NFL (Week 6)

Games I saw (some of):

Seahawks 14-17 Broncos

The Seahawks waited til the last minute to do anything on offense and it was too late. QB Darnold just doesn't have the confidence he had last season and the running game isn't there either. I'm not done with the Seahawks, I can still see them coming out of the NFC but they're not playing well right now. The Broncos is just kinda okay, solid on defense, up and down on offense, they play hard but they don't always play smart. They can win games but I don't see them as some kind of juggernaut.

Steelers 26-19 (OT) Bucs

Ugh, what a sludgesfest. These are maybe my two least favorite teams to watch in the whole league. The Bucs seemed to have the game locked down but late turnovers forced them to scramble to get a late tying FG, then Rodgers was kinda perfect in OT, got the TD and wasted all the clock. The Bucs are just a bumbling team right now.  

Bills 33-30 Raiders

The Bills did what they needed to do, got a big enough lead that the Raiders couldn't come back (although, damn! Look at that bomb!)

Weird observation: is it me or does it seem like QB Allen suddenly does not want to run any more? Felt like he was buying time more than looking to run in this game, maybe he just trusted his receivers to find space or something. The Raiders are fun and strangely not as incompetent as usual. The Bills are the Bills, man, they move the ball and usually they outscore their opponent.

The rest of the slate:

Texans 34-31 Jaguars

The Texans might be ready to rise up. The Jags are used to playing in London, wonder why they couldn't hold their home continent advantage?

Bears 31-23 Falcons

Wow, QB Williams was just about perfect in this game. The Falcons are kinda okay. 

Ravens 10-13 Browns

The Ravens gacked it up and the Browns stole it. 

Titans 26-20 Colts

Yipes! What happened here? Are the Titans ready to go on a run?

Jets 19-26 Patriots

The Pats did just enough, the Jets are almost frisky.

Saints 34-27 Giants

Looks like a weird game. Giants up early, Saints then built a huge lead, Giants almost clawed their way back. 

Panthers 25-14 Eagles

The Eagles are hurting. The Panthers are kinda scrappy. 

Cards 18-16 Rams

The Cards are 20 at Sofi Stadium this year. The Rams are still scuffling--and you'd like to think they'll get better as their schedule gets easier but they already lost to Arizona!

Chargers 6-22 Chiefs

The Chargers are just awful. Fire sale coming any day now. The Chiefs are doing enough to win, the running game looks really good. 

Cowboys 13-23 Packers

Didn't see any of this one. I thought the Cowboys were poised for a breakout season, but no, not so much. The Packers seem like they're turning around. 

NCAA Football (Week 7)

Games I saw (some of):

Auburn 27-24 (1) Georgia

I kept waiting for UGA to take over and it felt for a minute like they were gonna pull it out. But they just kept turning the ball over and even as weak as Auburn is this season, it was enough to put them ahead. Auburn fans will be living off this one for a while. As for UGA, well, they beat Bama and they're still in line to win the SEC, so all isn't lost but it got a little harder this year.

(4) Ohio State 19-15 (5) Indiana

Oh man, feel bad for that kid.

Sluggish game on both sides but I was more unimpressed with the Buckeye offense than I was impressed by the Hoosier defense. Ohio State did enough to win and Indiana is a worthy opponent but I thought this was the chance for the Buckeyes to blow up and get a monster W. Both squads are still very much alive.

(6) Alabama 10-26 (14) Tennessee

Bama sucked in this game! Their one TD was a near pick-6 that led to an easy score (not unlike their comeback against Kentucky, though the Cats gave them several easy scores in the 4th quarter). Otherwise, the Bama offense never got going. Tennessee looked more fluid than their sludgefest with Texas a coupla weeks ago, but I kinda think it was bcause Bama just never got their defense going either (which is how they turned the tide against Kentucky). Back to back L's for Alabama is weird, that team looks like they're just tired of playing football. Not really sure about Tennessee, they could get rolling here or maybe they're just an up-and-down team.

Florida 27-24 (7) Texas

Texas jumped out to an early lead then....just stopped. Florida did well to grind their way back into the game and then to continue to take the lead and hold it. The Arch Manning haters are hatin' more than ever but, again, I'm still not convinced this poor Texas team is his fault. The O-line isn't there and the receivers aren't impressive. As for Florida, they're another one of those up-and-down SEC squads. 

(15) Kentucky 21-13 Oklahoma

If you told me that Kentucky would win at South Carolina, at Texas A&M and at Oklahoma in the same DECADE. I'd be dubious. To do all that in the same season (and a W over LSU and a halftime lead against Alabama!) is...breathtaking. The last time Kentucky was this high in the conference this late in the season was 1978, which was the last truly good year Kentucky ever had. So allow me a moment of hyperbole: this is easily the best Kerntucky football side of my football watching life. Still have to play Florida, Tennessee, Missouri and Louisville, so still time for this season to go horribly sideways but, for now, let me have this fantasia, lord! 

Top 25

Handled their business

(4) Ohio State, (8) Brigham Young, (9) Mississippi, (10) Texas Tech, (11) Utah, (14) Tennessee, (15) Kentucky, (20) Houston, (21) Wake Forest, (22) Louisiana State, (24) Southern Methodist

Won but did not impress

(3) Miami (Florida State 35-43 (2OT) Miami)

Miami is your new #1....and they needed every ounce of luck to get past a sorry-ass Seminole squad. They won, they did what they needed to do, I get that, but they're #1 in the nation now, I just expect a little more from a varsity letterman.

(12) UCLA (UCLA 17-7 Wisconsin)

I'm just not impressed (yet) by UCLA. Do they have it in them to really shine out? I don't know.

(25) Northwestern (Northwestern 24-21 Michigan State)

This Spartan squad is pretty bad, if this Northwestern team is really ready to kick some ass, I would've thought a decisive victory in Lansing wouldn't be too much to ask. Perhaps I'm being harsh, it is a road win in conference, but I thought they'd cruise and they did not. 

Bad beat

(5) Indiana (Ohio State 19-15 Indiana)

Indiana struggled but they made the Buckeyes struggle, too. And they almost pulled it out (well, should have to be honest). Not a devastating L (I don't think they even dropped in the standings).

(18) Oklahoma State (Oklahoma State 25-28 Texas Tech)

I was skeptical of Oklahoma State but I've warmed up on them and they gave a high powered Tech squad a good game. 

Not so good

(1) Georgia (Auburn 27-24 Georgia)

UGA shouldn't have fallen behind, should've been able to come back, should not have given the game away late.

(2) Notre Dame (Notre Dame 24-28 BYU)

I thought they'd roll over BYU and they got stung instead. A close match and BYU is pretty good, perhaps I'm being a little hard on the Irish but they were ranked #2, they should've won this game.

(6) Alabama (Alabama 10-26 Tennessee) 

Bama sucked and UT kinda stomped them. Not good. 

(7) Texas (Florida 27-24 Texas)

Texas had a good lead and didn't hold it. Not good. 

(13) Missouri (Missouri 3-31 Mississippi)

Yipes! Not surprised they lost, this would've been a Bad Beat if they'd put up any kind of fight in Oxford. But, they didn't.

(16) Mississippi State (Mississippi State 0-31 LSU)

Likewise, with Missouri: I just needed to see some fight in Baton Rouge and MSU brought none. 

Next week's intriguing matches:

(7) Mississippi @ (17) Texas (Ole Miss is rolling, Texas is struggling, this is the Longhorns' best chance to right this season)

(11) Tennessee @ South Carolina (surprised that the Vols are a road dog but the Gamecocks can be spicy, should be worth catching)

(14) Houston @ Utah (odd to me that Houston is rather big underdog on the road, they should put up a lot of points, no?)

2026-27 NFL (Week 5)

Games I watched (some of):

Colts 22-34 Steelers                                                                                    

This game was kinda sad. The Steelers are wily veterans and the Colts are young and dumb, which made for a sloppy uninspiring match. The Steelers are okay, the Colts are not that good.

Ravens 30-23 (OT) Falcons

The Falcons have their moments, the Ravens are good at giving away games, but this game was backwards. The Falcons kinda dominated the game until the Ravens got going late to get to OT and then to take over. I'll say it: I believe in the Falcons, if they can get some consistent QB play, they'll score. As for the Ravens, I dunno, man, I've never been as big a fan of this style as I feel like I'm supposed to be. 

Bills 37-34 (OT) Rams

Okay, look: if you go into OT, you have 10 minutes to outscore your opponent. During the course of that 10 minute period it will likely come down to one single play to seal the victory. So....just spitballin' here....why not go for the 2-point conversion to win the game at the end of regulation? WTF is so special about putting your team out there for 10 more minutes? At any rate, the Rams had their chance to win and they chose to overtime instead....I thought the coach was a genius but I guess I'm not seeing it. Both teams can score, not sure either team can stop a serious offense.

The rest of the slate:

Bucs 24-16 Cowboys

Oh, Cowboys, even when the game is handed to you, you can't take it? 

Eagles 17-19 Jaguars

The Jags are good right now and the Eagles are scuffling, looks like this game was closer than it should've been.

Bears 7-31 Packers

Division game. Bears with a 2nd string QB, Packers finally getting some semblance of cohesion. Watch out for a Packer run!

Texans 26-3 Titans

The Titans are not good--so not good that I presume their 2027-28 opening day QB will be Arch Manning. The Texans have not played well so far but they can't be as bad as they've looked, don't be surprised if they start wrecking the playoff hopes of their upcoming opponents. 

Bengals 31-24 Dolphins

The Bengals are okay, the Dolphins are not. 

Raiders 17-45 Patriots

The Pats win big! Clearly all their problems have been solved! The Raiders taste tested QB Mendoza, wonder how much more we'll see of him this season. 

Vikings 23-13 Saints

The Vikings D is good, the offense quite a bit less so. The Saints are the Saints. 

Browns 12-27 Jets

Thought the Browns had a winnable game, but bad weather and just general Brown-ness led to them being thwarted. The Jets have their moments, I don't think they've figured anything out yet but they play hard. 

Giants 27-27 Commanders

Yeah, a draw. "I'll take the tie and get out of town!"

Broncos 23-17 Chargers

Saw none of this, probably a good game. The Chargers still can't figure it out. 

Lions 45-21 Cards

Looks like a fun one. The Lions can score, but the defense...not so much. The Cards are looking ahead to the 2027 Draft.

Niners 32-29 Seahawks

Looks like a fun one. Niners and Seahawks may well be playing for the NFC championship.

2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 6)

Games I saw (some of):

(1) Texas 24-27 Oklahoma

Wow, I thought Texas worked really hard to lose this game! The Longhorn defense is very good but it gives up ridiculous penalties; the Longhorn offense has moments but is mostly stagnant. Oklahoma, on the other hand, is okay, they're not particularly good at anything on either side of the ball, they're not an embarrassment but this is by no means some classic Sooner squad. Man, all Texas had to do was not give this away and that's precisely what they did. My Arch Manning hot take: he reminds me of Will Levis; yes, I know that sounds awful but going into the draft Levis was considered as a potential #1 pick, so maybe that isn't as bad as you think; that said, when Levis got to Kentucky, I thought he was really good at running the ball and playing backyard football but he clearly wanted to mold himself into an NFL prospect and so he stood there like an old timey pocket passer and...well, he wasn't very good at that. Manning needs to let himself be himself and maybe he'll turn in to something; and, if not, well, he wasn't gonna be the NFL QB we all wanted him to be anyway 

(7) Indiana 20-17 Nebraska

I was impressed with Nebraska, they made stops on D and managed to pull out nifty big chunk plays on offense when they needed it. Unfortunately, there was more clock than they were ready to deal with--if this game was 50 minutes long, I think the Cornhuskers win convincingly. The Hoosiers have Ohio State coming up next week, this was a "trap" game, and they wriggled out of it, so good on them. But I really thought they could've/should've been wildly better than Nebraska and I wanted to see them take over game earlier than the last 5 minutes (where they were able to successfully play Nebraska's aggressiveness against them). Good W for the Hoosiers, keep an eye on the Huskers, I think they might be kinda good. 

(10) Louisiana State 34-35 (OT) Kentucky

I was back and forth with baseball on this night (and I was drunk as all get out--but both my teams won, so all good!), but this was a fun one. Kept waiting for LSU to take control, to squeeze the life out of the Cats (as I've seen happen so many times in my life) and it just didn't happen. The Cats made plays down the stretch, then stole the W in OT for the 2nd time in as many weeks! LSU isn't ready to take over the world just yet, while Kentucky surges up the rankings. Pinch me. 

(21) UCLA 17-15 (13) Oregon

Wow, Oregon suuuuuuuuucccccckkkkked in this game! They didn't do anything well at any point in the game. They were so bad that its hard to get a sense of UCLA, I mean, the Bruins should've dominated the shit out of this game but it was still close late. But, man, Oregon was awful at every phase of the game, so for UCLA to squeak it out late is not a ringing endorsement, though they have played well so far. I don't know what's up with Oregon, they are not right. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Georgia, (3) Notre Dame, (5) Ohio State, (8) Brigham Young, (9) Mississippi, (12) Utah, (14) Missouri, (15) Tennessee, (18) Oklahoma State, (19) Southern Cal, (20) Iowa, (21) UCLA, (22) Houston, (23) Boise State

Won but did not impress

(7) Indiana (Indiana 20-17 Nebraska)

Good win really for the Hoosiers, they could've fallen and they didn't and I should be more optimistic about that, I suppose. But they could've wrapped this up early with a more consistent offensive game plan and instead they relied on last minute hero ball.  

Bad beat

(6) Alabama (Georgia 20-17 Alabama)

Losing to your main rival at home always sucks, but Georgia is really good right now, I presume they will be #1 in next week's poll. Alabama has been up and down but when their offense is cooking, they've looked damn good at times and I don't think this L will doom their season. 

Not so good

(1) Texas (Texas 24-27 Oklahoma)

Yipes, Longhorns, what do you want? Do you want to win? 

(10) Louisiana State (LSU 34-35 (OT) Kentucky)

I seem to recall 2 seasons ago when UK beat Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss squad in Oxford, kinda destroyed their season really. Long live the Kentucky "season-killer" Wildcats!

(13) Oregon (UCLA 17-15 Oregon)

Oregon has to figure some things out. 

(16) Florida (South Carolina 38-19 Florida)

Wow, 2 weeks ago I was blown away by Florida's dominance of Ole Miss. Since then, they got stomped in Missouri and and now at home by South Carolina. WTF, Gators?

(25) Pittsburgh (North Carolina 21-17 Pittsburgh)

Pitt was undefeated and ranked but couldn't handle the Tar Heels. Not a good look. 

Next week's intriguing matches:

(4) Ohio State @ (5) Indiana (game of the week--in a pretty strong week!)

(16) Mississippi State @ (22) Louisiana State (SEC probably has too many ranked teams, no?)

(6) Alabama @ (14) Tennessee (good bounce back opportunity for the Tide or back to back devastating rivalry L's)

(13) Missouri @ (9) Mississippi (SEC probably has too many ranked teams, no?)

(2) Notre Dame @ (8) Brigham Young (the Irish are riding high, should probably flummox BYU, but we'll see)

(15) Kentucky @ Oklahoma (Kentucky is as hot as they've been in...ever? OU just beat Texas, one of these teams is gonna be disappointed)

(18) Oklahoma State @ (20) Houston (two schools ready to jump up the rankings)

2026-27 NFL (Week 4)

Games I saw (some of):

Steelers 24-27 Browns

The Brown built a nice halftime lead, let the Steelers come back, but then the Steelers faltered and the Browns won anyway. These teams are both capable of being good but they're also both capable of laying an egg. If QB Watson can keep it going, the Browns might be good. 

Jaguars 22-17 Bengals

The Jags are just better than the Bengals. This wasn't a blowout but I never thought the Bengals were gonna win. 

Chiefs 30-27 Raiders

The Raiders hung for while, then the Chiefs ran off and left them, but the Raiders kept at it and made it close in the end.  The Raiders are one of those classic teams that isn't very good but they play hard and that alone wins games in the NFL. As for the Chiefs, they're good enough to curry favor from the refs (which irritates the shit out of me, but what are ya gonna do?).

The rest of the slate: 

Colts 30-13 Commanders

Thought the Commanders would bring it abroad but once their (2nd string) QB got hurt, they were pretty much done for the day. The Colts have moments but I can't imagine they're actually particularly good.

Patriots 29-26 Bills

A bit of a shocker for the mighty home team but it's a division game and those are always unpredictable. We'll see if the Bills even it up later on in Foxboro.

Jets 12-23 Bears

Looks like a slopfest of a game. I think the Jets play hard and while I want to believe in the Bears, I'm not sure they're going to be consistent enough to be very scary. 

Cards 24-36 Giants

The Giants with a nice W. The Cards still plugging along til next year's draft.

Rams 24-20 Eagles

The Rams are the "good version" of the Eagles? Both of these squads are loaded with talent but neither plays with much intensity. 

Packers 17-14 Bucs

The Packers have yet to look very good this year. Ditto the Bucs.

Titans 18-24 Ravens

The Ravens almost bungled this away. The Titans look like the very worst team in the league to me--a serious candidate to go winless!

Cowboys 34-30 Texans

The Cowboys and Texans are both kinda disappointing so far this season. I guess I gotta say the Texans are even more disappointing than the Cowboys. 

Dolphins 10-15 Vikings

The Vikings D looks monstrous but the offense does not. The Dolphins are flounders.

Broncos 14-24 Niners

Would've liked to have seen this one. I think the Niners might be the best team in the league. The Broncos are like last year: they play hard, they plug away, they don't get blown out so they're always dangerous, but do we really think they're a really good team?

Chargers 23-30 Seahawks

The Chargers are at least starting to move the ball and look a little dangerous, but its probably already too late for them. The Seahawks just keep getting W's. 

Lions 26-32 Panthers

I bet this was a fun one. The Lions can score but that D looks hideous. The Panthers are a trick-or-treat team. 

Falcons 45-24 Saints

I've thought all season that if the Falcons can just get some reliable QB play, they could be really good. The Saints are the Saints. 

2026-27 NCAA Football (Week 5)

Games I saw (some of):

(8) Florida 17-45 (25) Missouri 

I was in and out of this game (I'm still a baseball nerd at heart) but I didn't see anything Florida do anything in this match. Every time I turned it on, it was to catch Missouri to score another TD or get another big stop on D. Nice work, Missouri, but honestly this was all about that disappointing Gator show. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Georgia, (3) Notre Dame, (4) Miami, (5) Ohio State, (6) Indiana, (7) Alabama, (10) Brigham Young, (11) Louisiana State, (12) Texas Tech, (17) Tennessee, (20) Houston, (22) Boise State, (24) Kentucky, (25) Missouri

 

Won but did not impress

(18) Southern Cal (Washington 21-25 Southern Cal)

If USC was really gonna be a squad, I can't help thinking they would have closed out a so-so conference foe at home with more confidence. Don't wanna bang on the Huskies, but they haven't looked particularly good this season, I think the Trojans should've brought it 

(21) Southern Methodist (Boston College 16-25 SMU)

BC is not good right now, I kinda thought SMU's offense would roll. Instead this was much closer throughout than it should have been. Not impressive from the Mustangs.

Bad beat

(14) Iowa (Ohio State 31-14 Iowa)

The Hawkeyes brought their D, the game was a little closer than the score suggests, but that offense still just doesn't exist. So they hung for 2 quarters or so but the Buckeyes were able to pile up points and Iowa just couldn't keep up. Still think Iowa is a pretty good squad but they're not in Ohio State's class.

(16) Mississippi State (Alabama 56-23 Mississippi State)

Yeah, they got trucked at home by a conference foe but Alabama is getting their offense cranked up and there just wasn't much Mississippi State was gonna do about it. Bama is looking pretty good right now. 

Not so good

(8) Florida (Florida 17-45 Missouri)

Man, I was blown away by Florida's offense a week ago at home against Ole Miss, I thought the huge jump into the top 10 was absolutely warranted. But, in Columbia, that offense didn't get going at all. I thought Florida was primed for a run and so now what? Am I supposed to get behind Missouri? 

Next week's intriguing matches:

Iowa State @ (8) Brigham Young (Iowa State is always an upset candidate, might be nothing but BYU better bring it just to make sure)

Texas A&M @ (14) Missouri (its easy to say that A&M is done but with Missouri coming off a big W against Florida, I can't help thinking this is gonna be a close match)

(1) Texas @ Oklahoma (Texas ought to win easily but will that happen?)

(21) UCLA @ (13) Oregon (I kinda think Oregon is ready to roll, but UCLA has gotten off to good start, curious to see how long they can keep it going)

(10) Louisiana State @ Kentucky (easy to say that the Tigers will stomp the Wildcats, but both of these squads are kinda weird right now and actually UK has had decent success against LSU over the years; you never know....)

(2) Georgia @ (6) Alabama (okay, game of the week--game of the season, so far)

(19) Southern Cal @ Penn State (is USC ready to do what needs to be done? Can Penn State still turn their season around?)

2026-27 NFL (Week 3)

Games I saw (some of): 

Falcons 35-14 Packers

Everyone bags on the Falcons but if they can figure out QB, the rest of that offense is kinda loaded and the pass rush is good, too.  For now, QB Pennix looks like the guy (we'll see how long he can stay upright) and I'm not at all surprised that the Falcons are moving the ball right now. I'm a little shocked at how bad the Packers are, not sure what their problem is, they're just not very good right now. This game was not a shock to me but I still expect the Packers to figure it out at some point. 

Chargers 16-24 Bills

Wow, slopfest of a game--so many dumb penalties and turnovers! The Bills eventually got going, the Chargers eventually stopped working after jumping out to an early lead. The Bills are a gunslinger team, the Chargers are a mess. 

Bengals 27-30 Steelers

Meh, these two are basically the same team: surprisingly good D-line, good talent on the offense but a QB struggling to get the ball downfield. I'm not as impressed with the Bengals as I feel like I'm supposed to be and I'm not as bummed by the Steelers as I thought I would be. 

Rams 26-30 Broncos

Fun game. Typical Broncos come back late. The Rams were the better team for three quarters but couldn't slam the door shut--when they figure out how to close games, they'll be really good. The Broncos are okay, they're spunky but I'm not sure if they're actually any good. 

Eagles 7-27 Bears

Yeech! The Eagles kinda stink! The Bears are fun, we see how well they can actually close games, although they did just fine with backup QB Keenum tonight. The Eagles do this every year but this year they seem even weirder than usual. The Bears are pretty good, man, but they will lose games they ought to win (while winning games they ought to lose). 

The rest of the slate:

Panthers 18-21 Browns 

QB Watson getting it done! If he can actually play--a possibility no one even bothered to consider--the Browns might win their division. 

Jets 24-31 Lions

Looks like a sloppy game but a fun one. The Jets aren't good but they play hard and weird, they'll win some games. The Lions still have the offense but the defense isn't as good as its been lately. 

Texans 17-19 Colts

The Texans still can't get going. The Colts are meh.

Chiefs 24-10 Dolphins

Yeah, yeah.

Titans 7-12 Giants

Glad I missed this one. The Giants are a weird team, gonna be dangerous some weeks and positively invisible in others.

Patriots 6-35 Jaguars

The Jags are rolling right now. The Pats are weird but I wouldn't worry just yet, I think the Jags are actually really good.

Seahawks 31-33 Commanders

Whoa! What happened here? Looks like the Commanders got turnovers and put points on the board and that was enough to outlast the Seahawks. 

Cardinals 30-36 Niners

Division game. The Niners got the W, that's all that matters. 

Vikings 23-16 Bucs

What is up with the Bucs? Are the Vikings actually good? 

Ravens 34-31 Cowboys

It was simply a matter of which team would make the fatal mistake and give the game away....this week it was the Cowboys. 

Raiders 35-27 Saints

The Raiders are kinda for real, right? The Saints are gamers, not particularly good but they play hard.