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statsman

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  1. This past year, in the final Dec. 3 rankings, FSU was ACC champ. Next ACC team was Louisville at 15 (not in). Highest of the new B12 was Arizona at 14. Notre Dame was 16. We have debated here- who is more deserving of an at large bid- a two loss B12 team or a three loss SEC/B1G team? The SEC and B1G are pushing their chips in.
  2. No. The P4 conference champs are in. One G5 conference champ is in. That leaves seven at large. The B12 or ACC might get an extra team in, but not both. Baseline should be 8-9 SEC and B1G teams in 12 team playoff (oh, yes, and Notre Dame figures in)
  3. The idea is-the SEC and B1G can split off and claim their playoff champ is the major college champ
  4. On the IT podcast, Wadlington was discussing the SEC-B1G discussion. He said he expects the outcome to be- in exceptional years, the B12 or ACC might get two teams in the CFP, but not both in the same year. If FBS doesn’t like it, they’ll split off.
  5. Sherwood Blount- theSMU bag man whose name I couldn’t remember. He played for SMU in the’70s, and used his bag man activities to make connections/network the wealthy SMU alums financing the Pony Express. It truly is amazing how much money the Mustangs were throwing around back then. They weren’t using the $20k in an envelope to sway a four star recruit into closing the deal. For a few key recruits, they were buying lifetime annuities.
  6. The book about SMU Pony Express days cheating, “A Payroll to Meet”, describes how the payouts were funded by whales like Edwin Cox. Those guys never met recruits in person, had no formal connections to them. They met in person with the bag men, trusted younger grads close to the program, who would take the money and distribute it to desired recruits (names coordinated with coaches). I assume the modern dirty (pre-NIL) programs operate similarly. That level of giving, the “whales’” contribution, is built into their funding model already. Their new source for funds are the little guys, but you get a lot less from them (and have to work a lot harder). At Texas, Bellmont has been very effective at raising donations, for legit purposes. Texas’ whales have been giving to get suites, preferential seats, access, names on facilities, personal birthday notes from CDC, etc. Funding NIL requires them to either divert current donations or increase donations. Texas is lucky in that we have sucked recently, and that has suppressed recent donations below their maximized potential (when Texas is winning, the money it draws/makes is incredible). As for the small donors- few schools have as many as a winning Longhorn program. I would like to think there is a future where Bellmont isn’t going to the same wells, hard, as TexasOne, but it’s going to take some work to get there, I think. It’s unnatural for organizations like Bellmont to reduce begging because another part of the program needs the funds more.
  7. They will scout some good prospects, and coach and develop them up. Then the P2 teams will grab those stars in the portal.
  8. That is interesting. My guess is the NIL manager wants Sooner fans to believe they need to double their contributions.
  9. It was remarkable how much the NIL manager was willing to mention other schools, in comparison, while never mentioning Texas.
  10. This is an awesome listen: thoughts- -Their NIL collective is managed by a company that manages several schools’ collectives. I wonder if that is akin to an HOA managed by a company, vs. one managed by residents: the latter is always less expensive and more responsive -They have $4M for the roster, while average for the SEC is $8M. That’s a problem -the NIL manager was very comfortable talking about AD revenue and NIL as if the funds were fungible- spend less on “Olympic sports” regular operations and more on football NIL. That is a problem, to be discussing that this early. -His argument for a (wished for) salary cap, because the chaos demands one, reminds me of the investing saying- “the market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent”. -He said he advised Castiglione to stop hiring football analysts and instead direct that money to NIL. -Their strategy for overcoming shortfalls in NIL: leaning hard on their culture. Lol I would say that they may have made a huge mistake in joining the SEC, but I would never underestimate the lengths and measures OU will go to in order to keep winning.
  11. Well, Iran is showing that it is in control of passage through the Red Sea and Suez Canal. The USN isn’t. Shipping may re-commence when Iran is satisfied with the ME situation. Thats how it is until something changes it.
  12. Well, Iran told us to stay away from their spy ship, the one that gives coordinates of our outposts to the Houthis and Iraqi militias. So, I guess that’s that. We wouldn’t want to escalate.
  13. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-privately-estimates-as-many-as-50-hostages-could-be-dead-a98a7feb?st=ycfjtoqtyok8xz5&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink
  14. The Texas members of the Big 12 already said, “No way” to SMU.
  15. Aah,…Tyrone Swoopes. During the 2014 Texas Bowl, against Arkansas, I watched the LHN broadcast, with VY, Studdard, Robeson watching the game and commenting. In the second half, with it clear that Texas was going to score, wasn’t going to get first downs, or even positive yardage, Studdard glumly looked down and muttered, “Hell, he never won in high school; I don’t know how we expected him to win here”. That may have been Studdard’s last LHN appearance.
  16. How about the 2021 class? Ranked #15, but with several guys to be drafted after three years- Worthy, Sanders, Murphy, Brooks, with others still playing and contributing, with a chance at the NFL in the future.
  17. It is remarkable- a #3 class busting so badly. It’s an indictment not just of Texas’ scouting/recruiting, but also how team class rankings are determined. It was a Herman special- there are five OL on the field, so about 22% of the positions playing. In a class of 26, Texas took four OL, about 15%. (None panned out) Typically, there are 3-5 WRs on the field. Texas took six. The rankings should punish teams for letting their roster get out of whack, but they don’t.
  18. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/israel-wants-u-n-agency-it-links-to-oct-7-attack-scrapped-but-not-yet-6c99d331?st=7x5g3lahhak4ysi&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink
  19. https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-backed-groups-continue-to-target-american-bases-as-u-s-plans-further-strikes-08917af0?st=tmux7zzk2crfkvp&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink It looks like the weekend response was not motivational or educational enough. I think we should start sinking Iranian naval ships.
  20. Is there a chance Gabrielle wasn’t the saint we think she was? She wouldn’t be Sam’s first femme fatale.
  21. Joel Klatt pointed out in his podcast that the NCAA would be more relevant if they had embraced NIL ten years ago when it first became clear it was coming. I think they avoided it, because the NcAA is fundamentally a democracy, and the large majority of its members are in a different place, with very different viewpoints, than the SEC and B1G schools. FCS and most of FBS would like salary caps and barriers to transfer, basically…a game much more similar to what college football was ten years ago. The SEC and B1G also see the current world as a chaotic place, but they probably have different desires- probably a boilerplate NIL contract that precludes unethical behavior for both parties in an agreement.
  22. They dropped two episodes last night, with the conclusion for next week, I think. I don’t know that they view the character as I do…I remember the last act in “The Maltese Falcon”: Spade is the only unarmed man in the room of thugs, and he uses his wits and his balls to be able to be the only one walking out alive and free. That’s the guy I’m waiting for. I mean, it’s well written; Spade doesn’t believe in coincidences, even when they save his life. When talking to someone that knows something, like the priests, he’ll drop some piece of information they want, casually, to see how they respond. I hope we get a fun and satisfying ending.
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