Ten Things From The College Football Championship

Here are 10 things that I took away from the College Football Championship Game.

1. Congratulations to Alabama on claiming their 17th National title. Congratulations to Nick Saban on his sixth title, pulling away from a tie with fellow Alabama coaching legend Bear Bryant.

2. I've always enjoyed watching Saban-led Alabama football. I love their defense and the players that play in it. I appreciate the ability of their offense to pound the defense with the run and spread it out with the pass. The Tide, under Saban, have been a fun football team. I've had a fondness for Georgia football since the Herschel Walker and Terry Hoage days but mostly for the simple reason that Fran Tarkenton played there. It's good to see the Bulldogs back near the top of the college football world. I flip-flopped throughout and basically just wanted to see a well-played, competitive football game.

3. We got a well-played, competitive game. 26-23 Alabama in overtime.

4. No matter how thrilling a National Title must be for all Alabama players it can't be a happy time for kicker Andy Pappanastos. He missed a relatively short field goal early in the game. Much more significantly, he missed what was supposed to be the game-winning kick at the end of regulation. Pappanastos is so fortunate that his team didn't lose the game on that miss and that his offensive teammates won the game in overtime. At least he made the kicks that he needed to make in between the two misses. The game wouldn't have made it to overtime without those kicks. So, there's that.

5. Many football players and most, if not all, fans probably prefer that kickers simply be removed from the game. With that sort of disdain it's hard to believe that kickers were once the stars of the game. Those were the days of leather helmets, or no helmets. A lot has changed over the years. There's often far too much weight placed on the narrow shoulders of kickers. Their job is so black and white. Make it or miss it. There's no in between. Being close doesn't matter. The weight placed on a kicker for a late game kick seems like too much. It doesn't seem fair. But, they have one job.

6. I think it's funny that Georgia head coach Kirby Smart needs an assistant to keep him from venturing too close to the field of play. Sideline shots often showed this assistant on constant alert with a hand ready to grab Smart's belt. Seeing as the Georgia sideline got a couple of penalties Smart likely got loose from his keeper at least a couple of times.

7. I've seen Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts do some very good things. I've seen him take over games. Most of the time I've seen him do just enough to keep his tremendously talented teams just ahead of their competition. It wasn't too much of a surprise to see true freshman Tua Tagovailoa take the field in the second half in place of Hurts after a ragged first half.

8. Tagovailoa's arm is electric. His 50-yard laser for the winning touchdown in overtime, after taking a huge sack, looked effortless. Maybe he took that sack to give his arm more room. Alabama football is always fun to watch. With this kid leading the team for at least the next two years? Oh my.

9. Alabama is happy but it's hard to imagine Pappanastos and Hurts being as happy as their teammates.

10. With the recruiting classes that Smart's stacking this is just the beginning for Georgia. They aren't going anywhere. The Bulldogs will be challenging Alabama for SEC and national titles in the coming years.

Overtime. I would love to see any of Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, Alabama corner Minkah Fitzpatrick and defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne playing for the Minnesota Vikings next year. All three should be selected about 20 picks before are a thought in the draft process.