College Football Playoff first-round storylines: Coaches stretched thin, a Festivus airing of grievances

There was a time when a coach doing double duty in pursuit of a national championship was rare. 

There were times it worked well (Kirby Smart staying with Alabama on its 2015 title run) and times it didn't (Lane Kiffin struggling to balance Alabama OC role with Florida Atlantic job), but it was treated as a particularly arduous challenge that should only be accepted in unique circumstances.

Now, everywhere you look in this year's 12-team College Football Playoff field you'll see a coach attempting to do two jobs at the same time.

There are the Group of Five head coaches in Tulane's Jon Sumrall and James Madison's Bob Chesney who are putting together new staffs and teams at Florida and UCLA, respectively, while hoping to go on one last run.

Two programs, Texas A&M and Oregon, have both coordinators doing double duty through the playoff. Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein took the Kentucky job while defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi has stayed on the West Coast as Cal's new head coach. Texas A&M defensive coordinator Jay Bateman will join Stein in Kentucky full-time once the Aggies' season is over. Texas A&M OC Collin Klein is balancing his new duties as Kansas State's head coach. 

Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is South Florida's new coach. Oregon State hired JaMarcus Shephard and will get 100 percent of his attention once Alabama's season wraps up.

And then, of course, there is what happened at Ole Miss. The Rebels famously would not let Lane Kiffin do both after he made clear his intentions to accept the LSU job. Instead, defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted and will make his head coaching debut in the playoff. No pressure.

Every single first-round game has been impacted in some way by a coach trying to manage two jobs at the same time. The only two schools not affected are No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 10 Miami. 

What will it all mean? It's the biggest question of this first slate of playoff games. Will the impact be felt most by play-callers now balancing head coaching responsibilities for the first time? By head coaches who already have one foot out the door for a bigger job? Or by the mishmash of Ole Miss assistants, some of whom -- including offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. -- will follow Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge at the conclusion of the season.

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Can the Cinderellas deliver?

There is an extraordinary opportunity this weekend for the Group of Five. The smaller schools get two David vs. Goliath opportunities that could change the narrative that they don't belong in the College Football Playoff. That is especially timely as playoff expansion discussions continue to heat up ahead of a January deadline. 

Conversely, two blowout losses for Tulane (at Ole Miss) and James Madison (at Oregon) provide even more ammunition for a growing group of critics. In recent weeks, a host of prominent college football personalities, including former Alabama head coach Nick Saban, have openly questioned whether Group of Five teams should be included in the field. Two non-Power Four teams making this year's field has seemingly kicked up a hornet's nest. 

Tulane is the better bet to keep it close, but that's not saying much given the Green Wave already played Ole Miss this season and lost 45-10. Tulane is a 17.5-point underdog and will need all the change over at Ole Miss to play in its favor. 

James Madison is an even bigger underdog at 21 points against the Ducks. The Dukes are a wonderful story, edging out Duke as the fifth-best conference champion, but they face a massive test on the road in Eugene. Oregon should have way too much talent for JMU to hang around Saturday night. 

It's not fair to Tulane and JMU, but small schools everywhere need them to put on a good show on Saturday. 

Pressure on DeBoer

I would listen to arguments for Ole Miss' Pete Golding and Miami's Mario Cristobal, but Kalen DeBoer sticks out to me as the head coach with the most riding on this weekend's results.

It's been a wild rollercoaster ride of the first two years for DeBoer as Nick Saban's replacement. There have been high highs like the wins over Georgia and the 4-0 October record this season. There have been low lows like the season-opening loss to Florida State and back-to-back losses to the Oklahoma Sooners. And, in recent weeks, there have been reports of Penn State and Michigan interest in DeBoer, though the Alabama coach has done his best to tamp down the speculation. 

Alabama eked into the playoff, but could be staring at three losses to Oklahoma in two seasons if the Tide can't emerge with a road win in Norman. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables has been DeBoer's kryptonite so far.  A loss Friday night would give DeBoer a 19-8 record, one playoff appearance and a bad loss in his lone SEC Championship game. That's not a disaster by any means, but it isn't exactly meeting the standard Saban set during his 17 seasons in Tuscaloosa. 

Making matters worse, Alabama comes limping into this game after that blowout 28-7 loss to Georgia in Atlanta. The running game has been nonexistent pretty much all season. Ty Simpson, who was a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate at one point, hasn't looked like himself in recent games. The defense will again be without LT Overton. 

Alabama is a 1.5-point underdog against Oklahoma, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Losing to a solid SEC team on the road shouldn't be a reason to freak out, but it would leave a bad taste in Tide fans' mouths for the second consecutive offseason headed into a critical Year 3. Unless it's the title game, one game shouldn't make or break how you perceive a season. But Friday night's result could have a big impact on shaping the discussion around DeBoer and his Alabama program headed into 2026. 

SALTY TALTY

Each week, this space will be my airing of grievances, my opportunity to let the audience know what has been really grinding my gears. Hopefully, it'll be mostly college football-related, but it's a good bet travel, family and other day-to-day life annoyances will find a way in. 

In many ways, Frank Costanza is the spirit animal of this segment. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, he is a character, played by Jerry Stiller, on the iconic comedy "Seinfeld." And, in one of my favorite episodes, he comes up with a holiday called "Festivus," a holiday for the rest of us where each of us has an opportunity to air our grievances. 

In honor of Mr. Costanza and Festivus (celebrated on Dec. 23rd), here are some of my final grievances for this college football season because I've got A LOT of problems with you people. 

To the leaders of the sport: FIGURE. IT. OUT. Eject the bad actors and understand what actually makes college football unique. Trying to become a mini-NFL isn't the way. Evolution and adaptation are crucial and should be commended, but don't lose the soul of the sport along the way. For once, try to consider what would make the sport healthier and not simply what would line your pockets with the most cash. 

To recruits and players considering transferring: Please stop making your announcements on major national holidays. There can be exceptions, sure, but there are few things more frustrating as a reporter than having to tell your family at a Christmas or Fourth of July party you need to step away because a three-star just committed. There are 354 days a year that aren't federal holidays -- ample opportunity to use the Notes app to announce your big decision that won't lead to everyone in your favorite reporter's family mad at another holiday ruined because of work. 

To the football gatekeepers: If you only want to be a fan of major brands, that's great. If you want to watch every Group of 5 and FCS game, that's great, too. But I'm sick of the clash of who gets to comment on college football and who doesn't. College football is one big tent that has plenty of room for the most ardent ball-knowers and those who are just starting to pay attention now that it is playoff time. It's what makes the sport great and should be embraced, rather than turning everything into a contest on who is allowed to like the sport. 

To Diego Pavia: You don't have to follow every step of Johnny Manziel's path. I understand the kinship between two of the most electrifying and polarizing SEC quarterbacks ever, but Pavia has lost a lot of goodwill with his recent antics. Learn from Manziel's mistakes and stop antagonizing everyone who may have otherwise liked you. The reaction to the Heisman Trophy going to Fernando Mendoza was childish and embarrassing from the 23-year old.