Games I saw (some of):
Steelers 16-10 Bengals
In the 3rd quarter the Steelers benched 2nd string QB Mason Rudolph for 3rd string QB Devlin Hodges; Hodges had one perfect pass that went for a long TD and that was pretty much the game. Make no mistake outside of one play, Hodges was no better (or different, really) from Rudolph but he gets the W. The Bengals, on the other hand, are still playing their 2nd string QB (uh....I can't remember the dude's name) because they benched Andy Dalton weeks ago, though while watching this game seemed to me it was great time to bring Dalton back to spark the team to a W. Turns out the Bengals don't really wanna win, so they fumbled away a perfectly winnable game against their dreaded rivals. (News: Dalton's gonna start next week....why? What's the point of bringing him back now? *smh*) The Steelers have a good pass rush, solid LB's and a good secondary, which might be good enough to steal some W's (especially as the weather turns wintery) even though that offense is pretty bad right now. The Bengals are playing for the #1 pick and since I live in Bengals TV territory, I'd very much prefer they just forfeited the upcoming games so I could watch something else!
Seahawks 17-9 Eagles
The Seahawks scored their two TD's on a long pass play and a breakaway run, otherwise their offense didn't really do much. And even though the Eagles never seemed in this game, it was still winnable late. The Eagles ought to be better, I don't understand why they've struggled but their schedule gets easier so wouldn't be surprised to see them get hot late. The Seahawks are a smart team and they're gonna be a tough out for anyone come playoff time.
Cowboys 9-13 Patriots
4th down late inside the Pats' 10 yard line, down by 7, the Cowboys go for a FG...why? What good is a FG in that situation? Getting stopped and pinning the Pats down on their own goal line is not a terrible outcome there. You know, the Pats didn't exactly blow the Cowboys out. Take out the blocked punt and another Cowboy turnover that led to an FG and the Pats...uh...didn't hardly do anything in this match. Yeah, I'm officially on the Garret's-gotta-go bandwagon. I typically don't fancy myself an expert on football coaching but there was a chance for the Cowboys to win this game and the coach kept them from doing that and that is unforgivable. The Pats have a really good D and Brady is still capable but that offense is not classic, I can see them getting smoked in the playoffs.
Packers 8-37 Niners
Wow. I'm in on the Niners now. The Niners casually piled up points but right before halftime they stole an extra TD and an extra FG and you could tell right then that the Packers got snookered and the Niners were the better and smarter team. Rodgers tried to get it going in the 2nd half but the Niners came right back with a long TD (beautiful roll out by Garoppolo and the perfect placement on the pass) and, man, it was over. Packers mailed in the rest of the game. The Niners are good, man, they're looking at a bye in the playoffs; Packers are solid, I expect them to be there and to be dangerous in the post-season.
Games I didn't see (surprised by result):
Bucs 35-22 Falcons
Just when the Falcons started to look like the team they should've been all year long, they get rolled at home by a so-so division opponent led by Jameis Winston. WTF? The Bucs are kinda fun, they throw the ball around with abandon but they're not built to win games and their off-season revolves around what to do at QB.
Raiders 3-34 Jets
The Raiders were getting going, felt like the Jets were gonna be easy pickins'...uh, not so much. The Jets have been ballin' out lately, feels like they finally got a little bit offense. Going West to East is tough and the Raiders just weren't up for NYJ giving them a game.
Games I didn't see (not a surprise):
Colts 17-20 Texans
Yeah, these teams do this to each other twice a year.
Broncos 3-20 Bills
The Bills D is possibly overrated but they're good enough to stuff a below average offense (also going West to East). It wasn't that long ago that the Broncos pass rush was the most fearsome in the league, what happened to that?
Giants 14-19 Bears
The Giants are terrible, the Bears aren't great but they're good enough to beat a team like this.
Dolphins 24-41 Browns
Browns busted out, good for them.
Panthers 31-34 Saints
Closer than it should've been, Panthers special teams kinda blew this game.
Lions 16-19 Redskins
Two bad teams, fortunately there was only one bad game.
Jags 20-42 Titans
Yeah, sure.
Ravens 45-6 Rams
I think the Ravens are the best team in the league right now. Lamar Jackson is shaping up to be the superstar he was hoped to be, the D is locked in, this a team that knows who they are and how to do what they need to do. The danger is that they're peaking too early, but they're really ballin' right now. Man, remember when the Rams were in the Super Bowl and everyone was salivating over their genius coach? Oh yeah, that was a year ago. What the hell happened to them?
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
2019-20 NCAA Football (Week 13)
Games I saw (some of):
(8) Penn State 17-28 (2) Ohio State
Slog of a game in the 1st half as both teams adjusted to slippery weather conditions, but it felt like the Buckeyes finally had their legs under them when suddenly they started fumbling all over the place and the Nittany Lions made the most of those mistakes. But once the Buckeyes stopped giving away the game, then the game was over. Buckeyes are seriously legit as a championship contender while the Nittany Lions are nice but second tier at best.
Texas A&M 13-19 (4) Georgia
You know all season long Texas was the team that seemed impressive even though they clearly weren't that good, when actually it is A&M that has been putting up good efforts against teams that they just shouldn't be competing with: tough against Clemson, gave Bama a good game, hung with Auburn. And here they kept UGA from taking off, really made them churn on offense. That said, it never felt like they would win any of those games, so does A&M really have anything to build on? I dunno. Georgia is good but I don't think they're good enough, I don't give them any shot against LSU, though their path to the playoff is still right in front of them.
(6) Oregon 28-31 Arizona State
I caught the 2nd half of this game and I kept waiting for Oregon to start rolling up points but kudos to State for playing them tough and bringing the offense of their own to make this a for-real contest. Oregon needed to win out to get to the playoff and the Sun Devils kept that from happening, tough L for the Ducks.
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Lousiana State, (2) Ohio State, (4) Georgia, (5) Alabama, (7) Utah, (10) Minnesota, (12) Wisconsin, (13) Michigan, (14) Baylor, (15) Auburn, (16) Notre Dame, (17) Iowa, (18) Memphis, (20) Boise State, (21) Oklahoma State, (23) Southern Cal, (24) Appalachian State
Won but did not impress
(9) Oklahoma. Wasn't that long ago that I was crafting the argument for OU in the playoff, now they're squeaking by TCU. That defense is not top tier even if that offense is.
(19) Cincinnati. I keep waiting for Cincy to do...something interesting. They're good enough to hang around the fringes of the poll by getting by on a flimsy schedule. They're getting W's and that's not insignificant but I'm not blown away by UC.
(22) Iowa State. Meh. Iowa State's whole identity is catching people off guard but how long can that work?
Not so good
(6) Oregon. Offense never got going.
(25) Southern Methodist. Feels like they had Navy in hand, but they did not. Not so good.
Bad beat
(8) Penn State. Game effort but they're not as good as the Buckeyes this season.
Next week's interesting matches:
(1) Ohio State @ (13) Michigan (still a big game, a big opportunity for the Wolverines (re: Coach Harbaugh) to get a signature W)
(5) Alabama @ (15) Auburn (I'm not giving Auburn much of a chance but I'm just trying to give Auburn something to fight for)
(12) Wisconsin @ (8) Minnesota (who had this game circled at the start of the season? I think UM is actually pretty good and this is a great chance for them)
(7) Oklahoma @ (21) Oklahoma State (OU ought to blow them out but that defense is giving OSU a great shot here)
(8) Penn State 17-28 (2) Ohio State
Slog of a game in the 1st half as both teams adjusted to slippery weather conditions, but it felt like the Buckeyes finally had their legs under them when suddenly they started fumbling all over the place and the Nittany Lions made the most of those mistakes. But once the Buckeyes stopped giving away the game, then the game was over. Buckeyes are seriously legit as a championship contender while the Nittany Lions are nice but second tier at best.
Texas A&M 13-19 (4) Georgia
You know all season long Texas was the team that seemed impressive even though they clearly weren't that good, when actually it is A&M that has been putting up good efforts against teams that they just shouldn't be competing with: tough against Clemson, gave Bama a good game, hung with Auburn. And here they kept UGA from taking off, really made them churn on offense. That said, it never felt like they would win any of those games, so does A&M really have anything to build on? I dunno. Georgia is good but I don't think they're good enough, I don't give them any shot against LSU, though their path to the playoff is still right in front of them.
(6) Oregon 28-31 Arizona State
I caught the 2nd half of this game and I kept waiting for Oregon to start rolling up points but kudos to State for playing them tough and bringing the offense of their own to make this a for-real contest. Oregon needed to win out to get to the playoff and the Sun Devils kept that from happening, tough L for the Ducks.
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Lousiana State, (2) Ohio State, (4) Georgia, (5) Alabama, (7) Utah, (10) Minnesota, (12) Wisconsin, (13) Michigan, (14) Baylor, (15) Auburn, (16) Notre Dame, (17) Iowa, (18) Memphis, (20) Boise State, (21) Oklahoma State, (23) Southern Cal, (24) Appalachian State
Won but did not impress
(9) Oklahoma. Wasn't that long ago that I was crafting the argument for OU in the playoff, now they're squeaking by TCU. That defense is not top tier even if that offense is.
(19) Cincinnati. I keep waiting for Cincy to do...something interesting. They're good enough to hang around the fringes of the poll by getting by on a flimsy schedule. They're getting W's and that's not insignificant but I'm not blown away by UC.
(22) Iowa State. Meh. Iowa State's whole identity is catching people off guard but how long can that work?
Not so good
(6) Oregon. Offense never got going.
(25) Southern Methodist. Feels like they had Navy in hand, but they did not. Not so good.
Bad beat
(8) Penn State. Game effort but they're not as good as the Buckeyes this season.
Next week's interesting matches:
(1) Ohio State @ (13) Michigan (still a big game, a big opportunity for the Wolverines (re: Coach Harbaugh) to get a signature W)
(5) Alabama @ (15) Auburn (I'm not giving Auburn much of a chance but I'm just trying to give Auburn something to fight for)
(12) Wisconsin @ (8) Minnesota (who had this game circled at the start of the season? I think UM is actually pretty good and this is a great chance for them)
(7) Oklahoma @ (21) Oklahoma State (OU ought to blow them out but that defense is giving OSU a great shot here)
Thursday, November 14, 2019
2019-20 NCAA Football (Week 11)
Games I saw some of:
(2) LSU 46-41 (3) Alabama
Wow! I thought LSU was the better team throughout, Bama played well in the 2nd half but I was confident LSU would hold on. Burrow was a stud down the stretch, Edwards-Helaire was making plays all over the place, still not used to seeing LSU with an offense! Alabama made some wildly out of character undisciplined mistakes (Tua's phantom fumble, botched punt, dumb penalty negated an interception, the interception and TD right before halftime) that pretty much dug a hole they couldn't get back out of. Najee Harris was great in the 2nd half, the only reason they stayed in it as long as they did. Great W for LSU, the path to the playoff is ahead; and a tough L for Alabama, I suppose they can hang around the playoff talk but I don't see a path for them (the Pac-12 is the real winner here).
(4) Penn State 26-31 (17) Minnesota
Hey, man, Minnesota was good! That bomb up the sidelines right at the end of the 3rd quarter was a baller play and Penn State did not see it coming. Minnesota made plays on both sides of the ball, avoided mistakes and got it done running the ball. I expected Penn State to play better and even to pull it out late, but their passing attack was not happening. Penn State feels back to being a reliably good program year in/year out and this season is another step forward. Good W for Minnesota--technically still alive in the playoff discussion, but they'd need to win at Iowa, Wisconsin and then beat the Buckeyes in the B-10 final, not likely but hey, if they pull all that off, I'm cool with them playing Clemson.
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Ohio State, (2) Louisiana State, (5) Clemson, (6) Georgia, (10) Florida, (13) Wisconsin, (15) Notre Dame, (17) Minnesota, (20) Cincinnati, (25) Southern Methodist
Won but did not impress
(9) Oklahoma. Why is Oklahoma playing close games? That offense should be wearing opponents out, how is it that the Sooners keep giving up so many points?
(12) Baylor. Triple OT to beat a TCU team that couldn't score? Kinda weak, man.
(22) Boise State. I dunno: is stealing a W late in Wyoming something a ranked team does?
Bad beat
(3) Alabama. Played reasonably well and still never felt in the game...weird to see Alabama have a game like that
(4) Penn State. I thought they'd maul Minnesota, but they never got going. Credit Minnesota, man, they looked smart and hungry all over the field. Another close-but-no-cigar season for the Nittany Lions.
(16) Kansas State. Going to Austin right as you're getting some favorable momentum is tough. Got off to a good start but couldn't quite save it at the end. I'm calling that a bad beat because Kansas State probably shouldn't be 16th anyway.
(18) Iowa. Going on the road to Wisconsin felt like it could be a steal but the Badgers are still the Badgers.
Not good
(19) Wake Forest. Yeech! Straight housed in the 2nd half to VaTech.
Next week's interesting matchups:
(23) Navy @ (16) Notre Dame (Navy'll give the Irish a game: they'll run the ball, keep it low scoring, see if they can't steal one late)
(4) Georgia @ (12) Auburn (I think UGA is better, we'll see if Auburn has any fight left in 'em)
(8) Minnesota @ (20) Iowa (I think Minnesota is pretty good but Iowa won't be an easy W)
(10) Oklahoma @ (13) Baylor (two teams with great offense and zero defense...hmmmm, take the over!)
(2) LSU 46-41 (3) Alabama
Wow! I thought LSU was the better team throughout, Bama played well in the 2nd half but I was confident LSU would hold on. Burrow was a stud down the stretch, Edwards-Helaire was making plays all over the place, still not used to seeing LSU with an offense! Alabama made some wildly out of character undisciplined mistakes (Tua's phantom fumble, botched punt, dumb penalty negated an interception, the interception and TD right before halftime) that pretty much dug a hole they couldn't get back out of. Najee Harris was great in the 2nd half, the only reason they stayed in it as long as they did. Great W for LSU, the path to the playoff is ahead; and a tough L for Alabama, I suppose they can hang around the playoff talk but I don't see a path for them (the Pac-12 is the real winner here).
(4) Penn State 26-31 (17) Minnesota
Hey, man, Minnesota was good! That bomb up the sidelines right at the end of the 3rd quarter was a baller play and Penn State did not see it coming. Minnesota made plays on both sides of the ball, avoided mistakes and got it done running the ball. I expected Penn State to play better and even to pull it out late, but their passing attack was not happening. Penn State feels back to being a reliably good program year in/year out and this season is another step forward. Good W for Minnesota--technically still alive in the playoff discussion, but they'd need to win at Iowa, Wisconsin and then beat the Buckeyes in the B-10 final, not likely but hey, if they pull all that off, I'm cool with them playing Clemson.
Top 25
Handled their business
(1) Ohio State, (2) Louisiana State, (5) Clemson, (6) Georgia, (10) Florida, (13) Wisconsin, (15) Notre Dame, (17) Minnesota, (20) Cincinnati, (25) Southern Methodist
Won but did not impress
(9) Oklahoma. Why is Oklahoma playing close games? That offense should be wearing opponents out, how is it that the Sooners keep giving up so many points?
(12) Baylor. Triple OT to beat a TCU team that couldn't score? Kinda weak, man.
(22) Boise State. I dunno: is stealing a W late in Wyoming something a ranked team does?
Bad beat
(3) Alabama. Played reasonably well and still never felt in the game...weird to see Alabama have a game like that
(4) Penn State. I thought they'd maul Minnesota, but they never got going. Credit Minnesota, man, they looked smart and hungry all over the field. Another close-but-no-cigar season for the Nittany Lions.
(16) Kansas State. Going to Austin right as you're getting some favorable momentum is tough. Got off to a good start but couldn't quite save it at the end. I'm calling that a bad beat because Kansas State probably shouldn't be 16th anyway.
(18) Iowa. Going on the road to Wisconsin felt like it could be a steal but the Badgers are still the Badgers.
Not good
(19) Wake Forest. Yeech! Straight housed in the 2nd half to VaTech.
Next week's interesting matchups:
(23) Navy @ (16) Notre Dame (Navy'll give the Irish a game: they'll run the ball, keep it low scoring, see if they can't steal one late)
(4) Georgia @ (12) Auburn (I think UGA is better, we'll see if Auburn has any fight left in 'em)
(8) Minnesota @ (20) Iowa (I think Minnesota is pretty good but Iowa won't be an easy W)
(10) Oklahoma @ (13) Baylor (two teams with great offense and zero defense...hmmmm, take the over!)
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
2019-20 NCAA Football (Week 10)
Games I saw some of:
(8) Georgia 24-17 (6) Florida
Yeah, the score was close but I never thought Florida was gonna win. Georgia's offense always seemed more capable of grinding through field position than Florida, only a matter of time before that played out. Florida is a nice team but thy're 2nd tier this season (moving in the right direction, next year could be another step up). Georgia is good but that L to South Carolina is gonna doom them unless they beat Alabama or LSU in the SEC championship.
Top 25
Handled their business
(4) Clemson, (7) Oregon, (8) Georgia, (9), Utah, (11) Auburn, (14) Michigan, (21) Boise State, (22) Kansas State, (23) Wake Forest, (24) Memphis
Won but did not impress
(12) Baylor. Hmmm, they've been drubbing opponents for a while now but had to scramble to steal a W at home on a Thursday night to a so-so conference foe? Not impressive.
(16) Notre Dame. Coming back late to steal a W at home from Va Tech? What's going on in South Bend?
(17) Cincinnati. Shoot out on the road to a middling conference foe...is it a sign that they're dangerous or a sign that they're sloppy and lucky? I dunno.
Bad beat
(6) Florida. Good effort but they're just not as good as Georgia this year.
(15) SMU. Felt like they were on the upswing but going on the road to an also-rising conference foe is a tough way to go.
Not so good
(20) Appalachian State. Losing at home is not good.
The official top 6 came out this weekend (and for some reason we're all supposed to care). So here it is:
1) Ohio State
2) Louisiana State
3) Alabama
4) Penn State
5) Clemson
6) Georgia
We're supposed to be stunned that Clemson fell to 5th place but that's not a big deal because one of OSU/Penn State will be eliminated and one of LSU/Alabama will be eliminated, too--which just highlights how not important this poll is right here right now. I'm cool with all of this. I really do think that Ohio State and LSU are in the conversation with Bama and Clemson, so the Buckeyes finishing #1 would not be any kind of travesty. I'd be surprised if Penn State beat Ohio State and I'd be surprised if the winner of LSU/Alabama lost to Georgia (or Florida) in the SEC championship. And I'd be blown away if Clemson lost to any of the leftovers on their schedule.
So for now Penn State and Georgia have their chances to play their way in and if the Pac-12 winner (either Oregon or Utah) goes without a loss they'd be in the talk, too. But otherwise Ohio State, Clemson and the winner of LSU/Alabama are in, along with either Oregon/Utah or possibly the loser of Alabama/LSU.
Next week's interesting matches:
(4) Penn State @ (17) Minnesota (another nice test for the Nittany Lions, great opportunity for Minnesota to get a big W)
(2) LSU @ (3) Alabama (okay, here we go, the game we've been waiting for)
(18) Iowa @ (13) Wisconsin (not as interesting as it could've been, feels like a tidying up of the second tier of the Big Ten)
(8) Georgia 24-17 (6) Florida
Yeah, the score was close but I never thought Florida was gonna win. Georgia's offense always seemed more capable of grinding through field position than Florida, only a matter of time before that played out. Florida is a nice team but thy're 2nd tier this season (moving in the right direction, next year could be another step up). Georgia is good but that L to South Carolina is gonna doom them unless they beat Alabama or LSU in the SEC championship.
Top 25
Handled their business
(4) Clemson, (7) Oregon, (8) Georgia, (9), Utah, (11) Auburn, (14) Michigan, (21) Boise State, (22) Kansas State, (23) Wake Forest, (24) Memphis
Won but did not impress
(12) Baylor. Hmmm, they've been drubbing opponents for a while now but had to scramble to steal a W at home on a Thursday night to a so-so conference foe? Not impressive.
(16) Notre Dame. Coming back late to steal a W at home from Va Tech? What's going on in South Bend?
(17) Cincinnati. Shoot out on the road to a middling conference foe...is it a sign that they're dangerous or a sign that they're sloppy and lucky? I dunno.
Bad beat
(6) Florida. Good effort but they're just not as good as Georgia this year.
(15) SMU. Felt like they were on the upswing but going on the road to an also-rising conference foe is a tough way to go.
Not so good
(20) Appalachian State. Losing at home is not good.
The official top 6 came out this weekend (and for some reason we're all supposed to care). So here it is:
1) Ohio State
2) Louisiana State
3) Alabama
4) Penn State
5) Clemson
6) Georgia
We're supposed to be stunned that Clemson fell to 5th place but that's not a big deal because one of OSU/Penn State will be eliminated and one of LSU/Alabama will be eliminated, too--which just highlights how not important this poll is right here right now. I'm cool with all of this. I really do think that Ohio State and LSU are in the conversation with Bama and Clemson, so the Buckeyes finishing #1 would not be any kind of travesty. I'd be surprised if Penn State beat Ohio State and I'd be surprised if the winner of LSU/Alabama lost to Georgia (or Florida) in the SEC championship. And I'd be blown away if Clemson lost to any of the leftovers on their schedule.
So for now Penn State and Georgia have their chances to play their way in and if the Pac-12 winner (either Oregon or Utah) goes without a loss they'd be in the talk, too. But otherwise Ohio State, Clemson and the winner of LSU/Alabama are in, along with either Oregon/Utah or possibly the loser of Alabama/LSU.
Next week's interesting matches:
(4) Penn State @ (17) Minnesota (another nice test for the Nittany Lions, great opportunity for Minnesota to get a big W)
(2) LSU @ (3) Alabama (okay, here we go, the game we've been waiting for)
(18) Iowa @ (13) Wisconsin (not as interesting as it could've been, feels like a tidying up of the second tier of the Big Ten)
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