NCAA is Crumbling & Bowl Preview Pt. 1

Good morning and welcome to 4th & Forever, Rand & Tate’s College Football Newsletter. Our long, dark, miserable winter is over because there is football to be played on Saturday! Now that we think about it, there’s been football on every weekend since late August but it just seems like it’s been a millennium since Army-Navy. In this edition, we discuss the potential pros of global warming, why we’re using our dads as political pawns, and remind you to join our bowl pick ‘em and take our survey so we never have to ask you again. As always, there’s plenty to discuss, so without further ado, let’s get to it!

4th & Forever Bowl Pick ‘Em Group

Last Reminder Alert! The 4th & Forever Bowl Pick ‘Em Group is live and still accepting entries. The first bowl game kicks off this Saturday, December 16th at 11am so make sure all your picks & payments are in by then. 

Earlier this season, we used the Wake Forest - Georgia basketball game to determine whose newsletter this really was, and since Rand hasn’t learned anything after watching Wake basketball for 26 years, he lost his ownership stake. However, with this bowl pick ‘em group, we’ve decided to come back to the negotiating table and determine the fate of 4th & Forever via these bowl picks, but instead of Rand v Tate, it’ll be Mr. Smillie v Mr. Fisher. Two men who have never met, yet are unknowingly (until they read this) being used as corporate pawns in their child’s side hustle. Hopefully, Mr. Smillie is better at picking college football games than his son.

One entry per person and the buy-in is $10. Winner take all with second place getting their money back. You can Venmo @Rand-Fisher or @Tate-Smillie to enter. If you don’t have Venmo, we accept carrier pigeons or any other method that gets $10 in our pockets. If you can get $10 to us outside of Venmo, we can certainly get it back to you when you win the group. It’s a straight-up pick ‘em, with no confidence points or picking the spread. Make sure to send in your money by kick-off on Saturday so we don’t have to hunt you down. 

Group Invite Link: Click Here

Password: Newsletter

4th & Forever Reader Survey

Another final reminder to fill out our super quick and easy survey to give us feedback on what you enjoy (likely Wake Forest content) or not (likely Tate’s Great Picks) in the newsletter. We appreciate your feedback as we figure out what we will cover come the offseason.

Survey Link: Click Here

Transfer, Transfer, Then Transfer Again

On Wednesday morning in some random district courthouse in West Virginia, some random judge (The Honorable John P. Bailey to be exact) granted a 14-day temporary restraining order against the NCAA, granting athletes who had already transferred more than once immediate eligibility for at least the next two weeks. The NCAA responded by saying that, for the time being, they will no longer be enforcing their year-in-residency requirement that prohibits second-time transfers from being immediately eligible to compete at their third school. The ruling stems from two separate lawsuits - one filed by current West Virginia basketball player RaeQuan Battle, who has been ineligible to play this year due to that NCAA requirement. 

We know this may sound like a nothing-burger of a storyline, and at this moment that may be the case. A preliminary injunction has been scheduled for December 27th, which should effectively determine whether or not the NCAA will have to get rid of its transfer restrictions entirely. Just this past Monday, we here at 4th & Forever discussed why we believe that despite its flaws, the transfer portal does more good than harm for college athletics. It is a good thing that today’s players have more freedom to move about in their lives, to correct a previous mistake when choosing a school, to have the option of finding a new home if the coach that recruited them leaves, without being punished. But at a certain point, we have to have some rules here. Players are already granted a one-time free transfer with no restrictions, and graduate students are able to transfer to new schools freely as well. Do we really need to allow a tight end to play for UCLA, Illinois, Rutgers, and Georgia Southern before he graduates? College basketball has suffered tremendously in recent years as most schools are replacing more than 50% of their rosters from year to year, even with the NCAA’s current restrictions in place. There is significant value for the casual viewer to have some familiarity with the teams and players they are watching, and we are getting dangerously close to an all-out free-for-all when it comes to the transfer process in college athletics. This is not good for the sport.

More than anything, this is yet another case of the NCAA losing battles in court. Precedents are being set by the judicial system left and right that chip away at the NCAA’s ability to govern its member institutions. While this may be just a 14-day temporary restraining order that allows some currently ineligible players to play, it is yet another slight pull on the plug that is keeping the NCAA’s relevance as an organization - which is already on life support - alive. College sports are being changed in a big way, and while we love that players have more freedom to thrive than they used to, we’re staring down the barrel of a version of collegiate athletics that we don’t know or love.

We’ll keep you updated as more random judges in random places fundamentally change our favorite sport.

Georgia’s Recruiting Class Just Got Lighter

Only three weeks until he was set to enroll in classes in Athens, 5-star quarterback and noted chubby baby Dylan Raiola now appears to be headed to Nebraska to be a Cornhusker. Dylan’s father, Dominic (6’1 310 pounds), played at Nebraska, and uncle Donovan (6’0 294 pounds) is now the offensive line coach for the Cornhuskers. After 7 months of commitment to the Dawgs as the proclaimed “leader” of Georgia’s 2024 recruiting class, news came out of absolutely nowhere on Monday evening that Raiola was not only listening to Nebraska’s final push to recruit him but that it was essentially a done deal that he’d be a Cornhusker. Out of nowhere, the Raiola family now appears to be heavily valuing playing as a true freshman, which will be much more likely at Nebraska than at Georgia. It appears that the weight of the pressure from his family members, and possibly just their combined weight in general, was too strong for baby Dylan to withstand.

Don’t get me wrong, it sucks to lose the #1 QB in the country just weeks before he was supposed to arrive. It sucks that this came out of absolutely nowhere and that according to reports Georgia’s coaching staff was pretty taken aback by the whole thing this week. It sucks that in today’s recruiting landscape, a team can come in at the 11th hour and offer a f*ck-ton of money to an 18-year-old and completely dismantle relationships that coaches have built for years. But Georgia will be fine. Georgia’s class will still be rated as the #1 class in the country even without Raiola. Georgia will likely still have Carson Beck next year, and still has former blue-chip recruit Gunner Stockton backing him up. 

Georgia still has QB Ryan Puglisi committed, who has already become a Dawg legend due to his lack of fear of competition. Puglisi committed to Georgia in October of 2022 after former offensive coordinator Todd Monken watched him throw and fell absolutely in love with him. Georgia was set to land the commitment of 5-star quarterback Julian Sayin (now committed to Alabama) back then until Monken saw Puglisi throw and officially determined he was Georgia’s guy. When Raiola committed to Georgia this past May, Puglisi didn’t squirm an inch. He openly and publicly invited the competition of the #1 player in the country. He has a cannon of an arm, tremendous size, and a goddamn fearless attitude.

I would’ve loved if all 225 pounds of Dylan Raiola came to Athens to compete to be our starting quarterback. But the large young man has played for four different high schools in four years, and will now have committed to three different colleges. In today’s world of constant transferring, especially for quarterbacks, it seems more likely than not that Raiola would’ve up and left before ever starting for the Dawgs. It’s no fun losing a guy of Dylan’s ability, but it is not time to fret, Dawg fans. We have our next guy at QB in Puglisi, who wants to be here and isn’t scared of a damn thing. Maybe it’s better for the program that we’re trimming the baby fat before it even gets here.

Weekend Bowl Preview

As you’ve noticed in our previous newsletters, the transfer portal is popping, early signing day is less than a week away, and the coaching carousel is spinning. All the while, 80+ FBS teams still have to go through game prep and practice for actual football games. Therefore, we’re going to change up our game previews from our normal style and focus on the important things such as who in the hell is sponsoring this game and giving you one ‘good’ reason to watch. It’s nearly impossible to track who is in the portal, who is or isn’t playing, who is even coaching each team, and whether the team has any interest in even playing (ahem, Georgia & FSU). We know we don’t need to convince you to watch the Famous Toastery Bowl between WKU and ODU at 2:30pm Monday to the disdain of your manager, but we think it’d be helpful to provide some conversation starters when you inevitably get stuck in a conversation with Gertrude from accounting at your office Christmas party.

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Georgia Southern (6-6) v Ohio (9-3): GASO -3.5, O/U 48.5 - Saturday 11:00pm ET ESPN

Location: Coastal Carolina’s stupid, teal-turf stadium in Conway, SC

One reason to watch: What the hell else are you doing on Saturday at 11am? Georgia Southern comes in losing their last four games so we can only assume they suck, while Ohio just lost in the MAC Championship game but has since seen their starting QB, two leading rushers, number one and number three wideouts, and second-best tackler hit the portal or opt-out. We hope Ohio’s scout team is ready for this one.

Who’s the sponsor: Visit Myrtle Beach. Environmentalists and some politicians are rightfully worried about what will happen to cities such as Miami, New York, and San Diego with rising ocean levels, but have they considered some of the benefits? We could finally rid humanity of the disgusting cesspool that is Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. And why stop there? In one fell swoop we can knock out Daytona Beach, Atlantic City, Panama City. The possibilities are endless, just never Visit Myrtle Beach.

Cricket Celebration Bowl: Florida A&M (11-1) v Howard (6-5): FAMU -6.5, O/U 50.5 - Saturday 12:00pm ET ABC

Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

One reason to watch: Heyo, it’s the HBCU Championship. Aside from the incredible bands - Marching 100 of FAMU and SHOWTIME of Howard - that’ll be on full display, FAMU is a buzzsaw and has obliterated every opponent aside from a reasonably close loss to USF. 

Who’s the sponsor: Cricket Wireless otherwise known as ‘holy shit that’s a real company?’ makes (?) prepaid phones and runs those god-awful ads with the knockoff Gumby characters.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Jacksonville State (8-4) v Louisiana (6-6): JVST -3.0, O/U 59.5 - Saturday 2:15pm ET ESPN

Location: Where Georgia should be playing their playoff game, er, the Superdome in NOLA.

One reason to watch: Given the high O/U, Vegas is expecting some points here, and with minimal opt-outs on both sides, both teams should slug it out at full strength. Also, Rich Rodriguez coaches the Gamecocks which is always a fun trivia answer for ‘hey, what ever happened to that guy?’

Who’s the sponsor: A freight shipment company. Exciting!

Avocados from Mexico Cure Bowl: Miami (OH) (11-2) v App State (8-5): App -6.5, O/U 44.5 - Saturday 3:30pm ET ABC

Location: UCF’s Stadium in Orlando, FL.

One reason to watch: App State exclusively plays up or down to their opponent and we think they’ll play down to Miami (OH) here. ‘Neers QB Joey Aguilar is the better QB of the two, but without star RB Nate Noel (transfer portal), the RedHawks might be able to keep this game closer than Vegas thinks. Famous last words.

Who’s the sponsor: Attention white girls everywhere: rejoice as there is finally a bowl sponsor that is #relatable. Order the avocado toast and get home from brunch just in time for kick-off. 

Isleta New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico State (10-4) v Fresno State (8-4): NMSU -3.5, O/U 51.5 - Saturday 5:45pm ET ESPN

Location: University Stadium in Albuquerque, NM. 

One reason to watch: NMSU’s quarterback, Diego Pavia, the inaugural winner of the 4th & Forever Heisman, returns to the scene of the crime where he famously urinated on the New Mexico practice facility. Go, Diego, Go!

Who’s the sponsor: The Pueblo of Isleta is an Indian reservation south of Albuquerque and also runs the Isleta Resort & Casino. If they want to sponsor a trip for us out there we are more than happy to oblige.

Starco Brands LA Bowl Hosted By Gronk: UCLA (7-5) v Boise State (8-5): UCLA -4.0, O/U 49.5 - Saturday 7:30pm ET ABC

Location: Stan Kroenke’s Death Star - SoFi Stadium 

One reason to watch: Not only is Rob Gronkowski ‘hosting’ - whatever that means - he’s also singing the national anthem and likely whatever the hell else he wants to.

Who’s the sponsor: Starco Brands is a ‘modern-day invention factory’ and again, no clue what that means, but after perusing their website we can tell they manufacture and market innovative products such as alcoholic whipped cream (we’re interested) and since buttering and salting your popcorn was such an inconvenience beforehand, they made a popcorn seasoning spray. “Necessity… the mother of invention” - Plato

Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl: Cal (6-6) v Texas Tech (6-6): TTU -3.0, O/U 57.5 - Saturday 9:15pm ET ABC

Location: Shreveport, LA aka Ratchet City which is a fitting nickname. Also known for being the last Confederate command to surrender during the Civil War, riverboat gambling, and high homicide rates. Good thing Visit Shreveport isn’t sponsoring this one. 

One reason to watch: All Pac-12 and Cal RB Jadyn Ott is a monster and will be on Heisman shortlists for 2024. Similarly, Red Raiders RB Tahj Brooks announced he’s returning next year after rushing for the second-most yards in the Big 12 this year.

Who’s the sponsor: Radiance Technologies looks to be a cyber security company that does government contracting for the military and intelligence branches. Don’t know the incentive to sponsor a college football game, but certainly could’ve used them during WakeyLeaks!

Hope you have a great weekend, and we will talk to you again on Monday.

Thanks for reading 4th & Forever. Feel free to forward this to friends & family and if you have comments or suggestions on the newsletter, please let us know. We really appreciate any and all feedback on this project.

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Rand Fisher & Tate Smillie met a few years ago through their good buddy Dave Peljovich who went to college with Rand and high school with Tate. Tate went to Georgia and has spent the last two years collecting championship rings while traveling to watch the Dawgs. Rand went to known CFB powerhouse Wake Forest and currently pays rent in Atlanta but is rarely found there with all the work & CFB travel he does.