Who Should Be the Next Michigan Football Coach

It is looking more and more likely that Jim Harbaugh is going to make the leap to the NFL.

I don't blame him. He accomplished his goal at Michigan. He was hired nine years ago and he said he wanted to restore Michigan into a national power. They just won the national title ten days ago. They have also won the Big 10 three times in a row and beaten the university of Ohio State three times in a row. They have had multiple players drafted. Michigan is as back as any college football team can possibly be.

I was talking to my dad earlier today and we discussed his possible jump to the NFL. I feel like he is still itching to win a Super Bowl, and since he won a college football title, a Super Bowl ring would be the icing on the cake for him as a coach. I also think he is sick and tired of the NCAA. They seem to have a vendetta against Harbaugh, and he is a grown ass man. Why would he want to deal with this? He has been proven innocent at every turn, yet the NCAA will not stop pursuing so-called "incidents" against Harbaugh. I get that he may have grown tired of the constant watchful eye of the NCAA. It is just like Pete Carroll when he bolted USC, and his transgressions were much more severe than anything Harbaugh is being accused of doing. I have read a bunch today that the Chargers are preparing an offer, although they are interviewing other candidates, but I feel it is just a matter of time. Harbaugh is most likely going to get an offer, and I fully expect him to take it.

So that leaves Michigan with a head coaching vacancy. I've seen names floated out there. Names like Lance Leipold, Matt Campbell, Chris Kleiman, and the worst on these lists, Brian Kelly. I don't want any of those guys to become the head coach at Michigan. Kansas is a fun offense to watch, but Leipold has zero expectations in Lawrence, and when they win eight games, that is a massive success. I look at him like I did Brady Hoke. He seems like a much better coach when he doesn't have massive expectations. I could say the same for Matt Campbell. He has done some solid things for Iowa State, but the shine is off him as a big time head coach to me. Iowa State hasn't been great lately, he is hot tempered and I think he might crumble the moment something goes wrong if he were to take over for Michigan. Chris Kleiman is exactly like Leipold to me. No frills, not very fun and doesn't have the will to win at a big time university.

And then we have Brian Kelly. I would be so very upset if Michigan even interviewed this guy. He is a phony, not the best coach, is very bad tempered, rubs people the wrong way, players don't really seem to like him all that much and has never won big. He has made one national title game, where his team was crushed. And that whole deal with his fake accent when he took the job at LSU, that was the final nail in the coffin for me. From that day forward my hatefulness for him grew infinitely. Michigan should not waste their time for one second with this egomaniac. I'm out on those four immediately. I don't even think Michigan should call them unless it is a last resort. And they should never call Brian Kelly. That guy stinks.

So you may be asking, who should they hire then Ty? I'll tell you. They need to stay in house. What they have done the past three years, with this staff, has been very impressive. They recruit players that fit their system, they get quality transfer portal guys and they have very good camaraderie. There are three guys I'd talk to already on the staff. I'd talk to Mike Hart. Jesse Minter and Sherrone Moore. Hart was a Michigan legend as a player. He might be even better as a coach. The running back room since he took over has been the best skill unit this team has. And the backs love to play for him. Hart is the hometown guy you kind of need to keep on your staff no matter what. Minter is young, just coordinated one of the most dominant defenses in the history of college football and proved he didn't need signs to do his job at an elite level. Minter has a sophisticated, NFL level defensive unit and has gotten better and better the past two years. He is going to be a head coach soon, so why not give him an interview where he is currently employed. I will say, I do think he will go with Harbaugh if Harbaugh asks him to go to the NFL. I think those two may be linked for a while now. And finally we have Sherrone Moore. This is who I want them to hire if I'm being honest. Moore proved his worth this season. He basically got an on the field interview during the season. Harbaugh was suspended the last three games of the season, the most important games, and Moore shined. He dominated a high level Penn State defense. He didn't call a single pass after the eight minute mark in the second quarter, and it worked. He then had a possible trap game with Maryland, that he came out with a favorable outcome. He then outcoached Ryan Day in the biggest rivalry game of the season. Moore took chances, seemed more comfortable with his players and trusted the rest of the staff that day. He also won two of those three games as the road team. Moore has called a solid, tried and true offense for two years. He has coached the o line for three years, and that may be the best unit on the whole team. He also proved his worth to Michigan four times this past season, three of which were tough games for a head coach.

Michigan needs to stay within the staff they already have right now if Harbaugh does jump like I expect him to. And they have three excellent options already on the staff. Do the right thing Michigan. Give Moore this job. He has earned it and he deserves it. This is the best option by a million miles if/when Harbaugh leaves. It has always been, and should be, Sherrone Moore. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Drama at Michigan Football is Not Over

Now that I have had time to kind of think about it, and after the turnover, which there may still be more of, I want to talk about Jim Harbaugh yet again.

Last week I was pretty frustrated with Harbaugh. Honestly there were times where I just wished he left and let Michigan football move on. Then I would settle down, try to figure out who they would get, and I would usually end up back at the fact that I wanted him to stay.

Well, after a long interview with Minnesota, and no offer being given, Harbaugh announced he was returning to Michigan and that this would be the last time he would entertain NFL offers. That remains to be seen, but at the time he said it, I kind of believed it. Michigan had already lost Mike MacDonald to the NFL, but I figured he was more of a rental from Jim's older brother. If he did good, he did great, he was going to be offered an NFL job. That was a given in my mind. But I figured no big deal, Michigan would lose maybe one or two coaches and keep the rest of the staff as together as possible.

Then yesterday came the big bomb. Josh Gattis, the Broyles award winner as the best assistant in college football, signed on with the Miami Hurricanes with the same job. I was pretty floored. Then I read about the "leaked text" to "a few offensive players", and I was an angry fan. I did not go online and gripe about it right away though. I sat with it. I do not know what happened behind closed doors. I am not privy to anything the coaches go through at Michigan. So, as someone that is not involved in any way, I think Gattis was upset that he was not the front runner to take over if Harbaugh left for the NFL. I wanted him if Harbaugh left, I read that some in the administration wanted him and I figured he was already the head coach in waiting. I guess he did not see it that way, and maybe he was not the front runner, so he left. He made a lateral move. I hope it works for him, I really like Josh Gattis. But I also do not like the way he left. I get hurt feelings and all, but to "leak messages", I have never been a fan of that tactic. It is a very high school move. But, best of luck to Gattis anyway.

I have also read that a certain other assistant, Mike Hart, is none too pleased with how Harbaugh handled this whole NFL interview. I get it. Harbaugh left everyone in the dark, and then just walked back like nothing happened. I am bummed on losing both coordinators, but I will be super duper bummed if Mike Hart leaves. He is a Michigan guy. He is one of their greatest players ever. He completely revamped the running game. The running backs looked like classic Michigan, and that is all due to Hart's coaching. I do not want to lose him and I hope the coaches and admin left are doing everything they can to keep him.

I also hope they are doing the same with guys like Matt Weiss, Sherrone Moore, George Helow, Steve Clinkscale and the rest of the current staff. I do not want any "splashy" hire or big name to replace the guys who left. Hire from within the program. Please. Try to keep some continuity. Keep this young, good and energetic staff as together as they possibly can right now.

Which leads me to Jim Harbaugh. Like I said, a week ago it was one day of wanting him to leave, only to have a completely different outlook the next day. But sitting in this, seeing the coordinators leave, hearing others may want out and contemplating what players may or may not transfer, I think Harbaugh might be getting a big time dose of medicine. It was clear he was doing what he wanted to do, when he wanted to do it, how he wanted to do it and he could have cared less about Michigan, the assistant coaches and the administration. He held them out to dry so he could go and chase a few NFL jobs. I said to both my wife and dad, about the only two people that will listen to me on this subject, that Harbaugh was handling all of these things the exact wrong way. You do not go out all blatant about interviewing for NFL jobs. You do not act flippant when reporters are asking questions. You should be in contact with the people who are currently on your staff. Harbaugh handled all of this like a spoiled child. He only thought about his interests and now has more overturn on his staff than he anticipated when he came back to Michigan.

All of that being said, I am happy he is back. I am glad that he is still coaching at Michigan. I said I believe him when he says he is done looking into the NFL. I feel like he will be able to keep Michigan competitive. He will have to make some new hires. He will have to tamp down the anger and frustration and anxiety that is going on with the staff and players. But I believe that he can do it, or do it enough that it does not affect the team too much. I'm still annoyed with how he handled this situation. I may be even a little angry still. But I am happy he is back as the head coach. I do believe that things will be okay in the long run. And I believe that he will have to eat a ton of crow and have a real talk with the players and the staff. But I think everything will be okay. Or at least, I hope everything will be okay. We will see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty's 2020 Big Ten Football Preview

The Big Ten starts, I believe, their fall football season tonight.

I am pretty conflicted about this. I haven't watched much college football, even less NFL, and with COVID cases surging in the Midwest right now, I don't think it is the safest thing to do. But they are barreling ahead and getting it started. They are doing an eight game abbreviated season, with the possibility of a ninth game. This affords them the chance to make the playoff, if they have little to no problems finishing the season. I think they will run into problems, every conference playing currently has had stops and cancellations and postponements, and the NFL has been even worse. But, I will watch, at the very least, Michigan. I am an addict, I love their football team and, while it is easy for me to skip a Clemson or Alabama game, I just can't do that with the Wolverines. And to be fully transparent, I will watch other Big Ten games. This is the conference I have grown up with, and I watch it more than any other. I will miss the freedom I have found myself having on Saturday's now, at least for the next eight Saturday's, but I know I will tune in when Michigan is on. That is who I am.

With all this being said, I am going to do a 2020 version of my preseason preview of the Big Ten. I will not go through each team, and give them sentences and where I think they will fall. I will give you all a general view of how I see the Big Ten season unfolding, and end it with some predictions, including the conference champ. Let's get to it. Right off the bat, I do think the Big Ten will run into issues with postponements. Some of the teams, if not all, will have some kind of outbreak, and they will have to shut it down for a week or two. We have seen it at small programs, and much bigger ones, namely Notre Dame and Florida. It is definitely going to happen in the Big Ten. That is how this has worked all college football season so far, and the Big Ten is not immune.

The university of Ohio State should roll. They have the easiest schedule in the conference. I'm not joking. They do not play anyone tough, at all. You can throw out Penn State or Michigan at me, and I'd counter with, PSU is missing their top running back and best defender, and Michigan has almost an entire new offense, and secondary. If the university of Ohio State doesn't go undefeated, it would be a major, major letdown from them. They have the best players in the league, and they were given as cupcake a schedule as a team can get in this weird season.

I think Michigan will be mediocre, but I do love that they are starting Joe Milton at QB. My dad has been high on him since day one, and I have become a fan over the past year. He is going to be good, but he will have some not so good moments. They also have an entire new receiving corps, save for Ronnie Bell. They also have four new offensive line starters. They also have an entire new secondary. The players are good, they just haven't played much, and Michigan has one of the harder schedules in the conference. I think, at best they are a 5-3 team, but they look more like 4-4 to me. I also think this is the time that Michigan fans should get really worried that Harbaugh might jump back to the NFL. I hope he doesn't, but you never really know what he is going to do. He is a great coach, he has made the Wolverines so much better than they were prior to him, and I'd hope he would stay because he is the king in Ann Arbor, but I just have this odd feeling he will seriously consider jumping.

Wisconsin and Penn State will be solid six or seven win teams, but they will not compete for the playoff. PSU doesn't have their top back, best defensive player, and they really kind of tumbled near the end of last season. I don't trust their pass game, and I think the odd season we have will hamper their offense. Wisconsin will plug in some other running back that will go for 1200 to 1500 yards, and their O line will be solid, but their passing game is super suspect, and I think they lost a good chunk of their defense.

Minnesota will be solid. They lost a ton, but they have their QB and one of their best receivers back. I am curious to see if last year was an anomaly, or a sign of things to come. There is always a team that explodes for one season, then crashes back to Earth. I think Minnesota is good enough to be an upper tier Big Ten team, but I want to see it first. They should have an explosive offense though.

Iowa has so many problems within the program that I don't see how that doesn't affect them on the field. Former players are calling for Kirk Ferentz to be fired. That has got to weigh on them. By the way, if all the stories coming out of Iowa are true, he has to be fired immediately. That is some heinous stuff.

Outside those teams, it is all kind of blended. Purdue was helped with Rondale Moore opting back in, but who else do they have? Northwestern has more stories about kids opting out than playing. What is going on in Lincoln? Is Scott Frost a good coach? Are they going to figure it out defensively? Who knows. Michigan State has a new coach and a whole new system, and they have problems within their program as well. Indiana will always be a tough out because that is the nature of their team. And the rest, Illinois, Maryland and Rutgers, they all have holes, but also some good guys and will play some fun games, but probably not win too many of them.

I think it goes without saying that I have the university of Ohio State winning the conference again, and they should do it going away. I also think Justin Fields will be the Big Ten player of the season. They should dominate. Outside of that, I am excited to see Joe Milton, Minnesota will be pretty good and PSU and Wisconsin will be better than average. Let's get to it, I guess. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Let's Talk About the College Football Problem

I've had a day, and a not so great night of sleep, to think about the Big 10 canceling fall sports this year. I know the Pac 12 did too, and that the three other power 5 conferences are trying to continue with a fall season, but this piece is about my disappointment, my understanding, my fears and my distaste for how the NCAA treats its student athletes in the Big 10. The other conferences, quite frankly, I could care less about.

Say that college football does play a season, or attempt one in the fall, I am sure there will be stops and starts and players getting sick, players opting out and coaches whining and complaining about the "sanctity of the game". People in the South will riot if they don't get one Alabama or Texas game, so I am sure that their AD's and president's are going to do whatever, including endangering children, to play some football. Anyway, like I said up top, I am disappointed. I am feeling things that I have never felt before. I feel heartbreak, and not like when you break up with someone.

College football, Michigan football, these have been two of the most constant things in my life. They have always been there. Every fall since my existence they have played. This year they won't. I feel like something was stolen from me, like a piece of me is simply gone, almost like a limb has just disappeared. That may sound dramatic, but that is how I feel. I look forward to fall. I like the weather, but more importantly, that is when Michigan takes the field and I have twelve to thirteen weeks of angst, exuberance, anger and joy all at once. When the Wolverines take the field, I hang on their every play, good and bad. I know it may sound sad, but it is true. Outside of family, Michigan football is the only thing that I have ever truly loved. Now it is gone.

There are a myriad of reasons for the loss of Michigan football. I mentioned all the maskless idiots, the people who think CoronaVirus is a "hoax", the MAGA dummies yesterday. After reading why this happened, I found out new things that are happening behind the scenes. One thing in particular that doctors are seeing in young athletes who have had Covid and supposedly recovered from it, they are having heart issues or complications. The doctors have seen this in at least five Big Ten athletes, and they say that others who have recovered are saying they are having heart issues as well. This is what made me stop and really think, is it worth it? Do these young kids really need to risk the rest of their lives to play ten football games so I can yell at them through my TV screen? I know they want to play, they say they want to play, they have been at school gearing up for this, they have spent their lives dedicated to this game, but why on Earth would you want to risk your long term health, especially when you don't see a dime for the work you put into this sport.

That is another big time issue I have with all of this. All of these people who say it is a "hoax", all of the Big 12, ACC and SEC fans calling out the Big 10 and Pac 12 today for canceling, do you really think the NCAA cares about these kids and their want to play? There is no way in hell that I will believe that for one second. The NCAA makes money hand over fist off these football players. The schools do too. So do the coaches. But the kids, what do they get? They get a free education you may come back at me with. Okay, so a free education is worth risking their lives to you armchair QB's? These kids going out and playing a sport where spit and sweat are going to be flying all over the place and they will be so much more susceptible to contracting this virus because of that, you are okay with that? The fact that they will bash into one another for three plus hours once a week is fine because you need your football? That is all BS. These "fans" that say these things are no better than the NCAA and Mark Emmert and the presidents of the schools that voted to cancel this fall season.

I firmly believe that the powers that be in the NCAA were afraid because college athletes were starting to use their voice, and the possibility of them unionizing was becoming more and more real by the hour. I fully believe that the Big 10 and Pac 12 commissioners were much more apt to cancel when they figured this out. They just used the CoronaVirus as the face. I am sure both things factored into the decision, but in the long run, and it saddens me to say, I think the NCAA is becoming fearful that players were going to start to get what they truly deserved. They were going to get more than an education, which they most certainly deserve. The NCAA saw this, and they knew they needed to act now. The fact that it was the Pac 12 and Big 10 that canceled first is no surprise. They have schools that actually care about academics, and don't hold football over everything else. The Pac 12 and Big 10 formed groups that were making demands that any regular working person gets. There are smart kids at these schools. Northwestern, Michigan, Purdue, Washington, Oregon, Stanford these schools are just as hard to get in as a regular student. Throw on the athlete part, and it is even tougher. The NCAA and Mark Emmert thought they could pull one over on these kids, these kids who give them free labor while making them millionaires. But these kids wouldn't stand for it. They made a list of demands, the NCAA and the two league commissioners saw this and they had to shut it down. The kids were becoming too powerful for them. That is so sad. It is sad because they chose their own power over safety. Again, they will use the pandemic as the face to shutting it down, but people in the know know that it was these kids finally having leverage that caused the cancellation.

The same kind of student athlete activism isn't going to happen in the South. The Alabama's of the world, the Texas', the Clemson's, they don't give a rats ass about these kids, they just want some football. And when these kids are no longer good to them, to hell with them, bring on the next guy they say. But what will these diehard fans do if one of these kids, one of the star kids gets Covid and has to miss the season? How will Clemson fans deal if Trevor Lawrence gets it because he is supposed to be a football robot? Or how about Sam Ehlinger at Texas? Or Najee Harris at Alabama? If one of these kids gets it, that team's season is all but over, if they actually do end up playing. How will fans of those teams feel then? Will it be next guy up, or will they actually realize that it is too dangerous to play a sport like football right now? I don't know, and that is the scariest thing of all of this to me.

I was so angry, I was depressed, I am still feeling feelings I have never had just like I said up top, but I do get why they are doing it. I get both the ethical and unethical parts of it. It's upsetting, but canceling, and I don't for one second think a spring season is viable in any context, is the necessary thing to do. Just look at how poorly the MLB has done, and that is a professional league with the best doctors and training staffs in the world. At the end of the day I am upset, but I will get over it. I am hopeful to see college football, the Michigan Wolverines that is, next fall.

While I don't think this is a death knell for the sport, I do think the players need to continue pushing and demanding more rights. If anything, they have the time and the backing of many, many people now. I also don't think the long term risks outweigh the short term happiness any lazy ass American sitting on their couch will get this fall. While I am sad, I will get over it and I am pretty sure I will see Michigan play football again in the Big House with 100,000 plus fans maybe as soon as next year. Right now though, I get why they had to cancel. They had no choice. I will be curious to see if other leagues do play, if they even get close to finishing and who opts out and who stays. Time will tell.

This is a wild time we are living in right now, and it seems to get worse and worse by the day. Football should be the least of our worries right now. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Mike Gundy, a Profile in Idiocy

So, can someone explain to me why Oklahoma State still has Mike Gundy on their payroll? Sure, he is good for seven, eight, maybe even nine wins sometimes. He has coached some pro talent players. He has had Oklahoma State in the thick of Big 12 races. But, with the state of the world today, and the fact that he wore that god damn shirt, why is he still employed?

Gundy apology was false, and seemed forced. There have been stories released recently that he has said racial epitaphs in the past. He has shown that he has a very short temper and will fly off the rails. He has that stupid, redneck haircut. And he fully knew what shirt he was wearing the other day. He is clearly one of these far, far, far right wing nut jobs. He probably owns more than one of those shirts. He took a picture knowing that it would be posted on social media. He has shown that he supports the current "president", and has never backed away from it. Mike Gundy is, was, and always will be a racist. The fact that he didn't do or say anything prior to his star running back saying he wouldn't be involved with the university until this was addressed speaks volumes. He didn't care. He didn't think. He put on a t shirt that is a conspiracy theory right wing nonsense network, and knew it would get out. Then the star player says something, he happens to be African American, and all of the sudden Mike Gundy is talking about the "error of his ways", and how "things need to change".

I don't buy it for one single second. He would have never said or done anything had the current situation been different. Hell, when/if the college football season starts, and if Oklahoma State starts to win, no one will bring this up. And that is the problem. He has not been fired because Oklahoma State was a perennial whipping boy before he arrived. And while they aren't great by any means, they play a fun offense, and find a way to make bowl games more times than not since he took over. But that is beyond the point. And before people say, "he is a republican, why can't he support his party? ", or "why does everything have to be so politically correct now?", that is not my point. If he is a republican fine. Things are very different now, so people in the limelight should at least try to be politically correct. That is the truth. But this goes beyond political correctness or being a republican.

The problem is Gundy’s choice of apparel. That shirt with OAN on it, that is a conspiracy theory news publication that has some of the most hateful and hurtful speech in the current media. If you want to be disgusted, go check out some of their stuff. It will turn your stomach. So for him to be wearing that shirt, that means he not only supports it, he believes it. He is part of the problem. He is the type of person that wants four more years of this. He is the type of guy that would call me and my family a "sheep" for wearing a mask in public. He probably thinks the Coronavirus pandemic is a myth. He has issues, and they are scary issues. I support Chuba Hubbard so much more than I will ever support or respect Mike Gundy. He is a young, influential black man, he saw a problem and he addressed it. He did what he felt was right, and what was actually right. Mike Gundy is a racist. Chuba Hubbard shouldn't have to play for him if he doesn't feel comfortable. There are a ton of colleges who would love to have him on their team right now. He should be free to transfer anywhere he wants.

It is time for the Mike Gundy's of the world to be held accountable for their horrendous actions, and to support the Chuba Hubbard's of the world, who see a problem and want it fixed immediately. Mike Gundy should be gone, he should be fired. The ball is in Oklahoma State's court now. Lets see what they do. Hopefully it is the right thing. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Michigan State Football is Again Making the Wrong Kind of News

Keeping with my theme of sports or upbeat pieces lately, I come to you with a sports piece today.

So, I know it is going to seem like I am attacking Michigan State, and people will immediately assume that because I am a die hard Michigan fan, I just cannot escape all the bad press that is coming out from the football program in East Lansing since Mark Dantonio resigned a few months ago. It was reported last night that there are new allegations, and this is all that it is right now, allegations, that Dantonio had staffers film other teams practices.

This is wrong on so many levels. Do you all remember the first Patriots scandal, all the way back in 2001? The one where they were accused of filming the Rams practices ahead of the Super Bowl that year? You do. Well, this is just like that, except the report said they did it for every team they were facing. That is bold, it is the definition of cheating, it is morally wrong and it should be another blow to this football program that so desperately needs to get hit hard by the NCAA.

The NCAA, and Mark Emmert for that matter, come off so holier than thou, but with bigger name programs, lately, they seem to simply slap them on the wrist. At Michigan State and the University of Ohio State there have been reports of abuse in the wrestling and gymnastics programs, and nothing has come to light yet. The whole Penn State thing was a disaster, and they got a two year bowl ban and some scholarships taken away. Urban Meyer has been a proven cheater, and recruited some not so great kids, yet he is looked at as a legend. Ole Miss looked like they were going to get sanctioned to hell a few years back, but they were able to recently hire Lane Kiffin, for better or worse. It just seems like the NCAA doesn't really care if the school is making them money hand over fist, which Michigan State football has for the past decade. This is a team that was perennially ranked in the top 25, made a playoff appearance and won a Rose Bowl. They are NCAA darlings.

I think the NCAA feels like they don't need to do too terribly much because Michigan State became a household name under Dantonio. But, last offseason the whole Larry Nassar scandal broke, and that opened the flood gates to their sports programs. Every sport was seemingly involved, but especially the football program under Dantonio's watch. There have been multiple sexual and physical assault claims that directly involve former and current players. There were the excuses of injuries and the media as to why they haven't been as dominant. There were the multiple cover ups by coaches. There was steroid use with some of the better players. And now we have the filming accusation. All of this is bad, every single bit of it, and filming practices should be the straw that breaks the camel's back. And before all the MSU fans get all up in arms and call me a hater or whatnot, if this were Michigan you'd be so much worse about it. What MSU did is immoral and wrong on every single level.

As bad, or blight as this may sound, lets take away all the abuse and steroid stuff, and just focus on the filming. SMU's football program got destroyed for giving kids money to come play there. That is far less worse. Michigan basketball got crushed after the Fab Five era because of money. Reggie Bush had his Heisman taken away because USC gave his mom a house so she could be near him in college. These things are far, far less destructive than abuse, steroid use and filming practices. How immoral and gross and seedy do you have to be to film another team practice? Why do that? What edge does it give you? did they not think they would get caught? The Patriots, a professional football team, got caught. Of course MSU was going to get caught.

With each passing day since Dantonio's unexpected resignation, the stories get worse and worse. What I want to know is all the stuff. What else did he try to get away with while coaching that team, and who else was involved. All these stories coming out have already begun to tarnish any type of "legacy" Dantonio had as a coach. Now I wonder how the NCAA will respond. Are they going to go with the slap on the wrist, or are they going to make a big boy decision. Time will tell. But all in all, this doesn't give MSU a good look.

Not at all.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Should We Care that Mark Dantonio Has Retired as the Michigan State Football Coach?

Yesterday, as a shock to me, but maybe it shouldn't have been, Mark Dantonio stepped down as the head coach of the Michigan State football team. Now, since Kobe Bryant tragically died, I am trying to not be so judgmental about sports figures. They are people just like me, who happen to have their entire lives on camera. They are constantly in the limelight. But, this was a hard one for me to not be cynical, or laugh about.

First off, the entire Michigan State sports program is guilty of some seriously heinous crimes. I know they locked up that one monster, but still, many, many stories have come out about the other teams there, and the football team is one of the biggest culprits, and it all happened under Dantonio's watch. He has recruited, and stood up for, student athletes that have been accused of things like sexual and domestic assault, robbery and not going to class. He has stood up for these kids. He said glowing things about them. Hell, this season his best defender was suspended for steroids. And what did Dantonio do you ask? Well, he stood up for him, said the test was wrong, then when it was revealed that it was true, and only then, was he forced to suspend him. Note, he never kicked him off the team, just suspended him for the season. That player is gone now, but still, he should have been kicked off the team. But Dantonio never did that, and stuck by his side. You may read that and think, what a class act, but remember, he was standing up for a player that was knowingly taking steroids. Hell, I wouldn't be shocked if Dantonio himself not only knew about this, but encouraged this.

That is one of the many reasons why I find it so hard to say nice things about him. I will say, he did lead his team to the College Football Playoff one season, but their QB that year was a known racist, and he had a few sexual offenders on the roster of that team. And he did have a winning record against Michigan, but look at who was coaching those teams. In Dantonio's first year, he said some garbage, had a 14 point lead, but Michigan came back and won. This spawned the whole "little brother" thing, of which I am not a fan of, and Dantonio used this to amp his team up. And it worked. But, it worked against Wolverines teams coached by Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke. He got fat off of two of the worst head coaches that Michigan has ever hired. Harbaugh was 3-2 against him, and if it wasn't for a ridiculously muffed punt, he would have easily been 4-1. Also, the one was when Michigan had John O'Korn at QB. Take that as you may.

Outside of the Michigan rivalry, Dantonio was a fine coach, but a coach that constantly made excuses, and blamed everyone but himself. When the University of Ohio State would beat his good teams, he would blame officials, or injuries. Injuries have been his biggest gripe these past couple of years while MSU has struggled. I can't take this seriously because every team has injury problems. Alabama lost their star QB this year and still won 11 games. The University of Ohio State lost two QB's one season, and won the CFP. Clemson's star receiver, Tee Higgins, was in and out of both playoff games this year, and Clemson still made it to the title game. Every team suffers injuries, and most coaches don't blame their downfall of the team on that. Dantonio did all the time.

This resignation isn't all too wild given the accusations lobbied against the university I should suppose. I feel like this may be the start of something big, not in a good way, at MSU. I heard a report, and this is all conjecture at this point clearly, that Tom Izzo is thinking about stepping after this year. That wouldn't shock me. Izzo has been fervent that he isn't going anywhere, but so was Dantonio. He got his bonus, and two days before national signing day, he bounced. Who's to say Izzo won't do something similar when the basketball season is over.

Also, I feel like Dantonio is leaving the football team in a bad place. He said some nonsense when he took the job about never leaving them in a bad spot. But, they are coming off two very subpar years, they are still stuck in the past offensively, their defense isn't as feared as it used to be, and the Michigan State football job isn't a super desirable one. I already saw that Matt Campbell, Iowa State's head coach, has declined to interview. And looking at the names that are on their list, well, Luke Fickell is the "best" name on there. I honestly don't know why any major head coach, or coordinator, would want to take on a job like this. As I said, I feel like Dantonio saw the writing on the wall, got his money and bounced before his name could be dragged. It will still get dragged, but he is so oblivious to any of that, he probably thinks this will clear his name.

Finally, Dantonio compiled a nice record as a head coach, but he was also a major asshole, a curmudgeon that blamed everyone but himself and was starting to fall off. So, while this surprised me at first glance, after I thought about it for a day, it makes sense, and I am curious to see what happens from here. As I stated, I think this is the first of many dominos to fall at MSU. It has taken too long, but I think the walls are starting to close in now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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LSU is a Champion that Makes Us All Awestruck

Last night, after what seemed like an eternity between games, the college football playoff, and season, came to a close.

If you had told me before the season started that a team like LSU would revolutionize their offense the way they did, go 15-0 and make it look easy against a team on a 29 game win streak, with one of the greatest QB prospects of all time, I would have laughed directly into your face. But, that’s pretty much what happened. LSU hired a great offensive mind to put this team into the modern era in college football, and boy did they do some magical and astounding things on that side of the ball. Also, seeing Joe Burrow transform into a super accurate, mobile and efficient QB was a thing of wonder. I remember watching LSU get beat by UCF, I think 2 seasons ago, in a New Years 6 bowl, and Burrow getting absolutely bullied by their defense. Hell, last season he threw for 16 TD’s, and LSU looked as stagnant as ever. Then, Joe Brady comes along, Ed Oregeron goes and recruits supreme athletes and Burrow threw for 60 plus TD’s this year. I can’t even do that in video games. And the speed, and up tempo-ness with which this offense played this year, it was a blast to watch, and I’m not even a fan. Also, that running back, Edwards-Helaire, man is he like a super strong version of Darren Sproles. He was so good all season, and was extra sensational last night. Even the defense, which has been their calling card, while not great, is still very, very good. Grant Delpit is a star. And that D line, my goodness are those kids big and fast and nasty, in all the right ways. That Clemson even made this a close game into the third quarter, was impressive. Clemson is a great team, an elite team, an all time great team, but LSU was special this year. I feel like this season’s LSU football team should go down as one of the greatest college football teams in history. The way they modernized their offense, the players they had that won all the awards, the defense figuring it out after the Ole Miss game, the coaching staff being as productive and efficient as they could possibly be, beating all those top 10 teams, and taking down this Clemson dynasty, it was truly incredible. They were must watch TV all season. I stayed up late to watch this whole game last night because I wanted to see if they could actually pull this off. I wanted to really see if Burrow could do it again. I wanted to see those receivers against top notch defensive backs. I wanted to see what Edwards-Helaire would do. I wanted to see Coach O, or hear him is more like it. And, like I said, I had zero rooting interest. But I am a college football fanatic, and when a team this dominant and fun and likable comes along, I want to take it all in because it doesn’t happen that often. Sure, Alabama has been dominant, but they were never this fun. The University of Ohio State is elite, but they cheat and I hate that team. Georgia is bland. Oklahoma is one dimensional. Even Clemson is kind of blah at this current time. To see a team like this, it’s magical. I’m also happy for my friends that are LSU fans. I know they’ve waited awhile to see their team play this well.

My hat is off to LSU. They earned this title, and then some. This is a season that will go down in history, and man was it fun to watch. Congrats LSU. It was a well deserved title.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Elite College Players Should Sit Out their Meaningless Bowl Game

College football bowl season kicked off this past Saturday. Some notable teams played, like Arizona State, Eastern Michigan and Utah State. The "bigger" games will start ramping up very soon. In 12 days we have the playoff semifinals and the first of the New Year's Six bowls kick off. What I want to talk about today is the players who are skipping the game to prepare for the NFL draft.

This really became a thing a few years back. I remember when Christian McCaffery did it while at Stanford. I remember Jabrill Peppers saying he was hurt 2 years ago at the Orange Bowl, but I believe he sat it out to preserve himself. Leonard Fournette did it while at LSU. The common thread for these players was the fact that the teams they were on did not play in the playoff, so why risk injury in what is a glorified exhibition game? When Peppers did it, I was frustrated because I knew he could have helped Michigan win. When McCaffery and Fournette did it, I didn't really care. Now it has become a common theme. Big time underclassmen who declare for the draft are starting to sit out non playoff bowl games more and more. And, while I said I was frustrated that Peppers did it, I understood why.

Now, I fully support these players who skip a meaningless bowl game to get ready for the NFL. These kids are getting ready to go into their professional careers, so why risk a fluky injury in a pointless game? Jake Butt, a former Michigan tight end, played in that very same Orange Bowl that Peppers sat out, and in the fourth quarter of that game he tore his ACL. Prior to the bowl game he was a 2-3 round pick easily. After the injury he dropped to the late fourth round, and he has only played in a few NFL games. He also tore his ACL again. Peppers, on the other hand, is a starter on the Browns. He plays safety, nickel and returns kicks from time to time. He has not suffered any bad injuries either. He made the correct decision. I know that Butt had to prove a bit more, Peppers was a sure fire first rounder, but still, had he sat out that game, he could have easily been a second round pick. And look at what McCaffery is doing in the NFL this season. Sure, his rookie year was a struggle, but now, he and Cam are the focal point of that Panthers offense. I know they have struggled of late, but McCaffery has been putting up great numbers this year. Fournette was a huge reason why the Jaguars were so solid last year, and it was because he was fresh and healthy as a rookie. He logged a ton of carries last year and was the focal point of their offense. All of this happened because he had the time to get prepared for his career. He didn't waste his time with pointless practices and a pointless game.

This year a bevy of top prospects are siting out their bowl games. Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Clemson will have all their guys, but that is because they are in the playoff. Houston though will be without Ed Oliver. ASU didn't have N'Keal Henry for their game. Michigan will be without Rashan Gary and possibly Devin Bush. West Virginia won't have their star QB Will Grier. Memphis will be without their all purpose stud running back. Same for Kentucky. There are some others that I can't think of off the top of my head, but I know the number of players sitting out is well into double figures.

I cannot blame these kids. They are getting ready to go play a sport where the people in charge don't really care about you when you are past your prime. The NFL chews up and spits out players left and right. So why would these kids, playing in minor to non playoff bowl games risk any minimal future they may or may not have in the NFL? If they were to play in their bowl game they could end up with the same fate as Jake Butt. I don't think Rashan Gary or Ed Oliver or N'Keal Henry want, or should have to, risk that. Hell, and if the NFL doesn't care about them, the NCAA sure as hell doesn't care about these kids. To the higher ups in the NCAA, all these kids are are money makers for them. These kids don't see a dime for playing at their respective schools. When I was in Ann Arbor earlier this year for a game I saw a ton of people in number 3 Michigan jerseys. Gary didn't see a single dime of that money. It all went to the school. Sane thing for Houston games. I saw a ton of people in the crowd with number 10 jerseys. You think Ed Oliver saw a dime of that? No way. I respect these kids for doing this. You should preserve yourself so you are fully ready and healthy to play at the next level. This is a smart, forward thinking move. If you are not playing for a title, why risk the injury concern, especially if you are a sure fire first round pick? And for the kids that play in the bowl games, I do love it still. Some are seniors, and this is their last chance. Some will be getting time for the players that are sitting out, and this is their chance to shine. Younger players get a shot and more practice time.

The bowl games are made for a good amount of the college players, just not the first rounders not playing in the playoff. I fully support the decisions of these players, and will continue to. Would I like to see Gary suit up and play in the Peach Bowl? Absolutely. Do I hold ill will because he is sitting it out? No way. He is the doing the best thing for him and his family. NCAA football players are smart and they are doing the right thing in saving themselves for the pros when they have a shot to make it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was going to sit out the SeedSing.com bowl, but we promised him a few kickbacks if he played. Welcome back Ty.

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Liar Urban Meyer is Probably Lying About His Latest Retirement

Artist Depiction of Ty every few years when Urban decides to “retire”

This morning I woke up to the news, much like everyone else that follows college football, to the news that Urban Meyer is stepping down after the Rose Bowl.

It is like deja vu. I have seen this story before. I have heard the whispers and the whining and the acting and the destruction that he has left behind before. I have bore witness to this whole story about 10 years ago. He left Florida after a supposed heart condition. His Florida teams were good, playing in major bowl games, winning a national title, but the last few years there his teams weren't winning like they had before, and he saw some other teams, (clears throat) Alabama mainly, coming on strong. He saw the writing on the wall, spent his last season at Florida saying he wanted to be with family, his health was concerning him, and he had to step away.

Meyer then proceeded to take a few years off from coaching. But, he did do television. He was okay enough to fly around the country calling games for ESPN, and work those crazy hours with his "heart condition", but he claimed he couldn't coach.

Then the University of Ohio State went through all the Jim Tressel stuff, had to fire him, and they had to move to an assistant to take over for a year. It was one of the not so good years for them, and the Meyer rumors started. Remember, he left because of a "heart condition", but after a few years away, I guess he felt good enough, and was cleared by some quack doctor to come back and coach at his "dream school".

Now, to get off his case for just one second, he did wonders there. He won a national title. He had a consistent top 10 team. He never lost to Michigan. He never lost to Penn State. He dominated the Big Ten pretty much. Meyer is a hell of a college football coach, but he is a miserable human being, and he is a liar. Back to the hatred.

Before this season started the stories came out that he lied about covering up domestic abuse. I have given more than my share on how I feel about all of this on the site and the podcast. This is a vile, heartless, disgusting and disturbing thing he did. He covered for a guy that was doing cocaine on camera, hitting his then wife and constantly cheating on her. Meyer cared more about winning than helping this poor lady that was abused in more ways than one by a friend of his. That is appalling. The fact that this story dropped before the season started, and he was caught red handed lying to everyone, should have been more than enough to fire him. What did the University of Ohio State do though? They suspended him for three games. That's it. Three non essential games that they could have won with Lee Corso as the coach. What a shame.

When he came back Meyer all of the sudden started to look tired and distressed on the sidelines. Then his team started to really struggle against the lower tier of the Big Ten. They struggled with Nebraska, Minnesota and Maryland. Then Purdue crushed them. Those teams are a combined 21-27. I know, believe me I know, I wrote about it, exactly what they did to Michigan. But even during that game, Meyer was doing his same acting he did for the majority of the year when he came back. We could see the camera find him and he would be doubled over and grabbing his head whenever there was a tense moment in the game. People claimed he would be near passing out before, during and after games. Dumb ass announcers proclaimed that he was "coaching through so much pain. What a warrior" they would say.

This was all an act. I will believe that to my grave. He knew what he did was wrong. He knew he lied and he knew he got caught. He knew the hammer was going to come down on him one way or another. And like a grounded child, or an adult that has never faced any real consequences for their horrid actions, he pretended to be hurt. He pretended that he was in some unfathomable pain that no one could ever understand. He wanted people to feel sorry for him. He wanted an excuse so he could walk away, just like his ending at Florida.

This is an all too familiar story with this asshole. I'm curious if he was forced to retire. I'm curious if there is some sanction writing on the wall that he knows is coming, and he wants to get out before all that comes down, just like at Florida. I want to know the truth. I want to know why he picked now as opposed to earlier this year, or way, way far in the future.

I also know Meyer claimed today that he is done coaching forever. I do not buy that for one single second. I have already heard multiple credible sources say that he is just waiting for the USC job to open. I also heard that his real "dream job" is Notre Dame. I would be curious to see if he dips his toes in the NFL, but that would be a colossal failure. He is not a NFL coach. Not even close. This "retirement" is just as fake and phony as his "retirement" from Florida.

Urban Meyer is a liar, a cheater, a whiner, a crybaby and a despicable person. I do not now, nor will I ever, believe a word that comes out of his mouth. He wants people to feel sorry for him. He wants us to cry for him. He wants us to remember him as a coach that left at the top of his game. That is not how I will remember him at all, and it has nothing to do with my Michigan fandom. I've already talked ad nauseam about how he owns them. I will remember him as a liar and a coward. And when he comes back in 2 or 3 years, and he is suddenly "healthy" again, I'll be just as ready in 6 or 7 years when he gets caught cheating or lying once again, and he announces he is "retiring" to be with family and to get healthy.

Urban Meyer is a liar. He is a despicable human being. I will not miss him for one single second. Good riddance.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Does OSU want Ty to come and visit. Let him be the one to slam the door on Urban Meyer’s ass when the coach leaves and Ty will be there.

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Ty's Mid-Season NCAA College Football Redo

I know that I am about a week or so late, but I need to do my mid season college football check up. Boy, was I very off on 2 of my four playoff teams. I was also wrong about a few teams, both good and bad, from the power 5 conferences. I'll go through each conference with a short little redo, and then I will pick my new winners, most should be the same, and my new playoff teams. I will also pick a new Heisman winner.

Okay, lets get to it.

First off, lets go to the ACC. I mean, does any other team matter in this conference besides Clemson? They are so far ahead of every other team. They are like the Warriors of the ACC. I thought Miami could give them a fight, but they have stumbled as of late. They can't find a QB and their defense, while still very good, cannot win all the games they play. FSU is a total mess. They looked to be getting back to normal, but then Clemson came to town and everything came crashing down again. UNC is mediocre. So is Pitt. Virginia Tech has stumbled big time since Old Dominion beat them. NC State has lost their last 2 after starting 6-0. Louisville, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Virginia are all at, or around .500. Duke is okay. But, Syracuse might be Clemson's biggest "threat". Clemson owns the ACC, and they will continue to for many years to come it seems.

The Pac 12 is a lot like the ACC, except they don't have a dominant team. At one point this season it looked like Oregon, Stanford or Washington could fight for a playoff spot. Oregon just got smashed by a 4-5 Arizona squad, Stanford, who is again making me look foolish, just cannot get it together, most recently losing to Washington State. And Washington might be one of the most disappointing teams in all of college football. They just got beat by Cal, and only scored 10 points in that game. USC is in a tail spin. Colorado just blew a 28 point lead to Oregon State, who is awful. Arizona State has some okay wins, but they are very blah. UCLA is STRUGGLING in Chip Kelly's first year. The only 2 teams that are kind of consistent are Washington State and Utah. Utah is solid in all three phases,  but they don't blow anyone away. Washington State throws and throws and throws the ball, and they have the best record, at 7-1, but their defense will doom them. I was made a fool again by Stanford, and they have no shot at the playoff or the Pac 12 title. So, I guess that I am going to go with WSU, but I have zero confidence in their defense. I wouldn't be shocked if Utah does find a way to win the conference.

Up next I want to go to the Big 12. The Big 12 is solid, but the Big 12 does not play defense. Oklahoma, even with the lone loss to Texas, is still the best team to me. They have a great, great offense. They play zero defense, but when you score upwards of 50 a game, that doesn't really matter. Texas was the darling of the conference for a minute, but they got beat by Oklahoma State, and Tom Hermann made an ass of himself in the process. Oklahoma State is okay, but they are no real threat to Oklahoma. West Virginia has a great QB in Will Grier, and they can run, but their defense is suspect. TCU has fallen off a cliff. Iowa State is still a tough out, but they are no better than a 7 or 8 win team. Kansas has won 3 games, which matches their total from the last three years, which says all I need to about their program. Kansas State is having a very down year. Baylor should not be allowed to field a team. And Texas Tech is the same every year. They can air it out and they can't stop anyone. Oklahoma has the best player and the game against Texas feels like an aberration to me. They will win the Big 12.

The SEC is all about Alabama. Sure, Georgia is a top 10 team, but they have their own problems. Florida is much, much better under Dan Mullen, but they are not at Alabama or Georgia's level. Texas A&M is better under Fisher, but they still have a long way to go. Kentucky is a top 15 team, but they needed a timeless down to beat Missouri. LSU has been very, very solid all year. Their offense isn't great, but they have signature wins and a tremendous defense. Tennessee is still trying t get back to relevance. Missouri has a very good QB, but a horrendous defense. Vanderbilt stinks. Arkansas is worse. Auburn is right there with Washington as a disappointment. South Carolina is average. So is Ole Miss, who should be sanctioned to hell soon. And Mississippi State has been wildly inconsistent. Alabama is Alabama. They seem unbeatable. They are top notch everywhere on the field. Tua Tigaviola is one of the best college QB's I have ever seen. They got Jalen Hurts to stay. They have threats all over the field. Their defense is amazing. Alabama is the Death Star of college football. LSU has the best "shot" to beat them, but they won't. Alabama is going to roll the rest of the season, especially through the SEC.

The final power 5 conference, is my conference, the Big 10. The Big 10 has been wild, disappointing and surprising this year. Nebraska is not very good. Sure, they have won 2 straight, but against real teams, they have been dominated. I think Scott Frost will turn it around, but it will take time. Minnesota is struggling to find an identity under PJ Fleck. They started 3-0, and are now 4-4, just barely beating Indiana last week after blowing a 4 score lead. Rutgers is a tire fire, but they did show signs of life 2 weeks ago against Northwestern. Indiana has a better defense than normal, but they cannot put together a full game. Maryland is about to go through the ringer with the NCAA, as they should, and they are mediocre. Illinois is bad. Lovie Smith looks like he now hates coaching football. I wouldn't be shocked if he steps down at the end of this year. Purdue started 0-3, then won 4 straight, one of which was a thrashing over the University of Ohio State. But, they just let Michigan State manhandle them. Michigan State, who also shouldn't be able to field a team with the offseason stuff, is average at best. They do have a good defense though. Penn State is all about their QB. They go as he goes, and luckily for them, he is usually pretty good. Wisconsin doesn't have a good enough QB, their O line isn't as stout as it was last year and their defense is a mess. They just got manhandled by Northwestern. Speaking of Northwestern, that team has just found ways to win their last couple of games, 2 over once ranked teams. They aren't the best, but they are currently in first in the Big 10 West. and I didn't forget about Iowa. Iowa should have beaten Penn State, but they didn't, and that may haunt them. They are a bit more fun on offense though. The University of Ohio State had an atrocious game their last time out. Apparently they have some inner turmoil with the staff. Urban Meyer is a liar and a phony. And the team is very average on defense. Their offense however is explosive. They are a very, very light version of Oklahoma. And then there is my team, the Michigan Wolverines, winners of 7 straight. First off, I still have my doubts about this team. It took them forever to pull away from MSU. I know that is a rivalry game, and it was on the road, but they were the much more talented team. I also watched them struggle mightily to beat Northwestern in person. They also didn't really blow out SMU like they should have. It took them until the third quarter to pull away from Wisconsin. They start off too slow. If that happens this Saturday, at home against PSU, that could be a problem. Now for the good. They are much better on offense this year. Shea Patterson has shown that he is easily the best QB in the short Jim Harbaugh era. They can run the ball. I love Karan Higdon. The receivers are big and strong, and Tarik Black could be back this weekend. The O line has been better. The defense, in their last game, absolutely shut down MSU. Since week one, the defense has been solid. They have the pieces in place to actually make a run. They have a tough game this weekend, they then have to travel to Rutgers, and road games are tough, then they get Indiana at home, but for the past 6 or 7 years it seems, Indiana plays them very tough, and they finish out the season in Columbus. Where we sit today the Wolverines are in complete control of their side of the Big 10. I am very curious to see how they play now that they are expected to win. That hasn't been the case sine Peppers was a Heisman finalist, and they stumbled to finish that season. Saturday will show me a lot about this team. That game will determine how they finish. They are now the team with the bulls eye on their back. Lets see which team shows up. Right now though, and I do not like doing this because I am a pessimist when it comes to anything Michigan related, I am going to go with the Wolverines to win the Big 10. They should.

As far as teams outside the power 5, Notre Dame is going to get in the playoff as long as they win out. They have the win over Michigan to open the year. They went to Blacksburg and won. And even with struggles against Ball State and Pitt, they still found a way to win. UCF still hasn't lost in a game in almost 2 years. They may not have a tough schedule, but you play who you play, and they have beaten all comers. Mackenzie Milton is awesome too. Houston is really good, and they have the best defensive player in football in Ed Oliver. And Utah State and Fresno State are having a flash back to the early 2010's, finding their way into the top 25.

As far as the Heisman, I had Bryce Love to start the year. I was very, very wrong. He, of course, has been perpetually hurt all year. Tua is going to win. He is putting up monster numbers on the best team in college football. Tua is the best QB Alabama has had under Saban as well. He is an amazing talent.

The playoff, this was tough for me. The first official rankings come out tomorrow, and while that will most definitely change, I know 2 of the teams that will be there will be in my final four. Going from 1-4 I have, Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame, and number 4, the toughest one for me to pick, I am going to go with Oklahoma. Michigan will be the team left out. Oklahoma has the great, probably Heisman runner up QB, Kyler Murray. They also have an easier end of season schedule than Michigan. Oklahoma should run the table the rest of the way. Michigan could too, but they could also lose a couple of those games. Like I said, the last time they had expectations, they stumbled. Oklahoma is going to be able to outscore every team left on their schedule and in the Big 12 title game. They then get the unfortunate task of playing a rested Alabama team. Alabama is so much better than EVERY team in college football. They win with ease. So does Clemson in the 2-3 game. Notre Dame has not, and will not, face a team as talented as Clemson the rest of the year. Clemson will dominate that game. So, we would get, for the third time in the four year history of the college football playoff, a Clemson-Alabama game. And, Alabama will cruise. They are so, so great. They have stars all over the field. You know how I said that Clemson is the Warriors of the ACC? Alabama is the Warriors of all of college football. They are so dominant.

Now, with only 5 weeks of regular season games left, I think a lot of this could change. But, where we are now, at this point in the year, this is my redo. These are my changes. Lets see how these picks pan out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The Wolverines could every game the rest of the year, including the National Championship, and Ty would still not be optimistic on Michigan’s chances this year. The terrible life of a superfan.

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A Few Thoughts on the Winners, and Whiners, of the College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff is set. From 1 to 4 the teams are Clemson, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama.

Now, before I get into my predictions, let us first talk about Alabama getting in over the University of Ohio State and USC. I'll touch on USC first. USC made a late season push. They proved that they are the best team in the Pac 12 by winning the title game, and closing the season pretty strong. Sam Darnold looks the part that many hoped he would when the season started, they have a tremendous run game and their defense has been pretty solid. But, early season losses to Washington State, and a blowout loss to Notre Dame doomed them. They also struggled with Texas earlier this year, in California. But, they smashed Stanford early on, and then beat them again in the Pac 12 title game. They also beat UCLA, albeit in a close game, and smashed a bunch of teams people thought would give them a game. But, in the end, the damage early in the year was too much to overcome. They had a great season, and they play in a pretty good bowl game, but they just couldn't sneak into the playoff.

As for the University of Ohio State debate. Before I get into this, I'm not going to trash them because I'm a Michigan fan. I'm going to trash them because of their ignorance and complaining. Last season the University of Ohio State got into the playoff, even though they lost at Penn State on a blocked field goal return for a TD. They did not play in the Big Ten title game, but they claimed that a conference championship game didn't matter. They finished the year 11-1. and they felt they had a better resume than Penn State, who beat them and won the conference title game. I HATE Penn State as well, so I am not making excuses for them. But, when the University of Ohio State plays in a conference title game this year, win it, but don't make the playoff and complain, you should see why I have a problem with their whining. They are hypocrites. They only want stuff good to happen for them when it benefits them. Look, they got crushed, at home, early in the season against Oklahoma, a playoff team. Oklahoma went to Columbus and trashed them. Then, later on in the year they went to Iowa and lost by 31 points. They gave up 55 points to that "dynamic" Iowa offense. This is exactly what happened to Penn State last year. They lost an early season game at Pitt, and then got smashed the very next week at Michigan. The committee has stated that big losses, no matter when they occur, matter in the end. I've read all the social media heat. People are pissed that a conference champ from a power 5 conference didn't get in. But, the same exact thing happened last year, and no one batted an eye when the University of Ohio State got in over Penn State. So, for all you University of Ohio State fans, it doesn't feel good to be on the opposite end of some bull shit, does it? But, do not bitch and moan, you guys got in last year on the same merit that Alabama got in on this year.

Alabama getting in over Ohio State and USC, I'd have no problem with it, but Nick Saban went on ESPN Saturday night and cried and whined his way into the playoff. Based on their last 2 games, they are not a playoff team. Now, give me a neutral site, and have Alabama play either school, I'd probably pick Alabama. But, it is not as clear cut as it was earlier in the season. Also, Alabama's best win is probably over LSU, but they are not the LSU of old. I know that the FSU game on the opening weekend was a big time matchup at the time, but it has looked worse and worse every week. And Saban's complaints about injuries and the like, shut up with that nonsense. Every team suffers injuries. Michigan played 3 different QB's this year. Auburn's star running back is currently hurt. Wisconsin lost their best linebacker before the year started. The University of Ohio State had to go to a backup QB in the Michigan game. Stanford dealt with Bryce Love injuries all year. Miami lost their best running back early in the season. FSU lost their star QB in the first game. Every team has to deal with injuries. Injuries are not why Auburn beat Alabama. Auburn was a much better coached and more physical team that day. That is why they beat you.

But, Alabama whined your way into a first round matchup with the clear cut number one team in the nation. Which, is my segue into my playoff predictions. So, the 1-4 matchup is Clemson-Alabama. This is part three of the series. The first 2 matchups have been great, and I think the same thing will happen in this game. Clemson is the best overall team in the country. Their defense is ferocious. They can attack you from so many different angles. Brent Venables may be the best defensive coordinator in the country. Their offense may not be as good as last year, but losing a Deshaun Watson type player would do that to any team. That being said, Kelly Bryant is legit. Clemson has a great running game. They have solid receivers. They have a pretty decent offensive line. They are just an overall solid team. Alabama has a great defense that will get some of those injured players Saban was whining about on ESPN the other night. They have a great defensive line, pretty good linebackers and a solid secondary. Where Alabama gets tripped up is their offense. They are predictable, which is fine when you face FSU or Mercer or Tennessee. But, Clemson will shut them down. Alabama thrives on their run game, but Clemson will stop that and force them to pass. And, as long as Clemson can limit Calvin Ridley, they should win the game. Jalen Hurts has proven he cannot beat you through the air. Clemson is a better team, and they should win by at least a touchdown. I think getting the line backers back at Alabama will make this game closer than it should be, but I have Clemson in a relatively low scoring game.

The other match-up of Oklahoma and Georgia, the 2-3 game, these  teams couldn't be more different. Oklahoma is very mediocre on defense, but they have the best offense, by far, in all of college football. They want to get in a track meet. They can run the ball and they can sure as hell throw the ball. Baker Mayfield, much credit to RD here, is going to win the Heisman, and that dude can sling the ball. I may not like him as a person, he is way too arrogant, but that dude is a great college football player. Oklahoma wants the ball and they want to score and score and score as much as possible. Georgia is an old fashioned team. They want to run the ball, kill clock and throw 5 yard outs to their tight ends. They are not an explosive offensive team, but they have the best backfield in all of college football. Sony Michel and Nick Chubb are amazing. They also have some stud freshman that steps in from time to time. Jake Fromm is not an all world QB yet, but he can manage a game. Georgia is stout on defense. They have shut down every team, with the first Auburn game being the lone exception. They are legit. This game is going to go one of two ways. Either Oklahoma gets the track meet they want and blows Georgia away late, or Georgia is able to stop one aspect of the Oklahoma offense and win an ugly, low scoring slugfest. I think it will be the track meet. I think Oklahoma's offense is way too good to stop. And say Georgia does somehow stop the passing offense, Oklahoma can run the ball extremely effectively as well. I say Oklahoma wins this game with a late 4th quarter run by about 2 scores.

That gives us 1 versus 2 in the title game. I am going to take Clemson to repeat. They will stop Oklahoma. Oklahoma will play in this game like they did the second half of the Iowa State game. Clemson is so fast, disciplined and awesome on defense. Kelly Bryant will also catapult himself as the 2018 Heisman front runner in this game because Oklahoma will not be able to stop him. I have Clemson winning this game fairly comfortably. They are the better, more seasoned team and their coaching staff has been here before. It is going to be a repeat and get used to Clemson being in the playoff. Maybe they are the new Alabama.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. No talk of UCF Ty? He is not interested in seeing another overrated feel good college football story get beat by 40 points by a real team. The truth hurts.

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Jimbo Fisher Going to Texas A&M is a Real Head-Scratcher

I was going to write about a movie today, but more pressing news has surfaced, and no, I'm not talking about Flynn pleading guilty, I'll let RD handle that. The news that I speak of is about another coaching move. I know that I have been talking about sports and coaches a lot lately, but this is a big, big deal. And no, I'm not going to write about the possibility of Mike Leach to Tennessee. I'll save that for next week, or whenever it happens. The news that I speak of was just reported by multiple sports sites, and that is that Jimbo Fisher has resigned from Florida State and is expected to take the head coaching job at Texas A&M.

I have a bunch of mixed feelings about this move. First, and foremost, I think that A&M did Kevin Sumlin dirty. That dude took this team to places that they haven't been since the 1960's and 70's. He was 26 games over .500 as a head coach there. He had a winning record in the SEC. He coached a Heisman winner. He won bowl games. Kevin Sumlin should have never been fired in the first place. But, they let him go, and seemingly, they got their man. They are going to give him an enormous deal, something like 8 or 9 million a year over 9 or 10 seasons. That is a TON of money. I get him leaving FSU for the money, and there is no state tax in Texas. But, the money shouldn't have been the major selling point for Fisher. Fisher has plenty of money already. The dude got paid the moment he took over for Bobby Bowden. He didn't need the money. So no, the money wasn't why he left FSU, at least not in my opinion.

There could have been many other reasons why he chose to leave now. This season has been a disaster since week one. I picked FSU to win the title, then Alabama crushed them and their star QB. They went on to lose 5 of their next 9 games. Where we sit today they are 5-6, needing to win their last game, which is a make up due to the hurricanes, just to make a very low level bowl. Maybe how rough this year has been was a reason for him to want to leave. Maybe he doesn't see it getting any better than this. Maybe FSU is going to be a 7-5 or 8-4 team for the next couple of years, and Fisher probably didn't want to deal with that.

But, Texas A&M is no world beater. Sumlin didn't deserve to get fired because that team won 8 games this year. A&M is considered decent with 8-4 records. The SEC is much, much harder than the ACC. Had he stayed at FSU, he could have turned it around and been in the national title picture as soon as next year. Now, he has to face teams like Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State on a regular basis. I do think the SEC is overrated, but I'd much rather be a head coach in the ACC. The best teams in the ACC, outside of FSU, are Miami and Clemson. That is it. I do not like him taking this job if he is looking to be a constant title contender. As long as Nick Saban is still coaching Alabama, every single coach in the SEC will be ranked behind him, no matter what. If he thought FSU was tough, just wait until he starts going 4-4 or 5-3 in the SEC. It is going to be brutal.

Fisher is also a guy that doesn't care for fans confronting him. A fan this year yelled at him after an early season loss, and he yelled back. That shit is going to happen weekly at A&M if he doesn't beat teams like LSU and Auburn on a yearly basis.

Maybe he left FSU because he did all that he could there. He won a title. He won multiple BCS bowls. He won a New Year's 6 bowl. He too coached a Heisman winner. Maybe he wants a new challenge. I get that, and I think it may be the best reason why he would leave FSU. Maybe he wants to see a new college town. Maybe he is as obsessed with football as most people are in Texas. Maybe he wants to see how fertile the recruiting grounds are in Texas as compared to Florida. These are all reasonable excuses as to why he wanted to take the A&M job. This is the one reason that I will accept.

The more I think about this move, the more confused I get. I'm not confused from an A&M standpoint. They got exactly what they wanted when they wrongly fired Sumlin. They had one guy in mind, they threw as much money as possible at him and they got him to leave a great situation to come coach their team. The AD and the boosters and whoever else was involved did everything to get the guy they wanted. I am confused by why Fisher would want this job. I'm confused for all the reasons I laid out up top. I'm confused because he seemed to have carte blanche at a college football powerhouse. I'm confused because he was already making a ton of money. I'm confused because he had a good team set in place for next year. I'm confused why he wants to leave a less competitive conference, where the path to the playoff is much easier, to go to a tougher conference.

We will see how this all shakes out as the next couple of years go on. I am sure a bunch of key contributors to A&M this past season will transfer because Fisher is going to bring in a whole new staff and system. I'm also curious to see who FSU goes after now because that is a good job, and that team has some good players, including Deondre Francois and Cam Akers. This is all very bizarre, not Tennessee bizarre, but still bizarre. I just don't get it, but hey, Jimbo Fisher can do whatever the hell he wants to do, whether I agree with it or not.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is still not available to coach at Tennessee, but Florida State? Give him a call and find out.

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The Disaster at Tennessee is the Biggest Question of the NCAA Coaching Carousel

The NCAA football coaches firing and hiring has begun. Last week I touched on 2 schools, Florida and Tennessee, that were in need of a new coach. Before I get into the meat of my story today I need to touch on something else involving college football coaches real quick.

First off, I am so very annoyed at all the Jim Harbaugh to the NFL rumors. Every offseason this has happened for the three years he has been at Michigan. It is great to have a coach that is this high in demand, but I'd like him to either commit or leave. I'm so sick of this happening every time at this time of year. After year one at Michigan it was the Colts. After year 2, it was the Rams. Now, about a month before their bowl game, it is the Bears. If he leaves after just 3 short years, when he gets to do whatever he wants, and is the most important person at the University of Michigan, whether you'd like to admit it or not, before beating Ohio State, or any highly ranked team, and before he gets to fully realize the potential of the kids he recruited, that would be a shame. I didn't want Harbaugh at Michigan in the first place because I knew this was going to be a yearly thing, the rumors, but now that he is there, and has been a damn good coach for this team, I do not want him to leave. I truly hope he stays, but you never know with coaches nowadays.

Also, Texas A&M did a stupid, stupid thing in letting Kevin Sumlin go. That guy had 56 wins over 6 years, was constantly in bowl games, coached a Heisman winner and got A&M up to number one in the country one year. If they don't get Jimbo Fisher, they are screwed. Sumlin did more than enough to keep that job, and A&M gave him the shaft. I hope Fisher passes on the job and they have to scramble to get a coach.

Other jobs opened since last week, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Nebraska, and I'm sure they will all vet out some decent candidates. But, all this turnover is why no team, or teams can stay relevant for long. As stated, Texas A&M was number one a few short years ago. Now, after winning 8 games this year, they fire Sumlin. The reason that teams like the University of Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn and Oklahoma are always relevant is because they have a consistent coaching staff, or head coach. Urban Meyer has turnover with coordinators every year, but he is still the head coach. That never changes. Same with Alabama. While the coordinators leave for other jobs, Nick Saban is the constant. Auburn, after a failed experiment with a coach I cannot even remember, hired back Gus Malzahn, who was their offensive coordinator when they won the title, and they are a big time contender once again. The reason why, recruits and players are familiar with Malzahn and Auburn. And even with the whole weird Bob Stoops offseason, Oklahoma kept Lincoln Riley, the offensive coordinator, and they are playing like Stoops never left. With consistency comes winning and competing every year. I wish more colleges, and some coaches, understood that.

Now that all of that is out of the way, lets get to what I wanted to really talk about today. As I wrote last week, Florida and Tennessee were searching for new coaches. As I was hanging lights outside my house yesterday, my phone buzzed and told me that Florida was finalizing a deal with Dan Mullen, and Tennessee was doing the same with Greg Schiano. Florida got it right was my first thought. They got a guy familiar with the team, and had major success at Mississippi State. It is truly a homerun hire. But, the Schiano news shocked me. It felt like Tennessee was grasping at straws. I knew they were never going to get Jon Gruden, but Greg Schiano? What the hell, I thought. Then more and  more stories started to come out yesterday about how bad a hire this was.

Schiano is currently the defensive coordinator the University of Ohio State. Their defense is okay, but not great. He was also a failed NFL head coach, and had a "whopping" 68-67 record as the head coach at Rutgers many years ago. All of these stats came out yesterday after the announcement, but my bewildered mind just couldn't grasp the hire. I mean, it is Tennessee, they can get someone better. People were calling this one of the top ten worst hires in any level of sports of all time. People pointed out his subpar record as a head coach. People also talked about the job he had done this year. Then some people brought up the fact that he may or may not have been involved with the Penn State scandal. This brought up a whole new set of terrible circumstances. It got so bad, the local government was threatening to get involved.

So, after about half a day worth of getting the shit kicked out of them, Tennessee pulled the offer. It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever witnessed. First off, this make Greg Schiano look like an awful football coach and person. Not many teams, at least power 5 teams, will ever look at him the same again. This whole debacle will make him an assistant coach for life. Or, if he wants any shot at being a head coach, it is going to have to be low level division one, or maybe, division 1-AA.

Second, and most importantly, this makes Tennessee look like a tire fire that will comply to whatever boosters and fans say. If I were a major D-1 coach looking to move up in the college football coaching world, I would stay very, very far away from Tennessee. This is a terrible, awful look for them. After their pipe dream of Gruden fell through, it seemed like they just threw a dart and picked the first person they landed on. Then, when that choice backfired, they pulled the plug. It is a real mess in Knoxville. It got so bad that someone said that their best option may be Lane Kiffin now. They already danced that dance and it was dreadful. Hell, I don't even think Kiffin, or Derek Dooley for that matter, would want that job now. Hell, their best, and maybe only option at this point, could be interim coach Brady Hoke. Yikes. I went through that Volunteer fans, and I promise you, you want no part of that. Tennessee has a real problem on their hands, and I do not know how they bounce back from this. And Greg Schiano comes off almost as bad.

This was just a wreck from the moment it was announced yesterday. Who will Tennessee go after now, I don't know. I mentioned Hoke. But, the guys I mentioned last week, Justin Fuente, Memphis' current head coach, a lower level assistant at a major program, those type of coaches are more than likely off the table. Tennessee is going to have to dig very deep in the trash pile of coaches looking to get back in the college game. Maybe they will go after Bret Bielama now that he is available, but I don't think even he would take that job now.

I would end this by saying good luck, but after yesterday, Tennessee needs a miracle to get any kind of prominent coach. My good luck does them no good at all. They are in a bad, bad place right now, and it is going to be a long while before they get up. Hell, maybe they should have kept Butch Jones around after all.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has been waiting for his shot at a head football coaching job for years. He will keep waiting if Tennessee comes calling.

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The SeedSing 2017 College Football Preview

Before I get into my 2017 NCAA football preview, please try and do anything and everything you can to help out the people in Houston. What is going on there right now is horrifying and terrible and the people of that city need our help. You can donate at many websites, text 90999 and write HARVEY or, if you are in the area and safe, try and help others. I hope this all ends soon because this is catastrophic. No one deserves what is happening in Houston now. Go out and do whatever you can to help.

Okay, now lets get to my preview.

My 2017 NCAA football preview is going to be like my other ones. I will break down the "power 5" schools, mention some non "power 5" schools, pick the playoff, the championship and the Heisman winner. I'll pick the winner of each conference too. Okay, here goes.

I'm going to start with the Big 12. The Big 12 is about the 2 Oklahoma schools. Oklahoma is going to be good. They still have Baker Mayfield, and they recruit with the best schools in the country, and they get some of the best players. However, they lost Dede Westbrook and Semajie Perine. Those departures will be enormous. Baker Mayfield is a legit Heisman contender, but he has an entire new crew of skill players. They also lost Bob Stoops to retirement. That was bizarre. I wrote about how weird his retirement was about 2 months ago, and I am still confused as to why he walked away this year. But, Oklahoma doesn't rebuild, they reload. They will still be very good. Oklahoma State is going to be absolutely lethal on offense. Mason Rudolph is going to put up incredible numbers. This year will be Oklahoma State's best chance to knock off Oklahoma. They have a stacked offense. Their defense is kind of suspect, but in the Big 12, defense is sometimes optional. I have seen some websites and other publications say that maybe TCU can compete, but that all depends on Kenny Hill. If he looks good, they could be a 10 win team. If he falters, they will be lucky to be .500. They also have a very shoddy defense, which used to be their calling card. Texas is welcoming Tom Hermann as their new head coach, and I think some people have a bit too much optimism. I'm a little more pessimistic. They have a lot of newer starters that need to learn an entire new offense. I don't doubt that Hermann can turn it around, I just think it may take 2 or 3 years to get his type player. Their defense is atrocious too. Baylor is about to get hammered, as they should, with NCAA sanctions. That school's football program is filled with scumbags. They deserve all the bad things that are coming their way. Kansas may win 4 games this year, which would be a massive improvement, but they are a basketball school. That much is obvious. Iowa State is very mediocre. Texas Tech will score a lot of points, but they will give up more. I think that the honeymoon with Kliff Kingsbury is over. He is firmly on the hot seat. Kansas State will play hard, but they just don't have the talent to be hyper competitive. West Virginia may surprise some teams, but they are the epitome of a 7-5 team. They always start out hot too, but flame out. Expect that this year too. I'm going to go ahead and give Oklahoma State the nod in the Big 12 this year. Oklahoma has too much to replace, and they play a few good teams outside of their conference schedule. They also, inexplicably, lost their head coach. This is Oklahoma State's best shot to win the Big 12.

Lets now move to the very overrated SEC. As long as Alabama is in this conference, and they keep getting the best recruits, I'm going to go with them. They are the preseason number one. I know that they lost some guys on offense and defense, but they always do. They always have some blue chippers ready to take over for some first round draft pick. They lost that monster D-lineman to the draft, they have D'Shawn Hand to replace him. They lost OJ Howard, but they have Steven Ridley and some 5 stars ready to step in at tight end. They also get Jalen Hurts back. That kid was great last year as a true freshman. He looked so poised and composed. He is going to make a tremendous leap. Look, I hate Alabama, but I cannot deny their greatness. LSU should be good, but this is the first full year under Ed Orgeron. I now they looked different at the end of last year when he took over for Les Miles, but teams now have an entire offseason to prepare for him. They do have Derius Guice, and he looked awesome in his playing time behind Leonard Fournette last year. He filled in great for him when he got hurt. LSU also has a very stout defense, as always. The question marks for them are all the same. How will their QB play? Can they utilize their receivers properly? Will they choke in big games? Time will tell. I think they will be better than last year, but I still think Alabama is better. Auburn is back to being an 8 or 9 win team. They run the ball exceptionally, but they have no passing game whatsoever. Their defense is fine, but just fine. Gus Malzahn may not be the great head coach that they thought they got a few years back at Auburn. Georgia has some great running backs, mainly Nick Chubb, but their QB situation is not ideal. They had a 5 star kid start last year, and he looked like a freshman more than a star. They signed some other 5 star kid this offseason, and they are in a battle still to see who is going to be the starter. I'd stick with the kid from last year, but the fact that he is in a battle is a bad sign. They do have a decent defense, and Kirby Smart will turn them into a top 15 overall defense soon. Georgia may be looking at another 8 win year, but look out for them in a year or 2. Ole Miss is a mess due to their creep of a former head coach. They are going to get crushed by the NCAA. I'm sick of all the Tennessee hype every year. I do not believe one thing I hear from that team during the offseason anymore. Their coach should have been let go last year. Florida has a great defense, but that offense leaves a ton to be desired. They did get Malik Zaire to transfer there, and he could help them a lot, but he hasn't had a ton of time on campus. Their defense will keep them in every game, but they need that offense to get up to speed. Arkansas will be highly pumped up during the offseason, blow some games and finish 7-5 or 6-6 again. That is the Bret Biliema way. Texas A&M is wildly inconsistent, and they just lost Myles Garrett. They will most likely win 7 games again. Then there are the mid level to bottom feeders. The Missouri's, Vanderbilt's, Mississippi State's, South Carolina's and Kentucky's of the SEC. They may all be .500, but that is because they will schedule 3 cupcakes, and then beat up on each other. The upper tier SEC teams will hammer these teams. Obviously I have Alabama, no matter who they play in the SEC title game, to win the SEC.

The Pac 12 is down. The Pac 12 may be worse than the ACC now. Sure, Washington, USC and Stanford are highly rated. Hell, I have seen some people pick USC to win it all. But, I remember the last time USC had all this hype. They finished 7-6. This USC team will be better though. Sam Darnold is legit. He is very, very good. He is all around solid, even exceptional. They have some good skill guys too, and a pretty good defense. But, I'm always wary of a team that was going to fire their coach early during the last season, then playing really well down the stretch, then getting all the offseason accolades. Those teams never seem to live up to the hype. Washington was in the playoff, but we all saw what they looked liked against real competition. Alabama destroyed them. That game wasn't even close. They have an incredibly easy out of conference schedule, and they will win double digit wins, but when they have to face the big teams, they just can't match up. Their QB is back, and he will put numbers, but not against the top teams. I really like Stanford, and they completely dominated a much worse Rice team this past Saturday. They ran up and down the field on them and they stopped everything Rice tried to do. Stanford is going to be very good, but when will they have that one game when they blow it? It has happened for the past couple years. But, David Shaw might be one of the most underrated coaches in football. He is great. I do not know what happened to Oregon last year. They cleaned house, and I do like the hiring of Willie Taggert, but this team is playing a ton of new players. They might not be the hyper fast offense that we have all become accustomed to. And their defense might be worse than most of the defenses in the Big 12. Utah is solid, but they will only win 7 or 8 games. They have to replace a lot. They are kind of like the Kansas State of the Pac 12. They play hard, but they just aren't as talented as the upper echelon teams in their conference. UCLA is average. Josh Rosen is not the next great QB. They don't really have hyper athletic skilled players. Their defense is average. This is a 7 win team at best. Jim Mora Jr may be gone after this year. California is the Texas Tech of the Pac 12, but they give up more points. Arizona is learning that Rich Rod may not be the great coach he was when he was at West Virginia. This team has really faded in the last 2 years after climbing into the top 15 in Rich Rod's first year. Washington State might surprise some people. They have a tremendous offense, and their defense, if they need to, can make plays. Mike Leach is an odd dude, but he is an offensive mastermind. Washington State could win double digit game this year. And if they don't, they will be in every game. Colorado played very well last year, making it to the Pac 12 title game, and I expect them to continue being a competitive team in the Pac 12. They are on the up swing, but they need to break in a new QB and other new skill players. Arizona State's time as a "perennial top 25 team" never really came, and they are just a run of the mill team that has some wild uniforms. They will continue to be a 6 or 7 win team. I also despise their coach. Oregon State has gotten better the past 2 years, but they are still a ways away from being at the top of the conference. USC will get all the talk, but I like Stanford to win the Pac 12 this year. They need to replace a guy like McCaffery, but that should benefit them, as they won't be so reliant on one player. They will be a full team, as opposed to one guy being the focal point. I also really like David Shaw. He is, by far, the best coach in the conference.

The ACC is going to be much better than it has been in a long time. Clemson will take a step back, but they are the defending national champs. They have to replace a ton of production, but they have some good players ready to step in. They will not win the national title again, let alone the ACC. But, they will compete. Florida State looks like the team to beat. They have so much talent coming back. Sure, the lost Dalvin Cook, but they have Deondre Francois back, and that kid is amazing. They also have some pretty great skill guys. FSU is also stacked on defense. On paper, this team looks incredible. We will find out a lot about them this Saturday night when they open the season against Alabama. That is going to be an epic game. At least it should be. Miami is another team I like in the ACC. Mark Richt is a good head coach, and he is turning that program back to being relevant. They won't be the Miami from the early 2000's, but they are going to be very good this year. I could definitely see them win double digit games this year, and be a force in the ACC. Virginia Tech is another team on the up swing. They have a very good defense, and I know they lost their QB, but they will be able to plug and play some new kid, as long as he can manage a game. This team wins by stopping the other guys and ball control. And they have the talent to do that this year. Louisville returns Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, so you cannot count them out. Jackson kind of fell off at the end of last year, but he still won the Heisman as a 19 year old. He is a very good QB. They don't have a ton of talent on defense, but they can still manage to get stops. This team is all about Lamar Jackson, and in college football, that is just fine. Georgia Tech will be a headache, they run that triple option, and I could see them winning a few games they shouldn't. Pitt is atrocious on defense, and they lost their excellent running back, James Connor, to the NFL. They might take a step back this year. Duke is fun to watch at times, but they don't have the guys to make any real noise. Same thing with UNC. They play a fun style of offense, but they just can't matchup with the top 25 teams. NC State, Wake Forest, Boston College and Syracuse are also rans. NC State may win a game they shouldn't here and there, but they will not matter in the end. Boston College will have a very stout defense, but they will lose so many games with scores like 7-0, 10-7 or 6-3. They just can't score. FSU is the clear favorite to win the ACC, and I am not going against the pack on this one. FSU will win the ACC.

The last of the "power 5" conferences is the Big 10. I am a Michigan fan. Duh. I'm very curious/excited/nervous to see what this team will look like in 5 days. A BUNCH of people are expecting them to take a major step back. They have to replace 17 starters. That is a lot. But, all the kids there now are Harbaugh's recruits. These are the type of players he wants at Michigan. I want to see how they perform. I want to see if Harbaugh is the great coach that he has been ordained to be. Most publications pick them to finish fourth overall in the Big 10 and third in their division. I have seen their win totals range from 8-11. I would be very disappointed if they only won 8 games and finished third in their division. I think they will be better than most people are saying. I think they can win double digit games. I love that they open with Florida and that they have a tough conference schedule. But, they get Ohio State at home this year and Florida has suspended, the last I checked, 7 players for this opener. I think Michigan will be better than 8 wins. I think they should win at least 10 games. Most of the hype in the Big 10 is being placed on the University of Ohio State and Penn State, and rightfully so. Both these teams appear to be loaded. Both these teams ended the regular season strong. But, both lost their bowl games. I have much more faith in the University of Ohio State living up to the expectations than Penn State because they always have high expectations. The University of Ohio State will be fine, if they beat Oklahoma at the beginning of the year. Penn State hasn't been in the spotlight, at least not for something good, and neither has James Franklin, in a very long time. The way they ended last year seemed very, very fluky to me. Like I said, they have a very talented team, but this is a team that got scored on a ton against a very mediocre Pitt team last year. This is a team that was floating in obscurity until the University of Ohio State played their worst game all year. This was a team that got Wisconsin on their worst defensive performance of the year in the Big 10 title last year. They got a lot of breaks last year. Let's see how they do with the bulls eye on them now. Wisconsin will be very good once again. They will run the ball a ton, control the clock and let their stacked defense get stops for them when they need to. They will most definitely be a major factor in the Big 10 all year long. After those teams, it gets very murky. Who knows how good Minnesota will be with PJ Fleck as the head guy. They could be very good, they have a good run game, but how will their passing offense look and how will that defense play? Don't forget, they let Rutgers stay in, and almost win, the game they played last year. Northwestern is on a lot of "sleepers" lists, but aren't they every year? They have a good run game, but I do not buy Clayton Thorson as a legit QB threat. They also have a very mediocre defense. Pat Fitzgerald might be the most overrated coach in all of college sports. But, people seem to think this Northwestern team can make noise. I am not one of those people. Maryland has a good defense, but their offense is abysmal. They have zero play makers and they will struggle with the top teams in the Big 10. Indiana is going through a coaching change, and they need to break in a new QB. But, they always have a very good run game, and they need one because that defense cannot stop anyone ever. Nebraska is okay, but I cannot figure out what to make of this team and Mike Riley. Does he want to run the ball like he did at Oregon State, or is he going to use the spread game? Who is going to be his QB? Who is going to be their bell cow running back? How is their defense going to look? This team is a mystery. Iowa will always be one of the tougher teams to play at home. But, they have no real QB or receiver threat. They do have some good running backs, but with teams loading the box, that won't matter. Their defense will be good though because it always is. This team has 7 wins written all over them. Michigan State will not be as bad as they were last year, but they won't be much better. They do not have that crushing defense from a few years back and they have no real identity on offense. Mark Dantonio may be coaching for his job this year. If they get 7 wins, which I think they can, he should be fine, but if they slip to 5 or 4 wins, he may be looking elsewhere for work next season. Then we have Purdue, Illinois and Rutgers. This is the bottom of the barrel in the Big 10. Rutgers will be lucky to win 2 games. Purdue is going through yet another coaching change. And poor Lovie Smith, Illinois is bad. As much as I loathe and am disgusted by this team, god damn University of Ohio State will probably win the conference. JT Barrett is a really good college QB and their defense is stout. Penn State may make it tough on them, so will Wisconsin, and Michigan, while young, should be in the race all season long.

As far as non "power 5" teams, South Florida and Boise State are about the only ones worth talking about. Notre Dame also bears mentioning, but they need to fire Brian Kelly right away, especially if that team comes out the way they did last year. They only won 4 games last year. That is unacceptable. Boise State bears a mention because they have earned it. They are always playing tough teams, beating them sometimes, and then running away with their conference. And South Florida is the Western Michigan of this year. They may go undefeated, but playing in such a poor conference and playing a weak out of conference schedule will leave them outside the top 10 all year. They are a very, very good football team though. But, no one outside of the "power 5" will make the playoff.

Which leads me to the playoff. My four teams, in order are FSU, the University of Ohio State, Alabama and USC. I think FSU will beat Alabama this weekend, take over the one spot and never relinquish it. The University of Ohio State will get in by beating Oklahoma early in the season and winning every game from there on out. I already have 2 undefeated teams in my playoff. Alabama will lose to FSU then crush everyone else on their way to another SEC title on a revenge style run. And even though I'm pessimistic about teams getting major accolades after starting out a season very bad, then finishing hot, and even though I picked Stanford to win the Pac 12, I think USC will get the nod with only one loss, where I think Stanford could have 2 losses, but still be in, and win, the Pac 12 title game. That would match up FSU and USC and Alabama and the University of Ohio State. I have FSU in a walk over USC and I have Alabama going to their second straight title game in a very close game over the University of Ohio State. And in the rematch I have FSU coming out on top once again. FSU is so very, very talented, and I think they will be your 2017-18 NCAA football champs. As far as the Heisman goes, I have Deondre Francois winning it. He will have his signature game this Saturday, and he will continue to play better and better every week of the year and run away with the Heisman.

I'll do a mid season check up, but this is what I see heading into the real opening week of college football. I cannot wait.

Ty

Editor's Thoughts - I am no where near the college football expert that Ty is, but I am still going to give my thoughts. The SEC, Pac 12, and Big 12 are very bad conferences with one or two very good teams. That means Alabama, USC, and Oklahoma will easily get into the playoff because they will bowl through their conferences and have one loss each at the very most. The fourth team should come from the Big 10, the best conference in college football, but eventual champ Wisconsin will have two or more losses. Urban Meyer will "suffer" through a 10 win season, lose to Michigan, and then retire due to "health concerns". Urban wants to run far away from Michigan in 2018 when they become an Alabama type power. That leaves the fourth playoff spot to a two loss FSU team (Alabama and a random conference game will be losses). #4 FSU will play #1 Alabama in the first round, the real national championship game. FSU will get revenge, then they will crush USC in the National Championship.

Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma will win the Heisman. Great name, premier program, and he will put up sick numbers in a the defense desert of the Big 12.

RD

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a big man to not talk up his favorite team like he should. The Head Editor is not a big man, he will talk up the Wolverines for Ty.

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Bob Stoops Retirement Comes with a lot of Unanswered Questions

There is a new sign on Bob Stoops Old Office

Because Ty is the most boss of all internet writers he refuses to stop creating awesome content, even when he is on a family vacation. His loquaciousness will be blunted while he enjoys his undisclosed tropical getaway. Each piece will be some quick thoughts on some current things going on, nothing political of course.

Yesterday, in very shocking news, Bob Stoops suddenly retired. That makes 2 pretty famous coaches this week that have either walked away or "resigned" from high profile jobs. You can read my Thad Matta thoughts from earlier this week. But, this whole Bob Stoops thing really threw me for a loop.

Stoops had a very, very good team coming back from a decent season last year. Yeah, he lost Semaji Perine and Dede Westbrook, but they still have Baker Mayfield, a Heisman front runner, and it's Oklahoma, they are one of the "reload, not rebuild" teams I always talk about. Oklahoma was also, as they have been for about a decade now, the odds on favorites to win the Big 12, and possibly go to the College Football Playoff this season. They are to the Big 12 in football what Kansas is to basketball. If they do not win the Big 12, I am always shocked.

For Stoops to just walk away, at only 56 years old, after 18 years of some really good football, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. Sure, his family has past heart issues, and the Oklahoma fan base can be rabid and unforgiving, and, no matter how good you may look in the preseason, there is always the Alabama monster out there, but why so sudden? Does he have heart issues? Is there a possible violation that we may not know about? Was he giving a Thad Matta ultimatum? Does he truly want to "live a life"? Or, is there some other high profile job he may be angling for in a year or 2, a la what Urban Meyer did after he left Florida due to "health concerns", only to take one year off and jump on the University of Ohio State board. I feel like it is the last question, but I will quickly answer the others first.

I do not think he has any type of health concerns. He has been at Oklahoma for almost 2 decades, so if he did truly have a health scare, we would have heard about it already. The violation thing, who knows. Every big time team bends the rules to get some of the best players in the country to constantly go there. I am not aware of any possible violations at Oklahoma, but they did have the whole Joe Mixon thing last year, so I wonder if there is more of that horrible stuff going on that they are trying to cover up. That would be truly awful. I do not think he was given an ultimatum because, as I have already stated, his team is stacked this year. They are going to be lights out on offense, and I feel like they will be much improved on defense. They are the clear cut favorites in the Big 12, and he has won 10 plus games 14 of his 18 years there. He's earned the right to leave when he wants. Oklahoma was nothing when Stoops took over and look at them now. There is no way he was told he has to win the title this year or he was going to be let go.

As far as the "live a life" thing that he said, I feel like this is the only life he knows. He comes from a family of coaches, and he has basically been around football as a player and a coach his entire life. I fully understand if he wants to go be with his family, but to say that now, going into a season where Oklahoma will be a real threat, I don't buy it. Also, his family seems to fully understand and not mind being the wife and kids of a coach. That is a taxing job, and they have stood by his side his whole career.

Now, the last question, the big question. Is there another, possibly higher profile job out there that he may want in a year or two, if that school doesn't vastly improve? I read it on 247sports.com, and I think it may be true, that if the Notre Dame job opens up, Stoops and the people there would want to hire him. I feel like it is setting up exactly like the Urban Meyer situation. I don't think Notre Dame will be any real threat, and I feel like the higher ups at Notre Dame have grown weary of Brian Kelly's demeanor and the way he grates on players and fans. The team has gotten worse every year since Alabama crushed them in the title game, and Kelly is throwing everyone under the bus, blaming anyone in earshot, except himself. I feel like they want Bob Stoops there real bad, and his sudden retirement sets that up very nicely. I also think Stoops kind of wants a big time job like Notre Dame as well. Oklahoma is great now, due to Stoops, but they are not historic, like Notre Dame. I feel like Stoops wants to go to a school like that to build up his personal resume. He is a great coach, and if he can go to Notre Dame and win as big there as he did at Oklahoma, he'd become legendary. That is where I feel like all this is headed.

Time will tell, but for Stoops to leave Oklahoma so abruptly, that just doesn't sit right with me. We'll see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is thinking about taking a detour to Norman after his vacation. Do they still need a coach? Oh, somebody has that job. Is the Buckeye job still available?

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Last Generation Gamer: NBA Jam

Last Generation Gamer is Seed Sings way of reflecting on the greatest video games that were released before the current gen systems.  These are not necessarily reviews.  Let's look at these thoughts as a walk down memory lane.  If you have any ideas for Last Generation Gamer contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

Today I'm going to talk about what I consider to be the greatest sports video game of all time. Now, first off, I do not play a whole lot of video games. When it comes to non sports games, I played stuff like Crash Bandicoot, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Brothers and fighting games(i.e., Streetfighter, Tyson's Punchout and Tekken).But, I used to play mainly sports games when I played video games. Tecmo Bowl was the very first football video game I played and fell in love with. Then, Madden came out and that was the greatest thing ever. I'm not a hockey or soccer fan, but I played a ton of Blades of Steel and Fifa on any system I could. I'm not a golfer, but I love me some Wii golf. I played a lot of baseball games on various systems. I loved all the EA baseball games that were released for the Xbox and PlayStation. I was a huge fan of early baseball games like RBI Baseball and the Ken Griffey Jr baseball game for the Nintendo.

Then, I found basketball video games and college football. First of all, this was the hardest part when I was debating the best sports game of all time in my head the other day. I loved, and was pretty damn good at, NCAA Football for the PlayStation and the Xbox. That was my jam. I figured that game out pretty early on and I was dominant. Just ask our editor RD about my acumen at NCAA Football (Ed note: Ty has a cheat code). He has thrown more than one controller at me during games. NCAA Football was the best, until they discontinued the making of the game. That broke my heart. I've heard rumors that they may bring it back, and I hope they do, but I deeply miss that game. That was the one game I would buy on the day it came out. NCAA Football was so much more important to me than games like Halo or World of Warcraft, or whatever other shooter or strategy games that came out that my friends played.

NCAA Football was great, but not the best. I have, for the most part  liked every basketball video game I have played. I love basketball, so it's a natural fit for me. I played a ton of Bird vs. Magic whenever I could get on the Nintendo at home. I adored the game Double Dribble. As I got older I got really into the Streetball series of games they made. RD and I had crazy, epic battles, that where even, at those Streetball games. Those games were a ton of fun. I play, very occasionally, maybe once or twice a year, the NBA2K games. Those are fun, but they are a bit harder than some of the other games I mentioned. But, the game that I keep going back to and continue to play, wherever I can find it, be it my Xbox or my iPhone, is NBA Jam.

NBA Jam is the greatest sports video game that has ever existed. NBA Jam was a genius moment by the creators of that game. I love that it is a 2 on 2 battle with the best players on each team, except for the Bulls. Michael Jordan wouldn't appear on the game because he had his own game, but that is negligent, because NBA Jam still ruled. I remember when it first came out, I was always, and only, the Supersonics. I found out that I could play a video game with my favorite team, with my two favorite players, and I was immediately hooked. The fact that I could be Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp was heaven to me. I would run up and down the court with Payton, freeing space for Kemp, throw Kemp an alley oop, and he would do the most fantastical slam dunk that I could ever dream up. Kemp would grab the ball, put it between his legs, go around his back, put it through his legs and jam it home. And I would do that 50 times a game.

I was pretty damn good with Kemp, Payton and the Sonics, especially when Kemp would catch fire. Everyone that has played the game knows what catching fire means. You make three shots in a row, without the other team making a basket, you are on fire. Being on fire meant that you could make a jumper from almost anywhere on the floor, or if you chose to dunk, you could do things like multiple flips and jump so much higher than anyone trying to defend you. When I would catch fire, I jacked up so many threes from near half court, and they were all cash. When I chose to dunk, it was the best. Catching fire on NBA Jam is the best power up or boost that any video game has ever created.

I played NBA Jam a lot in the 90's on Super Nintendo. When I wasn't the Sonics, I would pick other teams with one small, fast guard and one big leaper that was just as good at blocking shots as they were at dunking. The Magic were great for this with Penny Hardaway and Shaq. You could run with the Knicks with Ewing and John Starks. The Houston Rockets, with Kenny Smith and Hakeem Olajuwon was nearly unstoppable. The 90's era NBA was great for NBA Jam. The teams worked perfectly.

When I went to high school and college, I lost touch with the game. The NBA went through a lull in the early 2000's, and the game wouldn't have been as fun. This also coincided with the 3 or 4 years I stopped watching the NBA because it just wasn't that good. But, as recent as 5 or 6 years ago, I rediscovered NBA Jam while searching for old school games on my iPhone, and I instantly fell back in love. I was also getting heavily back into the NBA at this time as well, so it was kismet. I downloaded the game and I've been playing it ever since. It's really cool with the updated teams and rosters. Now, the best teams are the Warriors, Thunder, Cavs, the Heat and the Spurs. You can run with Curry and Thompson, shoot the lights out from three, especially when you catch fire. The Cavs have LeBron, and he is the greatest player on Earth. Put him with Kyrie Irving and you get that great dual threat of an awesome dunker and blocker with the quick footed, decent enough shooting guard. The Heat have Dwayne Wade and Bosh, pre injury. That gives you two very good shooters, one great defender and Wade gets to the basket with ease on the game. The Spurs have any number of players you could imagine. You can run with Duncan and Parker or LMA and Kawhi or Ginobli and Duncan, basically, the Spurs are really great in the newer NBA Jam. My team is the Thunder. As I said above, I was a Sonics fan, so when they moved to OKC, I followed them. Now, I can play NBA Jam and run with Durant and Westbrook. Durant has a great jump, good for blocking shots and dunking. He can also shoot from outside. Kevin Durant may be the best all around player not named LeBron on the game. Then, you get the fastest player in the NBA, Russell Westbrook, who is also a very good defender in the game. I love running with the Thunder and I have won many virtual titles with them.

What it all comes down to, NBA Jam was the perfect creation for all NBA fans out there. The game isn't that hard to figure out and you don't have to worry about a 5 man team. You get to choose just your two favorite players from your team. It's a perfect sports world. The graphics and the gameplay, as far as sports games goes, is second to none. NBA Jam is at the top of the mountain as far as sports video games, or for that matter, just video games goes. NBA Jam is the best and I'm so glad that they keep making it and keep updating it. I love this game and I will always love this game. Thank you for all the fun you have provided me NBA Jam.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. When he could not be the Sonics, Ty would settle for playing as Bill Clinton. Make sure you follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.