Category: College Football

Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t think Florida State getting left out of CFP was ‘fair,’ but didn’t say Alabama was wrong pick

Tua Tagovailoa gave a very diplomatic answer to the Alabama/Florida State CFP controversy.

After Alabama controversially made the 2023 College Football Playoff over Florida State on Sunday, former Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has weighed in on the situation.

While Tagovailoa played at Alabama, he’s now the quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, who may also have Florida State fans in their midst.

Tagovailoa explained to Peyton and Eli Manning on Monday’s ManningCast that while he’s not sure what the “right” decision was for the committee, he doesn’t think it’s “fair” that Florida State got left out after a perfect season.

This is the diplomatic approach for Tagovailoa, who doesn’t say anything to offend either Alabama or Florida State fans while being understanding of the whole situation and why some folks are irked.

Tagovailoa evaded any sort of controversy himself with this very careful answer, as trying to be too firm on either side could’ve really gotten him in hot water with how touchy this whole decision-making process has gone.

At the least, both fan bases may try to use this to say Tagovailoa is on their side, which is kind of the point of answering like the quarterback did.

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The case for all 4 2023 Heisman Trophy finalists

With the four Heisman finalists announced Monday, here’s the best argument each has for winning college football’s most prestigious award.

The four finalists for the Heisman Trophy were announced on Monday evening, and the list didn’t really come as a surprise.

LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon quarterback Bo Nix were the obvious three, and all received invites to the ceremony in New York next weekend.

Some thought Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe may get an invite after leading the Crimson Tide to an upset over Georgia in Saturday’s SEC championship, but instead, the fourth spot went to star Ohio State receiver and top-five 2024 NFL draft prospect Marvin Harrison Jr.

Daniels is heavily expected to receive the award. He’s the clear favorite, both in terms of betting and public perception, and it would be decently surprising to see things go in a different direction.

But in the spirit of both chaos and fairness, here’s the best argument each of the four has for winning college football’s most prestigious award.

College football fans couldn’t believe Jalen Milroe got snubbed as a Heisman Trophy finalist

College fans weren’t happy to see Alabama QB Jalen Milroe left off the Heisman Trophy finalists list.

The Heisman Trophy committee has declared the four finalists for the 2023 award, and Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is not among them.

Even after leading the Crimson Tide to a victory over Georgia in the SEC championship game, the committee has chosen LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.

Harrison is likely who took Milroe’s place, as the three quarterbacks selected were expected to make the trip to New York. Daniels is expected to win the award after his stellar season with the Tigers.

However, some college fans felt that Milroe should’ve been included in the bunch after he helped the Crimson Tide make the College Football Playoff.

Takeaways from every 2023 college football conference championship game: Alabama shakes up entire CFP field with SEC upset

The CFP picture seemed clear entering the weekend, but Alabama’s upset over Georgia threw everything into a loop.

Conference title weekend is in the books, and the four-team College Football Playoff field is set. However, the selection committee’s decision did not come without a great deal of controversy.

We entered the weekend with a seemingly clear playoff picture, but Alabama threw everything for a loop by upsetting No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship, ending the Bulldogs’ record 29-game win streak and knocking them out of the CFP field in the process.

With Texas demolishing Oklahoma State in the Big 12, there was one final spot available. Rather than give it to Florida State, which began the weekend in the top four and beat Louisville 16-6 in the ACC championship to move to 13-0, the Crimson Tide jumped FSU based on the strength of the Georgia win.

That snub has been the talk of college football to start this week, but with everyone turning their attention forward to what should be an electric set of semifinals, let’s first look back to reflect on the chaos we witnessed this weekend.

Here are the takeaways from each conference championship game.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams opts out of Holiday Bowl

The Trojans quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner presumably ends his collegiate career with the NFL Draft on the horizon.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams will not play in the Holiday Bowl, Trojans coach Lincoln Riley announced on Monday.

The move ends Williams’ 2023 season and likely his collegiate career, as the reigning Heisman Trophy winner is the presumed No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Williams didn’t quite match his Heisman production from a year ago (although he did throw 112 fewer pass attempts), but he still finished seventh in the FBS with 3,633 passing yards and eighth in the country with 30 passing touchdowns. ESPN graded him with a QBR of 82.3, the 11th-best in the nation, and he set career highs in completion percentage (68.6%), yards per attempt (9.4), and passer rating (170.1).

The junior ends his career with 10.082 passing yards, 93 passing touchdowns, and 27 rushing touchdowns in just three seasons. He only threw 14 interceptions as a collegiate quarterback.

Get more USC coverage at Trojans Wire.

Four schools firmly in the mix for former UCLA QB Dante Moore

The true freshman and five-star high school prospect will be one of the most pursued quarterbacks in the transfer portal, including interest from schools like Oregon and Michigan.

Former UCLA quarterback and five-star prospect Dante Moore is in the transfer portal, and according to a Monday report from 247Sports’ Allen Trieu, there are four schools on the shortlist for Moore’s next home.

Trieu said Oregon, Florida State, Michigan, and Miami should be considered the starting points for Moore’s recruitment.

Ducks starting quarterback Bo Nix and Seminoles starter Jordan Travis have no eligibility remaining, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is likely bound for the NFL Draft, and Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke is in the transfer portal as well.

Moore appeared in nine games as a freshman for the Bruins this past season. He finished with 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a QBR of 33.1. Seven of his interceptions came in three games. He led the UCLA offense to a 25-17 win over then-ranked Washington State, and he threw seven touchdowns in his first three games of the year, including a season-opening victory over Coastal Carolina.

As a high school prospect, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback was the third-highest quarterback in 247Sports’ 2023 rankings and the No. 5 overall quarterback.

Eli Drinkwitz cracked a snarky Connor Stalions joke after learning of Missouri’s Cotton Bowl opponent

Ryan Day and Ohio State were just minding their business when Eli Drinkwitz showed up.

The Michigan and Connor Stalions jokes will be happening for a long time.

During a wild College Football Playoff selection show that caused chaos among fans and intense debates from analysts, there was at least one man who had the jokes ready to go.

Upon discovering that the University of Missouri will play Ryan Day and Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl, head coach Eli Drinkwitz fired off a timely dig at Jim Harbaugh and Michigan over the Connor Stalions sign-stealing investigation.

Drinkwitz was getting ready to end his interview with ESPN’s Rece Davis when he “received an impromptu phone call” that he had to take.

 

South Carolina wide receiver Juice Wells enters transfer portal

The Gamecocks wide receiver and 2022 first-team All-SEC nominee will have two years of eligibility left as a graduate transfer.

South Carolina wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells has entered the transfer portal, the Gamecocks wideout announced on Sunday.

“Thank you (Gamecock Nation) for everything!!!” Wells wrote in his statement. “I appreciate all the love and support that was shown me and I will be forever grateful.”

The senior also took the time to thank his teammates and coaches, specifically his wide receivers coach.

Wells, a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining, started his collegiate career with James Madison. He picked up 603 yards and scored six touchdowns in his first season, but he broke out with the Dukes in 2021. He tallied 83 receptions for 1,250 yards and 15 touchdowns. While James Madison was an FCS school at the time, only two FBS receivers matched all three of those metrics.

After Wells transferred to South Carolina, he caught 68 passes for 928 yards and six touchdowns in his first season with the Gamecocks. He finished second in the conference in receptions and fifth in receiving yards, and he was one of two wide receivers named to the 2022 All-SEC First Team.

Wells’ 2023 season was a wash after he injured his left foot early in the season. He only appeared in two games, catching three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in less than a full game of work. The injury aside, he’s clearly one of the most talented and accomplished wide receivers in the portal.

Deion Sanders explained why he thought the CFP committee was right to choose Alabama over Florida State

It’s all business for Coach Prime.

Deion Sanders played college football at Florida State, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s upset about the committee’s controversial decision to leave the undefeated ACC champs out of the College Football Playoff.

In fact, the Colorado head coach agrees with the selection of Alabama at No. 4.

Speaking with Dan Le Batard on Monday, Sanders was asked if he was among the disappointed FSU fans out there. He said that he couldn’t be too upset because he recruits against Florida State now. He also added that he looked at the decision from a business and entertainment standpoint.

Sanders knew the committee couldn’t leave Alabama and Nick Saban out of the playoff when the alternative was a Florida State team without quarterback Jordan Travis. Sanders actually thought that Georgia and Kirby Smart should be most upset to be left out after spending virtually the entire season at No. 1 and winning 29 straight games.

Mike Norvell won’t agree with Sanders on that one, though.

College football fans crushed Dan Orlovsky’s disingenuous argument about Florida State’s CFP snub

But Florida State did go undefeated, Dan.

Going into Sunday’s College Football Playoff selection, the committee knew their decision was going to be controversial no matter what. After all, this season had three undefeated Power 5 champions and several deserving one-loss teams. It wasn’t a clear-cut top 4.

That being said, the committee’s justification for leaving undefeated Florida State out of the playoff was silly … as was Dan Orlovsky’s defense of that decision on ESPN.

The selection committee penalized Florida State for losing its starting quarterback Jordan Travis to injury. It didn’t matter that Florida State remained undefeated after Travis went down and held Louisville to just six points in the ACC title game. The committee felt that Travis’ injury made Florida State are worse team (or at least worse than Alabama). But on Monday’s edition of Get Up, Orlovsky went on to claim that the FSU team that went undefeated was not the same team that got left out of the CFP.

He said:

“But we have to stop saying that this Florida State team went undefeated as a Power 5 conference champion. This team did not. The team two weeks ago with Jordan Travis did. This is a different football team.”

Who did Florida State lose to then, Dan? That’s the problem with the argument. Florida State is an undefeated Power 5 conference champion. It’s the same team. They didn’t lose with Travis, and they didn’t lose without Travis. That would be like saying the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t deserve to make the postseason in 2018 because Carson Wentz (when he was good) got injured. And we all know what happened there.

College football fans weren’t kind to that faulty argument either.