Patriots, Seahawks, Rams and Broncos, Oh My!

We have our NFL championship weekend. In the AFC, we will have the New England Patriots traveling to Denver to face the Broncos. In the NFC, it is a western battle as division foes Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks will face off in the Pacific Northwest. Let's look at some interesting trends involving these teams and these games. 

Years I use are for the seasons played and not the year (this is the 2025 season, for example, so I will refer to it as 2025). 

NFC 

*Rams are making their 12th appearance in the NFC championship game. Only the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys have reached more. The Rams are 5-6 in NFC title games. 

*This is the Seahawks' fourth ever NFC championship appearance. They are 3-0 in their previous games with all of them coming in Seattle. The Seahawks did play in the 1983 AFC championship game, which was a loss to the Los Angeles Raiders. 

*This is the second straight year --and third time in five years -- that the NFC championship game features teams in the same division. 

*The NFC Champion will come from the NFC West for the 8th time in the last 14 years. The NFC East and NFC South have won three titles each in that time while the NFC North hasn't won the NFC since the 2010 season. 

*The NFC West has lost 4 of its last 5 appearances in the Super Bowl. That lone win was the 2021 Rams. Meanwhile the NFC East has won 4 of their last 5 appearances in the Super Bowl. 

*The home team has won 5 of the last 6 NFC Championship games. The home team is 10-2 in the last dozen NFC title tilts. 

*There have been six shutouts in NFC championship history. The Rams were involved in three of them. 

AFC

*This will be the Patriots' 16th appearance in the AFC championship, tying them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for most all-time. 

*The Broncos have been in 11 ... third all-time.

*These are the two most successful teams in the AFC championship. The Patriots are 11-4 in the title game, while the Broncos are 8-2. No team has won this game more that these two (the Steelers have also won 8 ... but have also lost 8). 

*The home team in the AFC isn't as dominant as the NFC. The home team is just 4-3 in the last 7 championship games. The Patriots and Broncos, however, have combined to win their last five home AFC championship games. 

*The AFC East and West have made the most appearances in the AFC championship game and most wins. 

*The Patriots-Broncos matchup is the third ever in this round, and ties five other matchups for most in AFC conference championship game history. The Raiders-Steelers, Broncos-Browns, Patriots-Colts, Patriots-Steelers and Chiefs-Bills have all faced off three times in the AFC title game. The Cowboys-49ers have met six times for the NFC championship. 

*The Chiefs had won 5 of the last 6 AFC championship games and appeared in the last 7 games. Six of those games were played in Kansas City (2023 game was in Baltimore). 

*From 2001 to 2018, the Patriots appeared in 13 AFC championship games in those 18 seasons. 

*Drake Maye will be the fourth QB to start for the Patriots in the AFC title game. Tom Brady started 13 times. Tony Eason and Drew Bledsoe started once each. 

*These two tend to run together. From 2013 to 2018, either the Patriots or Broncos were the AFC champions. From 1985 to 1989, those two teams won 4 of 5 AFC titles. These two won three consecutive from 1996 to 1998.

*This year's AFC championship will end the longest drought of the Patriots or Broncos not winning the conference. It will be six years since one of these teams won the AFC, tying the mark from 1990-1995. 

Which Franchises Cycle Though Coaches During the Super Bowl Era

The 2025-2026 NFL coaching carousel has been one for the ages. Nine teams (as of January 17th) have lost their head coaches in some form or fashion. That's a lot for any year. Some teams have turning over yet another coach that didn't work out while two teams are having to replace their head coach for the first time in nearly two decades. Those two teams -- the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers -- are known for not having much turnover at that job. That's a testament to not only their patience, but their ability to find and hire the right guy when they do have an opening.

That got me thinking: what teams seem to go through this seemingly every couple of seasons?  Who are the anti-patient teams?  So I decided to just go back to the beginning of the Super Bowl era (1966) just as a starting point. Since that year, there have been a few expansion teams added which may skew some of the results a bit, but you can still see what franchises carry more stability and which ones run through coaches. Nearly every team has some coaches with short stints and most have found at least one that stayed quite a while. But once you look at this list and study the names you can really tell who has issues in their hiring practices. 

Below is all 32 teams in order from least to most as far as number of head coaches. Teams with an asterisk (*) are franchises who were added after the Super Bowl era began (1966). These totals do not include interim head coaches at all since they aren't typically an actual hiring. So let's take a look: 

GREAT JOB IN HIRING

RAVENS (4)*: Ted Marchibroda, Brian Billick, John Harbaugh, Jesse Minter: The Ravens have only been around since 1996, so having just four head coaches is remarkable. Billick went nine seasons at the helm before Harbaugh took over for 18 years. As you will see, five of the six franchises added after the merger will populate this part of the list, mainly due to the lack of history.

STEELERS (5): Bill Austin, Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin, vacant: The reason we are having this conversation is just how good the Steelers are at hiring and keeping coaches. In the past 56 seasons, the Steelers have had just 9 losing seasons. That's insanity in professional football, which is built on parity. While most reporting talks about how Pittsburgh has had just three head coaches since 1969 (when Noll was hired), Austin was the Steelers head coach for the previous three seasons, which was part of an awful era of football in the Steel City. 

EXPANSION TEAMS

TEXANS (6)*: Dom Capers, Gary Kubiak, Bill O'Brien, David Culley, Lovie Smith, DeMeco Ryan: This should tell you how wild the Steelers' coaching list is when the Texans (who started play in 2002) has had six coaches to Pittsburgh's five. Culley and Smith only lasted one season each in his job. Kubiak's (near) eight season run is the most while O'Brien and Ryan as the lone coaches with winning records. From 2020 to 2023 the Texans had five coaches who coached at least 12 games for the team, including Romeo Crennel as an interim head coach. 

PANTHERS (7)*: Dom Capers, George Seifert, John Fox, Ron Rivera, Matt Rhule, Frank Reich, Dan Canales: The Panthers entered the league in 1995, so they've only been around for half of the Super Bowl era. But you can see a big difference in the approach founder Jerry Richardson had toward his coaches than current owner David Tepper has. Richardson had four coaches over the first 25 years of the franchise and never fired a coach mid-season. Tepper has hired three head coaches over the last six seasons and fired two before the season ended. The one he didn't is current head coach Canales. He fired Rhule five games into his third season and Reich just 12 games into his only season. Meanwhile Fox and Rivera each got nine years (and each got to a Super Bowl) 

JAGUARS (8)*: Tom Coughlin, Jack Del Rio, Mike Mularkey, Gus Bradley, Doug Marrone, Urban Meyer, Doug Pedersen, Liam Coen: At first it looked like the Jaguars would be a franchise like the Steelers or Ravens since Coughlin (8) and Del Rio (9) locked down the first 17 years on the franchise's existence. Since then it has been a mess. Mularkey lasted one season. Meyer lasted just 13 games. Marrone's four-plus seasons is the most stability they've had since Del Rio's firing. 

SEAHAWKS (8)*: Jack Patera, Chuck Knox, Tom Flores, Dennis Erickson, Mike Holmgren, Jim L. Mora, Pete Carroll, Ben Macdonald: Seattle tends to keep coaches around for quite a while. Aside from some exceptions (Mora), Patera, Knox, Holmgren and Carroll were all around for at least 7 seasons, with Holmgren there for 10 and Carroll for 14.  

DOING REALLY GOOD

VIKINGS (10): Norm Van Brocklin, Bud Grant, Les Steckel, Jerry Burns, Dennis Green, Mike Tice, Brad Childress, Leslie Frazier, Mike Zimmer, Kevin O'Connell: The Vikings really don't slam coaches so soon. Aside from Steckel (he was fired after one season and Grant took back over), every one of these coaches got four years on the job. Would is surprise you to know that Zimmer was in Minnesota for eight years? Childress was there for five? Or Green was there for 10? The Vikings list stability and tend to be more lenient with their head coaches. 

COWBOYS (10): Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo, Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips, Jason Garrett, Mike McCarthy, Brian Schottenheimer:  Once upon a time, the Cowboys were known for having Tom Landry as their only head coach for first 29 years of their existence. Then Jerry Jones bought the franchise, fired Landry and hired Johnson. Johnson was outstanding, but drama brought his time in Dallas to an end after five seasons. From there it was basically four or five seasons for every coach ... with the exception of Garrett's 10 seasons. 

BENGALS (10)*: Paul Brown, Bill Johnson, Homer Rice, Forrest Gregg, Sam Wyche, Dave Shula, Bruce Coslet, Dick LeBeau, Marvin Lewis, Zac Taylor: The Bengals have been one of lower end franchises in the NFL, but they aren't really ones to constantly replace coaches. Founded in 1968, the Bengals have only had ten head coaches in 58 years is remarkable. That is buoyed by Marvin Lewis' 16 year stretch from 2003-2018. Even David Shula ... who went 19-52 ... lasted five seasons in Cincinnati.

PACKERS (11): Vince Lombardi, Phil Bengtson, Dan Devine, Bart Starr, Forrest Gregg, Lindy Infante, Mike Holmgren, Ray Rhodes, Mike Sherman, Mike McCarthy, Matt LaFleur: The interesting fact of this list is that only Lombardi's last two seasons begin this run. Only Bengtson (3) and Rhodes (1) didn't get at least four years on the job. McCarthy coached 13 seasons with the Packers; Starr got nine, Holmgren went seven, Sherman got six and LaFleur just finished his 7th. 

CHIEFS (12): Hank Stram, Paul Wiggin, Marv Levy, John Mackovic, Frank Gansz, Marty Schottenheimer, Gunther Cunningham, Dick Vermeil, Herm Edwards, Todd Haley, Romeo Crennel, Andy Reid: Kansas City typically does well getting the right guy. Stram was the franchise's original head coach and lasted 15 seasons. Andy Reid is the current head coach and he just finished his 13th season. In the 1990s was Schottenheimer, who ran the team for 10 seasons. There have been a lot of short careers in between those three (six coaches lasted three or less seasons) and there were some dudes between Schottenheimer and Reid (except for Vermeil). 

DOLPHINS (12): George Wilson, Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson, Dave Wannstedt, Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, Tony Sparano, Joe Philbin, Adam Gase, Brian Flores, Mike McDonald, Jeff Hafley: Of course, Shula's 26 seasons as the head coach of the Dolphins makes up the bulk of the Miami history. Cameron's disastrous 1-15 season sort of cancels that out. It's funny that you have names like Shula, Johnson and Saban on this list next to guys who really struggled to get things going. 

BATTING ABOUT AVERAGE

EAGLES (13): Joe Kuharich, Jerry Williams, Ed Khayat, Mike McCormack, Dick Vermeil, Marion Campbell, Buddy Ryan, Rick Kotite, Ray Rhodes, Andy Reid, Chip Kelly, Doug Pedersen, Nick Sirianni: Reid's 14 seasons in Philly sets the bar with the Eagles. Despite the legend of Buddy Ryan, he was only there for five seasons due to his inability to win in the playoffs. Since the turn of the century, only Kelly was ousted after a short tenure. 

BUCCANEERS (13)*: John McKay, Leeman Bennett, Ray Perkins, Richard Williamson, Sam Wyche, Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, Raheem Morris, Greg Schiano, Lovie Smith, Dirk Koetter, Bruce Arians, Todd Bowles: The Bucs entered the league in 1976 so they've had a shorter existence than many on this list. Tampa's coaches really are divided into hit or miss. McKay, Dungy and Gruden each lasted at least six seasons (McKay coached the first nine years of the franchise's history). Since Gruden was fired after the 2008 season, Tampa has gone through six head coaches over the next 16 seasons. Bowles is by far the longest tenured, entering his fifth season next year. Smith and Schiano got just two years while Morris, Koetter and Arians (who retired) got three. 

SAINTS (13)*: Tom Fears, JD Roberts, John North, Hank Stram, Dick Nolan, Bum Phillips, Jim Mora, Mike Ditka, Jim Haslett, Sean Payton, Dennis Allen, Kellen Moore: This list needs a lot of explaining. For starters, the Saints get an asterisk since they technically began play in the season after Super Bowl I. Also, there is a halftime of sorts during the Payton era as he was suspended for the 2012 season and Joe Vitt (who was suspended for the first six games of that same season) and Aaron Kromer took over that year. Since they were listed as interim coaches, they don't qualify for my list. There are also the names on this list. Phillips is better known for his Oilers career. Ditka is a Bears legend. Mora may be more known for his "playoffs" rant with the Colts. Mora is the main name here -- after Payton -- as his 11 years with the Saints brought the downtrodden franchise their first ever taste of success. He brought the franchise to its first winning season ever, first playoffs and first division title. Haslett brought them their first playoff win. Fun fact: When Bum Phillips retired from the Saints mid-season in 1985, his son Wade took over for the rest of the season. 

RAMS (13): George Allen, Tommy Prothro, Chuck Knox, Ray Malavasi, John Robinson, Rich Brooks, Dick Vermeil, Mike Martz, Scott Linehan, Steve Spagnuolo, Jeff Fisher, Sean McVay: This is a nice range of coaches. The Los Angeles eras of the Rams have been more stable than the St. Louis time. Vermeil would bring the Greatest Show on Turf to the franchise but retired after just three seasons and a Super Bowl championship. After that came a string of short term fixes before Fisher's five years and the move back to SoCal. McVay will be the Rams' longest tenured coach in franchise history next season. 

PATRIOTS (14): Mike Holovak, Clive Rush, John Mazur, Chuck Fairbanks, Ron Erhardt, Ron Meyer, Raymond Berry, Rod Rust, Dick MacPherson, Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, Jerod Mayo, Mike Vrabel: The Patriots have had quite an interesting coaching tree with a run that included Parcells, Carroll and Belichick. Belichick's 387 games coached is by far the most in the franchise but ... like the Dolphins ... the average time a coach has his job in New England was chopped by Mayo's one season. 

BRONCOS (14): Mac Speedie, Lou Saban, John Ralston, Red Miller, Dan Reeves, Wade Phillips, Mike Shanahan, Josh McDaniels, John Fox, Gary Kubiak, Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio, Nathaniel Hackett, Sean Payton: Denver has been known for their hits and some misses. Reeves, Shanahan and Kubiak had great careers with the Broncos, though Kubiak only spent two years with the team (winning a Super Bowl). Between Kubiak and Payton was a string of bad hires: Joseph and Fangio lasted two and three seasons, respectively, while Hackett didn't even finish one. 

BEARS (14): George Halas, Jim Dooley, Abe Gibron, Jack Pardee, Neill Armstrong, Mike Ditka, Dave Wannstedt, Dick Jauron, Lovie Smith, Marc Trestman, John Fox, Matt Nagy, Matt Eberflus, Ben Johnson: Halas was a legend and his fourth and final stint as a head coach bled into the Super Bowl era. Of course there is Mike Ditka's 11 years of service and Smith's 9 seasons in Chicago. Outside of that is a long list of guys who didn't last very long. Five coaches have lasted no more than three seasons ... and Ben Johnson will be entering his second season next year. 

FALCONS (15): Norb Hecker, Norm Van Brocklin, Marion Campbell, Leeman Bennett, Dan Henning, Jerry Glanville, June Jones, Dan Reeves, Jim L. Mora, Bobby Petrino, Mike Smith, Dan Quinn, Arthur Smith, Raheem Morris, Kevin Stefanski: This is a very interesting list. No coach has more than 7 years on the job in Atlanta ... but Van Brocklin, Reeves and Mike Smith all reached that mark. Campbell had six seasons over two stints (Bennett and Quinn also lasted six years). But it has been a quick hook the last few hires. Arthur Smith got fired after three seasons and Morris got just two years. 

GIANTS (15): Allie Sherman, Alex Webster, Bill Arnsparger, John McVay, Ray Perkins, Bill Parcells, Ray Handley, Dan Reeves, Jim Fassel, Tom Coughlin, Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, Joe Judge, Brian Daboll, Jon Harbaugh: Obviously Parcells and Coughlin were the longest tenured Giants head coaches in the Super Bowl era. Fassel was sneakily there 7 years, but a lot of the coaches have been gone after two or three seasons, including three straight head coaches that followed Coughlin. Daboll was in New York three and a half seasons, which seems like a long career with the G-men. Hopefully Harbaugh will change that trend. 

COLTS (15): Don Shula, Don McCafferty, Howard Schnellenberger, Ted Marchibroda, Mike McCormack, Frank Kush, Rod Dowhower, Ron Meyer, Lindy Infante, Jim Mora, Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, Chuck Pagano, Frank Reich, Shane Steichen: There are some big names on this list. Of course it starts with Shula, with McCafferty and Dungy bringing Super Bowl championships to the Colts. Marchibroda had two stints with the Colts -- one in Baltimore and one in Indianapolis. And Schnellenberger, who is best known for his college exploits at Miami. We also got Mora's "playoffs" rant on the ledger. 

49ERS (15): Jack Christiansen, Dick Nolan, Monte Clark, Ken Meyer, Pete McCulley, Bill Walsh, George Seifert, Steve Mariucci, Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Tomsula, Chip Kelly, Kyle Shanahan: There is no bigger ceiling and floor than the Niners. Clark and Meyer lasted for just one season, then Meyer was fired in the middle of his only season. Then comes Walsh (10) and Seifert (8) who ushered in one of the great dynasties in NFL history and all of their six Super Bowl titles. Then back to short terms: Erickson (2), Nolan (4), Singletary (3), Harbaugh (4), Tomsula (1) and Kelly (1). Currently Shanahan is in his 9th season in San Francisco ... which brings in stability and the second best era of success in the Super Bowl era. 

COMMANDERS (15): Otto Graham, Vince Lombardi, Bill Austin, George Allen, Jack Pardee, Joe Gibbs, Richie Pettibone, Norv Turner, Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, Jim Zorn, Mike Shanahan, Jay Gruden, Ron Rivera, Dan Quinn: There may be no more interesting list than the Commanders/Redskins. There are a lot of high profile names on this list, with Gibbs' 17 seasons over two stints being the biggest name. Well, technically, Lombardi is the biggest name but he passed away after just one season in DC. There is Allen's legendary 7-year run, Shanahan's turbulent 4-year run with a ridiculous assistant coaching staff, and Steve Spurrier's disastrous two seasons. Including Lombardi, there have been four coaches who lasted just one season.  

A LITTLE TOO MUCH

CHARGERS (16): Sid Gillman, Charlie Waller, Harland Svare, Tommy Prothro, Don Coryell, Al Saunders, Dan Henning, Bobby Ross, Kevin Gilbride, Mike Riley, Marty Schottenheimer, Norv Turner, Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn, Brandon Staley, Jim Harbaugh: The Chargers have never really had that one guy for an awful long time. Gillman and Coryell did have long careers with the San Diego Chargers while Ross, Schottenheimer and Turner were there for around five years. Some feel they stick with their failures a bit longer than most (see: Staley) but it can be commended that they aren't usually too quick to move off their head coaches. Well, except for Marty after a 14-2 season.

LIONS (16): Harry Gilmer, Joe Schmidt, Don McCafferty, Rick Forzano, Tommy Hudspeth, Monte Clark, Darryl Rogers, Wayne Fontes, Bobby Ross, Marty Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci, Jim Schwartz, Jim Caldwell, Matt Patricia, Dan Campbell: There is a long list of guys who didn't taste much success in Detroit, outside of Clark, Fontes and Campbell. No question these are the three coaches that the Lions have held on to for any real length of time. 

TITANS (16): Wally Lemm, Ed Hughes, Bill Peterson, Sid Gillman, Bum Phillips, Ed Biles, Hugh Campbell, Jerry Glanville, Jack Pardee, Jeff Fisher, Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Mularkey, Mike Vrabel, Brian Callahan, Robert Saleh: The Titans ... then Oilers ... didn't keep coaches around very long. Lemm's second stint was five years long, but Hughes (one), Peterson (two) and Gillman (two) had short tenures. Phillips' time in Houston was the best days of the Oilers (Luv Ya Blue!) but the franchise went back to temporary fixes after he was fired in 1980. Fisher's 17 years kept stability in the franchise during its relocation from Houston to Memphis to Nashville and becoming the Tennessee Titans. Since Fisher left, the franchise has been very fickle with its head coaches, including shockingly firing Vrabel in 2023. His replacement only made it 23 games before he was fired. 

BILLS (17): Joe Collier, Harvey Johnson, John Rauch, Lou Saban, Jim Ringo, Chuck Knox, Kay Stephenson, Hank Bullough, Marv Levy, Wade Phillips, Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey, Dick Jauron, Chan Gailey, Doug Marrone, Rex Ryan, vacant: The Bills have had a weird history with head coaches. For starters, Harvey Johnson was hired twice to be the Bills head coach. So was Lou Saban (his first stint in Buffalo was pre-Super Bowl). No head coach in Buffalo had a stint longer than five seasons before Marv Levy took over in 1986. His 12 years saw the best era of Bills football with four straight Super Bowl appearances. After that? Nearly every coach was out after two or three seasons ... with the exception of Jauron (four years) and recently fired coach McDermott (nine). 

CARDINALS (17): Charley Winner, Bob Hollway, Don Coryell, Bud Wilkinson, Jim Hanifan, Gene Stallings, Joe Bugel, Buddy Ryan, Vince Tobin, Dave McGinnis, Dennis Green, Ken Whisenhunt, Bruce Arians, Steve Wilks, Kliff Kingsbury, Jonathan Gannon, vacant: This list is filled with names who did more somewhere else. Coryell was known for his career in San Diego -- his 2nd NFL job. Wilkinson was a legendary coach at the University of Oklahoma, while Stallings also had a great college coaching career. Ryan and Green were known for their previous NFL efforts while Arians won a Super Bowl with the Bucs. As you are seeing, the list begins to start getting into the less successful franchises. 

HONESTLY, THE TEAMS WHO YOU THOUGHT WOULD BE HERE

BROWNS (18): Blanton Collier, Nick Skorich, Forrest Gregg, Sam Rutigliano, Marty Schottenheimer, Bud Carson, Bill Belichick, Chris Palmer, Butch Davis, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmer,  Rob Chudzinski, Mike Pettine, Hugh Jackson, Freddie Kitchens, Kevin Stefanski, vacant: A nice 18 head coaches for the Browns, despite them missing three seasons when the franchise was on hold.  There are some big names on this list who did well at other places, and some who flamed out spectacularly. Stefanski coached Cleveland in more games than anyone in the Super Bowl era. 

JETS (18): Weeb Ewbank, Charley Winner, Lou Holtz, Walt Michaels, Joe Walton, Bruce Coslet, Pete Carroll, Rich Kotite, Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Al Groh, Herm Edwards, Eric Mangini, Rex Ryan, Todd Bowles, Adam Gase, Robert Saleh, Aaron Glenn: As you look at these coaches, it is quite a list. First off, yes, I am including Belichick in this list because he was named the head coach ... even if that lasted for just a day. It is a wild list with Lou Holtz (not even a full season), Pete Carroll (one season), Belichick (one day) and even Parcells only coached three years. After Ewbank, Walton has coached the most games with the Jets. 

RAIDERS (19): John Rauch, John Madden, Tom Flores, Mike Shanahan, Art Shell, Mike White, Joe Bugel, John Gruden, Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, Hue Jackson, Dennis Allen, Jack Del Rio, Josh McDaniels, Antonio Pierce, Pete Carroll, vacant: As you can see, this has been a mess. Not only have they had 19 different head coaches, they hired Shell and Gruden a second time (so really 21 coaching changes). It is amazing because that run of Madden and Flores for 19 years was a magical time for the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. Since then it has been madness. Countless young coaches that couldn't please the impatient Al Davis (now Mark Davis). Shanahan, who would go on to win two Super Bowls with the rival Broncos, lasted two seasons. Bugel, Jackson, Carroll and Shell's second stint lasted just one year. Ten of these coaches coached 25 games or less for the Raiders. The turnaround is ridiculous for one of the most well known franchises in the NFL. 

SO WHAT DOES THIS SHOW?

Well, if you look at the list you will see a franchise trend. Of the eight teams in the last two categories, only the Raiders and Jets have won a Super Bowl. The Jets won that Super Bowl 57 years ago and the Raiders last title was 42 years ago. Those three Raiders Super Bowls were won by John Madden and Tom Flores, who held the job for a combined 19 consecutive seasons. The Jets title was won by the coach with (by far) the longest tenure in team history. 

The other six teams and the Jets have combined for just eight Super Bowl appearances ... and half of those were made by the 1990-1993 Bills. 

Obviously if you aren't very good, you don't have on to the coach. But if you hire the right coach, you will be good. Both are true but other factors like impatient ownership and bad roster building can undermine anyone you hire.  For the most part, ownership has changed all of these franchises in some form ... including several due to inheritance. Not all owners are the same. 

Miami Gets To Play a National Championship Game at Home -- Has That Happened Before Since 1980?

2025-2026: MIAMI HURRICANES: Miami will be the first team to play a national championship game (that goes back to 1998) at their home field. As you will see, we've had schools play virtual home games in the College Football Playoff national championship and the BCS title game. If we go back to 1980, there have been times a team who won a national championship played in a title game where one of the teams in that bowl were at home. All those instances were the Miami Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl. 

2017-2018: GEORGIA BULLDOGS*: This is technically is a stretch because this game was in Atlanta and not in Athens, Georgia. So going further, I will add an asterisk on these kinds of games. It should be noted that Georgia lost this game to Alabama in one of the wildest games we've seen. This was the game Nick Saban benched Jalen Hurts at halftime and brought in Tua Tagovailoa who led the Tide to a win in overtime. 

2019-2020: LSU TIGERS*: The Tigers were elite all season and dominated Clemson in New Orleans. Again, this wasn't technically a home game but New Orleans is pretty much an LSU town. 

2011-2012: LSU TIGERS*: LSU is back in New Orleans, but this time they lost to Alabama, 21-0. 

2007-2008 LSU TIGERS*: Again, LSU. New Orleans. This one was a win by Les Miles and the Tigers over Ohio State, 38-24.

2005-2006: USC TROJANS*: Now, this wasn't played at USC's Los Angeles Coliseum but their rival UCLA's Rose Bowl. Still, we're in the Los Angeles area. But it was Texas and Vince Young winning one of the greatest title games we've ever witnessed. 

2003-2004: LSU TIGERS*: The Tigers beat Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl to bring Nick Saban his first national championship. 

1994-1995: MIAMI HURRICANES: Now, this was before the BCS or College Football Playoff where we didn't have an actual national championship game. The polls were taken after the bowls to determine the national champion. This year had No. 1 Nebraska vs No. 3 Miami in Miami's Orange Bowl. The Huskers would win the game, 24-17, for a national championship. 

1990-1991: MIAMI HURRICANES: The Canes would win this one over No. 11 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl for Dennis Erickson his second national championship. 

1987-1988: MIAMI HURRICANES: No. 2 Miami slipped by No. 1 Oklahoma, 20-14, to win the national championship in Miami's Orange Bowl. 

1983-1984: MIAMI HURRICANES: No. 5 Miami stuffed No. 1 Nebraska's two point conversion to beat the Huskers in the Orange Bowl. With other stuff that happened earlier in the day, the Canes climbed all the way up in the bowls to win the program's first national championship.

Sportz NFL Uniforms Wishes

With the NFL now allowing for an array of uniform styles during the season, I'd like to take the chance to just pick what I would like every team to use as their primary uniforms. This is nothing more than just a dream post that needs no arguments. I'm not saying to not have alternative or throwback uniforms, but my picks are what I'd like as their normal unis. Just a preference. Let's go. 

NFC EAST

Dallas Cowboys: Well, this is easy. Their long time uniforms don't need any changes. It is akin to the Yankees' pinstripes or the Canadiens sweaters. 

New York Giants: The Giants have had their uniforms in place for a long time, with the only change being their helmets. I grew up with the entire GIANTS name on the helmet, which I really like. But I think the NY logo should be the one that stays. 

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles kelly green uniforms really pop. Like the Giants, that's the era of Eagles I grew up with. But also like the Giants, I think their current look is the one to go for. They've had this look for a long, long time and they've won two Super Bowls with it. The kelly greens are an outstanding alternative. 

Washington Commanders: This one is a bit complicated because of the name change a few years ago. Having said that, merging the old uniforms with the new logo/name seems to be the popular look.  It looks better than the ones they designed, and since I'm not using this exercise to create new unis, the helmet is the way to go.  

NFC SOUTH

Atlanta Falcons: There are a lot of options. There are the red jerseys and helmets of the 80s, the all-black of the 1990s and a lot of combinations in between. But I'm going to land on the ones Julio Jones is wearing here. It has the nice mix of both the red and black.

Carolina Panthers: The Panthers have had pretty much the same look for their entire existence, with the exception of a tweak to their logo some years back. That look is great and should never be changed. 

New Orleans Saints: The Saints uniforms ... for the most part ... have been the same for a long, long time. Let's stick to what works. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: I know people really love the orange creamcicle uniforms, but I only like them as a throwback. Those uniforms are from a time where the Bucs were a laughingstock organization and doesn't represent the success they've had with the pewter look. Now, there have been adjustments to the pewter helmets and uniforms (ugh, those clock radio number fonts). I like the early 2000s look where the flag on the helmet wasn't as large and the pants were pewter. 

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears: The Bears classic look stays. 

Detroit Lions: While there have been slight changes to the uniforms, the Honolulu blue and the meaness of the logo, the style has been pretty consistent. I like the uniforms they had before the more recent change. Let's land there. 

Green Bay Packers: This is easy. Next. 

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings are one of the teams that had a certain look, then ruined it by tampering too much, only to modernize the basic look. Their current look is very appropriate. 

NFC WEST

Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are at their best with the classic look. I do like the meaner cardinal on the helmet, but their uniform choices are really clean. The all-white look is awesome. I'm not a fan of the color rush look, but the Cardinals' all-reds are doable. For this exercise, I'm picking the red jerseys with the white pants, but I can go with all white or all red as well. It gives the classic look for one of the oldest franchises in the NFL while looking modern for a team in a sleek dome in the desert. 

Los Angeles Rams: The Rams have had wild changes over time. The era I grew up with was the blue helmets with the simple yellow rams horns with yellow pants. The blue jerseys also had the yellow horns on the shoulders. When they moved to St Louis, the yellow turned to a dark gold look. That color should only live in Missouri. Once upon a time, the rams horns were white and they brought that back to LA for a bit. The current look is a modernization of that mixed with off white jerseys. I'm going to live in the now ... as much as I want that Eric Dickerson look ... I'll go with what they look like now. Not so much the off-white but the modernization of the classic look works well with their indoor digs in LA. 

San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers look has actually had quite a bit of changes over the last four decades. I like that the Niners have gone back to modernize the era most people connect them with. Updating the Joe Montana look is the way to go. I like the gold pants instead of the white uniforms. I don't like the black additions to the logo or helmets, so keeping it old school is the way to go.

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks current look is great and lends itself to a lot of opportunities for alternates. Their throwbacks are nice as well. But their current look is fantastic. 

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills: Yeah, I want the 1990s Bills look back. The red helmets with the white masks. The blue jerseys. Give me that over the white helmets. 

Miami Dolphins: This one is tough. I do like the modern version of the Dolphins uniforms. The bright jerseys with the sleek dolphin. I am a fan. But when I see those throwback uniforms out there, I just really like them. The old school dolphin with the M helmet is great while the orange accents really look cool. 

New England Patriots: Many think the Patriots uniforms come down the Pat the Patriot versus Elvis the Patriot. Helmet wise ... yeah. But the Elvis helmet had those busy uniforms in the 90s and even the Tom Brady era uniforms had some changes. But the main one people think of should be the ones we go with. I do like the updated look of the uniforms now ... but let's go back to greatness. 

New York Jets: I don't think any Jets uniforms are very good. I'll start off by saying I didn't like the white helmet look they had in the 1960s and then brought back in the 2000s. I kinda think the uniforms they are doing now are okay enough. Just don't gloss up the helmets. 

AFC SOUTH

Houston Texans: I would really like the Texans to be able to get back the Oilers branding and change either to the Oilers ... or keep the Texans name and just use the Oilers look (it works). But I'm not doing hypotheticals here, so lets' keep the Texans uniforms the same. 

Indianapolis Colts: Keep it simple. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars have been all over the place with their uniforms. Their original look got axed before they even got started. The weird color change helmets were a miss. Their current ones aren't bad at all ... but when they wear those throwbacks from the Mark Brunell era ... it looks classy. It looks great. I looks like the winner to me. 

Tennessee Titans: Obviously the Titans are tied with the Oilers, but I really feel they should give that history back to Houston. That's for another discussion, but having said that I am taking the Oilers option off the table. The Titans uniforms break down to the white helmet era to the current blue helmet look. Give me the McNair look. 

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens: The look the Ravens have used for a long time is just fine. 

Cincinnati Bengals: A long time ago, I told a friend of mine that the Bengals need to go back to those 1980s uniforms with a bit of modern sprucing. That was when they were wearing those candy corn uniforms. Magically, they did exactly that when the Joe Burrow era hit. So that's where I'm going with the uniforms. Sometime the right look was there all the time. 

Cleveland Browns: The Browns should take note. They've done several changed to their uniforms and they all, frankly, suck. The Browns have a classic look that works just fine and shouldn't deviate from it. No big "Cleveland Browns" workmark or weird bars on the unis. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: The classic look you know continues to work. 

AFC WEST

Denver Broncos: I usually like to stick with your championship look. But with the Broncos, I absolutely love the orange crush jerseys with the blue helmet and the D logo on them. It's so great. 

Kansas City Chiefs: Chiefs have known they've got it right. 

Las Vegas Raiders: The Raiders have a uniform that should never, ever be changed. 

Los Angeles Chargers: Like the Buccaneers orange unis, I am against the grain on the Chargers powder blue uniforms. I enjoy them as a throwback than their primary jersey. Sure, I am absolutely fine with the look and it goes well with SoFi Stadium. But I really liked the navy blue helmets and uniforms of the 1990s. The Chargers have that integrated in a modern look, but I kinda like it the old school way with just a little updated look. 

NFL's Head Coaching Carousel Moves Along

Putting the humanity of coaches losing their jobs and livelihood aside, there are few non-competition events in sports that bring the energy of coaching changes. Typically fans have an anger towards a coach or a regime that they demand change, so if it happens it opens up a world of hope of what could happen next (it also can continue the dread when coaches are retained). Let's look at what has happened and what this all means.

JOBS THAT ARE OPEN

NEW YORK GIANTS: The Giants fired Brian Daboll mid-season so they've already been looking at their next move. The Giants are an attractive option for the top candidates. The New York market, they seemingly have their quarterback in place, they have some other young talent on both sides of the ball, and they have a very high draft pick. They also have a GM that acquired a lot of that talent via the draft, but is unpopular due to the Giants poor records recently. 

TENNESSEE TITANS: The other team to fire their head coach mid-season, the Titans are a nice option as well. Cam Ward had an okay rookie season, so there is a QB in place. They are also heading into the final year at Nissan Stadium before moving into their new domed stadium in 2027. This is a fixer-upper with potential. The problem? It has what I call a "red flag ownership" that blew it by firing Mike Vrabel and hired Brian Callahan. 

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: This, to me, is a mess. The Raiders also have "red flag ownership" who has cycled through coaches way too much. Since Jon Gruden's first term with the Raiders, they have had Bill Callahan (two seasons), Norv Turner (two), Art Shell (one), Lane Kiffin (one-plus), Tom Cable (two-plus), Hue Jackson (one), Dennis Allen (two-plus), Tony Sparano (12 games), Jack Del Rio (three), Jon Gruden (three-plus), Rich Bisaccia (12 games), Josh McDaniels (one-plus), Antonio Pierce (one-plus), and Pete Carroll (one). They have no quarterback ... except for the GOAT who is apparently running things in Vegas, Tom Brady. There is a ton of cap space and a couple nice players, but the cupboard is pretty bare. Oh, and you play in a division with the Broncos, Chargers and Chiefs.

ARIZONA CARDINALS: Another "red-flag" owner who will be having their fifth head coach in ten years. Like Vegas, there is some pieces, but they lack a quarterback. It seems that the Kyler Murray era in Arizona is over and that the Cardinals will be looking for a new signal caller. They also play in a division with the Seahawks, Niners and Rams. Good luck. 

CLEVELAND BROWNS: I'm not saying "red-flag" owner, but "red-flag organization". The Browns are the standard for a bad franchise in the NFL. They've barely had any success since the 1980s, they have made the worst player acquisition in NFL history (DeShaun Watson) that is still haunting the salary cap, and they have wasted the careers of two of the best players at their position over the last few decades (Joe Thomas, Myles Garrett). Despite drafting two quarterbacks last year, there is no solid solution at the position. The good part is that the fan base is outstanding and if you can get this thing finally going then you are a legend. The Browns defense is also one of the elite units in the league and the division is in a bit of turmoil. You just got to solve the puzzle that is winning in Cleveland. 

ATLANTA FALCONS:  We've talked about ownership, and of all the openings Arthur Blank may be the most out front owner of any of the franchises with openings. Atlanta was tied for the division championship this past season (okay, they were 8-9) and there is some really, really talented players already on this roster. But the quarterback situation is weird. The 2024 signing of Kirk Cousins, then drafting Michael Penix, has been a stress on the organization. Cousins played better than Penix this season (the opposite was true in 2024), but Cousins is nearing the end of his career while Penix has a history of injuries. Not to mention that while Penix is entering just his third season, he will be 26 years old when the season kicks off. There will be a new CEO and GM as well as a head coach, so this will be a clean slate in the organizational structure. You are also in a division where no team had a winning record so it is wide open. 

BALTIMORE RAVENS: This one is a bit complex. Let me start that I'm not a fan of firing John Harbaugh. I understand that they haven't met the ultimate expectations and that sometimes a guy is there too long. I don't buy into the second part here. Since Harbaugh took over, the Ravens have had the fourth best record in the NFL over that span. Before this season (one where their two-time MVP has been injured), the Ravens were 25-9 the previous two years. So if you take this job, you are required to not only get this team back into the playoffs but to a Super Bowl. That's the expectation. This isn't a rebuild but a job that needs a closer. All that while Lamar Jackson has contract issues coming up, some aging pieces to sort through, and uneven performances this past season. They've also had some epically big mistakes in losses in elimination games in each of the last four seasons. 

MIAMI DOLPHINS: This has been a strange trip. I like Mike McDaniel but his tenure in Miami is problematic. The entire Tua Tagovailoa concussion issues. The inability to win any cold weather game. The wild swings during a season. And with Harbaugh on the market, this is a perfect candidate for an upgrade. There is talent on the team, and it seems the Tagovailoa experiment is done. So there will be a new GM, head coach and quarterback. Note that there are quite a few teams that need an answer at quarterback (Dolphins, Jets, Colts, Browns, Steelers, Raiders, Cardinals) and not many options to fill those spots. 

JOBS THAT COULD BE OPEN: There isn't a deadline to fire your coach, so it isn't locked in that these seven openings are all that we'll have. With John Harbaugh now a coaching candidate, a team could look to upgrade their situation by hiring Harbaugh and firing the guy they currently have.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS: While the Steelers beat the Ravens and earned the AFC North title and a playoff berth, fans have been demanding postseason relevance. The Steelers just can't win in the playoffs. If Mike Tomlin's team loses ... at home ... to the Houston Texans then they cries will be much louder about his future. With Harbaugh already cut loose in Baltimore, I could see the Steelers follow suit. 

NEW YORK JETS: While I don't get the Ravens firing Harbaugh, I don't understand how the Jets haven't fired Aaron Glenn. Normally I am not a guy that believes a guy should be fired after just one season, if there was anyone this side of Urban Meyer that would change my mind it would be what Glenn and the Jets did in 2025. They were bad enough to earn the No. 2 overall pick. They weren't competitive over the last month or two of the season (they were outscored 188-54 in their final five games). They went an entire season without an interception. Glenn was a former DB and this team became the first team to not record a pick!?!?!  They have no quarterback, they'll likely lose their running back, and their best players are looking to jump off a sinking ship. If you draft a quarterback with that 2nd pick, why would you tie him to what could be a lame-ducked Glenn? 

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: Shane Steichen keeps his job, but that could change if the Colts think they can bring Harbaugh in. Aside from that (or if Tomlin comes available), I do think he stays. 

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: It just doesn't seem like Todd Bowles is as safe as he should be. The Bucs finally didn't win the NFC South and now his job is in jeopardy? Ridiculous. However, the Harbaugh firing in Baltimore changes things. I can see them dumping Bowles if they think they could lock in Harbaugh. 

BUFFALO BILLS: There is a crossroads for the Bills this postseason that this may be the worse roster that Josh Allen has pulled into the playoffs, while also may be the best chance for the Bills to break through and finally get to a Super Bowl. No Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow to deal with and the top three seeds are young teams with young QBs who haven't been in this kind of pressure before. If the Bills are one-and-done, is Sean McDermott out? Could this be a spot where Harbaugh lands? I mean, if you look at the 2026 season, the Patriots are going to keep getting stronger, Mahomes will miss a lot of the season with his Achilles recovery, the Ravens are pivoting with a new coach and this could be the season where the window is still open for the Bills to drive through. Would the Bills decide to try something else to maximize that opportunity? 

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Nick Sirianni has gone to two Super Bowls, winning one. They've done very well. But the narrative around the team is that they are doing this because of GM Howie Roseman and despite Sirianni. If the Eagles crash in the playoffs, would the Eagles consider moving on from him? Philly would eventually fire Doug Pederson despite what he did and it worked out. This is a cut-throat franchise that is willing to make tough personnel decisions to maximize their ability to win. 

JOBS THAT A VERY SAFE, BUT FOR HOW LONG? 

CINCINNATI BENGALS: Zac Taylor would likely be fired if he was anywhere else. Heck, it the AFC North alone, two franchises have already fired their head coaches while another has been discussed ad nauseum for over a year. But Taylor has an owner that doesn't like to pay people to not be there and one who is arguably the most patient in the league. Taylor has done more in his eight seasons than Marvin Lewis did in his ... and Lewis got to stay on for twice as along.  The Bengals perpetually live in the "if we can get healthy and get some consistency, we'd be a great team" realm. 

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: Dan Quinn had one great season and one mess of a season. Going into year 3 there will be pressure to get Washington back to the magic they had in 2024. Can Quinn do that? Usually changing coordinators is the last act before a head coach is canned and Quinn is changing his OC and DC this offseason. Keeping Jayden Daniels healthy will be the top priority next season and fortifying the talent on the roster (especially on defense) is a must. If this looks more like 2025 than 2024, Quinn could be in trouble in 2026. 

GREEN BAY PACKERS: I find it absolutely stupid that Matt LaFleur's job status is in question. Yet, it is. 

ABSOLUTELY SAFE FOR A WHILE

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Kellen Moore seems to have something in Tyler Shough. His job will be tied to him. 

CAROLINA PANTHERS: Dave Canales got the Panthers into the playoffs. 

DETROIT LIONS: Dan Campbell is far from perfect, but his culture works. He needs to control his risks a bit better while finding someone else to call plays in '26.

DALLAS COWBOYS: Brian Schottenheimer looked very capable this season. 

MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Kevin O'Connell is so highly thought of. His task is to develop J.J. McCarthy. 

HOUSTON TEXANS: DeMeco Ryans has this team rolling. 

CHICAGO BEARS: Ben Johnson showed why he was the hottest name in the last few coaching cycles.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Liam Coen can pronounce DUVALLLLL however he wants. 

DENVER BRONCOS: Sean Payton was hired to turn around the franchise, and he has. 

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: Mike Vrabel did exactly what the Patriots wanted done. 

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Mike Macdonald has quietly been outstanding. 

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Kyle Shanahan might have done his finest coaching job in 2025.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: Jim Harbaugh isn't going anywhere. 

LOS ANGELES RAMS: Sean McVay leaves when he says so. 

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Andy Reid will leave when he wants. 

Chiefs Moving To Kansas?

The Chiefs may be moving from Kansas City to Kansas City.

Today the organization agreed to move from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas to build their new stadium. The Sunflower State has made the necessary legislative and financial arrangements to lure the Chiefs from the city they've called home since 1963 and their stadium since 1972.

While their current stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, is one of the best known home fields in the NFL, it is aging. The wear and tear is noticable, suites are difficult to add, and the location doesn't lend itself to further development. It still is one of the more legendary homes in the league, alongside Lambeau Field in Green Bay and Soldier Field in Chicago. But like Soldier Field, Arrowhead is nearing its end as a viable home for an NFL franchise.

Speaking of the Bears, there are also rumors that they could be making a similar move. After various options have been bandied about, a move across the line to Gary, Indiana has become the latest twist. 

The Chiefs will join the Washington Commanders, New York Jets and New York Giants as teams who don't play in the state/district they are named after. The Commanders will move into a new stadium in Washington, DC around the end of the decade. The Jets and Giants share a stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. These are the lone teams among the four major American sports leagues that don't play in their "home state".

Week 18 Flex Options Heading Into Week 17

With two weeks left, let's see what could be the game that gets flexed into the final game of the season -- the Sunday Night Football game.

NO WAY AT ALL

Let's go ahead and move these games to the side:

Saints at Falcons
Browns at Bengals
Chiefs at Raiders
Cowboys at Giants
Commanders at Eagles

Of these teams, only the Eagles are the only team making the playoffs and they already have the NFC East wrapped up. Everyone else is waiting for the draft.

SLIM CHANCE, IF AT ALL

Jets at Bills
Cardinals at Rams
Dolphins at Patriots
Titans at Jaguars

These four games need quite a bit of things to happen for them to have the kind of importance to make it a stand alone game. Bills, Rams, Patriots and Jaguars likely will have playoff spots wrapped up. It will be a matter of seed, and even then will rely on a game played elsewhere to make it interesting. So let's ditch this bunch. 

MMMMMMAYBE

Packers at Vikings
Colts at Texans

The Packers and Texans may need this game to get into the playoffs, and the Colts could find a way to make that game with Houston a very meaningful one. Packers are almost a lock to get in and the Colts barely are holding on to a chance. By the time we get to Week 18, Green Bay is in while Indy is out. Let's move on. 

HERE ARE THE REAL CONTENDERS

Lions at Bears: Right now, the Lions need a miracle to get in while the Bears could have the NFC North wrapped up. There is a chance Chicago is fighting for a top overall seed in the NFC. Still, that's not really an interesting reason to have this game last. 

Seahawks at Niners: When you include the Rams, the NFC West is a fascinating race. Seattle currently has the top seed in the NFC as they head to Charlotte to face the Panthers. The Niners have some work to do if they want to win the NFC West, but they've already clinched a spot in the postseason. If a lot of things break a certain way, this could be a huge game. 

Chargers at Broncos: Denver has already clinched a playoff spot and have a one game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West race. By the time we get here, Denver may have the top seed wrapped up and could sit their starters. The Chargers likely would have a spot clinched as well, so this would be more about seeding. Still, if both win or lose next week then this could be a game similar to the Lions-Vikings affair from last season. LA owns the tiebreaker right now, so as long as there is a one-game or less lead in the standings, this will be a big game. 

Ravens at Steelers: Sunday's results made this less likely to be an option. Pittsburgh went into Detroit and stunned the Lions while Baltimore blew a late lead to lose to New England. Right now the Steelers have a two game lead in the standings with two games remaining. The Steelers head to Cleveland to take on the rival Browns while the Ravens head to Green Bay to play a Packers team who have suffered two straight tough losses. If the Ravens win and the Steelers lose than their Week 18 showdown will be for the AFC North and it would bump the NFC South title out from the top spot. 

Panthers at Buccaneers: Carolina's win over Tampa this past week gives them a one game lead in the NFC South. Carolina has Seattle this week while Tampa Bay goes to the slumping Dolphins. It is extremely likely that this Week 18 showdown will be for the NFC South title and a trip to the playoffs. The only way it wouldn't is if the Panthers beat the Seahawks and the Buccaneers lose to the Dolphins. I doubt both will happen, so this is in the lead for the final game.  

Shut Up About Tulane and James Madison Getting Blown Out

Leading up to the first round of the College Football Playoff was people upset that Tulane and James Madison earning spots while schools like Notre Dame and Texas (among others) did not. Tulane and James Madison fed into the narrative by both getting blown out in their playoff games, and even had ESPN/TNT broadcasters complain on air that Notre Dame should've been in instead. 

Cry harder.

Let me go down my laundry list of what people need to shut up about all of this:

1. GROUP OF FIVE TEAMS DESERVE A PLACE. Let me just start off here. You cannot have this 12-team system without giving a G6 team a spot in it. The power conferences needed the G6 to sign off on this or there would be no 12-team playoff. That's part of the deal to make this happen.  Please understand this. This isn't the NFL where a commissioner and a rules committee makes the rules. These are brokered deals between conference commissioners, and six of those commissioners are from non-power leagues. 

Also understand that G6 leagues are a part of the FBS. They bring key scheduling opportunities for the P4. If you don't want them part of the playoff, then stop scheduling them and move on to a P4 only schedule. In the NFL, the NFC South champion will have a place in the playoffs despite that division being less powerful than the NFC North or NFC West. 

2. NEXT YEAR'S RULES HAVE ALREADY CHANGED TO FIX SOME OF THIS. Next season, there are two major changes to how we pick the 12 playoff teams. One is that all four P4 champions will be guaranteed a playoff spot, meaning that only one G6 champ get the same guarantee. If that was implimented this season, ACC champion Duke would have be in while James Madison would have been out. 

Next, Notre Dame is guaranteed a playoff spot if they are ranked in the top 12 in the final rankings. That means Notre Dame would have been in and Miami would have been out.  Could you imagine the outrage if Notre Dame got in ahead of Miami despite the Hurricanes being ranked higher than the Irish and who had already beaten them on the field? Again, that doesn't totally fix your problem and may create a new one.

So the playoff would have looked like this:

1-Indiana vs 8-Oklahoma/9-Alabama
2-Ohio State vs 7-Texas A&M/10-Notre Dame
3-Georgia vs 6-Ole Miss/11-Tulane
4-Texas Tech vs 5-Oregon/12-Duke

So this new rule would have given us two of the same games (including one that was a blowout) and gives up Oregon-Duke which would be a blowout too. We'd also get Notre Dame instead of Miami, despite Miami beating A&M in the game we actually saw. So, is it really fixed? And is this fair to Miami? 

3. BLOWOUTS AREN'T NEW TO THE PLAYOFF. So you hate blowouts? Well, having more P4 schools don't guarantee we get better games. Here are some previous blowouts in CFP games:

2014: Oregon 59-Florida State 20
2014: Ohio State 42-Oregon 20
2015: Alabama 38-Michigan State 0
2016: Clemson 31-Ohio State 0
2018: Clemson 30-Notre Dame 3
2018: Clemson 44-Alabama 16
2019: LSU 63-Oklahoma 28
2020: Ohio State 49-Clemson 28
2020: Alabama 52-Ohio State 24
2021: Alabama 27-Cincinnati 6
2021: Georgia 34-Michigan 11
2022: Georgia 65-TCU 7
2023: Michigan 34-Washington 13
2024: Penn State 38-SMU 10
2024: Ohio State 42-Tennessee 17

All of those games were decided by 21 or more points. A few of those were national championship games. And look at those names on the losing side! Florida State. Notre Dame. Ohio State. Alabama. Oklahoma. Clemson. Michigan. These are traditional powers getting slaughtered. 

4. EXPANSION MOVES THE PROBLEM. So now people are bitching about expansion. Having 16 teams doesn't make this go away -- it just moves the needle. Just go check out the NCAA Tournament. There are 68 teams in every year and people still whine about "the bubble" and who got in over who got out. Seth Greenberg has made an entire career about his Virginia Tech getting "snubbed". 

This year, Notre Dame got "snubbed" so the cries are really loud. If it was ... say ... Utah, would it be as loud of a problem? 

Well, that's what would have happened if this was a 16-team playoff. We would have 11-Notre Dame, 12-BYU, 13-Texas and 14-Vanderbilt included in the playoff. The "snubs" and cries would now come from 15-Utah and 16-USC. So the Utes would be the ones crying about getting excluded while two G6 teams get in. Would you care as much? Probably not. You've probable haven't watched one Utah game all season nor miss them being in. Maybe you dismiss this as "well, Utah isn't good enough to actually win the whole thing like Notre Dame can" ... but then why bother expanding the playoff to teams who can't win it? I mean, do you think Vanderbilt can actually win the national championship? So adding four teams just to appease Notre Dame in 2025 is your solution? 

Which brings me to ...

5. WHY DO YOU THINK NOTRE DAME GOT SNUBBED?  Let's look at Notre Dame's resume. Sure, they are 10-2. Yes, they've won 10 straight games. And, okay, they are ranked No. 11. Yet they didn't earn a spot ... so they aren't in.

Notre Dame lost to Miami on the field. So Miami was ranked higher. Notre Dame's best win a home win over No. 16 USC. They beat no other team ranked in the final rankings. None. 

In fact, Notre Dame's wins aren't that impressive. Among the games they played against P4 schools, they beat the last place team in the SEC (Arkansas), the last place team in the Big Ten (Purdue) and the two last place teams in the ACC (Syracuse, Boston College). So they feasted on the worst P4 had to offer and beat just one ranked team. The only P4 teams that Notre Dame beat who had a winning record was USC, NC State and Pitt. That is who you are whining about being snubbed? That's why you want to blow up this whole thing? Again, if Utah walked in here with that argument, you wouldn't care one bit. 

6. FIXING TIEBREAKERS WOULD HELP MORE. A little bit why we got here was the ACC's tie-breaking procedures gave us Virginia-Duke for their conference championship game instead of Virginia-Miami. With the ACC at 17 football members, a lot of their head-to-head tiebreakers didn't work so it rolled down to an arbitrary tiebreaker of what their ACC opponents combined records were. 

That's a poor way to truly determine who the best teams in the league are, and that showed here. This isn't just an ACC decision -- all P4 leagues have similar tie-breaker procedures. In fact, the SEC had it's fourth highest ranked team play in their championship game, but because Alabama's name holds weight and a playoff-worthy ranking, no one really cared. Yet Ole Miss and Texas A&M were deemed better teams according to the CFP committee. 

If the P4 leagues -- and especially the ACC -- amend their tiebreakers to have highest ranked CFP teams before any combined record nonsense, then we get a bit of a fix. We would have had Virginia-Miami and the winner of that game would have earned an automatic bid under the 2025 rules. If it was Miami, then they would have taken JMU's auto-bid and Notre Dame would have been in. If it was Virginia, they would have taken JMU's auto-bid and Miami likely drops below Notre Dame in the rankings and the Irish get it. 

This honestly is a development that makes sense and likely to happen. The ACC would surely look at doing this just to not have 8-5 Duke as their conference champion, and even the SEC would have benefitted from this. There was some sweating about where Alabama would be ranked after they were blown out by Georgia in the SEC title game. But if Ole Miss (the highest ranked team among the tied bunch) lost that same game, there would be little worry that they'd fall five or more spots and out of the rankings. 

Expect all of the P4 leagues to make this change. 

7. UNDERSTAND THIS HAPPENS IN ALL SPORTS. One of the important things to learn about life ... and sports ... is that it isn't always fair. College football is by far the most flawed of them all and has been for decades. I'm absolutely sure our list of national champions would look different had we had a playoff instead of the bowl system, the Alliance, or BCS. I mean, Ohio State was an 8-seed last year and won the first 12-team playoff, so you can't tell me that our list of champs wouldn't be vastly different had we had this format for 100 years. 

We already know that the best team doesn't win all of the time. We certainly know that in college basketball. We also have Super Bowl champions that get hot at the right time and make a run. 

As of right now, the Detroit Lions will likely miss the NFL playoffs while the Carolina Panthers could get in. We've had teams who missed the playoffs have better records than ones who did. The NBA has lessened the importance of divisions so we rarely get any issues. MLB has expanded the wildcard teams to fix this. None of them ... including the NCAA tournament ... uses rankings to determine who is in their playoff and what the bracket looks like. Only college football does this. 

College football is a great sport, but it has a ton of problems that it isn't really willing to figure out. Until they do ... and make massive changes ... we won't get to a place where we have a great system. So enjoy what we have.