Connect with us

Sports

How Could the College Football Playoff Change Next Year?

Published

on

Ohio State players celebrate after the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Oregon Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. Ohio State won 42-20. (AP Photo/Tom Pennington, Pool)

Ohio State players celebrate after the NCAA college football playoff championship game against Oregon Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, in Arlington, Texas. Ohio State won 42-20. (AP Photo/Tom Pennington, Pool)

RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Football Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The first College Football Playoff was a success on almost every level — except maybe for fans of TCU and Baylor.

Otherwise, there was not much to gripe about. And Ohio State walking away with the first championship by beating Oregon 42-20 on Monday night after getting the fourth spot ahead of TCU and Baylor certainly helped justify the selection committee’s choice.

Now that it’s over, let’s look ahead and examine where the College Football Playoff goes from here.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

If you thought New Year’s Day was just perfect, spending your lazy day off watching football, with a semifinal doubleheader kicking off around 5 p.m. ET, we’ve got some bad news for you.

The semifinals next season will be played on New Year’s Eve at the Orange Bowl in Miami and at the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium.

“We really do think we’re going to change the paradigm of New Year’s Eve,” College Football Playoff executive director Bill Hancock said.

The Rose Bowl goes back to being Big Ten vs. Pac-12 and the Sugar Bowl will now have a similar setup with the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 in a matchup. But those two bowls keep those premium time slots, back-to-back starting in the evening of New Year’s Day.

“Traditions were existing when we started the playoff,” Hancock said. “And one of those is the Rose Bowl. And SEC and the Big 12 grabbed that night spot in New Year’s Day. It’ll be a great thing for them.”

Maybe not for fans, though.

THE COMMITTEE

The 13-member selection committee, which turned into a 12-member selection committee, needs to find at least one new member.

After Oliver Luck resigned as athletic director at West Virginia, the committee needs another representative from the Big 12 conference.

Baylor coach Art Briles, who complained about not having enough Texas representation on the panel, might not like it, but don’t be surprised if Kansas State’s John Currie or Oklahoma’s Joe Castiglione ended up taking Luck’s spot.

Former Mississippi quarterback Archie Manning had to withdraw from the committee during the season because of health issues and it’s still very much up in the air if he will be back.

Hard to say who would replace Manning. It likely would be someone with ties to SEC country, but the conference commissioners who ultimately choose the committee members might want to look for someone who could lower the average age of the panel. None of the members were below 50.

There are a couple of things that will be up for discussion when the committee and commissioners start talking about whether changes need to be made to the rankings process:

— Do the committee members need to meet in person every week to do the rankings?

— Should the rankings continue to be weekly? If ESPN has a say (and it does) the answer will be yes.

— Could the rankings start later in the season?

CONFERENCE RESET

Ohio State’s championship, along with some other Big Ten bowl wins and a handful of high-profile SEC losses, could reset a narrative that many outside the Deep South had grown tired of during the BCS era.

After seven straight BCS titles by the SEC, it has now been shut out of the last two national championships.

No need to panic, SEC fans. The league is still loaded, but offense rules the day in college football and a conference with sketchy quarterback play throughout can’t call itself the undisputed No. 1 in the land.

Meanwhile, things are looking up for the Big Ten.

“It was a good bowl season,” Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany. “We had several chances to play great teams. Ohio State just got better and better. Michigan State had a good season.”

Ohio State is built to last under Urban Meyer. Michigan State isn’t going anywhere under Mark Dantonio. Penn State is racking up in recruiting with coach James Franklin. And then there’s this new guy Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. He’s kind of a big deal.

WHO WILL BE IN?

Pencil in Ohio State as preseason No. 1 in the AP poll. TCU has a load of players back, led by star quarterback Trevone Boykin, so figure the Horned Frogs will be second. After that the preseason playoff hopefuls look like a lot of usual suspects.

— SEC: Auburn, Alabama and Georgia.

— Big Ten: Michigan State should push Ohio State again.

— Big 12: Baylor.

— Pac-12: Stanford, Southern California, Arizona and Arizona State.

— ACC: Florida State, Georgia Tech and Clemson.

OUR (WAY TOO EARLY) PLAYOFF PICKS:

Ohio State, TCU, Georgia and Clemson.

___

Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Arts and Culture

Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Host 2024 Hall of Fame Ceremony

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8. The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

Published

on

Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.
Willie Brown, Former California Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor, was proud to be among the Hall of Fame inductees. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By California Black Media

Former Assembly Speaker and San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and three other African Americans were among 10 luminaries inducted into the 2024 Class of the California Hall of Fame on Feb. 8.

The 17th Annual California Hall of Fame ceremony was held at the California Museum.

“The California Hall of Fame is one of our families’ favorite traditions as it is a time to come together to celebrate remarkable Californians as well as their loved ones because we know that it is about partnerships,” Siebel Newsom said. “The governor likes to say that California is a dream factory because it doesn’t matter what zip code or background you come from, the California dream is alive and well to everyone who calls this state home.”

The other Black honorees were filmmaker Ava DuVernay; Federal Judge and civil rights leader, the Hon. Thelton Henderson; and basketball Hall of Fame player and broadcaster Cheryl Miller.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for and to be among a great group of individuals that also deserve the honor,” Brown told California Black Media on the event’s red carpet before the ceremony began. “No, I never thought someone from Texas would be recognized this way. But here I am, and it all happened in the great state of California. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

Other 2024 inductees are: master chef and “mother of fusion cuisine” Helene An; computer scientist and “father of the internet” Vincent A. Cerf; all-female pop punk band The Go-Gos; Chicano Rock band Los Lobos; former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Congressman Leon E. Panetta; and artistic director and choreographer Brenda Way.

This year’s honorees join a history-making club with over 150 inspirational Californians previously inducted for their groundbreaking achievements and personifying the state’s innovative spirit.

“It’s just a humbling experience. I want to thank the Governor and First Partner. Who would have thought 100 years ago (that I would be inducted?) It’s incredible,” Miller said after her induction. “I want to thank the governor and First Partner for an incredible event.”

During his acceptance speech, Henderson said he was deeply honored.

“You know, it really would have been a really big deal to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the area where I grew up, for example, South Central Hall of Fame, or the Watts Hall of Fame, or the Straight Out of Compton Hall of Fame,” he said. “But being inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame of the greatest state in the country in this great nation is something else.”

Continue Reading

Community

El Cerrito High Senior Jayvon Bolds Named to Blue-Grey All-American Bowl

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8. Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

Published

on

Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).
Jayvon Bolds (No. 4) is headed to Cowboys Stadium to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl. (Photo courtesy of Rodney Alamo Brown).

By the Richmond Standard

El Cerrito High School senior Jayvon Bolds is set to play in the Blue-Grey All American Bowl game at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas on Jan. 8.

Bolds, an 18-year-old scholar athlete whose favorite subject is history, was nominated for the honor by Rodney Alamo Brown, founder of Soulful Softball Sunday who also serves as an announcer for the Texas bowl game.

“It’s a real honor,” Alamo Brown stated about Brown’s selection for the bowl game. “This makes him an All-American.”

Bolds will play three positions for the Eastern team: kr, slot back and special teams—i.e., kickoff and punt return.

“The plan is to line up Bolds all over the field and let him do his thing. He’ll be a weapon for our staff,” said NFL veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout and All-American Bowl Coach Dick Bell. “In a game like this, with the platform being an NFL facility with former professionals as assistants and mentors, he’ll have a chance to shine on one of the biggest stages around.”

Recently, Bolds received a scholarship offer to continue his higher education at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa.

Bolds maintains a 3.3 GPA and is heavily involved in leadership as he is the vice president of the Black Student Union.

Blue-Grey Football launched in 1989 by founders Gus and Erik Bell with the aim of helping prospects gain national exposure so that they can improve their chances to secure college scholarships.

Some of the nation’s most talented young football players compete in the annual game, with Fox Sports, CBS Sports and USA Today regularly providing coverage, as well as ESPN.comScout.comRivals.com and 247Sports.com.

Bolds’ family is planning on traveling to Dallas on Friday and is seeking donations from the community to offset the enormous cost. Those who are willing to donate may do so by sending their donations to this cash app, $Juanita Towns.

Rodney Alamo Brown contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Book Reviews

Book Review: “Who Got Game? Basketball”

A little less than two feet. That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

Published

on

“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.
“Who Got Game? Basketball” Author Derrick Barnes Courtesy of EyeSun Photography (Charlotte NC). Book Cover Courtesy of Workman Publishing c.2024.

A little less than two feet.

That’s how far you can get your two feet off the floor if you’re an average kid doing an average vertical jump. Not quite twenty-four inches, but don’t worry: the taller you grow, the higher you could be able to jump. Practice some, dribble a little, shoot more three-pointers, and you might jump right into a book like “Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya.

Here we are, football season’s almost over, and your mind has turned to other things – namely, hoops set high over your head, and a round bouncy basketball. Kids like you who “got game” have had it for more than a century. Yes, the game of basketball was created by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Massachusetts.

In the years since, basketball has changed a lot, thanks to what Derrick Barnes calls “pioneers.” Julius “Dr. J” Erving improved the dunk. Before that, in 1950, the NBA first allowed Black basketball players on the teams. There have been super-tall players (Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muregan were both seven feet, seven tall) and smaller b-ballers – five-three Muggsy Bogues had a vertical jump of nearly four feet! – and just two years after the game was invented, America had its first women’s team.

A lot of off-court people poured themselves into the game, too. Barnes writes, for example, about Pat Summitt, hoopster, leader, and “one of the greatest coaches in all of sports history.” Her record of 1,098 wins ranks her at first-place in coaching women’s basketball, and as the coach with the second-most wins overall.

You can probably guess that in a book about buckets, there are bucketfuls of stats. Barnes includes a list of NBA players who jumped to a team right out of high school. He writes about the greatest basketball park ever, he explains why winners cut down the net, how Title IX changed the game, why backboards rarely break into a zillion pieces anymore, high scores, bad injuries, “hoops movies,” and where in the world you can pick up a game today.

So, your 9-to-13-year-old loves basketball so much that they dribble a ball in their sleep? They think their favorite jersey is church wear? Then you’ll be the hero of the day when you bring home “Who Got Game? Basketball.”

But first, there’s one big thing you need to know: this is not a how-to book. There aren’t any instructions inside here, no rules or plays to follow. Instead, author Derrick Barnes makes young b-ballers happy by sharing little-known info about the game they love so much, short lists, great stories about great players, wins and losses, and phrases they should know to talk the talk. All this knowledge is supported by colorful illustrations by Jez Tuya that kids will enjoy alongside the facts.

This book is for die-hard young b-ballers, but don’t be surprised if an adult finds a thing or two to learn here. “Who Got Game? Basketball” is a book any fan will want to jump on.

“Who Got Game? Basketball” by Derrick Barnes, Illustrated by Jez Tuya, c.2023, Workman Publishing, $16.99, 172 pages.

Continue Reading

Subscribe to receive news and updates from the Oakland Post

* indicates required

CHECK OUT THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE OAKLAND POST

ADVERTISEMENT

WORK FROM HOME

Home-based business with potential monthly income of $10K+ per month. A proven training system and website provided to maximize business effectiveness. Perfect job to earn side and primary income. Contact Lynne for more details: Lynne4npusa@gmail.com 800-334-0540

Facebook

Trending

Copyright ©2021 Post News Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.