A 14-team CFP? Hold your horses, NCAA
First there was nothing, and everybody grumbled.
Then there were four, and everybody was happy yet still found a way to grumble. Now there’s going to be 12, and the NCAA is already talking about expanding the College Football Playoff to 14 teams. When will this stop?
1. Are you down for a 14-team College Football Playoff, possibly starting in 2026?
Bohls: I am not. The sport is doing everything it can to water down the regular season, and that’s a shame. Only the regular seasons of college football and the NFL matter anymore. Heck, let’s invite all 134 teams into the playoff and finish the year in April. I fully expect us to see a 24-team field within a decade. Just too much money on the table, and the SEC and Big Ten want all of it.
Golden: I’m down like AT&T’s internet service, but the difference is I’m happy to be down. I don’t believe there are 14 teams capable of winning a national championship, but why not give five or six the chance to spring a massive upset? If you think March Madness is a big deal, just wait until this 12-team playoff gets raves. The 14-teamer is coming.
2. What lineup should Texas basketball coach Rodney Terry employ the most down the stretch?
Bohls: I’d stick with what he’s been playing because Terry has few other options. Dylan Disu and Max Abmas are obviously must-starts, as are forward Dillon Mitchell for his rebounding and improved defense and defensive whiz Chendall Weaver, along with erratic point guard Tyrese Hunter. Terry has little offensive firepower off the bench, and that continues to be a problem.
Golden: I thought they were very effective down the stretch against Kansas State with Disu and Mitchell at forward and the three-guard alignment. It’s not the biggest backcourt, but they were very active on the perimeter defensively and were able to maintain the lead with that good energy.
3. With star point guard Rori Harmon out for the reason, what’s the ceiling for Vic Schaefer’s Texas women?
Bohls: Oh, Texas can reach the final weekend without question, but I don’t think the No. 5 Longhorns can win it against the likes of unbeaten South Carolina, defending national champion LSU or even UConn, even though they beat the Huskies with Harmon. They must get to the Sweet 16 to reverse last year’s disappointing finish, but their 313th ranking in 3s per game could hurt them in March.
Golden: They have a good chance to crash the Final Four, but they feel like three wins at most and a loss in the Elite Eight. Shaylee Gonzales and Shay Holle are solid guards, but I worry whether they will be able to pick up the backcourt slack when a team successfully sends double teams at super frosh Madison Booker. Texas bigs Aaliyah Moore, DeYona Gaston and Taylor Jones are solid inside but have been prone to foul trouble lately. Plus I know Vic has concerns about the team’s collective motor at times.
4. Nick Saban wants to be an agent of change in college football, so should the NCAA hire him?
Bohls: I’ve already written he’d be a home run hire for college football commissioner. The sport is crying out for someone of integrity to take charge and make decisions for the betterment of the game, not out of greed with a specific agenda. Besides, would anyone want to stand up to Saban and tell him he’s wrong? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Do it. Yesterday.
Golden: Heck, yeah, because he has love for this game. Saban should be installed as the new college football czar with the power to hire his own staff, which would work closely with athletic directors and television executives. He’d be perfect as someone employed to grow college football and bring a sense of credibility to the punchless NCAA.
5. How many, if any, Big 12 teams will make the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament?
Bohls: That’s almost impossible to say without seeing the matchups. But for Elite Eight-quality, I’ve got national champion Houston, Iowa State, Kansas and Baylor all capable of reaching the fourth round, though I’m not yet sold on the Bears’ overall defense, the Jayhawks’ lack of depth worries me, and the Cyclones aren’t as dangerous away from Ames. Nine Big 12 teams will receive invitations, and at least one will reach the Final Four.
Golden: The Big 12 and SEC are both must-see hoops this season, and I think the former is the best conference in the country. I see nine teams making the field: Houston (my championship pick for now), Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Baylor, TCU, BYU, Texas and Texas Tech. Of those, give me Houston and Baylor to the Elite Eight.
6. Which Texas Longhorn makes the most sense for the Dallas Cowboys in the upcoming draft?
Bohls: None, really. The Cowboys are in dire need of an offensive tackle with the potential loss of free agent Tyron Smith, and there’s a glut of great ones in this draft. That said, they ought to move up and grab one of the elite ones, such as Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, Penn State’s Olu Fashanu or Alabama’s J.C. Latham. Otherwise, Jerry Jones should strongly consider either Byron Murphy II or T’Vondre Sweat to plug in up front.
Golden: Dallas should go get one of those two defensive tackles. The mocks indicate that Murphy will be long gone by the time the Cowboys pick at No. 24, but Sweat and his Outland Trophy might still be available to aid Jonathan Hankins on the interior, especially with Mazi Smith’s struggles his rookie year. Sweat is an elite run stuffer who has the ability to disrupt in pass rush, an area the Cowboys could use on those days when the double teams are effective against Micah Parsons.
7. Which Longhorn makes the most sense for the Houston Texans?
Bohls: I think Houston could really use another defensive back to fit in alongside Derek Stingley Jr., but I’d think the Texans could also use help in their interior defense and receiver, the same as the Cowboys. A Murphy or Sweat could sure bolster the Texans’ front next to Will Anderson Jr. and Jonathan Greenard. I think this will be one of the deepest wide receiver classes ever with star talent in the first round, and I assume Kansas City will scoop up either Adonai Mitchell or Xavier Worthy at the end of the first round.
Golden: The Texans could use one more quality pass catcher, and wideout Adonai Mitchell, who caught 55 passes for 845 yards and 11 touchdowns, would fit the ticket. Most impressive was he had only one drop on 86 targets last season. Imagine a receiving corps with Mitchell, Tank Dell and Nico Collins with C.J. Stroud dropping those sweet dimes every Sunday. That would be the scariest passing game quartet in the league.
8. Will NCAA Division I career scoring leader Caitlin Clark dominate the WNBA her rookie year?
Bohls: Dominate? Why not? Hey, she had a 24-point game against Indiana, and it was an off night. She has unbelievable range from midcourt in. She’s fearless. And she can handle the ball well enough to get a crevice of an opening to get off her shot.
Golden: Eventually, but not right away. Every defensive stopper in the league will be out to put the clamps on Caitlin, and they will make her put the ball on the floor rather than pull up for uncontested 3-pointers. I still see her averaging around 20 points for presumably a team that has more help than she does at Iowa.
9. Do you believe anything former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel is saying these days?
Bohls: Why wouldn’t you? Manziel looks — and sounds — like a train wreck these days. And he’d better be careful or he’ll alienate what’s left of his adoring Aggies fandom and disconnect with what could be his link to public rehabilitation if he’s still interested in that. It comes off as very titillating but mostly just sad because he has squandered so much.
Golden: Actually I do, even if there is no way to gauge if he’s being honest. It was a bit unsettling to hear him talk so candidly on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast about living on a cocaine diet in Las Vegas after his release from the Cleveland Browns, along with his blatant disregard of people like LeBron James who were trying to help him while he was in Cleveland. Now he’s 31 with football no longer an option. I just hope he figures out how to be a productive member of society in the second half of his life.
10. How does NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spice up the defense-less All-Star Game?
Bohls: I’ve already written that this tired concept is dead and have recommended an Old-Timers All-Star Game or even a coed game to jazz up the weekend. In truth, there may be no saving it. Where’s Pete Rose when you need him? The ultracompetitiveness just doesn’t show up in this day and age in this format.
Golden: Is there a barn with a backdoor handy? It’s time to Ol’ Yeller this thing. At 4.6 million viewers, it was the second-leastwatched All-Star Game in league history, and it has been in steady decline since Michael Jordan’s last appearance in 2003 drew 10.3 million. League executive Joe Dumars — a six-time all-star with the Detroit Pistons and a two-time league champion — urged the league’s stars in October to give more effort in the game. None listened. This generation of superstars doesn’t prioritize good, old-fashioned pride and competitiveness when it comes to a game that was once a much anticipated part of the regular season.