Daily briefing: On Oklahoma departures, Jim Knowles and Michigan’s radio guy

Ivan Maisel’s “Daily Briefing” for On3:

Riley, Rattler leave Oklahoma a day apart

Did anyone have a parlay of Lincoln Riley and Spencer Rattler announcing their departure from Oklahoma before the end of the season? Now that’s a payout you could retire on. Rattler began the season as the Sooners’ starting quarterback, which is tantamount to being a Heisman candidate (the three starters before him, Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts, finished first, first and second, respectively, in the Heisman voting). Rattler lost his starting job in the Texas game to freshman Caleb Williams. He announced Monday he is going to the transfer portal. I’m guessing USC won’t sign him. We are watching the effect of the transfer portal on college football in real time. It’s going to be different.

Jim Knowles for the Broyles

We are nearing the end of the season, when it only feels as if everyone gets a trophy. College football has more individual postseason awards than any three other American sports combined. I’m not yelling “Get off my lawn” about it. If college football fans care enough to support these awards, I’m all for them. One of my favorites is the Broyles Award, sponsored by a Little Rock foundation to honor the top assistant coach in the nation. Given how Oklahoma State has been at the forefront of bringing defense back to the Big 12, I gave my first-place vote to Cowboys defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. I grind on this ballot more so than any other. There always are several guys who deserve recognition.

Big-time sendoff for Jim Brandstatter

The intimacy of radio is a natural match for the passion that college football fans carry for their team. When one announcer connects with his audience, year after year, there is a relationship that is unique in American sports. Jim Brandstatter, who played offensive tackle at Michigan for Bo Schembechler, spent more than 30 years as the color analyst on the Wolverines’ radio broadcasts and took over play-by-play duties in 2014. Brandstatter, like Eli Gold at Alabama, like Craig Way at Texas, is synonymous with Michigan football. He and his former Michigan linemate, Dan Dierdorf, called their last Wolverines game at the Big House on Saturday. What a great sendoff for the two of them.