Where We Stand With College Football

Vendors Russ Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

Donald: SportsWise here for another edition. This week, we discuss college football and the upcoming playoffs. Along with myself, I have John, Russ, and Patrick. Who wants to speak on it first?

John: I’ll go, Mr. Morris.

Donald (smiling): That’s Donald to you, young man.

John: Right. Well, we all know due to COVID-19, it’s been a challenge to follow college football because of the irregularity of games played. Unless things change, I believe the current top-4 ranked teams—Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Clemson—will be the final four come playoff time. Especially Ohio State considering its two remaining games are Michigan and Michigan State, two teams who, even though they generally give Ohio State trouble, are not as good as they were in recent years.

Russ: John, let me step in really quick and say it always seems as if the same few teams are at the top of the rankings in the part of the season that dictates the eventual champion. Only one team this year, LSU, isn’t a relative regular. Teams such as Alabama and Ohio State have excellent teams every year; could simply be good recruitment I guess. Anyway, this year, I’m going with Alabama and Notre Dame to make it to the championship game.

Patrick: You know, I’ll admit this is one of the first years in recent years I’ve really watched college football, so I’m like a fish floundering on the side of the river. But what I do know is I wish with everything in me that Notre Dame wins this championship. I believe the current final four will remain so, and, using my brain instead of my heart, I believe the final two will be Alabama and Clemson. Those southern teams just seem to win every friggin’ year…though Ohio State trips up this process every so often.

John: I have to agree with you about the South’s dominance, especially Clemson this year. I believe it’ll be Clemson vs. Alabama, and Notre Dame vs. Ohio State. Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, in postCOVID-19 mode, will help give Clemson the edge… while showcasing himself as today’s best college football player. Donald: I like Trevor Lawrence. He’s a bad boy.

Patrick: Though I’ve watched college football more this year than in years prior, I don’t know Trevor Lawrence as well as I possibly should, but listening to John speak about him, I am all-in with my prediction. So, yeah, like I mentioned up above, I believe the final two’ll be Alabama and Clemson—with Clemson edging them. Mind you, Alabama has been wrecking shop all year…but something about Clemson gets me.

Russ: I agree with you about Alabama: they’ve been dominant all season. Oddly, I’m not going with Alabama either; this year, Notre Dame’s my pick.

Donald: What makes you think Notre Dame’ll do it? And I ask because, with them being local, I’m a big fan. So, why them? Russ: Well, a few years back, Notre Dame made the playoffs, but I didn’t pick them in SportsWise to win the championship. A customer bought the magazine at 9 a.m., returned at 9:05 a.m., asked me if I was Russell Adams, and then told me I had made a mistake in not picking ND. I haven’t seen her since, and although Notre Dame did win, I always wondered why people cried over sports—it is just sports, right?

Patrick: True. It is just sports…oh, but I get it: sports become a way of life. It’s wild how it works, man.

Any comments or suggestions? Email pedwards@streetwise.org