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February 2, 2023

‘The Philadelphia economy was not built on the sale of championship T-shirts’

When it will come to sports, the very last few months have been pretty superior to the town of Philadelphia.

Initially, there was the Philadelphia Philles’ inconceivable run to the Globe Series, and now, the Philadelphia Eagles are headed to the Tremendous Bowl with a likelihood to seize their second world championship in just 5 years’ time.

Pleasure has reached a fever pitch stage, and it is effortless to see why. All of that pleasure has to be good for the economy, right? Very well, not particularly.

“It’s a terrific ride, and we all must appreciate the trip. But really do not think Philadelphia is going to get prosperous from this. I do not want to burst everyone’s bubble, but the financial effect of this all is up coming to absolutely nothing,” mentioned Michael Leeds, a professor of economics at Temple University. “There have been two soccer playoff video games and practically all of the men and women attending these online games have been local. Most of them push in on I-95 or the Schuylkill Expressway so incredibly minimal cash is in fact invested in Philadelphia.”

“And then with the Tremendous Bowl, individuals will be leaving town for this mega party, so in conditions of the football affect, it is nominal and scarcely detectable. With baseball, there was a bit a lot more of an financial raise, but absolutely not a enormous sum,” Leeds continued.

Leeds’ experience is in the region of sporting activities economics, labor economics and utilized microeconomics. His analysis has appeared in such journals as The Journal of Urban Economics, Economic Inquiry, Social Science Quarterly and The Journal of Sports activities Economics. He is also coauthor of The Economics of Sports and coeditor of the Handbook on the Economics of Women of all ages in Sports activities.

Temple Now recently caught up with Leeds to discuss just how Philly’s new expert sports activities achievement has impacted the nearby financial state.

Temple Now: The Eagles are now headed to the Tremendous Bowl, just a number of months after the Phillies appeared in the Planet Series. Does just one sporting celebration have a great financial influence around the other?

Leeds: With the Super Bowl, men and women will essentially be leaving city for this mega occasion, so in phrases of the soccer effect, it is small and barely detectable. With baseball, there was a little bit extra of an economic lift, but definitely not a big sum. These just are not gatherings that genuinely go the needle on the Philadelphia economy to any appreciable extent.

TN: For a whole lot of audience, that might be shocking for the reason that I feel our intuition is to believe these occasions do considerably profit the financial system. Why do you consider that is?

Leeds: Really frankly, sports activities groups and athletics leagues want us to assume this. They want us to believe that this is likely to be a money boom for the town mainly because then we will be willing to pay out for it.

Athletics can take up a terrific deal much more of our feelings and our psyche than a lot more fiscally meaningful areas of our life. And that is high-quality, and I have no dilemma with that. I like that. But you do not see five to 10 minutes each night time on the nightly information devoted to the healthcare marketplace in Philadelphia. But health care, market by any measure, dwarfs sporting activities in its relevance to the Philadelphia overall economy. But we want to hear about soccer and we want to hear about basketball and about hockey. We don’t want to listen to about the influence of Children’s Healthcare facility on the financial system or nearly anything like that. That’s just not what we’re interested in.

TN: It is presumed that Philadelphia’s sports achievements is going to direct to additional persons patronizing the hospitality sector by going to athletics bars and restaurants. Group products is also probable to be bought. How does that affect the economic system?

Leeds: That is one thing that will have an impression as extensive as it is paying that would not have taken location anyplace else. So if you were presently organizing on heading to evening meal or to a film or to a live performance but then went to a sporting activities bar instead, you are basically getting cash from a person pocket and placing it into the other.

But certainly, if you splurged and bought an Eagles sweatshirt or an NFC champions T-shirt or something like that, that is at minimum dollars that stays in the town. Now, not all of it stays in the metropolis mainly because they may possibly have gotten the shirt somewhere else, but that’s in which you genuinely see the financial affect. That said, the Philadelphia economic climate was not created on the sale of championship T-shirts.

TN: From an financial effect standpoint, how must we look at Philly’s latest sporting activities achievements?

Leeds: I often liken this variety of matter to a child’s birthday. You know that we want to celebrate this, and we want to be joyful about this. This is kind of our gift to ourselves. And we should take this for what it is, which is a chance to be delighted and a probability to take pleasure in a little something unique in the course of the chilly months of the calendar year. This is nonetheless very superior for us. It is just not heading to lead to an considerable financial improve or certainly not a long-lasting increase.

January 12, 2023

Five losing teams that can surprise like TCU with 2023 national championship appearance

TCU’s run to the College Football Playoff National Championship wasn’t supposed to happen. Whether unintentional or by design, when it comes to determining a national champion, college football has always been a sport great at separating the wheat from the chaff. It’s a sport where Cinderella isn’t even supposed to make it to 9 p.m., let alone midnight.

Despite exceeding expectations by reaching the game, TCU’s 65-7 loss to Georgia was an excellent reminder of the divide that remains in the sport between the elite and the upstarts. While TCU’s run is unlikely to ever happen again before playoff expansion, if we look past what the Horned Frogs have been historically, and instead focus on how they pulled off the impossible, we see there’s a path.

While it’s impossible to boil everything that TCU did down to one paragraph, let’s try! First of all, the Frogs brought in a new coach, Sonny Dykes, who helped establish a new culture within the program. Next, the Frogs had a quarterback in Max Duggan — who wasn’t the Week 1 starter, mind you — perform to the utmost of his ability in an offense designed to take advantage of what he, and his teammates, had to offer. Finally, there was some luck involved. There always is, even for elite teams. Going 6-1 in one-score games with an overall point margin of +29 (4.14 per game) means a few coin-flip situations went TCU’s way far more often than not.. To be clear, that is nothing to be ashamed about. When you combine being good with being lucky, great things happen.

So can it happen again? While it’s not the recommended path to success, we’ve seen that it’s possible. With that in mind, I went through all the Power Five teams to miss out on a bowl game in 2022 to see if I could find any that might be capable of going from home for the holidays to playing on New Year’s Eve. While there aren’t many TCU types (use it as bulletin board material, Vanderbilt), there are five Power Five programs that can pull it off. These are the prime candidates (though none are coached by Prime).

OK, let’s check off some boxes here. It’s a team coming off a 5-7 season with a first-year head coach. Sure, it’s Auburn, and it has won a national title this century, so it’s not a true “TCU” program, but it meets enough criteria to make the list. Auburn has proven time and again that if everybody involved with the program pulls in the same direction, it’s capable of doing great things.

The problem is they rarely pull in the same direction on The Plains. More often than not, Auburn figures out a way to pull one rope in four different directions. It’s an incredible feat of engineering, but it doesn’t correlate strongly with winning football games. Anyway, it’s a talented team with a coach (Hugh Freeze) who has had success in the league before. Toss in some luck, and it’s not too crazy.

I already regret writing this story. Oh well, we’re too deep now, and I have nobody to blame but myself. I was one of the many who bought in a little too heavily on Miami ahead of the 2022 season. I did not consider how much of a roster rebuild coach Mario Cristobal had in mind. That said, while thinking Miami could have won the ACC was a bridge too far, that should’ve been a more likely outcome than 5-7.

There’s no excuse for the Hurricanes going 5-7 with losses to teams like Middle Tennessee, Duke and Pitt (all by at least two scores, mind you). Still, there’s reason to believe that if enough things go right, and with another offseason of work and more players who fit what Miami wants to be, it’s possible the Hurricanes can take a tremendous leap forward in Year 2 under Cristobal. While I have high hopes for Florida State, and I don’t think Clemson’s ready to fall off the face of the Earth, there’s still plenty of wiggle room in an ACC that lacks a clearly elite team entering 2023.

In a sense, Michigan State was the original TCU. The Spartans went 2-5 in Mel Tucker’s first season in East Lansing, which was a step back from 7-6 in 2019, but one that wasn’t all that unexpected. Tucker was a late offseason hire after the unexpected retirement of Mark Dantonio, and just after Tucker moved into his new office, a once-in-a-century global pandemic hit. All of that was slightly less anticipated than Michigan State exploding for an 11-2 mark and Peach Bowl appearance in 2021.

In that season, Tucker and the Spartans hit a bunch of home runs in the transfer portal, with none bigger than Heisman finalist Kenneth Walker. This year, the Spartans didn’t get as lucky, suffered some regression and dropped to 5-7. However, the talent level on this roster is better than that record. Yes, it’s a lot more difficult for the Spartans to break through in a Big Ten East with Michigan coming off two conference titles, Ohio State being Ohio State and Penn State getting its act back together, but we’ve seen Sparty do it before.

Like Auburn, Nebraska has a first-year coach taking over with Matt Rhule returning to the college game. Unlike Auburn and TCU, Nebraska didn’t go 5-7 this season; it went 4-8, so there’s even more ground to make up in the standings. Like Miami, the path for Nebraska may not be as tricky as it is for others. While the Big 12 was one of the best conferences in college football this season, there’s no question that neither Texas nor Oklahoma living up to their potential helped TCU.

While the Big Ten has Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, they all play in the East. Look at the rest of the Big Ten West and tell me who the clearcut favorite is. Wisconsin has a new coach and a new offense. Iowa is Iowa — which is good for Iowa, but not anything terrifying. Purdue won the division, its coach left for Louisville, and now it has a first-year coach of its own. Illinois was a surprise in 2021, finishing 8-5, but lost four of its last five games. Northwestern is not in the best condition at the moment. Again, I’m not saying any of these teams making the leap is likely, but Nebraska can at least get an audition for the role.

What have I done? First Miami, then Nebraska, and now Texas A&M. If only Texas had gone 5-7, I could include it and complete the Hypebeast Superfecta. Listen, it’s hard to trust the Aggies. I don’t, but you cannot deny that this is a talented roster that underperformed in 2022. I was never in the “Texas A&M is a playoff contender” crowd, but 5-7? That should’ve been impossible with the talent on hand.

Most of that talent remains, and coach Jimbo Fisher may have finally conceded he needs a little help by bringing in Bobby Petrino as his offensive coordinator. Yes, there’s a risk of this blowing up spectacularly, but there’s also the chance that everything clicks and the Aggies finally break through.

January 11, 2023

Georgia’s dominant national championship win sends clear message to rest of sport: Don’t even think about it

LOS ANGELES — Try to pick the moment when Georgia became the college football standard.

Whatever your answer, it sure as hell wasn’t Monday when the No. 1 Bulldogs won their second straight College Football Playoff National Championship and stripped not only their opponent but the rest of the sport of all hope.

What else are you supposed to say in what qualified as the biggest beatdown ever a national title game?

Georgia scored nine touchdowns, won by more than eight touchdowns against outmanned No. 3 TCU and sent a shiver of fear through the other 129 FBS teams that read something like this: Don’t even think about it.

After losing a record 15 players to the NFL Draft, after surviving a trip to Missouri (of all places) and after being down by two touchdowns in the CFP semifinal, Georgia left no doubt. That and a trail of victims 17 games long standing as the nation’s leading winning streak.

None of it begins to describe what transpired Monday night in L.A. The result was so complete that quarterback Stetson Bennett IV was almost a sidebar. Almost. The sixth-year former walk-on completed an unlikely career with an all-time performance: four passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and a well-deserved curtain call in the fourth quarter.

Talk about a walk off. Georgia coach Kirby Smart called a timeout so his aged quarterback for the ages could do just that before the adoring SoFi Stadium crowd.

Even Bennett had to stand behind the main headline after the 65-7 mauling of TCU: Georgia is the first team to win consecutive national championships in a decade and first ever to do it in the CFP era, taking the second by a record margin in an FBS bowl game (58 points). Smart was Nick Saban’s coordinator on the last team to go back-to-back (Alabama, 2011-12).

Where does college football go from here? For now, the answer to that question goes through Athens, Georgia.

“We have a saying around our place: ‘You have to eat off floor. If you’re willing to eat off the floor, you can be special,'” Smart shared.

Gross, yet fitting. These Dawgs were both of the junkyard variety and dominating breed. Smart harped on his players after winning the 2021 title, reminding that they weren’t defending anything. This was a new year. Twenty months ago, Bennett didn’t take one snap in 2021 spring practice. On Monday, he became the sixth quarterback since the 1970s to win consecutive national titles.

Bennett’s only pushback this past week was complaining about the early start to practice and not having enough free time. Smart’s response: “You only get once chance to be legendary. I’m not going to leave any regret out there.”

And so, in the city that invented the three-peat, Georgia created its chance to become the first program to win three straight undisputed college football national championships. The last to do it at all was Minnesota, which split its titles as awarded by the media from 1934-36.

Judging by his postgame comments, Smart was already thinking about the possibility.

“The disease that creeps into your program is called ‘entitlement,'” Smart said. “I’ve seen it firsthand, and if you can stomp it out with leadership, then you can stay hungry.”

That winning streak might as well stretch to the horizon. Not Alabama, not Clemson, not even close at this point. Georgia is the sport’s new standard.

“I would say it sends the message that Georgia is the new powerhouse in college football,” running back Kendall Milton said.

New? Hardly. Georgia is 33-1 in its last 34 games. Its 29 wins over the last two season ties the major college record. Smart is 73-10 since 2017. Bennett leaves after six seasons — five of them at Georgia — accounting for 15 touchdowns in four playoff games. There was a time he wouldn’t get four snaps in a practice.

Georgia’s 65 points were the most in the championship game era (1998). The 58-point margin of victory was the most in any bowl game, ever.

This despite the Dawgs entering as the biggest favorites in CFP history (13.5 points, according to Caesars Sportsbook). They covered with 44 points left to spare. At one point early in the third quarter, UGA had run 45 plays and scored 45 points.

But if one needs a turning point, perhaps it was eight years ago when Smart left one dynasty at Alabama to form another at his alma mater. That’s why Monday was more of a continuation than a landmark.

Win or lose, there was going to be a dynasty discussion about these Dawgs. Now the “D” word might as well be etched in the hedges at Sanford Stadium. Seven years into his career at Georgia, Smart has a better record than Saban did at the same point (81-15 v. 79-15). Smart trails Saban 3-2 championships after seven years, but that’s a minor detail given the Georgia coach is 24 years younger than his former boss.

Georgia’s stranglehold on the sport looks as tight as the one Alabama once gripped. On Monday, Georgia knocked Cinderella into a ditch.

“You know how people talk about we are being hunted?” asked RB Kenny McIntosh. “We’re the hunters. We don’t get hunted.”

Every team in the country wants the blueprint, and they’ll try to get it, too. But Smart has already fortified the roster, and even his assistants seem to be sticking around.

A tweet went out to Aaron Murray late in the first half. As the Dawgs was mopping the SoFi Stadium turf with various Horned Frogs, it became important to reach the program’s career leading passer.

Please, he was asked, try to put some context on Monday’s butt-whipping in the CFP National Championship. For starters, is Bennett the greatest Georgia quarterback of all time?

“Damn right he is!!!” texted Murray, who Bennett passed as UGA’s single-season passing leader.

Murray added: “Stetson is now the greatest player in UGA history! Put his resume up against anyone after tonight. It can’t be touched.”

Such an absolute can be argued. Here’s one that’s inarguable, though: Bennett is finally done. The absurdity of the end for one college football’s best players — he has to be called that now — is that Bennett can never make the College Football Hall of Fame. It is served only for first-team All-Americans.

“I’ve been here long enough,” he said after the game. “I’m sure there’s some game tape [for NFL teams]. I don’t know — [I’m a] hard worker, pretty good at football, smart. But they’ll see that. I don’t know. That will take care of itself. Today, we’re national champs.”

It’s trite to say Bennett has his whole life ahead of him, thought he is at least the second-oldest quarterback to win a national championship since Chris Weinke led Florida State to a title in 1999 at age 27.

Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens was born the same year as Bennett, 1997. Jackson just completed his fifth NFL season. Former UCLA star Josh Rosen, also 25, is playing for his seventh NFL team with the Detroit Lions.

Smart found his 10-year son Andrew crying in the bowels of SoFi Stadium after the game.

“Why are you crying?” Smart asked “You are going to ruin my moment. [He told me,] ‘Stetson’s leaving. Stetson’s gone.’ I said, ‘He’s 25 years old, he’s gotta go.'”

Next up is a group of as many as 15 returning starters. Georgia will enter 2023 as the preseason No. 1. There will be new stories to be written.

“Once you get to college, it doesn’t matter,” said QB Carson Beck, a redshirt sophomore who will battle for the starting job next season. “Once you get on campus, everybody is a dawg — especially at the University of Georgia.”

Where everybody is a … Dawg.

If not for a fourth-quarter rally down by two touchdowns in the Peach Bowl semifinal against No. 4 Ohio State, this wouldn’t have happened. If not for Bennett completing his last six passes of that game to win it in the final seconds, this certainly wouldn’t have happened.

Will it ever end? Not anytime soon. Not with 2023 nonconference games against UT-Martin, Ball State and UAB to kick off next season. Not with Georgia’s first road game coming Sept. 30 at Auburn.

Face it: It might be worth getting some action with your favorite sportsbook on that three-peat.

Bear Bryant’s Alabama came close in 1966. Saban’s Alabama was foiled by the Kick Six in 2013.

The way this is trending, Georgia on its own might squash the idea of a 12-team playoff. Why bother? The championship was the SEC’s 13th in the last 17 years. After 41 years without one, Georgia has now cornered the market on national titles.

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January 2, 2023

Georgia ends national championship drought and more headlines that topped college football in 2022

When you spend your life watching sports, you begin to understand exactly what each sport brings to the table.

The NBA brings a connection to the youth of today, of being consistently introduced to the next batch of above-the-rim stars as 19-year-olds take over the league.

The Tennessee Volunteers run through the “T” before the Florida Gators game at Neyland Stadium on Sept. 24, 2022, in Knoxville.
(Donald Page/Getty Images)

Major League Baseball is nostalgic, reminding you of the simpler times – when “baseball was life” and the only thing that mattered was the bat, ball and the glove.

The NFL is deeply rooted, with fandom passed on from father to child regardless of the pain it may bring.

DEION SANDERS GETS FORMER TOP RECRUIT TO FOLLOW HIM TO COLORADO

And then there’s college football.

It’s the sport that brings us back to our best days each Saturday during the fall. When our adult lives were just getting started, our eyes wide with innocence as the world was splayed in front of us, ripe for the picking.

You see, college football provides the deepest connection with its fans.

The 100-year-old Rose Bowl Stadium is seen in advance of the Rose Bowl Game on Dec. 20, 2022, in Pasadena, California.
(David McNew/Getty Images)

Fans either attended the university they cheer for or they have a family or regional tie so deep that the school is part of their soul.

Since each collegiate roster gets a fresh crop of players every four years, the allegiance is not really to the players. It’s to the colors, to the college town that holds such a special spot in our souls.

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College football allows us to see the different parts of our beautiful country that make the United States the best darn country in the history of mankind.

From the Pacific Northwest to The Plains, down through the bayou and into the Deep South, each weekend of college football gives us a glimpse into a different culture.

Beaver Stadium on Oct. 22, 2022, in State College, Pennsylvania, before the White Out game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
(Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Each corner wonderfully American in its own way.

Each with a unique tie to college football.

So, let’s take a dive into the wonderful ride that was the 2022 college football season.

Georgia wins its first national championship since 1980 – January 2022

It was finally time for the student to defeat the teacher.

After suffering its first defeat of the season to Nick Saban and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Kirby Smart won the only game that mattered, defeating Alabama 33-18 in the national championship game.

NO. 1 GEORGIA WINS SEC TITLE OVER NO. 14 LSU IN DOMINANT FASHION

Former walk-on Stetson Bennett threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns, and the Bulldogs snapped a 40-year championship drought.

Georgia QB Stetson Bennett victorious after beating Alabama at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
(David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

“How about this university? How about these fans? This is a special moment for the University of Georgia, a special moment for this team,” Smart said in his postgame interview.

It was Smart’s first win against Saban and just the second time the seven-time national champion had been defeated by a former assistant.

Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban trade barbs through the media – May 2022

With name, image and likeness taking over college football, it was inevitable that feelings were going to be hurt.

Texas A&M had a monster offseason, with Jimbo Fisher bringing in the top-ranked class of 2022.

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The grumblings began early that A&M was “buying” its players, a rumor that Nick Saban seemed to get behind.

Nick Saban of the Crimson Tide and Jimbo Fisher of the Aggies meet before the game at Kyle Field on Oct. 9, 2021, in College Station, Texas.
(Bob Levey/Getty Images)

At a May conference, Saban said Texas A&M “bought every player on their team.”

Fisher didn’t appreciate the accusation and called a press conference in order to refute the claim and blast Saban in the process.

“Some people think they’re God. Go dig into how God did His deal. You may find out about a guy, a lot of things you don’t want to know. We build him up to be this czar of football. Go dig into his past or anybody who’s ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out what he does and how he does it,” Fisher said.

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Coach Jimbo Fisher of the Texas A and M Aggies walks off the field after the Arkansas Razorbacks game on Sept. 24, 2022, in Arlington, Texas.
(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

“I don’t cheat. I don’t lie. If you did my old man slapped me across the face. Maybe someone should have slapped him (Saban),” Fisher said.

The two reportedly put the spat behind them, but it sure did make for some offseason fun.

USC, UCLA announce departure from Pac-12 conference – July 2022

UCLA playing at Rutgers? USC taking on Penn State in Happy Valley?

It may sound strange, but it’s time to get used to the two West Coast programs playing in the middle of the country each year.

The Pac-12 Conference championship game between the Utah Utes and the USC Trojans on Dec. 2, 2022, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Trojans and the Bruins announced that they will join the Big Ten in August 2024, leaving the Pac-12 to wonder what will become of West Coast football.

Tennessee returns to prominence – October 2022

It had been nearly 16 years and six coaches since Tennessee last beat Alabama.

But on a beautiful fall day in Knoxville, the Vols finally vanquished their Nick Saban demons.

Head coach Josh Heupel of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates a win over the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 15, 2022, in Knoxville.
(Donald Page/Getty Images)

In a game that will go down as one of the great regular season college football games of all time, No. 6 Tennessee beat No. 3 Alabama 52-49 at Neyland Stadium.

DEION SANDERS’ SON, QUARTERBACK SHEDEUR, TRANSFERS TO COLORADO

After a wild four quarters, Tennessee kicker Chase McGrath nailed a 40-yard field goal as the clock expired and Neyland Stadium emptied onto the field.

“This is college football at its absolute best,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said. “We were the best team on the field tonight. That’s all we can control.”

Tennessee had been 0-15 against Saban since he took over at Alabama in 2007, and the win catapulted the Vols to the No. 1 spot in the CFP rankings for the first time in program history.

Volunteers fans tear down the goal post after Tennessee defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 15, 2022, in Knoxville.
(Donald Page/Getty Images)

ARCH MANNING, NEPHEW OF LEGENDARY NFL BROTHERS, OFFICIALLY SIGNS WITH TEXAS

Two weeks later, it all came crashing down in Athens as Georgia handled quarterback Hendon Hooker and Tennessee.

Two weeks after that, South Carolina ended Tennessee’s national championship hopes by hanging 63 points on ol’ Rocky Top.

But the verdict was already in – Tennessee is back. And college football is better for it.

12-team playoff – December 2022

It took a few months of negotiating, but the College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams starting in the 2024-25 season.

The College Football Playoff Board of Managers voted to expand the playoff to 12 teams in September, with an eye on the 2026 season for the first year with the expanded field.

JD DANIELS, ONCE HIGHLY SOUGHT-AFTER QB RECRUIT, TRANSFERS TO FOURTH SCHOOL: REPORT

CFP helmet during the College Football Playoff press conference and media roundtable on Nov. 19, 2022, at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles.
(Jevone Moore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

But the Rose Bowl’s decision to amend its contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons allows the CFP to expand from four teams to 12 officially in 2024.

There are certainly going to be those who oppose the new format, as it’s nothing more than a money grab for the schools and conferences.

But will anyone be complaining when there are more meaningful playoff games in December? It’s doubtful.

Prime Time in Boulder – December 2022

It was only a matter of time before an FBS school gave Deion Sanders a shot.

After going 27-6 at FCS Jackson State, Sanders will look to revitalize the once-proud program in Boulder as he becomes the next head coach at Colorado.

SHANNON SHARPE ROASTS DEION SANDERS OVER AMPUTATED TOES: ‘I THOUGHT YOU WAS MAGIC’

Deion Sanders, Colorado’s new head football coach, takes questions in the Arrow Touchdown Club during a press conference on Dec. 4, 2022, in Boulder.
(Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

The Colorado program has fallen on hard times, firing head coach Karl Dorrell after an 0-5 start to the season. The Buffs ended their 2022 campaign 1-8 in the Pac-12 and were blown out by Utah in their final game, 63-21.

Sanders’ arrival in Boulder has already brought energy to the program, with Prime Time getting two 2023 ESPN 300 recruits and the commitment of his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Mike Leach – December 2022

The college football world was devastated on Dec. 12 when it learned that Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach died of complications from a heart condition.

Leach, known affectionately as “The Pirate,” was one of college football’s most eccentric personalities.

Head coach Mike Leach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs watches his players warm up before playing the Aggies at Kyle Field on Oct. 2, 2021, in College Station, Texas.
(Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Leach spent 21 years as a head coach, with stops at Texas Tech and Washington State before becoming the head coach in Starkville in 2020.

MIKE LEACH, LONGTIME COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACH, DEAD AT 61

He went 158-107 in his 21 seasons, going 8-9 in bowl games.

Well known for the “Air Raid” offense, Leach has an impressive coaching tree, with Arizona Cardinals’ Kliff Kingsbury, USC head coach Lincoln Riley, TCU’s Sonny Dykes, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, and Houston’s Dana Holgorsen all coaching under Leach.

“There’s a ball game going on right now in heaven,” former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said at Leach’s memorial. “And can’t you just see Mike? It’s 4th & 2, he’s on his own 40, and you know he’s going for it.”

2022 College Football Playoff

No. 1 Georgia was matched up against No. 4 Ohio State, while No. 2 Michigan went up against No. 3 TCU – the newcomer to the CFP – on New Year’s Eve.

REGGIE BUSH RIPS OUTGOING OUTGOING NCAA PRESIDENT MARK EMMERT OVER HEISMAN TROPHY ISSUE

The Bulldogs got the opportunity to become the first to win back-to-back national championships since Alabama did it in 2011-12.

It’s been a wild ride in college football since January 2021, and it isn’t close to being over.

Enjoy bowl season. There’s nothing better than being a college football fan.

Joe Morgan is a Sports Reporter for Fox News.