2024 was not kind. We need kindness to prosper in a civil and stately manner.

As the College Football Playoffs have played out, there has been just as much complaining and whining from teams that thought they should be in the mix as when we had only four teams vying for the spots. Maybe more whining and complaining. What do you expect? Whining and complaining and throwing around meaningless accusations has never been more popular in this country. Truth, while at a premium, means less than it used to. Why should college football be expected to give us higher comportment?

To the Alabama folks who thought your team should have gotten into the CFP, I can tell you there was a time when Lewis Grizzard and you would have said, “If we had beaten Vandy, we would have made it in. We didn’t beat Vandy for God’s sake! We don’t deserve squat.”

To the Ole Miss folks, I feel your pain. I was hoping the Rebs would get in. But when I knew Indiana would be there, I knew that committee would not let SMU go quietly. The Mustangs, thanks to the Hoosiers, were IN. Had the Rebs beaten Kentucky at home, the Cats only conference win, then, well, see the Lewis Grizzard reference above. You know it. I know it. Jimmy Swaggart knows it.

The Indiana Hoosiers were the darlings of College Football this year. Strange but true. Did they belong in the College Football Playoff? Maybe they did and maybe they didn’t. Doesn’t matter a bit. You and I were not on the CFP Committee. End of lesson.

I gave up predicting the games this season after Week # 13. Family time and just a lack of juice left me without much desire to continue picking the games. I won’t pick the finals. I expect Oregon will play Notre Dame for all the bananas on January 20th. So there, I guess I picked the finals.

All the college football season long, I have been thinking about this address on Waterwood Drive in Brandon, Mississippi. It has been more than a year since I spoke to my Aunt Barbara about college football. Our last conversation was about exactly that. That and I think we both knew our talks were finished. It was tough I tell you. You have no idea how much it hurt not being able to call her when Indiana was ranked higher than Ole Miss in the polls. Her response would have been this, “Go ahead. Go ahead and crow about Indianer!” It wasn’t Indiana with her. It was Indianer. It wasn’t Oklahoma with her, it was Oklahomer. Iowa was Io-way. I reveled in each syllable from her mouth. College Football will never mean so much to me again. She was my Ole Miss Football buddy.

I will share this photo one last time. Very little means more.

On a brighter note! My brother Darrell and his wife, Emily, will be having a BOY in the Spring. We can’t wait to say hello to this little young’un. Talk about good times.

You know our football is serious when my granddaughter, Penny, and I are both serious about a game so out of control.

We were in Florida watching in Old Oaken Bucket game. Indiana was in firm control. Penny and I were still serious about it.

I think this is her game face.

Her game face is intact even when coloring on Grandma’s lap.

When I walked onto the field at The Rose Bowl in 2018, I was looking at the spot where Vince Young had scored the winning touchdown in the 2006 Rose Bowl to lead Texas to an upset win over USC. That set the stage. I was about to kick some field goals, and I was not going to miss in The Rose Bowl.

Last week I watched the documentary “05” about this team’s journey to winning the Rose Bowl that year. It is worth watching.

I’m not sure where to start here. Mr. Keith Oppel was Mr. North Harrison High School. Keith passed away in late November this year. I always liked Mr. Oppel. We didn’t have one cross word. He was my PE teacher. He and my dad coached track together for more than a decade.

He tried to help everyone around him. Keith coached basketball, track, cross-country and was the Athletic Director at North for a long time.

I was always glad when he and my dad would sit together in the east endzone at North Harrison High School football games these last few years and banter back and forth as if the rest of us were in Shreveport. Those were special times. I know I have complained about North Harrison not having a great sense of history to be found anywhere. I hope someone gets around to naming the Field House on the west end of campus after Keith. It will be a case of better late than never. But it needs to be done.

1986 ad from my first Moody Blues concert.

2024 ad from the latest concert. The Moody Blues died with drummer Graeme Edge in 2021. Justin carries on with a simple solo acoustic act with the help of Mike Dawes, Julie Ragins, and Karmen Gould. I only wish the tickets for this show were $15.50.

Seeing Justin play and smile doing it is a pretty cool thing. He is the best.

Times change and we keep moving. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald said at the end of The Great Gatsby:

-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms farther… And one fine morning-

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Press onward and hopefully truth will make a comeback in this tired land of ours.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

My apologies to Charles Dickens. Obviously, Dickens inspires this title to a degree. Truth takes over somewhere after that.

Let’s get it out of the way.

This bunch saved the college football season for me. I had given up on college football for the most part. All that business. The blue bloods getting bluer and the rest trying to survive. I was less than enamored with Coach Cig when I first saw and heard him. Turns out, he meant it all. Hope turned into meaning. I don’t think I have heard him use the word “hope”.

I’m still down on college football. For the first time in memory, I haven’t kept up with the players in college football like I used to. No point in investing any hope in any of them. They could be gone tomorrow. I liked it better when we were hoping some kid from Columbus would work out. It is all an amalgamation for me now. When the whistle blows, I watch the game play out a little closer. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still a great game.

I haven’t posted anything on here in almost a month. These have been difficult days. I did not report last month that I took a spill between the bleachers at Notre Dame Stadium right after the game ended on November 16th. My old crony Kelly Samons and I were living the dream until I hit the deck. I was fortunate. I did not hit my head. Kelly was heading to the aisle to go down the stairs. I was beside him. I couldn’t tell you which leg gave up on me. I don’t know. All I know is I went down on a combination of left side and backside. That my head stayed off the ground was a miracle. I believe that. I was stunned in every literal sense of the word. Two guys in front of me came to my aid before Kelly looked back and saw me on the ground. I did everything I could to play it off. I tried to joke with the guys helping me up with an old line from my Granny. She was prone to falling. I looked at these guys and said, “I hit the deck, and I haven’t even pulled a cork!” The walk to Kelly’s truck was the most painful thing I have ever endured until I had to sit down in the truck. We drove nonstop from South Bend to Seymour. I drove on home wondering at times if I was needing to stop. I felt myself drifting off a few times is a state of shock I suppose. I had to talk myself into remembering how to keep a car on the road between Palmyra and New Salisbury.

I have been asked if I went to the doctor. I figured if I was walking there was no need. My mother, the nurse, asked if I had seen the doctor. I answered, “What for? There is no cast for my ass.” She said I had a good point.

Tonight, I spent 30 minutes on the elliptical. This is the most daunting workout I have had in over a month.

I wish the bad news could end there. Two weekends ago, my dear wife, Carrie, and I had plans for a nice, busy, and relaxing time of it. We went to The Big Ten Championship Game on a Saturday.

Of course, we were there rooting on Penn State. They lost. I pity the next team that goes up against the Oregon Ducks. The old throwback was sitting there trying to imagine he was watching an old-fashioned Rose Bowl between a PAC-12 team and a Big 10 team. Hard to do. Penn State got to the Big 10 in 1993. Not exactly old school for either of them.

I figured the next day had to be better. I figured wrong.

We made it out of Indy and got on I-70 heading to St. Louis. A Justin Hayward concert was on the books, as my friend Tim Mullins would say. The streak is still alive. Save the 2020 Covid year, I have not missed seeing The Moody Blues who are now no more, or Justin Hayward solo since 2003. That’s a great deal of Nights in White Satin, but never enough.

Turns out, the old boy is mortal. Me, not Justin. Driving across I-70 almost to Terre Haute, I was not feeling well. Like my great-grandmother, Ivy Nowling, I take a blood pressure pill. I just don’t talk about it as much as she did. I started counting and figured I was on my 4th day in a row without my blood pressure medicine. It happens. On to an Urgent Care center in Terre Haute we go. Two and half hours later and a trip to the Meijer store pharmacy was next. That was another wait. Alas, the little pill I took helped in a hurry.

By the time we arrived in St. Louis to a hotel that was a five-minute walk to the theatre and not all it was advertised to be, the Marriott man will never make this mistake again, there was not enough time to eat dinner. The breakfast we had in Cloverdale was going to have to hang on just a little while longer. On the show!

The old boy did not disappoint. Wow. Justin Hayward is 78 years old. This was the 11th solo show we have seen. On this occasion, his voice did not crack a single time. Not that it does often. This was another level of emotive sound from all of them. 14 songs and a 6-song medley that turned into 2 full songs and a 4-song medley.

For me, seeing the red Gibson 335 for the first time in six years was a treat. He played it on two encore songs. He ended the show with acoustic guitar on I Know You’re Out There Somewhere. That 18-year-old who went to The Louisville Gardens to see The Moody Blues with unhinged anticipation in 1986 didn’t know what was ahead of him. Some dreams we really can live out and we don’t even know it.

After the concert it was back to the hotel. Called out for pizza. Was told it would be there between 10:17 and 10:21. We were hungry. The pizza never showed up.

The next morning was more like a nightmare. Our car was parked in a lot behind the hotel, off the street. Off the street and away from most everything. Everything that is except for someone with one of those devices that tells you the car out there is unlocked when you see the lights of the vehicle come on. Our Explorer fits the profile, I guess.

The Explorer was not damaged. No forced entry. But all the bags of Christmas gifts we had acquired the day before at the Outlet Mall in Edinburg, as we were heading to Indy, were gone. The glove box had been rifled through. All of its contents were on the passenger seat. Gone was our very comprehensive first aid kit and our jumper cables. My blood pressure med was in the door ready to be taken again later that day. Well, it wasn’t anymore.

Carrie and I slinked out of St. Louis feeling as though we had been gut-punched. To go from the listening to the greatest music on my earth to being robbed was not a 360-degree turn I would wish on anyone.

So there. The good news is that I feel better. I’m still pissed about losing our Christmas presents. I told my brother Darrell the thief was not a Philadelphia Eagles fan. The Eagles calendar I got him was still there. I know. We were not hurt physically. Had I walked out there while that was going on…well, who knows.

The Indiana Hoosiers play Notre Dame Friday in the College Football Playoffs. I have seen both of these teams play this year and each one can get the other. It all depends on where they spot the ball (channeling my inner Dan Dierdorf). No, really. Indiana can win this game. I don’t think ND has seen a D-line that will give them fits like IU will. As long as the Hoosier defense doesn’t break down and is left watching Jeremiyah Love’s back running away from them, Indiana can do it. The O-line also need to protect Kurtis Rourke. He’ll find the receivers. The IU punt team will not lose it like it did against Ohio State.

Any other year, I could’ve told you what number Jeremyiah Love of Notre Dame wears. I don’t have the first clue. I’m just watching these guys play one game at a time.

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson

This is not to take away from anything accomplished by the 2024 Indiana Hoosiers Football Team. The AP Top 25 came out today and the Indiana Hoosiers are ranked #10 in the land. They should be that or higher. Indiana, I am all for you.

All is not lost! Good grief, man, we are talking about a 10-1 team at a school that went 9-27 in the previous three years. A school that has never won 10 games before. I think the Hoosiers will make this year’s extended college football playoff after they dismantle Purdue next weekend. That is a Cinderella Story that no other playoff-era team can make claim to. Understand, this is phenomenal.

Look, I understand the history. I was in Section 11 of Memorial Stadium the last time IU beat Ohio State, and it has been too long. Ronald Reagan was still President. Talk about good old days that made sense.

This past Saturday a 10-0 Indiana Hoosiers Football team arrived in Columbus, Ohio in a glass carriage and left Ohio Stadium in a pumpkin at 10-1. A self-inflicted pumpkin at that.

Let’s recap.

The Hoosiers led 7-0 after a 70-yard drive that meant business after holding the Buckeyes to an opening three and out. Defensively the Hoosiers were doing well. Defensive back Jaylin Walker fought off an uncalled hold to make a tackle for a loss. For a quarter, the body language and the look in the eyes certainly favored the Indiana Hoosiers. The first quarter ended unlike nine other games with Indiana not being scored on. End of the 1st Indiana 7 Ohio State 0.

To start the 2nd quarter, the Buckeyes had 4th and 1 at the Indiana 2-yard line. The Buckeyes went for it. Indiana HELD THEM!

Indiana has the ball at the 12:29 mark in the 2nd quarter and Indiana had made 4 of 4 3rd down conversions to Ohio State’s 1 out of 4.

At the end of the first half, the Indiana pumpkin started making its way to Ohio Stadium. Kurtis Rourke had been sacked three times. The Hoosiers were looking at 4th and 15 deep in their own territory with 1:47 left in the half with the score tied 7-7. Disaster struck. Here comes the pumpkin.

The punt snap to Indiana punter, James Evans, went through his hands. Ohio State takes over at the Indiana 7. Three hard-fought plays later, Buckeye running back, Treveyon Henderson, was in the endzone celebrating an Ohio State touchdown. The pumpkin gets closer.

I love punters. I get them. God bless James Evans. I know he is hurting. This is where the game really turned. Suddenly the Hoosiers were facing two opponents for the first time this season. They were playing the Buckeyes and the trying to get past themselves. We have not seen that this season. Indiana wrapped a present and handed it to the Buckeyes a month and two days before Christmas. Halftime score: Ohio State 14 Indiana 7.

The second half started with another special team disaster when the Hoosiers punted from their own 27 yard-line with 13:06 left in the 3rd quarter after an Indiana 3 and out. James Evans got the punt away this time. It was fielded by an OSU returner at the Buckeye 21-yard line. Indiana’s Mark Langston whiffed on a tackle at the Buckeye 25 and that was that. 75 yards later the Ohio State Band, in those goofy hats they wear, were cranking up that annoying Ohio State school song. Suddenly, the score was 21-7 thanks to the Indiana punt team that has been nothing but stellar all season leading up to this game. That was the difference. There is not another play in football that can invigorate a team stronger than a punt return for a touchdown. Why? Because the 11 defenders just forced a team to punt and the punt return team, thanks to the defense, just made the other team pay the highest price.

All season long, the Indiana Hoosiers have had stellar special teams play. They still have not missed a field goal or an extra point. The punting game has been amazing until the game in Columbus.

Yes, we can all agree that after Indiana’s first drive, Ohio State certainly made some defensive adjustments that made the offensive line of the Indiana Hoosiers pay dearly along with their beleaguered quarterback, Kurtis Rourke.

Here’s the good thing. All is not lost for the Indiana Hoosiers. They can learn from this experience in Columbus, and I think they will. The Hoosiers have proven (10-0) that they are quick studies. Don’t give up on these guys yet. I won’t. But my dream of watching them in the Big Ten Championship Game just up the road is gone. A miracle would have to get them there now. Penn State and Ohio State would have to lose next week. That ain’t gonna happen.

The silver-lining of the weekend for the Indiana Hoosiers? Well, that would be the cannibalization of the SEC. Ole Miss was beaten by a 5-5 Florida team. The Rebs have three losses, and I hate that. I was not rooting against them. Alabama was beaten by a 5-5 Oklahoma team. The Tide has three losses, and I love that. Get them out of the way. 4-6 Auburn beat Texas A & M. The Aggies have three losses. Get them out of the way. Sorry Paul Finebaum. Your argument just lost a great deal of water. All that is left for you is hot air and there is plenty of that! Keep talking about the Hoosiers as they make the CFP Playoff. I know you need to play up to the SEC.

Speaking of the SEC, I watched games from noon to 2 AM last night when USC finally beat UCLA. I had two TVs going all day and all night. After watching Ole Miss v. Florida, UK v. Texas, Oklahoma v, Alabama, Texas A&M v. Auburn, and LSU v. Vandy, I came to conclusion that the SEC teams in the College Football Playoff don’t stand a chance of winning. After watching this much late season November football, it is not a good look for the SEC when you see that the third leading tackler in the conference is the ref’s whistle. I have never seen so much dancing from runners and defenders… dancing until the sound of the whistle when they stop and move on to the next play. They don’t want to bend their backs and make a tackle. Maybe this is because of the lack of knee pads on players these days? Either way, this spells a portent of doom for the SEC when they meet a team from a league not afraid to tackle. Let Paul Finebaum chew on that.

Yes. This Indiana Hoosiers Football team has been one for the history books. I have tickets to the Big Ten Championship game because of it. I don’t see them there now. I’m not sure I see me there now. But, thanks to the SEC, I see a place for the Hoosiers at the CFP table after a dominating win over Purdue next week.

The Pumpkin did show up for the Hoosiers in Columbus, but guess what? That is not where College Football will have its Final Ball!

Speaking the rights…Go Hoosiers!

Danny Johnson

Last weekend was special. A November day in South Bend to see the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the Virginia Cavaliers. ND won 35-14. It wasn’t that close.

The last time I was here the temperature at kickoff was 21 degrees and the wind was howling out of the North. I have never been colder in my life. Still, it was a great time as my Dad and I watched the Irish defeat the BYU Cougars.

Last Saturday, it was me and my old friend and Irish fan Kelly Samons. We met in 1979.

The Irish have a balanced attack. Quarterback Riley Leonard will likely not lose a game for you. And he won’t exactly set the world on fire either. The Irish running game hold the bacon. Running back Jeremyiah Love had 137 yards on 16 carries. Love can fly.

On to this week..

The last time the Indiana Hoosiers beat the Ohio State Buckeyes was in 1988. I was twenty. The Hoosiers didn’t win, they annihilated the Bucknuts 41-7. This was on the greatest and awestruck games I have ever seen. We couldn’t believe what we were watching.

Anthony Thompson ran for 190 yards and 4 touchdowns that day in October 1988. I was there.

Tomorrow will be the time for this year’s Indiana Hoosiers to bring it out in Columbus and take care of business. Indiana wins if they can win the turnover battle, contain Quinshon Judkins on the corners when he carries the ball, and not miss a bunch of tackles. On offense, the Hoosiers will need to make hay on first down. First down has to be kind to them. Getting to 3rd and long against OSU’s defense will not work well. Also, if you can get points early take them. Don’t get too cute with going for it inside the 30 on 4th down. The name of the game is to score now when it matters. The touchdowns will come.

Storyline #1 for me is seeing Kurtis Rourke, Indiana’s quarterback, go to the Horseshoe and put on a show. He played 4 years at Ohio University down south in Athens and played games in a stadium that held less than a-fourth of Ohio Stadium’s 102,000-plus capacity. This is a big deal for Kurtis Rourke. That is the story I want to see come through.

No 10-0 team has ever taken the beating the Indiana Hoosiers have taken from a biased media that just can’t give credit where credit is due. Paul Finebaum this week said that if the Indiana Hoosiers played in the SEC that the Hoosiers would have 6 losses. Paul Finebaum indeed. The SEC really just needs to leave the NCAA at this point and just play among themselves. That is the only logical answer. The rest of us would get along just fine without them. If they could pull off a TV deal like the Big Ten did, the SEC would not be quite as obnoxious they are. Speaking of Saturdays in the South, this week former Auburn football coach and fledgling politician Tommy Tuberville said that “Indiana we out and bought them a team.” He was referencing the state of NIL in college football. Hate to tell you Tommy Boy, the Hoosiers don’t have SEC NIL money yet.

Last week saw 8 winning picks and 6 losers. Not a good week. Not a good week at all. The season total is 122 winners and 46 losers. Let’s go!

Indiana beats Ohio State… Yes. IU wins by 10. 41-31 perhaps. Since 1988 the Hoosiers are 0-30-1 against the Buckeyes I believe. The last time the Hoosiers won in Columbus was 1987. Then coach Earle Bruce called it “The Darkest Day in Ohio State Football…” It’s time. This is Indiana’s time and Paul Finebaum will have another excuse.

Iowa beats Maryland… Can the Hawkeyes lose at Maryland in November? I don’t think so. I know the Iowa boys are down.

North Carolina beats Boston College… In a close one, the Tarheels, who achieved bowl-eligibility last week win this one in good fashion.

Ole Miss beats Florida… Looks like UF is going to hang on to Coach Napier after a late season rally. Lane Kiffin would not look good in Gator blue anyway. The latest CFP has Indiana hosting Ole Miss. This will change and gladly so. That would be no fun for me.

SMU beats Virginia… SMU has team speed that UVA won’t be able to stay with.

Colorado beats Kansas… The Jayhawks are having a tough season of close losses. The Buffs won’t keep this one close. Look for Travis Hunter to pull away in the Heisman race after this one.

Texas beats Kentucky… The Wildcats go to Austin! Poor kitties.

Michigan beats Northwestern… I remember when Northwestern beat Michigan in their run to The Rose Bowl in 1995. Not today.

Penn State beats Minnesota… Some are calling this one a close one with Minnesota at home. I don’t think so. Penn State is like Ohio State and Indiana. They are all playing for EVERYTHING. Oregon has punched their ticket to Indy for the Big Ten Championship Game.

Louisville beats Pitt… Louisville has to be one of the unluckiest teams of the season. Careless and foolish penalties costed them at Stanford last week. Standford wins on a 52-yard field goal on the last play of the game due to penalties.

Notre Dame beats Army… Too much speed. Army won’t be able to hang with the Irish.

Alabama beats Oklahoma… I don’t remember watching these two tradition-rich schools playing. Should be fun to watch for a quarter for sentimental reasons if nothing else.

LSU beats Vandy… We’ll see if LSU can take down a Vandy team that beat the Crimson Tide and narrowly lost to Texas. Oh, my mistake. These are all playoff worthy teams of course…

UCLA beats USC… The Bruins have found a better way to play. Seems like it took them half the season to get in sync offensively. They came close to beating Penn State in Happy Valley. The Indiana Hoosiers torched the Bruins in The Rose Bowl in September. Words typed wearing a UCLA sweatshirt.

Have a great time of it tomorrow!

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

So, the Indiana Hoosiers took care of business last week against the Michigan Wolverines. They bested the boys from Ann Arbor 20-15. On Tuesday, the Hoosiers were #5 team in the College Football Playoff rankings.

The Hoosiers have a week off before they move on to Columbus, Ohio for a noon tilt against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Am I the only one who has seen how the stars have aligned here? I have not heard anyone mention it. Remember, when Coach Curt Cignetti went about his rant in front of an Assembly Hall crowd at an IU basketball game, he said “Purdue sucks…but so does Michigan and Ohio State!” These are the last three opponents on the Indiana Football schedule this year. Imagine it if you can.

On to this week’s picks!

Last week we went with 12 winners and 2 losers. For the season, 114 winners and 40 losers.

This week:

Pitt beats Clemson… This one is at Pitt and they are tough at home. Look for Clemson to play Santa Claus and pay for it.

Western Kentucky beats La. Tech… All Coach Helton does on the hill is win.

Ohio State beats Northwestern… It will be a sightseeing game for Buckeyes, as they are playing this one at Wrigley Field.

Texas beats Arkansas… The kicker in me sees these teams and immediately thinks Steve Little and Russell Erxleben.

Illinios beats Michigan State… The Illini are at home.

SMU beats Boston College… The Eagles will be grounded against the speed of SMU.

Louisville beats Stanford… The Cards playing a conference game at Palo Alto? Will I ever get used to this?

LSU beats Florida…. The Tigers need to bounce back, and they will do just that in the Swamp.

Penn State beats Purdue… Coach Cignetti called it when he called out Purdue.

Notre Dame beats Virginia… The Irish are a toe stub away from being the number 1 team in the land. They were beaten by Northern Illinois. Had they won that one and were undefeated, they would be the #1 team in the land. They have done nothing but get better. Look out.

USC beats Nebraska… Can you imagine USC falling to 4-6? I can’t do that yet. This one is at home.

South Carolina beats Mizzou… The Cackalackies are play well.

Oregon beats Wisconsin… But, gulp, I hope Bucky wins it.

Georgia beats Tennessee… The Bulldogs need this one for pride and to help the rest of us out by dispatching UT.

Tomorrow, I will be in South Bend to take in the Irish and Cavaliers. The last time I was at Notre Dame Stadium it was cold, snowy, windy, the field had grass (for the last time) and I was sure I was going to freeze. The Irish beat BYU and I started moving my limbs with ease about 6 AM the next morning. I am so glad it is supposed to be 50 degrees or better at Notre Dame tomorrow.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

Sectional Champs. Kind of has a ring to it, doesn’t it.

With a score that is indicative of Coach Williamson’s methodical ways, the North Harrison Cougars milked as much clock as they could and leaned on the pass when they had to. Fortunately, it worked out.

The North Harrison Cougars took on the Madison Cubs Friday night for the Class 3A Sectional 31 Championship. North won 8-7. These two teams had never played before. Madison, with a roster that dwarfed North in numbers, seemed a little too confident when this one started. They didn’t expect to be hit in the mouth the way the Cougars laid the wood to them. It was a tough lesson learned.

North Harrison did a great job of being resilient and not losing their heads when they would need them. I told a friend before the game that I thought North would win if they protected the ball and did not shoot themselves in the foot with careless penalties. The penalty part of this equation did not go the Cougars way. False starts were of epic proportion. This only lends to the resolve the Cougars came with as the game was closing to a final. I was so proud of the way they held it together and came together to put a drive together that led to a TD and a 2 pt conversion. That was the difference in the game.

I got to North Harrison many years ago. 1979 to be exact. Back then there were North Harrison folks who didn’t know if a football was filled with air or stuffed with feathers. Thankfully, when Coach Williamson was hired in 2012, North finally, and I mean FINALLY decided football should be given some attention. I certainly congratulate Coach Mark Williamson and his staff for making this thing work.

I will never tire of looking at this scoreboard.

I took a picture of this trophy on Athletic Director Hal Pearson’s desk. If he sees this, he will know I did so. I sent the picture to a cousin in Mississippi. I told my cousin I hope we get to keep this thing. We did.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

Well, here we go again. Not exactly. Things have changed for the better. No, I’m not talking about THAT change. I am here to report that the North Harrison Cougars won Sectional 31 of the Class 3A Indiana High School Football Playoffs last night.

The final was 8-7 and it was a beauty. We’ll talk more about this game later this weekend. I need it to marinate and savor just a little while longer, before we speak the rights about this one.

Today the Michigan Wolverines come calling to Memorial Stadium to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. And get this, Michigan is 5-4 and Indiana is 9-0. Say it with me! INDIANA is 9-0! They will get to 10 wins today for the first time in school history. My truly positive feelings about Coach Tom Allen notwithstanding, Indiana was 9-27 in the previous three seasons before this one. Let that sink in. It does not compute. That is why the Paul Finebaum’s and Kirk Herbstreit’s of the world still think Michigan will beat Indiana today, even if they tell you otherwise. Then when the Indiana Hoosiers beat Ohio State in two weeks, it might not even be a quality win just because Ohio State was defeated by Indiana. That is what the Hoosiers are still up against, even at 9-0. They can’t win when they win. I have never been a fan of the old adage “perception is reality”. My Oxford English Dictionary argues that. Maybe 10 wins will change some of that with the SEC snobs. No, probably not. I already said it would take 2 National Championships in 3 years to move that muddy needle. Hornsby said it best. That’s just the way it is. Some things will never change.

Let’s get to the picks! Last week was a weak one. 8 winners and 6 losers. Season total: 102 winners and 38 losers.

Texas beats Florida… There is a germ in me that says the Horns come out slow. Still, they win.

Rutgers beats Minnesota… I like the Scarlet Knights at home.

Ohio State beats Purdue…. Gives the Buckeyes an extra week of rest before they face the Hoosiers.

Cincinnati beats West Virginia… The Bearcats are scrappy and always play well at home.

Clemson beats Virginia Tech… After the loss they had to Louisville, the Tigers will be hungry.

Duke beats NC State… Short ride from Durham to Raleigh. Happy short ride home.

Ole Miss beats Georgia… Yes, at home with all to prove. Vaught-Hemmingway will be rocking.

Indiana beats Michigan… Y’all know what I think about this one. But chew on this: In 40 major team stats, Indiana is either #s 1, 2, or 3 in 29 of those 40. 17 of those 40 they are ranked #1.

South Carolina beats Vanderbilt… The mighty Commodores go down today.

Oregon beats Maryland… Sure hope Maryland pulls one off here.

Tennessee beats Mississippi State… Night game on Rocky Top. Lots of noise and rowdies and Vol TDs.

Alabama beats LSU… I know Coach Kelly is 13-0 in night games at LSU. I just take Milroe over Nussmeier in a battle of QBs. See who turns the ball over.

Notre Dame beats Florida State… Contractual obligations had to be involved to put this clunker on NBC during primetime.

Pitt beats Virginia… Pitt looks to rebound after a loss to SMU. look out for those ponies.

BONUS PICKS….

Montreal beats Toronto in the CFL Eastern Final… I am rooting for Chad Kelly and the Argos. But the Als should take this one.

Winnipeg beats Saskatchewan in the CFL Western Final… Think Green Bay Packers here. The Bombers and Riders are the last two community-owned teams in the CFL. They are feeling the love. I think Trevor Harris will let a ball or two sail and the Blue Bombers will take proper notice. Their D has been solid.

The Grey Cup is next Sunday.

Hey! Have a great weekend.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

Just as I suspected, Paul Finebaum showed his colors this week. You know, the ones on the yellow and blue logo of the SEC. This week Paul Finebaum was poo-pooing the winning ways of the Indiana Hoosiers. He opined that if the Hoosiers are 11-1, he has given them a defeat already against Ohio State, the Hoosiers should be stepping aside in the playoff talk in favor of an Alabama team that got beat by Vanderbilt. Where’s Lewis Grizzard when you need him to talk some sense into Finebaum? I suppose forty years ago Finebaum thought the 9-4 Auburn Tigers should have been ranked above the National Champion BYU Cougars. Paul Finebaum knows the Indiana Hoosiers are not made for him. Paul works the sensationalism outside the lines. The Coach Cignetti Hoosiers of 2024 just keep winning without flair. When a player makes a big one, he doesn’t act like he is running for public office. There are no dunks to be made or chains to be worn or boxing belts. Keith Jackson would love it. Having called a few high school ballgames on the radio myself, I always come to the aid of awkward announcer speak. I always say, “Yeah, but there is air to fill there. He’s got to say something.” Paul has to say something when the SEC is feeling threatened about a playoff spot. I suppose it hurts that Indiana is the one doing the threatening this year. Paul can’t help it. Y’all should know my Tua touchdown story by now. Just more of the same.

Last week was a great one for the Indiana Hoosiers. A solid no questions asked victory over the Washington Huskies that featured an offensive line that controlled the game. A defense that rose to the occasion and made big plays. Solid kicking and a punt return by Myles Price that was almost the one I have been waiting for him to break for a TD. He broke it for 65 yards and the Hoosiers scored quickly afterwards. Justice Ellison ran the ball 29 times and made the Huskie defense earn every tackle. The energy around Memorial Stadium was like nothing I have witnessed there, and I will still be trying to believe it all some quiet Saturday afternoon come late next February.

Last week we had 11 winners and three losers. For the season, 94 winners and 32 losers. Yes, a couple I picked were dreamboat longshots. Like I say, I don’t do this for money. I do this for the fun of it. I don’t ever want to be upset because my team didn’t win by enough points. That logic does not compute in my football world.

Let’s see what happens this week.

Miami beats Duke… And I hope I miss this one. Would love to see Miami go down.

Illinois beats Minnesota… The Illini did not have a good showing against Oregon. They need to come home and regroup.

Purdue beats Northwestern… Yes! The Boilers are going to get one at home!

Ohio State beats Penn State… Can I really be rooting for the Buckeyes and against a Tom Allen led defense? Only for the Hoosiers. Pass the Mylanta.

Ole Miss beats Arkansas… This may be a tough one for the Rebs. Who likes to go to Fayetteville?

Auburn beats Vandy… Alabama didn’t manage to accomplish that.

Georgia beats Florida… Enjoy Jacksonville today.

Oregon beats Michigan… Jack Tuttle threw up the white flag this week. The Wolverine QB said he and his concussions have had enough. That is something you can respect.

Nebraska beats UCLA…The game is in Lincoln. Early this week I came across this one and had one of those momentary lapses of reason. What is this? UCLA and Nebraska in November? Oh, yes, they are in the same conference now. It took me a minute.

Clemson beats Louisville… The Cards are good. They have missed a few plays here and there that have cost them dearly. Can they hold up at Clemson? Only if Clemson turns the ball over 5 times.

USC beats Washington… You have to think Tommy needs this one to save Coach Riley? Clay Helton is not looking so bad out there right now.

Iowa beats Wisconsin… This will be fun to watch if you like to see two mules fighting over a turnip.

Tennessee beats Kentucky… You better have oxygen for the trumpet players. They are going to be blowing off Rocky Top at breakneck speed.

SMU beats Pitt… I think the last time I saw these two play each other was in the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1983. Dan Marino was chunking the ball for Pitt and The Pony Express was alive and well before the death penalty came to SMU. In the parlance of Keith Jackson, “This should be a good one.”

Enjoy these college football games. As usual, the football season is going by way too quickly.

Hats off to Coach Mark Williamson and his staff and The North Harrison Cougar Football team. A 14-8 victory over the Indiana Creek Braves last night was a big one. The Cougars host the Sectional Final next week against the Madison Cubs. North has visited the Sectional Final on three occasions: 2005, 2014, and 2017. The sectional crown has eluded North so far. They’re going to get this one. Last night on the opening drive, the Cougars went 71 yards in 10:27 playing keep away and scoring in the process. The Braves were frustrated. The Braves solid passing game must have gotten off the bus around Salem on the way to Ramsey last night. I expected a little more fire out of the Brave offense. A great defensive scheme by the Cougars covered their receivers well. Nice job! Oh, and watching Bryce Fessel run the ball last night was reminiscent of watching Anthony Thompson run for IU thirty-some years ago. 5 yards here. 3 yards there. 12 yards here. 8 yards there. He piled the yards up. I bet he carried the ball 40 times. That offense is a thing of beauty when the defense comes along with it. Last night, they did exactly that.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

There they were sitting in the northeast corner of the endzone. Looking at a camera and saying a 7-0 Indiana Hoosiers team was going to be bested by the 4-3 Washington Huskies. There were two guys on ESPN’s College Gameday panel that picked against the Hoosiers. Nick Saban? Hoosiers. Pat McAfee? Hoosiers. Guest picker Kyle Schwarber? Hoosiers. Lee Corso? Hoosiers. Two guys picked the Huskies. It was reminiscent of listening to Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville hanging out in Melville’s home called Arrowhead in the Berkshires. Wrapped in their protagonists and antagonists and chocked full of symbolism as they slighted the Transcendental upstarts back east in Concord. This ethical concentration on nature and self-reliance was too much for them. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau may be good guys but where is the story? In Bloomington Saturday, there they sat. A modern-day Melville and a modern-day Hawthorne. They can’t pick the Hoosiers. This feels too good. This isn’t our Big Ten Football. A Michigan man and a Buckeye. What did you expect? Kirk Herbstreit to pick the Indiana Hoosiers on the GameDay set in Bloomington? Never! Desmond Howard to pick the Hoosiers? Double-Never! Then Indiana, ranked #13 in the land and the only team not to be scored on yet in the first quarter of any game or yet to be behind on the scoreboard, soundly beat the Washington Huskies 31-17 in a workman fashion that the greatest novelist ever would have to appreciate. This is an American Football Renaissance.

ESPN College GameDay came calling. What do you do? Well, I got there early.

Memorial Stadium lit up before the light of day was a special sight.

Everything about the experience of last Saturday was new to me. I’ve seen more than a hundred games in this stadium. Nothing prepared me for what the day was going to hold. As one dear friend has offered to me more than once, “This is everything we ever talked about wanting.”

The whole College GameDay experience was surreal, up until Desmond and Kirk picked against the Hoosiers.

Want College GameDay sign? They were there to help.

What brought all of this home for me were two things. Just hearing the voice of Reece Davis from the speakers and seeing the Washington State flag that has long been a GameDay staple regardless of where the show is that week.

These things made it real for me. Otherwise, it was just some kind of dream.

Seeing Lee Corso in his vintage Hoosiers sweatshirt was more than I could ask for. I still remember him bouncing up and down the Indiana sideline when I was a kid. I’m not a kid anymore. But I sure felt like one for a few fleeting moments when I saw Coach Corso back where I know him from.

I have to tell you about this poor gentleman here. He was chosen for the $100,000 field goal kick just left of the set. They bring in a goalpost and so on. This poor guy. He was signing all the liability forms or whatever else is there and he was shaking like a leaf. The pen was shaking. The papers were shaking. If this guy has four kids, he won’t be as nervous as he was on this day when they get here.

I tried to help him out. “Keep your head down. Follow through. Toe straight.” Well, that was all fine and well until he decided to practice the full motion at 110% on grass that was uneven and a little slick. On his third attempt to give it his all and really follow through, his legs went flying forward over his head. He busted his ass bigger than life. I think he hurt himself. Pat McAfee, who hosts that portion of the show had an understudy kicking for himself and the hurt guy. He raised it to $150,000 each. The kid who kicked has some spring in his leg. I was shocked. He was so wide left it made those famed Florida State misses look like they were worth 4 points.

Here’s where the story brings us back to reality.

Coach Curt Cignetti has been called Coach Cig. Towels like this one were placed on each seat in Memorial Stadium the night before the game. It must have looked wonderful. When the stadium opened it looked like this.

and this…

I call these growing pains.

I call this Indiana Hoosiers Football team a bunch led like they played for Henry David Thoreau. SIMPLIFY was one of Thoreau’s messages. Can you imagine a guy who lived in the 1840s and never saw a computer saying, “Our lives are frittered away by detail.” That was Thoreau. Everything is relative. Coach Cig simplifies things with his mantras.

“We believe that with the proper preparation, the commitment, and discipline, that there’s no self-imposed limitations to what we can accomplish. Day in, day out. Play in, play out.”

“We play that way: one play at a time, six seconds a play. Every play’s got a life and history of its own.”

Henry David Thoreau would smile. I know I do. Coach Cig knows when you take over a football program, the muscles that need to be strengthened first are the ones from the neck up. That is one of things I enjoy the most about this team. The humbly take care of business like they belong there. No dumb penalties. Players don’t act as though they are running for public office when they make a great play.

I was delighted to be there with my good friends Adam Disque, Andrew Evertts, and Russell Harrell. Yes, I had a blue shirt on. I was following press box etiquette. You don’t root for a team in the press box. Well, if you do you keep it to yourself. I do.

When I am in the press box, I keep a play tally from start to finish in my own writing and vernacular. The game for me started like this:

Well. Here we are. This is everything. The last time I was in a full Memorial Stadium crowd filled with IU fans, I was watching Anthony Thompson run the ball. This is surreal. Kirk Herbstreit was his OSU self. Desmond Howard was his Michigan Man self. They disrespected the Hoosiers again. Of course they did.

Kickoff taken by Washington. Returner was CLOCKED at the 18-yard line. First and 10 Huskies own 18. SACK! 2nd and 18. False Start! 2nd and 23. Completion for 15 yards. 3rd and 8. INCOMPLETE! 4 and OUT! Intentional grounding….4th and 17.

That set the tone for this game. That is the way good teams start games on defense. Yes, Indiana is that good. I don’t care what Kirk Herbstreit thinks.

Oh, I know full well the Hoosiers will have to win 2 National Championships in three years before an SEC fan will give them the time of day. That is the natural order of things. I doubt Paul Finebaum knows the Hoosiers are undefeated. But he will.

This picture was taken with less than 3 minutes left in the game. The stadium was still full.

This old English teacher’s favorite literary period was the New England Renaissance. I have walked around Walden Pond on five different occasions. What I felt in Bloomington Saturday was akin to walking around Walden Pond. It wasn’t overwhelming. It felt okay. I know truth when I see and feel it. This Indiana University Football team in nothing short of An American Football Renaissance. You don’t have to rank a team higher for them to keep winning. You just look foolish in the process. #13 last week and # 13 this week.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson

It is true. ESPN’s College Gameday has landed in Bloomington, Indiana during football season. I must be dreaming. Nope. It really is true.

Look, I don’t know how much of this I will see tomorrow. Sure, I will meander over that direction bright and early in the morning to take some pictures and try to realize this is really happening. The crowd for the show is allowed to gather as early as 6:30 in the morning.

If Gameday is in town, that means Lee Corso will be back in town. Coach Corso was the IU coach of my childhood. I saw him march up and down that sideline on the east side, where the Hoosiers’ bench was back then. How many of us remember that? Facing the press box is not bad for a coach working it. Also, the yard markers are on the side of the field opposite of the press box. This is a nice place to make a case about where the ref is spotting the ball.

This is the Coach Corso I remember.

The Holiday Bowl played on December 21, 1979. No, I did not have to look up the date. I remember it well.

Honestly, I am having a hard time processing what lays in wait for tomorrow. Then I start thinking about how well this Coach Cig IU Football team has played and I ask, “Why not? This is a very good football team. If they were wearing Michigan’s uniforms, they would be ranked no lower than 3rd. They are ranked 13 in the land. That number is only going lower.

Last week we had ten winners and four losers bringing the season total to 83 winners and 29 losers. Let’s see what gives this week.

Ohio State beats Nebraska… But not as badly as the Hoosiers whipped the corn boys.

Ole Miss beats Oklahoma… This is a home game the Rebs certainly need.

Indiana beats Washington… My first time to see the Huskies. Tayven Jackson will start at quarterback after Rourke hurt his thumb last week. Running back by committee. A host of receiving threats. A tenacious defense. Solid kicking and urgent teams. But the best thing about this team is that they don’t make mistakes and players don’t act like they are running for public office when they make a great play. This is solid, disciplined, hard-nosed football and it is being played in Bloomington, Indiana.

Arkansas beats Mississippi State… The Hogs have one coming and State is not very good at all.

Illinois beats Oregon… You know, I just don’t see the Ducks coming back after that crazy win over Ohio State with an even performance. Some games are too much.

Maryland beats Minnesota… I have already been called crazy for this one. I don’t see Goldy winning this one. In their last two games, Goldy and the boys beat both USC and UCLA. Maryland takes it.

Alabama beats Mizzou… The game is in T-Town. The Tide needs to win big. Or is a two-loss season just too much for the Tide and their fans to take?

Iowa beats Northwestern… There has been some rumbling about maybe this being the end of the run for The Big 10’s dean of coaches Kirk Ferentz. I hope Iowa takes this one.

Wake Forest beats Stanford… Imagine the boys from Winston-Salem going to Palo Alto to play a conference game. I know. I need to get over it. One day I might.

Texas beats Vanderbilt… Hope the Horn folk don’t start throwing water bottles onto the field at Vandy.

Miami beats Florida State… The only question is by how much?

Texas A&M beats LSU… A night game in College Station is intimidating too.

Michigan beats Michigan State… The Hoosiers next two opponents are these two.

Wisconsin beats Penn State… It is official. This season is like no other when I am rooting for Bucky. Anything to help the Hoosiers.

That’s it. When I get home tomorrow, I will try to find a way to write about what it will be like to see a sold-out Memorial Stadium that is not filled with Ohio State fans. The last time I remember that was watching AT. I never dreamed I would see something better. But this is going to be just that.

Speaking the rights…

Danny Johnson