Alabama football coach Nick Saban was among a handful of sports figures from West Virginia to sign a letter urging Sen. Joe Manchin to support the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act.
The letter, which was made public on Monday, also was signed by NBA Hall of Famer Jerry West, former West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck, former NFL All-Pro Darryl Talley and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
Manchin and Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema have thus far refused to support making a filibuster exception for the voting rights bill. Without the 60 votes to overcome the filibuster, proposed legislation can be kept off the Senate floor indefinitely.
Last week, Manchin released a statement reiterating his commitment to neither eliminate nor weaken the filibuster, the consequences of which, he said, would “only pour fuel onto the fire of political whiplash and dysfunction that is tearing this nation apart.”
The Freedom to Vote Act aims to expand voter registration and voting access, while limiting the removal of voters from voter rolls. It would also establish Election Day as a federal holiday.
“We strongly support urgently needed legislation that will protect both the rights of voters and the integrity of outcomes in all Federal elections,” the letter to Manchin said. “The Freedom to Vote Act, which you sponsored with Committee Chair Senator [Amy] Klobuchar and other colleagues, effectively addressed these goals. Now we also support your leadership in shaping legislation to secure our democracy by protecting election integrity, principled Presidential transitions and our national security during transitions.
“We come from some of our nation’s most popular sports leagues, conferences and teams. Some of us have roots and shaped our lives in West Virginia. Others followed very different paths and some of us have been rivals in sports or business. But we are all certain that democracy is best when voting is open to everyone on a level playing field; the referees are neutral; and at the end of the game the final score is respected and accepted.”
Saban, who was born in Fairmont, is a longtime friend and supporter of Manchin.
Saban has steered clear of making political stances for much of his career, telling reporters in 2020, “I’ve never endorsed a candidate, nor will I ever endorse a candidate or get involved in politics in any way, shape or form. I don’t think that’s my place.”
The letter to Manchin also said that election administration and the process of vote certification “must be nonpartisan, professional and transparent.”
“These principles are now under intentional and unprecedented challenge,” the letter said. “In the last year, some 20 states have enacted dozens of laws that restrict voting access and allow local officials or state legislatures to interfere inappropriately with Federal election outcomes. Motivated by the unanticipated outcomes of recent close elections conducted with integrity, these state laws seek to secure partisan advantage by eliminating reliable practices with proven safeguards and substituting practices ripe for manipulation.
“To complement your efforts to have the Senate enact balances and widely supported legislation, we will encourage others in sports, business and other endeavors to join with us in endorsing the concepts set forth in this letter.”
Alabama wide receivers Slade Bolden and John Metchie III will enter the NFL draft, while linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, defensive lineman DJ Dale, safeties DeMarcco Hellams and Jordan Battle and offensive guard Emil Ekiyor Jr. are returning to the team for their senior seasons.
Bolden, To’oTo’o, Dale and Hellams announced their intentions on social media on Friday. Sources told ESPN’s Chris Low of the decisions of Metchie, Battle and Ekiyor.
Metchie led the Tide with 96 catches this season for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns before tearing his ACL in the SEC championship game win over Georgia on Dec. 4. He is rated as Mel Kiper Jr.’s eighth-best draft eligible wide receiver.
Bolden was fourth on the team in receiving yards with 408 and had three receiving touchdowns. He and Metchie are part of a receiving corps that will lose at least four of its top five receivers.
Jameson Williams, who led the team with 1,572 yards, Metchie, Bolden and running back Brian Robinson Jr. are all off to the NFL.
To’oTo’o transferred to Alabama from Tennessee before the 2021 season. He was the No. 47 recruit in the 2019 class and signed with the Vols out of De La Salle High School in Concord, California.
“I loved my experience this past season, but things didn’t end how any of us wanted,” To’oTo’o said on social media. “We didn’t achieve our ultimate goal, and I can’t leave my brothers now knowing that we have unfinished business to attend to. Let’s get to work in 2022.”
He was second on the team at Tennessee in total tackles his freshman season with 72, along with five tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. He then led the team in tackles during the 2020 season, accounting for 76 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 2 quarterback hurries.
He made an immediate impact at Alabama, earning a starting linebacker position and tallied 112 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. He earned second-team All-SEC and is now returning to a linebacking unit that has some important players coming back, including Will Anderson Jr. and true freshman Dallas Turner.
Dale had 18 tackles, including four for a loss this past season. Hellams was third on Alabama’s team in tackles (87) and also had three interceptions. Battle was fourth in tackles this season with 84 and also had three interceptions.
Ekiyor, a redshirt junior, started every game at right guard this season.
That was a 67-yard run from Cook. On 1st 10, Bennett says he’ll take care of the ball himself, running for four yards. On 2nd & 6, a facemask call on the defense makes it 1st & goal at the Alabama 2. White runs in it and Georgia is in front! And the extra point is good!
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 3:02, 3rd quarter
Okay, I’m calling this a momentum shift. Cook goes off on first down for Georgia who takes it from the Georgia 20 all the way to the Alabama 13! It looked like he was about to give us the game’s first touchdown right then and there.
For the record, Georgia’s Jalen Carter is given credit for that huge block.
Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP)
17 plays, 7:45 off the clock. No points.
Grinder.
January 11, 2022
Blocked field goal!
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 3:23, 3rd quarter
This time around Georgia’s defense forces Robinson into a single-yard loss. The next pass, Young throws just a little too low for Brooks to scoop. 3rd & 11. Young throws and almost finds Hall for what would have been a massive play.
Okay, maybe I jinxed the Alabama offense. They have to settle for a field goal… and don’t even get that! The Bulldogs block it! Holy heck!
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 4:32, 3rd quarter
Robinson Jr. fights for his life to squeeze out three additional yards. He then finishes the job by picking up a new first down on the next play.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 5:33, 3rd quarter
You’ll never guess who gets the ball for the next carry and picks up six yards on first down. That’s Brian Robinson Jr.?
Alabama’s offense looks better this half. The commentators are crediting their offensive line and I’ll take their word for it.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 6:01, 3rd quarter
1st & 10. Young finds Holden for two yards then Robinson Jr. yet again for six. On 3rd and 2, a surprisingly open Robinson Jr. is able to make it to a first down before being tackled. He’s turning into the go-to guy this second half.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 7:26, 3rd quarter
Alabama calls Robinson Jr.’s number once again and he picks up eight yards. On 2nd & 2, Young completes a pass to Traeshon Holden for three yards and a new first down.
Young finds Holden and then Brooks to get to a 3rd & 3 situation. Young finds Trey Sanders who looks like he’s going to be short until he falls down for a first.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 10:22, 3rd quarter
Robinson Jr. picks up a yard! They’re at their 3-yard line.
He does better on the next play, breaking through the Georgia defense and hitting the 19-yard line before finally being halted.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 11:03, 3rd quarter
Camarda’s punt is downed at the Alabama 4. This might end up being a rare football game actually decided by the players’ feet.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 11:12, 3rd quarter
On 1st & 10, a back-to-work Bennet throws incomplete to Bowers. That will make it 2nd & 10. This time Bennett finds McIntosh who picks up a very difficult three yards. On 3rd & 7, Bennett throws incomplete and never mind that thing I said about that interception being a huge shift in this game because it’s all for naught.
Punting time again.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 12:05, 3rd quarter
Robinson Jr. picks up three yards. Oh, there’s a big play but it’s the wrong kind for Alabama! Young attempts to throw a bomb and it lands right in the hands of Georgia’s Christopher Smith at the Alabama 43. Huge, huge shift here.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 12:46, 3rd quarter
Bolden makes a fair catch of Camarda’s punt at the Alabama 7. That’s a lot of ground to make up on a day where big passing plays have been hard to come by.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 12:46, 3rd quarter
An intentional grounding call on Bennett crushes the Georgia drive before it even gets a chance to begin. Cook picks up 11 yards to reduce a 2nd & 19 to a 3rd & 8 but Bennett’s pass is incomplete.
We’re going punting again!
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 14:33, 3rd quarter
Georgia is starting at their own 25, where White picks up 11 yards on first down and then 18 yards on the next first down.
Start of the second half
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 15:00, 3rd quarter
And our second half starts with… a touchback. Par for the course.
The science teacher roommate has peaced-out, not entirely unreasonably given that first half, so it’s just you and me for this second half, which should be kicking off shortly.
Nevermind this is actually kind of a banger. I am a Swiftie and feel no pleasure in saying this.
We are now being subjected to the world premiere of a Katy Perry video for reasons that will forever remain a mystery to me.
Rory Murphy (@Rory_Tealeaf)
@HunterFelt between yesterday and tonight – finding it hard to justify the “college football is more exciting than NFL” argument right now tbh!
January 11, 2022
Last night was the first time as a US sports fan that I ever rooted for a tie in my life and you know what? It changed my life. Maybe it’s time I started to look into the other kind of football as well.
Halftime thoughts
Well, the game really turned on the Jameson Williams injury. He will be out for the entire game, which anyone watching pretty much could have been guessed the second the injury occurred in real time.
The other news has been the combination of offensive struggles/defensive excellence that has led this to be a showcase to the two kicking teams. One imagines that this will change in the second half, but who could have predicted that the first half would have been this free from fireworks?
Halftime!
And we have a 6-9 game where there hasn’t been a single touchdown. Just what one expected from the best two teams in college football, right?
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) runs the ball against Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr (31). Photograph: Mark J Rebilas/USA Today Sports
Updated
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, end of the first half.
Great punt there from Alabama, which is a weird thing to type. White picks up 4 yards as the clock continues to tick. White picks up another yard and it looks like Georgia is playing this conservatively. Alabama calls a timeout with 22 seconds left in the half.
When play resumes, it’s a 3rd & 5 situation. White manages to pick up a first down but there’s not much time left here to do anything and everybody just waits around until the end of the first half.
Given the score, that feels like an appropriate way to end the first two quarters of play.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 1:40, 2nd quarter
It’s a 3rd and 5 situation and it feels like a crucial one here as halftime looms. Young uncorks a rather great throw that Bolden nearly completes for a catch. Game of inches. Here comes the punt team again. Jackson makes a fair catch at the Georgia 10.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 1:45, 2nd quarter
Young throws to Agiye Hall who makes the catch and then smartly eludes the defense for a 24 yard gain that takes Alabama to the Georgia 43.
Given a fresh set of downs, Robinson Jr. picks up two yards. 2nd & 8. Young throws incomplete. Just like that, we get another third-down situation and… our first timeout of the game. This one’s courtesy of Georgia.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 2:39, 2nd quarter
After a touchback, Alabama starts at their own 25. Brian Robinson Jr. gets the ball first and he picks up three yards. 2nd & 7. Young throws incomplete. 3rd & 7. On the next play, an offsides penalty on Georgia turns it into a more manageable 3rd & 2 situation.
Georgia 6-9 Alabama, 3:09, 2nd quarter
Dallas Turner sacks Bennett for a four-yard loss. Just like that, 1st and 10 has become 2nd & 14.
Make that 3rd and 14 after Bennett’s next throw lands incomplete. Bennett finds Kearis Jackson for an eight-yard gain that at least gives Georgia a chance for (you’ll never believe this) a field goal attempt. Podlesny’s 49-yarder looks like it’s going to curve away but it manages to hit the uprights to cut the Alabama lead to three.
Georgia 3-9 Alabama, 5:11, 2nd quarter
Bennett throws incomplete to Adonai Mitchell on 1st & 10. 2nd & 10, Bennett finds Bowers, who drags several defensive players with him, until he can get six yards. 3rd & 4, Bennett finds Mitchell who picks up 11 yards. Georgia’s at the Alabama 34.
Georgia 3-9 Alabama, 6:23, 2nd quarter
Georgia has to feel good about its defense limiting Alabama to field goals, but it won’t matter if they can’t score themselves. Reichard’s kickoff isn’t great, it goes for 56 yards. They will start at their own 35. James Cook gets the first touch on this drive, picking up four yards.
On the next down, Bennett connects with McIntosh for ten yards which means, obviously, a first down. Solid start, this.
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) rolls out to throw during Monday’s game. Photograph: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports
Updated
Field goal! (Alabama)
Georgia 3-9 Alabama, 7:07, 2nd quarter
Robinson Jr gets it to the Georgia 6. Alabama is threatening for the game’s first touchdown… except Young throws incomplete and then gets sacked for a massive loss. 13 yards! Georgia holds Alabama to yet another field goal attempt. Reichard’s 37-yarder is good and Alabama at least pad their lead.
Georgia 3-6 Alabama, 8:49, 2nd quarter
Slade Bolden catches, fumbles and returns the resulting punt. Alabama start at their own 26. Young finds Ja’Corey Brooks for a five-yard gain. On the next play, Young finds Cameron Latu who just goes off and very nearly takes it all the way to the end zone before being brought down at the Georgia 8.
Georgia 3-6 Alabama, 10:36, 2nd quarter
After a false start penalty, Bennett throws incomplete to Pickens in a 1st & 15 situation. Bennett throws complete to the wonderfully named Ladd McConkey for a three-yard gain. Bennett finds Cook, who gets 3 yards on 3rd down. Georgia, however, needed 12. Punt time, again.
Georgia 3-6 Alabama, 11:12, 2nd quarter
A penalty takes back yards on what would otherwise have been a huge return from Georgia, a 30-yard run from McIntosh. They will instead start at their own 20.
Georgia 3-6 Alabama, 11:46, 2nd quarter
It’s hard to concentrate on the game after seeing something like that. Young finds Bolden for nine yards. Young throws incomplete on the next play. 3rd & 1.
Nope, false start on Alabama and that’s a five-yard penalty. 3rd & 6. Young finds Bolden, but not for enough yards to get that first down. So, it’s time for another field goal. Reichard’s 45-yard attempt is good and Alabama takes the lead.
Please please do not show that injury replay again, ESPN.
They do, but at least it’s not a close-up.
Georgia 3-3 Alabama, 12:28, 2nd quarter
Camarda’s kickoff puts them at their own 25. Jameson Williams makes a huge first down catch on the 35 but immediately goes down on his own with a leg injury before being brought down. My science teacher roommate caught it on replay and her diagnosis is not great. Injury time-out, obviously.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is the Associated Press College Football Player of the Year, giving the Crimson Tide their second consecutive winner.
Young received 42 of 53 first-place votes from AP Top 25 voters and 137 points to easily finish ahead of Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (four first-place votes, 67 points) for the AP Player of the Year.
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett was third, Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. was fourth and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was fifth.
Young, Hutchinson, Pickett and Stroud are the finalists for the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented Saturday in New York.
A sophomore and first-year starter, Young passed for 4,322 yards and 43 touchdowns, leading the top-ranked Tide to the Southeastern Conference championship and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The Tide will face No. 4 Cincinnati on Dec. 31 at the Cotton Bowl.
Young said he felt well prepared for the challenge of leading a program that has set the standard in college football for more than a decade, but nothing speaks louder than performance.
“Settling in and getting to play in different environments, getting to be put in situations, naturally, makes you more comfortable as leaders,” Young told the AP. “It’s always about what you do in offseason, how you carry yourself, but any time you’re able to produce in big moments and you’re able to demonstrate a lot, that’s always a big part, as well. Because leadership is a lot about action.”
Young capped his season with an SEC championship game-record 421 yards passing against Georgia last week.
Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith became the first Alabama player to win AP Player of the Year in 2020. Young is the 18th quarterback to win the award since it was established in 1998.
Young, a Southern California native and former five-star recruit, said the high expectations are what drew him to Alabama and help motivate him.
“You want to live up to the pressure and to the hype of it all,” he said.
It’s time to reset the clock on days without a glitch being discovered in Battlefield 2042. The latest glitch found in the first-person shooter allows players to use the in-game menus to cancel the effects of smoke grenades.
Read More: DICE Forgot About Building Collision In Battlefield 2042
As noted by GamesRadar, a redditor named Jagsfootball51 posted a video on the r//battlefield2042 subreddit where they were able to negate the effects of a bot’s smoke grenade by simply opening the Collections tab in the game’s menu. This redditor isn’t a stand user from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but they might as well have been King Crimson to those unsuspecting bots because their grenades were useless against the power of the game’s menus.
Read More:On Steam, Farming Simulator 22 Has More Active Players Than Battlefield 2042
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This glitch comes hot on the heels of other glitchy discoveries in Battlefield 2042. Since releasing on November 19, the gamehasn’t caught a break. Halo Infinite’s surprise release of its multiplayer mode certainly hasn’t helped 2042‘s staying power with players, and it’s currently the worst-reviewed game on Steam. In fact, there’s a long list of bugs on Resetera if bullet points don’t give you trypophobia. Kotaku previously reported on one glitch that allowed players to utilize the hollow centers of skyscrapers as hideyholes for their helicopters because DICE had apparently forgotten to add collision to them.
Although the developer plans to update the game across all platforms in December, one can’t help but feel like DICE should have left Battlefield 2042 in the game development oven a little longer to work out all these kinks rather than throwing on some seasoning in the form a post-launch update served on a cold plate to absent-minded gamers who may be eyeing what other games are being released this holiday season. Sorry, I still have Thanksgiving on the brain.
The next Magic: The Gathering set, Crimson Vow, is launching on MTG Arena on November 11 in the U.S. (Nov 12 in ANZ), with the physical edition available in game stores globally on November 19 (with prerelease on Nov 12). It takes players back to the gothic horror-infused setting of Innistrad. Where the last set, Midnight Hunt – which also took place on this plane – was themed around Werewolves, and introduced a cool day/night system, Crimson Vow has Vampires as its central focus, including a number of cards inspired by the one and only Dracula.
Of course, that’s all well and good, but classic horror is more than just Werewolves and Vampires, and today we have a new card to reveal that will help elevate one of the other monstrous creature types that was present in Midnight Hunt and is now being expanded upon for Crimson Vow – Zombies. That card is Necroduality:
Necroduality’s regular frame and borderless frame.
Anyone who has dabbled with the many variations of Dimir (blue/black) Zombies decks (such as this one) over the last couple of months would know that Zombies already have the potential to really snowball, and this enchantment represents a great way to double down on that, or to help swing the board back later in a game.
Have you played Magic: The Gathering?
“Necroduality is one of my favorite types of cards in Magic,” Product Architect Mike Turian told me. “A card that you pick up and once you read it, the card makes you go back and reevaluate a whole class of cards to find the perfect ones to best take advantage of. In this case, with Necroduality creating a copy of each nontoken Zombie that enters the battlefield under your control, this changes the impact of every Zombie creature, reanimation spell, and cards that alter creature types in Magic. That is a lot of awesome cards to combo Necroduality with! Crimson Vow has a nice number of Zombie creatures that immediately get better. When you consider that many of the Zombies have Exploit and other powerful sacrifice effects, Necroduality will provide good fodder of creatures and powerful combos! I don’t want to spoil all of the fun our players are going to have but I bet they will be starting their own zombie apocalypse in no time!”
Good corpse, bad corpse.
I also asked Mike about how the team approached the task of following on from Midnight Hunt while also standing apart. “Midnight Hunt was such a great set and our players loved coming back to Innistrad,” he said. “We knew that the fan favorite plane of Innistrad was going to be a hit once again so with Crimson Vow, we were looking to bring in pieces of Midnight Hunt while also innovating and making Crimson Vow its own set. The switch of focus from Werewolves towards Vampires is one way that we were able to both continue what was awesome about Midnight Hunt while giving Crimson Vow space.
“Another way we set the sets apart is by introducing some new gameplay mechanics that weren’t available in Midnight Hunt. For instance, Cleave opens up brand new space in how you think about casting a spell. The introduction of Blood tokens for Vampires to feast upon let us have Vampires do something completely new and different as well!” You can read all about those new mechanics here. And you can see the cards that have been revealed so far here.
Crimson Vow is shaping up to be a fun return visit to Innistrad, so be sure to see what this Vampire-filled collection of cards have to offer on the official website.
Cam Shea has worked at IGN since the before times, has played more Breath of the Wild than just about any other game and writes about CCGs regularly. He’s not really on Twitter.
Last week, the sport’s leadership met to discuss the merits of expanding the College Football Playoff. It amounted to nothing. On Saturday, Alabama and Georgia offered a convincing counterargument. Perhaps we should just end the 2021 season after the SEC championship game.
For all the September buzz about chaos and parity in 2021, college football emerged from Week 5 with a clear line of demarcation. There is Alabama. There is Georgia. Everyone else amounts to little more than fries and a Coke, complementary pieces to complete your combo meal.
There was more chaos further down the pecking order. Five top-12 teams lost — Oregon, Arkansas, Florida, Notre Dame and Ole Miss — while upstarts like Michigan State, Michigan and Oklahoma State kept plugging along. Ohio State got its confidence builder against Rutgers. Clemson escaped another embarrassment, but the Tigers’ offensive woes remain. But it was all window dressing to the two heavyweights at the top.
In Tuscaloosa, Lane Kiffin previewed the competition by telling fans to get their popcorn ready. Not since “Tenet” has such a request been followed by such a baffling performance. A year after Ole Miss hung 48 on Alabama, Kiffin’s offense flubbed fourth-down tries on three of its first four drives, all but handing the game to Alabama, as Bryce Young and the Tide took advantage of the good field position to build a 35-0 lead, ultimately winning 42-21.
“Get your popcorn ready.” – Lane Kiffin 🍿 pic.twitter.com/ZDdr60cjuj
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 2, 2021
In Athens, Stetson Bennett IV slipped out of his smoking jacket and monocle (which we assume is standard attire for anyone named Stetson Bennett IV) and stepped into the starting lineup for the Bulldogs. The injury to JT Daniels might have been a serious blow in a top-10 matchup against Arkansas, but on Saturday, the Dawgs hardly needed a quarterback at all. Georgia ran the ball 56 times, devouring Arkansas’ 3-2-6 defense, while its own front held the Hogs to a woeful 162 yards of offense.
Afterward, Kirby Smart summed up college football’s power structure perfectly.
“Either you’re elite or you’re not,” Smart said, obviously unaware of Joe Flacco’s existence. “There’s no gray area.”
Alabama left no gray area. For the past five years, Nick Saban’s Tide teams have been defined, at least in part, by Kiffin’s influence — up-tempo offenses, tons of points and an aerial assault. But on Saturday, Saban swaggered out of the wine cellar at Bryant-Denny with a vintage varietal, an old-school performance of power run game and dominant defense. Saban ran his record against former assistants to 24-0, but this was more than just proving he was still the master. He had to show the world he didn’t need a single drop of ink that Kiffin had added to the playbook to do it. He delivered a knockout blow with one hand tied behind his back, just to say he could do it.
Georgia, too, went old school. Leaning on the run game came by necessity, but it was nevertheless impressive. The same Arkansas defense that shut down Texas star Bijan Robinson last month gave up three rushing TDs to the Bulldogs, while four different Georgia backs tallied at least 10 carries and 48 yards. Meanwhile, the defense is verging on historic. UGA has now faced two teams ranked in the top 10 and allowed a grand total of three points. In three SEC games, the Georgia defense has surrendered just one touchdown — a garbage-time score by South Carolina. It’s the only time any opposing offense has found the end zone against Georgia in five games. Georgia’s last national championship came after QB Buck Belue completed just a single pass. It’s possible that game plan could work for these Bulldogs, too.
There will be two other teams in the College Football Playoff, of course. Perhaps Cincinnati will be one of them. The Bearcats got a long-awaited signature win, beating No. 9 Notre Dame in South Bend for a win that might finally convince the committee that the Group of Five can produce a great team. Perhaps Penn State will run the table, or Ohio State will rebound to win the Big Ten, or Oklahoma, despite yet another narrow win over an unranked opponent, will find its form.
It’s true, too, that championships aren’t handed out in October. (Or, for that matter, September. Sorry, Pac-12.) There’s still time for things to change, for the power dynamic to be tipped once more, for another genuine challenger to emerge. It was, after all, just two weeks ago that we wondered aloud if Alabama had been exposed by Florida — foolish as that seems now.
But the scariest thing about Saturday for the rest of the college football world was that it hardly seemed like the ceiling for Alabama and Georgia. They played dominant football, while seemingly having more in the tank.
Indeed, you’re either elite or you’re not. And right now, that’s a particularly exclusive club with membership offers to just two teams. Heck, Stetson Bennett’s already got the smoking jacket.
If Alabama and Georgia are clearly the best teams in the country, there’s still some real debate about who’s next in the pecking order. After Week 5, there are 15 remaining undefeated teams. We sorted them into tiers behind the Dawgs and Tide.
Tier 2: Like a “Fast and Furious” movie, just try to enjoy them without overthinking it
Cincinnati, Oklahoma and Penn State
Want to nitpick? There’s ample room.
Certainly, the committee will look for any flaws it can find for Cincinnati, but with Saturday’s 24-13 win at Notre Dame, the Bearcats finally have enough to push back.
At Oklahoma, the fans are booing the starting QB, which is typically not ideal for a playoff contender. Spencer Rattler played relatively well Saturday (completing 22 of 25 throws), but it was another close call for the Sooners. Style points aren’t part of the playoff formula, but it’s also worth mentioning that no team has ever made the College Football Playoff with more than four one-possession games against unranked foes. All four of Oklahoma’s FBS wins this season have come by a TD or less.
Then there’s Penn State, which has three wins — at Wisconsin, vs. Auburn and Saturday vs. Indiana — that looked a lot better on paper in August than they look in the standings now.
Tier 3: “You’ll get nothing and like it”
Michigan, Iowa and Kentucky
The Wolverines picked up another win Saturday, 38-17, over Wisconsin. Was that impressive? Well, the Badgers’ offense is basically the same as watching paint dry. In fact, that about sums up the entirety of Michigan’s opposition this year, which also includes NIU, Rutgers and Washington, all woefully incompetent with the football. But Michigan did throw three TD passes Saturday — two more than it had managed in the past three games combined — so perhaps there’s some real upside. At the very least, every time Michigan scores, Jim Harbaugh celebrates like he’s in one of those “Don’t be like your parents” commercials, and it’s just delightful.
The Hawkeyes’ defense has 16 takeaways in five games. The Hawkeyes’ offense often includes 11 players. Is that a formula for a Big Ten title? We’ll find out a lot more against Penn State next week.
Kentucky was out-gained by 158 yards Saturday. The Wildcats managed just 13 first downs. They completed seven passes. But hey, they won, thanks to 15 Florida penalties and a blocked field goal that was returned for a TD. QB Will Levis has made headlines throughout this run by noting that he eats bananas with the peel on and puts mayo in his coffee, and if Kentucky’s run goes on much longer, he’s liable to do something truly disgusting like eating Skyline chili.
You’re right to want more from these teams. On offense, they range between bad and dumpster fire. And yet, here we are. No one’s going to enjoy the ride, but we’re on board anyway.
Tier 4: The Bracket Busters
Coastal Carolina and BYU
Can these two teams just play a random game they scheduled three days earlier again this year? Please, college football. Make this an annual thing.
Tier 5: The “Ted Lasso” teams that everyone keeps telling you are actually pretty good but you just haven’t found the time to actually watch
Michigan State, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State
Is there a real contender in this bunch? Wake escaped with a dramatic 37-34 win over Louisville on Saturday, and its schedule sets up nicely for a strong run into November. With Clemson reeling offensively, anything seems possible in the ACC. Meanwhile, Michigan State appears destined for a battle of undefeated teams against Michigan on Oct. 30. Oklahoma State could have easily lost its first three, but Mike Gundy only listens to the news he likes, so the Cowboys might just be the best team in the country.
Tier 6a: Admit it. You forgot about UTSA, right?
UTSA
Meep, meep. The Roadrunners are 5-0 and about to drop an anvil on Western Kentucky’s head next week.
Tier 6b: There’s no way you remembered that Wyoming was undefeated
Wyoming
The Cowboys beat Montana State by three and UConn by two. If there’s such a thing as moral victories, those were both moral losses.
So long, Pac-12
Oregon was up seven with 2:21 to play and had a first down deep in Stanford territory. What could go wrong? Well, it’s the Pac-12, so it’s best never to ask that question. The Ducks ended up punting from the Stanford 43, allowed the Cardinal to drive the length of the field, got flagged for defensive holding as time expired, then served up the game-tying TD before losing in overtime. If college football fans in the Pac-12 were still capable of feeling, it would’ve been a gut punch. Instead, it marks the second time in three years the Pac-12 is without an undefeated team after five weeks — something the other Power 5 leagues have done just once in the playoff era, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
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Stanford scores a game-tying touchdown on the final play of regulation and then wins it in overtime to upset No. 3 Oregon.
Clemson wins ugly
Clemson’s offensive problems didn’t find many solutions on Saturday, but the Tigers still managed to come away with a win, 19-13 against Boston College.
“It wasn’t beautiful,” Dabo Swinney said afterward, “but we needed a win.”
Clemson moved to 3-2, but the Tigers have yet to crack 20 points against an FBS opponent. On Saturday, they managed 438 yards of offense, which did mark a significant step forward after failing to crack 300 in any of their prior three FBS games. They finished just 3 of 15 on third and fourth down. QB D.J. Uiagalelei didn’t throw a TD. They endured myriad injuries, too, including starters Will Putnam, Braden Galloway and Justyn Ross. Swinney said afterward that Ross suffered a head injury, but isn’t likely out long-term.
Afterward, Swinney called the game “momentum going into an off week,” which might be a nice way of saying the Tigers survived long enough to get an extra week off before running into another brick wall.
How bad have things been?
Since Swinney became the full-time coach in 2009, Clemson has never scored fewer than 96 points in regulation through its first four FBS games. This year, the Tigers have managed 50.
Auburn rallies behind Nix
Matt Damon in “Rounders”: “Some people, pros even, won’t play No-Limit. They can’t handle the swings.”
Auburn fans during the Bo Nix era: “Hold our beer.”
A week ago, Nix was benched as the Tigers narrowly escaped Georgia State. This week, Nix racked up 329 yards of offense, threw a TD, ran for another and engineered a fourth-quarter comeback to beat LSU in Death Valley.
The Bo Nix Experience has taken years off the lives of Auburn fans, but Saturday’s performance was a reminder of just how good the junior QB can be when things go right. Replaced by T.J. Finley for a series early in the game, Nix returned in the second quarter to lead Auburn’s first TD drive and never sat again. Trailing 19-17 with 6:57 to play, Nix led an 11-play drive that included an 11-yard run, a 10-yard completion and a critical conversion on third-and-three at the LSU 15.
Next up is Georgia, and given his history, Nix will either pull off a miracle or accidentally set the locker room on fire while trying to make a panini.
Heisman Five
As much as Alabama-Ole Miss figured to be a showdown between Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin and a battle for the SEC West, it was also a matchup of the top two contenders for this year’s Heisman. When it was over, there was only one contender remaining. This is now Bryce Young’s award to lose.
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
Young didn’t pad his stats any, but a few short fields and 33 handoffs to Brian Robinson made for a box score — 241 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT — that was more than enough to win and pull away from the rest of the competition in the early Heisman race. While Young’s overall stats certainly compare nicely with his predecessors — Mac Jones, Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts — what’s perhaps more impressive is how cool and confident he looks even in the most pressure-packed situations.
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Alabama takes the lead over Ole Miss as Bryce Young throws a heater to John Metchie III in the end zone.
2. Ole Miss QB Matt Corral
Corral didn’t make any critical mistakes, and if, perhaps, Ole Miss had converted a couple of those fourth-down tries, things might have turned out differently, but the result was still emphatic. Alabama’s defense was terrific, and Corral managed just a garbage time TD pass on the biggest stage he’ll see this season.
3. Texas RB Bijan Robinson
If some of the initial buzz died down after the loss to Arkansas, Robinson reignited the Heisman hype with 216 yards and two scores in a 32-27 win over TCU. It’s Robinson’s fourth 100-yard effort in five games, and he’s quickly established himself as a true bell cow in the Texas backfield. He’ll be the centerpiece for Texas in the Red River game against Oklahoma next week, meaning Robinson will have a chance to make a real push toward upping his Heisman odds.
4. Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder
It wasn’t the sexiest line in a box score Saturday, but Ridder made a number of big throws when Cincinnati needed them most against Notre Dame, including a 36-yard completion to Leonard Taylor that set up a Ridder TD run that all but sealed the Bearcats’ first-ever win over a top-10 team. Overall, Ridder threw for 297 yards and two TDs, ran for 26 more with a TD and put the Bearcats squarely in the middle of the Playoff conversation.
5. Pitt QB Kenny Pickett
Each week, we use the No. 5 spot to highlight a guy who isn’t likely to get national consideration but deserves a bit of the spotlight. Pickett might bridge that gap if he keeps up his recent pace. He threw four touchdowns in a rout of Georgia Tech, adding 410 yards of offense. The Pitt QB, now in (we’re pretty sure) his 12th season, has tossed 15 TD passes in his past three games — two more than he’d ever thrown in a full season, breaking Dan Marino’s school record for TD passes in a three-game stretch.
Under-the-radar game of the week
In 1964, Justice Potter Stewart delivered the lasting definition of obscenity: “I know it when I see it.” This was in the case of Jacobellis v. Ohio, but it might’ve been more appropriate for UConn vs. Vanderbilt. The Huskies last beat an FBS team in 2019. Vandy last scored during the Taft administration. Forcing others to watch this game was barred by the Geneva Convention.
And yet, this game had real drama. Vandy was up 27-16 midway through the fourth quarter, coughed up successive scoring drives to the Huskies, then drove 47 yards in 1:07 to set up a game-winning field-goal attempt. Of course, UConn head coach Lou Spanos then used three straight timeouts to ice the kicker because no one wanted to see this game end, and also because former coach Randy Edsall gets $1 for every unused timeout (It’s in his contract.). But, in the end, Vandy kicker Joseph Bulovas booted the 31-yarder for the win. And if you enjoyed all of that, well, we’ve got good news for you. Next week, UConn gets UMass. Some people just want to watch the world burn.
Under-the-radar play of the week
Check out this Purdue cheerleader doing her impression of the Boilermakers’ performance vs. Minnesota.
This is INCREDIBLE 😂 pic.twitter.com/SQd41ZPBvN
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 2, 2021
Year 6 is the first full year of Rainbow Six Siege’s revamped annual content plan, and as advertised it’s loaded with quality of life changes and core feature overhauls. There are four new operators, some map reworks, and plenty of events promised in the official roadmap – just enough new toys to keep things feeling fresh from season to season – but what’s missing from that roadmap is Ubisoft’s plan to fundamentally change the way each round plays out.
During the Year 6 reveal Ubisoft announced its intention to reduce the amount of downtime in matches of Rainbow Six Siege by giving the attackers more to do during the preparation phase, and allowing eliminated players to contribute directly to the outcome of a round. Additionally, Year 6 will feature reworks to Mira, Maestro, and Goyo, make health and armour more transparent, and generally rebalance the game so that attacking feels just as viable as defending.
Join us as we recap every announcement from the Crimson Heist and Year 6 reveal.
We’ll kick off by going through the headline changes coming with Operation Crimson Heist release date, from Flores to the Gonne-6 secondary, and then move onto the Year 6 roadmap and some of the gameplay changes Ubisoft is cooking up.
Flores
Year 6’s first season, Operation Crimson Heist, introduces Argentinian attacker Flores, a medium speed attacker with four special drones that come loaded with explosives. Flores gets ten seconds to steer each RCE-Ratero drone into position. Afterwards the drone anchors to its location, becomes bulletproof, and explodes after a couple more seconds. Each explosion appears to have a blast radius similar to that of a nitro cell, but defenders get plenty of warning to vacate the area thanks to an audible siren that rings out when the drone anchors.
Flores can manually trigger the anchoring phase of each drone at any point during the countdown, and if you activate this mid-air the drone will anchor the next surface it touches. This allows you to ‘cook’ the drone a little if you drop it from a height, giving defenders less time to react. Ultimately the drones are useful for opening hatches and destroying gadgets like shields and Maestro cams than killing enemies.
Flores can pick either the AR33 or the SR-25 as his primary weapons, but can only bring the GSh-18 as his sidearm. Finally his choice of secondary gadgets is between stun grenades and a claymore.
Border rework
Flores arrives alongside a rework to the popular map Border, which was recently removed from competitive play as it had grown stale. The rework is similar in scale to the Club House rework and maintains the identity of the map, its key sites, and flow.
So, what’s new? Bathroom and Tellers is now a viable objective with a massively expanded Bathroom and less scope for vertical play. Waiting Room now has an interior balcony that connects Break Room to East Stairs. Archive has been opened up, making it much easier to defend against an North Balcony and Vehicle take. There are many more small revisions, but it’s also worth noting that the map is now much tidier with less debris and clutter obscuring lines of sight – hopefully this means no dying to bizarre pixel peeks.
Gonne-6 and match replay
Y6S1 also adds a new secondary weapon for attackers called the Gonne-6, which is a single-shot weapon that can destroy defender gadgets, and the anticipated match replay system for PC players. Ubisoft says it’s not available for console players just yet as it’s still in beta.
Year 6 operators and maps
While much less is known about the remainder of Year 6, we do know that the second season’s operator is from Nakoda, an indigenous people of the Great Plains. This operator is accompanied by a casual-focused Favela rework. In the third season we get a Croatian operator and three smaller map buffs instead of a large-scale rework. Finally, Siege gets an Irish operator in the fourth season, as well as a rework to Outback.
Operator reworks
Operator reworks are also promised, and they all target utility-based defenders. Goyo is losing his exploding shields. These will be replaced by a similar explosive device that can be mounted on the floor or against walls much like Jäger’s ADS. Like the previous design, these also have a metal casing that gives them roughly 270 degrees of protection.
Related: Here are the best Rainbow Six Siege operators
Mira and Maestro are both getting reworks that affect their ability to provide intel. The plan is that attackers who are able to melee these devices will shatter the glass, obscuring vision for the defenders – Mira and Maestro would then be forced to open their respective gadgets to make them useful again or simply forfeit the utility. Melusi’s gadget is also being nerfed. When you trigger a Banshee it will open up and you will be able to shoot and destroy it.
Few details were provided, but the panel also mentions reworks for Fuze and Finka. Fuze’s gadget will become more useful and Finka will be able to revive herself with a Nanoboost.
Bulletproof cam rework
Bulletproof cams will now have full rotation and an EMP dart that they can fire to disable attacker gadget and drones. An early version should be available in the Y6S2 test server.
Reduce downtime
One of the key goals for Year 6 is to reduce downtime and Ubisoft aims to achieve this through two changes. The first, called ‘attacker repick’, will allow anyone on the attacking team to switch their operator and loadout during the preparation phase so that they can react to the defending team’s setup.
The second, called ‘activities after death’, allows players to use any remote-controlled utility after being eliminated. It’s not clear if there are any limitations, but the basic idea is that a dead defender like Castle can hop on Maestro’s cam and start tasering an attacker. For an attacker, this would mean piloting your own drone around the map if you’ve been eliminated and have a spare drone still deployed.
Armour and health
To aid with transparency, the armour system is also being tweaked slightly so that you can clearly tell how much extra health your armour stat is giving you. A one-armour operator still has 100 health, but a two-armour has 120 health and a three-armour has 140 health. This doesn’t change anything in terms of how many shots you can take, but it does make the difference between low and high armour more transparent for players.
Reputation system
The final major update is the full arrival of the player behaviour system that’s been working in the background for a few months now, albeit in a limited capacity. Ubisoft doesn’t get into specifics about what actions affect your ranking, but there are five levels to the reputation system and players are able to move up and down the levels based on their actions. At Level 0 there will be messaging and warnings about the player’s actions, and there may be repercussions such as not being able to queue for ranked matches. On the positive end of the scale, at Level 3 and 4, there will be rewards for players, although we don’t know what those rewards will be.
Streamer mode and menu overhaul
A streamer mode is arriving on the test server in Y6S1. This mode hides the player’s region, name, clearance level, profile picture, and other players in their lobby. This mode also adds a matchmaking delay to prevent queue sniping.
The UI and presentation of Rainbow Six Siege is also being overhauled, which promises to make the game’s menus faster to navigate and simpler. Matchmaking, ranked, and the newcomer experience also came up during the panel, but Ubisoft didn’t provide any real detail on how it plans to change these parts of Siege.
Battle pass
Year 6 also kills off the annual pass, folding each season’s new operator into the seasonal battle pass at no additional cost. There is an odd catch, which is that the exclusivity window for accessing new operators is being extended, so if you don’t purchase the new battle pass you will have to wait two weeks before being able to purchase the operator with R6 Credits or Renown.
Skins and crossovers
Lastly, there are a bunch of changes to how skins work in the game. Elite skins will soon feature some customisation so you can mix pieces of an Elite skin with other skins you like, including the MVP animation and gadget skin. Some new partnered skins will feature in Year 6, too, including a Zofia skin inspired by Resident Evil’s Jill Valentine and what appears to be a Rick & Morty collaboration. A new Elite Skin for Kali is also coming with Y6S1. Lastly, Queen of E3 2019 Ikumi Nakamura is working on some cosmetics for Year 6, which is unexpected, but very really cool.
Siege board game???
Ubisoft snuck this in right at the end, but yep, there’s a Rainbow Six Siege board game in the works from Mythic Games, and it’s out this Summer.
Keep an eye out on the site for more Rainbow Six Siege news in the coming days as we chat to the team at Ubisoft about the future of the game.
Bungie is making a number of changes to Destiny 2 starting in its upcoming season, adjusting how content will be dished out and how you’ll earn rewards when you log in. Starting in the next content season, Bungie is doing away with its weekly bounty system that requires players to sign in and complete certain objectives within a week in order to gain certain rewards, including premium currency.
The latest This Week At Bungie blog runs down how Destiny 2 will change starting with the next content season, which kicks off on February 9. Currently, players can log in each week and pick up weekly bounties from various in-game vendors, which reward experience points and Bright Dust, one of Destiny 2’s premium currencies, upon completion. You only have a week to knock out those bounties once you have them, and if you want to maximize both your XP gains (which controls your climb to rewards on Destiny 2’s season pass) and your Bright Dust gains, you need to play every week.
Bungie is changing out that system for a new one called Seasonal Challenges. New challenges unlock each week through the first 10 weeks of a new season, giving players objectives to chase across a variety of activities. Instead of expiring each week, however, the challenges pile up and last until the end of the season, so you can skip a week or two (or more) and still come back to the game and earn your rewards.
We previously heard about how Bungie is changing its seasonal activities this year to reduce “FOMO,” or fear of missing out, among players who might leave the game and come back after long stretches. In the last two years, Destiny 2’s seasonal model added new activities to the game every few months, but those activities would only persist in the game until the next season started. That ends this year, when new events will kick off with every new season, but they won’t be removed from the game when a new season ends–at least, not until the next expansion is released in November.
The reward changes for seasons are also aimed at combatting FOMO and making it easier for players who aren’t able to log in each week. Bungie also said the seasonal challenge model is meant to give players who only have one character in Destiny 2 equal footing as those who have three. Seasonal challenges cover all characters on an account, so you won’t need to log in with each of three characters every week to complete the same bounties to earn full rewards.
While seasonal challenges will persist throughout a season and some will continue to be available as long as their corresponding seasonal activities are still in the game, you’ll still have to claim your challenges before the end of a given content season. So you won’t be able to get experience or Bright Dust from challenges from the previous season once a new one starts.
While seasonal activities will hang around long-term, there’s at least one thing that won’t be back this year; that’s Crimson Days, Destiny 2’s Valentine’s Day holiday event. The event usually features a special Doubles Crucible mode, in which teams made up of two players take each other on, as well as some Valentine’s-themed rewards. Bungie wrote that the quality of Crimson Days hasn’t been up to its standards in recent years, and so the holiday event is going into its “Content Vault” for the time being.
