<p>Alabama had the ball down & with less than a minute remaining when McCarron fumbled and OK D returned for TD. Upset, yes. Butt-whipping? In the words of Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend”</p>
<p>The fumble was just further evidence of their ineptitude last night for a team which was largely regarded as unbeatable. Play the same game next week and there could possibly be a totally different outcome.</p>
<p>But yep, they got a good old fashioned butt whipping last night. The ensuing kickoff was just insult upon injury.</p>
<p>These bowl games are so meaningless. Get a playoff so there is meaning to the games.</p>
<p>
An eight-team playoff requires only 7 games.</p>
<p>What about the other 30 bowl games?</p>
<p>tom…did your team not make it?? ;)</p>
<p>We are going to Birmingham tomorrow for the Compass Bowl, which I know has everyone on the edge of their seats! (Vandy v Houston) Blessedly, it won’t be bitter cold. Apparently Legions Field is in a really sketchy part of the city and parking is horrible. Oh joy. Not to mention the distraction of our beloved Vandy Coach being linked to every high-profile coach opening in both college and pro football!</p>
<p>Hoping for at least one more upset…go Auburn!</p>
<p>The other levels of football all have 16-24 team playoffs that finish before the end of the semester. These games can be played between the 1st and second semesters in large part.</p>
<p>I really do not have a college team. I follow many and sometimes it changes season to season or player to player or if a friends kid attends a school.</p>
<p>As for all the teams that do not make the playoff allow them to play in bowls just like basketball has the NIT. In fact I believe there is a third post season basketball tourney now also.</p>
<p>Actually there are 2 additional post season tournaments, the CBI and the CIT. But your point is well taken. Generally, the only people who care about all the other bowl games are alumni and deginerate gamblers and Alabama certainly played like they didn’t care. But lucky for Bob Stoops this wasn’t a championship game where his record is 1-3 and he hasn’t won since 2000.</p>
<p>In many instances the teams do not care. Or one of the teams.</p>
<p>In many bowl games the stands are empty and they get no tv ratings either,</p>
<p>16 team playoff with conference champ getting auto bid. 1st round played at home field of the higher seed. Second round played New Years weekend at 4 Bowl sites. Semifinals played at 2 bowl sites. Can rotate year to year. Final game every year MLK weekend. Could even set up a fixed location like they do for the college world series in Omaha. Heck let Vegas hold the game every year.</p>
<p>16 is too many. But an 8 team playoff with conference champs of SEC, Big 10, Pac 10, Big 12, ACC & AAC (former Big East) with 2 at large bids would be perfect.</p>
<p>Go Tigers!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Whenever the Sooners aren’t playing well, Bob always has this hilarious, confused look on his face. He had it last night when they got off to such a bad start.</p>
<p>I would settle for 8 but 16 works. You see it at every other level of football.</p>
<p>Here would be the playoff this year
FSU-LSU
AUBURN-UCF
ALABAMA-ARIZ ST
MICH ST-OKLA ST
STANFORD-CLEMSON
BAYLOR-SCAR
OHIO ST-OREGON
MISSOURI-OKLA.</p>
<p>These match ups are as good as the bowl games and they are only the first round.</p>
<p>The above scenario shows how nice the playoffs are and how much of a pleasant departure the system will be from the current overly biased and manipulated affair. </p>
<p>If the season is too long, they can cut on the 1-2 filler games (or even more in some weak sauce conferences) that are lopsided affairs.</p>
<p>I also want the NFL to start the season after Labor Day. The Super Bowl should be the Sunday of Presidents weekend every year. They should work backwards from that date to determine the start of the season. Give every team one more bye week and start the season later.</p>
<p>Jay Cutler is now the highest paid NFL player. You have got to be kidding me! He is horrible.</p>
<p>[CHART:</a> Jay Cutler Is Now The Highest-Paid Player In The NFL - Business Insider](<a href=“http://www.businessinsider.com/jay-cutler-bears-nfl-salary-cap-2014-1]CHART:”>CHART: Jay Cutler Is Now the Highest-Paid Player in the NFL)</p>
<p>NBC and CBS will steam the playoff games over the internet. Nice.</p>
<p>[NFL</a> Playoff Stream - Business Insider](<a href=“http://www.businessinsider.com/nfl-playoff-stream-2014-1]NFL”>NFL Playoff Stream)</p>
<p>Cutler is guaranteed $38 mil for one year, $48 mil for two years at the Bears’ option, and $54 million for 3 years at the Bears’ option.</p>
<p>It is highly unlikely that years 4-7 will come to pass in the current form. If it does, it’s an average of $18 mil per year, which puts him in Matthew Stafford range. Not exactly breaking the bank.</p>
<p>There’s no signing bonus, so no cap hit to cut him loose other than what they pay him in salary.</p>
<p>Realistically it’s a two-year deal for $48 million, which is high, but the Bears can cut him loose after that without being in cap jail. And the yearly cost goes down from there. And even after this deal, the Bears are $25mil+ under the cap.</p>
<p>Compare that with Flacco’s contract which has huge signing bonuses and a much higher yearly average.</p>
<p>All in all, I don’t think it’s a bad deal for the Bears. Cutler probably left money on the table compared to if he became a free agent, and they avoided the hurt feelings the franchise tag would have caused (which also would have been $16+ mil against the cap). Being the “highest paid player” for a year is fairly meaningless because of the way bonuses are counted.</p>