Golden: Texas ex Bijan Robinson tops the Ceddys, the best and worst of the football season

Our long national nightmare is just beginning.

When football season ends, fans start that slow burn in the spring, give thanks that hoops will fill part of that void and all agree that it just went far too fast.

Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs and Georgia Bulldogs for jobs well done. A nod to the Texas Longhorns for a three-win improvement and a subtle SMH at the Texas A&M Aggies, who hit the skids in Year 5 under Jimbo Fisher.

Golden: My bad, Mr. Mahomes, you're now the tops on this list, that list and every list

With that said, we’re bringing back the Ceddys. Enjoy this combo platter on the best and worst of the 2022 football season.

Let’s start with college.

Best running back: Bijan Robinson, who finished his Longhorns career with 3,410 rushing yards, making him the fourth-most prolific back in school history behind Ricky Williams (6.279), the late Cedric Benson (5,540) and the GOAT Earl Campbell (4,443).

Best person: Bijan Robinson. He will blow the scouts and personnel people away during the interview portion of the NFL scouting combine. He’s among the most pleasant, media-friendly athletes to ever grace the Forty Acres. Speaking for the media contingent, we will miss his wonderful demeanor this fall.

Worst trend: The devaluing of NFL running backs. Robinson is listed as a top-five prospect in the upcoming draft but some mocks have him dropping into the 20-30 range overall. What happened to taking the best player available?

Biggest QB question: Quinn Ewers. The Texas quarterback was more roller coaster than straight-line road in his first season. The Alamo Bowl performance against Washington — 31-of-47 for 369 yards and a touchdown — provides hope, especially with the knowledge that wideout Xavier Worthy dropped what could have been two long touchdowns. As such, he has to be cleaner in 2023 on a roster that will include prized recruit Arch Manning.

Bohls:$100 million a small price to pay for Texas, Oklahoma, Big 12 and SEC to proceed

Best kept secret: Texas and Oklahoma to the Big 12. Did athletic directors Chris Del Conte and Joe Castiglione and their school presidents and regents take a blood oath in the back room of an olive oil factory when they came to an agreement to leave the Big 12 for the SEC? I’ve always called Castiglione "The Don" over the years because of his snazzy suits, but this was Godfather quality silence at a time when the world is as loud as it’s ever been.

Best billable hours: The lawyers who got paid to negotiate the $100 million agreement to get Texas and Oklahoma out of the Big 12 one year early. Cha-ching.

Second best billable hours: Those same lawyers from both sides who didn’t get this done months earlier.

Most deliciously uncomfortable moment: Watching Alabama coach Nick Saban maintain his composure during the national title game as ESPN analyst David Pollack proclaimed that the Georgia Bulldogs, up 38-7 at the time over TCU, have “taken hold over college football.” Saban, sitting in a blue suit similar to the one on the Aflac commercials, didn’t say a word. Pollack played ball at Georgia, by the way.

Where was Greg McElroy when Saint Nick needed him?

Coach of the year: Sonny Dykes. He took TCU to a 12-0 regular season and the national title game, turning Cowtown into Frogtown. With his knowledge of these Texas recruiting streets and the earned reputation as a play-caller, he has the Frogs poised to take over the new-look Big 12 for years to come.

Biggest collapse: A&M opened at No. 6 in the preseason polls but finished 5-7, including a home loss to App State. After signing Fisher to a contract extension in 2021, the Aggies are on the hook for about $86 million guaranteed through 2031. He hasn’t forgotten how to coach, but 2022 was awful, sort of like what Texas went through in Steve Sarkisian’s first season.

Now to the NFL.

Most indomitable spirit: Patrick Mahomes. He beat the Bengals on one foot in the AFC title game, then overcame a career game from Philly counterpart Jalen Hurts to deliver the Kansas City Chiefs a second Super Bowl win in four seasons.

Most questionable retirement: Tom Brady. TB-12 reportedly filed papers with the league. Uh, OK. Just wait until the San Francisco 49ers or Oakland Raiders reach out.

Best throwback jersey: South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley, born in Philly, rocked a No. 12 Randall Cunningham jersey during the top-ranked Gamecocks’ blowout of No. 3 LSU.

Best history: Mahomes and Hurts were the first pair of Black men to start at quarterback in the 57-year history of the Super Bowl and delivered epic performances in a wildly entertaining title game.

Best call: I know Fox Super Bowl analyst Greg Olsen and Eagles fans didn’t like the the holding call on Philadelphia defensive back James Bradberry on that late pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, but Bradberry admitted to reporters after the game that he grabbed JuJu’s jersey. The right call is the right call. Too many referees swallow their whistle at crunch time.

More:Cameron Rupp returns to Texas to get his degree and mentor new generation of UT catchers

Worst field: Who told the NFL that playing the Super Bowl on a ice skating rink was a good idea?

Most overlooked coordinator: Kansas City’s Eric Bieniemy has a terrific résumé — two wins in three Super Bowls and five straight AFC title game appearances — but less accomplished assistants are landing head coaching jobs, including both Philadelphia coordinators. It’s a real travesty.

Coolest debut: Austin’s Baker Mayfield led the Los Angeles Rams on a wild last-minute, 98-yard drive to cap off a comeback win over the Las Vegas Raiders a mere 48 hours after he signed with the team.

More:Chris Beard was there even if he wasn't, and Texas Tech knocks Texas from its Big 12 perch

Best Texas fight: Seattle safety Quandre Diggs suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle in the final game of the 2021 season, but rehabbed and came back to make his third straight Pro Bowl. Pound for pound, the 5-foot-9, 197-pound Texas ex is as tough as they come.

Worst trade: Dallas’ trade of wideout Amari Cooper to Cleveland. The Cowboys finished with 12 wins, but their lack of a proven pass catcher opposite CeeDee Lamb came back to bite the team at the end. Cooper caught 78 passes for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns in his Browns debut, by the way.

Best debut by a Central Texan: Lake Travis legend Garrett Wilson caught 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns for the New York Jets in his rookie season. The Ohio State product’s best game was an eight-catch, 162-yard performance at Minnesota.

Worst exit by an East Texan: Big Sandy’s Lovie Smith drew groans from some in the Houston Texans fan base when the coach piloted a last-second comeback win with a successful 2-point conversion over the Indianapolis Colts. It cost Houston the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft. “I expect to be back, absolutely,” he told reporters when asked about his future.

He was fired hours later.

Best teammate: KC running back Jerick McKinnon could have spent the next 40 years telling his kids and grandkids about that time he scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl, but we will all remember him as the consummate teammate who took a knee just short of the goal line to ensure the victory. That play should be required viewing in every high school athletic department in the country.

Now we turn our attention to the spring.

Our national passion will return soon enough.

In the meantime, avoid big meals before bed. There is no need to aid in our shared national nightmare.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Bijan Robinson tops this annual list of football's best (and worst)