MATTHEW BROWN: Is that flag football?

Published 5:39 pm Friday, December 6, 2024

That’s the true Thanksgiving holiday spirit.

Souls who would normally be mortal enemies gathering in a bright green meadow to plant the trees of friendship and embrace in mutual respect.

Enough of the dream sequence, like a Penn State national title celebration (a nightmare to a southern radio host). Yes, they were enemies, but they were not in a meadow and they were not adding seeds to the ground and they were not holding hands to unite in any kind of Thanksgiving spirit.

This is the true American tradition of rivalry college football. We winners are going to plant our flags of victory anywhere from the Panhandle to the Horseshoe.

“Somebody call for a blacksmith?”

No. Sorry. There was no Iron involved in any of this … except, maybe, in Tuscaloosa.

Don’t we have enough problems with flags in football games?

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I give thanks to Mr. Pound across the room for expressing plenty about the multiple overtimes it took to decide Georgia-Georgia Tech 2024. It is great to have the tenacity and resiliency to make such a comeback … soft defensive coverages also help.

Is it just me or does UGA quarterback Carson Beck seem to have his best completion percentages when he’s down two touchdowns or more (see both GT and Alabama)? Not only is he much more on target, but the drops are no longer an issue.

The Yellow Jackets abandoning their run game in overtime also helps.

And if Beck can’t find Brock Bowers or Ladd McConkey open to help in their NFL Rookie of the Year battle, all we have to do is Flash the Cash out of the backfield. May I call you Legend, Mr. Jones?

Now it’s about rematches. The Bulldawg Nation had a feeling there could be three games against the same opponent in 2024, only that opponent was Alabama.

When you have a rematch, you want to have the factor of revenge on your side, right? See the 2022 championship victory for an example. Other examples involve Florida and Florida State in the mid-1990s plus Alabama and LSU about 15 years ago.

Or, is it better to have the confidence of having the 1-0 advantage on your side? That’s what we have to bank on taking on those Texas Longhorns, plus having the scene shift from Austin to Atlanta.

How did Georgia win that first game? Brutal domination at the line of scrimmage. What reason is there to expect that to be any different no matter when or where these two teams play?

What I’m concerned about is the lack of News over the last three games. The offensive MVP of that big win in Texas was Trevor Etienne (still pronounced E-T-N) with his three rushing touchdowns and 110 all-purpose yards. Since then: 13 carries, 55 yards, no TDs and a six-yard catch.

I can’t find any word that The News will be back on the air Saturday afternoon. Is there enough reason to think Nate Frazier, Roderick Robinson II and any other Dawg Beck can hand off to will get what we need in the ground game to match the numbers from that first game (Dawgs did outrush the Horns 108 to 29; the quarterbacks lost 35).

BTW: It’s always been my understanding that yards gained on a two-point conversion don’t count as offensive yards since it is technically a PAT try – just like a kick – and not a scrimmage play. But if it’s not after a touchdown …?

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And we had another week to mull over just what the real College Football Playoff bracket will look like and which 12 teams are going to get in. It looks like that No. 11 spot is up for grabs. It also looks like two conference championship games will have more of an impact than any of the others.

Have you ever found yourself asking what things would look like if we still had the four-team playoff? I would think Georgia would certainly need to win the SEC title to get in but that Texas would be safe one way or the other.

But that’s not part of the debate. Clemson beating SMU for the ACC championship. Does that knock SMU out, or do the Mustangs claim No. 11? Does Boise State need to win the Mountain West to make the playoff? If UNLV pulls off the upset then the Running Rebels are in at No. 12, the Big 12 champion is in the top four, but do the Broncos stay in at No. 11 provided SMU wins the ACC?

Then there’s UNLV and Clemson winning their games. Imagine a top four showing Clemson and Iowa State, neither one now ranked in the top 15. Sorry, didn’t mean to plant the seed of another nightmare.

What is this committee – with a lot of athletic directors and former NFL players in its membership – wanting? There’s one sure fire question it should ask each school: “What did you do (results)?”

But that’s not enough for a lot of us. Bigger questions are:

“How did you do it (eye test)?” “Who did you do it against (strength of schedule)?” “When did you do it (Labor Day Weekend or Thanksgiving Weekend)?”

There’s one more Alabama is leaning heavily on to stay No. 11: “Who are you?” That means, “Who’s on your roster? What are their measurables? What’s your history?”

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Oh, before I wrap this up, there is one flag planting in college football I would permit. On Dec. 14th. Both Army and Navy players, hand-in-hand, with Old Glory in the middle of Northwest Stadium as the clock winds down.

(If at all possible, give pet adoption a try through the Animal Rescue Foundation in Milledgeville. Donations of any kind are also in great need. ARF is the little red building at 711 S. Wilkinson St., and more information is available at animalrescuefoundation.org.)