In today’s Fact or Fiction National Columnist Mike Farrell looks at three big recent topics in college football and decides whether each statement is indeed FACT or if it’s FICTION.
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1. The Pac-12 made a smart hire in George Kliavkoff.
Farrell’s take: FACT. This is an out-of-the-box hire in a few ways as the MGM Resorts President of Sports and Entertainment doesn’t have much football experience. But he is a savvy media guy who knows how to create some excitement, and he’s going to be negotiating the next deal for the Pac-12. He helped launch Hulu and he knows TV media, and the Pac-12 needs someone who can help the conference become more attractive to viewers and get more national media attention.
Sure, it would help to become relevant in the playoff, but aside from that Larry Scott just gave everyone words he thought they wanted to hear and Kliavokoff is known as a straight shooter. That will help.
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2. Florida State is helping itself more than UCF in the portal. Â
Farrell’s take: FICTION. This came to mind as I was looking at the additions by UCF through the transfer portal because FSU has done a good job as well. McKenzie Milton leads the way at quarterback, of course, as he tries to rejuvenate his career after a great run at UCF before his awful injury, but there is a lot of other talent.
Jermaine Johnson and Keir Thomas will help the defensive line and I like Jammie Robinson a lot in the defensive backfield but perhaps the biggest is Notre Dame’s Dillon Gibbons as the offensive line is awful.
But UCF, with Jordan Johnson, Big Kat Bryant, Nate Craig-Myers, Mark Antony-Richards among others, I like the pieces Gus Malzahn is adding a bit better for a strong run at the AAC title next season. Florida State should improve but they are still a ways away from being respectable.
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3. Adonai Mitchell will be a star at Georgia.
Farrell’s take: FACT. On Thursday I put out 10 players I’m excited to see next season based on the spring but I held off on true freshman as that’s a separate list altogether. But after a spring game where he had seven catches for 105 yards, I went back and looked at him more. He had a couple drops in the game as well but he did something in the game that he did well in his high school career and that’s use his size and ability to adjust athletically to make tough catches.
The knock against him was that he was raw out of high school as a route runner but he’s become more polished in that regard. Spring game stars come and go, and UGA isn’t known for producing elite wide receivers under the current regime, but this 6-foot-3 big man will change that. He actually reminds me a bit of George Pickens the way he adjusts to the ball and he will help replace Pickens this season.
