Welcome to the fourteenth edition for the junior season of The Hangover, where I recap the previous weekend in college football. This week, The Hangover comes to you from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where I watched the 120th playing of America’s Game between Army and Navy. After that, Joe Burrow the Heisman in a complete plot twist that nobody saw coming. Things are set up now for the bowl season, so let’s dive in to everything that needs to be discussed!
The Saturday after conference championship games is one of immense tradition and, for the first time, I got to be part of it.
For years, I’ve dreamed of going to Army-Navy and, thanks to my job (by now, surely, you’ve figured it out), I got to go to Philadelphia to witness America’s Game up close and personal. Let me tell you folks, this is a bucket list sporting event for a reason. It lived up to the hype.
Despite a relatively boring game (Navy won 34-7), everything about this event oozed history. When both academies marched onto the field in pregame, it gives you chills. When President Trump was introduced and performed the coin toss after a killer national anthem, the crowd was raucous. When the President changed sidelines at halftime, I had a front row seat from the field. It was quite the ceremony. All of that, though, paled in comparison to the ending.
The singing of the alma maters is spine-tingling. As they say, you always want to sing second. I stood near many a Navy player as the Army band and students sang. Then, as soon as it was done, it was an all-out sprint. I had to bob and weave out of the way as the Midshipmen players jumped into the crowd screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs. Then, it went silent for a few seconds before “Navy Blue & Gold” was belted by that side of the field. It was stunning. It sent chills up and down my body. For a split second, I forgot that I was there for work and had a job to do moments later. It’s impossible not to get swept up in the moment.
I could go on and on about this game. There were so many memories made, including welcoming my friend and long-time reader of The Hangover Scott Pittman to the crew. Seeing the halftime flyover by military helicopters was cool too. Trump walked right beside me at one point. Plus, it was raining, which seemed fitting for an Army-Navy game. I could fill this entire column about why you should go, but I’ll let what’s been said stand on its own. Instead, I’ll encourage you to go. Go to Philadelphia or East Rutherford and soak in America’s Game. Get there early and watch all of the traditions with your own eyes. Go see Army-Navy. As one CBS intro said years ago, it’s the only game where everybody playing in it is willing to die for everybody watching it.
Gray’s Top Ten
- LSU
- Clemson
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Georgia
- Florida
- Oregon
- Alabama
- Auburn
- Utah
A couple of changes after conference championship weekend. I moved LSU to my number one before the thrashing of Georgia in Atlanta, and I’m glad the committee agreed. The Tigers deserved the top seed in the CFP. I think Clemson will beat Ohio State on a neutral field, so I figured I’d slide the Tigers ahead of the Buckeyes. Oklahoma’s tight win over Baylor moves them to number four because…well…somebody had to get that spot. Georgia only moves down to five, but I still don’t think the Bulldogs are very good. Florida is sixth, and the Gators will have a nice springboard into 2020 with what should be an easy win in the Orange Bowl against Virginia. Oregon comes in at seven after thrashing Utah in the Pac-12 title game, and Alabama slides up to eight with Auburn just behind. Finally, Utah closes things out. The Utes would have gotten in with a win considering what Oklahoma did against Baylor, but Kyle Whittingham’s squad proved unprepared for the moment. Now, they’re relegated to the Alamo Bowl against Texas.
2019 Bowl Superlatives
Bowl games are out, y’all! I don’t know about you, but wall-to-wall college football for about four weeks sounds pretty good to me. While we at The Hangover encourage all of you to watch every game, there are some that deserve your undivided attention. These are those bowl games.
Best Non-NY6 Bowl: Alabama vs. Michigan in the Citrus Bowl
What’s more magical than Nick Saban against Jim Harbaugh? Two of the most successful programs in college football history will battle it out in Orlando on New Year’s Day in what will be a juicy match-up. It should be noted that Harbaugh is 1-3 in bowl games at Michigan, while Nick Saban is 2-0 in non-NY6/BCS bowl games, including a 49-7 win over Michigan State in the 2011 Capital One Bowl.
Most Awkward Bowl: Washington vs. Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl
With Chris Petersen retiring at season’s end, the college football gods decided to be cruel. Yes, Petersen will face his former team that led him to such fame. Sin City indeed. Could it also be the last time we see Jacob Eason as the college level? If I were an NFL scout, I’d hope not, because he still has some things that need developing.
Most Off-Balance Bowl: Air Force vs. Washington State in the Cheez-It Bowl
Come on, a triple-option team (kinda) in Air Force taking on Mike Leach and Washington State, who will routinely put it in the air 70 times? Sign me up. And stay away from the over/under here, because who knows how this one will play out.
Most Likely to Hit the Under: California vs. Illinois in the Redbox Bowl
The number is currently at 43. Take the under. California is 117th in Total Offense, while Illinois is somehow worse at 119th. Lovie Smith’s beard will be fun to see on television for one final time this season, though.
Most Likely to be the Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl
Come on, it’s the Rose Bowl. Against the beautiful Pasadena landscape with mountains in the distance, there isn’t a better scene. Plus, this game has delivered lots of drama over the years (the last three have been decided by one-possession). Oh, and these are two hard-nosed, tough teams. It’ll be fun. Watch it.
Most Likely to End at 59-56: SMU vs. Florida Atlantic in the Boca Raton Bowl
Both of these offenses are high-flying (SMU averages 43 points per game, and the Owls are scoring 35.2 a contest), and neither defense is formidable. Plus, if you’re worried about how Florida Atlantic will play without Lane Kiffin, don’t be–the game is in their home stadium.
Most Intriguing Non-Playoff NY6 Game: Penn State vs. Memphis in the Cotton Bowl
How will Memphis play without Mike Norvell? Can James Franklin set up his program for a possible title run next season? There’s a lot to watch in this one, and it’s the perfect primer before the CFP semifinal games later that afternoon.
Best CFP Semifinal: Clemson vs. Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl
Come on, this is going to be awesome. Two teams that haven’t really been challenged for the majority of the season. Has Clemson really been that good, or has the ACC been that bad? I think it’s the former, but Ohio State has a chance to send Dabo and Lil Ole Clemson back home with their tails between their legs if Justin Fields continues to show out like he has all season. Can Trevor Lawrence make plays against a ferocious Buckeyes defense? Gosh, this is going to be so fun.
150 Corner
There’s nothing better than a good Heisman speech, and Joe Burrow gave a memorable one on Saturday. Burrow joins a host of winners who’ve delivered the goods while accepting the highest individual honor in college football. Here are some of the best Heisman speeches ever.
Let us know if we missed anything!
Random Rankings
It’s time! It’s here! Yes, the December preview of our 2020 Oscar movie reviews has arrived. Our list started out back in March with over 30 possible contenders listed, and now we’re down to 25 films. Remember, to qualify for The List, the movie has to be “a contender for best picture, best director, best actor/actress, best supporting actor/actress, and best original/adapted screenplay” at the Academy Awards. So far, we’ve gotten to ten of the 25.
Still yet to be seen and reviewed (and some of these may be scrubbed from The List if they miss out on nominations): The Report, Judy, Pain and Glory, Jojo Rabbit, The Lighthouse, Harriet, Ford v. Ferrari, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, The Two Popes, Uncut Gems, Richard Jewell, Bombshell, 1917, andLittle Women.
We won’t give you our full review of each just yet, but we will provide a trailer so that you’re informed about all of these movies. *Disclaimer*: per usual, once Random Rankings are posted, they aren’t changing. That being said, when some films are re-watched or marinated on more and more over the next two months, there may be some changes.
Also, now’s a great time to remind you of our big project that’s coming in the spring of 2020. We’ve been reviewing films for The List the last four years, so we’ll be releasing an entire post where we rank (and, in some cases, re-rank) all of the Oscar contenders from our time in college. It’s a big project with a ton of films, so we’re bringing in an outside consultant, reader Stacey Torkelson, to help put our thoughts into words (and maybe take another look at a few movies). Stay tuned for that, because it will be BIG and AWESOME.
For now, here’s our ranking of the already seen 2020 Oscar-potential movies on The List. Remember, this is just the preliminary review. We’ll get much more extensive in February.
1. Waves
2. Marriage Story
3. Parasite
4. Knives Out
5. Hustlers
6. Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
7. The Irishman
8. Joker
9. Us
10. The Farewell
Final SEC Power Rankings
One last ranking of the SEC teams. After the season concludes, we’ll deliver our way-too-early look at the 2020-21 SEC season. For now, here’s one final look at how The Hangover sees things stacking up in the conference where it just means more:
- LSU (LW: 1)
- Alabama (3)
- Georgia (2)
- Florida (4)
- Auburn (5)
- Tennessee (6)
- Kentucky (7)
- Texas A&M (8)
- Mississippi State (9)
- Missouri (10)
- Ole Miss (11)
- South Carolina (12)
- Vanderbilt (13)
- Arkansas (14)
So Who’s Ready for Bowl Season?
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Bowl season will be upon us soon, and that means tons of games for our amusement. You can find the entire slate here:
That’ll do it for this week’s edition of The Hangover. Not sure where I’ll be during this bowl season, but you can best believe I’ll be in a few stadiums over the next few weeks. Until next time, football fans!
