Micah Parsons was traded away. The Cowboys are flawed, but they are a good team with a healthy Dak Prescott. I think the Commanders come back down to earth just a bit. Last year was the perfect wave of 4th down conversions, miracle comebacks, backup QBs and coming from nowhere to surprise everyone. Yes, they are on the right path to win big ... just not this year. The Giants are building the right way. They have a great defensive line and I think Jaxon Dart is the guy to take the franchise back to the postseason one day.

NFC SOUTH: 1-Buccaneers*, 2-Falcons, 3-Panthers, 4-Saints

Tampa is the clear favorite of this division and a sleeper team to go far in the playoffs. I do like Atlanta to take the next step. Remember that they beat the Bucs twice last year, but had far too many letdowns late in games that cost them a playoff spot. I think that gets fixed this season. Carolina is building up, and New Orleans is tearing down. Bryce Young will continue to improve while the QB room with the Saints is a mess right now. 

NFC NORTH: 1-Packers*, 2-Lions*, 3-Vikings*, 4-Bears

I think the Parsons trade vaults Green Bay to the North title. Their losses last year were to the Eagles, Vikings 2x and Lions 2x (plus a throw away finale against Da Bears), so this is a team that needs better QB play from Jordan Love and now has a defense that can stuff opponents. I do think losing both coordinators will bring Detroit back to the field a bit. But that's still a damn good squad, I just think the margins won't be as solid and a couple games don't go their way. Minnesota, to me, is a wild card. That's a loaded roster, but they are running out "rookie" J.J McCarthy as their starter. He could be that guy, but I'm not sure its right off the bat. As for Chicago, I think they make a jump but not move ahead of a brutal NFC North.

NFC WEST: 1-Rams*, 2-Niners*, 3-Cardinals, 4-Seahawks

Man, I'm taking the chance that Matthew Stafford will be healthy enough to pull the Rams to the top of the division. If his back is still an issue, San Francisco could have enough to get back into the playoffs. Arizona is my dark horse team -- their defense is elite and if Kyler Murray can have a consistent season (plus Marvin Harrison making a leap) then this could be a dangerous squad this season. Seattle isn't bad, they just aren't good enough to do damage this season. I'm not sold on Sam Darnold as a long term solution. 

AFC EAST: 1-Bills*, 2-Jets, 3-Patriots, 4-Dolphins

Buffalo runs this division, and we all know why. From there, how will the other three shake out? I actually think the Jets will crawl up to the second spot. I'm not a Justin Fields guy, but Aaron Glenn should be able to bring order to a franchise that has been chaotic for the last several seasons. There is talent on this roster, and Glenn should be able to extract most of it. The Patriots are the franchise on the rise, but I just don't think the roster is ready to contend for a playoff spot. I'm in the camp that the Dolphins are going to implode this season. I like Mike McDaniel, but this just has the look of a franchise that is crashing out. 

AFC SOUTH: 1-Texans*, 2-Jaguars, 3-Colts, 4-Titans

Ugh. Houston is the class of this bunch, but that's not saying a lot. The Colts are a mess; the Titans are in Year 1 of their rebuild; which makes the Jags as the biggest enigma in the division. Can Liam Coen get Trevor Lawrence back on track? Jacksonville went all in trading up for Travis Hunter so you'd think they believe they can make a run right now. I'm not so sure about that. 

AFC NORTH: 1-Ravens*, 2-Bengals*, 3-Steelers, 4-Browns

The question in Baltimore is if they can finally get past the Bills and Chiefs in the playoffs. This is a great roster with an improved defense and one of the best QBs in the league. Cincinnati also has one of the best QBs, and two paid receivers, but the defense is still a mess. Having said that, they nearly reached the playoffs last season with some weirdly bad luck that I think turns around this year. The Steelers will be 9-8 and just miss the playoffs. What that means for the future of Mike Tomlin? They'd be fools to let him go, but that could be the case. I don't think the Browns are a bad team, but the quarterback situation is a bit of a mess. 

AFC WEST: 1-Chiefs*, 2-Broncos*, 3-Chargers*, 4-Raiders

This could be the best division in football. The Chiefs are the Chiefs, even if they were blown out in the Super Bowl. The Broncos defense is elite, and if Bo Nix can make the next step then this could be a dangerous team come the postseason. Jim Harbaugh typically shows results in Year 2, so let's see what we have in store with Justin Herbert and that offense. And then there is Las Vegas. Pete Carroll will be much more competitive -- and much more competent -- with Ashton Jeanty the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. They are still behind everyone in a fantastically interesting AFC West that features four elite coaches (Carroll, Andy Reid, Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh).

MY SURPRISE TEAM:  ARIZONA

I think the Cardinals could be what the Commanders were last year -- a team no one took seriously that suddenly catches fire. They have an elite defense that can keep them in games and if Kyler Murray can channel his talent for an entire season (and not just over the first half) then they could contend in the NFC West. 

MY DISAPPOINTMENT TEAM: WASHINGTON

I had Washington as 3rd in the NFC East, but then the Cowboys traded off Micah Parsons. Look, they are on the right path and will be a contender in the NFC East for years to come, but this year they take a big step back. They are one of the oldest rosters in the league despite having a young QB. The defense still isn't very good. Their running back room is meh at best. There are skill guys at receiver and a rebuild offensive line, but they rely too much on Daniels' running. Plus last year was a tidal wave of great things meshing together -- favorable schedule, ridiculous 4th down conversion rate, memorable comebacks, and a lot of backup QBs. Commanders take a step back and miss the playoffs. 

SO WHO WINS THE SUPER BOWL?

I have Eagles over Ravens. I know I should stamp the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but I think the Ravens will finally have the kind of postseason run they've been waiting on since Lamar Jackson came into the league. The Chiefs may have a slip-up, whether it is due to injuries, bad luck or just get beaten by the Ravens or Bills. Baltimore reps the AFC. The Eagles are the most complete team in the league. They've been to two Super Bowls in the last three years and Jalen Hurts has outperformed Patrick Mahomes in both of them. While their defensive depth took a hit this offseason, every other NFC contender has questions surrounding them that Philly just doesn't have. Barring anything happening to Hurts or Saquon Barkley, they should muscle their way back to the big game. There, they will be able to contain Jackson and flex their offensive muscle to a 31-20 win. 

College Football Playoff Will Go To Straight Seeding -- And I Hate It

 The powers that be in College Football have decided to have their playoff be straight seeded. I've been pretty vocal that I'm not a fan of that idea. 

If you remember, last season (also the first season) of the new format saw five conference champions guaranteed a spot in the 12-team playoff, with the four byes being awarded to the four top ranked conference champs. People were cool with that until the ACC decided to lay a turd in football, the Mountain West champion was better, and the Big 12 champion wasn't really a good team. What we got was this:

1-Oregon, 2-Georgia, 3-Boise State, 4-Arizona State with byes.
Clemson at Texas, SMU at Penn State, Indiana at Notre Dame and Tennessee at Ohio State were our first round matchups. 

If you remember, the first round saw dominant wins by the home teams, then the second round saw all four teams with a bye lose. We ended up with 7-seed Notre Dame and 8-seed Ohio State in the national championship game. 

So this new format would have changed things to:

1-Oregon, 2-Georgia, 3-Texas, 4-Penn State would get the byes with the first round matchups being Clemson at Notre Dame, Arizona State at Ohio State, SMU at Tennessee and Boise State at Indiana.

So here is why I don't like the change.

FIRST ROUND GETS WORSE

Last year, all of the first round games were blowouts despite "better" teams playing in them. Sure, we've swapped out Texas and Penn State for Boise State and Arizona State (which bumped Tennessee and Indiana to host status) but the games aren't better. They aren't better on paper, they aren't better for the bettors, and they aren't better for television. You've made those games worse.

The trade off is that the second round (the quarterfinals) is much better. If we advance the home teams, we'd get Notre Dame-Penn State, Ohio State-Texas, Tennessee-Georgia and Indiana-Oregon. Those would seem to be better games than what we actually got ... kinda. Texas-Boise State wasn't that bad, but Penn State-Boise State was. Yet, we also got Oregon-Ohio State in the Rose Bowl and Georgia-Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. Those two are fantastic matchups that we traded in for Indiana-Oregon? 

Also, notice we got Notre Dame-Penn State and Ohio State-Texas in the quarterfinals. Those were the exact same matchups we ended up with in the semifinals last year. 

OHIO STATE WON IT ALL ANYWAY

People were upset that Ohio State dropped and Oregon ended up having to play them in the quarterfinals. So? Even if you felt Ohio State was the second best team in the nation, they were the fourth place team in the Big Ten standings and didn't play in the Big Ten championship game. As good as they were on paper ... and as good as they were in the 2024-2025 playoff ... they deserved their seeding. 

And they ended up dominating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame to win the title. Under the new format, they may have faced Arizona State, Texas, Georgia and Oregon to win the national championship. They played two of those teams anyway and could've possibly played a third if Tennessee beats Georgia in the quarterfinals. The change is the order of who they played. 

Sure, that may be just a coincidence that hit this year, but it seems more like shuffling the deck than really making anything really more fair. Of course Oregon fans would disagree to this, but we may have had a more entertaining tournament the old way.

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS ARE DEEMED POINTLESS

This has been a huge sticking point for me. In the old format, conference championship games were a huge deal. Winning one -- especially the SEC and Big Ten -- guaranteed a bye. Even the ACC got two teams in, with their champion receiving a bye. The new systems de-incentivizes them and actually makes them pointless.

For example: Oregon faced Penn State in the Big Ten title game. Oregon, in the new format, would've locked in a bye no matter what happened in that game, so the Ducks would have been better served to just sit all their important guys. Why risk and injury that ... oh ... I don't know ... Georgia suffered trying to win their conference title game? So if you feel you have a bye locked in, just quit the conference championship game. It isn't worth it. And that, right there, sucks for college football and a huge tradition of the spot. 

Yeah, winning one still matters to teams like Boise State, Clemson or Arizona State who only got in due to winning it. But in the SEC and Big Ten where those are special showdowns? It is dumb. 

DOES THIS REALLY EVEN MATTER ANYWAY?

And why change? After this season, the playoff likely expands to 16-teams for the 2026-2027 season and then there are no byes to worry about. Everything I laid out will be happening then, but it's more organic that way (though could you see four champs guaranteed home games??)

Sportz' NCAA Tournament Recap - First Round, Day 1

 

Just a quick recap of what I saw in my Sportz Room -- filled with TVs that I can watch all games going on at the same time.

GAME OF THE DAY: Michigan vs UC San Diego. This wasn't the best day for nail-biting games, but the Michigan-UCSD game eventually turned into one. The Wolverines jumped out to a 10-0 lead and held a 15 point advantage early in the second half. But the Tritons went on a 17-3 run to cut the lead to a single point. Michigan went on their own run to build up some breathing room before San Diego came storming back to actually take the lead with just over two minutes remaining. Michigan scored the final five points of the game and held on to the win.  Arkansas-Kansas was the most fun game of the day. 

UPSET OF THE DAY: McNeese State vs Clemson.  McNeese State isn't your typical mid-major. Head coach Will Wade once was the head coach at LSU and will be the head coach at NC State once this season is over and he could be taking some of the Cowboys with him. It isn't that they beat Clemson -- they demolished them. Clemson was never in this game until a frantic run at the end of the game made it kind of close. 

CONFERENCE OF THE DAY: Big Ten. The Big Ten went 4-0 today, with Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin and UCLA all advancing to the second round. Purdue and UCLA were trendy upset picks but both held off any thought that their seasons would be done.

CONFERENCE WITH A BAD DAY: ACC. The ACC had a bad day. With only four teams getting into the tournament, much of the focus was on Duke as a title favorite and North Carolina as a controversial addition. The key to the narrative of the conference was going to be what Louisville and Clemson did this month ... and they disappointed. Louisville got ran out of the gym by Creighton in their home state. And as I've mentioned, Clemson fell down huge to McNeese State before their comeback ran out of time. Now the ACC is reliant on its two powers to save the day once again.

DUD OF THE DAY: UCLA vs Utah State. This game was a popular upset pick, but the Bruins just mauled the Aggies and this one never got a chance to happen. UCLA's 72-47 win was one of the most impressive of the tournament.

DOMINANT PERFORMANCE OF THE DAY: Houston vs SIUE. Top seeds cooking a No. 16 seed isn't really newsworthy, but there's been a lot of strays that have headed Houston's way so far. They are routinely mentioned as the weakest of the No. 1 seeds and people aren't convinced that they actually have a championship level offense. But the Cougars ripped SIUE (the pre-tournament little guy everyone was rooting for) and made a statement that they should be feared. Gonzaga's win over Georgia was also eye-opening.

UNDERLYING STORYLINE OF THE DAY: Big schools had a day. The Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 had a near perfect day. Texas Tech, Houston, St John's, Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan, BYU, UCLA and Creighton all won their games with only Kansas losing. With the SEC's power (they watched Texas, Missouri and Georgia already go down) and the ACC's weakness being conference stories of this tournament, the other big leagues seemed to have been left in the dust. 

My Take On Hubert Davis' Future At UNC

 

Obviously ... as a North Carolina fan ... I am not happy at the state of the men's basketball program. Right now the Tar Heels are 16-11 and are more than likely going to miss the NCAA Tournament once again. That would be the second time in three years UNC will miss the Big Dance, which is epically bad for a program of this stature. That hasn't happened since the 2002 and 2003 tournaments which saw Matt Doherty get fired. 

Head coach Hubert Davis has been a mixed bag. Some of it is on him, and some of it is on university, and some of it is on the fact that he got his start college athletics during a volatile time. The facts are that Davis is 94-42 in four seasons as head coach (as of February 20th), with a 7-2 record in NCAA tournament games. He may miss the tournament for the second time in those four seasons, but in the seasons he reached the tournament was a No. 1 seed once and reached the national championship game in the other. He has hit on some great transfers (Brady Manek, Harrison Ingram) and has missed on others (Pete Nance, Cade Tyson). He has done a fine job in recruiting high school kids, but has struggled to land key transfer portal targets (which may have more to do with UNC's lack of aggressiveness with NIL). He's won the ACC's Coach of the Year award, but many have questioned his ability to use his rosters properly and his coaching philosophies. 

It's hard to figure out if Hubert really is the right guy for the job. When the team has struggled like it has this season, there are calls to remove him and go in a different direction. 

On one hand, he's the nicest guy you will ever meet, bleeds Carolina blue, and had a decent NBA career despite not being a big time prospect coming out of high school. Recruits and their parents love him and the family atmosphere he continues at UNC. He's highly competitive and passionate about his players and the university. On the other, this is the third season the Heels have lost at least 10 games in his four years as head coach. This roster is the most imbalanced it has been in ages. It wasn't as if didn't try to land the best bigs in the portal ... he just couldn't close the deal (again, that may be a bit on the NIL side of things). 

The 2023 season was a disaster and an embarrassing moment in Carolina hoops history. The core of the team that nearly won the national championship was ranked No. 1 in the preseason, yet infighting and ugly play took the Heels out of the NCAA tournament -- becoming the first preseason No. 1 team to miss the tournament in the modern era. He followed that up with an ACC regular season championship last year and a No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Heels fell short to Alabama in the Sweet 16, but if felt that Hubert righted the ship. That the stink from 2023 season seemed to go away with a team fans adored; R.J. Davis was the ACC Player of the Year, Armando Bacot set program records, Harrison Ingram's smile and Swiss Army knife play electrified fans and the team looked like it was back as an elite program.

That's all gone away this year. Again, the roster lacks bigs which has thrown the team and fans' expectations way out of whack. It could be argued that the five best players on this team are all guards or wings (R.J. Davis, Elliott Cadeau, Ian Jackson, Drake Powell, Seth Trimble). Jackson and Powell could be one-and-done freshman, but the transfer portal has been a nightmare. Hubert missed out on several high profile bigs who had UNC on their short lists, plus their primary catch (Tyson) has been a dud. Ven-Allen Lubin has been okay, he's not a traditional center and third year big man Jalen Washington hasn't taken as big of a jump as they needed. What you have is a perimeter oriented team who has no post presence, no shot blockers, and not the rebounding studs they've typically been.  If you are going to be a guard dominated team, you can't turn the ball over the way this team does and you need to be a less streaky shooting squad. This team lacks any room for error and is extremely limited to what it can do.

That brings us to Hubert. 

What is wrong with him? Is he unable to coach? He was the Coach of the Year last season and was able to adapt his team in 2022 to make a late season run to the title game. He certainly can recruit high school talent -- I mentioned that Jackson and Powell could be first round picks this year and elite prospect Caleb Wilson is coming next season. There's more than enough talent ... even with this flawed roster ... to miss another NCAA tournament.

As I said, I'm not happy with where we are at. But I will say this: if Hubert Davis actually does go out and get a GM for the basketball program (he said they'd hire one soon) then I do believe he deserves at least one more season to see this through. While it is commendable for Hubert to lean into the Carolina Family and the way the program has successfully operated for decades, he also must realize that those things don't lock down recruits anymore. The fact that Bill Belichick is now the head coach of the football team should bring the university and other athletic programs to the realization that you have to pay to play at an elite level now. Programs are built like professional organizations now and that having financial opportunities to lure talent to your team is the way you do business. Again, Hubert has done okay with acquiring some talent, but you need a guy running your operations while you coach your team. 

I would like to see how that would look like. I think Hubert deserves that chance to show us. I'm all for that, but that also means I want to see results. 

58 Moments For 58 Super Bowls

Remember the hit show Friends?  The name of each episode always began with "The One Where ... " and then some moment from that week's program.  The Super Bowl is sort of like that.  Each Super Bowl has its own flavor.  Its own memory.  Sure, there is a lot more to a Super Bowl than just one play or one person, but there is usually a first thought that comes to mind.

So here is the Super Bowl episodes:

I-THE ONE THAT WAS THE FIRST ONE

This wasn't even called the Super Bowl.  It was the NFL/AFL World Championship game.  The NFL was believed to be the superior conference and the Packers' 35-10 spanking of the Chiefs proved it.

II-THE ONE THAT VINCE LOMBARDI WAS CARRIED OFF THE FIELD

The Packers easily handled the Oakland Raiders to win their 2nd straight Super Bowl.  The game would be the last for Vince Lombardi in Green Bay.  He would be the GM the following year before returning to coaching with the Washington Redskins in 1969.  He died in 1970.

III-THE ONE WHERE JOE NAMATH WON

Obviously, Super Bowl III will always be remembered as the one where the AFL beat the NFL in the title game.  Joe Namath's guarantee was spot on as the Jets beat the Colts and legitimized the AFL's existence.

IV-THE ONE WHERE HANK STRAM WAC MIC'D

Chiefs head coach Hank Stram was wearing a microphone as his team beat the Vikings in Super Bowl IV.  The sounds that they got were priceless.  "You can't do that in our league!"

V-THE ONE WITH ALL THE MISTAKES

This was the Blunder Bowl.  There were 11 turnovers in this one.  The Cowboys set a record with 10 penalties.  There was even a missed PAT.  This is still the only Super Bowl were a player on the losing team won the MVP award.

VI-THE ONE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL PLAY

Richard Nixon called Dolphins coach Don Shula and drew up a play.  The Dolphins ran it ... and it didn't work.

VII-THE ONE UNDEFEATED SEASON

Of course, Super Bowl VII is most noted as the one season where we saw an undefeated team.  The Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins in a rather boring, non-descript game to finish the year 17-0.  There, of course, was the Garo Yepremian botched kick that turned into the lone Washington touchdown.

VIII-THE ONE WITH CZONKA

Hard to believe now, the the Miami Dolphins won this Super Bowl with a quarterback that threw just 7 passes.  Bob Griese did complete six of those passes in the 24-7 win over the Vikings.  This was Czonka's night.  Czonka ran for a then-record 33 times for a then-record 145 yards.

IX-THE ONE WHERE THE STEEL CURTAIN ARRIVES

Super Bowl IX was unattractive.  The Vikings offense was pitiful and the game was a defensive struggle.  But Steelers back Franco Harris broke Czonka's records from the prior game (34 rushes, 154 yards) to begin one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history.

X-THE ONE WITH LYNN SWANN'S CATCH

We all know that Swann catch.  The tip.  The fall.  The beauty.

XI-THE ONE WITH THE RAIDERS

The Raiders returned to the Super Bowl for the first time since Super Bowl II.  That tough, physical (sometimes dirty) defense mixed with a gun-slinging offense won a championship.  The game and the players were iconic.  From John Madden to Kenny Stabler to Willie Brown's huge pick-six.  When we all think of the Raiders, this game comes to mind.  That's how Al Davis would want it.

XII-THE ONE WHERE ROBERT NEWHOUSE THROWS A TD

Super Bowl XII was the first to be played indoors and the first to be played at night.  It also featured a nice touchdown pass by Cowboys' running back Robert Newhouse.  That was the first TD pass thrown by a running back in a Super Bowl.

XIII-THE ONE WHERE JACKIE SMITH DROPPED A TD PASS

There are great plays in the Super Bowl, but there are some huge blunders (more will be on this list).  One of the biggest was Cowboys' tight end Jackie Smith dropping a sure touchdown pass late in Super Bowl XIII.  Dallas settled for a field goal instead, and they ended up losing by 4.

XIV-THE ONE WITH STALLWORTH'S GRAB

The 1970s had closed and with it some of the greatest teams in NFL history.  The Steelers were the best among them.  This Super Bowl was surprisingly in doubt late.  The Rams actually held a 19-17 lead going into the 4th quarter when Terry Bradshaw completed a 73-yard TD pass to John Stallworth to give the Steelers a lead they would never relinquish.

XV-THE ONE WITH PETE ROZELLE HANDING THE TROPHY TO AL DAVIS

The Raiders were back in the Super Bowl, but this was a bit different.  Before the season, NFL commish Pete Rozelle had didn't allow the Raiders to move from Oakland to Los Angeles.  Al Davis and the Raiders then sued the NFL, citing the league's anti-trust laws.  The Raiders would later win, but there was quite the tension between the two men for several years.  So the anticipation of Pete Rozelle handing the Super Bowl trophy to Al Davis was at a fever pitch.  It happened, without any incident.

XVI-THE ONE WHERE IT WAS FREEZING

The game was played in Pontiac, Michigan at the Silverdome.  Good thing, since this was a very cold day. Only the second Super Bowl to that point that didn't take place in either Miami, New Orleans or the Los Angeles area and the first to take place in a cold-weather city.  The fans, of course, were fine inside the stadium but a snowy weekend caused a nightmare for fans and media to get to the game.

XVII-THE ONE WITH JOHN RIGGINS RUN

I Right, 70 Chip.  That was the play Redskins' coach Joe Gibbs called on 4th-and-1 in the 4th quarter and Washington trailing 17-13 to the Dolphins.  The play saw John Riggins not only pick up the 1st down, but he lumbered to a TD and a Super Bowl title.

XVIII-THE ONE WHERE MARCUS ALLEN TORE IT UP ON BLACK SUNDAY

The Redskins were back in the Super Bowl, but they would not repeat their title.  No, Marcus Allen and the Los Angeles Raiders ran all over Washington to a 38-9 win.  The game is also known for the Apple commercial, 1984, where ads became as synonymous with Super Bowl Sunday as the game itself.  But it was Allen's 191 yards rushing and 2 TDs ... one of which was a wicked 74-yd TD scamper ... that won the day.

XIX-THE ONE WHERE ROGER CRAIG HIGH STEPS FOR A TD

Roger Craig scored 3 touchdowns in Super Bowl XIX, a blowout of Dan Marino's Dolphins.  But the most memorable moment was Craig high-stepping into the endzone for his final score.

XX-THE ONE WITH THE SUPER BOWL SHUFFLE

The 1985 Chicago Bears are legendary.  That team nearly went undefeated and blew through the postseason.  They were so dominant that they made this video before even winning the Super Bowl.  It was brash, but it fit this team so well.  Hard to believe that not only was this the Bears lone title, but this group didn't even get to another Super Bowl.

XXI-THE ONE WITH THE GATORADE SHOWER

It is ubiquitous.  Winning teams douse the coach with a cooler full of Gatorade.  Heck, now you can even bet on the color of Gatorade that gets dumped.  However, it was this Giants team that made it a thing.  They dumped it all over Bill Parcells after each of their victories in 1986, including their Super Bowl XXI victory of the Denver Broncos.

XXII-THE ONE WITH THAT SECOND QUARTER

Still my favorite quarter of football (ed. note: I'm a Redskins fan).  The Redskins trailed 10-0 to the Broncos heading into the 2nd quarter when the Redskins would pile on 35 points.  Doug Williams completed 9 or 11 passes for 228 yards and 4 TDs ... in that quarter alone!  Timmy Smith, a nobody, rushed for 122 yards and Ricky Sanders caught 168 yards worth of passes (and two TDs) in that quarter.  This Super Bowl featured the biggest deficit a winning team ever faced (since tied), the most rushing yards by a player (Smith) and Williams was the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl (it took 26 years before it happened again).

XXIII-THE ONE WITH JOHN CANDY

One of the greatest Super Bowls, this game featured one of the best lines ever.  With the 49ers trailing the Bengals 16-13 with just over 3 minutes left in the game, Joe Montana gets into the huddle and says, "hey, isn't that John Candy?"  San Francisco would then go on an 11-play, 92-yd drive that ended with a John Taylor touchdown catch and Montana's 3rd Super Bowl title.

XXIV-THE ONE WITH THE BLOWOUT

The Niners repeated their championship with a blowout of the Broncos, Denver's third Super Bowl loss in four years.  San Fran won 55-10, which remains the most points scored by a team in Super Bowl history and the largest margin of victory.  It may also be the greatest matchup of quarterbacks in Super Bowl history as Joe Montana faced John Elway.  Add in Steve Young's mop-up duty and it is a shoo-in.

XXV-THE ONE WITH WHITNEY AND SCOTT

This Super Bowl is remembered for two things:  Whitney Houston's rendition of the National Anthem and Scott Norwood's missed field goal to end the game.  Not much more I can tell you about it.

XXVI-THE ONE WITHOUT THURMAN THOMAS' HELMET

The Bills were back in the Super Bowl and they felt they were ready to beat the Redskins.  Well, except that their star running back couldn't find his helmet and was missing from the opening Buffalo drive.  That wasn't the only miscue to start this game (botched kicks from both teams, namely) but the Redskins cruised to a title.

XXVII-THE ONE WITH LEON LETT

Or you could say "The One With Don Beebe".  This utter spanking the Cowboys gave the Bills is mostly forgettable, but it should've been worse as Leon Lett let a sure TD return go awry when he was showboating and Bills' receiver Don Beebe chased him down and forced a fumble into the endzone.

XXVIII-THE ONE WHERE THE BILLS CEMENT HISTORY

Most people don't remember too much about this Super Bowl.  Yes, Atlanta had an ice storm during Super Bowl week and Emmitt Smith had a big day.  But this is known for the Bills final appearance in a Super Bowl ... four games in four years.  The Bills actually held a halftime lead, but Dallas outscored them 24-0 in the 2nd half.

XXIX-THE ONE WITH THE MONKEY OFF STEVE YOUNG'S BACK

Steve Young is one of the best quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era, but people were giving him a lot of grief for not winning the big one.  Fair, since the Niners chose Young when they cut ties with Joe Montana.  Young did it with a record setting performance.

XXX-THE ONE WITH NEIL O'DONNELL

Other quarterbacks have had bad Super Bowls.  But Neil O'Donnell was giving the Cowboys this one despite the Steelers outplaying Dallas.  Three interceptions, including two that made Larry Brown into a household name.  It got Brown a huge free agent contract with the Raiders.  Ironically, this was O'Donnell's final game with the Steelers as he would leave for the Jets.

XXXI-THE ONE WITH BRETT FAVRE

Brett Favre's biggest moment was the Packers' 35-21 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.  While Favre wasn't the MVP (Desmond Howard was) or the most dominant player on the field (Reggie White was), Favre got loose.  He threw TD passes of 54 and 81 yards and his celebrating became part of his legend.

XXXII-THE ONE WHERE JOHN ELWAY'S FLIP

John Elway lost three Super Bowls in the early part of his career which came in three of four seasons.  Since the 1989 season, it took nearly a decade to get back.  Elway faced the defending champion Packers and were also trying to end the AFC's 13-year losing streak in the Super Bowl.  Late in the 17-17 game, Elway scrambled to pick up a 1st down and did his famous Helicopter Flip.  The flip showed how badly he wanted this and the Broncos would finish off the win.

XXXIII-THE ONE WHERE ELWAY LEAVES

Not much stands out about Super Bowl XXXIII other than an unfortunate pre-game incident involving a well-respected Falcons player and the fact that John Elway left on top.  As of now, it is the moment pointed to when a veteran wins a title.  Do you leave now on top?  It was asked to Tim Duncan when the Spurs won the 2014 NBA title.  Hardly any athlete, especially of that stature, gets to even make a decision like this.  Elway did.

XXXIV-THE ONE THAT NEEDED ONE MORE YARD

One of the most thrilling endings in a Super Bowl, the Titans were "one yard short" to tying Super Bowl XXXIV.  Trailing the Rams 23-16 with no timeouts and just six seconds left.  Steve McNair threw a pass over the middle to Kevin Dyson.  Rams linebacker Mike Jones held on to the tackle and stopped Dyson on the 1-yard line as time expired.

XXXV-THE ONE WITH THREE TOUCHDOWNS ON THREE PLAYS

The Ravens defense was all-time great, but this game will be most remembered as the game with three TDs on three consecutive plays.  The first one was the Ravens Duane Starks picking off Kerry Collins and returning it for a 49-yd touchdown.  On the ensuing kickoff, the Giants' Ron Dixon returned it 97 yards for a TD.  The following kickoff, the Ravens' Jermaine Lewis returned that kick for a TD.  Amazing.  In three plays, a 10-0 game turned into a 24-7 Baltimore lead.

XXXVI-THE ONE THE PATRIOTS WON THE 9/11 GAME

This Super Bowl was pushed back a week due to the NFL moving a week of games after the attack on September 11th.  The Patriots were a Cinderella team who made the Super Bowl with a young, backup quarterback named Tom Brady and a some close calls in the playoffs.  They then get to face the Greatest Show On Turf Rams, who were 14 point favorites.  The Patriots and Tom Brady pulled off the upset with Adam Vinatieri's 48-yd field goal as time ran out for the improbable win.

XXXVII-THE ONE THAT'S THE GRUDEN BOWL

In the offseason, the Oakland Raiders 'traded' Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Oakland then hired assistant Bill Callahan.  Who knew the two teams would face off in the Super Bowl?  No one knew that, but Gruden apparently knew the Raiders' playbook hadn't changed since he left and Tampa jumped all over Oakland, forcing five turnovers and a dominant win.

XXXVIII-THE ONE WITH THE WARDROBE MALFUNCTION

Forget that the Patriots and Panthers played in one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever, this game will be forever known for Janet Jackson's boob showing during the halftime show and all the ramifications since.

XXXIX-THE ONE WHERE DONOVAN MCNABB "THREW UP"

This one is an urban legend that has people on both sides of the debate.  Did Donovan McNabb throw up during that final drive to tie Super Bowl XXXIX (which failed)?

XL-THE ONE THE REFS HAD A BAD GAME

The Steelers and Seahawks met in Detroit, but what many people remember is the questionable officiating.   Both sides complained about calls, though the feeling among most is that Seattle got the raw end of the deal.  At the time, I called this the worst Super Bowl ever.

XLI-THE ONE IN THE RAIN

There are a few bigger moments in this one.  It was Peyton Manning's lone Super Bowl win.  It was also the one where Devin Hester ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown.  But it was also the one Super Bowl that truly was in the elements.  The one Super Bowl played in rain.  While it certainly wasn't a monsoon out there, it was quite slick out there.  And that rain played a cool part in one of the greatest halftime shows ever -- Prince.

XLII-THE ONE THE PATRIOTS LOST THEIR PERFECT SEASON

Yes, David Tyree's catch is the moment of this Super Bowl.  But the catch's greatness is magnified by who it was against.  The 17-0 Patriots were attempting to be just the 2nd undefeated team ever and first to win 18 games.  But that catch and some other big plays after it ruined the Patriots great season.

XLIII-THE ONE WITH SANTONIO HOLMES' CATCH

The Steelers have had some great catches in Super Bowl history.  But this Santonio Holmes TD snag with 35 seconds left may be the best.  It negated a wild 4th quarter rally by the Arizona Cardinals and gave Pittsburgh their record 6th Super Bowl title.

XLIV-THE ONE DREW BREES HELD UP HIS SON

There may not be a better moment than seeing Drew Brees hold up his young son while confetti falls down in Miami for the Saints Super Bowl title.  Sure, there was the surprise onside kick and the Tracy Porter pick-six, but this picture captures this game.

XLV-THE ONE AT JERRY WORLD

Cowboy Stadium seemed like a great place to have a Super Bowl, especially this one.  It is huge and can accommodate the huge Packers and Steelers fanbases.  However, an icy winter storm crippled North Texas and even put the game in some jeopardy.  There was also a big stink about people who bought tickets for the game who had to sit outside the stadium and watch since their seats weren't ready by game time.   Also, there is nothing more Dallas Cowboys than their cheerleaders.  Well, since both the Packers and Steelers are among the six teams who don't employ cheerleaders, there weren't any at the Super Bowl ... a first.

XLVI-THE ONE WHERE THE GIANTS DID IT AGAIN

Four years ago, the Giants upset the undefeated Patriots to win their 3rd Super Bowl.  This time, the 9-7 Giants became the team with the worst record to win a Super Bowl.

XLVII-THE ONE WHERE THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN NEW ORLEANS

This is an interesting Super Bowl for all kinds of reasons.  First off, the Ravens had a 28-6 after returning the 2nd half opening kickoff back for a TD.  Then the 49ers had a furious comeback and nearly tied it at 31 late (a 2-pt conversion failed to keep it 31-29).  What happened in between was a Super Bowl first -- the power went out in the Superdome.  A 34-minute delay after the Ravens took that 28-6 lead rocked the game.

XLVIII-THE ONE THAT WAS PLAYED IN NEW YORK

Yes, this was the one where the Seahawks completely dismantled the Broncos (and nearly became The One Where A Team Was Shutout), but everything leading up to and during the game was about it being in the New York area.  The first (and only) cold weather outdoor Super Bowl.  Actually, it had just the 3rd coldest kickoff ever and there really wasn't any other weather issues.

XLIX-THE ONE WHERE MARSHAWN LYNCH DIDN'T GET THE BALL

One yard.  One yard.

50- THE ONE WHERE DENVER'S OFFENSE STUNK YET WON ANYWAY

This will long be remembered as Peyton Manning's second title and his final game of a remarkable career. It was also the worst offensive game for a winning team in Super Bowl history. They set Super Bowl records for the least yards and first downs for a winner. They were 1-of-14 on third down. Really, both offenses and quarterbacks stunk making this a very ugly Super Bowl.

LI-THE ONE WITH THE GREATEST COMEBACK

You all know the memes of the Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead to lose this game 34-28. Not only was this easily the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, it was also the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. Maybe the most stunning title game ever.

LII-THE ONE WITH THE TRICK PLAY OF FOURTH DOWN

The Eagles were up 15-12 with 38 seconds left in the first half when they faced a 4th down and goal at the 2 yard line when they ran a beautiful trick play. Philly quarterback Nick Foles lined up in shotgun before approaching the line for what looks like him barking out blocking assignments. Instead the ball is snapped to running back Corey Clement who ran wide and pitched it to a reversing tight end Trey Burton who tossed it to Foles who was wide open in the end zone. A gutsy play and the made Foles the first quarterback with a touchdown catch and the first player to throw a TD and catch one in Super Bowl history.

LIII-THE ONE WHERE NO ONE COULD SCORE

This Super Bowl featured the lowest total score (16 points), lowest score by a winner (13) and latest in a game their first touchdown was scored (7 minutes left in the 4th quarter). This game had the fewest touchdowns in a Super Bowl, fewest PATs and only two kickoff returns. The Rams set a record for punts. All that during an era where offenses zing up and down the field, we had a tough defensive battle where neither team could get much going. 

LIV-THE ONE WITH THE CHIEFS EPIC 4TH QUARTER

The San Francisco 49ers entered the 4th quarter with a 20-10 lead and were seemingly in control of the game. That was until less than 9 minutes through the period when Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs scored touchdowns on three straight drives. Kansas City would win the game, 31-20. 

LV-THE ONE DURING THE PANDEMIC

This will also be known as Tom Brady's final Super Bowl and his only one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the 31-9 victory is more well known for who wasn't there: fans. Only 25,000 fans were able to attend the game due to COVID-19 restrictions that forced most of the games played that season to be in front of sparse crowds or no fans. Approximately 7,500 of the 25,000 fans at the game were first responders. This was also the first Super Bowl to be played at one of the participant's home stadium. 

LVI-THE ONE WITH STAFFORD TO KUPP

With the Bengals leading Super Bowl LVI 20-16 late in the 4th quarter, the Rams decided the best way to win it was to put the ball in the hands of Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp. On the game winning drive, Stafford completed four passes to Kupp, had two pass attempts to Kupp draw pass interference penalties from the Bengals, had another pass to Kupp nullified by offsetting penalties, and Kupp rushed for 7 yards on a 4th and 1. It ended with a Kupp TD grab to give Los Angeles the 23-20 win.

LVII-THE ONE THAT WAS THE KELCE BOWL

This was a great game, with a high scoring 38-35 final that saw a lot of punches and return punches. But it will be known as the Kelce Bowl as brothers Jason (Eagles center) and Travis (Chiefs TE) became the first brothers to face off as player in a Super Bowl. It was also the Andy Reid Bowl, as Reid became just the fifth head coach to face his former team in the Super Bowl (only Reid and Dan Reeves faced a franchise they had also lead to a Super Bowl).

LVIII-THE ONE WITH TAYLOR SWIFT

There was so much to love about this game. The scoring went back and forth, we had the second OT in Super Bowl history (making it the longest Super Bowl in history), we got the new OT scoring rules, and the Chiefs became the first repeat champs since the Patriots 20 years earlier. But this game is known for the Taylor Swift effect. Swift started dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce during the 2023 season and her presence at games took NFL viewership to astronomical levels. People who normally didn't watch football became fans just because of Swift. It was the largest TV broadcast in America since the Moon landing. 

Adam Silver Apparently Will Do Anything To The NBA, But What We Actually Want

I love the NBA. I should say that I really loved the NBA. Right now I really like the NBA. I'm grew up in the 1980s where Magic's Lakers, Larry's Celtics and the Bad Boy Pistons reigned supreme. The 1990s is known as the Michael Jordan Bulls decade, but is also seen as the era where scoring dipped way down and every game had the look of a physical fight. Rules changed and the 2000s was a bit of a hybrid from both eras.

The NBA's product right now is under attack. While I am not the old guy yelling at the clouds that this version of basketball is unwatchable, I do understand why people feel this way. The long time fans in my age group are turned off and the casual fans aren't turned on enough to pay attention. While it's easy to point to the style of play as the reason (and I will do some pointing that way), it is actually several reasons that are converging.

So when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver goes on the Dan Patrick Show and says that one of the things he's in favor of is having less basketball, it sticks a dagger in my heart. Not just because I don't like the idea, but that the commissioner of the sport won't address the problem that seems to be on everyone's mind. 

Let me start with what Mr. Silver said: he lobbed the idea of making quarters 10 minutes instead of the current ... and always ... 12 minutes. He said that all other levels of basketball are 10 minute quarters: FIBA, WNBA, women's college and the men's is a 40 minute game. He also said that it would allow NBA games ... as he described as a "TV show" ... to be in a neat two hour window for his broadcast partners.

Sorry, but that's as tone deaf as I've ever heard from him. No fan is complaining that 48 minutes is too long for an NBA game. In fact, games are about 2:15 on average, so shaving 15 minutes of TV time doesn't seem to be a nice payoff for such a drastic change that would skew historical records. That 2:15 game length has been pretty consistent for decades, so we aren't dealing with the issues that Major League Baseball or college football has had recently. It also is telling that your product has become so bad that giving your fans less of it seems to be on the table. 

Fans are whining because:

-Load management is an insult to fans. Fans who have to show up to their jobs every day to afford expensive tickets to an NBA game only to see their favorite players take a vacation day.

-The new CBA crushes player movement, which the league has actually enjoyed promoting. It's done itself a disservice. The NBA trade deadline and free agency period were so much fun because player movement really is a game changer in this league and the NBA actually loved having that keep them in the sports chatter. But the CBA punishes teams who try to build great rosters and we instead see less excitement.

-Stars are unknowns. There are two reasons for this: the NBA Draft has turned into a bunch of no-names being thrust into a league they aren't ready for. In the 1980s or 1990s, the college players being drafted were certified stars before putting on an NBA jersey. Sure, we do get a Zion Williamson or Victor Wembenyama come into the league, but these guys are relatively unknows to the casual fan. On one hand, that speaks to the success of basketball's development internationally, but it's bad for business. The second reason is the best player on the planet, Nikola Jokic, doesn't want to be a star. He isn't Jordan or Kobe or LeBron. 

-Flopping. Jalen Brunson is so talented, but it pains me to watch him play. All the head snapping, shoving and tripping, frankly, pisses me off. Instead of just playing the game, he plays to the refs. 

-All these extended reviews for out of bounds plays, timing issues, and flagrant fouls. 

-And the big one: fans aren't big on teams chucking up 50 threes a game. 

I used to think of myself as someone who didn't mind the game changing because that's just what happens. Players are bigger, faster, stronger and more skilled then ever. But the players are a bit lazier as well. My son plays in a U13 league and my daughter is on the dance team for her high school so I get to watch a lot of prep hoops right now. And there is a lot of really bad basketball being played out there. The high school games I watch, no one seems to know how to make an entry pass into the post, no one seems to understand that you are allowed to shoot midrange shots, and players seem to rather shoot fade away step backs than attack the paint. I couldn't count how many times I've watched five guys dribble and pass the ball around the three point line while no one bothers to get inside the paint. 

The sad thing is that we've all just accepted it. Now we the fans, but we the basketball community. My son's U13 league all plays like that, the high school teams play like that, college basketball plays like that, and the NBA plays like that. Every single player in the NBA has a green light to launch a three ... so every player does. Even if they aren't good at it. 

You may look at me and say stop yelling at the clouds, but here is where the problem gets us: every team plays the exact same way and there is no difference watching any game in the league anymore. 

Magic's Lakers were known for their Showtime antics. Fast breaks and slick passing. Larry's Celtics were the fundamental team who set screens, split double teams in the post and made the right play. The Bad Boy Pistons were known for their tough, physical defense. At the same time, you had the run-and-gun Nuggets, the Run TMC Warriors, the dunk-tastic Sixers, and this rising force of Michael Jordan on the Bulls. 

That's all gone now. Every game looks exactly the same. The league has become saturated and stale. Sure, teams have different stars that do different things but you're pretty much just watching the same thing. The champion Celtics and the basement dwelling Wizards run pretty much the same game plan, it's just Boston has more talented players. 

Shaving eight minutes off the game doesn't make our problem with the NBA go away. The game will still look the same, just less of it. Players will still load manage, there will be 48 threes jacked up instead of 50, floppers will still flop, and we will still see players twirl their fingers in the air whenever they think there is a call that didn't go their way. 

Silver's previous ideas have been meh to me. I really don't care about these In-Season Tournament games. Just because I turn the game on and see that bright colorful floor doesn't mean I think to myself "wow, I better watch this game because it's so important". He tried to lay down the law by creating a minimum games played rule to be eligible for post season awards. None of the players seem to care one bit about that. His attempt to fix the broken All-Star weekend doesn't motivate me at all. 

Baseball has famously made drastic changes to fix their on-field problems. Games were going on way too long and there was so much dead time that they were losing casual fans. The pitch clock has cut down all that waste of stepping out of the batter's box and fixing all your gear between pitches, plus the bigger bases has helped bring base stealing back in vogue. Now teams are manufacturing runs like they did 30 years ago instead of just waiting for someone to hit a home run. Putting the DH in the National League has slowed down pitching changes and allows for a better offensive player to be up instead of an awkward pitcher. Even the highly controversial "ghost runner" in extra innings is designed to keep games moving along. 

The NBA is doing none of that. Their ideas are colorful courts, insignificant trophies, asking "pretty please" for the stars to play more, and taxing organizations for trying to build star loaded teams. Now it is to dumb down the biggest and greatest league in basketball to conform to what other leagues are doing. 

Bills, Ravens, Bengals Fans May Not See Their Teams Reach Their Potential

Championships matter, especially when it comes to the legacies of athletes. Dan Marino is looked at a certain way because he never won a Super Bowl. Shaquille O'Neal constantly chides Charles Barkley -- in fact, it is his go-to move when they get in an argument -- that Sir Charles doesn't own a ring. Eli Manning is likely getting into the Hall of Fame because he has two Super Bowl titles. It is the ultimate trump card for discussing sports history.

Which could be a problem for NFL fans in Buffalo, Baltimore, Cincinnati and 12 other AFC cities. There is a good chance their first ballot Hall of Fame quarterbacks will end their career with zero Super Bowl titles. 

Right now, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are hogging up all the hardware. In less than two week, the Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX -- their fifth Super Bowl appearance in six seasons. No franchise has come close to that kind of dominance in such a period of time. The Patriots from 2014 to 2018 went four times in five years. The 1990-1993 Buffalo Bills went four times in a row (still a record) but won none of those Super Bowls and hadn't been there before or since. These Chiefs are doing this while going through several versions of itself, with the main constants being Mahomes, Andy Reid and Travis Kelce. 

As long as Mahomes is playing, it seems that the Chiefs will always be in the conversation. Andy Reid is 66, so there's no telling how long he intends to coach. He doesn't look like someone on the cusp of retiring, but you never know. Kelce will turn 36 during next season, so he's clearly in his last few years of football. But Mahomes holds the key.

And therein lies the problem for everyone else in the AFC: When will we get a turn?

This could be the golden age of quarterbacks in the AFC. At this moment, you have Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in that conference -- four insanely great QBs. There's also CJ Stroud, Justin Herbert and upstarts Bo Nix and Drake Maye. You'd think that Allen, Lamar and Burrow will eventually get their chance at pulling down a ring, but that's not necessarily true. In fact, it is unlikely. 

For one, the Chiefs will have to tail off. If we're being honest, these last two seasons have been the time to catch Kansas City napping. I mean, last year's receiving corps was a season long joke and they still won the Super Bowl. This season watched KC snatch several wins in the final moments of games, and they kept winning them. If the Chiefs do slip up one of these years, it opens the door for the other great quarterbacks to go get their ring.

But that door opened by the Chiefs losing doesn't mean everyone else gets to eat. Each season only gets one Super Bowl champion. If the Chiefs aren't there, only Lamar, Allen or Burrow could get there. Just like in 2021 when the Bengals finally broke through by beating the Chiefs in the AFC title game, it was just Cincinnati. Allen and Jackson were stuffed. If Allen makes it, Burrow and Lamar Jackson didn't. 

That's the reality of the AFC right now. Someone will not win their franchise a Super Bowl. Someone will be their generation's Dan Marino. 

Marino spent the 1980s and 1990s in an AFC with John Elway and Jim Kelly. From 1986 to 1993, Elway or Kelly went to 7 of 8 Super Bowls (Boomer Esiason's Bengals went in 1988). Ironically, they didn't win any of those seven Super Bowls ... but NFC quarterbacks named Phil Simms, Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypien, Joe Montana (twice) and Troy Aikman (twice) did. Marino did get there in 1984 but never got back. Warren Moon never got there. Neither did Bernie Kosar. 

Joe Burrow is sort of Marino already. Burrow, like Marino, reached the Super Bowl in his second season in the NFL. He hasn't been back, and with Mahomes seemingly stacking Super Bowl apperances while Lamar Jackson is stacking MVPs and Josh Allen is left watching his seasons end a bit too early, there's no guarantee that Burrow will get back. That's still better than either Jackson or Allen, who just want a taste. 

In the NBA, one of the legendary things about Michael Jordan's career is that he kept guys like Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley and others from winning their championships. In the 1990s, he stunted the entire Eastern Conference from getting to a Finals. That's what Mahomes is doing right now in the AFC. The Chiefs won't get to every Super Bowl during Mahomes time there, but the few times he slips up will be a massive opportunity that only one of those Hall of Fame quarterbacks will be able to maximize. That was Burrow in 2021. Who will it be if and when it happens again?

Maybe one of these guys end up in the NFC at some point. If Burrow, Jackson or Allen went to the NFC they would immediately be the best quarterback in that conference. I mean, who is it now? Jalen Hurts? Jared Goff? Jayden Daniels? Dak Prescott? Brock Purdy? In the Mahomes era, the NFC has sent to the Super Bowl: Hurts twice, Purdy, Matthew Stafford (who should be retiring in the near future), Tom Brady (who has retired) and Jimmy Garoppolo. Sam Darnold reached the Pro Bowl in the NFC but Mahomes didn't make it in the AFC. That's how tough the competition is over there. 

That's how tough it is to reach you ultimate goals. 

Looking Back At My NFL Predictions

 Well, one of my preseason picks to reach the Super Bowl actually did. The Philadelphia Eagles will be in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, but it won't be the Baltimore Ravens they'll be playing. They'll see the Kansas City Chiefs, who will be in their fifth Super Bowl in six years. 

But how well did I do with my other picks?  Let's see. 

AFC DIVISION WINNERS

I got three of the four winners correctly, but I whiffed on picking the Bengals to win the North. I figured Cincinnati would be the most stable team in that divisions, as the Steelers got a new quarterback(s) and the Ravens lost a lot on defense. I figured the Ravens would take a step back from winning the division, but could make a postseason run. 

I also missed on my wildcard teams. I had the Ravens in, but missed on the Dolphins and Browns.  BOY did I miss on those two. For the most part, outside of the North I did pretty well in terms of division standings -- nailing the East and West. 

NFC DIVISION WINNERS

The West was my horror show in the NFC. I had the Eagles and Lions right but missed on the Falcons in the South. The West was awful. I had the 49ers repeating as division champs but injuries derailed their entire season. Seattle did better than I thought they would. I also picked the Vikings last in the North and the Cowboys getting a wildcard berth. Ugh. 

I only got four of the seven playoff teams, with me missing out on the Buccaneers, Commanders and Vikings. (I had the Cowboys, Falcons and 49ers). 

Championship Game Predictions

There are just four teams remaining. Two of them I picked against last week. The Eagles will host the surprising Commanders while the Bills travel to Kansas City to try to knock off the Chiefs.

COMMANDERS AT EAGLES: The two division rivals split their first two meeting, with each home team victorious. The first game was a rather low scoring contest that saw the Eagles take the lead in the second half and surge to a win. The second game saw Jalen Hurts knocked out of the game with a concussion and Jayden Daniels orchestrating a great comeback to win arguably their biggest regular season game of the year. So what does that mean for the third matchup?  I think Philadelphia will learn from their mistakes of the second game. I don't see them blitzing Daniels much and trying to make him beat their coverage. I said during their regular season meetings that Saquon Barkley has always gone off against the Commanders ... and he did so in each game. I expect the same here. Barkley goes off and Hurts does just enough to give the Eagles a double-digit win.  Philly.

BILLS AT CHIEFS: This Chiefs team isn't as dominant as their 15-2 record indicates. They just find ways to win games. This is Josh Allen at his greatest and if there was a good time to knock off the Chiefs, it seems to be now. Buffalo won their regular season matchup ... but that isn't news. Buffalo has actually dominated the Chiefs during the regular season over the last few years, but can't get over the hump in the playoffs. I think that stands here. I do think the Bills could win this game, but Kansas City simply doesn't lose in the postseasons. Their three playoff losses in the Mahomes era were to Tom Brady in the AFC title game (they were an offsides away from winning that), Tom Brady in the Super Bowl (Chiefs offensive line was decimated) and the Joe Burrow-led Bengals in the 2021 AFC Championship game on a last second field goal. They make enough plays to win these games. I have zero good reasons they win other than that. They just win.

Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl for the second time in three years.