Once upon a time, Jan. 1, or in some years Jan. 2 or 3, was the zenith of the college football season. Most bowls were played in early January, the season was a wrap, and thoughts quickly turned to the next season. Not now.
The NFL calendar has been stretched similarly. You might not recall it, but the first Steelers Super Bowl win, in edition IX played in Tulane Stadium in New Orleans (there was no SuperDome back then), was contested Jan. 12, 1975. This season’s Super Bowl comes almost an entire month later, Feb. 9.
Stanley Cup Finals that stretch into late June, World Series games in November, etc., etc., etc., all indicate sports fooling with Mother Nature’s calendar.
Thus, we find ourselves early in January with only the four semifinalists for the national collegiate football crown having been determined and with yet another week of REGULAR-SEASON!! NFL games on the ticket.
What have we learned from football games contested over the past week and change?
- Texas Tech made big news this season spending $28 million in Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money, mostly on its defense, en route to a Big 12 title and a spot in the playoffs. After watching Tech look hapless on offense in a 23-0 quarterfinal loss to Oregon, maybe the priority for 2026 should be to spend some coin buying an offense.
- It probably was merely coincidence that Oregon called a late timeout to ram in its final, meaningless, touchdown against that high-priced defense.
- By the way, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding Oregon’s NIL spending, but quarterback Dante Moore gets a reported $2.3 million and NIKE billionaire Phil Knight reportedly has donated about $1 billion over the years trying to get the Ducks a national title. There’s a good reason to root against Oregon.
- Indiana also has mystery regarding total NIL, but it has been reported quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Mr. Heisman Trophy, gets $2.6 million to play what used to be an amateur sport this season.
- Considering this reality, announcers and the NCAA should spare us the student-athlete crap.
- Among the more annoying aspects of football circa 2025 and 2026 is the bow to “analytics.” In recent days I’ve seen coaches inexplicably try to convert fourth downs in their own territory, and fail. I’ve seen coaches strangely go for two-point conversions early, when it didn’t make apparent sense, then opt not to do so later. Three thoughts on analytics: 1) If you go on fourth down at your 35-yard line, even if you succeed, you’re still most often maybe 30 yards or more from a field goal and 70 or so from a touchdown, so risk vs. reward is not there. 2) A valid sample size for football is hundreds if not thousands of occurrences, so there are going to be a lot of times when the result is failure. 3) Coaches are dealing with humans, not calculators, so there is emotional letdown that comes when these sporting gambles fail. Can you say momentum?
- I’ve read many are picking Baltimore over the Steelers in their division title showdown Sunday night, some by lopsided scores. Mostly, these pundits are factoring in the absence of Steelers wide-receiver DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf due his suspension for lack of self-control regarding a fan. Considering my track record, far be it from me to pick a winner. But, I’ve got to think Steelers chances are enhanced considerably by the determination of Lamar Jackson to play quarterback for the Ravens and likely produce more of his patented big-game gaffes.
- Back in the 1970s, Steelers fans used to hate Howard Cosell of Monday Night Football fame. Foam rubber bricks were sold back then to throw at the television and Cosell without actually harming either. I wish I had one of those bricks to toss at Cris Collinsworth Sunday night should I watch the Steelers-Ravens game with the sound activated. Collinsworth picks a player to deify each broadcast and I suspect it will be his frequent favorite, Jackson. Never mind that Jackson never has taken his team to a championship, he’s Tom Brady with mobility in the eyes of Collinsworth. Maybe I should use a real brick. I’m due for a TV upgrade.
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