Indiana is Now a Football Power

Indiana did it last night. They won the whole thing. They beat every team on their schedule. They have the most wins in a season since some Yale team back in the early 1900's. Let’s discuss.

Indiana is on top of the college football world and they turned their entire program around in two short years. Curt Cignetti proved his worth and then some. I may not personally like him, but he is one hell of a college football coach and he knows how to win in this new era. I read some people griping about his roster being old. Who cares? He did nothing illegal in recruiting fifth and sixth year seniors. These guys wanted to come play for him through the portal, he picked the players that fit his system and he has won big with them at Indiana. He used the portal to perfection.

I made comments a week or so back about Fernando Mendoza being a game manager. I was wrong. He won that game last night. He was the reason that Indiana was able to sustain a few drives and get points. His run on fourth and long that scored the winning TD for Indiana was one of the best runs I have seen in a college football game in quite a long time. He secured the number one pick in the upcoming draft. Mendoza was no game manager last night. He was awesome.

As I said in my previous post about Indiana and Mendoza, this Indiana defense is elite. They are one of the better defenses I have seen on a college football field in a few years. The corners were all over the wideouts. The run defense, save for one long run, stuffed Miami at the line most of the night. And the linebackers cleaned up any messes that came their way. They also provided nice pressure on Carson Beck all night. And the secondary came up with the game sealing interception with less than a minute.

Even IU's special teams came up with a humongous punt block for a TD that helped get the momentum back in the third quarter.

Indiana was the most sound, most serious and best college football team by a wide margin for the 2025-26 season. Miami put up a fight and made it interesting for a while, but Indiana's run seemed destined to end this way. Miami made the title game by upsetting higher seeded teams. Indiana looked every bit the overall number 1 seed, dominating Alabama and Oregon on their way to the title. Miami may have more "pro" ready players, but Indiana was a much more complete and better team. Sure, Mendoza is the QB and Heisman winner, but he has guys all around him loaded with talent. They have two very good running backs. The receivers seemingly never drop a pass. The o line is dominant. The defense is amazing. Indiana is the definition of a team in modern college football. They play for one another, not draft positioning. They won because they bought into the new culture and coaching that came with the new coaching staff. They used the portal the best way possible. They made all the right moves and turned that into a championship team. Now they will have the joy and frustration of playing as the hunted rather than the hunter. They are not going to be taken lightly ever again. This is going to be a perennial contender, and the other teams on their schedule will be looking for new ways to beat them. It seems weird for me to say that about Indiana, but it shouldn't be. They are national champs and national champs play with a target on their back.

I also want to point out that the Big Ten has now won three straight national titles. For years and years the Big Ten always struggled during bowl season. They just couldn't seem to get to the title game, or if they did they would get trounced. But now, in the modern NIL and transfer portal era, the Big Ten seems to be the best conference in all of college football. I don't think it's hyperbolic to say that they have usurped the SEC as the dominant conference. With Indiana last night, the university of Ohio State last year and Michigan two seasons ago, the Big Ten has won them all. And they didn't play a SEC team in any of those title games. Sure, the SEC has a few teams here and there that make the playoff, but so does the Big Ten. Oregon made it to the final four this year. Last season the Big Ten had five playoff teams. The SEC only had three. In the 23-24 playoff, the last with four teams, there was one SEC, one Pac 12, one Big 12 and one Big Ten, and the title game was Pac 12 versus Big Ten. We are in a new era of college football, and for the first part of this era, the Big Ten is the best conference, and it is not even close. And before people say, well they have 16 teams from all over the country, it is not fair, the last three champs from the Big 10 are all traditional Big Ten teams. So, as a fan of a Big Ten team, this makes me happy.

Anyway, congrats to Indiana. They are the no questions asked champs of the 2025-26 college football season. Enjoy it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Transfer Portal Needs to be Fixed

There is a big, big problem with the transfer portal, and while I think it must stick around, there needs to be some kind of new rules put into place. Let’s discuss

To start off, I'm all for college athletes getting as much money as they can while they are still playing in college. For some of these athletes, this is the only time they will get paid playing their preferred sport. And for the players that are going to be picked to play professionally, they can start a nice little nest egg for their future. And I'm all for kids being able to move from school to school as much as coaches do. I don't blame any kid who was recruited to Ole Miss by Lane Kiffin looking to go somewhere else now that Kiffin has moved on to LSU. They had an idea of who the coach was going to be, that coach is now gone and maybe they were only going to Ole Miss to play for Kiffin. The same thing is going on at Michigan right now. Some kids have asked out of letters of intent, or some kids who came in from the transfer portal that were recruited by Sherrone Moore are now looking elsewhere since Moore is no longer the head coach. Those kids don't really know Kyle Whittingham, and maybe they don't want to get to know him. And that's fine.

What is happening right now, especially in football and men's college basketball, with the portal is pure madness. There seems to be dozens of new players everyday since the recent transfer window opened up that are leaving one school for another. What's worse, some kids have announced intentions to transfer while their current team is still in the playoff. I know that Ole Miss was bounced last night, in an epic game by the way, but their backup QB has already announced that they have committed to play football at Mizzou next season. I believe this same thing happened with Penn State last season. These players still have important playoff games to prepare for, but the non starters possibly have their mind elsewhere. That's not good. You need your players to be locked in and focused. If Trinidad Chambliss were to get hurt, Austin Simmons may not be all that hype to go into a game because he may not want to get hurt. I bet Mizzou coaches would implore him not to play at all. In a case like this, if a kid is already committed elsewhere, they should already be with that new team. And Simmons very well may be in Columbia, Missouri as we speak. But the sheer fact that Simmons was all but out the door while Ole Miss was still playing, that is part of the problem. Michigan has seen starters leave for the portal. Some have come back, but others are still in the portal. Brandym Hillman was a two year starter, but he entered the portal last night. TJ Metcalf transferred in last year, played the most snaps on defense for Michigan, and now he is gone. Justice Haynes, who started at running back and was the feature back before getting hurt, announced today he was going to transfer. Indiana is the clear favorite to win it all this year, but that hasn't stopped them from getting one of the top QBs in the portal to commit, as well as one of the top wideouts in the portal. Again, they have a game tonight, but that hasn't stopped them from bringing in transfers. Oh, and their current starting QB, the Heisman winner, hasn't declared for the draft as of yet. But they already have his replacement waiting to take over in Bloomington.

As of today, over 2500 players have entered the transfer portal, and almost half have already committed to new schools. That's insane. And I kind of assumed that the portal was going to be used for players who felt they have earned playing time, but haven't gotten as much as they hoped for. That seemed like the best option. Or even, the portal could be used for players who have one season of eligibility left that are playing at a "smaller" division 1 school to go play for a power 4 school and get scouted for the pros. But we have all kinds of players entering the portal now, and this includes guys who have been starters since they got into college football. I mentioned Justice Haynes and Brandyn Hillman already. Josh Hoover was a two year starter at TCU, but now he is off to Indiana. Brendan Sorsby started at Cincinnati last season, but that didn't stop him from almost instantly committing to Texas Tech after Oregon knocked them out of the playoff. Nick Marsh was the top wideout at Michigan State, but he is off to greener pastures at Indiana. Michigan got instant help on defense from former Utah edge rusher John Henry Daley, who was an All American this past season. DJ Lagway was supposed to be the savior for Florida, but next season he will be suiting up for Baylor. Rocco Becht was a two year starter at Iowa State, but he just followed his coach to Penn State. I could go on and on and on naming more and more players. It truly does feel like free agency. It's getting to a point where I don't even know some current starters on Michigan's team, and that is the team I love the most. I just started to root for TJ Metcalf and Justice Haynes, and now they're gone. I have to learn about John Henry Daley and Taylor Tatum now, among others.

This constant movement and constant change is going to do damage to the sport and to the rivalry aspect of college football, which is a big deal for college sports. The university of Ohio State and Michigan rivalry is still pretty heated, but the university of Ohio State has had two transfer QBs start the past two years and Michigan has had multiple transfers on defense. What will happen to the Notre Dame-USC rivalry when  players can transfer from one of those schools to the other. I know Michigan is in contact with some rival teams players in the portal, so I have to imagine the same thing is going on with other big time schools with players in the portal. The rivalry games are going to become just another game because there will be zero continuity with players. Each team is going to have new players every year, and that is going to do nothing but dim these supposed rivalry games. There's also going to be more parity, which is fine. But, with more and more players transferring every season, no team is going to have true continuity. The coaches are going to have to mold things to fit the transfers every year, and if you miss out on a transfer you went all in on, your season will be toast.

The transfer portal can be used for good, but right now it is the wild west. It is free agency. Players are going where they can get the most money, and maybe not the most playing time. To each their own, but rules should be put into place. There should be some kind of restrictions, or this is only going to get worse and worse every year, and it is already pretty bad where we are right now. Changes will hopefully be made, but time will tell. Until then, the average college football fan is going to fall off a bit when they don't get to know who the players are each year. You used to get four years to root for certain players if you're lucky. But now it changes pretty much every season and it is watering down the game in my opinion. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Indiana is a Very Good Football Team

When I turned on the Rose Bowl yesterday I thought I was going to watch a good quality game, hard fought, close and eventually Alabama winning in the fourth quarter. Indiana has had a wonderful season, but I figured it was all going to come crashing down against a reliable SEC team.

And as the game started, it kind of looked like that was going to be the case. Both teams were kind of feeling each other out, defense was ruling the day and both QB's looked a little shell shocked. But then Indiana flipped a switch and absolutely took the game over. And believe me, I understand that they have the Heisman winner at QB in Fernando Mendoza, but he didn't have to do much to win this game for the Hoosiers. That's what stuck out to me the most. This Indiana offense has been wildly efficient and  a high scoring unit all season long, but it doesn't have to come from the pass game every game day. The offensive line is big and mean and nasty. They want to hit you and want to make you feel each and every hit. The running backs, they played two yesterday, are both bruising and can get to the outside. They embrace contact and fight until they cannot fight anymore. Mendoza did a fine job managing the game and making throws when he needed to, and the wideouts made the necessary plays and catches when called upon. But it was the o line that wore out the Alabama front seven, and the running game helped them control the clock and wear their opponent down throughout the game.

Also, this Indiana defense is truly elite. They may be the best unit in all of college football this season. I thought that the university of Ohio State had the best defense after seeing them suffocate Michigan, but Indiana suffocated them, and then made Alabama look pedestrian. And Indiana is doing this with guys on defense that are "no name" guys or guys that were light recruited. What stood out most to me watching this Indiana defense yesterday is that everyone knows their role, plays their part and loves to hit. Indiana's defensive backs were coming up in coverage and popping guys. The d line and linebackers were crushing the Bama running backs. There was a play where Ryan Williams made a catch over the middle in the second quarter and he got absolutely lit up. He held onto the ball and flexed, but after that I don't believe he went over the middle the rest of the game. The Indiana secondary got in his head. They also hit Ty Simpson time and again, and on one play they hit him so hard he fumbled and it was later revealed that his ribs were broken on that very play. Simpson ended up missing most of the second half due to that hit. Indiana does have guys that were All Big 10 players, but none of the guys are household names, and I bet that is exactly how they want it. They didn't have to prove anything to me, but boy did they show me that they are for real and a legit favorite to win the whole thing this season.

The Hoosiers are a complete and full team. They have everything they need to win a title. Mendoza is a manager, but he can also make the big play when called upon. They have multiple backs that do different things incredibly well. They have a nasty defensive and offensive line, filled with dudes that want to hit you in the mouth. They have big wideouts who make damn near every catch, and a few can run away from their defenders. They have linebackers who always seem to be in the right place at the right time and will crush you. And their secondary is elite with guys who can cover and hit you very, very hard. And they have a head coach, whom I despise, that knows how to win, wants to embarrass you and will do everything he can to take your will and spirit.

Indiana is great. I was very wrong about them. This year's squad has a different feel than last year. They seem ready for the moment and ready to prove that they are among the elite teams in college football. They are now the hunted, and we will see how the rematch goes with Oregon next week, but like I said before, Indiana should be the prohibitive favorite with four teams remaining in the college football playoff. And if the continue to play like they did yesterday, they will run away with the championship this season. 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Changes are Coming to the Michigan Football Coaching Staff

I watched the Citrus Bowl yesterday, obviously, and it turned out how I expected. Michigan put up a fight, they even had a lead early into the fourth quarter, but then the ugliness reared its head and they got their butts kicked. It was a fitting end to a pretty mediocre year playing a bunch of young kids.

On Monday I wrote about my cautious optimism pertaining to the Kyle Whittingham hire, and his interview during the third quarter only had me more on board. And now today he is hiring his staff and picking the guys he wants to work with. This staff is going to look very different next season, and I think that is the way it should be so we can all cleanse ourselves from the prior staff and all that came with it. Look, I'm as stoked as anyone that Jim Harbaugh brought a national title back to Michigan and made this football team relevant again, but the stink after he left for the NFL was too much and this football program needed an overhaul. To this point it has been reported that Whittingham has hired a new offensive coordinator, new QB coach, new receivers coach and new tight ends coach. It has also been reported that Tony Alford is staying on as the running backs coach, much to my delight. This means Ron Bellamy is out as receivers coach. That also means that there will most likely be some transfers, but hopefully the new guy can convince some to stay. Bellamy was an excellent recruiter, but maybe not the best coach. He could get some big names in, but they never fully developed. I'm curious to see what Andrew Marsh does, he has all the talent in the world, but other than him, maybe a new wideout coach was needed. There hasn't been any news on Grant Newsome yet, who I feel like is coming into his own as a coach. He could also recruit, but he was getting better at coaching as well. If they keep him, great. If not, he will catch on somewhere very soon and be very successful.  Other than Newsome and Bellamy, I won't miss too many of the coaches walking out the door. In my mind, as far as offensive coaches went, Alford was the one they needed to keep from this current staff and it looks like they have. That is a good thing.

I think the defensive staff is going to look different too. Wink Martindale is most likely out since Michigan has reportedly hired BYU's defensive coordinator to the same role at Michigan. This was a needed move. I like Martindale but he was never a long term solution. He has always had his eyes on the pros. BYU's d coordinator has a solid reputation and he and Whittingham have a solid relationship. I am curious to see if they keep Steve Casula and/or Lamar Morgan. Those guys have done a solid job in two short years and Morgan is an elite recruiter. I know that Zeke Berry had a rough day yesterday, but he is good. Jyaire Hill is very good, Shamari Earls is young and full of potential, Brandyn Hillman is a heavy hitter and they have some up and coming defensive backs that Morgan recruited and is currently coaching. And regardless of how much pressure they do or don't get, the defensive line is solid and can stop the run. Steve Casula has done a fine job coaching them and he is also a solid recruiter. I don't think Whittingham will retain Brian Jean Mary, and while he will be a little missed by me, it shouldn't be too much of a burden to let him go. I don't know what the new defensive coordinator is looking for for his new staff, but if I was told I could only keep one coach on that side of the ball I think I'd go with Morgan. Casula would be a bummer to see go, but Morgan is younger and has more potential in my opinion as a future defensive coordinator and even a head coach.

I expected there to be a ton of changes after the game yesterday and that is exactly what is happening. It may be jarring to see all the former coaches looking for new jobs, but this was always going to be the case the moment they hired Kyle Whittingham. And I trust Whittingham knows what he is doing. He has a ton of experience coaching the college game and he knows how to evaluate upcoming talent in the coaching ranks.

I'm excited/interested to see how this staff fully comes together and how they do in their first season. But, I'm also glad that they're getting rid of all the nonsense that they inherited and I'm ready for this new era of Michigan football. Always and forever, Go Blue. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Kyle Whittingham is Who Michigan Football Needs

Welcome back everyone. I hope you all had a nice holiday and have a happy new year. I had a nice relaxing week off, but I'm back and I have some stuff I want to talk about this week. There was a bunch of stuff I read or heard about last week that I feel I need to tell you all my opinions on. And it wouldn't be me if I didn't start the week talking about Michigan football hiring Kyle Whittingham as their 22nd head coach.

This is a big deal. A few weeks back I wrote about the whole Sherrone Moore fallout and what I wanted Michigan football to do moving forward. I was, and still kind of am, all about starting over. This football program needs a reset. Even the guys involved with the team have said as much. I saw Biff Poggi's press conference early in the week and he pretty much said that they need a full reset verbatim. And he has been with the program since Jim Harbaugh was hired.

Jim Harbaugh had his ups and downs, but he did bring a national title back to Ann Arbor and I will be forever grateful. The four seasons after the COVID shortened 2020 season were an absolute joy to watch and made me as happy as I have been since becoming a fan over 40 years ago. But you could see the issues piling up and it was starting to look worse and worse everyday. Then the Sherrone Moore stuff came to light and it was as bad as it could get. I hope Moore is getting the help he desperately needs, but it was clear that he was not suited for the job. It was far too much for him and it all came crumbling down faster than any of us expected.

When Moore was let go, I was concerned and confused. The timing was bad. The situation was messed up beyond belief. The whole story has become a soap opera that seems to get juicier with each new story that comes out. Like I said before, Michigan needed a massive shift in focus and to bring in a coach that could facilitate such a move. I wanted Kalen DeBoer, but Alabama won their playoff game and that stopped any momentum that Michigan may have had in hiring him. I quickly moved on to Kenny Dillingham. After DeBoer was off the table I figured they should go with a young coach who has an offensive background. It seems they kicked the tires on Dillingham, but never offered and Arizona State gave him an extension, taking him off the board. At this point, even though I wanted a change, I thought they were going to give the job to Biff Poggi, and I talked myself into that hire. I thought he could keep the roster mostly intact, the players seemed to like him, he was the first person who said the program needed a massive overhaul and I like him. But he does not have the best rep as a head coach. I understand that Charlotte is a much different level of college football than Michigan, but those Charlotte teams that Poggi was the head coach for were very bad. They did not put a good product on the field. But I thought maybe he could just be the CEO of the Michigan football program, and hire the proper people to run the team for him. It seemed to be trending towards Poggi, but something must have happened during one of his many interviews that turned the people hiring off. I don't know what he said or did, but he was suddenly not even mentioned as an option. This was when I kind of panicked. At this point I thought they were going to hire Eli Drinkwitz. No disrespect to Drinkwitz, but he would have been an awful option. I then read that Jedd Fisch was considered a "gettable" option, and while he has an offensive background, he didn't feel like a much better option than Drinkwitz, and he is from the Harbaugh coaching tree.

Then Kyle Whittingham's name started to pop up more and more. I have always respected Whittingham. His teams at Utah were pretty much always competitive. He seemed to run a clean program. He seems to only really care about college football. He has always had good defenses, and in the 2020's, the Utah offense has been explosive from time to time. He seems quiet and calm and confident. I remember when Harbaugh was in his first year at Michigan they opened the season at Utah, and the Utes beat them in a close, hard fought battle. I was frustrated, as I always am when Michigan doesn't win a game, but I came away impressed by how Utah equaled Michigan's toughness. They didn't play scared, and that was impressive to see. And he has quietly won a ton of games, had Utah in playoff conversations, went undefeated in 2008 and won, I believe, the Rose Bowl that year. He made Utah a perennial top 25 team and a thorn in every opponent's side. I have also heard people say that Utah was the Pac 12 and Big 12's Michigan equivalent. So, as his name came up more and more, he did tell Utah that he was stepping away to pursue other options, so I started to get on board. He felt like a guy who could come in and change the culture in a short time and get this team back to what made it awesome. He likes to run the ball and play defense, which is great, but he has also shown that he can adapt to playing modern offense in current college football. He has hired younger coordinators who understand that you have to adjust and adapt to stay relevant in modern college football. He has shown a willingness to let his coaches coach and to not be a dictator of his program. At his introductory press conference he said and did all the right things, but it never felt phony or forced. He reminded me of a guy who has been coaching college football for 30 plus years and understands what it takes to win, which is exactly who Kyle Whittingham is. I have also read a bunch of people who have coached or are currently coaching college football, and they all have nothing but glowing compliments for Kyle Whittingham. It seems like he is liked by almost everyone in the college football world. And after that press conference, I'm all in.

Maybe it is just because of all the craziness currently with Michigan football, or me looking at this hire with rose colored glasses, but I'm moving ahead with cautious optimism. Whittingham seems like the right guy to turn this team around. I feel like he can retain some important pieces. I do expect some guys to hit the portal, but if he can keep the right guys, he should do fine in year one. I am on board and happy about this hire. Now I'm ready to see who he hires for his staff, if he keeps anyone and how they come out in the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday. I'm ready for the Kyle Whittingham era at Michigan, and I am happy that this wild coaching search seems to have turned out okay for Michigan. Always and forever, Go Blue. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Thoughts On What is Going On with Michigan Football

I am going to take a day off from my best of 2025 lists because I have to address this whole bizarre situation going on at Michigan right now with Sherrone Moore and the football team.

For those that may not know, Moore was abruptly fired yesterday for cause as the head coach of the football team. I was stunned when I read this news. This was not something I was expecting at 4pm local time while waiting to get my daughter from school. As I was trying to come to grips with what was happening, more and more news was coming out and it just got worse and worse. Moore apparently had an "inappropriate relationship" with a staffer. I don't know anything else other than that. Then it was revealed he was in police custody because, this is what I read, he was confronted by his wife and then he went to the staffer's home, busted down the door and threatened to kill the staffer and himself. I know that a mug shot was floating around the internet, but that wasn't real. What I have read today, Moore will appear in front of a judge tomorrow morning. That should be interesting to say the least.

This is an absolute mess. I was always proud to be a Michigan fan because they have stayed away from stuff like this. This is akin to the whole Bobby Petrino incident while he was the head coach at Arkansas, minus the motorcycle. It also reminds me of what happened at Michigan State with Mel Tucker, except Tucker didn't reportedly threaten anyone. What I'm trying to say is, Michigan has been able to stay away from this type of scandal. The sign stealing stuff was stupid. Gary Moeller drove drunk, not that that's good, but it's not like this. Rich Rodriguez wasn't a good fit and Brady Hoke was in over his head. Jim Harbaugh brought the team a title, then bolted like we all knew he would for the NFL. And he gave Moore his ringing endorsement as the next head coach of the Michigan football team. I was all on board with this. I felt like it would keep what little continuity they had left after Harbaugh raided the staff. Year one wasn't great, but they ended the season with two big time victories. Then Moore and his staff brought in a tremendous recruiting class. Those kids played and had their moments, both good and bad. But I was here for it. I liked that they were getting quality playing time and I felt it would only help. I wrote as much in my best of 2025 sports list. But now that is all gone. And it looks like it is going to be a bit before the Michigan football team is relevant again.

After sitting on this and thinking about it and talking to friends and family, maybe it is time for this staff to be entirely replaced and for the football program to hit the reset button. There's clearly some issues with the current staff. We have this whole situation with Moore, and then add on the recruiting violations and sanctions. This has all come to light with this staff. Sure, I think Wink Martindale has done some solid things but the defense isn't near the elite level they were under Jesse Minter and Mike MacDonald. Chip Lindsay had his moments, but the last game of the season was worrisome. Grant Newsome is solid, but he was a part of the violations. Ron Bellamy can recruit, but the development isn't there. I think it is time to clean the house. I feel like that would be best for Michigan football. They need some type of cleansing to get back to normal. Because what is happening, and has been happening for the past couple of years is not normal. I fully understand that this means that a bunch of kids would transfer out, but that is going to happen anyway. The vultures are already circling Bryce Underwood, and I'm sure they won't be far behind on Andrew Marsh. There's no way Justice Haynes comes back now. The defense is going to have to get a bunch of new players. But that is the way of life in current college football. And then throw on a scandal like this, it is going to be an absolute mess for a bit.

This is bad. I'm not happy with this team that I truly love. I'm grossed out by it in fact. Moore seemed in over his head when he took this job and now I'm certain the pressure was getting to him. He may never coach anywhere again. He is facing prison time. I have to think that coaching is the furthest thing from his mind, as it should be. And that is going to leave an absolute tire fire in his wake. I know that people who dislike Michigan are just licking their chops, as they should. This is a horrible situation that just seems to get weirder by the hour. I don't know what happened to the university that I loved. They have taken a bad path and now they are dealing with their consequences, as they should. This bums me out, but the AD and the university have to do something to try and make this right. I don't know who they are going to try and hire, I have read a ton of names. But I also have to imagine that, whoever they hire, has to know that they have a big time rebuilding job ahead of them. This is awful and messy and hurts my soul as a fan. I'm so upset with what this team has become, and now serious changes have to occur. It's too bad that they are looking for a coach so late in the hiring process, but here we are. I will never understand why people in big time jobs think they can get away with whatever they want, especially in this day and age. The next head coach and staff has to have their heads on straight and focus on football, nothing else.

We will see what happens going forward, but right now. Michigan football is in a world of hurt and they won't be out of it for some time. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Best of 2025 - Sports

We are getting close to the end of the year so that means it is time for my Best Of 2025 lists. This year I'm going to do four lists, sports, music, movies and tv shows. These are what encompasses the majority of my time right now, besides my family, so they will be the focus moving forward. I'm going to start with my personal top five sports moments of the year. Some involve my fandom, one involves my kid and the others were moments I was just happy to bear witness to, even if I had no real rooting interest.

My number 5 moment is Michigan beating Alabama in the 2025 Reliaquest Bowl. Michigan was somehow able to beat the university of Ohio State in their regular season finale to give them a 7-5 record. Had they not won that game they may not have gotten such a decent non playoff bowl game. But they got into a bigger New Years Day game and they were matched up with Alabama, who had barely missed out on the playoff. Alabama was also at almost full strength, playing pretty much every important player they had on their roster. Michigan had a bunch of rotation guys step into starting roles. On paper this should have been a blowout for Alabama. Lucky for me, these games aren't played on paper. From the start Michigan looked more prepared and more game ready. The defense was firing off the ball. They were in Jalen Milroe's face all afternoon. Then it started to rain down. This only helped Michigan. They caused a myriad of turnovers, most of which ended with a Dominic Zvada field goal. They did have one td, a pass from Davis Warren to Fred Moore. But the defense won the day for this team. Even after Davis Warren had to exit the game due to tearing his ACL, Alex Orji, who had announced he was transferring after the game, stepped in and kept the ball moving on the ground. And Jordan Marshall announced himself as a serious force to come in the Big 10. This was a great way to start 2025 as a Michigan football fan. I was pretty happy.

At number 4, speaking of Michigan football, while the regular season ended with a thud, The Wolverines finished the year with 9 wins, but the big takeaway for me, the young kids got a ton of playing time and I got to get a glimpse into what this team might look like for the next three or four years. Uber recruit Bryce Underwood became the third true freshman to start at QB for Michigan. He had his ups and downs, but you can see the talent is there. Jordan Marshall came on strong after Justice Haynes got injured. Andrew Marsh looks like the best wideout prospect they've had since Braylon Edwards. They have an anchor at left tackle in Blake Frazier. Shamari Earls has a depth of talent at safety. Nathaniel Owusu Boateng got some run late in the season and he looks the part of a Big 10 linebacker. Jyaire Hill built on a solid sophomore year. Brandyn Hillman is one of the best hitters in college football. This team is young and has tons to improve upon, but they also have a good upside and I'm interested to see how they progress while they are with the Wolverines. I'm very, very cautiously optimistic about the talent they are bringing to Ann Arbor right now.

At number 3 I have the World Series. Now, I will fully admit I was rooting against the Dodgers the whole series, but damn this was exciting. I feel like baseball may be back. This series had it all. From blowouts to pitchers duels, it was all there. But game 7 was one for the ages. I'm sure Blue Jays fans were devastated at the outcome, they were so close, but damn did they play against this juggernaut incredibly admirably. They should have won. But the Dodgers' talent and luck showed up at the most opportune time. From Miguel Rojas', who hadn't had a hit in forever, game tying home run, to the Blue Jays getting robbed in the bottom of the ninth, to the Dodgers starters making up for the bullpen, they fought hard and earned this title. This wasn't a walkover. They had to fight for every win. And to see Shohei Othani pitching and hitting again, in high pressure situations, he may be the best to ever play baseball professionally. This World Series was incredible and I'm so glad my son convinced me to watch game 7 with him. It was one for the ages.

At number 2 I have the NBA Finals. This was another seven game series with a massive underdog making the heavy favorite work for every single thing they wanted. The Pacers did not go down without a tremendous fight. It is such a bummer what happened to Tyrese Haliburton in the first quarter of game 7. He looked to be on fire and then his body gave out on him. But the Pacers kept fighting, so much so that they had a lead going into halftime. But then the talent of the Thunder showed up and won out. Chet Holmgren became a black hole for anyone trying to drive to the hoop. Jalen Willimas started to hit shot after shot. Shai Gilgeous Alexander proved why he was the rightful MVP. Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso were pests. Lu Dort made big shots and frustrated everyone he guarded. The Thunder are on the cusp of something magical right now and last season's NBA Finals was just the start. This team is here to stay. But the Pacers did give them a run for their money.

And finally, at number 1 I have my son playing his last year of junior football and making the B team in his final year of junior basketball. My son is a big 13 year old. He is almost 6 feet and he weighs about 220 pounds. He plays right tackle on the offensive line for his football team and to see his growth this season was great. His team wasn't that great, they have issues actually acting like a team, but he improved in areas he needed work on. He used to struggle with smaller, faster defensive ends, but he worked hard with his coaches and found ways to block them this year. He played to the whistle. He would get pancake blocks that stunned me from the crowd. He worked with coaches individually in the offseason and you could tell it helped. He has told me he loves football and he is showing that by what he does on a field. Things will be different when he is in high school next year, but I know he has the talent and ability to be very good if he continues his hard work. As for hoops, he has been on my team since 5th grade, which is the C team in our feeder program. But each year he has added something new or really just started to literally throw his weight around on the court. I noticed him doing just that in a tournament last season, and the coach of the B team happened to be at that game. The coach approached me and said he wanted my kid on his team the next year. And luckily for my kid he had a great summer of basketball and a very good tryout. He made the B team and he has been doing some very nice things. He needs to get in basketball shape to continue, but to see him throwing around kids that may have a little more talent than him has been so nice for me. He's got a nice soft touch around the hoop. His passing has gotten way better. He could close out and rebound a little better for my taste, but I see his coaches working with him on that at practice. It is so nice to see his hard work pay off in the ways he has wanted and I'm very proud of him as a coach and a dad. We all want better for our kids, and in the case of my son and the sports he plays, he is better than I could have ever imagined being when I was 13.

That's it, those are my top five sports moments of 2025. Come back tomorrow when I give you my top five albums of the year. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Predicts the College Football Playoff

Before I do my best of 2025 lists I want to do a NCAA College Football Playoff preview and prediction.

I love college football, I hope Michigan wins their bowl game, all that depends on what version of the team shows and the playoff has been fun to watch since they installed it in the game. I do find it hilarious the whole holier than thou stance that Notre Dame is taking since they didn't make the field. This whole idea that they're too good for any other bowl game is wild to me. I like their coach, but this is a bad move by him, the AD and the university. It will solve nothing, they will not be put into the playoff no matter what they do and they're giving up extra practices for younger players. I don't like that they are doing this, but that's where we are and they're going to have to deal with any consequences. With all that being said, let's get to my preview and prediction.

The top four teams that get a bye, in order from 1-4 are Indiana, the university of Ohio State, Georgia and Texas Tech. They have earned the rest and extra practice leading up to their playoff game.

The 5-12 matchup features Oregon and James Madison. Oregon is still explosive, but they have a solid defense now. I like Dante Moore, they have fast wideouts and can run the ball. The defense has kept them in games this year and they have some first round talent on that side of the ball. I truly don't know much about James Madison. I read that they are similar to Oregon, with different levels of talented players on their roster. James Madison may be like Boise State from last year, but without a Heisman finalist like Ashton Jeanty. I'll take Oregon here for a bunch of reasons, but mainly I just think they're better.

The 6-11 game has Tulane traveling to Ole Miss. This game is going to be very close, closer than many others think. The whole Lane Kiffin drama is going to linger around for a bit. I do like that they already have a new head coach and he is focusing on the game. But that whole ordeal was tough. Tulane also has an explosive offense with a very good QB. They beat USC in a high level bowl game a few seasons back too, so they know how to win big games. But, with a much improved defense and a coach in place, I'll go with Ole Miss, but it is going to be very close.

The 7-10 has Texas A&M playing Miami. I know the last time A&M was on the field they looked dead in the water. Texas beat them relatively easily. But A&M has Marcel Reed who is good and they can be explosive. Miami snuck into the playoff, but they have not been the same team they were at the beginning of the year. They are wildly inconsistent and Carson Beck has not been the steady hand they need. But the defense is elite and that is what got A&M last time. These teams are eerily similar, so I'm going to go with Miami due to having a better overall defense.

The 8-9 game should be interesting with Alabama facing Oklahoma. Alabama was the biggest shock to me getting in the playoff. They looked so overmatched in the SEC title game and they haven't looked great in the last month of the year. And Kalen DeBoer seems to choke in big time games. Oklahoma has an awesome and opportunistic defense. But the offense is a true wild card. John Mateer does some great things and then some head scratching things within the same drive. I'm going to go with Oklahoma in this one, but it is truly a toss up. Maybe the Alabama from earlier this season shows up and routs Oklahoma, but I just don't see that happening against a very good defense.

This leaves me with Oklahoma playing Indiana, Miami facing the university of Ohio State, Ole Miss playing Georgia and Oregon going up against Texas Tech.

If this game was a week ago I would have had no issues picking Oklahoma over Indiana. But then I saw Indiana in the Big Ten title game and they have an elite, elite defense. Their offense barely did anything and they still won. It was all about their defense. They are one of the top units in the country and they have shown up for every big game. I see them doing that here and moving on to the semis.

The university of Ohio State should cruise over Miami. Their offense is better, their defense is way, way better and they have the experience needed to win in the playoffs. Mario Cristobal will find a way to mess it up because that is what he does and the university of Ohio State will capitalize on every Miami miscue.

Georgia is going to boatrace Ole Miss. This game won't even be close. They should be able to go up and down the field on Ole Miss and this is going to be a blowout. It wouldn't surprise me if Georgia won by 21 plus points.

The best game in this round is Oregon and Texas Tech. This is a strength on strength matchup. Oregon's elite offense against Tech's superb defense. Oregon has a reputation for dimming in the bright lights, but they won't have the spotlight on them this time. Tech will be the talk of this matchup. And because of that I'm going with Oregon in this one.

That means the semifinals will have three Big Ten teams and one SEC team. It's pretty clear who runs college football at the moment.

I'm going to go with Oregon to get revenge and beat Indiana this time around. They showed earlier in the season that they can score on them, and Oregon is a better team than they were at that time. This will be a low scoring defensive battle and I just think Oregon will be able to win it due to having less of a spotlight on them this time around.

As for the university of Ohio State and Georgia, give me Georgia. Ryan Day will find a way to mess this up and Kirby Smart will use that to his team's advantage. This will also be a low scoring affair, and I think Stetson Bennett's legs will be the difference in another low scoring semifinal game.

So that leaves me with Oregon and Georgia playing for the title. As much as I'd like to see the Big Ten win a third straight title, Georgia should take this matchup. They are better, it will be a reunion of sorts with Dan Lanning and Kirby Smart and I think Georgia is just a little bit better in every facet of the game. So that means Georgia will be the 2026 NCAA Football National Champs.

As for the Heisman, who cares. This is a boring crop of players, and I bet they give it to Fernando Mendoza because of Indiana's excellent regular season.

Bowl games start this Saturday and the playoff will be here before we know it. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Thoughts on Lane Kiffin to LSU

Lane Kiffin is the new head football coach at LSU. They let Brian Kelly go in the middle of the year, and they have to kind of rebuild their image. I fully understand that there are other jobs that filled vacancies, but Kiffin to LSU was the biggest deal. Penn State is the next to hire, and when they do I will most likely write about their pick to run the football team. But Kiffin to LSU is a big, big deal.

I am not a Lane Kiffin fan. I feel like he has failed his way up almost his entire career. He was a disaster when he was the coach of the Raiders. How he was ever a NFL coach is beyond me. He drafted a kicker in the first round while he was there. He had the same kicker attempt something like a 70 yard field goal. He had no respect from his players and he was quickly ousted. He then, again, shockingly, was hired by Tennessee. I was floored. He had only shown his inability as a head coach with the Raiders, but he somehow snagged a big time college job. He was bad there too. He made more headlines for offifeld stuff than on the field. He parlayed this into the head coaching gig at USC. Again, floored. I could not believe another major university was going to give him another chance. He was so bad there that they fired him on the tarmac after a bad, bad game. I figured he was done as a head coach at this point. And for a bit he was. He did find his way on Nick Saban's Alabama staff, rising all the way to offensive coordinator. Saban had a reputation as a coach where he would take on reclamation projects and make them a head coach again. This was where Kiffin rebuilt himself. He was good as a coordinator. I kind of thought he could have thrived for a very long time as the OC under Saban, but it seemed he always wanted to be a head coach. And that was when Ole Miss came calling. This seemed like a good fit at the time. Ole Miss was good, not great. They're an SEC team, but never one of the premiere programs. If Kiffin could build Ole Miss into a threat, he could become the true real deal head coach he always wanted to be. And he did just that. He never won a title, but Ole Miss was always a threat. They were a team the big dogs hated to play in the SEC. They would upset a few teams here and there and Kiffin could recruit.

Kiffin is kind of built for this modern NIL era of college football recruiting. He is a slimy salesman, and that is what most modern college football coaches need to be in this day and age. Ole Miss has won 10 games for three straight years, and they are all but certain to be in the 12 team playoff field this year. A lot of that is due to Kiffin's recruiting and his offense. He knows what he is doing now, and it is paying off. But then he seemed to revert to his former self in this flirtation with LSU. He would deny it, although almost everyone knew he was going to take the job. He claimed he wanted to coach the team throughout the playoff, which I don't deny, but that would also give him a chance to poach current players on Ole Miss that he would want with him at LSU. He has said things to the media that he will contradict the next. He is out here making constant quotes on his Instagram. These are the things he wasn't doing, but now that he is back at a big time program, it feels like he is back to his douchey ways.

I just feel like I want him to not do so great at LSU. But, I also understand that he has become a better coach. He seems to know what it takes. And if he was able to recruit as well as he did at Ole Miss, just think of what he is going to do with the resources and gobs of money at LSU. This is about as homerun a hire as LSU could have done. They got one of the best coaches in this cycle. He rebuilt himself, he understands the job and I just feel like he is going to be successful. And I will be rooting against him every step of the way. That's just the way it is for me. I do not like Kiffin and I have been very very blah on LSU. I'm sure the fans are stoked and I know that the world of college football is very happy to have another big name at a big program that ESPN can talk about endlessly. I'm already ready to see what he does in his first season. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Thoughts on Virginia Tech Hiring James Franklin

It was announced yesterday that Virginia Tech football is hiring James Franklin as their next head coach. Franklin was not out of a job for that long. I figured he was going to find a job sooner than later, but this was much faster than I expected. I went a little hard on Virginia Tech when they let their coach go midseason. I may be wrong on the actual dates here, but I believe Brent Pry and James Franklin were let go from their old head coaching jobs only a few days apart. Franklin is a better coach, and I wasn't all that shocked that he found a job this quickly.

I have thought about this hiring for the past day, and I have to say, I feel like Virginia Tech kind of hit a home run here. I'm not a James Franklin fan at all. I feel like he is an okay enough coach, but when it comes to big moments and games, he always finds a way to fumble it away. The last three seasons at Penn State he had all of his biggest games at home and didn't win a single one. They had a chance to make the final four of the college football playoff last year, and he let his QB throw late in the game. He was constantly saying out of pocket stuff and not backing it up. There were times while he was the head coach at Penn State where the job seemed too big for him. And it seems like the pressure finally got to him. He didn't even come close to the playoff while Saquon Barkley was on his team. He could recruit the big names, get them there, but when it was time to deliver, he never really came through. But, the job at Virginia Tech is not nearly as pressurized as Penn State.

While at Virginia Tech, Franklin will be given time to rebuild the program. If he gets to a small bowl game in year two, that will be a success. He can build up from there. Virginia Tech also happens to be in the ACC, which may be the weakest of the Power 4 conferences. Franklin is going to be able to fly under the radar for a few seasons. Sure, he has a recognizable name and stature in college football, but after a while people will forget he coached at Penn State if he can turn Virginia Tech into a top 25 team, which I think he can do, if given time. Franklin can recruit. He got big names in his time at Penn State. And he squeezed the very best out of the talent he had while he was the head coach at Vanderbilt. Franklin will help up the NIL at VT, he will get better players to commit because of name recognition, and he should be able to get four star guys simply due to the wealth of playing time that will be available after a bunch of current players transfer out. Franklin is going to be able to rebuild this whole program in his eyes. He should be given carte blanche to do what he needs, within the rules of course, the moment he steps on the campus.

The most beneficial thing for Franklin, and why I think this may actually work, is the lack of pressure at this job. This is not the Virginia Tech of old. Mike Vick is not walking through those doors. The special teams isn't the elite unit it used to be. The defense has been struggling for quite a few years now. And Franklin is going to be able to put his stamp on this team. While they may never reach the levels they did with Vick at QB, this team should be back in the top 25 within two years. James Franklin knows more about football than I could ever dream of. He is in the position he's in because he has won at his first two stops. He was in the playoff last season. He made Vanderbilt a perennial bowl team. He can recruit with the best of them. And now he will get to do all of that in relative silence.

I have spent a good amount of time trying to figure out who Penn State was going to hire, when I should have been looking out for Virginia Tech. They did a great job in this search, they got one of the best names on the open market and they should be back to being competitive in a short amount of time. While i'm not a big fan of Franklin's, this was a great move by him and the university. A true homerun hire for Virginia Tech. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Thoughts on LSU Letting Brian Kelly Go

RD and I just did a recent podcast in which we talked about coaches being let go during the season and the gambling epidemic in pro and college sports that is already making major headlines. During that episode I didn't fully agree with RD's take on in season coaching changes. In some cases I fully believe that a university should let a coach finish the season before getting rid of them. Doing it during the season halts every single thing that a college program can do to help itself. It slows recruiting, the product on the field gets worse and in the transfer portal era, it makes it so easy for a superstar player to seek greener pastures.

Now, you may notice I keep referring to universities, and that is fully on purpose. Professional sports is a totally different world with more than double the amount of money going into college programs. If an owner and their board want to relieve a head coach during the season in the pros, that is their prerogative. That's their money and they can do with it as they please. College coaches and pro coaches are a totally different breed.

Where I differed with RD when it involves college coaches being let go, I think if the product on and the off the field has gotten so bad, possibly even regressed, then an immediate change is needed. When Michigan fired Brady Hoke in the middle of his fourth season it felt justified and necessary. They had regressed every season under him, recruiting was mediocre and they had become a bad football program. He also allowed a concussed player to continue playing in a game. That was the final straw for me. I fully agree with UAB letting Trent Dilfer go a few weeks ago. He was not doing his job. There were videos and pictures of him taking pictures when UAB visited Tennessee earlier this year. You could tell he had zero faith in his team that afternoon and he just wanted some pictures to keep on his phone of the time his team got their teeth kicked in. Whenever there is some kind of scandal at a college involving a head coach, they have got to go too. There's no reason to keep someone around who is going to bring sanctions and violations in the very near future. We also have James Franklin from this season. I was not too stunned when Penn State let him go a few weeks back. He had done some quality things in his 11 years there, but he could never get over the hump. He had pretty much every advantage a head coach in the Big 10 could want in his time there but he never won anything major. He couldn't get it done and I'm sure some people at the university were ready for a change now. They didn't want to wait until the end of the season.

All of this brings me to the news of LSU relieving Brian Kelly of his duties yesterday. Again, on first blush I was a little shocked, but after reading some things and hearing some people talk, LSU has not done the things they have expected since luring Kelly away from Notre Dame. The three head coaches ahead of Kelly at LSU all won a SEC title and a national title. Sure, Nick Saban left for the pros, Les Miles turned out to be a creep and Ed Orgeron may have been giving payments before it was legal, but they all won. Saban built a powerful defense, Miles continued that and added a powerful run game and Orgeron knew how to use the portal before it was popular. And they all walked away from that school with a ring. Kelly never really did much in his three plus seasons. He had a 34-14 record in his time there, but he was never in the playoff, never won a SEC title, was never really in contention to be honest and he continually made an ass of himself to the media and fans. I'll never forget his speech he gave the LSU basketball crowd where he did a fake southern accent. He's from Maine and, prior to coaching LSU, he only coached in the midwest. That accent thing was nuts. Then he started to dance in recruiting videos. He's far too old for that. Then he wasn't able to secure his top commitment in last year's recruiting class, Bryce Underwood. And when Underwood signed with Michigan, Kelly complained about the lack of NIL. at LSU. That is wild.

And then we have the on field product this season. The offense has been inept. It reminds me of how Michigan's offense looked last year, but Garrett Nussmeier is a much better QB than Davis Warren, no disrespect to Warren. They have athletes on that side of the ball, but they haven't been able to put it together. And when they have played similar talent rich programs this season, they have been getting whooped. It all came to a head this past Saturday when Texas A&M beat them up pretty bad in Baton Rouge. The final score of that game was rough for LSU. They gave up over 40 points at home. I get that A&M is really, really good this season, but still, LSU got demolished. And they looked really bad while getting blown out.

All of this is to say that I understand why LSU made this decision this weekend. That school is supposed to be a blueblood. They should be in the playoff hunt every year, especially now with it being expanded. And that has not happened under his watch. I am curious to see who they target, but it will be a desirable job because it has pretty much always been a premier football program. i'm interested in their hiring process going forward. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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The UNC Bill Belichick Experiment is Not Working

Before the college football season started there was a group of stories that kept popping up on sports sites and tv shows. One such story was Bill Belichick taking over at UNC. Let’s discuss.

This was, at the time, a very big deal. Belichick won big time in the NFL. He is one of the most storied coaches to ever grace NFL sidelines. He then walked away from the Patriots, and I kind of thought that would be it for him. But I guess he had the itch to coach, or maybe his girlfriend wanted him to get out of the house more. Who knows. But, he took the UNC job after they let go of another hall of fame coach, Mack Brown.

I was kind of skeptical to begin with when Belichick took this job. I thought he would despise the modern college game. Recruiting and the like is so much different now. We have the transfer portal. College players are getting paid now. For all intents and purposes, college football is now the minor leagues for the NFL. I wrote something a while back, when Belichick took the job at UNC, about how the college coaching ranks are skewing younger. I feel like coaching college football is a young guys game now. You have to constantly be on the road. You have to sell your university more now. Freshman want the assurance of instant playing time. It's not like it was in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's anymore. The landscape has changed. But, Belichick was able to get some quality transfers. Ben Hall, a former Michigan running back, gets a ton of run at UNC. I thought I was going to have to eat crow on all of this.

And then opening night for UNC came and you would have thought the sports media was covering the damn Super Bowl. UNC got the primetime night game at home. Michael Jordan and Lawrence Taylor were highlighted in the crowd. All the talking heads, most notably ESPN, were all but crowning UNC and Belichick as the presumption champs in the ACC. I had no idea who they were even playing, TCU, until I turned on the broadcast. Every single one of the talking heads on ESPN picked UNC to win, and win fairly easily. Belichick was highlighted, they showed interviews with him and his partner, his kid on staff was talked up as a future head coach, it was all about Belichick. And then the game started. UNC drove right down the field and scored with ease. It looked like the hype was real. Then TCU woke up and proceeded to absolutely demolish UNC. After the first drive UNC could barely move the ball. TCU would go on to win the game 48-14, and it wasn't even that close. All the hype, the pomp and circumstance, the coronation was all but over.

It did look like the college game may have passed Belichick by. His old ways of winning games weren't going to work. He had to go back to the drawing board. UNC was lucky enough to have Charlotte as the next opponent. Charlotte has a new coaching staff and a bunch of new, young players. UNC should have rolled. They did win, by 17, but it didn't feel like the blowout it should have been. They did roll Richmond, who has scored a total of 34 points in three games thus far. But they won two in a row. Maybe they were turning things around. They were facing UCF last weekend, and they looked to be the favorite. UCF is also coming off a staff change and a bunch of new players. UCF proceeded to dominate. Early in the third quarter they were up 27-3. UCF ended up winning 34-9. UCF threw for 223 yards. They ran for 143 yards.They held UNC to 154 passing and 63 rushing yards. This was a blowout in every sense of the word. And it now looks like UNC is going to be irrelevant yet again.

I had kind of already written them off after week one to be honest. But Belichick is no longer the bell of the ball. Others are writing and talking about how this may not work out. I wouldn't be shocked to see mass transfers when the portal opens up again. I don't think his way of coaching works in the college ranks. I think he may be too old school for any level of football anymore. When I look at the rest of UNC's schedule, I see maybe two more wins. I think they can beat Stanford and maybe Wake Forest. Clemson needs a win badly, and UNC is in the way of that. NC State is solid. Syracuse looks legit. Cal and Virginia have more talent. And Duke has a very good QB. Those games are going to be difficult for Belichick and UNC.

I do think that this may be a short lived experiment, Bill Belichick coaching college football that is. Time will tell, but he seems in over his head, which is wild to say about such a prolific football coach. But he has not looked the part this far into the college season. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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UCLA's Loss was Tennessee's Gain

Today I want to talk about how the disaster at UCLA has been a positive for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Yesterday I mentioned UCLA and their new QB, Nico Iamalevea. Nico was a big time prospect two years ago. He was the talk of the college football world and he was going to help Tennessee stay relevant. They did make the playoff last season, but it was a quick exit. Then Nico and Tennessee had a messy breakup. It was very weird and didn't make a ton of sense to me. Nico seemed like a good fit for Tennessee and I figured he would only get better the next couple seasons under Josh Heupel. That didn't happen and he ended up at UCLA. As I wrote yesterday, that hasn't worked out so well for them. UCLA is 0-3, Nico seems flustered and inconsistent and the head coach was just shown the door. It feels like a full rebuild there.

UCLA's former QB, Joey Aguilar, ended up at Tennessee after the offseason drama. He quietly slipped into the vacant QB spot and I kind of forgot about him, as did some other people. This was the rare QB for QB swap in the transfer portal. I don't remember if this has ever actually happened in the transfer portal era. But, Aguilar doesn't have the name recognition and his transfer was more under the radar. Aguilar has been a revelation so far at Tennessee. Tennessee sits at 2-1 right now, but maybe they should be 3-0. They were in control of the Georgia game last week, but they blew it. That had nothing to do with Aguilar. He more than looked the part as the star QB of a high level SEC team. I watched the beginning of the game because I wanted to see him play, as I had never watched him before. From the opening drive throughout the whole game he was on point. He made great throws. He hit his open receivers more than not. He used his legs to perfection. It was a joy to watch, especially since I had zero rooting interest in either team. I just wanted to see a good game, and I was rewarded.

I came away thinking that Aguilar was the better QB. He seemed to be more precise and more sure of himself than a bunch of other QB's I watched in college this season. Maybe it was just the moment and he was living up to it, but that was something Nico didn't do last season and hasn't done yet this year. Aguilar may be a product of the system. Maybe Heupel is a QB whisperer. Hendon Hooker and Joe Milton are both on NFL rosters and they both played their best football under Heupel. Iamalevea looked so much better last season under Heupel's tutelage than he has so far this season. But from what I have seen out of these two QB's that switched teams this offseason, Tennessee got the better end of the deal. Tennessee is still in playoff contention. They are still ranked. They still have most of their goals in front of them. UCLA on the other hand is going through a very tough time. They don't have a win yet this year and it looks like that will be hard to come by for them. Nico is struggling. Recruits are leaving everyday it seems. And it's going to be awhile before they are a college football team worth talking about.

This is an interesting outcome but I'm here for it. I wish it worked out like this a little more often in this new era of college football. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Why are UCLA and Virginia Tech Already Replacing the Head Coach?

Two college football coaches have been let go in the past couple of days. Deshaun Foster from UCLA and Brent Pry of Virginia Tech were relieved of their duties over the weekend. Both teams have not won a game yet, and they have not looked good three weeks into the season. Let’s discuss.

UCLA had higher expectations. Foster had a solid enough recruiting class and was able to get Nico Iameleava to commit through the transfer portal after his fallout at Tennessee. The Bruins also had, what looked on paper, an easier schedule. Well, none of that has panned out the way they hoped. Nico has been wildly inconsistent. He can't find open receivers, and he doesn't always have time in the pocket. And when he has open receivers, he often misses them. They have no real running threat and the wideouts don't get a ton of separation. The defense hasn't been much better. They kind of let teams run wild on them, both on the ground and through the air. UNLV got everything they wanted on the ground and New Mexico showed their secondary's true form. Granted the UNLV game was in Vegas, but UCLA should be better. In his little over a year with the Bruins, UCLA has not been very good. But, UCLA hasn't been a legitimate threat for awhile now. They were a six or seven win team when Chip Kelly was the head coach, but he left when he saw the ship sinking. I feel like they made Deshaun Foster a scapegoat. They gave him the job after Kelly left. He had a good story behind him, UCLA being his alma mater, and he was a damn good player while he was there. But I don't think he got a fair shake. I wonder if he won one of the first three games this season if he would still be the head coach today. But Foster never really got a chance to return his alma mater to its heyday. He was only given one full season and three games this year. He had some solid recruits. He could have done more with Nico. Maybe he could have continued to build through recruiting and the transfer portal. But we may never know. I don't know who the Bruins think they are going to get that is any better than Deshaun Foster, but here we are now. I wouldn't be too keen on taking that job, especially since UCLA is in the Big 10 now. I would have let Foster stick around the rest of this season just to see if he could turn it around.

As for Virginia Tech, they have not been good for what seems over a decade now. I remember back in 2011, Virginia Tech was playing Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. Since then, when Frank Beamer left, the Hokies can't seem to get back to those days. They would start past seasons 3-0 or 4-1 and inevitably finish the year 5--7 or 6-6. Once they got into conference play, it was a wrap. I feel like the Hokies have never really evolved to modern day college football. They don't have balance on offense. The defense is a sieve. They cannot stop anyone. Brent Pry was supposed to make them tough, but it never came to fruition. It was unfortunate for me to see the Hokies looked at as an easy win. I loved watching Mike Vick play his college football there. They had other dudes that were legit. But it all kind of vanished one day and they can't seem to get back to it. I don't know if NIL is killing this team, or if they can't get four or five star dudes to commit anymore because they want glory elsewhere. Seeing the Hokies fall so hard like this has really bummed me out. But, I do have to say, hiring Brent Pry didn't really seem like the answer. And much like the UCLA job, I don't really know who's clamoring to coach in Blacksburg, Virginia.

If I were running these two programs I'd try to convince lower level coaches to run the program. The unfortunate thing with these jobs now is that they're stepping stones. Up and coming coaches may take these jobs just so they can show that they can be the head coach at bigger programs. UCLA and Virginia Tech have fallen on hard times, but the climb back to relevance may take longer than the higher ups hope. We shall see. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Relax People, Michigan Football Will Be OK

Michigan football got beat this weekend, and they didn't look very good throughout the whole game, save for a few plays. Let’s discuss.

The Wolverines looked a little bit like they did last season offensively, which if you all remember, they were horrendous on offense last season. The defense did keep the team in the game for as long as it could, but it was for naught. Oklahoma was the better team and Michigan got outplayed and outcoached by them. That was how I felt after the game. I did also think that this is what a team led by an 18 year old freshman QB would look on offense. And this is what a team being coached by a second year head coach in his 15th official game as the head coach. Are these excuses? Maybe. But, I'm a lifelong Michigan Wolverines fanatic and this is how I saw the game.

My biggest mistake/regret after this game was looking at the internet though. I loathe this whole "quick thoughts" or " instant reaction" culture we have. Last week, after FSU beat Alabama, it was the end for Kalen DeBoer. He was finished. Alabama was back to being irrelevant. There was also the talk of the SEC being finished as the best power conference. This was all due to the instant take culture. This week it was like that for Michigan. And Florida for that matter. Michigan got outplayed, so that meant that Bryce Underwood was not the answer at QB. Or, that he was being put in jail by the game plan from the coaching staff. The o line wasn't immune to the hate. Nor was the wideout corps. According to the internet geniuses, they had all the answers to fix these supposed problems. Sherrone Moore was taken to task as well. He was called everything from an idiot to unprepared. Again, the internet coaches had all the answers, mainly that Moore isn't ready to be the head coach at Michigan. Billy Napier suffered the same fate, but he may actually get let go by Florida. This whole idea though, these people online who think they know more than the actual players and coaches, the people in the building, is making me so frustrated as a fan.

I love Michigan. I have a Wolverine tattooed on my back. I used to let the outcome of games affect my mood. But, I never went online and griped about it the way others do. I may have written a blog or two, but it was after much thought and consideration of the previous game. I have also grown up and matured. I fully understand that these are 18-22 year old kids. I saw a thing that said "now is the time for my mood to be affected by 18-22 year old kids", and it fully rang true to me. I had a moment watching this game, when I knew it wasn't going to be good for Michigan, where I simply moved on. I didn't get upset. I didn't go online and air grievances. I texted my dad, who is the biggest Michigan fan I know. And then went to sleep. I didn't let it upset me or ruin my day. I didn't do some crazy nonsense for the world to see. I didn't go and do an instant reaction blog or podcast. I watched the game and turned it off when it was over.

That didn't stop the online trolls. They were so bad Saturday night that I had to actually unfollow some fan pages. I couldn't deal with the hate and vitriol that was coming from supposed fans. I despise the fact that these trolls seem to think they know better. In reality, they have probably never played the game, or if they did, they never made it out of high school, and they most likely rode the bench. These people don't understand the nuance and preparation that goes into football. They don't appreciate the hard work that these kids are putting in at practice and during their bye weeks. But in the long run, they don't appreciate this team. They may call themselves fans, but they are trolls. That is as simple as it gets. After unfollowing these fan pages I have felt loads better. I don't have to see that nonsense when I do decide to go online and it has been great.

To these trolls, if they are reading this, take it easy. Have a Xanax or whatever you need to calm down and grow the hell up. Be an adult and a good influence on the younger generation of fans and stay off the internet. And, always and forever, Go Blue. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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I'm a Fan of Michigan Football, Not a Fan of Dave Portnoy

College football hit us all with a bang this past weekend. I know that there is a "week 0", but that is like the calm before the storm. Week one is when all the action really starts to pop off. Let’s discuss.

Week one is also when the pregame shows really give it their all. I have pretty much stopped watching any pregame stuff. I find it to be long, boring and pointless. It features former players or guys who never played but think they know the game popping off at the mouth and making picks that mean nothing to the actual game. It has gotten so bad that broadcasters are starting to openly pick who wins based on friendship. Go look at some highlights from the TCU-UNC game last night on the ESPN pregame show if you don't believe me. One such station that likes to boast about their pregame show is Fox. Again, I don't watch, but it seems like lots of people do. The only time I see even a minute of this show is during the university of Ohio State-Michigan game. And that's usually the tail end of the show.

This year Fox made some news when they hired Dave Portnoy to be part of the pregame team. This caused a whole stir because Portnoy is a big time Michigan fan and the first game that Fox was going to do a pregame show this season was in Columbus. It got so heated that rumors were flying around on the internet that Portnoy was being banned from the stadium due to his allegiance to Michigan. I always thought this was overblown, and sure enough he was there this past Saturday.

Try as I might, I did see a very little bit of his performance and it kind of drove me nuts. Look, you all know my love for Michigan and Wolverines football. They have been my true love in the sports world for a very long time now, as long as I can remember watching football games in fact. So, for Dave Portnoy now to be considered the ultimate Michigan fan, that makes me sick to my stomach. Sure, Portnoy does seem to be a genuine fan and he does seem to love this football team. But, he is a blowhard and a douchebag. Barstool Sports is the broiest and doucheiest sports website on the internet. It is just The Chive for sports. I despise Barstool, all of its offshoots and its most loyal fans. It is a site that can be as toxic as any on the internet and everyone is as mean as they can be because they can hide behind a screen name. Portnoy himself is an idiot and a loudmouth. His pizza reviews are dumb as hell. I hate how he acts like he is an actual part of the Michigan football program. He is probably a donor, but he is a low level donor at best. He did nothing to secure Bryce Underwood's commitment or had a single thing to do with the 2023 national champion team. He has been on the internet trashing "Sinners" lately. How devoid of taste and knowledge does he have to be to think "Sinners" is not a masterpiece.

What makes me angriest is he is now the face of Michigan fandom. People who don't know the sport all that well, or even really seem to care, when they see Dave Portnoy now they are going to think that is how all Michigan fans behave. We don't. I'm not on the internet every minute of everyday saying some wild stuff about other teams or other players. I'm not making internet videos that make me out to be a martyr because I may or may not have been banned from a stadium. I don't go online and actively troll fans of other teams. I like to sit down with my dad, who is a lifelong Michigan fan, and simply watch the game and commiserate with him. When we do go to a game in person, we do meet a few Dave Portnoy types, but we tend to meet more people like us that just simply love this team and don't feel the need to constantly talk about it on the internet. Portnoy is giving Michigan fans and Michigan fandom a bad name and I do not like it. It bums me out that, simply because he has money, Portnoy has become what others think all us Michigan fans act like on a regular basis. I'm here to say that we don't. Portnoy is a small, loudmouth idiot that thinks he knows everything. He does not and I despise him and his "enterprise".

I just needed to say this after seeing his performance this past weekend. I do not stand with Portnoy. And Go Blue forever. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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2025 College Football Preview

I know I promised a college football preview last Friday, but I had to talk about the Michigan case and its resolution. So, to make up for that, I'm going to do my college football preview today. I'll do what I normally do each year. I'll go over the four big conferences and name a few group of 5 teams that intrigue me. I'll then finish it off by picking my 12 playoff teams, my national champion and who I think will win the Heisman. Let's get to it.

I'll start with the ACC. We are in an era of college football that is super conference heavy. The ACC has 17 teams. Notre Dame is, for some weird reason, considered an ACC team. They made the national title game last season. They do need a new QB and to replace some important defensive starters. Marcus Freeman is a good coach and I don't think they'll fall off too much. But, I do think they will have a bit of a fall off. Clemson has one of the better QBs in all of college football back. Cade Klubnik is solid. Their defense seems to be back to its normal levels. Clemson should probably win this conference. Louisville has gotten better each season since they hired a new coach and they look to be trending up yet again. Bill Belichek has taken over UNC and it should be very interesting to see how he deals with the college game. Florida State took a major step back last season, and I feel like Mike Norvel is coaching for his job this season. Syracuse had a nice year last year, and they recently got a big win on the recruiting trail. But they have to replace a ton of productivity from last season. Cal's stud QB transferred, as did Boston College's. Pittsburgh seems stuck in mediocrity and maybe SMU is finally getting out of the mud. And then we have Miami. They are constantly hyped in the preseason, but then they come out and stumble. They played better last season, but that was due to Cam Ward being their QB. They need to figure out who is going to be their guy going forward before I truly take them as a serious threat. Mario Cristobal has got to be consistent as the head coach. I'm going to stick with Clemson to win the ACC, but Dabo Swinney could always find a way to screw it up.

Onto the Big 12, which has 16 teams. The Big 12 used to have classic teams, but now Houston, UCF and Utah are considered to be Big 12 teams. Whatever. Arizona had a good year two years back, but they struggled last season. They do have a good QB, and if he stays healthy, they could make some noise. Arizona State has some studs at wideout and they had a few nice playoff moments last season. They do need to find a running back to replace their star from last season, but ASU should still be a playoff threat. Baylor has issues, mainly on defense. BYU seems to fluctuate between seasons, and last year was a good one. Colorado has to replace their starting QB and Heisman winner Travis Hunter. They will most likely fall back to Earth this year. Cinci, Houston and Kansas all have potential, but have yet to reach it. Iowa State is the Miami of the Big 12. Oklahoma State and TCU have assholes as head coaches. And West Virginia can't get out of its own way. I'm going to stick with Arizona State to win the Big 12. They have a good amount of returning players and, even though they need to find a new running back, they should be able to make a possible return to the playoffs.

Now the SEC. It's a new world in the SEC. Alabama is not the power of old. Kalen DeBoer is a good head coach, but he has work to do. Lucky for him he has Ryan Smith to make an easy push on offense. Georgia should be right back in the thick of things this year. And their defense is going to be nasty. Tennessee has to find a new QB, but if they find anyone that can throw a football, that dude is going to put up numbers. They also, finally, have some solid dudes on defense. Texas A&M exceeded my expectations in Mike Elko's first season, and I think they should do even better this season. Texas is the preseason number 1 team, and they look like they could be lethal on both sides of the ball. Oklahoma got the best QB in the portal last year, and if the defense can catch up, the Sooners could be back as a threat. LSU has an electric offense, but the defense is suspect. South Carolina has Lanoris Sellers, who may be the best QB in college football, and he will help them win more games than expected. Ole Miss should be electric on offense. Missouri got some solid dudes in the portal to help with a new image for this team. Florida seems to be making a bounce back to relevance. And Auburn and Kentucky are always good for some upsets that no one sees coming. This is the first year in a while that the SEC is hard for me to predict. I'm going to go with Georgia, but Texas is probably the better option.

Finally, for the big conferences, we have the Big 10, which now has 18 teams. Yeesh. The Big 10 has won the last two national titles and does not look to be slowing down. Illinois has their highest preseason ranking in a long time. They have a ton of returning talent and this looks like their best roster in a decade. Iowa still has a stingy defense, and they may have found a QB that can throw a forward pass. Minnesota is mediocre, but PJ Fleck seems to squeeze every ounce of talent out of each of his players. Michigan State enters year two of their new head coach, and that usually means an upgrade. And they have a pretty solid QB coming back. Indiana is coming off an improbable playoff run, and they got one of the best portal QBs to hopefully help to keep the good times rolling. Northwestern needs time, but they play most teams tougher than expected. Nebraska enters a critical year under Matt Rhule, and lucky for him, he has Dylan Railoa entering his second full year as a starter. Penn State is absolutely stacked with talent everywhere on the field. Oregon is in replace, not rebuild at this point. USC is looking to right the ship this season under Lincoln Riley, and they looked poised to bounce back. Washington is in a transition period, but they have a good QB that can run and throw very well. UCLA still needs time and Purdue has a new head coach. Then we have the university of Ohio State and Michigan. The University of Ohio State enters this season as the reigning champs. They have a ton to replace, but this team recruits with the best of them, so they have no lack of talent. Jeremiah Smith is also the best player, offensively, in all of college football. Michigan has a bunch of new starters on both sides of the ball. And they seem to have found a QB that will make their offense multi faceted. I'm stoked for the Bryce Young experience, whenever that may be. I'd start him from day one. They have an excellent backfield duo in Jordan Marshall and Justice Haynes. They have a solid O line that improved every week last season. And even though they have to replace some first round talent on defense, they have guys that are ready. Michigan should be back to being for real this season. As for the winner of the Big 10, I'm going with Penn State. They have the best overall roster in college football. The only thing that would worry me is their coaching staff.

As for some "sleeper" teams, I like Boise State looks back to being a threat. They do have to replace Ashton Jeanty, and while that will be very tough, they have a bunch of other studs all over the field. Tulane should have an explosive offense and they can outscore teams this year. UNLV should continue to roll even after their coach left. And Memphis will field a fun team to watch, especially if you like offense. That's how these "sleeper" teams win, they all seem to have very fast, very fun and very efficient offenses. Will any of these teams make the playoffs, probably just one. But they will be in the conversation all season long.

Speaking of the playoffs, time for my predictions on that. I'm going to go from 1 to 12 in order. Starting off, give me Texas as the number 1 overall seed in this season's playoffs. The next three teams, the first round bye teams, will be Penn State, the University of Ohio State and Clemson. Then from 5 to 12 I have Georgia, LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon, South Carolina, Michigan, Arizona State and Tulane rounding out the 12 team playoff. So, Texas, Penn State, the university of Ohio State and Clemson will all have first round byes. The 5-12 game will feature Georgia and Tulane. Georgia will win with ease. The 6-11 game has LSU playing Arizona State. ASU will make it fun for a half, but then LSU will lock in and finish them off early in the fourth quarter. The 7-10 game will be a throwback, Notre Dame and Michigan. Give me my Wolverines to get a hard fought W due to their run game and D line. And the 8-9 game will be Oregon and South Carolina. I'll go with South Carolina, with Lanoris Sellers doing something amazing to pull out a win. So, Texas would face South Carolina here. Texas will have familiarity with the Gamecocks, and they should beat them pretty handily. Penn State will face Michigan, and Penn State will be too much for Michigan to handle in the end, and I'll be crushed if this happens. The University of Ohio State will play LSU and they will most likely smack LSU due to their better, but not even close to great defense. Finally we will see Georgia playing Clemson. Give me Georgia because they have the athletes that can slow down Cade Klubnik. So, our final four games will be Texas-Georgia and the University of Ohio Sate facing Penn State. Texas and Penn State are on a collision course. Both games will be very hard fought and exciting, but these two teams are the two best teams in college football this season. And Texas will prevail in the end. This is where Penn State's coaching staff will fumble all the talent they have. And Texas is also nearly as loaded, and Arch Manning is probably a better QB than Drew Allar. Texas will be 2025-26 College Football champs.

As for the Heisman, I'm going to go with Lanoris Sellers from South Carolina. He is so awesome, so electric and so fun to watch play football. He will have more than his fair share of "Heisman moments" on the way to hoisting the trophy in December.

There you have it, my 2025 college football preview and predictions. Enjoy the season everyone. Football will be here before we know it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty's 2024 College Football Playoff Preview

The College Football Playoff starts tomorrow night and I cannot wait. Even without Michigan playing in the CFP this year, I'll still be tuning in. I will watch Michigan's bowl game, as always. But, with the new format, I'm pretty stoked to see how it all plays out. I love that the first round is being played in college stadiums, I love that the games are on in primetime and I cannot wait to watch it all unfold. With all that, I'm going to do a preview and prediction. The games will be here before we know it, so on with it.

The first playoff game is tomorrow night, with Indiana traveling to South Bend to face Notre Dame. I have seen Indiana play this year, and while a deserving playoff team, I don't think they have much of a chance tomorrow night. Their offense has stalled as of late. I know they scored 66 points in their rivalry game, but Purdue is not a very good football team right now. Indiana's two previous games, Michigan and the university of Ohio State, weren't so great. The university of Ohio State ran roughshod over them, and Michigan, who was not very good this year, had a shot to win that game in Bloomington. Notre Dame has a very stout defense, a great running game and a passing attack capable of taking advantage of a weak Indiana secondary. I'll be rooting for the Big 10 here, but Notre Dame is the better team and they have home field advantage.

The first game to kickoff Saturday morning features SMU traveling to Penn State. Penn State should win this game and win it relatively easily. They have a better defense, better run game and a QB that rarely makes mistakes. SMU can run the ball okay, but I don't trust much more from them, especially after watching them in the ACC title game. But, we have the whole James Franklin of it all here. He is a poor big game coach. It doesn't matter if he has home field advantage, if he has the refs and media on his side or if he even has the better roster. He seems to flub this stuff way more often than not. But, I'm going to go with Penn State in a low scoring, ugly game. What SMU did in the ACC title game has been hard for me to shake.

The 3pm central game has Clemson facing Texas. Texas is going to win and going to win convincingly in my opinion. Clemson is not the Clemson of old. They barely made the playoff. Their QB is wildly inefficient. The defense isn't as feared as they used to be. Texas, on the other hand, has an elite defense. Their run game is effective. And the duo of Quin Ewers and Arch Manning is going to give defenses tons of headaches in these playoffs. Texas should win this one going away, and I fully expect that. I wouldn't be surprised if they win by three or more scores.

The final first round playoff game is the best first round game. Tennessee faces off with the university of Ohio State. In years past this would've been an easy university of Ohio State pick for me. They have the best roster money can buy. They have weapons all over the field. They have one of the top defenses in the country. They have a highly effective run game. What worries me, their QB and coaching staff. Tennessee is kind of playing with house money here. Their defense is also legit, except on the outside. Their offense isn't as elite as in the past, and that is what worries me most with this team. This game is going to be a slug fest. And, as much as I'd love to see Tennessee win and plant their flag at the 50 yard line, I have this weird feeling that the university of Ohio State is going to get a break and win this on a last minute field goal.

The second round games, the elite 8 if you will, have Texas facing Arizona State, Penn State playing Boise State, Notre Dame facing Georgia and the university of Ohio State playing Oregon. Again, Texas got a great draw and they are going to walk over Arizona State. ASU is a nice story and it's rad that they made this big of a leap in year two of Kenny Dillingham's leadership. Their running back is also damn good. But Texas is so much better in every facet except running back. And Texas has a deep group of backs they can rotate. ASU may keep it close for a half, but then Texas should have an easy path to the final four.

I am going with Boise State, in a minor upset, to beat Penn State. Boise State has one of the greatest college running backs ever. Ashton Jeanty is a force of nature and I love watching him play. He's fierce and fast. He is not afraid of anyone. He will run you over and run by you. The rest of the offense is capable and the defense is fine. This is where James Franklin will find some way to blow it and all the PSU fans will be in agony once again. I really like this Boise State team.

Notre Dame-Georgia is going to be a fun game. If Carson Beck were healthy, I'd pick Georgia. But, Georgia's defense hasn't been nearly as dominant as in the past. The run game is hit or miss. The passing game, especially with Gunner Stockton running the show, is going to be nearly nonexistent. This all plays into Notre Dame's favor. They can slow this game down, make it a slugfest and they have the much better defense. I'm going with Notre Dame beating my preseason pick to win it all.

Finally, for the second round, we have the university of Ohio State facing Oregon. Oregon won this game once this season, by one, but that was earlier in the year. This version of Oregon is better and hungrier. They seem angrier too. They easily handled PSU in the Big Ten title game, and they don't want the accolades to stop there. This offense is one of the better balanced offenses in the country. They're fast everywhere. The defense is as good as Oregon has ever had. I just don't see a world where Oregon doesn't win this game.

That leaves me with a final four of Oregon, Notre Dame, Boise State and Texas. I think Notre Dame is going to beat Boise State. I think this is where the Cinderella run ends for BSU and Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty will have a good game, but Notre Dame can match their energy and I think they have an advantage with their defense.

The real title game for me is Oregon and Texas. These are, in my opinion, the two best teams in college football by a quarter mile. This game will be fast, exciting and an absolute feast for college football fans, In the end, in a minor shootout, I have Oregon winning this game and going to the championship.

This game, featuring Notre Dame and Oregon, will be a coronation for Oregon. It has all led to this for them, and I don't think they'll let their fans down this year. Oregon has all the tools they need to win it all, and I think they do just that this January. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Vick as a College Coach Makes Sense

I read earlier in the week that some smaller schools were looking at Mike Vick as a candidate at head coach for them. I didn't know he was actively looking and interviewing for a job, but I like it. Let’s discuss.

I have been a lifelong Mike Vick fan. From his time at Virginia Tech to his stops in the NFL, most memorably with the Falcons, I always enjoyed watching him play football. He reminded me so much of Randall Cunningham, who I also was a big fan of. But, he had a better arm and was so much faster than Cunningham ever was when he was in the NFL. Mike Vick didn't disappoint either. He was as good as advertised. He went to the title game with VT, and almost single handedly won it for them. He was the first pick and was awesome from the start. He made the Falcons fun to watch. He made them a playoff team. When he came back from his suspension, he was a star again with the Eagles. That Monday night game, you know what I'm talking about, was a sight to behold. He then ventured off to the Jets to be a backup and finished up his career as a backup once again with the Steelers. There is the prison sentence for his involvement in a dog fighting ring that slowed his career down significantly. What Vick did was wrong, but for him to be locked up was wild. There are things going on with current players that are much, much worse and they barely even get suspended from playing any games. They get to live their lives freely after doing some heinous things. Vick went to jail. He was a prisoner. He served time. He is well past the point of being a "bad guy" anymore. He did what he did, was punished for it and he came back to play at the highest level, and play very well. Now, he is going to be the head coach at Norfolk State.

I don't know much about Norfolk State. I know the university is in Virginia, Vick's home state. I know they're a lower level division 1-AA school. They haven't made a ton of noise lately, but I feel like that's going to change here very soon. I knew of Jackson State prior to Deion Sanders taking the job there. My knowledge of Jackson State while Deion was there and now is much greater because I wanted to know about where he was coaching. I get very similar vibes with Vick at Norfolk State. Kids with parents around my age or even a little younger are going to want their kids to play for Mike Vick. I would absolutely love for my kid to be recruited by him. I'd love to meet him as the parent. I think it would be a true highlight. Just based off that one fact, Norfolk State is going to improve. The school will put money behind him to help with the NIL collective. Vick is going to get kids in the door on name recognition alone. He and his staff will have to develop that talent. and I'm sure they'll be able to do that with no problem at all. Vick knows this game. He has learned from some of the game's smartest pro coaches. He was an electric athlete, and sometimes that works when transitioning to coaching. I have full faith that Vick will do just fine.

Hearing this news today made me so very happy for him. I want more guys like Vick coaching college football. These are the dudes I watched and I want to see them succeed and thrive. I will be more focused on Norfolk State moving forward from here on out. I love this hire and I cannot wait to see what Vick does now that he's a head coach. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Thoughts on Bill Belichick Going to UNC

I was on vacation with my wife last week and my son texted me something that truly shocked me. I was hanging out by a pool and I audibly gasped when I read what he sent. I also didn't fully believe him at first. The text read, "Bill Belichick just signed to be the next head coach for UNC!".

I was floored. I had to check some reputable sites, nothing against my kid, but he's 12, he has said lots of stuff that wasn't true. But he was correct. Bill Belichick is returning to coach football, and he isn't doing it in the NFL or at a big time power 5 school. He is going to coach UNC, who was like 6-6 or 7-5 this season. They gave up 70 plus points to James Madison. The entire staff is going to be new. I'm sure a good portion of the kids will transfer. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a season not too dissimilar to this past Michigan season.

I don't know how Bill Belichick is going to deal with or like coaching college football. I don't know that he has coached in college before. I only remember him as an NFL head coach, and a quite successful one at that. Bill Belichick knows football. There's no denying that fact. He has won multiple Super Bowls. He has helped to guide stifling defenses. He knows how to use what he has in the best possible way. He knows when to cut the fat and he doesn't let feelings get involved. He knows this sport inside and out. But college is a whole other animal. I mean, recruiting is a year round thing. Bill Belichick is going to have to go into an 18 year olds living room and sell this kid on UNC football. That is tough for anyone.

Also, Belichick is 72 years old. I mean, I cannot imagine traveling all over the country trying to sell your program is fun for anyone. College football coaches are getting younger too. I had a conversation with my son recently about that very topic. Jim Harbaugh left because he wanted to coach in the NFL. He was also sick and tired of dealing with the NCAA and all their nonsense. Nick Saban left Alabama last year and made a statement along the lines of he disliked how much the college game had changed. When you look at most college coaches, they seem to be not much older than 50. University of Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz is 41. Florida coach Billy Napier is 44. Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is 46. Georgia coach Kirby Smart is 48. Ryan Day is 45. PJ Fleck is 44. Lincoln Riley is 41. Sherrone Moore is 39. Dan Lanning is 38. In the ACC Cal coach Justin Wilcox is 48. Dabo Swinney is 58. Manny Diaz is 50. Mario Cristobal is 54. And Fran Brown is 42. Bill Belichick is nearly 30 years older than some of these guys. Hell, he is getting close to being 40 years older than some of these guys. College football, as far as recruiting and dealing with the NIL, is becoming a young guys game.

I feel like Belichick, with all of his knowledge, is going to find that coaching college football is way tougher than he thinks. And, as I said above, he is coaching at UNC. UNC is a basketball school through and through. It always has been, probably always will be. They have had some seasons that are solid, but they haven't been a CFP contender yet. They have a ton of preseason hype usually, but that doesn't seem to translate on the field. Belichek is also very old school. He's going to assume that he is the man in charge and the leader. That may have been the case in the 80's and 90's, but not anymore. As it should be, player empowerment is a real and viable thing. These kids know their worth and they aren't shy about letting everyone know. Kids aren't going to go play for Bill Belichick just because he is Bill Belichick. They are going to want playing time and solid NIL deals. They are going to want tv coverage. They are going to want awards. The coach is just a dude now. They teach the game and help mold these kids into pros in some cases. But, the coach doesn't have the power that they used to. Again, not many people know more about football than Bill Belichick. He has a wealth of knowledge. Teaching the game to his players won't be the issue. I think he will find it much more difficult to recruit and have to be on 365 days a year.

Time will tell, but this is a weird move from him. We will see how it turns out. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.