Here are some thoughts on the happenings around the football world.

1.Alabama, Georgia went from a boring game at halftime to one of the best national championship games in the last 25 years.

2. Nick Saban benching Jalen Hurts at halftime and going with true freshmen Tua T (can’t spell or pronounce his last name) was a ballsy move. It was a move that a coach who wins a lot could make. Average coaches don’t have enough cache to make a move like that.

3. Yes, I do believe Jalen Hurts will eventually transfer from Alabama. He could go to Florida Atlantic and play for Lane Kiffin or go back home to Texas.

4. Matt Nagy is a terrific hire for the Bears. He is young, vibrant, smart and will bond instantly with quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Look what Sean McVay did for Jared Goff.

5. The Patriots can afford to lose Matt Patricia because linebackers coach Brian Flores is ready to ascend to the defensive coordinators position. I think replacing Josh McDaniels would be much tougher.

6. Speaking of Matt Patricia. I get the allure of the Giants job but the Detroit Lions job would be a better fit for him. Having a relationship with GM Bob Quinn will make things a lot easier for him. He’s never worked with Dave Gettleman.

7. Call me crazy but the Colts interviewing Baylor coach Matt Rhule is genius. Rhule only has one year of NFL experience (Giants 2012) but he is a program builder (see Temple) and is young and relatable to players. Don’t be surprised if Colts GM Chris Ballard makes an out of the box hiring.

8. Pete Carroll cleaning house is a bit of a surprise but he had to do it. It was time. Missing the playoffs and feeling the heat will do that to you. It was time for some new voices in the building.

9. I mentioned Matt Nagy being named the new Bears coach earlier. Nagy has hired former Oregon coach Mark Helfrich as his new offensive coordinator. I think this is a terrific hire. The two men will blend Andy Reid’s multiple spread offense with the spread. The Bears should be fun to watch in 2018. At least from a schematical standpoint.

10. Marshfield High School has hired former offensive coordinator Chris Arouca to replace long time coach Lou Silva. Arouca played for Silva and played collegiality at Trinity College. Arouca was recently the head coach at Hingham High school. He did a terrific job of turning the Harbormen around. Arouca inherits a good team with a lot of returning talent including quarterback Jackson Phinney.