Gene Frenette: Gator Bowl owes big thank-you to Utah for delivering ND-SC matchup
One of the things on the to-do list for TaxSlayer Gator Bowl president Greg McGarity is some post-Christmas gift shopping for Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and his football program.
“We’re all Utah Utes fans in our office,” McGarity said.
There’s a good reason for that. When Utah knocked off Southern Cal in the Pac-12 championship game -- sending Ohio State into the college football playoff and putting Penn State in the Rose Bowl -- it created a domino effect that ultimately allowed the Gator Bowl to land one of its best matchups in decades with 19th-ranked South Carolina facing No. 21 Notre Dame.
The Gator Bowl would not have gotten a fired-up South Carolina fan base or the national prestige of Notre Dame into its game without Utah shaking up the bowl order by beating Southern Cal. Instead, the SEC might well have sent Mississippi State to Jacksonville to face a North Carolina or some middle-of-the-pack ACC school, which wouldn’t have ignited the ticket demand within 24 hours of the SC-ND announcement.
“We were fortunate on a number of fronts, not only for attendance, but TV ratings and the prestige of the bowl,” McGarity said. “The stars aligned and we got a great game with two fans bases excited to play.”
If any bowl game deserved to catch a lucky break, it was the Gator after last year’s awkward circumstances of Texas A&M backing out of playing Wake Forest due to the team’s COVID-19 outbreak.
Rutgers, a last-minute replacement, has nowhere near the brand recognition or traveling supporters as the Aggies, resulting in abysmal attendance (28,508) that was a financial setback.
The Gamecocks’ matchup with Notre Dame should more than double that number. Utah did a huge favor for the Gator Bowl, which should have 10,000-15,000 more people in seats than if it had to settle for a much less attractive game had Southern Cal prevailed and made the CFP.
Conservatively, the Utes taking out USC will put an estimated $750,000-$1 million extra in the GB coffers. The game is expected to at least approach a sellout crowd of 67,858.
Another key factor was South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, who could have chosen to face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl, wanted to face the bigger name and tougher opponent in Notre Dame.
So once the Gator Bowl is played on December 30 (3:30 p.m. ESPN), McGarity will make arrangements for some kind of Utah thank-you gift, saying: “Once the dust settles from this bowl season, we’ll take care of that.”
Considering all the extra dollars Utah put in the Gator Bowl treasury, McGarity can afford to splurge.
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Titans' puzzling GM dismissal
Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk pulled a stunner this week in firing GM Jon Robinson, whose team had a 66-43 record and three playoff wins since taking over in 2016. It was probably no coincidence the decision came after the Titans were humbled 35-10 by the Philadelphia Eagles, thanks in part to the contributions of former Titans' receiver A.J. Brown, who Robinson traded to the Eagles before his contract expired after this season.
Still, parting ways with a GM in midseason was a bold move for a team occupying first place in the AFC South and had a winning season every year with Robinson in charge of personnel. Robinson's draft picks have been a mixed bag, though he did take bell-cow running back Derrick Henry of Yulee High in the second round in 2016. But this isn't the first time Strunk, whose team plays host to the Jaguars Sunday, has made a major change while enjoying on-field success. She signed off on Robinson dismissing head coach Mike Mularkey after the 2017 season when the former Jaguars' head coach won a playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
That move worked out as it led to the hiring of Vrabel, who has elevated the Titans' franchise and is now considered one of the NFL's best coaches. The dismissal of Robinson could mean Vrabel will have a bigger say on personnel matters. Time will tell if this move works out as well for the Titans as moving on from Mularkey. One thing is certain: Strunk isn't afraid to take a big risk.
Beathard ticket demand
Though his playing status for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans is uncertain due to Trevor Lawrence’s sprained toe, backup quarterback C.J. Beathard has already noticed a bigger demand for tickets than usual for what is essentially a hometown game.
Beathard, who was born in Nashville and grew up on the city’s outskirts, expects there will be more than the usual 15-20 family and friends who gathered at Nissan Stadium last year. It’ll be as much a country music gathering as a football watch party.
Casey Beathard, C.J.’s father, is a country music songwriter, who penned hit songs “Boys of Fall” and “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problems” for artist Kenny Chesney. C.J.'s brother, Tucker Beathard, is a country music singer and songwriter.
Colorado plays Deion wild card
Hiring Deion Sanders was absolutely the best and boldest move by Colorado’s football program, which has been shoved into the drawer of irrelevance under five different coaches for almost two decades (2016 being lone exception).
While Sanders is a bit of a wild card, sometimes doing and saying things that will annoy administrators, what he accomplished at Jackson State and how he embraced elevating HBCU schools cannot be minimized. Those who believe he was somehow disloyal to JSU for leaving so soon, that’s a bogus narrative because football coaches jump ship for better-paying jobs all the time.
You can bet that rival coaches Lincoln Riley (USC), Chip Kelly (UCLA) and other colleagues throughout the Pac-12 are concerned about how Deion will immediately upgrade Colorado’s recruiting classes.
One Fred down, one to go
Not seeing Fred McGriff get into the Baseball Hall of Fame was disheartening for so long because had he reached the 500-homer plateau instead of being at 493, the belief is he would have been in Cooperstown a long time ago. The first baseman with six different MLB teams also ended up 10 hits shy of the 2,500 milestone.
The classy man known as “Crime Dog” had to go through over a decade of rejection, but McGriff finally broke through this week when the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee finally elected him by a unanimous vote.
Kind of fitting that a player with a reputation for being squeaky clean in the PED era got approved by all 16 voters (12 required for election) on the CBE committee, while presumed offenders like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens failed to even get four votes.
Thankfully, McGriff’s wait is over. Now maybe the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters will see fit to let another Fred – Jaguars' legendary running back Fred Taylor – become a first-time finalist so his case can at least be debated among the 49 selectors.
‘Bama has no real beef
Finally, there’s no real controversy over the four teams selected by the College Football Playoff committee. Taking Ohio State over Alabama for the last spot was the right call. Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban lobbying for his team by pointing out how the Tide would be favored over TCU or the Buckeyes is a bogus argument. It’s not about who is perceived as the better team, but who had the better resume over an entire season.
Yes, Alabama had two close losses on the final play against LSU and Tennessee, but Saban’s team lacked a quality win and struggled to win other games against mediocre opponents. ‘Bama deserved its fate. However, no matter how much CFP selection chairman Boo Corrigan denies it, TCU was clearly assigned the No. 3 slot to avoid a Michigan-Ohio State semifinal matchup. . . .
UF hoops lacks firepower
UConn sent the same message to Florida's basketball program Wednesday in Gainesville that West Virginia did two weeks ago in Portland: the Gators need more firepower if they hope to return to the NCAA tournament. The No. 5-ranked Huskies dismantled UF 75-54 with a display of methodical dominance on both ends of the floor, just as the Mountaineers did two weeks ago at the Phil Knight Legacy tournament.
Granted, guard Kyle Lofton being limited to 21 minutes against UConn due to back issues and going scoreless didn't help matters. But after 10 games, the reality is Florida doesn't look much different in Todd Golden's first season than it did under Mike White last year before he left for Georgia. Unless the Gators (6-4) make significant strides, this is a middle-of-the-pack SEC team that has only two significant non-league games left (Oklahoma, at Kansas State) to spruce up a shaky NCAA resume.
Unless center Colin Castleton is having a monster game, Florida's offense is too limited to beat quality opponents. This looks like another NIT-bound team.
Quick-hitting nuggets
Free agent Aaron Judge electing to sign a nine-year, $360 million contract with the New York Yankees was the best thing that could happen for baseball. Judge was groomed and developed by the Yankees, so it's a good thing when the biggest brand in MLB is able to retain a superstar of this magnitude. If Judge had signed with the San Francisco Giants or anybody else, it's doubtful his new team would have gained more than the Yankees lost. Now for the Bronx Bombers to get proper value for Judge, he should lead them to at least two World Series crowns, something that has eluded the Yankees since 2009.
Any dismay over Florida's 6-6 record for Gator fans was offset Wednesday by Billy Napier landing a commitment from 5-star quarterback DJ Lagway as part of its 2024 class, arguably the biggest recruiting coup since Tim Tebow. On top of landing California QB Jaden Rashada for the 2023 class, after he flipped his commitment from Miami, the Gators appear set at the most important position for several years, though Napier will likely have to dip into the transfer portal to find next year's starter. It'll be interesting to see if both highly-coveted quarterbacks stick around for the long haul. What matters for now is Napier's reputation as a recruiter is getting a major boost, an area where predecessor Dan Mullen was roundly criticized.
The revolving door of Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks in recent years will continue in 2023. Indy surely has buyer’s remorse on Matt Ryan, a once-great quarterback who now looks a lot older than 37. The Jaguars (4-8) have a lot of holes to plug, especially on defense, but I bet Colts’ owner Jim Irsay would trade his roster straight up for Jacksonville’s simply because it has far greater hope with QB Trevor Lawrence. . . .
Pigskin forecast
Jaguars over Tennessee Titans by 3 (anti-bulldozer supplements); Los Angeles Chargers over Miami Dolphins by 1 (final playoff push); San Francisco 49ers over Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 7 (Tom Brady homecoming gifts); Baltimore Ravens over Pittsburgh Steelers by 1 (Calais Campbell milestone sack); Cincinnati Bengals over Cleveland Browns by 5 (DeShaun Watson rust impediments); Buffalo Bills over New York Jets by 10 (AFC bye reservations); Navy over Army by 1 (crazy finish). Last week: 6 right, 1 transfer portal tracker.
Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: South Carolina-Notre Dame matchup a planet-aligning for Gator Bowl
