Daily briefing: On College Football Playoff scheduling, Blake Corum and Brennan Armstrong

Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:

TV networks will have a say in Playoff scheduling

Now that the Rose Bowl has fallen in line, a 12-team playoff is official. We know that because College Football Playoff officials announced Thursday that the first two championship games in the 12-team era will be January 20, 2025, and January 19, 2026. Keep in mind that the first XII Super Bowls all were played no later than January 18. What do we call that? Calendar creep? In those first two seasons, the first round of games will be played the week of Saturday, December 21. The committee must decide how many of the quarterfinal games to play on Wednesday, January 1, and then when to play the semifinal games. The NFL takes up a lot of TV real estate on January weekends. We wait to see when the networks will pay the most for the games. Something tells me that’s when the CFP semifinals will be played.

Blake Corum’s durability will be question at next level

Three seasons into his college career, the biggest question about Michigan’s Blake Corum remains in doubt. Can a 5-foot-8, 200-pound running back take the wear and tear at the highest level of the FBS? Corum started the 2021 season at a torrid pace before an ankle injury cost him two games and limited his effectiveness in two others. He finished with 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. This season, Corum reeled off eight consecutive 100-yard games. But since suffering a knee injury late in the second quarter against Illinois on November 19, Corum has carried the ball only three times. Even with that, Corum is averaging 20.6 carries per game this season, so maybe that’s the answer. But the Wolverines will play without him Saturday against Purdue. It’s possible he has played his last game at Michigan. The NFL will have the same questions about his durability.

Brennan Armstrong is moving on

Quarterback Brennan Armstrong is everything there is to love about the transfer portal. Armstrong, who just finished his fifth year at Virginia, has one season of eligibility remaining – we must remember in 2025  to identify the last player to utilize his free COVID year. He didn’t play well this season at Virginia with a new coach and offensive coordinator and behind an inexperienced offensive line. But before this season, Armstrong made 20 starts and threw for nearly 7,000 yards and 51 touchdowns. Armstrong announced Thursday that he’s entering the portal. His former Cavaliers coordinator, Robert Anae, is at Syracuse, where Garrett Shrader still has eligibility. Does former Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall get a new job? Get Armstrong with the right group, and he’ll be an early favorite for 2023 Comeback Player of the Year.