Vikings Dump JJ and Protect College Sports Administrators Passes the Senate

It was one of those weekends where the football was fun and the arguing afterward was even better. On this week's Southbound Sports Show, Matty B and I covered the JJ McCarthy trade, the officiating, a night at NC State, and what's wrong with the rankings. We also got into a Senate bill that could reshape college football.

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The Vikings trade JJ to the Giants

Minnesota sent JJ McCarthy to New York for a fifth-round pick. A lot of people were surprised, but I was more surprised they got anything, given how much the relationship soured. The touchdown-dance incident against Dallas, where Kevin O'Connell said he'd told JJ not to do it, never seemed to go away.

I also think O'Connell's quarterback guru reputation is overrated. Sam Darnold left Minnesota, won a Super Bowl in Seattle, and nobody's asking questions anymore. I'm not saying JJ will thrive in New York, but John Harbaugh is a good person to try to revive a young quarterback, and the worst case is that they hype him up and flip him. Either way, a Jameis/JJ quarterback room with two national champions on it should be good for some comedy.

The officiating problem

My main complaint about the NFL this weekend was the refs. The Broncos/Rams ending is my example: Josh Wallace made what looked like a game-ending interception, the flag came anyway, and replays show the Broncos receiver was the one pulling on Wallace. Add the roughing call on Mahomes, where the defender was clearly trying not to put his weight on him, and several other calls that day, and it's hard not to feel like the league is deciding outcomes. And when everything you watch is wall-to-wall gambling ads, it's fair to ask what that does to the integrity of the games.

I also made the case that quarterbacks who slide late should lose some of their protection. Freeze the film, and if the defender has already started his lunge when the quarterback begins to slide, that's on the quarterback.

College football is still the best live experience

I went to NC State/App State on Saturday night, and the tailgate, the band, the dancers, and the crowd are something no NFL game or World Cup match I've been to can match. App State's onside kick nearly tied it late, and the guy behind me yelling at the coach while his wife and daughter begged him to stop was the highlight of the night. If you've never been to a good college night game, go.

Rankings and the playoff

Matt and I disagreed a bit here, but we agree the rankings are a mess. Why is Missouri still ranked? Why do the computers have Michigan seventh after a loss to Iowa? The unbalanced conference schedules make strength of schedule almost impossible to judge. The real test will be whether a four-loss SEC team gets in over a two-loss ACC team, or whether a team from a smaller conference with one loss gets a fair shot.

I'd also rather see a playoff that includes some surprises, such as Indiana, Iowa, or UCLA. Parity, helped by NIL, is why so many games are coming down to the last possession. It also keeps programs like NC State invested, because a playoff berth is realistic.

The college sports bill

My main topic this week was the bill that passed the Senate, which would cap conference sizes at 20 teams and limit what athletes can earn. As a former athlete, I don't see how it benefits players. It mostly lets administrators keep more of the money. If it does pass, I walked through how realignment might play out: the Big Ten calling Notre Dame, Texas, and Florida, the SEC possibly going after ACC schools, and the ACC fighting to keep Miami, Florida State, and Clemson. I hope it doesn't pass, because the sport is healthier right now than it's been in years.

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