Real Collegieate Money: College Football Playoffs

As the College Football Playoffs come to an end this Saturday, fans all over the land will be forced to wait until August before we see college football again. While this time of the year is a bitter/sweet time for most fans, this is the absolute sweetest time for the NCAA. According to collegefootballplayoff.com, schools earn money during bowl season in different ways. Here are a couple of ways teams make money:

- Each conference is given a base amount.
-$300,000 if a team reaches a certain attendance in the bowl game.
-$300,000 for each team in a conference that reaches the attendance requirement.
- Notre Dame receives $2.58 million for receiving the attendance amount
- A conference receives $6 million for each team that represents them in the CFP semi-finals
- Particular conferences in NCAA Subdivision (D2, D3) also receives $2.34 million in aggregation alone.

The NCAA does a nice job of trying to distribute a particular amount of money to different conferences, especially the power conferences (top 5 conferences). With that being said, the power conferences alone brought in a total revenue of $2.8 billion dollars in 2014. With expenses being low since they don't have to play college players, the NCAA earned around $1.4 billion. With the college football playoff system in place, at least two more games will be played to determine the champion. In addition to the ticket sales, the NCAA will also benefit from television contracts. According to CNN.com, ESPN and the NCAA has come to an agreement in which ESPN is paying a total of $7.3 billion dollars for the first 12 years of the college football playoffs.

With this year's revenue totals yet to be determined, the college football playoff system will sure increase revenue for the NCAA. Between the college football playoffs and March Madness. So while many universities pride and joy sport is coming to an end, the NCAA's is just beginning.

New Start for Muschamp

After struggling to be the head coach at Florida, Will Muschamp has moved on to be the defensive coordinator at Auburn University.  Many in Auburn believe that this is will be exactly what Auburn needs to get to the next level. Last year, the team ranked 63rd last year in points given in the country. Muschamp and his staff on the defensive should improve that beginning this next season.

Why didn't it work at Florida?
When originally given the position, many people assumed that letting Muschamp would be quite successful as head coach of Florida. Being promoted from coordinator, he already knew the system and the scheme of the program. But like anything , just because it looks good on paper doesn't mean that it will work out the same way. After having an 11-2 record in 2012, the Gators were unable to get more than 8 wins in the next three seasons.

Fresh Start
With Auburn, Muschamp will no longer have to worry about both sides of the ball. This will help Auburn mainly have to focus on offense. Playing in the toughest conference in the nation, you need to find a way to put up points, cause EVERYONE has a great defense. In addition to enhancing the defense through Muschamp's scheme, it must be nice to being paid by both Florida and Auburn for the next couple of year.

NCAA Football SEC Game of the Week: Ole Miss at LSU

The SEC game of the week is #3 Ole Miss traveling to Louisiana to face the #24 LSU Tigers. In a game in which has significant meaning, there will be a few things to look for in this game. How will Ole Miss respond now that they are the targets in games? Will LSU be able to knock off Ole Miss and slow down their offense?

WHAT TO WATCH:

LSU:  LSU has a record of 5-2, losing to #1 Mississippi St. and #5 Auburn. LSU lost to Mississippi St. 34-29, in a game that Mississippi St. gained national attention. If it weren't for these two losses, LSU would easily be a top 5 team. One thing that LSU possesses is the ability to score. This season, the LSU Tigers has scored at least 28 points in all but ONE game. Look for the LSU to really try to put up points against the Rebels, especially since they have the home field advantage. The Tigers rank 30th in rushing, yet they are 98th in passing. The rushing attack is led by a two headed monster (Leonard Fournette and Kenny Hillard). Fournette and Hillard have combined to score 13 TD's and almost 900 yards. If they want to defeat the Rebels, they MUST make sure that they get the running game going. Ole Miss is simply absolutely NOTHING to mess around with on defense. Ole Miss only gives up an average of 10 points a game! That is not alot compared to the 35 points that the Tigers average per game.



          In order for LSU  to be successful, they must find unconventional ways to move the ball up and down the field. LSU does have two quarterbacks (Sophomore Anthony Jennings and Freshman Brandon Harris) that have the ability to run and throw the ball. Look for a number of quarterback draws and options. Both of these quarterbacks have over a 50% completion rate. They will have to be on their A-games to give LSU a chance.

Ole Miss:  After coming off yet another sound win against Tennessee, Ole Miss seems to be on a roll like no other team. With a defense that ranks 1st in points against, and a offense that averages 282 passing yards a game, it's no wonder why they are ranked #3.
               

                  The offense begins and ends with quarterback Bo Wallace. Wallace has been able to throw for 1899 yards and 17TDs. Wallace been able to give throw to many targets such as Laquon Treadwell, and Vince Sanders, and Cody Core. All three of these receivers have 4 touchdowns. In order to win, Ole Miss must make sure that they are being able to move the ball with their passing game. Look for Ole Miss to try and run the ball. The running game is led by back Jaylen Walton. Walton has been able to rush for nearly 400 yards and 4TD's.  If Ole Miss can rush the ball, they will be dynamic and tough to stop.

             
                 While their offense may be very solid, their defense has been the key to their success. The most points they have allowed this season is 20. In addition, they gave 20 points to a Texas A&M team that averages 364 passing yards per game. The defense has been able to take on team after team, and take away their strengths.
(picture)

X-FACTOR

LSU: Anthony Jennings
 If LSU wants to have a chance to win, they MUST have good quarterback play. They will need to have a balanced attack if they want to keep the game close. LSU starter Anthony Jennings will have to play well, getting the ball out quickly and making the accurate throws. He will not have to do it alone. He will have the rushing attack behind him, and he will have the help of quarterback Brandon Harris. Since Jennings is the quarterback on the field for majority of the time, he will determine how much the ball moves.

Ole Miss: The Defense
In this game, it will be very important for the defense to make an impact early. It will be a night, nationally televised game. Louisiana State will be hosting the number 3 team in the country AT HOME. Look for LSU to feed off of the crowd, especially on their first offensive possession. If Ole Miss is able to for LSU to become one dimensional, they can psychologically take the crowd out of the game.



PREDICTION:
Ole Miss: 24-21

NCAA Football: The State of Mississippi (Hometown Heroes)

"King City" is a phrase used to describe an area where Mississippian artist "Big K.R.I.T " is from. That phrase should be changed to King State based off of the way Mississippi's major college football programs are playing right now. In a short span of 5 weeks, both Ole Miss and Mississippi State are BOTH top 5 teams.

Road to the Top:

Ole Miss:
    Entering into week 6, Ole Miss was 5-0, facing the number 1 Alabama Crimson Tide.  Alabama has the won the championship three times out of the past six years. Basically , Alabama has been the ULTIMATE POWERHOUSE of football for the 2010's thus far. Ole Miss on the other hand , has had a losing record two out of the last four seasons. This year, Ole Miss hosted Alabama on their home field: and they would take full advantage. After being down the first three quarters, Ole Miss scored the last 13 points of the game to defeat Alabama 23-17. A win of this magnitude has never been done, as Alabama was the first #1 ranked team that Ole Miss have ever beaten. This week , Ole Miss is the 3rd ranked team in the country.

Mississippi St.:
    The Mississippi St. Bulldogs could not have imagined a better start to their season. Led by Heisman hopeful Dak Presscott, the Bulldogs have managed to beat LSU at their house, and a great offense in Texas A&M. In the past two games, the offense has averaged 32.5 points per game. Mississippi St. has finally put everything together to form a great overall team.
Usually , Mississippi St. has one side of the field (offense or defense) that is solid, yet the opposite side of the field would not be on the same level. Therefore, once they were forced to play a well balanced team, they would falter in defeat more times than not. Mississippi is now the number 3 as well in the AP Top 25 Poll.

History of the State:

 
    Although both Ole Miss and Mississippi St. have been playing in the very competitive conference (SEC), the state of Mississippi has NOT had a NCAA champion since 1962(Ole Miss). Mississippi St. has never won a championship. Whether you are fan of either one of these schools or not, it's hard not to admire the fact that these two teams are on a roll. Combined , these two teams have beaten the following teams this year: Alabama, LSU, and Texas A&M. With these two schools currently undefeated, they are both in a great position to reach the college playoffs; and win! But the question is: Will they?

Can they sustain this run? 

Ole Miss:
    While both they teams are currently in a great position, they still face many other great teams. Ole Miss will travel to an angry Texas A&M team next week. This season, Ole Miss will still have to face LSU (at LSU), Auburn, and their arch rival: Mississippi St. These three games are all potentially make or break games for Ole Miss, since these teams will be in contention for a spot in the college football playoffs.  This will not be an easy task, but if Ole Miss can beat Alabama, why couldn't they beat anyone else?

Mississippi St.:
    Coming off of back-to-back wins against top SEC foes, Mississippi St. will look to move forward as they face undefeated Auburn in what will be a primetime game this Saturday night. If Mississippi State can defeat Auburn, they will have a good chance at possibly finishing the regular season undefeated. Of course, they still have to get by Ole Miss. However, they have been through the toughest part of their season. Look for them to make a run.

After many years of college football pain, the state of Mississippi has not one, but TWO college teams they can be proud of.



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SEC Triple Threat: Alabama at Ole Miss

Here is a quick video of the 2011 contest between Ole Miss-Alabama. This game is my OFFICIAL UPSET game of the week.

SEC Football Game of the Week: Georgia at South Carolina

Although early in the season, this is still definitely a game worth watching. This Saturday, the Georgia Bulldogs will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Both teams are ranked, with Georgia ranked 6th and South Carolina ranked 24th. An early SEC game such as this may have a huge impact later on in the season. For Georgia, a win on the road like this will keep them on pace for potentially making the NCAA College Playoffs.




WHAT TO WATCH
Georgia: Coming off of a year in which Georgia was plagued by injuries, look for them to bounce back this season in a major way. Against Clemson, Georgia was able to run very the ball extremely well! Running back Todd Gurley played like a complete beast. Gurley was able to rush for 198 and 3 touchdowns. Look for Georgia to give Gurley close to 20 touches in this game. Quarterback Hudson Mason had an efficient game, throwing 18/26. The Georgia gave up close to 300 yards and 21 points against a good Clemson team. Look for Georgia to play a mixture of coverage packages since South Carolina has been heavily passing the ball this year. In passing yards, they rank 26th in FBS. Rushing yards? 106th.

South Carolina:
After their loss to Kenny Hill and the Aggies' incredible performance, the Gamecocks were able to bounce back and defeat ECU by 10 points.While Hill did take the country by storm, Dylan Thompson did perform very well, throwing for 4 touchdowns. Look for Thompson to take a couple of shots down the field to receivers Nick Jones and Pharoah Cooper. In the rushing game , running back Mike Davis was able to find some ground. He rushed for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns in last week's game. While we know that South Carolina will be throwing much throughout the game, they would be ecstatic if they could get Davis going against a tough Georgia defense.




X-FACTOR

Georgia: This week's x-factor will be Hudson Mason. Gurley will come ready to play, but South Carolina will have a defensive scheme that will try to contain him. Most teams tend to pack the middle when trying to contain a running back. Look for the safeties of South Carolina to either blitz or RB watch from time to time.  If Mason could continue to move the ball and be efficient like he has, big play opportunities will be there.

South Carolina: The week's x-factor for South Carolina will be Mr. Mike Davis. He will be a big factor in this game, as Georgia will look to for the Gamecocks to be one-dimensional. If Davis and the offensive line can move the ball with the running game, this will put pressure on Georgia to play for both the pass and the run. If they are unable to do so, Georgia will simply rush the quarterback and play in multiple coverages.

PREDICTIONS
With a tough game such as this, both teams will come to play. Both teams basically face each other each and every year, with both their regular season and conference record hanging in the balance. Since the game is in Georgia, they will have a good advantage. I predict that the Georgia Bulldogs will win 24-21.



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