Bill O'Brien leaves Bama, a Brian Kelly whoopsie, Realignment chatter & more!

Welcome to Championship Week in that other football league. I'm picking the Eagles and Bengals this weekend, because I'm from Eastern Pennsylvania and also unwilling to bet against Joe Snow Burrow. Meanwhile, over here in CFB Land, we've got assistants on the move, head coaches being even more overpaid than usual, conference realignment chatter, and more!

COACHING CAROUSEL

BILL O'BRIEN LEAVES ALABAMA

After two years in Tuscaloosa, Bill O'Brien is headed back to the NFL as the new/old offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. O'Brien had previously been with the Patriots from 2007-2011 before leaving to coach Penn State for two seasons.

It should come as no great surprise that O'Brien would leave his post, as the Alabama offensive coordinator position has quickly become a gateway to bigger jobs elsewhere. It's even less of a surprise that he is going back to the pros. The impression I've gotten from people who know O'Brien is that he's built more for the NFL way of life, which involves a lot less glad-handing and snake oil than the current version of college football.

O'Brien's last gig in the NFL was as head coach of the Houston Texans, where he finished with a 52-48 record over seven seasons. But it was his final year that made the biggest headlines. After being appointed general manager in January 2020, making some some truly head-scratching front office moves, and getting off to an 0-4 start, O'Brien was fired by October. He caught on with Alabama in 2021 and has been there ever since.

The move puts Saban back in familiar territory of having to fill both coordinator positions in one offseason. As expected, it's a who's who of potential candidates to fill the offensive vacancy. The name that seems to have the most momentum at present is Oklahoma's Jeff Lebby, who had an up-and-down season in Norman. Stay tuned.

ONLY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

BRIAN KELLY ACCIDENTALLY OVERPAID MORE THAN $1 MILLION!

Yup, you read that headline correctly! Due to a mistake in LSU's payroll system, duplicate payments were sent to both Kelly's personal and business accounts, totaling a sum of $1,001,368 in extra payments. Talk about the American Dream! 

I'm a little sad that there wasn't a nefarious, Office Space-style plot behind this. In reality, it sounds like an honest mistake due to some complex mumbo jumbo in his contract. But the kicker is that LSU only discovered the issue after it ran an audit of the athletic department's finances. You mean to tell me that nobody on Kelly's end noticed this glitch sooner? I guess you're not "Brian Kelly Rich" until you can gloss over a million dollar overpayment.

Alas, LSU has "enacted an adjusted payment schedule so the amount of overpayment will be recouped by the conclusion of fiscal year 2023." It was fun while it lasted.

CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT

SEC-YA LATER?

So, when are Texas and Oklahoma actually leaving for the SEC? Conventional wisdom has been the 2024-25 college football season. However, there seems to be at least some thought it could happen immediately.

There's a lot to unpack here. Texas and Oklahoma would be on the hook for as much as $168 million in exit fees ($84 million per school) if they left right away. Though the final cost would likely be negotiated down, each school would still owe at least $50 million, which is no picnic. But, with an estimated annual payout of around $60 million per school in the new-look SEC, the fees might not be as big of an obstacle. Plus, Dennis Dodd has given voice to the speculation that Texas and Oklahoma are uninterested in playing the Big 12's four new entrants (UCF, BYU, Cincinnati and Houston) during the 2023 season. So there's that.

On the surface, an early exit does not seem financially sensible, but as former Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said, "What should be done eventually, must be done immediately." Texas and Oklahoma are headed to the SEC anyway, why not rip the Band-Aid off now? We'll see.

In related news, San Diego State looks like it'll be joining the Pac-12 at some point soon, after a new media rights deal is finalized and before USC and UCLA leave for the Big Ten.

OTHER NOTES

• Jaden Rashada was released from his commitment to Florida

• Tennessee's Josh Heupel was extended through 2029 and will make $9 million per year

• Washington State's Jake Dickert was extended through 2027

• Michigan fired co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss amid investigation for "computer access crimes"

• Rodarius "Rara" Thomas, the recent wide receiver transfer from Mississippi State, was arrested by University of Georgia Police

THE VERBALLERHOOD

WHAT'S GOOD IN THE VERBALLERHOOD?

I was pretty excited about our two episodes this week. On Tuesday, I chatted with Matt Brown of the Extra Points Newsletter about how college football could theoretically explode within the next calendar year. Weeeeeee! On Thursday, we went deep with some of last season's most aggressive Half Teams, in search of what went wrong (on one side of the ball) and how best to fix it. Listen to the podcast by clicking here or check out our individual episodes below. You can also view full episode videos and smaller clips on our YouTube channel.

THIS WEEK'S EPISODES:

Also, our other podcast (Extra Nuggets) has surged up the Apple Charts! Give Dan and Adam's latest episode on American counties and TV opening narration a try!

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Thanks for reading. Until next week, stay solid!-Ty Hildenbrandt