The College Football Playoff's final four teams in the field, the Indiana Hoosiers, Oregon Ducks, Miami Hurricanes, and Ole Miss Rebels, are a hit with the CFB-viewing public. Variety is the spice of life, and the sport's observers are thrilled they get to observe programs that have been on the doorstep but are finally breaking through.
If these teams make people happy, it's clear that the teams they beat would've been disappointing for the sport's sickos and die-hards. I.e., the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, and Ohio State Buckeyes.
Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken called those three out by name and essentially told them not to let the door hit them on the way out. Wolken was also in awe of how "cool" it is that the next champion will be the Hoosiers, Ducks, Hurricanes, or Rebels.
"One of Indiana, Oregon, Ole Miss or Miami is going to win the College Football Playoff national title," Wolken prefaced before asking, "Can we pause for moment and celebrate how impossible that would have seemed a mere three years ago and how cool it is now?
"Meanwhile? Goodbye Georgia. See ya, Ohio State. Best of luck in your future endeavors, Alabama."
Alabama and Georgia will become the underdogs again someday
Ohio State has Les Wexner's network's money that will keep the Buckeyes relevant well into the future. OSU was one of the original primetime players in the rev-share era rat race. They'll be okay for as long as this sport exists. Their alumni base has the capital and the desire to see their football team win big.
Georgia will be fine as long as Kirby Smart is around. Smart reels in local recruits and sells them on a long-term NFL future. His recent results speak for themselves in the draft.
Alabama, though? The Tide are already seeing in the Kalen DeBoer era that the right guy needs to be in that seat.
Once Smart leaves, and the Nick Saban glow of yesteryear fully fades away because of tepid passion from repeated disappointment, Alabama and UGA will be underdogs going up against the rich teams from Texas, the Midwest, and the West Coast.
The big bad Tide and Dawgs will be just like the rest of the Deep South: trying to catch up to big money across the country.