2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 11)

Games I saw (some of):

Michigan 15-20 (8) Indiana

With the way Indiana has been trucking people all year long and as middling as the Wolverines have been, I kinda thought this would be an easy one for the Hoosiers. But Michigan does have a pretty good defense and they got into the Hoosier backfield routinely and Indiana found it difficult to convert on 3rd down. But Indiana pulled it out, they made the plays on both sides down the stretch, got the score they needed and I think this is exactly the kind of struggle they needed to make them a better team. Indiana is going to make the playoff--shocker to be sure, but luring in marginal teams is what the 12-team playoff is all about--and matches like this will make them a tougher out. As for Michigan, a flailing season but they're still playing hard and that is good to see. 

(11) Alabama 42-13 (15) Louisiana State

Bama has been up and down but they brought it here. LSU still has a turnover problem, they just can't consistently put enough points on the board to keep up with the gifts they're giving their opponents. I'm lukewarm on QB Millroe but this was one of his classic games. Alabama still on track to make the playoff but I think this result finishes off LSU.

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Oregon, (2) Ohio State, (5) Texas, (6) Penn State, (7) Tennessee, (10) Notre Dame, (11) Alabama, (12) Boise State, (16) Mississippi, (20) Colorado, (21) Washington State, (23) Clemson, (24) Missouri, (25) Army

Won but did not impress

(8) Indiana. Didn't rack it up, but made the plays they needed to make late and, well, maybe that was more impressive than I'm giving it credit for. 

(9) Brigham Young. Hey, man, you can say they got bailed out by a fluky penalty, but the call wasn't so egregious and they finished the long drive to win it and they deserved it. That said, this game really shouldn't have been close (but Utah plays with pride). 

Bad beat

(15) Louisiana State. Sorry, LSU, you needed to beat Alabama but you didn't. 

Not so good

(3) Georgia. Losing at Ole Miss is forgivable but they got smoked in the 2nd half and it was another poor performance from QB Beck. 

(4) Miami. Looks like they were never in this game, I could forgive a conference L on the road but Miami is bucking for a bye in the playoff and I just don't think this team is good enough.  

(17) Iowa State. Yeah, I was never in on the Cyclones this season and I'm still not. 

(18) Pittsburgh. Pitt is a nice team but probably not a top 25 team. 

Next week's intriguing matches

(17) Clemson @ Pittsburgh (Clemson should be rolling by now but they're not; Pitt is coming off a tough L, should be ready to go this week)

Utah @ (18) Colorado (Utah, too, is coming off a heartbreaker, wouldn't be surprised to see them give the Buffaloes a scare)

(24) Missouri @ South Carolina (the Gamecocks have a lot of nice W's this season, not gonna be an easy out for Missouri)

(6) Tennessee @ (11) Georgia (Okay, both teams need this W, if Beck plays mistake-free, I think UGA is better but we'll see)

My Top 12

1 Oregon

2 Ohio State

3 Texas

4 Brigham Young

5 Penn State

6 Indiana

7 Georgia

8 Notre Dame

9 Alabama

10 Tennessee

11 Southern Methodist

12 Mississippi

(Miami, Boise State, Army, Texas A&M, Colorado still lingering)

2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 10)

Games I saw (some of)

(4) Ohio State 20-13 (3) Penn State

Looks like a close game and the Nittany Lions didn't get blown out, but...I dunno, man, the Buckeyes missed on a coupla big plays that would've made this game a blowout. I'm still in on Penn State for the top 12, I think they'll still be top 10 by the end of the season but they've got a real Buckeye allergy that is still frustrating them. As for the Buckeyes, good strong W on the road in conference against a higher ranked for, big ups for Ohio State.

Louisville 33-21 (11) Clemson

Man, Clemson just never got going in this game. Louisville played well, but I can't help thinking that Clemson could've won if they'd just shown up. But, they had no offense til the 4th quarter and that was too late to matter. Nice win for the Cards, bad L for Clemson, who had been rolling. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Oregon, (2) Georgia, (4) Ohio State, (5) Miami, (7) Tennessee, (13) Indiana, (15) Boise State, (19) Mississippi, (20) Southern Methodist, (21) Army

Bad beat

(3) Penn State. They could be extremely dangerous against anyone except Ohio State.

(18) Pittsburgh. Not ready for the SMU attack. Nice season but I don't see their path to the top 12.

Not so good

(10) Texas A&M. Stomped at South Carolina, I for one was not shocked to see that result.

(11) Iowa State. I was never in on the Cyclones and the L at home to Texas Tech has probably finished off their season.

(11) Clemson. I didn't understand this L to Louisville, thought the Tigers were rolling but they looked stuck in mud this Saturday. 

(17) Kansas State. An L at Houston isn't bad but they're probably out of the top 12 now. 

(24) Illinois. Nice season, Illini, I was already out on you guys, though.

Next week's intriguing matches

(2) Georgia @ (18) Mississippi (Ole Miss is still in the mix....for now; UGA could use another good W)

(21) Colorado @ Texas Tech (Can Tech keep their magic going against the newly restored Buffaloes?)

South Carolina @ (24) Vanderbilt (South Carolina has had some nice W's already this year, they weren't expecting Vandy to be ranked but here they are; to be honest, I like Vandy, but we'll see)

(11) Alabama @ (14) Louisiana State (an undercard match but should be a fun one)

Top 12

I'll go on record now as saying I'm not a fan of the 12-team playoff except that this model should last a while because it becomes a logistical nightmare beyond that. The 4-team system was perfect but the moneyed classes always demand more and *dammit!* I'm gonna watch it, so I'm just as much to blame as the greedy plutocrats. *sigh* 

But here's the problem: in any given season there are only 5-6 teams that are worth watching and I think that's still true this season. Getting to 12 is actually kinda hard. 

1) Oregon

2) Ohio State

3) Georgia

4) Texas

5) Miami

6) Penn State

7) Indiana

8) Brigham Young

9) Tennessee

10) Notre Dame

11) Southern Methodist

12) Alabama

With Notre Dame, Boise State, Army and one of Mississippi/Texas A&M/Louisiana State lingering. I don't see a path for anyone else--and honestly I'm not that excited about anyone below Miami, so...what do we need 12 teams for? (Oh right: more money)

2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 9)

Games I saw (some of):

(12) Notre Dame 51-14 (24) Navy

Well, Navy gave the ball away early and often and this game got out of control right away.....and.....

(21) Missouri 0-34 (15) Alabama

Missouri never got any offense going at all, Bama completely took over right before halftime....so....

Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona

....I watched La Liga rather than la college football. This was the more interesting match, though this was a scoreless draw at the half. Then Lewandowski connected, then he connected again right away, then he put a gimme off the post soon after, then put another makeable shot over the bar in a span of, like, 5 minutes and before you knew it, this game was a laugher. The match felt even til Barca went off and left Real behind. This is the kind of result that gets people fired.

(9) Louisiana State 23-38 (14) Texas A&M

Similarly: LSU seemed in control until the 3rd quarter when QB Nussmeier kept trying to pass to receivers that weren't open, which led to A&M seemingly always with the ball in scoring distance. LSU kept giving it away, A&M kept piling up points and this one got out of control right quick, too.....so

(Game Two) Yankees 2-4 Dodgers 

....I mostly watched baseball tonight. Dodgers went for back-to-back jacks off Rodon and the Yanks couldn't counter. My thought was Dodgers in 6, I'm sticking with it: I like them to take one in NYC and then wrap it up back in LA.  

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Oregon, (3) Penn State, (4) Ohio State, (5) Texas, (6) Miami, (11) Brigham Young, (12) Notre Dame, (13) Indiana, (14) Texas A&M, (15) Alabama, (16) Kansas State (17) Boise State, (18) Mississippi, (19) Pittsburgh

Won but did not impress

(22) Southern Methodist. Scrambling in OT to beat....Duke? I dunno, man, I'm already Mustang-ed out.

(I declined to add (4) Ohio State, (16) Kansas State or (17) Boise State because they were playing pesky conference opponents and though none of them blew me away, they each secured conference W's and I can't front on that)

Bad beat

(20) Illinois. The Illini have had a nice season, but no one was expecting them to win at Oregon.

(21) Missouri. Up and down and, well, this week at Tuscaloosa was one of the downs.

(24) Navy. Yeah, this is insult to injury. A ranked squad getting smoked at home by anybody probably ought to be a "Not so good", but I guess I gotta say I never really believed in Navy and getting sliced and diced by the Irish wasn't a shock.  

(25) Vanderbilt. Oh, Vandy, keeping it close to the #1 team in the land...? WTF is going on....?

Not so good

(8) Louisiana State. Things were going fine til LSU started turning the ball over and then....just kept turning the ball over. If they'd just played normal football, I think they would've won.

Next week's intriguing matches:

(13) Indiana @ Michigan State (with the way the Hoosiers are rolling, you'd think this would be a gimme against a so-so Spartan squad, but I dunno, man, Michigan State lives for fucking up other peoples' good seasons; if the Hoosiers are for real, they will pummel the Spartans, we'll see what happens)

(10) Texas A&M @ South Carolina (the Gamecocks are not pushovers and if A&M thinks they turned some corner by beating LSU, they might have another thing coming, this should be a petty good match)

(18) Pittsburgh @ (20) Southern Methodist (I dunno, they're both ranked but I have little interest in either of these teams, so....I reckon I'll be watching baseball or NHL or Bundesliga or something)

(4) Ohio State @ (3) Penn State (okay, here we go, winner gets a major boost)

2024-25 NBA (Pre-Season)

This has been a pretty slack ass year for me as far as writing goes (long story), not sure I'll do as much NBA-ing this year. But I'll be watching, figured I might as well throw out my pre-season picks.

East

(1) Celtics, (2) Knicks, (3) Cavs. (4) Bucks, (5) Pacers, (6) Magic

Play-in:

I'll take Heat over Sixers, Hawks over Raptors, Sixers over Hawks

Celtics over Sixers, Knicks over Heat, Cavs over Magic, Pacers over Bucks

Celtics over Pacers, Knicks over Cavs

Celtics over Knicks in 6

West

(1) Thunder, (2) Nuggets, (3) Wolves, (4) Suns, (5) Mavs. (6) Pelicans

Play-in:

I'll take Grizzlies over Kings, Rockets over Lakers, Kings over Rockets

Thunder over Kings, Grizzlies over Nuggets, Wolves over Pelicans, Suns over Mavs

Thunder over Suns, Wolves over Grizzlies

Thunder over Wolves in 7

Celtics over Thunder in 7

MVP: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)

ROY: Donovan Clingan (Blazers)

DPOY: Giannis Antetokounpo (Bucks)

6th Man: Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics)

Coach of the Year: Rick Carlisle (Pacers)

Exec of the Year: Gerson Rosas (Knicks)

2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 8)

Games I watched (some of):

(5) Georgia 30-15 (1) Texas

Wow, UGA was clearly looking ahead to this game because they came out firing and really stunned the Longhorns. Texas kinda pulled it together after halftime but too little too late. Well, Texas just had the toughest match they might have all year long, let's see if they can shake it off and get back to the top. As for UGA, can they keep this up? They've been up and down all year, this is definitely their biggest up.

Nebraska 7-56 (16) Indiana

Wow, this was a drubbing! Indiana has a pile of really great WR's that made plays all game long (they'll all be playing for the Steelers next year, I bet). The Huskers tried and had a nice opening drive but the Hoosiers fustigated them all over the place. The Hoosiers are for real, y'all--could we see Vandy and Indiana in the inaugural 12-team final?

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Oregon, (6) Miami, (8) Louisiana State, (10) Clemson, (11) Tennessee, (12) Notre Dame, (13) Brigham Young, (14) Texas A&M, (16) Indiana, (17) Kansas State, (21) Southern Methodist, (22) Illinois, (23) Army, (25) Navy

Won but did not impress

(9) Iowa State. Fumbling around with Central Florida at home isn't winning me over.

(19) Missouri. Coming from behind late to steal one from a crappy Auburn squad is not a good look. 

Bad beat

(7) Alabama. The bad beats are piling up in Tuscaloosa, but they're just not as good as Tennessee this year. 

Not so good

(24) Michigan. Going to a ranked Illinois and getting a W was their best/last chance to make a run at the tourney, I'd say that is officially over at this point. 

Next week's intriguing matches:

(17) Boise State @ UNLV (UNLV is kinda good, so a nice little test for Boise State)

(12) Notre Dame @ (24) Navy (when was the last time this match mattered? Get your popcorn, the Midshipmen are pretty damn good this year)

Washington @ (13) Indiana (Hoosiers have a chance to beat both of last year's championship finalists--and I expect them to win both matches! Hoosier football!)

(20) Illinois @ (1) Oregon (If Illinois is gonna do anything this year, here's the chance)

(21) Missouri @ (15) Alabama (two fumbling SEC squads, loser leaves town?)

(5) Texas @ (25) Vanderbilt (man, no one in Austin had this game circled on their schedule, but Vandy is no pushover and suddenly this isn't just a trap game--it's a real game!)

(8) Louisiana State @ (14) Texas A&M (LSU is rolling, the Aggies are getting back on track, this should be a good one)

2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 7)

Games I watched (some of):

(2) Ohio State 31-32 Oregon

I thought both offenses looked pretty great, Oregon was probably a little better; both defenses had moments, again, Oregon was a little better. Great win for Oregon, tough L--but not a bad one--for the Buckeyes. 

Top 25 

Handled their business

(1) Texas, (3) Oregon, (4) Penn State, (10) Clemson,  (11) Notre Dame, (11) Iowa State, (13) Louisiana State, (14) Brigham Young, (17) Boise State, (18) Kansas State, (21) Missouri,

Won but did not impress

(5) Georgia. Dogs gave up 31 to a pretty sorry Mississippi State? 'Sup wit dat?

(7) Alabama. Really struggled with South Carolina, the Tide is not looking so good right now.

(8) Tennessee. Had to go to OT to beat a so-so Florida squad at home? The Vols' best should look a lot better than this.

(22) Pittsburgh. I dunno, barely squeaking by a mediocre Cal squad at home is not knocking me out. 

(23) Illinois. How do you give 40 points in the 2nd half to Purdue? Had to scramble in OT when this game looked over at halftime, not sure about the Illini.

Bad beat

(2) Ohio State. Played well at top flight Oregon, put up a good fight but came up short, not a bad L.

(9) Mississippi. LSU is rounding into shape and Ole Miss just couldn't hang. 

(18) Oklahoma. The Sooners are clearly rebuilding but a better effort against the Longhorns would've been at least hopeful.

Not so good

(16) Utah. Feels like they were never really in this game at Arizona State, not a good look. 

2024-25 NFL Season (Week 4 & 5)

Games I saw (some of): 

Bucs 30-36 (OT) Falcons

The Falcons rely too much of Kirk Cousins--you've got a for-real running game, why are passing 50 times a game with a guy that makes Drew Bledsoe look like Jackie Joyner-Kersey? Neither of these teams show much interest in defense but they can both move the ball. Pre-season, I liked the Falcons to be a nice surprise kinda team and I still believe that, but they need to balance up that offense and tighten up that defense if they expect to take even this bizarro division. The Bucs are okay, they move the ball, they shouldn't be taken lightly and yet I still never expect them to win. 

Ravens 41-38 (OT) Bengals

I got a hot take: the Ravens defense is not particularly any good. This is not the hard-nosed Ravens D that we've seen for decades, this team is soft in the secondary and not that effective against the run. They can get gashed again and again, so good for them that their offense can put points on the board. As for the Bengals, well....likewise. The offense is coming around and their gonna be tough to stop most weeks but their defense doesn't stop anybody and if the offense turns it over or misses a FG, their D is in serious trouble. The Ravens are good enough to challenge in the AFC but I don't think the Bengals are gonna do much this season. 

The rest of the slate: 

Jets 17-23 Vikings. Yeah, that looks about right. The Jets really just haven't shown anything on either side of the ball yet, but their division is pretty awful, so they're not out of it yet.

Panthers 10-36 Bears. The Panthers are terrible. The Bears are at least moving in the right direction. 

Dolphins 15-10 Patriots. These are two worst teams in the NFL. I'd be shocked if they're not both picking top 4 in the 2025 draft. 

Colts 34-37 Jags. You ever notice that even when the Jags win, they still don't look right?

Bills 20-23 Texans. Feels like the Bills let this one slip away late. Good W for the Texans.

Raiders 18-34 Broncos. I kinda like the Broncos. I kinda the Raiders are terrible. 

Cards 24-23 Niners. The Niners are struggling and I don't understand why. The Cards are sneaky but not great. 

Packers 24-19 Rams. The Rams just aren't good enough in the O-line or D-line to matter much this season, it seems. The Packers should be better, but a nice W on the road. 

Giants 29-20 Seahawks. Why is the Seahawks home field advantage never much of an advantage for them? How did the Giants get better after getting rid of any/all good players? It feels like they're trying to tank and the players just keep accidentally winning. 

Cowboys 20-17 Steelers. The Cowboys are sloppy, should be better. The Steelers work hard and get lucky but I'm not sure how good they actually are. 

Saints 13-26 Chiefs. What happened that offensive explosion the Saints unleashed in the first 2 weeks? Nice steady game plan victory for the Chiefs.

Week 4

Games I saw (some of):

Cowboys 20-15 Giants

The Giants aren't a disaster, not quite good enough to beat good teams but not bad. The Cowboys have moments where that offense is in control and then moments where they look totally befuddled, I don't get this team at all.

Steelers 24-27 Colts

I'm still skeptical of the Steelers, the D is pretty good (but not that great) and the offense has moments but mostly sputters. But when QB Joe Flacco puts the cape on, that's good enough to brush the Steelers aside. So....why doesn't Flacco just play all the time for the Colts? Why do they leave the QB that can get wins on the bench for emergencies only?

Bengals 34-24 Panthers

Okay, so Cincy can beat the Panthers. Not overwhelming but they were the better team. That's good to know because I think the Panthers are probably the worst team in the league. 

Chiefs 17-10 Chargers

Another week, another just enough QB Mahomes performance. The Chargers are the Chargers, man: good when they feel like it, brutally awful the rest of the time. I'm still skeptical of the Chiefs, but they are the same team that won 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls, so.....

Bills 10-35 Ravens

The Bills were down 21-10 in the 3rd quarter, they were driving nicely, when QB Allen got outside the pocket, couldn't get the pass off, fumbled and lost the ball. The Ravens quickly converted the turnover into a TD and that was that. My point is: the Bills were in this game and if a coupla plays had gone different, they may have even won. But this is purely Josh Allen's team and they will go as far he can drag them. The Ravens are looking good, but I still feel like they're not a complete team. 

Seahawks 29-42 Lions

Jared Goff threw a perfect game--no incomplete passes all night. The Lions offense is looking good right now. The Seahawks are....I dunno what they are. 

The rest of the slate:

Saints 24-26 Falcons. Division game, home team wins, sounds right to me. 

Rams 18-24 Bears. The Rams are gonna lose like this week no matter who the play, right? The Bears offense is heating up. 

Vikings 31-29 Packers. Vikings built big lead, almost gave it away. If the Packers figure it out, they can still be pretty good. 

Broncos 10-9 Jets. Yipes! Are the Jets ever gonna get going? The Bronco is real. 

Eagles 16-33 Bucs. What is up with the Eagles? Do they hate their coach? The Bucs are a trick or treat team but their good weeks look pretty good. 

Jags 20-24 Texans. Division game, home team prevails, looks right to me. 

Commanders 42-14 Cards. The Commanders offensive renaissance looks to be for real. The Cards are up and down.

Pats 13-30 Niners. The Pats are working their way to a top 5 pick. The Niners still aren't there yet but a nice biscuit from the Pats is nice. 

Browns 16-20 Raiders. The Browns are stuck with QB Watson and until they get out from under his brutal contract, this team is going nowhere. The Raiders are not good, but they handled the Browns. 

Titans 31-12 Dolphins. The Titans aren't good but the Dolphins are aiming for a top 5 pick.