Random Thoughts: That’s a Wrap!

With the Hoosiers defeat of the Hurricanes, the 2025 college football season comes to an end.

Indiana 27 Miami-FL 21

BLIND EYE TURNING OF THE WEEK

I get you are going to “let them play”, but how do you let this slide?

JUKE OF THE WEEK

SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYS OF THE WEEK

CATCH OF THE WEEK

EVER WONDER WHAT A HOOSIER IS?

Apparently, it’s a Minotaur.

PRICE GOUGING OF THE WEEK

DOINK OF THE WEEK

CELEBRATION OF THE WEEK

OLD COOT OF THE WEEK

Chad Morris’ son played for four different teams over six different seasons, each of which he had playing time, and this 25-year old loser actually filed for a waiver for a seventh season. Here again was a case of a guy trying to retroactively claim an injury from several years ago to get a medical redshirt and it was mighty flimsy.

That is a nice picture of him. He can probably use that on his business cars when he starts his job at State Farm.

NAME OF THE WEEK

Seriously. What is this?

STATS OF THE WEEK

• Ball State QB Kiael Kelly was sacked an FBS-high 49 times this past season.
• FAU’s Caden Veltkamp led all pass-throwers with 17 interceptions.

THE WACKY WORLD OF CORSO MARCUS FREEMAN?

College GameDay held their finale in Miami and made the unusual move to have sitting Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman as the guest picker.

Crotchety old Bill Belichick also made an appearance.

Nick Saban came down on that Stanford dumbass from the top rope…

I still don’t know why the annoying Robin Roberts was there.

G.O.A.T.

ADOPT-A-TEAM

• TBD

COUSINS

• South Alabama – The Jaguars will kickoff the 2026 season by hosting Southeastern Louisiana on Sep 5.
• Troy – The Trojans will begin the season with Sam Houston State coming into town.
• Jacksonville State – The Gamecocks welcome in the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.

THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO STEALS TOILET PAPER FROM DENNY’S

• UAB – Alex Mortensen has a big challenge to begin the ‘26 campaign as the Dragons travel to Illinois.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

• Army – The Black Knights will host something called Bryant.
• Navy – The Midshipmen get it going versus Towson.
• Air Force – The Falcons start against Duquesne (pronounced duh-kay-snay, maybe)

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Eliminated: Washington State, Oregon State, Boston College, Cal, Clemson, FSU, Georgia Tech, Louisville, UNC, NC State, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Pitt, Arizona State, Arizona, Baylor, Center Florida, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Sparty, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, Southern Cal, UCLA, Washington, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Miss State, Mizz, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tejas, BYU, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Duke, Utah, NOTRE DAME!!!!, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, JMU, Tulane, Ohio State, Georgia, Texa$ Tech, Oregon, Ole Miss, Alabama, Miami-FL

Still Alive: Indiana

A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture

I hate to break it to everyone, but we have absolute a-holes calling the shots in college football. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti wants more than nothing to have Iowa’s garbage football in the CFP. This jerk thinks that the best number for the playoff is a ridiculous 24 teams. SEC bozo Greg Sankey is not that bad but he is convinced that the sport would be best served with 16 teams. Thankfully, both these horse-asses are unbudgingly stubborn in their stance. Because of this deadlock, the CFP will be forced to keep the current 12-team format.

The truth is, 12 is too many. EIGHT is too many. Last season, anOhio State lost to Oregon, lost to Michigan at home and finished third in their conference. That should have been the end of their story. But with this stupid expanded format, a team can skip their increasingly irrelevant conference championship game, get a second wind, get on a roll, and win it all. Indiana defied that trend thanks to a certain team that will go nameless, but Miami-FL definitely followed that form.

Next season, the final game will laughably come on January 25, 2027. Imagine what the calendar would be like with more teams and more games.

I never thought I would tire of college football, but they are trying my patience.

PARTICIPATION TROPHY

With the free-for-all transferring and the punishment-free tampering going on, the non-Power teams are just going to get weaker and weaker. North Texas had only their second double-digit win season in program history at 12-2. The Mean Green have lost as many as 35 players to the portal, including 17 to Oklahoma State. UNT is likely to have a big setback in 2026.

Tulane has 27 in the portal. Former Green Wavers are heading to Tennessee (2), Florida (2), Indiana, Louisville, Okie State, Iowa State, Arky, and several other Power teams.

JMU has lost around 25 including ten to UCLA. Others are heading to Colorado (2), Iowa (2), Auburn, Okie Lite, Florida.

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

Michael Madsen Movies
R.I.P., Mr. Blonde

1. Reservoir Dogs – “Stuck in the middle with you…”
2. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 – He only made a brief appearance in Vol. 1, but was damn good in Vol. 2.
3. Donnie Brasco – Sonny Black!
4. Thelma & Louise – a rare softie role.
5. The Hateful Eight
6. The Natural – Bump Bailey gets Wally Pipp’d.
7. Wyatt Earp – This film got overshadowed by Tombstone that came out first, but MM shined as brother Virgil Earp.
8. Mulholland Falls – He was made for being a cool 1950s noir gumshoe.
9. The Doors – Jim Morrison’s drinking buddy.
10. Die Another Day

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to the short-sided FBS coaches. These poor idiots. They know not what they do.

At the annual convention of the American Football Coaches Association, FBS coaches voted unanimously to adjust the redshirt rule to allow players to participate in up to nine games while preserving a full year’s eligibility in the sport as an adjustment to the current four game limit. The coaches don’t make the rules, so this is merely a suggestion. Any change would still need approval from the NCAA Division I committee.

NOT QUITTING REPORT

• In a bit of a surprise move, Ducks quarterback Dante Moore has decided against the NFL draft and will return to Oregon. This news comes on the heels of Patrick Mahomes’s stalker. ex-Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola. announcing he would be transferring to Oregon. Is Raiola willing to sit on the bench or will he ask for a release? Moore was thought to be a top 10 pick in April’s 2026 NFL Draft.
• Utah quarterback Devon Dampier will return to the Utes for the 2026 season. The rising senior played his first two seasons at New Mexico before throwing 24 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions last season for UU.
• Remember that time when Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer was the Heisman Trophy favorite? He ended up nowhere close to earning a trip to NYC and is smartly returning to Norman for a second season. Joining him is teammate, LB Kip Lewis, the team’s leading tackler last season.
• In a surprise move, Tennessee LB Arion Carter has withdrawn from NFL draft and portal, opting to return to Knoxville. Previously, he sat out the Music City Bowl with the intentions of going pro but never signed his NFL papers.

PORTALLING

The deadline to enter the transfer portal passed last Friday night, though players’ names will still be popping up in the portal through Tuesday since schools have 48 business hours to process entries. Some reports have the total at 3,972 FBS scholarship players entering the portal in the last two weeks. There were 136 teams that participated in FBS this season. Do the math at your own peril.

According to 247sports listings, there are 152 running backs in the TP who have not found a new destination as of post. Only 21 of them had no star ratings, which would indicate a walk-on. That means 131 players at the running back position alone are dangling in the wind.

Sports guy Josh Pate tweeted:

Talking to GMs this morning – dozens of examples of players in the Portal asking if they can return to the team only to discover their spot has been filled

These are mostly NOT players who were forced into the Portal but rather players who listened to terrible advice from jackals posing as agents

Countless examples of players being told entering the Portal is a sound business decision with zero risk since the fallback option is your current roster spot

Other examples of the current team offering a reasonable $ figure and “agents” lacking the ability to even spell market rate convincing the player the offer is disrespectful

Pate expanded on his use of the word ‘dozens’ by stating “Certainly the numbers are higher. This is just the small % I’m personally aware of”

#LifeChoices

• After several whiffs at attaining a quarterback, the incorrigible serial-cheaters of Miami-FL CLEARLY tampered to convince Duke signal caller Darian Mensah to hop into the transfer portal and sign with them at the last minute. And the NCAA is doing NOTHING about it. Reports have it that the ’Canes lured him to South Beach with around $10 million. The rising junior is a good ball player, but $10 MILLION?? This whole mess is ridiculous.
• To counter this move, Duke turned to former Florida turnover machine DJ Lagway – the prettiest girl at the dance who is still left on the sidelines. Lagway has been leading Baylor on for weeks and has finally relented to sign with the Bears. Duke is still in the hunt.
• Also stuck scrambling for scraps, Tennessee picked up former Colorado quarterback Ryan “Don’t Call Me Rusty” Staub. This dude spent two years behind Deion’s baby boy and this season could ot beat out the ineffective Kaidon Salter in Boulder. The Vols must be prepping for Joey Aguilar to lose his and Diego Pavia’s juco eligibility fight.

NOTABLE NFL DECLARATIONS

• Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and safety Dillon Thieneman have declared for the NFL draft.
• anOhio State is losing two more key pieces to the NFL in leading tackler Sonny “Don’t Call Me Harry” Styles and Max Klare, one of the draft’s top tight ends, declaring for the draft.
• The deadline for underclassmen to declare for this draft class was January 14. However, players from Indiana and Miami have until January 23 to declare.

DRAMARAMA

• A federal judge denied a request last week for a preliminary injunction by five college football players seeking to play a fifth season this fall. HOORAY! All five plaintiffs have competed four seasons in four years without taking a redshirt year. They are linebacker Langston Patterson of Vanderbilt; kicker Nathanial Vakos, tight end Lance Mason and long snapper Nick Levy, all of Wisconsin; and long snapper Kevin Gallic of Nebraska.
• Add UCLA to the list of programs getting a big financial boost from an alum. The late Lawrence Layne, who died in December 2024, bequeathed over $40 million to the university. The football program will receive $9.6 million, while men’s basketball will get $7.7 million. UCLA MBA graduate Layne made most of his fortune in the self-storage business. He was married but had no children.

SCHEDULING

• Mississippi State and Ole Miss will again meet on Black Friday for the third straight year. The 2026 Egg Bowl is set for Friday, Nov. 27, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Not counting the scheduling changes of 2020, this game had been played on Thanksgiving Day from 2017-2023 and it was a delight.

KOACHES KORNER

Unless some NFL teams try to pilfer any FBS coaches, the College Football Coaching Carousel has come to a full and complete stop.

• Coaching Carousel:
  • Arkansas > Ryan Silverfield
  • Auburn > Alex Golesh
  • Cal > Tosh Lupoi
  • Coastal Carolina > Ryan Beard
  • Colorado State > Jim Mora, The Younger
  • Florida > Jon Sumrall
  • JMU > Billy Napier
  • K-State > Collin Klein
  • Kent State > Mark Carney
  • Kentucky > Will Stein
  • LSU > Lane Kiffin
  • Memphis > Charles Huff
  • Michigan – Kyle Whittingham
  • Michigan State > Pat Fitzgerald
  • Missouri State – Casey Woods
  • North Texas > Neal Brown
  • Ohio > John Hauser
  • Oklahoma State > Eric Morris
  • Ole Miss > Pete Golding
  • Oregon State > JaMarcus Shephard
  • Penn State > Matt Campbell
  • South Florida > Brian Hartline
  • Southern Miss > Blake Anderson
  • Stanford > Tavita Pritchard
  • Toledo > Mike Jacobs
  • Tulane > Will Hall
  • UAB > Alex Mortensen
  • UCLA > Bob Chesney
  • UConn > Jason Candle
  • Utah > Morgan Scalley
  • Virginia Tech > James Franklin
  • Washington State > Jimmy Rogers

• Urban Meyer is so stupid he tried to put M&M’s in alphabetical order.
• Knoxville-area elevators are now required to post an occupancy of 12 people or one Fat F*** Phil Fulmer.

TEEVEE

As always, Birmingham. Ya darn right!

Tuesday, January 27

101st EAST-WEST SHRINE BOWL, benefiting Shriners Children’s in Frisco, Texas; 6pm/7pm on NFL Network. Domani Jackson is scheduled to participate.

Saturday, January 31

SENIOR BOWL: AFC VS NFC 12:30pm/1:30pm NFL Network – Played at University of South Alabama, Hancock Whitney Stadium; RB Jam Miller, TE Josh Cuevas, OC Parker Brailsford, DT Tim Keenan, Edge LT Overton are expected.

“NEXT” WEEK

Saturday, August 29 – Week 0

Hawaii at Stanford
North Carolina vs TCU (in Dublin, Ireland)
NC State vs Virginia (in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
New Mexico State at Florida State

#ALABAMA

• King Gump Mark Ingram, the first Alabama player to win the Heisman Trophy, will be inducted the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame class. I couldn’t be more proud. ☺
• Alabama offensive tackle Michael Carroll was named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). I don’t know how Dijon Lee didn’t make the list.
• The Senior Bowl executive director said that Alabama’s Deontae Lawson, Germie Bernard and Justin Jefferson would not be participating in the game due to lingering injuries that need healing up. How is it that this team got so beat up this year?

Saturday, September 5, 2026

Alabama Crimson Tide (0-0) vs East Carolina Pirates (0-0)

Tuscaloosa, AL~ TBD

WRAP IT UP!

Well, dang! We did it. We got through another wild and wacky college football season. Even if all the lawyers, agents, and money-grubbing prigs out there trying to make a dollar off our game, we made it through.

Thanks to all y’all for supporting our humble little website. Your engagement helps make RBR a unique and fun place to share our shared love of college football. The only thing we ask of you is to tell a friend (or even a friendly enemy – wink wink).

The good Lord willing, if the creek don’t rise, and we don’t get cancelled, we will be back in August to provide you all the College Football news, scores, injuries, gaffes, upsets, derps, and snark that you can handle. Refunds as always will be forthcoming. Roll Tide.