Nunnie on the Sideline
By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor
The CFP began on Friday night in South Bend, the home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who hosted state rival Indiana. Their 27-17 victory over the Hoosiers wasn’t as close as the score indicates. This set the theme for other blowouts: Penn St.’s rout of SMU and Ohio St.’s demolition of Tennessee, a team certainly more talented than they showed Saturday in the cold confines of the horseshoe against a motivated Buckeye team that lost at home to rival Michigan.
Clemson did manage to give Texas a battle before succumbing to the talented Longhorns.
The blowouts led to searing criticism of the selection committee for choosing teams with winning records against virtually weak opponents, while teams with worst records but stronger opponents were left out of the 12 team field. Certainly 3 loss teams from the SEC like South Carolina, Ole Miss and Alabama would have been more competitive. Perhaps even the Miami Hurricanes have a right to complain. The truth be told: they all lost winnable games which kept them out of the CFP.
However, the selection committee must reevaluate criteria for selection. Will conference champions continue receiving automatic bids and how much emphasis will or should be placed on strength of schedule. Will teams from stronger conferences with worst won/loss records have priority over weaker conference champions. Two things for certain: the CFP selection committee has some retooling to do and the best CFP games are yet to be played.
Women’s sports has captivated the country across the spectrum – Caitlin Clark’s emergence as the face of women’s basketball, both collegiately and professionally, Dawn Staley’s South Gamecocks emerging as the next dynasty in women’s basketball and Las Vegas’s Aja Wilson considered the best player in the WNBA. Of course, the excitement related to attendance, increased revenue and the garnered attention hasn’t come without costs- misogyny, racial implications and homophobia have at times reared their ugly heads. However, I believe the enthusiasm, excitement, opportunities and support for young girls and women’s sports will prevail.
Though many believed that Deion Sanders would bolt for the NFL after this season, his impact on the college football landscape is undeniable. What he began at Jackson State has continued under his recommended replacement TC Taylor, who led the Tigers to a Celebration Bowl victory and a Black College national championship. Furthermore, the University of Colorado has seen a significant increase in minority applications because of Coach Sanders and the athletic program. I certainly hope he stays at CU. Much of the nation will be watching and supporting.
First it was the NIL, Name, Image and Likeness, which began the move away from true amateur athletics as a way of compensating athletes. Then revenue sharing which virtually put college athletics in the pay for play category. Not that I am against athletes being compensated; however, I do think they’ve gone from one extreme- the theory that an athletic scholarship was sufficient while hoarding the money for themselves- to another- overpaying college athletes as if they were professionals. I don’t know what the solution is, but seeing players in the transfer portal waiting on the highest bidder or having players realistically compete for multiple schools in a 4-5 year period is for me a bridge too far. And will all players on a given team be fairly compensated or will those of lesser talent or status be relegated to the book depository. Fairness, equity and inclusion must be considered in this rapidly emerging, evolution of college athletics.
What say you…..?
