Welcome to the holiday movie Pulse. It is that time of year. The CFF season has ended, but the holiday season is in full effect. As we approach the new year, we will turn the page to 2026!
The Grinch Done Messed Up
The Grinch was a hairy, green, ogre living up in the mountains above Whoville that was told by a 5-year-old to basically “check yo self before you wreck yo self”. The Grinch realized where he had been wrong and that life shouldn’t be a hater’s ball. Now it is my turn to check myself. Here is where I was dead wrong in 2025:
Jeremiyah Love– A featured antagonist in a preseason article I wrote advocating for passing on him in drafts. Buddy….I was dead wrong. I thought the Irish would roll, and Love would get plenty of rest throughout the season. But two early losses and inconsistent QB play necessitated Love getting a workload way more than I anticipated.
Elijah Thomas – I pride myself on knowing CFF Dynasty and OU football. I thought there was a real chance Thomas could compete with the likes of Dakorien Moore and Malachi Toney in terms of freshman WR production. He finished with one catch for five yards. Yikes.
KC Concepcion – I loved KCC before he struggled at NCSU. I faded him when he landed at TAMU. Nothing in Collin Klein’s track record indicated he could produce a top-tier WR, but he was able to unlock KCC to the tune of the WR12.
The Week Zero Wet Bandits
The real criminals of Home Alone were Kevin McCallister’s parents for being so neglectful that they left on vacation multiple times without their young child. But the villains of the movies were a duo of thieves named “The Wet Bandits”. Here is a list of the programs that have scheduled a Week Zero matchup and STOLEN a CFF week from us in 2026. They will all have two byes, whereas everyone else will have just one.
Hawaii at Stanford
North Carolina vs TCU in Dublin
NC State vs Virginia in Rio
New Mexico State at Florida State (WTF?)
My Red Ryder BB Gun
All Ralphie wanted for Christmas was a Red Ryder BB Gun. But even Santa told him he would shoot his eye out. However, that didn’t stop The Old Man from surprising Ralphie with it on Christmas morning. Here is my Christmas list of items I am hoping to find hidden behind the draft tree to bring me lots of CFF joy in 2026.
Kamario Taylor, Miss State – All I want for Christmas is a Jeff Lebby dual-threat QB in a negative game script. Taylor followed the Demond Williams freshman blueprint with limited action until being handed the reins in the last couple of games of the season. 60-413-7 rushing in just 183 total snaps. It’s game over if he develops as a passer.
Jaquari Lewis, App State– The true freshman looked good, hitting some metrics we like to see early on, but something changed recently. Lewis went from the “next man up” to just being “the man”. He totaled 64 touches (2nd most in the country) for 343 yards and 2 TDs in the last two games of the season. It appears this system has found its workhorse.
Jordan Dwyer, TCU – Some of the desire hinges on the return of Josh Hoover, but in a vacuum (see what I did there?), I want the Sonny Dykes WR1. Similar to how EMac was a rocket ship this year after Bech and Williams, Dwyer should vacuum up (I did it again) all those targets in the absence of EMac and Manjack. The new OC, Gordon Sammis, is fresh off producing the WR1 in Skyer Bell at UConn.
Island of Misfit Toys
Rudolph is the OG Xmas cartoon movie. The scene with the misfit toys was creepy as hell, but the meaning of finding acceptance and community was wholesome. Could that happen for several seniors in the very near future? The “Five For Five” court injunction is set to be decided this month. There is a chance that all CFB players will be given 5 seasons of eligibility over a 5-year period.
The most significant impact this would have for 2026 would be granting an additional year to players who started in 2022, played all four years without redshirting, and were supposed to be out of eligibility. I have no clue if this passes, but here are the guys that could take advantage of it- The misfit toys that may not be good enough for the NFL but plenty good to earn another payday in CFB:
I did not include likely early-round draft picks or players from the military academies.
Spread Christmas Cheer
I’m not religious, but I am planning to make the most of this Christmas season. It has been a tough year for my daughter and me, so I am going for a magical one full of memories made. Enjoy your time with family, start a new tradition, volunteer, give a hug, watch your favorite holiday movie, drink hot cocoa, and tell loved ones how much they mean to you. Cheers!
