Top-seeded Gonzaga, Villanova (6 general), and Virginia (9) crashed a gridiron greats (and goods only) meeting on Saturday, when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee revealed its future top 16 seeds for March Madness. An example in the form of the pointless weekly College Football Playoff rankings now reveals many of the same schools.
Just look at this list! Alabama and Ohio State, your tilt of college football title just over a month ago, now both in the top half of Hope’s preliminary Sweet 16 … plus old-fashioned football shows like Michigan, Texas and Oklahoma … but it’s not just football kings, nosiree … all your favorite Mediocre bowl-eligible programs are here too, including 2020 Liberty Bowl Champion West Virginia, plus Tennessee, Iowa … and more!
Ohio State (4) had none rules change this time (ahem) to see his way to the 1 seed line with Michigan’s sworn enemies (3, and just happy to be now avoiding the Buckeyes until a later given round the football team has performed against them in the Jim Harbaugh era). Illinois (5) rounds out a Top 5 trifecta for the Big Ten.
2021 National Champion (in that other sport) Alabama sneaks behind ‘Nova on the 2 seed line, along with recent New Mexico Bowl contestants Houston. West Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma complete the 3-seed line behind defending champion Virginia. (Yes, this time I mean basketball … but it’s been a while since anyone’s been paying attention, so don’t feel bad if your last memory of the Cavaliers pooping the bed as the first 1 seed that loses to a 16 seed in UMBCbefore winning the 2019 crown.)
The 4 seed line is on the gridiron right from a Saturday in early October: Iowa, Texas Tech, Texas and Missouri.
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March Madness has a new look this year, and by a new look I mean good luck recognizing much of what’s happening next month.
Conference tournaments? ¯ _ (ツ) _ / ¯
Tournament regions? Well, all the games are in or around Indianapolis, so … not that much.
First round games? Now on Fridays and Saturdays, without the usual tip on Thursdays where my grandmother called me in a tizzy every year because she missed her shows (those are soap operas). And finally, you might noticeably miss some of the blue blood basketball programs above. They all stink a bit this year.
Get used to the idea of a tournament without Duke, Kansas or North Carolina. Kentucky may not even be good enough for the NIT.
It all comes down to an unpredictable tournament, and isn’t that really what we all want? Okay, yes, fine, at least we want that for a weekend.
Anyway, go team, rah, first and ten do it again. And just get us through these post-Super Bowl February doldrums to March quickly, please and thank you. Meanwhile, wear a mask.