The Buckeyes’ Saturday loss to archrival Michigan sent the program from second to sixth in the rankings behind schools like Oregon, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Georgia.
However, Miami suffered an even more brutal fall out of the 2024 College Football Playoff bracket entirely after suffering its second loss to a better team in Syracuse than Ohio State had in its second loss to Michigan.
Some folks, particularly SEC fans, felt this was an unjust placement for the Buckeyes and wanted to see Ohio State further down the rankings after the Michigan defeat.
Heck, even Top Gun: Maverick actor Danny Ramirez was confused.
Warde Manuel how much did the SEC pay you? Fraud committee.
Miami dropped farther for losing on the road to an 8-3 team than Ohio State did for losing at home to a 6-5 team (and scoring 10 points).
I actually want a legitimate explanation from the committee as to why Ohio State didnât drop as much as Georgia dropped for a loss the week before and how Tennessee is behind OSU in the processâŠ
Tennessee dropped 4 spots after losing @ Georgia. Ohio State dropped 4 spots for losing @ home to a 5 loss Michigan team. Thereâs no fairness in favoritism.
The field will be revealed on Sunday but some teams can celebrate before then.
We’re just one Saturday away from finding out which teams are headed to the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and Tuesday night’s penultimate rankings reveal set the table perfectly for championship week across the sport.
While Oregon remained No. 1 for the fifth consecutive week, there was quite a shakeup behind the Ducks as Rivalry Week saw a number of playoff hopefuls stumble.
That begins with an Ohio State team that tumbled from No. 2 to No. 6 after losing to Michigan at home. Elsewhere, Miami (Fla.) dropped from No. 6 to No. 12 while Arizona State only jumped from No. 16 to No. 15.
Each contender’s path to the playoff is exceedingly clear at this point, but that doesn’t mean all of them will be happy about it. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the final rankings before Sunday’s College Football Playoff field reveal.
It appears only one thing can slow the Crimson Tide. It’s not Nick Saban’s retirement and it’s not three losses (including two to unranked teams). It’s Clemson.
We should’ve known this rivalry wasn’t dead yet.
Alabama fans can continue hating on the Tigers because they are the only thing standing in the way of the playoff. If No. 8 SMU beats No. 17 Clemson, Alabama will be safely in the postseason. If Clemson wins, the Tigers get the ACC’s automatic bid and the committee will have to decide between SMU, Alabama and South Carolina for the final spot (more on this in a moment).
Essentially the only path that guarantees a playoff berth for Alabama is an SMU win, as College Football Playoff selection committee chair Warde Manuel explained:
“Those who are not playing [in conference championship games], we will not adjust those teams.” Manuel told ESPN.
"Alabama is 3-1 against current top-25 teams and Miami is 0-1. Alabama is 6-1 against teams above .500 and Miami is 4-2."
CFP Selection Committee Chair Warde Manuel on why Alabama is ranked above Miami in the latest CFP rankings. pic.twitter.com/0gWteS5nA8
And to think Alabama fans considered this year a disaster for most of the season.
Loser: South Carolina
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer talk before the game at Williams Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina Saturday, November 27, 2021.
This year’s recipient of the Florida State Award for worst snub has already been locked up by South Carolina. After defeating Clemson on the road, the Gamecocks were effectively told, “thanks, but no thanks” by the committee on Tuesday.
Manuel explained to ESPN that teams who aren’t playing this weekend will not be readjusted because there are no more data points to consider.
That is an astoundingly brutal blow to South Carolina, which would otherwise have a strong playoff case if the Clemson team it just beat wins the ACC title game. Instead, the committee apparently won’t take that into consideration on the Gamecocks’ resume.
The rage emanating from Columbia is justified.
Winner: Notre Dame
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
It’s one of those years when Notre Dame not having a conference title game is a good thing again.
Coming in at No. 4 in the rankings, Notre Dame can skip right to the part where the Irish book their playoff travel and start game prepping. Without a conference championship game this week, Notre Dame is essentially locked in to the playoff and youâve really got to give some credit to head coach Marcus Freeman for pulling the team together after a Week 2 loss at home to Northern Illinois shouldâve derailed the season.
Instead, the Irish rolled over their remaining opponents including two beatdowns on neutral fields against ranked Navy and Army. Whoever has to come play in South Bend â and if the rankings hold, that’ll be Alabama â is going to absolutely hate it.
Loser: Big 12
(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
A few weeks ago the Big 12 thought it had a shot at getting two teams in the playoff. Now the conference is just fortunate to get one â and it should prepare to miss out on a first-round bye.
Because of the playoff format, the best the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils and No. 16 Iowa State Cyclones can hope for is to impress the committee enough to earn a home playoff game. If these rankings are the rankings we get on Sunday, the Big 12 winner would be the 12th seed and face No. 5 Penn State on the road. With Boise State ranked 10th, the Mountain West favorite can clinch a first-round bye if it defeats No. 20 UNLV on Friday.
That’s a brutal road trip for an 11-win Big 12 champion.
Winner: Mountain West
(Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
Congratulations to the Mountain West for essentially locking up the Group of Five’s guaranteed playoff spot reserved for the highest-ranked non-Power Four conference champion.
If No. 10 Boise State defeats No. 20 UNLV, the Broncos will get a first-round bye (which is kind of a shame for those of us getting excited about a playoff game on the blue turf in Idaho). If UNLV wins, it’ll be the highest-ranked G5 champion.
With Tulane’s loss to Memphis last week knocked the AAC out of the running, expect some champagne flowing in the Mountain West offices.
Miami coach Mario Cristobal has never been great at clock management, and that popped up in a very unexpected way on Tuesday.
Ahead of the College Football Playoff selection committee putting Alabama ahead of Miami in its latest rankings, Cristobal hyped about his team and the ACC’s chances to stack up against the rest of the SEC on the ACC Network.
âI think that [SEC] bias is coming to an end,” Cristobal said during an interview about the rising ACC compared to the SEC as to how they’ll be ranked… right before the selection committee put Alabama in the bracket and named Miami the first team left out.
With Miami out of the ACC title game, it’s downright impossible for the Hurricanes to contend for a national title once Sunday’s final bracket comes out. We’ll see what happens, but the SEC bias is holding for now.
âI think that [SEC] bias is coming to an end.â
Here’s the CFP bracket after the committee’s fifth and final rankings before the playoff field is set.
The College Football Playoff selection committee released its fifth top-25 rankings and last one before unveiling the first 12-team playoff field. And unsurprisingly, the Oregon Ducks are still the No. 1 team, though there was plenty of movement after them.
After conference championship games this weekend, the College Football Playoff selection committee will official set the playoff field Sunday.
Conference title games could have an important impact on the rankings and seeds, so that means the CFP committee could change the playoff picture between now and then.
With NIL around these days, it can be a lot easier to purchase a very, VERY nice car like a Maybach if you’re a college athlete.
Which brings us to Shedeur Sanders, who could be a top QB pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Colorado quarterback and son of coach and NFL legend Deion Sanders was seen in a video posted by his brother Deion Sanders Jr. on Instagram in which Shedeur says, “He protects the backside so he had to get the ‘bach” about freshman offensive tackle Jordan Seaton.
So a lot of folks think that means Shedeur gifted Seaton a Maybach, and I have a lot of questions, like: did the rest of the offensive line get cars?
Anyway, here’s the video, and we’ll see if Sanders or Seaton confirm it’s a gift:
Colorado Freshman OT Jordan Seaton got a Maybach đ„
âHe protect the backside so he had to get the bach (Maybach)â – Shedeur Sanders
As we kick off the 2024 coaching carousel, here are the open jobs so far.
Few things remain recognizable in college football in 2024, but at least one thing remains constant: The coaching carousel is always spinning.
Inevitably, teams will choose to part ways with their current coaching staff and embark on a new, more exciting era while hoping they don’t find themselves back in the same spot just a few years later.
One coach was fired before the 2024 season even began, as Utah State’s Blake Anderson was let go in July for allegedly failing to follow his contractual obligations regarding the reporting of sexual misconduct allegations. And Fresno State’s Jeff Tedford resigned in July due to health reasons.
The timing of coaching searches in the sport will certainly change this season thanks to the expanded College Football Playoff. Coaches of teams participating in the 12-team field won’t be available until after the first round at least, which comes after early signing day the first week of December.
But that won’t stop athletics directors from making mid-season changes in an attempt to get a leg up in the coaching market. With that in mind, here’s every coach who has retired, resigned or been fired so far in 2024.
Jeff Tedford, Fresno State
BOISE, ID – DECEMBER 03: Head Coach Jeff Tedford of the Fresno State Bulldogs suffers through a Gatorade bath during the second-half of the game against the Boise State Broncos at Albertsons Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Boise, Idaho. Fresno State won the game 28-16. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
At the age of 63, Tedford resigned from his post at Fresno State on July 15, paving the way for linebackers coach Tim Skipper to take the reins on an interim basis. Tedford, who was previously the coach at Cal for some of the Golden Bears’ best seasons, went 44-22 with three bowl wins at Fresno.
Blake Anderson, Utah State
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Anderson was fired ahead of the 2024 season in July after being placed on administrative leave, with Utah State writing in a press release that he âfailed to manage the team in a manner that reflects USUâs academic values.â Defensive coordinator Nate Dreiling took over as interim coach for the 2024 season.
Anderson, who previously coached at Arkansas State from 2014-20, went 11-3 with a Mountain West title in his first season in 2021 but finished 6-7 with bowl losses in each of the last two seasons.
Will Hall, Southern Miss
Sep 16, 2023; Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA; Southern Miss Golden Eagles head coach Will Hall looks on from the bench in the second half against the Tulane Green Wave at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
Southern Miss pulled the plug on the Will Hall era on Oct. 20, the morning after a 44-28 home loss to Arkansas State. Hall, a former offensive coordinator at Tulane and Louisiana, was 14-32 across four seasons. The lone bright spot was 2022, which featured a 7-6 finish after a win in the LendingTree Bowl.
Mike Houston, East Carolina
Sep 14, 2024; Greenville, North Carolina, USA; East Carolina Pirates head coach Mike Houston looks on against the Appalachian State Mountaineers during the first half at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
Houston had a ton of success as a coach before arriving in Greenville, North Carolina, taking Lenoir-Rhyne to the Division II national championship, taking The Citadel to the FCS Playoffs and winning an FCS title with James Madison in 2016.
He never quite replicated that sort of winning for the Pirates. ECU went 8-5 and won the Birmingham Bowl in 2022 but followed that up with a 2-10 finish in 2023. East Carolina got off to a 3-4 start before Houston was fired on Oct. 20 after losing 45-28 to Army. For fans of the ECU, Houston’s biggest sin was how the Pirates performed against in-state opponents, going a combined 0-7 against N.C. State, Appalachian State and Charlotte during his tenure.
Update: Nov. 27, 2024 â After going 4-0 since taking over for Houston on an interim basis, ECU made former defensive coordinator Blake Harrell the full-time head coach.
Mike Bloomgren, Rice
Oct 26, 2024; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Rice Owls head coach Mike Bloomgren watches from the sideline as they take on the Connecticut Huskies at Rentschler Field at Pratt & Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
It felt like Bloomgren lived on the hot seat for a few seasons at Rice, but the Owls finally cut him loose on Oct. 27 after a 17-10 loss at UConn. Bloomgren, a former understudy of David Shaw at Stanford, never had a winning season in seven years at Rice and went 24-52.
Brian Bohannon, Kennesaw State
Kennesaw State head coach Brian Bohannon on the sidelines during the football game against Middle Tennessee at MTSU, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.
Kennesaw State announced on Nov. 10 that Bohannon resigned, but the coach said that he was fired. Nevertheless, he’s out after leading the Owls for 11 years, from the inception of the program to its transition to FBS. Bohannon led the Owls to three Big South Championships and a pair of appearances in the FCS quarterfinals, but never won at the same frequency at the FBS level. The Owls were 1-8 this season when Bohannon was let go.
Update: Dec. 1, 2024 â Kennesaw State has hired Jerry Mack as its next head coach. The 44-year-old was working as the running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars this season and was previously an assistant at Tennessee, Rice, South Alabama and Memphis. He was last a head coach from 2014 to 2017, where he led FCS North Carolina Central. He had a 31-15 record in four seasons, appeared in a Celebration Bowl and was named MEAC Coach of the Year in 2016.
Mike Neu, Ball State
Ball State head coach Mike Neu leads his team out to face Vanderbilt at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
A former MAC MVP for Ball State, the Cardinals let Neu go after a 51-48 overtime loss to Buffalo that ensured a third straight bowl-less season. Neu went 40-63 in nine seasons leading Ball State.
Stan Drayton, Temple
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Stan Drayton of the Temple Owls looks on against the Miami Hurricanes in the first half at Lincoln Financial Field on September 23, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
The Owls beat FAU on Nov. 16, but Temple decided to fire Stan Drayton the next day anyway, beginning its third coaching search since 2018 when Geoff Collins left for Georgia Tech. Drayton, a longtime college and NFL running backs coach before getting the top job at Temple, went 9-25 in just under three seasons as a head coach.
Update, Dec. 1, 2024 â The Owls have hired Sam Houston’s KC Keeler as their next head coach. Keeler, a 65-year-old Pennsylvania native and former head coach at nearby Division III Rowan and FCS Delaware. At Rowan, he led the Profs to five appearances in the national championship game and won FCS titles in 2003 at Delaware and in 2021 with Sam Houston. He helped the Bearkats transition from FCS to FBS over the past two seasons, going 9-3 this year.
Don Brown, UMass
Oct 14, 2023; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen head coach Don Brown looks on from the sideline during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Massachusetts 63-0. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports
Two days after a 35-34 overtime loss to Liberty, Don Brown’s second tenure as the head coach of the Minutemen came to an end. Brown led UMass to an FCS title game appearance back in 2006, but he nor the Minutemen have been able to recreate winning ways. UMass was 6-28 over the past three seasons under Brown, with just two wins against fellow FBS opponents.
Tom Herman, FAU
Nov 1, 2024; Boca Raton, Florida, USA; Florida Atlantic Owls head coach Tom Herman on the sidelines during the second half against the South Florida Bulls at FAU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
Herman will continue to make a lot of money to not coach. Amidst a five-game losing streak and an 18-15 loss to Temple, FAU cut Herman loose on Nov. 18, less than two full seasons into his gig in Boca Raton. Herman was 6-16 over the past two seasons, never recreating the success he had at Texas or Houston, where he went 5-1 in bowl games.
More importantly, the firing of Herman means that every FBS program with Owls for a nickname has fired their coach this season (FAU, Kennesaw State, Rice and Temple).
Update: Dec. 2, 2024 â FAU hired 33-year-old Zach Kittley as its next head coach. He was previously the offensive coordinator at his alma mater, Texas Tech, and before that worked at Western Kentucky, Houston Baptist.
Biff Poggi, Charlotte
Oct 19, 2024; Annapolis, Maryland, USA; Charlotte 49ers head coach Biff Poggi looks on during the second half against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
The Biff Poggi experiment has come to an end in Charlotte. Poggi, a 64-year-old Baltimore native with an affinity for sleeveless shirts, was previously a very successful high school coach in Maryland and an assistant at Michigan before the 49ers took a gamble on him less than two years ago. Aside from notching two wins against in-state foe East Carolina, there wasn’t much success for Charlotte under Poggi, who didn’t make life easier for himself as he publicly called out fans and media members. The 49ers went 6-16 in Poggi’s two seasons, and he was fired after a 59-24 loss to South Florida that eliminated Charlotte from bowl eligibility.
Jim McElwain, Central Michigan
Sep 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Central Michigan Chippewas head coach Jim McElwain during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Central Michigan announced on Nov. 20 that McElwain is retiring from football after coaching the Chippewas for six seasons. He led Central Michigan to a 9-4 mark and a Sun Bowl win in 2021, but hasn’t been able to sustain that success, posting three straight losing seasons.
Before Central Michigan, McElwain coached at Colorado State and Florida. The 62-year-old has a 77-63 overall record. He was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2015 and he also had stops at Alabama and Michigan as an assistant.
Kevin Wilson, Tulsa
Sep 14, 2024; Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; Tulsa Golden Hurricane head coach Kevin Wilson during warmups before a game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images
Tulsa fired Wilson after less than two full seasons on the job on Sunday, Nov. 24 after losing 63-30 at USF. Wilson, who coached at Indiana from 2011 to 2016, went 7-17 while leading Tulsa.
Mack Brown, North Carolina
Nov 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tarheels head coach Mack Brown during warmups before a game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Myers-Imagn Images
Mack Brown’s second run at North Carolina is ending, despite the 73-year-old coach recently saying he intended to return. The school announced it fired Brown in Week 14, and it’s the first Power Four opening of the 2024-25 coaching carousel.
After previously coaching the Tar Heels from 1988-1997, Brown returned for the 2019 season and coached the team to six bowl game berths in that stretch, including this season. He has a 113-78-1 overall record with North Carolina and was 44-32 in his second stint, but in the last couple years, the program has struggled, finishing 8-5 in 2023 and currently having a 6-5 record in 2024 ahead of the regular-season finale against NC State.
Gus Malzahn, UCF
Sep 30, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights head coach Gus Malzahn walks the sideline during the second half against the Baylor Bears at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN reported on Saturday, Nov. 30 that Malzahn is resigning as UCF’s head coach to become the offensive coordinator at Florida State. UCF went 4-8 this season â its worst mark in four seasons under Malzahn â after losing 28-14 to Utah in its regular season finale.
Malzahn took the reins of the Knights in 2021 and helped them transition from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12. In four seasons, he went 28-24 with three bowl appearances. Before his tenure at UCF, Malzahn was at Auburn for eight seasons and Arkansas State for one. He was the offensive coordinator for Auburn’s national championship team in 2010.
Ryan Walters, Purdue
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA – SEPTEMBER 30: Head coach Ryan Walters of the Purdue Boilermakers is seen during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Ross-Ade Stadium on September 30, 2023 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
According to reports from NBC and ESPN, Purdue gave Ryan Walters his walking papers on Sunday, Dec. 1. The Boilermakers were, quite simply, one of the worst teams in all of college football this season, going 1-11. The team wasn’t much better last season, going 4-8. So, for the second time in two years, Purdue is looking for a head coach. Walters took over in 2023 after Jeff Brohm left for Louisville.
Neal Brown, West Virginia
Nov 12, 2022; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Neal Brown watches during warmups prior to their game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
According to multiple reports on Sunday, Dec. 1, WVU is firing Brown, less than a year after giving him an extension. The Mountaineers finished this regular season, Brown’s sixth in Morgantown, with a 6-6 record after they got blown out 52-15 by Texas Tech in the regular season finale. Brown finished above .500 in a single season just once at WVU. That was last year when the Mountaineers went 9-4 and beat North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Mike MacIntyre, FIU
Nov 18, 2023; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; FIU Panthers head coach Mike MacIntyre during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas won 44-20. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
After three consecutive 4-8 seasons, MacIntyre is out at FIU. The former Colorado and San Jose State coach was one of several coaches in the FBS fired on Sunday, Dec. 1. FIU hasn’t had a winning season since 2018.
Shawn Clark, Appalachian State
Head Coach Shawn Clark speaks to reporters after the AppState Mountaineers’ football practice at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024.
App State fired Shawn Clark on Monday, Dec. 2, after a 5-6 season, the first losing campaign of his five-year tenure. The Mountaineers with 20-7 in Clark’s first two seasons on the job, but have gone 20-17 in the three seasons since — including a pair of losing records in Sun Belt play and two seasons without bowls. In a statement, App State athletic director Doug Gillin made it clear that the standard at App was not being met.
âThe expectation for App State is to annually compete for a conference championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff,” Gillin said.
Clark is an App State alum who played offensive line for the Mountaineers in the 1990s and had been an assistant coach in Boone for four seasons before taking the reins of the program in 2019 following the departure of Eli Drinkwitz.
Transfer season is now in full swing. Here are the biggest name to enter the portal so far.
The 2024 college football regular season came to an end on Saturday, and that means it’s time to kick off the chaotic cycle that is the transfer portal.
We’ve only had a few years of seeing unlimited transferring within college football, but the portal is only growing in size every year as players look for new opportunities elsewhere, whether it’s due to coaching changes, a lack of playing time or other factors.
The portal has only been open for a few days as things currently stand, and we’ve already seen quite a few big names opt to transfer. More will likely come following the conclusion of conference title games and the College Football Playoff.
Here are the top players who have entered the portal so far. We’ll update this post as more players make their intentions known.
Herbstreit is an Ohio State legend, but he condemned actions from both sides of the brawl during ABC college football coverage on Saturday evening.
“Hate to see this at the end of the game,” Herbstreit said about the ordeal. “Just the whole throwing the flag at the middle of the field, Ohio State’s reaction â just classless on both sides.”
While it’s hard not to roll your eyes a little at people getting upset about planting a flag on an opponent’s field, it all dissolved into a bunch of unnecessary nonsense in the end.
However, good on Herbstreit for being willing to call out his alma mater for their role in the fracas, at least?
"Hate to see this at the end of the game. Just the whole throwing the flag at the middle of the field, Ohio State's reaction â just classless on both sides," – Kirk Herbstreit. pic.twitter.com/xZvDAI32Lj
Dabo Swinney probably doesn’t see it entirely that way, but Fran Brown is at least partially right.
The ACC championship game next weekend is set, and while we already knew No. 9 SMU would be playing for a title in its first season in the conference, Saturday’s games led to No. 12 Clemson officially being the Mustangs’ opponent.
And it’s all thanks to Syracuse â at least, according to the Orange’s head coach Fran Brown.
The No. 6 Miami Hurricanes would have advanced to the ACC championship game to take on SMU if they beat Syracuse on Saturday. But they didn’t. They lost, 42-38, for their second conference and overall loss this season, which put Clemson â which lost, 17-14, to No. 15 South Carolina on Saturday â in the conference title game instead.
To that, Brown says, you’re welcome, Clemson. And he hilariously pointed that out in his post-game interview after declaring: “Syracuse is back!”
“Hey, Dabo Swinney! Congrats! I got you in, baby!”
Swinney probably doesn’t see it entirely that way, but Brown is at least partially right that the Tigers wouldn’t be playing for a championship if Syracuse lost.
The legendary Fox broadcaster is starting to sound like a shell of himself.
At his best, Gus Johnson elevates any game he broadcasts.
His excitement is pure, his commentary is smooth and his joy at watching athletes make plays is palpable.
At his worst, the Fox play-by-play man is a caricature of himself. As much as Johnson’s fans tune in to his games ready for his signature emoting, the reality is that he sometimes comes off as someone so concerned about his next catchphrase or narrative that he misses what’s happening right in front of him. This is the cardinal sin of a play-by-play man, of course. The best broadcasters are merely role players. Gus Johnson is, often regrettably, the main character of his broadcasts.
Saturday in Columbus was a cursed combination of those flaws. Johnson was so quick to tie a cute ribbon on Michigan’s 13-10 upset at No. 2 Ohio State game that he missed the actual fracas unfolding on the field.
As soon as the game ended, Johnson got a little petty by saying Michigan “didn’t have to cheat this time” â a nod to the Connor Stallions scandal, which, aside from being a cheap shot, doesn’t even feel like the biggest part of this win.
This was a five-loss Michigan team upsetting a highly ranked Ohio State program that made clear all week how important it was to beat the defending national champions. Ryan Day compared losing to Michigan to the death of his father. The Buckeyes were 21-point favorites.
Which is not to say Johnson needed to bring up any of that, just that the Stallions drama was so far removed from this game.
But it got worse moments later when Michigan and Ohio State began to brawl. Wolverines players attempted to plant a block M flag at midfield only for a some Buckeyes to rush over and rip it down.
An altercation breaks out after Michigan's upset victory over Ohio State when Michigan players attempt to plant their team flag over the Buckeyes logo.
"Now there is some skirmishes on the field. An unsportsmanlike gesture by Michigan." -Gus Johnsonpic.twitter.com/vJdiggVp3E
Johnson’s view of the fight was that it resulted from “an unsportsmanlike gesture by Michigan.” Every bit of evidence we’ve seen since the scuffle makes that feel like a real stretch.
Michigan alone on the field at the 50 after winning
OSU players ran all the way across the field and began this fight
OSU could not beat Michigan, but they cheap-shotted Michigan after the game
If you can't win the game, you don't get to cry post game
For starters, flag planting after big wins has been around in college football for years. For another, Texas did it to Michigan earlier this year (in a game broadcast on Fox by Gus Johnson, no less). Michigan planted a flag at The Shoe in in 2022, as well.
But Johnson’s “unsportsmanlike” comment ignores the fact Ohio State was already halfway off the field before players ran back to confront Michigan.
That might not have been apparent to those watching at home, but Johnson was in the broadcast booth high up above the field with a clear view. It’s his job to explain what’s happening. His failure created a false narrative that wouldn’t be corrected until after the millions of fans watching at home had already flipped the channel.
It was not lost many that Johnson’s “unsportsmanlike” comment occurred mere moments after he made a Stallions joke as Michigan celebrated.
Gus Johnson talking about Michigan planting the flag being disrespectful when his game-winning call was literally "Michigan didn't cheat — this time!" is a choice.
Johnson is certainly divisive and, honestly, he’s just the latest in a very long line of A-list sports broadcasters to fall into that category. Yet it’s his self-inflicted errors that keep detracting from legitimately fun moments like when his voice broke during an Ohio State interception in the end zone.
That’s Gus Johnson at his best. Now he’s often his own biggest distraction, and what a shame it is.
