Ryan Randone

Play-by-Play Broadcaster
Syracuse/Newhouse '26 - @WAERSports and @Z89Sports

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

@JSmithWAER Thanks John. So grateful to have such a good friend in you.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

Thank you, WAER🧡
https://t.co/bov6uPLnjk

[WAER Sports @WAERSports]

Head Coach Gary Gait believes the legacy of @CuseMLAX star Joey Spallina is yet to be defined.

Plus, a senior says goodbye to the station that meant so much to him.

It's Morning Sports with @RyanRandone.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

@richardOpinions @DomDiTommaso @AustinRBechtold It takes a lot for me to agree with Dom, but saying Sark is part of Carroll's tree over Saban's might just do it, my friend.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

CFP Quarterfinal Predictions:

Cotton: Ohio State 23, Miami 14
Orange: Texas Tech 27, Oregon 24
Rose: Indiana 17, Alabama 10
Sugar: Georgia 38, Ole Miss 17

All the top four seeds win. They're in that position for a reason.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

It's never paid to be a contrarian with college football playoff picks. I don't see that changing this season.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

There's no need for playoff expansion. The reason there are so many "capable" teams is due to how large the conferences are and scheduling differences.

Smaller conferences/better scheduling would help this issue. The 2026 nine-game SEC schedule will assist with that.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

The Head-to-Head between Miami and Notre Dame should have mattered all along. It took the committee a while, but they finally got it right.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

If Notre Dame gets in, it should be on looking better and having a more impressive resume than Alabama.

But the Irish shouldn't get in over Miami. That ignores arguably one of the most important criteria the committee considers.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

If Alabama gets into the playoff, it should be based on a resume that INCLUDES the loss yesterday.

What the committee CAN'T do is ignore the result of that game. If you do that, that's when you devalue the importance of a CCG, not the other way around. Every game counts.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

Alabama had a case against Florida State. Texas didn't. But the committee decided to put both in because of the H2H.

Head-to-Head always mattered. It's the best way to decide which team is better on a football field. What's the point of playing the games if it doesn't matter?

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

Head-to-Head ALWAYS has mattered when the resumes are close. In fact, it was a key part of the controversial 2023 decision when Florida State was left out for Alabama and Texas...

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

How did the Longhorns earn the highest seed of the three?

Because they had an early season head-to-head win over Alabama. The committee honored that as the ultimate factor in its ranking. Without it, Alabama and FSU would've made it with Texas on the outside.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

What my guess would be:

1. Indiana
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Alabama
11. Tulane
12. JMU

I think it would be a cop-out and set a few bad precedents, but it would also be easy for them justify.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

@LO_Syracuse Seven teams have missed out on the CFP following a conference championship loss after being in the field the week before. It would be nothing new.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

To stress it one more time, plenty of teams have moved out of the field due to CCG losses:

A. 2015 Iowa (12-0, No. 4)
B. 2017 Auburn (10-2, No. 2)
C. 2017 Wisconsin (12-0, No. 4)
D. Both 2018 and 2019 Georgia (11-1, No. 4)
E. 2022 USC (11-1, No. 4)
F: 2023 UGA (12-0, No. 1)

[CFBudge @CF_Budge]

I cannot stress this enough: There is 0 chance Alabama misses the CFP. It would be a disastrous precedent to set for the committee and they won’t do it.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

In 2008, No. 2 Florida beat No. 1 Alabama and later won the national title against Oklahoma.

In 2009. No. 2 Alabama took down Florida and beat Texas in the big game.

What do all three games have in common? The team at No. 2 eventually captured the national title.

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

No. 1 and No. 2 face off in a conference game for the first time since 2011! The last time that happened was when LSU took down Alabama in a 9-6 classic.

Historically, these games usually feature the eventual national champion or runner up (sometimes both)...

[Ryan Randone @RyanRandone]

In 2011, LSU just beat Bama on a game-winning OT FG. The Crimson Tide later took down the Tigers in the national title game.

The two times before that were in back-to-back years in the SEC Championship Game in 2008 and 2009. Both times, Alabama and Florida faced off...