The next three days are going to be busy, crazy, awkward and a little bit weird at times, but it’s also going to be a lot of fun for those of on the outside.
Think about everything that’s about to take place. The College Football Playoff quarterfinal begins Wednesday and three games will be played Thursday.
In addition to those playoff games, there are eight other bowl games that’ll be played over the next 72 hours.
At 12:01 a.m. Friday, college football free agency officially opens with the start of the only NCAA transfer portal window.
Finally, if you want to loop college basketball into this, SEC games start for the women teams on Thursday and the men on Saturday.
Get your popcorn ready.
It’ll be a fun few days for us, but not so much for coaches and players trying to navigate game preparation and roster construction at the same time. For four teams, it’ll almost be like trying to change a tire while driving the car 60 mph down the freeway.
“We’re just in a unique time in college football, both players and coaches, based on the calendar,” Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said Tuesday.
It is a unique time for college football programs and there’s no shortage of commentary about how the calendar is the root of a lot of problems plaguing the sport.
Ole Miss got an up-close experience with the calendar forcing coaches and players into tough, difficult situations. Lane Kiffin accepted the LSU job at a time when the Rebels were preparing for the CFP, which had a cascading effect on others to make important, life-changing decisions in a short time.
That includes Ole Miss AD Keith Carter choosing a new coach and assistant coaches like offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. into picking between LSU and Ole Miss.
However, with the exception of the person that started the whole mess, the individuals involved with the turnover at Ole Miss have handled it well.
“I think the timeline was unfortunate and it’s not their fault,” Golding said. “But from the assistant’s standpoint, I was never concerned because there was never a doubt from them about them wanting to coach and finish the season that they had promised to the players.
“That was my whole thing when you’re recruiting the staff. I was like, look, guys, let’s not worry about 2026. Let’s stop worrying about where we’re coaching in 2026. And let’s focus on finishing 2025 the right way for the players.”
But even though Golding and everyone else (except the one who started it) have handled it well, doesn’t mean it’s been pleasant.
“It was disappointing for me,” Golding said. “It’s Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, leading up to a Wednesday signing day that instead of talking to recruits, parents, and recruits, you’re meeting with grown men and trying to convince them of why they should finish what they started. But other than that, it was fine.”
Right now, there’s nothing coaches and players can do about the craziness caused by the calendar. All they can do is go play the game they love.
