Clemson 2, Alabama 1 (in championships)

For the fourth consecutive year, the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide and Clemson University's Tigers have faced each other in the College Football Playoff.  Three of those times included the championship game, which included Monday's matchup at Santa Clara, California.  Everyone wondered if these were the only two institutions of learning in America capable of playing championship football in this decade.

The final was Clemson 44, Alabama 16.  It was the Tigers' second title in three years, beating a Crimson Tide team that had been the best in America for most of the fall, and the envy of most other college football programs under coach Nick Saban.

Clemson's defense capitalized on many Tide mistakes and, through the arm of freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence (three touchdowns and over 300 yards passing), outshone Alabama's star QB Tua Tagovalova.  It was an impressive end to a season that saw the Tigers go 15-0, something that hasn't been done in 121 years.

After running through their conference schedules, the Tigers beat Notre Dame 30-3 in the Cotton Bowl, and the Tide won a shootout over Oklahoma 45-34 in the Orange Bowl.  These semifinal games were held on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year's, as ESPN keeps trying to convince viewers to watch bowl games on days other than January 1.  So far, it's had the effect of being lumped in with all the other Your Name Here bowl games, with ratings to match.

Now it's Clemson's turn to shine with a bright future apparently in sight, while Alabama coach Saban will simply go back to the drawing board and reload for another shot at the title.  Given the flawed state of college football, it would surprise no one if these schools met for the fifth time for the national championship.

The State of Minnesota Football 2018

The Minnesota Vikings finished at 8-7-1 and out of the playoff picture for the 2018 NFL season, having come out flat in the final regular season game against the NFC North champion Chicago Bears, who had little to play for but showed up anyway.  The Vikings lost the game and the final playoff spot, which had been theirs to win, to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles,

Plenty of factors were in play to make the Vikings, to whom some fearless football pundits thought were going to go. all. the. way. (Chris Berman), plunge to the depths of mediocrity this season.

• Kirk Cousins turned out to be the highest-paid "average" quarterback in NFL history.  But he still managed to remain upright the entire season, and Aaron Rodgers didn't.
• The death of offensive line coach Tony Sparano shortly before training camp, and the firing of offensive coordinator John DeFilippo didn't help matters for a sputtering offense and a line that couldn't protect Cousins.
• A tie at Green Bay, an unexpected loss to lowly Buffalo at home, and not staying on the same field against teams with winning records.  Plus the Bears had a great year. 
• And, of course, the old standby excuse for not living up to expectations:  Injuries, and plenty of them.

Coach Mike Zimmer and General Manager Rick Spielman will get at least one more season to turn things around.  They need a new offensive coordinator, the fourth in two seasons.  They need more help on the offensive line.  And they need Cousins to get used to the surroundings a little more, without having heated discussions with his receivers on the sidelines about blown plays.

Our preliminary Super Bowl pick:  New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots.
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The University of Minnesota Golden Gopher football team had another up-and-down season under coach P.J. Fleck, going 3-6 in the Big Ten and 7-6 overall.  Despite this record, they made their way to the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, beating Georgia Tech 34-10.

There were two reasons why the Gophers turned their season around after a slow start:

• After giving up more than 50 points to bad teams like Illinois and Nebraska, Fleck fired his defensive coordinator Robb Smith, replacing him with Joe Rossi.  Almost overnight, the team's defense improved.
• Defeating the Wisconsin Badgers at Madison 34-10, taking Paul Bunyan's Axe home for the first time since 2003, and becoming bowl-eligible.

Sounds like all that boat-rowing has paid off.