Gray Robertson

Happy New Year! Welcome to the seventh edition of The Hangover, where I recap the previous weekend (or, in this case, couple of weeks) in college football. This week, The Hangover comes Birmingham, Alabama. I just got home from the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, where I saw Alabama thoroughly dominate Clemson 24-6. It was a wild bowl season for college football, so let’s dive in to who won the CFP Semifinals and what else went down around the country.

It’s the SEC’s world, and we’re all living in it. On New Year’s Day, the Southeastern Conference swept the two College Football Playoff Semifinal games in two very different ways.

It’s the SEC’s world right now, as both Georgia and Alabama advanced to the CFP National Championship Game.

In the Rose Bowl, the Georgia Bulldogs used a potent rushing attack and fantastic second half defensive adjustments to beat Oklahoma 54-48 in overtime. Not long after in the Sugar Bowl, the Alabama Crimson Tide suffocated Clemson on the way to a 24-6 victory. It was a banner day for the conference, as the SEC is now guaranteed to win its ninth national championship in twelve years. Both teams were impressive in different ways. Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm showed a lot of poise, throwing for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 20/29 passing. Most importantly, Fromm didn’t turn the ball over. As expected, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel shredded a poor Oklahoma rush defense. Michel went for 181 yards and three scores on 11 carries, while Chubb had 145 yards and two touchdowns on 14 attempts. They’ll need to be on their A-game against Alabama in the National Championship, because the Crimson Tide looked like Saban teams of yore against Clemson. Bama allowed 64 Clemson rushing yards on 33 attempts for a startling 1.9 yards per carry average.

Since these two semifinal games ended, I’ve seen a lot of people tweet and comment that they think the all-SEC National Championship will be boring, with many saying they won’t even watch it. If you’re one of those people, then you don’t love college football. This national championship will be physical and probably low-scoring, but there will be fireworks too. The storylines are unreal: Saban vs. his prized pupil Kirby Smart, Alabama’s rush defense vs. Chubb and Michel, Bama QB Jalen Hurts vs. Georgia LB Roquon Smith, etc.  And, don’t forget the last time these two teams met in Atlanta:

That 2012 SEC Championship Game was the most electric football contest I’ve ever witnessed in person, and I have no doubt the 2018 CFP National Championship Game will be just as exciting. Whether you’re an SEC fan, Pac-12 fan, or anything in between, I highly suggest watching this game. It’s going to be a classic.

(Note: No Gray’s Top 10 this week. Stay tuned for my final Top 10 poll next week.)

Coach of the Week

After the Iron Bowl, I went after Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for his weak play-calling that went away from Alabama’s bread and butter–handing it off to the running backs and letting them work. Daboll must’ve read that article (I’d like to think so, anyway), because he called an absolutely sublime game on the offensive side of the football, especially in the first half. Alabama’s OC did a beautiful job mixing the play action with downhill runs that sustained drives. Four of Alabama’s five first half drives went for eight or more plays, and 19 running plays were called for Damien Harris and Bo Scarbrough. Alabama had difficulty keeping drives going in the second half, but at that point it was all about protecting the lead. Either way, Alabama’s running backs combined for 31 carries in the game, which is a good sign that the Crimson Tide offense is returning to what made it so dominant in the early years of Saban’s dynasty.

Idiot of the Week

A few months ago on my radio show, I criticized Jim Harbaugh for not following through on the ridiculous expectations that he has given himself at Michigan.

Jim Harbaugh was a disappointment this whole season, and the disaster came to a fitting end in the Outback Bowl.

Harbaugh claims to be a “quarterback guru,” and yet Michigan’s issues under center haven’t improved. Harbaugh has struggled to develop proper passers in his three seasons in Ann Arbor, and he’s constantly made poor coaching decisions during his tenure. Enter Monday’s Outback Bowl against South Carolina, a game that I figured Big Blue would win for sure. Michigan was the better team, and they looked it as they built up a 19-3 lead in the 3rd Quarter. Then, the turnovers happened. Five Michigan giveaways in the second half opened the door for South Carolina, and an insane fourth and 10 decision from the Wolverine 25-yard line seemed to signal that Harbaugh was phoning it in with 3:23 left on the clock. Michigan looked poorly coached in the second half, and South Carolina took advantage. Now, with Shea Patterson coming in from Ole Miss next season, Jim Harbaugh is out of excuses. He’s got a quarterback, he’ll have a good, young defense returning, and he’s got receiving and rushing weapons coming back. To be quite honest, anything less than 10 wins next year should be considered a major disappointment. If Harbaugh can’t win big next year, I’m not convinced he can win in Ann Arbor at all.

Random Rankings

As we break into 2018, we’re getting closer to Oscar season. I’m a big movie guy, and for the last few years I’ve made it my mission to see all of the films that are up for major Academy Awards. Here’s my list of critically acclaimed films that I’m trying to watch before Oscars night:

Since tweeting this, I’ve seen both Mudbound and The Big Sick, which brings my total up to five movies so far out of the 15 I need to watch. I’ll give my grades for the entire list later, but for now, here’s my Top 5 Rankings of the five potential Oscar-nominated movies that I’ve watched. *Usual Disclaimer*: once Random Rankings are posted, they aren’t changing. So if you like a story about J. Paul Getty’s kidnapped grandson over one of the most heroic war missions in history, sorry. I’m very stubborn. (Side Note: If I’m missing anything that I need to add to my list, hit the comments and let me know what movie I need to see)

1. Dunkirk–Tense, well-acted, and visually stunning, Dunkirk proves that Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors of our time. This movie is one of the three or four frontrunners for Best Picture at the Oscars, and I highly suggest seeing it if you haven’t already. This film is just phenomenal, and it’s easily my favorite of the five I’ve seen so far.

2. Mudbound–Mudbound is on Netflix, so it’s a pretty easy film to get a hold of. I didn’t have high expectations going in, and I’d be lying if I said the first hour was the most thrilling piece of cinema I’ve ever seen. But boy oh boy, the second hour and fifteen minutes hits you hard. Another movie with stunning performances, Mudbound boasts all-timer performances from Garrett Hedlund, Jonathan Banks (in a terrifying role), Carey Mulligan, and Jason Mitchell. Mary J. Blige is also quite good, although I don’t think she necessarily deserves all of the awards talk she’s getting. With an ending that’ll bring you to tears and have you screaming at your TV/computer, I highly suggest seeing Mudbound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xucHiOAa8Rs

3. Get Out–I’m expecting some blowback for having Get Out in the three spot. Look, I like the film. I found it strikingly well done in Jordan Peele’s first writing/directing attempt. It’s well-acted too, as Daniel Kaluuya is excellent in the movie. Bradley Whitford is also chilling in this film. This horror film is also pretty terrifying; the first time I watched it, I had to close my eyes a bunch. That being said, I don’t think it’s as good as the two films above it, and I know as I watch more movies, Get Out will move down the list. It was a really, really good movie, but not my favorite.

4. The Big Sick–Based on his real-life marriage, The Big Sick focuses on Kumail Nanjiani’s relationship with a woman he meets at his stand-up show, Emily. When Emily gets sick, Kumail has to deal with Emily’s parents, played spectacularly by the feisty Holly Hunter and the ever-awkward Ray Romano. There are lots of laughs in this one, but also some deep emotional moments, particularly with Hunter and Nanjiani. It’s a fun film that probably won’t be up for Best Picture, but I think it’s worth the watch.

5. All the Money in the World–I saw this movie on Christmas Day, and I found it quite enjoyable. Christopher Plummer is utterly fantastic as J. Paul Getty. Watching him in the role, you wouldn’t know that they reshot him for Kevin Spacey just weeks ago. That being said, the editing of the film is a bit choppy, showing just how hastily Ridley Scott put this movie together. The ending is also pretty disappointing, especially considering the intensity of the build-up. It’s a fine film that many will enjoy, but I probably won’t take the time to watch it again. Sidenote: I have no idea what the point of Mark Wahlberg’s character is in the movie.

Gray Goes Off

UCF fans and fans of an expansion of the playoff, hang onto your hats because I’m about to blow you away.

The nicest man in college football and also the head of the CFP, Bill Hancock says that the contract for four teams in the playoff goes for another eight years.

First thing’s first, congratulations to Central Florida for winning the Peach Bowl against Auburn and finishing the season with a perfect 13-0 record. It’s no small accomplishment, and this team should be commended for this milestone (but not given a national championship…looking at you, Danny White). That being said, UCF didn’t deserve a shot in the playoff just because they beat Auburn. This was the biggest game of the Knights’ season, easily. Auburn? Probably the fourth or fifth biggest game of the year. It was clear that UCF wanted this game more, and Auburn’s unimaginative play-calling in the second half basically gave away the victory. UCF isn’t challenged week in and week out like the four teams in the playoff. In a semifinal setting, I would bet the farm that the Knights would get destroyed by Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson. Now, let’s dig into expansion. Why do we want to “include” everyone? I’ve heard the argument that “everyone deserves a chance,” but I disagree. The regular season is meant to help shape out who deserves a chance. If you don’t earn it in the regular season through 12-13 games, then why do we want to just let teams in? If we expand this playoff to eight teams, we dilute it of what makes it special–the fact that four high-level teams get to go head-to-head, back-to-back in two of the more exciting games of the year. Colin Cowherd expressed these sentiments expertly on his show Tuesday morning.

We’re in year four of the playoff, and we’ve had one season with an undefeated Group of Five team and a somewhat controversial fourth spot decision (although if you’re still arguing that Ohio State should’ve been in after Alabama’s win against Clemson, you’re just bitter). Why are we clamoring to change the system so fast? Commissioners and Presidents seem pleased with it right now, and I think we need to give it some more time. The BCS was around for over twenty years before it was changed. Why try to switch up the playoff after four? Be patient, college football fans. Everything always works out.

SEC Power Rankings

I’m an SEC guy through and through, so I had to include my power rankings for the conference. It’s my final power rankings for 2017-2018 (although 1-2 can flip-flop depending on how the National Championship goes). As a whole, the league was down compared to other years. That being said, I’d still take this league top-to-bottom over any other conference in the country. That’s not a biased take, that’s a take from a guy that’s seen and studied a lot of college football. The SEC has improved its coaching going into the 2018-2019 season, and a lot of quality talent is coming back. The future is bright. I’ll post my way-too-early SEC predictions next week but, for now, let’s put a bow on this season:

  1. Georgia (1)
  2. Alabama (2)
  3. Auburn (3)
  4. Mississippi State (5)
  5. LSU (4)
  6. South Carolina (7)
  7. Missouri (6)
  8. Kentucky (8)
  9. Texas A&M (10)
  10. Ole Miss (9)
  11. Arkansas (11)
  12. Vanderbilt (12)
  13. Florida (13)
  14. Tennessee (14)

Who’s Ready for the National Championship?

The 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship between Alabama and Georgia will kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The atmosphere will be electric, the game will be intense, and Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance will be, as the kids say, “lit.” The Hangover will be back for the final time to recap this all-SEC final. Until then, enjoy the build-up!