From elite players to elite teams and even a formatting perspective, it's a New Year for the Three-Point Stance so let's zoom out as college football season once again turns into recruiting season.
MORE THREE-POINT STANCE: QB and OL no-shows, 2025 reset, goodbye Jim Harbaugh
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FINAL 2023 TEAM RANKINGS: Comprehensive (overall) ranking | High school/JUCO ranking | Transfer portal ranking
CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100
TRANSFER PORTAL: Latest news | Transfer search | Transfer tracker/player ranking (football) | Transfer team ranking (football) | Transfer tracker/player ranking (basketball) | Transfer team ranking (basketball) | Rivals Portal Twitter
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1. PUTTING ELLIS ROBINSON'S GAME INTO PERSPECTIVE
When asked to recap the Under Armour All-America Game week for Rivals, of course Ellis Robinson's effort was among the easiest to single out. The Georgia signee has it all at the position, especially in the modern era where length and ball skills are at a premium. Everyone saw it on display at IMG Academy and it was even more glaring in Orlando to kick off the New Year.
Since, we were asked to compare Robinson to some of the great, runaway No. 1 cornerback recruits in the modern recruiting era and the five-star's greatness may still somehow be understated. There is no glaring comparison for Robinson, who has a chance to finish as highly ranked as any cornerback in the Rivals era later this month.
There's no comparison, not because there aren't other great corners but this skill set may yet be looked back as one of the most unique yet. The length of Sauce Gardner with the physicality of Marlon Humphrey and the technical skill of Vernon Hargreaves may roll into one of the top overall prospects to be scouted at the position. Pat Surtain seemed like as sure a bet as there was coming out six cycles ago, and even that feels rivaled by what Robinson has done at the position.
The fact that it's even a conversation retells the point. Robinson's ranking, projection, scouting report and Saturday expectation may still be undersold.
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2. BRING ON THE 12-TEAM PLAYOFF
I wasn't for expansion, I'll admit it. I also think the College Football Playoff committee got it right in 2023. But with the dust settled on another memorable college football season, the desire to see more ball has once again overtaken me to the point the expanded playoff is starting to sound like a great call for my own selfish entertainment.
Otherwise, it certainly won't be easy. Not only do these programs have to elongate the season from a volume perspective, but they'll do it nearly through the month of January for the title game participants (you can hear the anti-NIL crowd collectively pound their fists with that one). Most should earn some compensation for it in one form or fashion, but in a vacuum a one-month playoff has to be better than the eight days of 'drama' this time around right?
If the expanded CFP were in effect this year, we would just be rolling into the semi-finals before a Super Bowl-like 10 days ahead of the actual title game. Seven games against four, in total, with everything on the line. We may get bigger blowouts than ever before, but the non CFP elements of bowl season have largely become that anyway. Only in this format could a Liberty-Alabama matchup determine a spot in the football final four. As if we needed more confirmation it's the greatest sport on earth.
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3. FLOWERS FOR J.J. MCCARTHY
In today's era of college football the world is enamored with the quarterbacks who sling it all over the field and/or take off on their own to make head-turning plays. But what about those that just win games?
Before social media and YouTube, the trump card in the quarterback debate all led to one stat: winning. Like fellow Michigan man Tom Brady before him, current Michigan signal caller J.J. McCarthy deserves flowers for his role and impact on the Wolverines' title run.
A peruse of social media since the title game ended has run the gauntlet almost against the Illinois native, from questioning his mental state (something the ESPN broadcast probably didn't help with) to a bunch of random stats trying to minimize his impact. In old school terms, the young man is 27-1 as the starter for Michigan. In that span, he has run undefeated against Ohio State and the Big Ten title games, once seemingly unscalable mountains in the sport -- and he topped it off with a smooth climb to the final mountain top with the title on Monday night.
Sure, McCarthy isn't Caleb Williams or Drake Maye or even the guy he went head to head with and continued to beat in CJ Stroud, but he's a winner. That poise, game managing, protection of the football, timely running and passing has to add up to something much more than No. 9 is currently given credit for. He was the perfect fit for this Michigan team, which happened to turn one of the few perfect seasons we've seen in the modern era.
Bet that.
