We get what they pay for.

Again, I’m not going to stoop to blaming Georgia’s loss on the officiating or try to pretend there was anything sinister to why the Dawgs appeared to wind up on the short side of the stick so often in the second half, but I do find it interesting how we got stuck with a crew that was at best spectacularly inept for college football’s crown jewel.  Chip Towers explains.

For that it’s worth, I followed up on all that with the CFP folks and with the Big Ten. I was told by the CFP the NCAA selects from what conference the officiating crew is chosen for the championship game and the conference itself chooses those officials.

I was told to contact the Big Ten’s supervisor of officials, Adam Augustine, for comment on any specifics calls that took place in the game or any other details I might be interested in. I did that via phone call and email and haven’t heard back. And probably won’t.

So Jim Delany handpicked a crew headed by this guy:

Closed in the mind of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany perhaps, as he buries his head in the sand and refuses to answer some important questions. Starting with:

Why was Dan Capron, the lead official on a crew disciplined by the Big Ten in 2002 after a game between Purdue and Wake Forest, working as the referee during the Ohio State-Michigan game?

We get a guy Joe Tiller described as “not a bad official, not a top-rated official” because college football doesn’t care enough to put its best foot forward in a national title game by handpicking a crew of the conferences’ top refs.  If there’s a conspiracy, it’s a conspiracy of dunces.

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“It’s our responsibility to educate coaches.”

For some reason, Art Briles is scheduled to speak at this year’s American Football Coaches Association convention.  Which leads to the $64000 question:

Why invite Briles, with his damaged reputation, to speak to coaches? AFCA executive director and former Louisiana Monroe head coach Todd Berry said it’s about understanding what went wrong and what corrections coaches should learn.

“It’s our responsibility to educate coaches,” Berry told The Athletic. “Certainly one of the things Coach Briles experienced, and one of the things I believe he’s going to share, is there are some things that happened and he can share an experience no one else can with our group, so that we can avoid issues down the road.

“While there are things you know in theory, the reality is you’re going to gain more from someone who experienced it, that knows what to look for.”

Uh hunh.  The odds that Art Briles is going to open up and contritely explain how he ran the Baylor program’s approach to sexual harassment/assault into hellish territory are roughly the same as Central Florida walking out of MBS tonight clutching the CFP trophy.

This has the potential to be a spectacularly egregious invitation.

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UPDATE:  Apparently somebody came to their senses.

Statement from AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry on Art Briles speaking at the 2018 Convention pic.twitter.com/4tY7vObvDa

— #AFCA2018 (@WeAreAFCA) January 8, 2018

This is going well.

I haven’t written as much about the impending train wreck that is Arizona State under Herm Edwards as I probably should, but get a load of this.

Oh my God. Arizona State’s new DB coach hired a week ago seems to be doing an ad for a sports gambling site. https://t.co/MJmFRM5a1b

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) December 29, 2017

@DanWolken Nothing like your new LB coach out here promoting a betting site. #ASU https://t.co/1f2kuwpBSP

— B. Roe (@bsroe) December 29, 2017

Win a trip for 2 to the 2018 #NFL Pro Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Just join my FREE Out-Pick A Pro contest with @BettingDime – https://t.co/e7lwlfy20k pic.twitter.com/RxCEH9Llc3

— Antonio Pierce (@AntonioPierce) December 29, 2017

Really, what could go wrong?

When the Herbstreit Doctrine gets personal…

We’re all aware that intellectual consistency isn’t one of Herbie’s strong suits, but in praising Baker Mayfield after Mayfield won the Heisman, he really stepped in it.

Why would I say that?  Because Herbstreit got owned by a Tennessee defensive back about whom Herbstreit once proclaimed,

“I just need to say this because I haven’t had a chance to say this all week, no chance of winning the game against Alabama and one of their players, No. 7, Rashaan Gaulden, ends up throwing up the fingers,” Herbstreit said. “You’re thinking, with everything that’s been going on with Tennessee, that guy will probably never play again. Next series, defense is on the field, No. 7 is back in the lineup playing on the field.

“And you wonder why Tennessee has issues. They don’t have any discipline. (Butch Jones) should’ve taken his uniform off, sent him upstairs to go get a popcorn and say you’re no longer on the team and sent a message to the whole team.”

Mayfield, you may remember, communicated with a similar gesture against Kansas.  One might think that would be something to arouse a similar reaction from the Kirkster, but, no, he’s got nothing but love in his heart for the Oklahoma quarterback.

As you might expect, this didn’t sit well with Gaulden, who fired back with this:

Lol bro but I should be kicked off the team and eat popcorn and I don't have a chip on my shoulder and I'm not competitive! Use to have a lot of respect for you!!! https://t.co/69W3IwjNvC

— Rashaan Gaulden (@Gmoney_7era) December 10, 2017

You know new depths have been plumbed when I have to take sides with a UT player on any subject, but that’s where we’re at here.  Not that I expect it, but Herbie owes somebody an apology.

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UPDATE:  Give Herbstreit credit.

I guess it’s too late for any “act like you’ve been there” advice.

Really, Dawg fans.

To whoever posted my cell #, bravo. But I got it changed! And to the Georgia fans that had the kind words of encouragement… I applaude your creativity

— Baker Mayfield (@baker_mayfield6) December 4, 2017

One day in and some of us are already showing our asses?  Maybe this is why we have so much trouble getting nice things.

Besides that, Mayfield is exactly the kind of player to whom you don’t want to give any emotional ammunition.  Well played, y’all.

Today, in fighting

Here’s a heartwarming story from Tallahassee.

A disturbing story involving Florida State kicker Ricky Aguayo has a Florida connection.

On Tuesday, the Tallahassee Democrat’s Karl Etters reported that Aguayo told police that members of a fraternity on Florida State’s campus beat the player over missed field goals during a game against Florida in 2016.

Per Tallahassee Police records obtained by Etters, Aguayo reported being “jumped” by members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity in front of the group’s house after the Seminoles’ 31-13 victory against the Gators. Aguayo missed two of three field-goal tries that day…

The report goes on to mention that police saw blood on Aguayo’s face and a ripped shirt. He declined to press charges, and he refused to pursue medical treatment, according to the report.

Mind you, that was after a win.  Can you imagine what those scamps might have taken upon themselves to do if Aguayo had missed a game-winner?

Meanwhile, we take you to the Georgia Tech locker room, where two players evidently decided to eliminate the middle man.  It happened in the spring, so I’ve got to say I’m impressed they kept it quiet as long as they did.  Then again, maybe they thought nobody would really care.

Trash

I’d say, stay classy, ‘Cock fans, except I expect I’d be wasting bandwidth.