Tech football gives out rings for 7-6 and college football questions everything

What’s up, y’all?

We’ve got a little bit of everything today, from the Braves and Falcons to Georgia Tech’s odd jewelry choice and a photo of shirtless Ted Turner.

Enjoy the ride.

Quick links: Phillies 2, Braves 0 | Dream 88, Sparks 82 | Do better, Raheem Morris

LIFE IS PAIN … RIGHT?

Credit: Jeffrey McWhorter/AP

Credit: Jeffrey McWhorter/AP

College football is broken, you guys.

Really.

Just ask Commissioner Greg Sankey, Georgia coach Kirby Smart or pretty much anyone else associated with the almighty SEC, which is meeting in Florida this week.

😫 The playoff selection process? Terrible.

😫 Only 12 playoff teams? Unconscionable.

😫 The transfer portal window(s)? Untenable.

😫 Regular season scheduling? A riddle. An impossible quagmire. How could one possibly choose between a ninth conference game and … not a ninth nonconference game?

What a miserable time we’re all having!

You’d never know we’re only about four months removed from the end of the first 12-team playoff that, frankly, was a blast to watch, went pretty darn smoothly and crowned the right champion (if you consider non-SEC schools capable of such prestige).

“We are trying to find a format to determine, whatever number it is, the best teams in college football,” Sankey said Monday. “We have used a political process to come to a decision inside a room. … We should be using football to make football decisions.”

Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin followed that up Tuesday with this gem, per reports: “A committee is not ideal to choose a postseason. … I question whether it is appropriate for college football.”

(As more than one person has pointed out, we’ve already ruled out polls and computers … so what would a post committee option look like? Zoo animals?)

But I digress.

😫 The point is this: What are we doing here? Why are we like this? How does this help anything?

Nobody enjoys it when powerful people pitch a fit about things not being fair. It’s aggravating. And boring.

So let’s quit with the whining — and maybe even leave things be for a year or two.

We’re doing pretty good already.

BLING AND A MISS

Credit: Courtesy photo/Georgia Tech football

It sure looks like Georgia Tech football made flashy rings to celebrate its recent 7-6 season. The team’s official X account posted photos with the caption “Summer Ice 🥶.”

The diamond-encrusted offering salutes the Jackets’ undefeated run at Bobby Dodd Stadium, its wins over Florida State and Miami and its (losing) appearance in the Birmingham Bowl.

I’m all for acknowledging progress, and I suppose everything’s a recruiting ploy these days but … yikes.

🐝 Georgia Tech fans: How does this make you feel? Shoot me an email to sound off.

🐝 Unrelated (and well-deserved): Late Georgia Tech star Demaryius Thomas is heading to the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.

STRIDER BETTER, BATS AREN’T

Braves starter Spencer Strider surrendered just one hit and one run over 4⅔ innings in his second post-hamstring injury appearance. He said afterward he felt good (and didn’t mean to hit Phillies star Bryce Harper, either).

But once again, Atlanta’s bats couldn’t muster much of anything. They left 10 men on base en route to the 2-0 loss.

“I don’t think we’re sitting here staring at the (division-leading) Phillies,” Strider said. “I think we’re focused on ourselves and understanding what needs to get better — that ultimately if we want to achieve what we want to achieve, we got to be the best version of ourselves regardless of what anybody else is doing.

⚾ On deck: More Braves-Phillies at 6:45 p.m. on FanDuel Sports. AJ Smith-Shawver gets the start against Smyrna’s own Zack Wheeler.

WHAT ABOUT YOU, COACH?

Credit: Jason Getz/AJC

The Falcons officially kicked off organized team activities Tuesday, with lots of talk about offseason roster upgrades and Michael Penix’s first full year under center.

But columnist Ken Sugiura suggests head coach Raheem Morris getting better at his job is as important as anything else.

Morris said this: “I think that’s something that we all can really do. But when you’re the head coach and you’re overseeing all the different things, you’ve got to be able to see those things a little faster, to be able to make some of those corrections.”

🏈 More Falcons coverage: Penix finding his voice; Remember Bralen Trice?; Photos from OTAs

QUICK HITS

⚽ Atlanta United is back at the Benz tonight and needs a win against Orlando before embarking on six straight road matches. The Five Stripes hope they can keep improving after finally ending a nearly two-month stretch without a victory.

Tune in at 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV.

🏀 The Atlanta Dream survived a furious fourth-quarter rally to beat the Sparks in L.A. last night and move to 4-2 on the young season. Allisha Gray scored 25 points.

Up next: A trip to Seattle on Friday night (10 p.m. EDT on Ion).

⛳ The Tour Championship at East Lake is ditching its weird scoring system in favor a plain-old 72-hole shootout.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said (correctly) that the format will make things “easier for fans to follow.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Credit: Courtesy photo

In yesterday’s newsletter, I briefly mentioned former Braves and Hawks owner Ted Turner. Faithful reader Bill was kind enough to pass along this masterpiece of a photo he took of a shirtless and helmeted Turner at a Braves game, circa 1980.

It’s simply too beautiful to keep to myself.