Three And Out: Drama Everywhere In College Football As Teams Gear For Playoff

The regular season is over, but there is drama happening all over the college football landscape.

The Heisman Trophy will be awarded on Saturday, injuries have muddied up the waters in the College Football Playoff and the coaching-rumors season never seems to stop. Let’s take a spin around the country and break it all down in this week’s edition of Three and Out.

Former Neew England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. (Photo: Getty Images) 

The Bill Belichick thing won’t work

I get it, North Carolina. Attaching the best coach in NFL history to your coaching search raises the visibility of the program and, even if the marriage never materializes, it sends a statement to the rest of the world about the current standing of the program.

That’s where it needs to stop, because Belichick leading the Tar Heels would be an epic disaster. Why? He doesn’t get the college football landscape.

"If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL," he said on the Pat McAfee Show earlier this week. "It would be a professional program -- training, nutrition, scheme, coaching and techniques that would transfer to the NFL."

Newsflash … it already is. College programs, in a lot of instances, have better facilities, nutritionists, training and coaching than some NFL franchises. That’s what the arm’s race in recruiting has created at the major college level.

Speaking of recruiting, can you imagine Belichick dealing with 16-year-old high school players, parents and current players looking to move in the transfer portal? Coaches typically have exit interviews with players after the season where they get a sense of the current state of the program from the player’s perspective. Nowadays, the first topic out of any player’s mouth is money. If a long-snapper goes into Belichick’s office and asks for $100,000 (believe me, this has happened), Belichick might actually kill that poor young man.

Don’t do it, North Carolina, Herm Edwards went to Arizona State with the same mindset and look where it got the Sun Devils - on probation. Luckily for them, they hired the right coach after Edwards’ departure and find themselves in the CFP.

ATLANTA - Trey Moore #8 of the Texas Longhorns tackles Carson Beck #15 of the Georgia Bulldogs for a fumble during the second quarter of the 2024 SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 7, 2024. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)

Beck’s injury won’t de-rail Georgia

I’ve heard a lot about Carson Beck’s elbow injury and, if he can’t play in the CFP, that it might transform Georgia from contender to pretender. Um, what? Did y’all miss the part where Beck was a massive liability during the season?

He threw 12 interceptions over a six-game stretch that included losses to Alabama and Ole Miss, and looked awful in the road win over Texas. Luckily for Beck, his defense was able to pick up the slack most of the time.

Then, what do ya know, he struggled again in the big stage of the SEC Championship Game before suffering the injury and giving way to Gunner Stockton.

Stockton has two things going for him - time to get ready and the ability to run the dang ball. The dual-threat signal-caller showed flashes of his running ability in the second half of the conference title game, and more of that can help Georgia in a big way moving forward. It’s no secret that the Bulldogs have had issues running the ball, and Stockton’s ability to diversify the rushing attack will go a long way toward kick-starting this offense.

HONOLULU - Ashton Jeanty #2 of the Boise State Broncos celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of the game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on October 12, 2024. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)

Late push for Jeanty?

The finalists for the Heisman Trophy were announced on Monday, and there weren’t any surprises. Colorado wide receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Miami quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel will be in New York City on Saturday night as the Heisman Trust announces the most prestigious individual award in American sports.

As a voter, I can’t tell you who I voted for until after the ceremony. They might actually break down my office door and drag me out of here if I do. However, I do wonder if Jeanty changed some minds on Friday night.

There are some voters who haven’t watched much of him or Mountain West football this year. So, they got a glimpse of what he has been doing all year in the conference title game win over UNLV. Neither Hunter nor Ward played on championship weekend, and Gabriel has been a known star since his days at UCF and last year at Oklahoma.

Jeanty is not only a superstar, but he’s also a feel-good story. That might sway voters who hadn’t sent in their ballots yet. Plus, let’s be real, any voter who sent their ballot in before championship weekend should have their votes revoked.