The Closing of One Chapter

Arch was always going to be first. The unanimous preseason hype combined with the initial trainwreck and the eventual turnaround had all the makings of a classic sports flick. Lane coming in a close second is also expected. His break up with Ole Miss is going to be the stuff of legend, a story told down through the years.

We are more interested in coaches than the players. Saban, Day, and Freeman round out this list. A GOAT, a champion, and a contender. All with their own unique struggles and triumphs that had us following every move.

Lot of twists and turns in this regular season. The Aggies meltdown in the playoffs had even their 12th man having a crash out in the stands. But what else did they expect with no touchdowns after having the regular season that they had.

Notre Dame and USC’s historic rivalry coming to a close had all of us nostalgic for an era that is never coming back. Arch Manning and his future also had us worried, but thankfully Sark got to keep his man for one more year.

Not all stories need to be about sudden changes. Sometimes it is about understanding the lore. The history and the context. It makes us better fans the more we know about the personalities behind our favorite athletes and coaches. And no one personality had us digging more about them than Lane Kiffin and his messy exodus from the Rebels.

But we also had a bowl game that ended with fists rather than handshakes. Not the most gentlemanly way of closing out a scrimmage. There were even some more serious stories such as a player’s ordeal when his own fans turned on him.

This is the most fun section for us. We got to hear from all of the various fanbases that read this. It was so interesting to see which questions had us all invested and sharing our thoughts. Playoff math was always on everyone’s minds. The sheer confusion around the process fueled many debates.

James Franklin’s firing had us all shocked and Matt Campbell being the replacement just added even more intrigue. We were also sick of hearing Notre Dame fans cry foul after missing the playoffs that we now wonder why they don’t join a conference like the rest of the world. But say what you will, the age old GOAT debates are never going away.

The next chapter will start with a daunting set of playoffs along with portal madness. As fans, this is where the sport peaks. Be sure to enjoy every second of it. Because after January, the offseason officially starts. Here is what all you can look forward to:

Indiana has announced itself as the new sheriff in town. Lane Kiffin is about to turn the SEC into his own personal show. Let’s not forget that it is always going to be Notre Dame against the rest of the world. The Irish are never living down this playoff miss. There are a lot of new rivalries building as the old ones are taken up by new hands.

This is ultimately a sport of numbers and yards. The technicalities matter. We are not going to shy away from more in depth pieces that go further into the philosophy behind each team’s game plan. Deeper research for hardcore fans.

The NIL is not going anywhere. But it has wreaked havoc on our sport. For better or worse, that is yet to be judged. But nothing is stable yet and we will continue following the line to see where the NCAA ends up. This sport needs to figure out how the money fits into it.

There are too many claims all over sports media. We aim to be an oasis where the information is true first and interesting second. You, the reader, will get the news without the unnecessary chatter.

College football is getting closer and closer to the NFL. Players back in the day used to wait for the first moment to jump and go pro. But now we have long drawn out battles for an extra year of eligibility. The relationship between the two sports has never been more in flux than it is now.

This is the end of one saga and tomorrow will be the start of another. We will see you all on the other side.