Rat poisoned

Well, shit.  Matt Hayes may have signaled the end times for Georgia football.

You can have Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney. Take Ryan Day or Lincoln Riley or any of the other elite coaches who fattened their wallets this offseason.

Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football. That’s right, Kirby Smart.

The coach who couldn’t go a season without some strange, or quirky – or let’s face it, bizarre – in-game coaching decision that baffled the senses.

The coach who could have multiple national championships were it not for some conservative play calling in 2017 and a conservative decision at quarterback that impacted 2018-2020.

That same coach made every right decision last season, lifting Georgia to its first national title since 1980 and making a definitive statement along the way.

If you’re looking for the next Saban, he’s right there in Athens.

“He put that flag in the ground last year,” an SEC coach told me. “You better believe Nick (Saban) is concerned.”

Doomed, I tells ‘ya.  Doomed.

Always be click baitin’.

Does G-Day performance matter? @finebaum throws out scenario: What if Stetson Bennett gets outplayed …. https://t.co/npWAttMfxr pic.twitter.com/e8uprYwAqc

— MikeGriffith32 (@MikeGriffith32) April 14, 2022

You know you’re in the presence of keen insight when you see Finebaum cited to get the rubes going.

A Montana misread

How it started ($$):

9. Dan Mullen, Florida (2020 — No. 8): I’ve been high on Mullen since his overachieving Mississippi State days, and his first three seasons at Florida have marked the Gators’ winningest run (29-9) since Urban Meyer. Florida in 2020 slew Georgia, ending the narrative about a huge “gap” between the two…

How it’s going ($$):

College coaching is cutthroat, man. Two of my top-10 coaches in the country this time last year, LSU’s Ed Orgeron and Florida’s Dan Mullen, were out of a job before season’s end.

You may want to rethink that gap narrative thing, Stew.

Not an envy and jealousy post

Er, uh… this isn’t the way I would have chosen to describe Mark Richt’s endorsement of Stacy Searels’ re-hiring:

Georgia’s hiring of Stacy Searels as offensive line coach Monday wasn’t earning a lot of praise on social media, but it earned a hearty two thumbs up from former Bulldogs coach Mark Richt.

Chip, not trying to tell you how to go about your business, but, hearty or otherwise, using “two thumbs up” in the context of former Richt assistants doesn’t conjure up happy thoughts from the Bulldog faithful.

Sweet bitter love

BREAKING: The College Football Playoff announces the format will remain four teams through the 2025 season, abandoning efforts to expand to 12 before the end of the current 12-year contract with ESPN.
The management committee will now focus on a new playoff format for 2026.

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) February 18, 2022

Such a terrible blow to the hopes and dreams of…

We’re owed an apology. All of us. The fans, the public — gosh, maybe even the unwashed media who staked out countless hotel lobbies in the rush to first learn about College Football Playoff expansion. All of it netted, well, nothing. At least for now.

It was a waste of time. The flights to Dallas and Chicago. The hotel rooms. Seven sets of in-person meetings. The hours and hours discussing this while college sports faced myriad other issues. I know how long they were because I sat outside in a hotel lobby for most of them.

Will no one think of our jaded CFB media?  Shame on you, commissioners.

Always think before you hit the SEND key.

Of all the suggestions in the world, this is certainly one of them.

“Bryan Harsin’s next move? Go get JT Daniels”

I mean, what could go wrong?

As for Daniels, there are plenty of positives with Auburn, even as it’s in the midst of this bizarre situation wherein it lacks an offensive coordinator.

Okay, besides that.

Today, in journalism

Shot.

This is wild. According to this story, Bryan Harsin was about to be fired at Arkansas State prior to getting the Boise State job. https://t.co/NQHTtFNYBr

— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) February 10, 2022

Chaser.

Barrett – That story is 100% not true!! Very false and a lack of journalistic integrity! Whoever wrote it should have checked with me first! THE IRONY?!Bryan won a conference championship as the fourth Head Coach in four years! We fully intended and hoped he would stay!

— Terry Mohajir (@TerryMohajirAD) February 10, 2022

That is… awkward.

Somebody else’s narrative

Man, the way the pundit class has been dumping on Bryan Harsin and Auburn in the past couple of weeks has been something to behold.

Auburn is approaching decimation faster than it is acclamation under Harsin. Auburn’s big wigs whisper Harsin’s name with vitriol in an effort to not awaken the other blood-hungry SEC beasts to the Tigers’ downfall. Athletics director Allen Greene’s future is questioned openly. Recruiting efforts are lacking. Alums try to find the positive but mostly remain quiet. They seek the escape of basketball — basketball! — and Bruce Pearl‘s incredible turn as the coach of the nation’s No. 1 team. (Pearl received a new eight-year contract Friday with an average salary of $6.3 million per year, making him the first Auburn basketball coach in the modern era with a bigger salary than the football coach.)

… The hard reality is Auburn is in trouble and a coaching search in December is more likely than Harsin receiving a contract extension.

Never has an Auburn head coach been under this much pressure to produce this early in his career. There is no coach in the SEC with a more uncomfortable seat than Harsin, whose second year on the Plains might as well be his 10th. No school in the SEC is situated in a more difficult spot geographically and culturally. Auburn’s two biggest rivals — Alabama and Georgia — own the last two national titles, so any misstep by the Tigers today is extrapolated into a stumble tomorrow.

You know, the old narrative about Auburn was they played good ball in years when nobody gave them a shot.  You get the feeling Harsin’s about to break that.  In the meantime, it looks like this season (offseason, for sure) Auburn’s going to be the SEC team with That Narrative.  Better them than Georgia, I say.

Oh, what a relief it is.

You’ll be pleased to know that in the aftermath of Georgia’s national championship, the conventional wisdom on Kirby Smart has moved from “could he be on the hot seat with Georgia fans?” to “untouchable” ($$).

Although we should hesitate on that a wee bit until Mr. Conventional Wisdom chimes in on that front, probably.

Validation, if you need it

Bill Connelly ($$) ranked all 32 teams that have played in the CFP, by this set of criteria:

I derived this list, as I usually do, through a combination of numbers (primarily, my SP+ ratings) and my personal opinions. Start with the stats, then adjust for actual CFP performance and any other criteria that feels relevant.

Your current national champs are fourth on his list, the highest ranked team that didn’t finish undefeated.

4. 2021 Georgia (14-1)
CFP result: Beat Michigan 34-11; beat Alabama 33-18

Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs were far and away the best team of the season’s first three months, combining steady and efficient offense with college football’s most consistently dominant defense in years. Only Bama scored more than 17 points on the Dawgs, who lost to the Tide in the SEC championship game but rebounded to pen a happy ending and, with help from a game-clinching Kelee Ringo pick-six, win their first national title in 41 years.

That doesn’t suck.