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Many felt that Missouri was stuck in the mud going into the 2023 college football season. They were coming off four straight seasons of .500 ball or less and many had Eli Drinkwitz as a coach to watch when it came to coaches on the hot seat. Fans felt like the program was cursed and just hoped for the team to find the same success they found to end the 2000s and to start the 2010s. They finally have done it winning 10 games for the first time since 2014 and will be playing in the Cotton Bowl against number 7 Ohio State on December 29th. This is the story of how Eli Drinkwitz brought hope back to the Missouri football program. This is the story of the team no one believed in. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/embracethegrind Instagram: @jrobrien Twitter: @jrobrien_28

Jesse Palmer may be one of the biggest rising stars in the media landscape and that also includes the work he has done with college football throughout the years. He was never truly a star player in college football and was a career backup in the NFL but was taught as a kid to just say yes to any opportunity that presents itself. That ideology has changed his life. This is the Story of Jesse Palmer, this is the story of a rising star in the media. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/embracethegrind Instagram: @jrobrien Twitter: @jrobrien_28

This week, we will see all 10 conferences host their annual conference championship games. For some, it will be their last, for others it marks one step closer to locking in a college football playoff spot. But there was a time when conference championship games did not even exist. That was until Roy Kramar came along and changed the landscape of college football. This is the history of the Conference Championship game. This is the game that changed college football forever. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/embracethegrind Instagram: @jrobrien Twitter: @jrobrien_28

Earlier this week, it was announced that the Delaware Blue Hens will be joining the Conference USA and transitioning to the FBS level. While some may think this is not major news, I want to explain why this is a major move by one of the biggest schools in the northeast. This is huge for the Conference USA and Delaware. Let me explain. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/embracethegrind Instagram: @jrobrien Twitter: @jrobrien_28

A few years ago, Idaho was at the bottom of the FBS playing in the Sun Belt conference with no real regional rivals to play and the school just sort of felt out of place. They had watched how in-state rivals rose to prominence becoming a household name as they went on to play in major bowl games. In 2017, some would argue the school had hit rock bottom as it was announced on a teleconference that the Sun Belt was not going to renew them and they were forced to make a tough decision. They could stay at the FBS level and play as an independent and maybe get an invite to another conference down the road, or they could cut their losses and move back to the FCS level and reinvent their football program. They chose the ladder and it may have been the best decision they ever made as they will now be playing in the FCS playoffs with a top 8 seed. This is the story of the Rise of Idaho Football. This is the story of how a team going back to their roots revived their football program. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/embracethegrind Instagram: @jrobrien Twitter: @jrobrien_28

While conference realignment has affected a lot of schools and rivalries, luckily it seems like cooler heads may prevail and save one of the oldest rivalries in college football. A rivalry that has seen riots, fields catching on fire, and players punching fans. I am talking about Oregon State vs Oregon. Two schools separated by less than four hours in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. This is the Story of Oregon vs Oregon State, this is the story of the rivalry that can’t end. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/embracethegrind Instagram: @jrobrien Twitter: @jrobrien_28

Every year it feels like the Egg Bowl has some type of wild ending. It is a rivalry game that truly means something to the fans and evokes pure hatred from the opposing sides. It's like the conflict you experience at your Thanksgiving table every year. This is the history of the Egg Bowl, this is the history of a rivalry full of pure hatred Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/embracethegrind Instagram: @jrobrien Twitter: @jrobrien_28

When Jimbo Fisher was hired at Texas A&M, many felt like they could contend for National Titels and maybe even dethrone Alabama as the top dawg in the SEC West. The school was so confident that they even made a National Title plaque with an open year for when they eventually won the national title. Things were even looking up for the Aggies program after a 9-1 2020 season which led to Jimbo Fisher earning a contract extension that paid him over 9 million dollars over ten years fully guaranteed. That would be the high point as this weekend, Jimbo Fisher was let go by A&M after a 51-10 win over Mississippi State, putting Texas A&M in the national media for all the wrong reasons as they will pay him almost 78 million dollars due to his buyout. This is the Jimbo Fisher era at Texas A&M. A marriage that was supposed to be impossible to fail, yet did. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/embracethegrind Instagram: @jrobrien Twitter: @jrobrien_28