CFP Quarter-finals; Mike White; Random Thoughts on Coach Whit, Ebuka, Warriors, 49ers

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. So far the non-playoff bowls we recommended have all been thrillers: Hawaii 35, Cal 31 in the Hawaii Bowl; BYU 25, Georgia Tech 21 in the Pop Tarts Bowl; Virginia 13, Missouri 7 in the Gator Bowl; and North Texas 49, San Diego State 47 in the New Mexico Bowl.

Bowl games still have a place in the post-season landscape, particularly if the stars come out to play. They're good for TV viewing and great for the players... more meaningful than a lot of critics realize. Of course, I say this as a one-time bowl director, so I'm not the most objective person on this subject.

As for the College Football Playoff, this week we move to the quarter-final round.

The first round went about as expected, with Alabama beating Oklahoma and Ole Miss and Oregon easily dispatching Group of Five champions Tulane and James Madison. The only mild surprise was Texas A&M falling to Miami. I'd expected Miami QB Carson Beck to throw a critical interception, but instead it was Aggie QB Marcel Reid whose end zone pick allowed the Hurricanes to escape with a 10-3 win.

Here's a look at the quarter-final matchups (Pacific kickoff time indicated):

Weds. Dec. 31

Cotton Bowl - #2 Ohio State vs. #10 Miami 4:30, ESPN

The Buckeyes, who are the betting favorites to win their second straight CFP championship, may struggle to shake off the rust, but I expect them to break open a close game in the second half. Freshman quarterback Julian Sayin continues to impress, and he has the best group of receivers in the country. The OSU defense will cause big problems for Beck.

Thurs. Jan. 1

Orange Bowl - #4 Texas Tech vs. #5 Oregon, 9am, ESPN

This should be the best game of the quarter-finals, as the two most well-funded programs in college football--Texas Tech oil money vs. Nike U--square off. Indiana beat Oregon earlier in the season by pressuring quarterback Dante Moore. Tech will pursue the same strategy with several outstanding pass rushers, led by Stanford transfer David Bailey (above), who will have Moore under duress throughout. Additionally, both of the Ducks' coordinators have taken head coaching jobs elsewhere--OC Will Stein at Kentucky and DC Tosh Lupoi at Cal, so their minds may wander from the task at hand. Oregon is favored by 2.5 points, but I expect the Red Raiders to pull an upset here.

Rose Bowl - #1 Indiana vs. #9 Alabama, 1pm, ESPN

It's hard to believe, but Indiana, long the doormat of the Big Ten, is a touchdown favorite over perennial national championship contender Alabama. The loss of defensive lineman Stephen Daley, who injured himself celebrating the Hoosier's conference championship, will hurt, but Indiana has enough talent to cover the spread. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza and company will roll the Tide defense, and the Hoosiers should stifle the inconsistent Alabama offense.

Sugar Bowl - #3 Georgia vs. #6 Ole Miss, 5pm, ESPN

Ole Miss didn't skip a beat without former coach Lane Kiffin, who bailed on his team for LSU, routing Tulane 41-10 in the first round. They won't do as well this week against Georgia, which has better athletes and less conflicted coaches. Half of the Ole Miss staff will soon join Kiffin at LSU, so you have to wonder if their attention and loyalty are divided, and whether they're doing as much coaching as poaching.

RIP Mike White: Just a few days after we lost former Stanford All-American and head coach Paul Wiggin, another Bay Area football icon, Mike White, passed away at the age of 89 in Newport Beach.

I had the opportunity to work closely with both Wiggin and White. They were as different as night and day, but both were unique, likable and charismatic men.

White had a successful career as a head coach at both Cal (his alma mater) and Illinois, winning National Coach of the Year recognition in 1975 at Berkeley and 1983 at Illinois, when the Illini went 10-1 and were ranked No. 4 in the nation at the end of the regular season.

His '75 Cal team, featuring Heisman Trophy runner-up Chuck Muncie, All-America receiver Steve Rivera, and star quarterback Joe Roth, led the nation in total offense and was co-champion of the Pac-8 with UCLA. The Bruins, who'd won the head-to-head meeting with Cal, went to the Rose Bowl, and fifth place USC got a bid to the Liberty Bowl, but the high-powered Bears were left to sit at home.

Earlier in his career, White was offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at Stanford, where he helped John Ralston lead the then-Indians to successive Rose Bowl upsets over Ohio State and Michigan in 1971 and '72.

When Ralston left to become head coach of the Denver Broncos after the '72 Rose Bowl, White was the leading candidate to replace him.

But Stanford President Richard Lyman, who was both uncomfortable and unfamiliar with athletics, dragged his feet on naming White the new head coach. Lyman's colleagues in academia were chiding the Stanford president about his school becoming a "football factory," and Lyman was hesitant to appoint White, who was constantly pushing the envelope and pressuring the admissions office to admit athletes who failed to meet Stanford's rigorous standards.

So while Lyman loitered, Cal pounced on the chance to hire its popular alum, who had been a four sport athlete at Berkeley.

Suddenly without an obvious candidate, Lyman panicked. He called my boss and mentor, sports information director Bob Murphy. Murph was White's best friend and had been pushing Lyman to pull the trigger, to no avail. Now Lyman was on the phone to Murph, asking "who should I hire?"

Murph put Lyman in touch with Jack Christiansen, who'd been an assistant under Ralston and had followed him to Denver. Lyman hired Christiansen over the phone and the rest, as they say, is history.

Coach Whit: Michigan hit the jackpot with the hire of former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham as the Wolverines' new head coach. We hosted Whittingham in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco back in 2005 when he was a rookie coach at Utah. It was a great week. The Utes blasted a heavily favored Georgia Tech team, 38-10, and Kyle was a dream to work with. 

I've followed him ever since. Great coach. Class act. No nonsense straight shooter. Michigan--a total mess right now--could not have done better.

Ebuka: if you haven't had a chance to see Stanford's men's basketball team in action, you're missing one of the most exciting players in the country. Cardinal freshman Ebuka Okorie (above) has been a revelation for Stanford, scoring over 22 points per game and leading his team to an 11-2 record. Last week he had back-to-back 30-point outings, first time a Stanford player has accomplished that feat since Landry Fields in 2010.

Okorie was Gatorade Player of the Year in New Hampshire, but was un-recruited by most schools because of his questionable level of competition. So his choices basically boiled down to Stanford or the Ivy Leagues. 

He's turning out to be the steal of the year for Stanford coach Kyle Smith, leaving opponents in the dust with his speed in transition, dazzling array of drives to the basket, and timely three pointers. You can catch him tomorrow night at 6:00 (Pacific) when Stanford takes on Notre Dame on ESPN2.

Warriors' Weaknesses: The Golden State Warriors used to win the close games. Now, they seem to lose every one, in many cases after blowing a double digit lead. The big culprit has been turnovers, but the team has some obvious weaknesses.

Our old friend, Chronicle columnist Bruce Jenkins, was spot on the other day with his analysis of the Warriors' main shortcomings in the talent-rich Western Conference--lack of size and too many guards.

If Al Horford can stay healthy, it would be a big plus in the size department. But coach Steve Kerr can't continue playing a revolving door of guards behind Steph Curry, Moses Moody and Brandin Podziemski. For me, rookie Will Richard should get the bulk of the minutes, with an occasional spot for De Anthony Melton or Gary Payton. Pat Spencer and Buddy Hield should only see the floor in garbage time.

It also may be time to consider moving Draymond Green out of the starting lineup, given his declining skills, increasing turnover rate, and limited effectiveness against the big men who are taking over the Western Conference--San Antonio's Victor Wembenyama, Denver's Nikola Jokic, OKC's Chet Holmgren, Houston's Alperen Sengun, and Minnesota's Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.

Shanahan Shines: I've never been a huge fan of 49ers' coach Kyle Shanahan, but he's won me over with his superlative coaching job this year. 

The playoff-bound 49ers (12-4) have overcome season-ending injuries to two of the best defensive players in the league (Fred Warner and Nick Bosa), the loss of promising rookie Mykel Williams, the absence of QB Brock Purdy and TE George Kittle for half the season, and the strange departure of top receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Certainly the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has been a huge plus, but Shanahan has pushed the right buttons all year.

He should get consideration for NFL Coach of the Year.