Gordon Ramsay has been spotted participating in many charity matches like Soccer Aid, but the recently surfaced image shows that he was close to a promising soccer career before he shifted gears toward the culinary world. Hailing from Johnstone, Ramsay’s fondness for the original Rangers club sprouted during his youth, attending matches alongside his uncle Roland. However, at the age of 10, his family relocated to England, bidding farewell to Scotland.

Ramsay’s exceptional skills on the field did not go unnoticed, leading him to be picked up by Oxford United. By a stroke of luck, a Rangers scout observed Ramsay’s talent during a match, prompting the family’s return to Scotland a mere five years after their departure.

Reflecting on his playing style, Gordon Ramsay shared in an interview that he did very well and was a naturally aggressive left-back and tackler. He described his speed and compared himself to the likes of Stuart Pearce. Ramsay’s father, a devoted Rangers fan, was immensely proud of his son’s achievements. Ramsay admitted that the journey was fraught with hardship and anxiety and said he was petrified most of the time. He added that the games were really violent, unlike soccer nowadays.

For good or bad, Ramsay’s aspirations were derailed by a knee ligament injury, marking the end of his soccer career. The recently resurfaced picture captures Gordon Ramsay during a testimonial match where he was listed as a trialist, representing one of his few appearances in the iconic blue shirt. In 2009, addressing the speculation surrounding his involvement with the first team, a spokesperson clarified that Gordon had always downplayed his soccer past and been clear that he never made it to be a professional.

Nonetheless, Ramsay’s transition away from soccer did not hinder his success. Garnering three Michelin stars throughout his culinary journey, he has traveled the world, hosted numerous acclaimed TV shows both in the United Kingdom and the United States, and firmly established himself as a culinary icon.

With the initial College Football Playoff Rankings for the 2021 season was recently set, people got a sense of how the College Football Playoff Selection Committee will rank the nation’s top 25 teams. This is a warm-up act for the main event, which is the release of all CFP Rankings prior to the final one following conference championship week.

Lockdown Had Its Influence on American Football Last Season

Now that the lockdown has ceased to wreak havoc on schedules as it did last season, the committee can resume using its regular criteria. Apart from the overall record, these members consider the following factors when ranking teams:

• Schedule strength Conference championships (when decided)
• Results in Head-to-Head Matches Against Common Opponents
• Results in comparison to ranked opponents

Using Game-Time Rankings Is Pointless

Fortunately, the committee’s definition of “ranked opponents” is not what you are accustomed to seeing. They are using the previous week’s CFP Rankings. They take into account neither the CFP nor the AP Top 25 rankings at the time the games were played. Using game-time rankings to determine “ranked opponents” is the most pointless method. Indeed, the committee expressly prohibits the use of any poll with a preseason start date.

Take note that the criteria do not include “game control.” It was never considered, despite the committee chairman’s occasional use of the term. People were able to specifically inquire about that during a mock CFP Selection Committee exercise in October but were met with blank stares as if they had never heard the term used. (The CFP does have a method for quantifying “game control” – people saw the data – but it is not discussed.)

Keeping this in mind, here is how the Football CFP Rankings would appear if they were released this week. These rankings are dominated by SEC and Big Ten teams simply because they have not yet weeded themselves out. Please note that this projection is made solely on the basis of current data. It is not indicative of the final playoff forecast.