Not long ago, a few reporters were late to Brian Kelly's press conference and he made a joke about fining them for being late in the future.

One of the reporters was celebrated, in viral fashion, for her immediate response to Kelly:

"Maybe if you win we'll be on time."

The retort was highly unprofessional. But since it came after a loss, Kelly's first as a head coach at LSU in dispiriting fashion to Florida State, Kelly was the one who came off looking bad for getting schooled by a person who covers him.

A few months later, Kelly's team is preparing for the SEC championship and no reporter would dare clap back at him in such a fashion.

And that's really the rub: Results are what have always shaped perceptions, actions and reactions, but far more now than ever the most recent result is what invites wild swings between glorification and outright mockery.

In 2022 the public conversation surrounding the highly popular endeavor of college football is an absolute rollercoaster. That's largely because of how much instant opining and judging we do with our thumbs instead of face-to-face, but that's not the only reason.

The fact that gobs of new revenue streams have largely gone to the head coaches of these football teams makes them more justified targets when things start to turn sour.

But then we get to differences of opinion on how to define "turning sour."

And that's where we get to the current state of affairs with Clemson football ...

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