Saturday's News and Notes by Rudy Martzke (Dec 4 edition)

 

Best stat: Sean McDonough told viewers that Baylor's defense has forced a turnover in 21 straight games. 

Best stat: ESPN's Kevin Neghandi noted Alabama has won 15 straight games in Atlanta. 

Strongest comment: ESPN's Jason Benetti, on a penalty call, "If you are going to let it play out, you have to let the players play it out."

Funniest line by Jason Benetti: Jason Benetti, on Kent State Head Coach Sean Lewis, "He looks a little like Coach Beard from Ted Lasso with an extra beard."

Best exchange: ESPN's Andre Ware, on a phantom pass interference call, "Where is the interference? Where in the world is the interference?" Benetti quips, "If I find it, I will tell you."

Strongest comment: ESPN's Todd Blackledge, on a penalty call on Baylor, "What a bailout penalty. That is a penalty that Baylor has them back up behind the sticks by 10 yards and now gets an automatic 1st Down." 

Most obvious observation: ESPN's Sean McDonough, "They're (Oklahoma State) getting it 10 yards at a time- from the 10, to the 20, to the 30, to the 40." 

Best line: CBS Sports Gary Danielson, on a Bryce Young flip pass, "Even Doug Flutie would say that's a good pass." 

Best analysis: CBS Sports Gary Danielson noted that an Alabama TD wasn't an intended run. It was a designed play for WR Christian Leary for a wheel route.

Worst Timing Award: ESPN's Joe Tessitore told viewers that place-kicking has been "the only thing that's been a concern" for Cincinnati. The Bearcats then missed a 23-yard attempt vs. Houston.

Best production: ESPN's Pylon Cam, during the Big 12 Championship, showed a perfect angle of Running Back Dezmon Jackson leaping for the end zone before falling inches short of scoring. 

Best line: CBS Sports Brian Jones, during Halftime of the SEC Championship on Bryce Young's play, "Folks, you can forget about the Heisman voting. It's been settled in the First Half of the Alabama/Georgia game." 

Top analysis: ESPN's Greg McElroy pointed out that Cincinnati's 8-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the 2nd Half against Houston was set up two plays previous when no defenders were in the right flat. 

Best stat: CBS Sports Gary Danielson told viewers that Georgia QB Stetson Bennett had only thrown 11 passes all year in the 4th Quarter. Georgia entered the 4th trailing 31-17. 

Strongest comment: ESPN's Greg McElroy, after another unnecessary roughness penalty on Cincinnati, "That's twice now that Cincinnati's made really boneheaded plays, and it's given this Houston offense a little bit of life." The Cougars subsequently scored a touchdown.

Best line: CBS Sports Brad Nessler, after Gary Danielson noted Georgia will see every type of Defense the rest of the game from Nick Saban's 30 years of coaching chimed in "He's going to see stuff from Toledo." 

Best line: CBS Sports Brad Nessler told viewers that this SEC Championship made Alabama have their 14th appearance in the 30 year history of the game, the most by any SEC team. 

Best graphic: CBS Sports graphic showed Alabama has 6 straight wins over Georgia, 7 straight wins in the SEC Championship game, 15 straight wins in Atlanta, and 33 straight wins against SEC East opponents. 

Best line: Crimson Tide Sports Network's Eli Gold, after the Alabama win in the SEC Championship over top ranked Georgia, "The more things change, the more they remain the same." 

Worst predictions: ESPN's College Gameday experts Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit, and guest picker Zac Brown all picked Georgia to defeat Alabama. Likewise CBS Sports SEC experts Brian Jones and Rick Neuheisel, who covered the league all season, predicted a Georgia victory over Alabama. 

Best Prediction: ESPN's College Gameday's Lee Corso was the lone expert to pick Alabama over Georgia. 

Best line: Fox Sports Gus Johnson, after an Aidan Hutchinson sack, "He will roll up on you and let you smell his cologne." 

Best moment: Fox Sports Gus Johnson told viewers a big secret live at the start of the second half of the Big Ten Championship game. Colleague Jenny Taft is expecting. Taft was elated and told viewers she is due in March. Congrats Jenny!

Top info: Fox Sports Tim Brando told viewers that Cal wore their uniform design tonight to honor the late great Cal All-American QB Joe Roth who passed away in 1977 due to melanoma. 

Worst predictions: ESPN's top analyst Kirk Herbstreit went 1-7 on his picks. He picked Georgia in the SEC, Kent State in the MAC, Oklahoma State in the Big 12, Appalachian State in the Sun Belt, San Diego State in the Mountain West, Houston in the American, and Wake Forest in the ACC. His only correct pick was Michigan in the Big Ten. 

Best Timing Award: ESPN's Quint Kessenich did a piece on Pitt WR Tre Tipton. Tipton then downed a punt on the 2-yard line. 

Clever line: Fox Sports Tim Brando, after USC QB Jaxson Dart threw a TD, "Number 9 for Jaxson who throws darts and does so in the Bay Area too." 

Funniest moment: Fox Sports Time Brando and Spencer Tillman danced in the booth to start the 2nd Half. Brando quipped, "We can do that too. It's after dark. If you stayed up this late, it's either because you're an alumn or you're just in bad beats." 

Hustle Award: ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit, who called the Pac-12 Championship on Friday night traveled  from Vegas to Atlanta after the game and was on College Gameday Saturday morning. 

Funniest line: Fox Sports Tim Brando, on the youthful look of backup USC QB Miller Moss, "His breath smells like Similac. I think it works because he looks so young." 

Best line: Fox Sports Spencer Tillman, after a USC fumble, "This is the Sermon on the Mount right here. He scoops it up, and that's the commandment right there. Recover and live for another day." 

NBC Sports Al Michaels will return to his usual perch on Sunday Night Football for Broncos/Chiefs. 

Strongest comment: Fox Sports Tim Brando, on the College Football Playoff, "It was a rematch in the old BCS that began the College Football Playoff and ended the BCS. Everyone else doesn't want a rematch. I hate to tell the SEC that where I'm from and live, but for America and College Football it's not the best interest of the sport." 

Class act: Fox Sports Tim Brando, as Fox Sports wrapped up it's regular season college football coverage, wished the best of luck to ESPN/ABC that has most of the bowl season and the College Football Playoff. Fox has one more broadcast- the Holiday Bowl.