Random Thoughts: college, HS football

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

This week’s edition of Random Thoughts centers completely around college and high school football. Next week, the focus will begin to shift toward basketball.

Ohio St.

It doesn’t matter how you look at it – Ohio St. is in the College Football Playoff. Plenty of people have said they backed in but in reality, USC blew it, which opened the door for the Buckeyes. To critics who say Ohio St. doesn’t belong – then who should have been given the No. 4 spot?

Alabama? Two losses, 84 points given up in those two losses and the best win over an 8-4 Texas team?

USC? After that display of non-tackling vs. Utah?

Tennessee? Perhaps, if Hendon Hooker was available to play, but he’s not. The Volunteers are a different team without him.

Rematch?

I wrote this last Tuesday:

“It very well may be a pipe dream, but how about an Ohio State-Michigan rematch in the College Football Playoff and how about this scenario?”

“Ohio St. ends up with the No. 4 seed (TCU and/or USC lose their conference championship games), upsets No. 1 Georgia in the semifinals then meets and beats Michigan in the national championship game?”

“Far fetched? Yes. Impossible? No.”

The door is still open.

Rematch II

It’s interesting how many people online believe that Ohio St. would roll over Michigan in a rematch. To that I say stop it – it’s not going to happen. If the Buckeyes get by Georgia (no small task), could they beat Michigan? Yes. Would it be easy? Far from it.

Drama

The drama about Alabama possibly getting in was all manufactured. Why? It’s good for ratings. The only possible way Alabama was getting in was if TCU lost to Kansas St. by 6-7 touchdowns.

I can’t tell you what I thought of Fox’s interview with Nick Saban during halftime of Saturday’s Big 10 Championship Game. Why not interview Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley or Josh Heupel too?

People already think there’s SEC bias and that sure didn’t help.

Conference championship games

Remember this about college conference championship games, both for football and basketball – they’re purely TV ratings and TV ad revenue driven. Conference championships can be determined during the regular season – they were for decades. Ties could be determined by head-to-head competition and if that didn’t work, there were co-champions.

I bring this up because I read a lot of complaints about TCU and USC being penalized for losing their conference championship games. In a way, those complaints are valid but it’s not going to change anything. Those games produce truckloads of money and they’re not going anywhere.

Transfer portal

Monday was the day the NCAA transfer portal opened. It was more like flood gates opening. Like NIL, this is not how it was intended to work. I have no problem with student-athletes being able to transfer if their coach leaves or is fired or for certain other reasons. It wasn’t supposed to be a free for all.

High school football

Spencerville head football coach Chris Sommers is stepping down. I first met Chris when he was at Delphos Jefferson. He’s a good coach and a good man. I wish him the best.

Final tally

After a slow start (0-2) with my Pigskin Pick’Em state championship picks, I rebounded to go 5-2. That took my postseason record to 47-9 (84 percent) and my overall record to 223-56 (80 percent).

As always, if you have thoughts on any of the above subjects, feel free to email me at sports@thevwindependent.com.