The College Football Czar

Week 16

Week fifteen in review: The College Football Czar doesn't mean to go all Dale Gribble on you, but have you ever seen the Notre Dame football team get shafted the way it just did by the CFP? It just doesn't happen. The only reason it did in this case is because the committee wanted to instigate the next round of playoff expansion.

Another inevitable sign of decline in college football is entire teams opting out of bowl games. The Fighting Irish have decided to stay home and sulk, rather than accept an invitation to a bowl game that they feel is beneath them. If any decision could be more unpopular than the one that was made by the committee, that's it. When the Czar observed earlier this season that the new ND leprechaun logo looks like he's taking his ball and going home, that was meant to be a joke.

Both Iowa State and Kansas State, the teams that opened the 2025 season in Dublin, have decided not to play in their bowl games either, owing to the departure of respective head coaches Matt Campbell and Chris Kleiman. Of course, this excuse is total nonsense, as we can see from all the other teams that are playing while in the midst of coaching changes themselves. The Big XII has fined ISU and KSU $500,000 each, for whatever difference that makes. It ought to threaten to kick them out of the conference. The Czar would say this is the beginning of the end of the bowl games, except that it's more like the middle of the end. Because of these three abstentions, the NCAA had to shop around to find three 5-7 teams that were willing to play. The ones they got were Mississippi State, which is only 1-7 in the SEC this year, Rice, which went 2-6 in the American Conference, and Appalachian State, which went 2-6 in the Sun Belt. This is not what bowl games were intended to be.

On the subject of coaching changes, Michigan has fired head coach Sherrone Moore for cause, allegedly for an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. As of this writing, details remain scarce, and the coach is in police custody for reasons yet unexplained. Regardless of his innocence or guilt, Sherrone's story should serve as a warning to head coaches throughout Division I-A football. Not only do they get paid a tremendous lot these days, but schools typically feel the need to keep them signed up to long-term contracts so that the recruits might expect some degree of continuity. As a result, the universities often find themselves paying ex-coaches for two or more years after they're gone. Unless they can fire them for cause, that is. It will soon be the norm, if it's not already, for college football coaches to be under constant investigation by their own employers, just in case there suddenly arises a need to inexpensively get rid of them.

Just like last season, the College Football Czar is issuing his bowl picks in two installments, the first one ending with the games on the day after Christmas. Please check back in two weeks for the year's final installment of picks, beginning with a slew of games on December 27th.

In last week's conference championship games, the Czar went 6-3, which brings his record for the season to 175-105, for a .625 winning percentage.

Dec. 13

Army (6-5) vs. Navy (9-2)

Army may have the infantry, but it was the Midshipmen who were on the march throughout the second half on Thanksgiving night against Memphis. The commanding 28-17 victory briefly boosted them into first place in the American Conference, but two days later Tulane and North Texas caught up with them, and left them on the wrong end of a three-way tiebreaker.

The Black Knights haven't found much daylight this season, with eight of their games being decided by seven points or fewer. They're only 4-4 in these close contests, having blown double-digit second-half leads in bad losses to Tulsa and Division I-AA Tarleton State.

This traditional neutral-site game moves for this season to M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, which is a virtual home game for the Naval Academy, which of course resides in nearby Annapolis. So, as you can see, Annapolis doesn't fall far from M&T, and if you had an apple right now, you would probably throw it at the College Football Czar because of the quality of that pun.

Navy 24, Army 16

LA Bowl -- Inglewood, CA -- 8:00 (ABC)

Washington (8-4) vs. Boise State (9-4)

Once again, it's time for the LA Bowl presented by Gronk. The truth be known, I would be just as good a selling point if it were presented by Knorg, because that person, assuming he exists, is not Jimmy Kimmel, either. At least the game's current host likes football, and is capable on occasion of being funny.

The BSU offense has spuddered in its four losses this year, scoring only seven points in each of them. The Huskies, whose defense ranks #20 nationally, coincidentally won their most recent meeting, 38-7 at the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl. The Broncs entered that game at 12-1, while UW was only 7-5.

Leading Husky receiver Denzel Boston will be looking to pop one, after being held to a season-low 25 yards in a 26-14 setback against Oregon. Even that other Denzel turns in a subpar performance once in a while, but those tend to be in crappy remakes. If football players got together to try to recreate a really good game from 40 years earlier, that wouldn't work out very well, either.

The College Football Czar can't fathom why anybody would have wanted an indoor stadium in the Los Angeles area, but the current wisdom is that SoFi Stadium is so superior that the Rose Bowl in Pasadena ought to be retired. In the words of the most famous LA bowler, "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."

Washington 30, Boise State 14

Dec. 16

Salute to Veterans Bowl -- Montgomery, AL -- 9:00 (ESPN)

Jacksonville State (8-5) vs. Troy (8-5)

These neighboring Alabama schools are so close to this venue that they could walk there with banjos on their knees. They're not going to do that, however, because it would be silly.

Jax State was shut out through the first three quarters of the Conference USA championship game, and when they finally rallied to take the lead, it didn't last long, in a 19-15 loss to upstart Kennesaw State. League-leading rusher Cam Cook was held under 100 yards for only the third time all year.

The Trojans lost their conference title game, too, but that was on the road against a ranked James Madison team that is now in the playoffs. A couple JMU defenders got too close to Goose Crowder for comfort, causing the QB to leave the game with another injury, this time to his ankle. Crowder, who has already missed two months of the season with a broken collarbone, gave way to Tucker Kilcrease, whose stat line for this season is nearly identical.

This would come across as a more sincere salute to veterans if it didn't begin with the words "Salute to." It's as if the person saluting is making sure he gets into the picture so that he may receive credit. Well, it's not about you, Mr. Saluter. Please just rename it the Veterans Bowl, and go away.

Troy 20, Jacksonville State 13

Dec. 17

Cure Bowl -- Orlando -- 5:00 (ESPN)

Old Dominion (9-3) vs. South Florida (9-3)

The Bulls began the season in the proverbial china shop, as they shattered Boise State and knocked off Florida to grab the nation's attention. If not for a fourth-quarter collapse in a 34-31 loss to Memphis, they would have been playing for the American Conference title and a berth in the CFP.

How did people who eat with wooden sticks come to be known for having nice dinnerware, anyway? By the time they've finished chasing the peas all over their plates in vain, they'll have starved!

The lion kings are not just token participants in this game. Two of the Monarchs' three losses have been to playoff teams Indiana and James Madison, and they weema-whacked Sun Belt West winner Troy, 33-0 in Week 12. Double-last-named quarterback Colton Johnson is as genuine a dual-threat as there is in the nation, with 1,007 yards rushing, and 2,624 through the air.

USF enters its bowl game, as a lot of teams do, without its head coach. Russian-born Alex Golesh has agreed to a $7.4 million a year deal to coach at Auburn. Too bad he wasn't negotiating with Steve Witkoff, or he'd have probably gotten at least $10 million, as well as the eastern half of Mississippi Oblast, and a lifetime supply of vodka martinis.

Old Dominion 31, South Florida 29

68 Ventures Bowl -- Mobile, AL -- 8:30 (ESPN)

Delaware (6-6) vs. La.-Lafayette (6-6)

The first-year Division I-A Fighting Blue Hens are another one of those "transitional" programs that is, for totally stupid reasons, not supposed to be eligible for a bowl game. However, there were fewer bowl-eligible teams than there were bowl berths, so rules, schmules. The College Football Czar had assumed that by "transitional," the NCAA meant that in a gender-fluid sense, the team being comprised of hen men.

ULL has gotten saltier as the pepper games have gone on, finishing with a 4-0 mark in November to become bowl-eligible. Only the Ragin Cajuns could have a culinarily-named quarterback like Lunch Winfield, but there's no gae-rhon-tee that he will be wondermous. In the regular season finale he threw for only 82 yards, in a 30-27 overtime win over Louisiana-Monroe.

Nick Minicucci of UD is far more productive, but that has usually been out of desperation, after his team has had to abandon its running game. Last game, he threw for 311 yards in a 61-31 rout of UTEP, but the Blue Hens are 0-5 whenever he throws for even a single yard more than that.

What's a "68 Venture?" Is that anything like an acid trip?

La.-Lafayette 45, Delaware 41

Dec. 18

Xbox Bowl -- Frisco, TX -- 9:00 (ESPN2)

Arkansas State (6-6) vs. Missouri State (7-5)

Round two of renovations at Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau has forced the Bahamas Bowl to relocate for the second time in three years. You might remember that in 2023, this game was moved to the University of Charlotte campus and renamed the Famous Toastery Bowl, after a regional breakfast restaurant chain. At least Xbox does not require an explanation.

The College Football Czar is all in favor of letting "transitional" Division I-A school Mo State play in a bowl game, but instead of making exceptions to this dopey rule every postseason, why does the NCAA not simply change its rule? Do the people there derive some sort of indecent stimulation from making arbitrary and capricious decisions?

The Red Wolves became bowl-eligible with a 30-29 victory over Appalachian State, although it made little difference because 5-7 App State ended up getting an invitation anyway. QB Jaylen Raynor dropped 32 completions out of the sky for 363 yards and three touchdowns.

Does an ex-box come in a box? If so, it should have just remained a box itself. That way, it could have saved, you know, a box.

Arkansas State 32, Missouri State 18

Dec. 19

Myrtle Beach Bowl -- Conway, SC -- 11AM (ESPN)

Western Michigan (9-4) vs. Kennesaw State (10-3)

This is the only game of the bowl season that pits two conference champions against each other, in the MAC-winning Broncos and the Owls of Conference USA. There are no such matchups in the first round of the CFP, either, although there is a possibility of a Georgia-Tulane or Texas Tech-James Madison game in the quarterfinals.

When you turn the game on, you're natural reaction will be to get up and adjust the tint. Then you'll realize that there hasn't been a tint knob on any TV that's been made since before you were born, so you'll just accept the fact that the field is teal and get on with it. Unless you're old.

WMU has gone 9-1 since starting 0-3 against a tough nonconference schedule consisting of Michigan State, North Texas and Illinois. It avenged its only Mid-American Conference loss with a 23-13 win over Miami Ohio in the title game at Ford Field.

Stop snickering at the word "tint."

Western Michigan 31, Kennesaw State 17

Gasparilla Bowl -- Tampa -- 2:30 (ESPN)

Memphis (8-4) vs. Nc State (7-5)

With head coach Ryan Silverfield gone to Arkansas, the Tigers will be led into this tussle by interim coach Reggie Howard, who has spent the past two season coaching the defensive backs. Southern Miss head coach Charles Huff has been hired away to lead MU in 2026.

There was no Tinseltown ending to the regular season for Wolfpack RB Hollywood Smothers, who missed his team's big win over Georgia Tech with a lower leg injury, and has been ineffective in three games since returning. At this point, it's not altogether clear that he's capable of picking up the 61 yards he still needs to reach 1,000.

This recent lack of production from NCSU running backs may come as a relief to a Tiger defense that got ground up by Navy. That 28-17 Thanksgiving night thumping was not a total loss, however, because injured QB Brendon Lewis was able to play the whole game. After two idle weeks, he ought to have some mobility back, to boot.

The Gasparilla Bowl is not sponsored by a carbonated root beer, so if attendees are experiencing intestinal discomfort, they have only themselves to blame.

Memphis 39, Nc State 20

CFP First Round -- TBA -- 8:00 (ABC)

Alabama (10-3) at Oklahoma (10-2)

Just because the Crimson Tide don't deserve to be here, that doesn't mean they won't win. In fact, they're bound to use the controversy as motivation. There can be little doubt, however, that they, and not Miami or Notre Dame, should have been the odd team out. With their schedule, it's not the three losses that are disqualifying, but the fact that one of those was to a sub-.500 Florida State team. The only Sooner setbacks, by comparison, have been to Texas and Ole Miss.

Earlier this year in Tuscaloosa, the Sooners only scraped up a total of 212 yards, but they won 23-21, thanks to a plus-3 turnover margin and a blocked field goal attempt. Neither team ran the ball well that day, OU gaining only 74 yards on 28 carries, and Bama 80 on 33.

Because of the Sooners' overall success, not everybody has noticed that QB John Mateer might be the most unsuccessful transfer of the 2026 season. With nine more pass attempts than he had last year at Washington State, he has passed for 561 fewer yards, with 17 fewer touchdowns and three more interceptions, while also gaining barely more than half as much rushing yardage.

He obviously came to the wrong program. With a surname that's spelled "Matee R," he should be playing for a team called the Pirates.

Alabama 22, Oklahoma 10

Dec. 20

CFP First Round -- TBA -- Noon (ABC)

Miami (10-2) at Texas A&M (11-1)

The Aggies are still playing for all the marbles, even after they got rolled by rival Texas 27-17 to finish the regular season. When it comes to the eye test, the ampersanders have been Mr. Magoo. Things always turned out right for him in the end, just like they did for A&M when it survived to beat lower-echelon SEC opponents Auburn, Arkansas and South Carolina by a combined total of just ten points.

Although he is named after a potato chip that produces the sensation of having been pre-chewed, Hurricane running back Girard Pringlejr is a freshman who is not going stale anytime soon. In his last four games, he put up his highest rushing totals of the season, with an average of 6.2 yards per carry.

As mentioned above, the last playoff spot should not have come down to Miami or Notre Dame. Because it did, some people considered the Canes to be a shoo-in because of their head-to-head win against the Fighting Irish, but head-to-head isn't everything. It should also be considered that each team has two losses, but ND's were to two national championship contenders, while The U was beaten by two teams that are a rung or two lower. In fact, Miami lost to SMU, which lost to California, which lost to Stanford, which lost to Pitt, which lost to West Virginia, which lost to Ohio, which lost to Ball State, which lost to Eastern Michigan, which lost to Division I-AA Long Island. So, you see, the playoff can't be legitimate unless it is expanded to include the Long Island Sharks, and every team that is arguably better.

Unfortunately, the next person you hear suggest such a thing will not be joking.

Miami 38, Texas A&M 35

CFP First Round -- TBA -- 3:30 (TNT)

Tulane (11-2) at Ole Miss (11-1)

Tulane University left the SEC in 1964, because it found that it's football team could not be competitive in that conference as long as the school maintained its high academic standards. The University of Mississippi was one of the league's charter members in 1932, and has remained there ever since. Not that those two things have anything to do with each other, even though they do.

The Rebels usher in the Pete Golding era, as the defensive coordinator takes over from the departed Lane Kiffin. Athletic director Keith Carter decided to forego the interim phase and establish Golding as the new full-time head coach heading into the playoffs.

Kiffin isn't the only coach who has been hired by another school, but the Green Wave will allow Jon Sumrall to lead the team through the postseason, even as he is busy putting together his new staff at Florida. The College Football Czar thinks the Rebs have got it right by making a clean break.

In the American Conference championship against North Texas, the Green Wave got the benefit of a blown call at the goal line, which gave them a 31-7 lead when it should have still been a 17-point difference with UNT getting the ball on a touchback. It didn't seem like a big deal until the Mean Green scored two TDs to pull within ten. A late field goal made the final 34-21, which wasn't that encouraging, considering that TU enjoyed a plus-5 turnover margin.

Can you imagine a team having Two-Lane as coach? Those guys wouldn't be able to stand each other.

Ole Miss 45, Tulane 21

CFP First Round -- TBA -- 7:30 (TNT)

James Madison (12-1) at Oregon (11-1)

The excitement of playing a home game in the postseason should shield the U of O from complacency, which is a greater threat to them than the Sun Belt Conference champions are. This game has got a similar feel to the Fighting Ducks' 45-6 Fiesta Bowl stroll over Conference USA powerhouse Liberty two years ago.

The webfoots haven't been beaten by a non-power conference opponent since the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl against a 10-win Boise State team, and they weren't exactly wunaway favorites in that one, like they are here. To find an upset on the same level that this would be, you'd have to go back to the beginning of their Pac 10 championship year of 1994, when they had a bad early loss at Hawaii.

The Dukes have put 'em up against one other power conference team this season, and they lost a 28-14 Week 2 decision to Louisville in the birthplace of Cassius Clay. Since then, it's as if they've subscribed to Joe Louis' bum of the month club. They didn't stumble again until the week before Thanksgiving, when they stepped back out of the Sun Belt and almost got caught with their pants down, in a 24-20 win over Washington State.

Wondering whom to pick between the Dukes and Ducks? No contest. Short vowels are tougher.

Oregon 37, James Madison 9

Dec. 22

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl -- Boise -- 2:00 (ESPN)

Washington State (6-6) vs. Utah State (6-6)

Aggie coach Bronco Mendenhall needed to mendenhead after suffering severe brain damage during the fourth quarter of a 25-24 loss to Boise State. At the start of the final period, his Aggies led 24-19, but he eschewed a 30-yard field goal attempt to go for it on a fourth-and-two. The attempt was unsuccessful. Later, with just over five minutes to play, USU had a fourth-and-one from its own 42-yard-line. Incredibly, he went for it again, rather than punt. This time, the turnover on downs gave the Broncos a short field, of which they took advantage to score the go-ahead touchdown.

Wazzu was only a .500 team this regular season, but that record includes very close contests against two playoff teams (Ole Miss and James Madison), and one (Virginia) that almost was. The Cougars have generally played poorly away from Pullman, though, going 1-5 with a blowout loss at North Texas, and an ugly 10-7 ugh-fest at Oregon State.

Don't tell the Idaho potato this, but it isn't really famous. It just assumes that it is, because it hosts a show on MS Now.

Utah State 26, Washington State 23

Dec. 23

Boca Raton Bowl -- Rat Mouth, FL -- 2:00 (ESPN)

Toledo (8-4) vs. Louisville (8-4)

Before kicking around rival Kentucky 41-0 in a feelgood finale, the Cardinals had lost three games in a row, each of them excruciating in its own way. First, they fell to Cal in overtime for a terrible home loss, 29-26. Then, a missed extra point and two unsuccessful fourth-quarter field goal attempts cost them against Clemson, 20-19. Finally, SMU just smashed them, 38-6. Keep in mind that this team has beaten both James Madison and Miami, but the latter of those was half a season ago.

The Rockets rost head coach Jason Candle to Connecticut in yet another hire that should not have happened for another month or so. In the interim, they will be led by quarterbacks coach Rober Weiner, whose presence at this game is fitting, for reasons you'll see in the next paragraph. His prize pupil is QB Tucker Gleason, who presumably will not say "and away we go," like so many other senior slingers do before their bowl games nowadays.

Considering the translation of "Boca Raton," it's more than a little disconcerting that the entire, official name for this game is the Bush's Boca Raton Bowl of Beans. It just might be that the big winner will be the Board of Health.

Louisville 27, Toledo 18

New Orleans Bowl -- New Orleans (obviously) -- 5:30 (ESPN)

Western Kentucky (8-4) vs. Southern Miss (7-5)

With coach Charles Huff gone to Memphis, the Golden Eagles were fortunate to already have Blake Anderson on the staff as offensive coordinator. Anderson is already 74-54 as a head coach, in ten seasons between Arkansas State and Utah State. In 2021, his USU team went 11-3, including an LA Bowl victory over Oregon State.

The Hilltoppers haven't had much to climb over this season. In fact, their most impressive result by far has been a 13-10 defeat at LSU. Last time out, they lost another three-point game, and with it a Conference USA championship berth, to Jacksonville State, 37-34 on a last-second field goal.

Memo to cable news panelists everywhere: See the New Orleans Bowl logo? This is a gaslight. It is a light that is powered by gas. That's the one and only thing the word means. Don't make the College Football Czar break into Rober DeNiro's "this is this" oration from The Deer Hunter by continuing to abuse this poor, innocent word in such a lardheaded manner.

And if this isn't this, then "it is what it is" is another thing you need to stop saying.

Southern Miss 34, Western Kentucky 24

Frisco Bowl -- Frisco, TX (not SF) -- 9:00 (ESPN)

UNLV (10-3) vs. Ohio (8-4)

This is surprisingly not the Rebels's first game this season against an opponent from the Mid-American Conference. Back in Week 4, they rallied from a 14-point, fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Miami Ohio, 41-38 on the road. Cornerback Aamaris Brown opened up and said "aa" to gobble up an interception, which he returned 67 yards for one of his two pick-sixes on the season.

Bobcat coach Brian Smith has been mysteriously placed on leave for undisclosed reasons. Perhaps OU noticed he had not been hired away at the end of a successful season, and immediately concluded there must be something wrong with him. Defensive coordinator John Hauser takes over on an interim basis.

Q: Why is this game called the Frisco Bowl?

A: Because otherwise, traveling fans might go to the Bahamas by mistake, and be terribly disappointed.

UNLV 44, Ohio 28

Dec. 24

Hawaii Bowl -- Honolulu -- 8:00 (ESPN)

California (7-5) vs. Hawaii (8-4)

It's a good thing UH has a home bowl game to play in whenever it's eligible, because it doesn't fare nearly as well when it has to travel to the mainland. The Rainbow Warriors are 6-1 at home this season, losing only to Fresno State, by a final of 23-21.

Not a bad consolation prize for a Cal club that fired head coach Justin Wilcox after getting whacked 31-10 by woeful rival Stanford in Week 13. That was the only loss in its last three games, though, in between quality wins over Louisville and SMU, the same two teams that defeated Miami.

Hawaiian-born freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has announced he will remain with the Golden Bears, and he is surely sincere about that. Still, the fans in Berkeley shouldn't celebrate until they see him in fall camp. That's just the way things are right now.

T.C. Ching Stadium is not named after T.C. from Magnum, P.I., even though CBS will probably transform him into a Chinese woman in the next reboot. That is also just the way things are right now.

California 31, Hawaii 23

Dec. 26

Game Above Sports Bowl -- Detroit -- 12:00 (ESPN)

Northwestern (6-6) vs. Central Michigan (7-5)

Preston Stone threw plenty of bricks in a 20-13 loss in the Land of Lincoln rivalry game against Illinois. The former Southern Methodist starter was intercepted three times while completing only 19 of 36, for a meager total of 163 yards. He has been consistently inconsistent throughout the season, however, having had a season-high 305 yards with two TDs and no picks a week earlier against Minnesota at Wrigley Field.

The Chippewas used to be a dangerous small conference team, but it's been a while since they've defeated a power conference club. They've lost 14 in a row to big league opponents, including a surprisingly uncompetitive loss at Pitt this year, followed by a far bigger blowout at Michigan. Their one win during that stretch, however, has been in the postseason, a 24-21 upset of Washington State in the 2021 Sun Bowl.

If this game was named under the assumption that its participants would be a game above, then that would suggest a Wildcat victory, so that each team would finish at 7-6. That would be totally stupid, which of course is no reason why it shouldn't happen.

Northwestern 17, Central Michigan 10

Rate Bowl -- Phoenix -- 4:30 (ESPN)

Minnesota (7-5) vs. New Mexico (9-3)

By beating first-place San Diego State for their sixth straight victory, the Lobos seemed to do everything they needed to in order to reach the Mountain West championship game, but they didn't, because four computers talked it over and decided to consult the Magic 8-Ball.

The Golden Gophers clinched a winning season by successfully defending Paul Bunyan's Axe from visiting Wisconsin, 17-7. Now that they've got it, why don't they use it to chop up the damn boat already? It was a rare day for the defense of the radiant rodents, who otherwise have sunk to #11 in the 18-team Big Ten this year, after being third a season ago, behind Ohio State and Indiana.

Formerly the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, this game is now just the Rate Bowl, which just goes to show that it doesn't rate when it comes to rebrandings. Perhaps if it further shortened its name to the Rat Bowl, it could land that big baked bean sponsorship.

New Mexico 37, Minnesota 35

First Responder Bowl -- Dallas -- 8:00 (ESPN)

Florida International (7-5) vs. UTSA (6-6)

Out of nowhere, the International Men of Mystery have rattled off four wins in a row, including one against Conference USA finalist Jacksonville State. During their streak, wide receiver Alex Perry has pulled down an average of six receptions for 102 yards per game.

There have been times this year that the Roadrunners stood pecking away at the conspicuously placed mound of bird seed a little too long, and gotten brained with a boulder. When they have gone on a tear, though, there's been no stopping them, in runaway victories over Rice (61-13), Tulane (48-26) and East Carolina (58-24).

As you can tell by its middle initial, Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas is not named after President Gerald R. Ford. Attendees at this game ought to take comfort in that, knowing that the stadium is not going to just fall down all of a sudden.

UTSA 53, Florida International 29

The College Football Czar

a sports publication from The Shinbone