It is rare that sequels live up to the expectations of the original, especially when the original is already a classic. Godfather 2 was a great movie, but the original was one of the greatest movies ever made. The Blueprint 2? Good album, but not on the level of the original Blueprint album. Miami vs San Antonio in the NBA Finals in 2013? Classic series. The rematch the following season? Not nearly as good. However, there are some exceptions to that rule, and last night we got one of those exceptions.
The college football national championship game last year, despite a serious lack of defense, was extremely exciting. The game was close all the way through, and after a wild fourth quarter, the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Clemson Tigers by a score of 45-40. After both teams reached the final again this season, expectations were that no matter who won, it would not be a game that was as exciting as the original. What we ended up getting was not only an exciting game, but one that was, in my opinion, even better than the one we got last year.
I don't want to give a play-by-play recap, so if you missed the game, well, shame on you. A day after it happened though, I would like to try to put it into some sort of context as far as where the game stands in the pantheon of greatest college football games ever played. In my opinion, the greatest college football game I have ever seen was the 2006 Rose Bowl between Texas and USC. Given the circumstances (the national championship was on the line), and the star power on the field, I always thought that that game would be unmatched. Until last night, I was right.
I don't want to be a prisoner of the moment, but what we saw last night I think absolutely has to be in the conversation of the greatest college football games ever played. When I talked about star power in the Texas vs USC game, last night may not have equaled it, but it was at least pretty close. We will still have to wait to see what all of these guys end up doing in the NFL, but Deshaun Watson, Mike Williams, Jonathan Allen, Reuben Foster (who I would love to see in a New York Giants jersey), and a few others are all stars on the college level with the potential to be stars on the next level as well. And while Jalen Hurts is still only a freshman and may not be a star in the NFL, his touchdown with just over two minutes remaining gave us what we all were hoping for, and that was Deshaun Watson and the Clemson offense against the Alabama defense with the national championship on the line, and the ending delivered as Watson found Hunter Renfrow in the end zone with one second remaining to win it all.
Just the fact that the game was decided with one second left on the clock was good enough, but being able to see Watson make his case as the best collegiate player in the country after coming so close last year was what made it even better. The final drive featured not only Watson at his best, but also ridiculous catches by Mike Williams and Jordan Leggett, as well as the winning score by Renfrow. One of the signature plays of John Elway's career is when he dove for the end zone in the Super Bowl and was twisted around by a mid air hit. Last night, Watson did almost the exact same thing. We saw clutch fourth down conversions and some huge hits as well. At the end though, it was coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers lifting the national championship trophy, and we all witnessed a game for the ages.
After his performance in the national championship game last season and at the start of this year, it seemed like Deshaun Watson was clearly the top quarterback prospect in the land. I was never really sure why, but for some reason it seemed like he was an afterthought going into last night. Guys like Mitch Trubisky and DeShone Kizer were at the top of draft boards, and Watson was nowhere to be found. Trubisky and Kizer are only slightly bigger than Watson, and while Watson may not have the strongest arm, I don't think that he is any less NFL-ready than either of those guys. The difference between the three is that Watson has proven more than once that he can produce on the biggest of stages. Trubisky and Kizer have not even come close to even getting a chance to play on a stage that big. Is that due in part to those guys being surrounded by less talent? Yes, I think it is. But I do not think that either of them have separated themselves from the pack enough to discount what Watson has done on the biggest of stages.
This quarterback class is considered to be somewhat weak as far as NFL draft standards. Does Watson have all of the tools to immediately step in and make an impact as a rookie? Maybe not. But do Kizer or Trubisky have those tools? Until they prove otherwise, you cannot convince me that they do. The Cleveland Browns will have the first pick in the draft this year, and in my opinion, since they have so many needs all over the field, they should take the best player available, and it seems right now like that player is Myles Garrett. However, the Browns do also have the 18th overall pick, and if somehow Watson were still available then, I would jump at the opportunity to take him. Maybe he will be available, and maybe he won't. But after watching him last night and knowing his history, I think that he is definitely worth a shot in the middle of the first round if you are a team with no quarterback to lead your franchise into the future.
That is the future though. What we need to do right now is recognize the present and we need to recognize that what we saw last night is a game that will be remembered for years to come. Going into the game, I must say that I thought Alabama would win, but I was not overlooking a very good Clemson team. They had the talent on both sides of the ball to win a national title, and they did just that. I am happy for their players, alumni, and coaches. I am also happy to say that I saw one of the greatest college football games to ever be played.
Daily NBA Update: Russell Westbrook went off again last night and Anthony Davis went for 40 and 18 at Madison Square Garden as well. How 'bout them Knicks! Yea!
Daily Rangers Update: The All Star break is approaching, and the Rangers will get multiple games with some of the weaker teams in the league before that happens, so it would be nice if they could get back on track and go into the second half of the season ready to lock up one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Next up is a home game against Toronto this Friday night.
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