The ranks of the undefeated are starting to thin out.
First, the Big 12 showed again how pathetic college defenses can look as Texas defeated rival Oklahoma 48-45 to hand the Sooners their first loss of the season. Texas almost squandered a huge lead but then let the Sooners tie it up late. They sealed with win with a 40-yard field goal from freshman Cameron Dicker.
Meanwhile, Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow had LSU ranked in the top ten without a loss heading into Florida, but the Gators sealed the win with a late pick 6.
Finally, Auburn was handled on the road against Mississippi State, 23-9.
ESPN’s theory behind “Get Up” had some merit, but this venture was risky from the start. Executives must have believed that Mike Greenberg had the type of on air presence that could anchor a “Today” type morning show for ESPN, yet they had to break up the incredibly successful “Mike & Mike” duo to make it happen. We won’t rehash all of that drama, but it now appears that this experiment is doomed to fail.
Michelle Beadle is leaving the program on August 29th, as she declared she will no longer watch college or pro football. She’s certainly entitled to her opinion on recent scandals, but this isn’t the type of attitude that could work for an ESPN morning show that needs to draw football fans to survive.
With her departure, the hoped-for on-screen chemistry among Beadle, Greenberg and Jalen Rose won’t have a chance to materialize. That may be a blessing in disguise for ESPN, as the show has failed to develop a loyal following with these three hosts. All are pros and bring a lot to the network, but Greenberg in particular comes across as much less interesting without Mike Golic as his sidekick.
With Beadle leaving and critical football season about to begin, ESPN had an opportunity to re-imagine this struggling show. Yet they chose to replace Beadle with a rotating cast of Maria Taylor, Laura Rutledge, Jen Lada, and Dianna Russini. This makes little sense unless you’ve decided that “Get Up” cannot exist without a female host. Does anyone really think football fans will be anxious to hear what these hosts will say on Monday morning about the games? Each of these hosts has talent, but what do they bring to a conversation about football? What about betting fans who obsess about odds and look for serious betting info like they might find online at Novibet live betting. It’s hard to imagine serious sports and betting fans sticking with this show.
I’m betting that more fans will be happy to tune into Golic & Wingo over this failed experiment.
Keith Jackson, the voice of college football for so many years, has passed. Here’s his call on the last play when the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated Miami for the 2002 National Championship.
Tired of people not appreciating the fact that if this man led us to the National Championship. And for all the fans that are against Jalen, you against me too. You either WITH US or AGAINST US. Love you 2 🐐#BigBroLittleBro@JalenHurtspic.twitter.com/ExjHAB7yHh
These two will be a hot topic among Alabama fans for a long time after Tua Tagovailoa rescued Alabama in the National Championship game with that stunning finish against Georgia.
This tweet is a class move by Tua, as he stick by Jalen Hurts who had his back during the game.
That said, it will be interesting to see if Hurst stays at Bama going forward, as freshman Tagovailoa seems to be the future at QB.
Yes, we’re stuck with two SEC teams in the National Championship game again . . . oh well. Both teams look great and are deserving, but given the bowl records of the rest of the SEC, plus the record of the Big Ten and UCF’s victory over Auburn and you have a tough time justifying only having a 4-team playoff.
Alabama opens as a 4.5 point favorite over Georgia in the title game. It should be strength against strength in that game, with two physical defenses and power running games.
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