2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 5)

Games I watched (some of):

(2) Georgia 34-41 (4) Alabama

Okay, hard to imagine there's going to be a better game in NCAA this year. This game had all the thrills, the chills, the ups and downs, backs and forths. Alabama dominated the 1st half, I thought QB Millroe was amazing, truly in control against a defense that has been smothering planet Earth for half a decade, Bama moved the ball with ease and ran up the offense quickly. Too much too soon, it appears, because UGA dominated the 2nd half (and, yes, I thought Bama contributed mightily to the comeback by slacking off), even took the lead, forcing Bama to steal it back, and then the game ended with UGA coming up just short on another comeback. I thought QB Beck was brutal in the 1st half but made some real plays after halftime and the UGA offense in general came alive, too, this Bama offense might be suddenly revitalized by this. I fully expect UGA to still be around by season's end. Millroe is probably the top of the Heisman pool just like that and wouldn't be surprised if Bama was back at #1 on Monday. Still a lot of season left. 

Kentucky 20-17 (6) Mississippi

Ole Miss was lined up for a big season: returning QB everyone loves, a good collection of veterans on both sides and an SEC schedule that dodges Alabama, A&M and Missouri (and catches Oklahoma, LSU and Florida in vulnerable positions). But you cannot--REPEAT: CANNOT!--lose to Kentucky. Especially at home. A sluggish game, which was the first clue that Kentucky was in it, felt like Ole Miss was the better team but also felt like UK might keep them down. Also, UK's offense was not bad, it was consistent and ate up enough clock that Ole Miss's woes were magnified. A coupla plays: a long bomb on 4th down that set up the fumble recovery to the end zone and next thing you know, the Wildcats are stealing it away from the Rebels. Then Ole Miss goes wide left on the tying FG and suddenly, there's no OT, just a big ol' L. Now the Rebels have to go to South Carolina, not gonna be easy, they better get their offense back pronto. I don't know if Ole Miss vanilla-ed their offense or just had a bad day, but they need to pull out all stops from here on (and beating Georgia would be nice, too) and that starts next week. As for UK, they've got a good L (Georgia) and a good W (@Mississippi), I dunno, that's not bad for UK, but I'm not forecasting wins at Knoxville or Austin.

(19) Illinois 7-21 (9) Penn State

This was pure sludge. Each team scored a confident early TD, then not much happened outside of missed FG's all over the place, until Penn State (sorta) blew it open late. Penn State has a serious meatgrinder of a defense but that offense still isn't overpowering (re: the Buckeyes have a real pain in the ass game coming, but they should win), so puncher's chance against the top tier is the best I can give them. The Illini are nice but they're not gonna beat the tippity top teams. 

(21) Oklahoma 27-21 Auburn

Auburn came out hot, but once the Sooners put it together, they flew past the Tigers. This is not a vintage Auburn side. The Sooners aren't great either, but I think they're pretty good and going in the right direction.

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Texas, (3) Ohio State, (4) Alabama, (8) Oregon, (9) Penn State, (13) Southern Cal, (14) Louisiana State, (16) Notre Dame, (17) Clemson, (18) Iowa State, (21) Oklahoma, (22) Brigham Young, (23) Kansas State, (25) Boise State

Won but did not impress

(7) Miami. I always think of Friday night as the show-off spot and if Miami was better than Va.Tech, they really should've come in louder and prouder here. They did well to claw back the W but they had a good shot at a convincing thumping and they did not do that. 

(12) Michigan. Finishing off a conference foe usually impresses me, but Michigan is ranked too high to not dispatch Minnesota decisively. Being the defending nat'l champs is a major burden for this squad, remaining in the playoff chase is not gonna be easy. 

(24) Texas A&M. I dunno, man, grudge match with Arkansas shouldn't faze me but the Aggies just don't look that strong to me. Their schedule is gonna start delivering body blows from here. 

Bad beat

(2) Georgia. I ain't worried about UGA, they are still firmly in the top 12, still in for a shot at top 4. And as weird as this game was, I think there's some good stuff for UGA in there, this could be a real shot in the arm for this squad. 

(15) Louisville. Came up short on the road. Played well, would've been nice to get the W in South Bend. 

(19) Illinois. Penn State just choked this offense out. The Illini are nice but the Nittany Lions got a killer D. 

(20) Oklahoma State. Yikes! The Cowboys still have opportunities on their schedule but they got obliterated in Manhattan, suggesting that K State is the stealth power in this conference. 

Not so good

(6) Mississippi. You don't understand: losing to Kentucky is two losses at once. Bad L, disappointing home conference L, but, man....it was Kentucky!

(10) Utah. Getting trucked by an Arizona team that has not looked good this season is a surprising outcome. At home, they were never in this game. 

Next week's intriguing matches (huh, a whole slate of games that seemed like they would sound great, like, 3 months ago--looking at you, Clemson-Florida State! Instead, this NCAA's helpful reminder to clean out your garage and winterize the lawn mower. I'm cool with it, I need a baseball weekend):

(9) Missouri @ (25) Texas A&M (dang, even this one seems tarnished already but they are both ranked, so it'll make a difference)

(12) Mississippi @ South Carolina (interesting to see how Ole Miss bounces back from a disappointing home loss and whether the Gamecocks can get back on track with a good W)

2024-25 NFL (Week 3)

Games I saw (some of): 

Patriots 3-24 Jets

This is the Aaron Rodgers Jets squad we thought we were getting last year! Man, they look so good in their scoring drives, Rodgers throwing darts, moving in pocket, hitting receivers on the run. And they had the running game going, the O-line looked great, and the defense did everything they needed to do. This is the scary Jets, the peak Jets. Can they keep this up? Well, they don't get to play the Pats every week, so probably not. The Pats were not good at anything, did not move the ball at all, even gave a taste test to rookie QB Maye (I had actually already turned the game off by that time, so I didn't see him), and their D stopped nothing at all. This is the Pats we thought we'd be getting this year. So, this game was peak Jets versus predictably awful Pats.

Packers 30-14 Titans

Man, call me crazy but I really liked QB Malik Willis in this game! He made the right throws, he ran when needed, he handled himself just fine against a physical defense. Throw in that his D got him a pick-6 and that was pretty much it for the Titans. The Titans are a weird team: I like their pass rush, their D-line is solid, and QB Levis is not a total disaster, he can move the ball a little, but his mistakes are crushers. I feel like the Titans will cover some spreads and by the year's end might actually win some games they're not supposed to win--I'm not saying they're good, I'm just saying they're not all the way bad. Meanwhile, the Packers are racking up W's with their backup, I'd give him another week and let QB Love get right before bringing him back. I like the Packers on both sides of the ball and I think when Love comes back, they might be really good. 

Chargers 10-20 Steelers

Sludge game, but both teams had moments of offense within a sea of D-line sludgery. I like this Steelers teams more than I expected to, I guess I assumed they would have to start QB Russell Wilson (done for a while now and not at all a Steelers kinda guy) instead of QB Justin Fields (I still like his upside and he's a Buckeye, he's got some Steel in him) and that defensive injuries would eventually doom this squad. Defensive injuries may catch up to this side but they have wisely chosen Fields over Wilson (on his way to Miami....?) and that is the beginning of a good vibe in Pittsburgh. The Chargers, on the other hand....well....they're the Chargers, man. They have moments of looking awesome and then Bosa gets hurts or they fumble on 3rd down and that's that. Coach Harbaugh will make a difference but it might take a while--the fine folks of Michigan were wise to give him a second contract and it may take that kind of wisdom in LA, too. 

Ravens 28-25 Cowboys

Ravens came to play. Two weeks in a row now where the Cowboys got blitzed and the game was over before they even got the sleep out of their eyes. Weird thing, though: I don't think the Cowboys suck, they've just gotten ninja-fucked back to back weeks and its putting a real dent on their record. The Ravens were in must-win mode and they blasted right out of the gate and again out of halftime. Honestly, I tuned out when the Ravens went up 28-6 in the 3rd quarter, so I missed most of the Cowboy comeback, but I don't think I missed much. The Cowboys really need to take more care in the opening drives but otherwise I think they're pretty good (one disturbing trend, though, going back to last year: DE Micha Parsons is starting to get disappeared in games, I think teams have kinda figured out how to use his aggressiveness against him and schemed him out; he's still great but he needs to figure some things out) and I think that offense will win plenty of games this season. As for the Ravens, well, they've kinda sucked so far, they needed this win, we'll see if they can keep the winning vibe. 

Chiefs 22-17 Falcons

Dang, Falcons....you had so many chances to win this game.... The Chiefs are what we thought they were: Patrick Mahomes and a bunch of dudes. Hey, man, the Patriots won Super Bowls with Tom Brady and a bunch of dudes, but that was a tough way to go and as great as Mahomes is, even he is starting to look a little sideways to me. At the end of the 1st half, Mahomes had two plays in a row that made me go 'wtf was that?' So even Mahomes doesn't look as top dawg-ish as usual and that D is built to make mistakes. The story of this game was Atlanta's crumbling O-line and how long it takes QB Cousins to get the ball out. When Cousins is upright, he can be the man on this team; but the second he starts running for his life, this team is dead. The Falcons blew this game twice in the 4th quarter (and it's worth remembering that Mahomes, too, had chances to put this one away and he couldn't get 1st downs, either), nail-biting in a way, but frustrating mediocrity all around in another. 

Commanders 38-33 Bengals

The Bengals offense looks good, their D does not. Likewise, with the Commanders. But the Commanders got TD's, the Bengals got FG's. That was pretty much that. QB Daniels big bust out game, love to see him keep it going. QB Burrow looked good, too, but not good enough. The two teams are probably identical--but while this is a godsend for the Commanders, it is a calamity for the Bengals.

The rest of the slate:

Giants 21-15 Browns. Man, the Browns gotta figure out what to o ith QB Watson or this season is already over.

Bears 16-21 Colts. Two Clouseau-esque squads, I'm guessing one of these teams will be pretty good by season's end....not sure which one. 

Texans 7-34 Vikings. Man, Vikings came to play, Texans did not. 

Eagles 15-12 Saints. I kinda wish I'd watched this one and then again maybe I'm glad I missed it. Seems like the Saints offense is now back to earth, seems like the Eagles are back to being a defense-first team, which is probably a good idea.

Broncos 26-7 Bucs. Nice win for the Broncos, but where did the Bucs go on this day?

Panthers 36-22 Raiders. Break up the Panthers! Welp, turns out QB Bryce Young is in fact responsible for all of the Panthers' awful-ness so far this season.

Dolphins 3-24 Seahawks. The Dolphins are in a bad way right now.

Niners 24-27 Rams. The Niners had this, let it get away. This Rams team is not one to sleep on, they are classic old guy Charles Bronson just waiting to get disrespected by the wrong clueless idiot. 

Lions 20-13 Cards. The Lions are good but it would behoove them to actually be good every week instead of just getting by and getting lucky. The Cards have a nice offense, not so nice defense, it appears. 

Jags 10-47 Bills. The Jags are sagging, the Bills are riding QB Josh Allen til his body completely breaks down (probably the right choice). 

2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 4)

Games I saw (some of):

(24) Illinois 31-24 (OT) (22) Nebraska

Fun game! I felt like Nebraska was the better team for the most part but they couldn't keep the momentum. On the other side, the Illini made plays late to keep the game going and then to seal the victory. Good road W for the Illini, disappointing showing for the newly returned to the top 25 Huskers. 

(11) Southern Cal 24-27 (18) Michigan

Southern Cal started slow, took forever to move the ball and they didn't get stops on Michigan in the 1st half. Michigan's defense is legit but I think their offense is kinda rickety and for the Trojans to let them move the ball so effectively particularly before halftime, was a disappointing showing. Felt like the Trojans had righted ship after halftime, that offense was much more effective, but the D could not get stops down the stretch and one big run basically blew open the game for the Wolverines. Credit Michigan for playing hard and sticking to their game plan late, but Southern Cal is the better team and really should've won this match.

UCLA 17-34 (16) Louisiana State

Kept waiting for LSU to rise up and put their stamp on this game and after halftime, that's kinda what happened. But they let this anemic UCLA attack have much too much success moving the ball early on and the Tigers even had trouble finishing drives. LSU is clearly, easily, the better team and really could've/should've poured it on the Bruins. I am convinced that UCLA is not particularly good, still not sure what to make of LSU, some real ups and downs so far this season and I don't yet see what this side has to offer. (They better figure it out quick because the SEC onslaught is a-comin'!)

(12) Utah 22-19 (14) Oklahoma State

Utah controlled the game nicely, never really allowed the Cowboys to get any footing on offense and moved the ball well enough to choke off most of the clock. The scoreline isn't overwhelming but I really think Utah is the better team and played much better on this day. Oklahoma State is a nice team and while I like Utah, not sure if the Utes can hang in the 12-team playoff (though I suspect we will find out). 

(6) Tennessee 25-15 (15) Oklahoma

Tennessee is really good, man, they're scary on both sides of the ball and the gauntlet at the top of the SEC has an extra competitor this season (well throw in Texas and Ol' Miss, too (I'll refrain from adding Missouri to this list)). Tennessee's offense wasn't dominant @ Oklahoma but it was effective and did well to control the game. And UT's defense is legit. This Oklahoma squad isn't as good as recent years but they're not bad and that they got thoroughly stuffed by the Vols was an impressive showing. Oklahoma will be back in the years to come but for now Tennessee is a legit contender to win it all. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Texas, (3) Ohio State, (5) Mississippi, (6) Tennessee, (8) Miami,  (10) Penn State, (12) Utah, (16) Louisiana State, (17) Notre Dame, (18) Michigan, (19) Louisville, (20) Iowa State, (21) Clemson, (24) Illinois

Won but did not impress

(7) Missouri. OT to beat Vandy? At home? This is not how top 10 squads collect their pelts. 

(25) Texas A&M. Fumbling around at home with Bowling Green (yes, Michigan fumbled around with them, too) is not a good look for a team that fancies themselves a top drawer side in the SEC (though I do not now--nor have I ever--considered them top drawer in the SEC).

Bad beat

(11) Southern Cal. I really thought they should've won at Michigan, but they started slow and ended sloppy. I still suspect they're the better team. 

(14) Oklahoma State. You gotta win the home games in the conference but I think Utah is just a better squad, so this is a "bad beat". 

(15) Oklahoma. Yeah, they need to handle conference foes at home, but, man, Tennessee is really good and I thought the Sooners' ability to even hang in this game was kinda impressive. Long climb up into the upper echelons of the SEC but I have faith the Sooners will get there (not this year, but, you know, eventually). 

Not so good 

(13) Kansas State. Yipes! Kinda got destroyed at Brigham Young, not a devastating L but not good if you want to stay in the top 20.

(22) Nebraska. Yes, I'm dubious of the Cornhuskers but if they're a for-real top 25 squad then they beat the Illini at home. 

(23) Northern Illinois. Oh, a good W at Notre Dame will be remembered by alumni for years to come, but time in the top 25 can be fleeting.

Next week's intriguing matches:

(20) Oklahoma State @ (23) Kansas State (hmmmm....Big-12 opponents both coming off losses, loser leaves town, no?)

(15) Louisville @ (16) Notre Dame (interesting, feels like a nice bounce back W for the Irish is on their racket or will it be an impressive road W for the Cards?)

(2) Georgia @ (4) Alabama (here we go! Game of the year so far)

(19) Illinois @ (9) Penn State (nice test for the Nittany Lions, a foe they should beat but probably the toughest match of the year so far)

2024-25 NFL (Week 2)

Games I saw (some of):

Bills 31-10 Dolphins

The story here is that QB Tua sustained another concussion and left the game (with the distressing cloud of retirement hanging over him) but before he left, honestly he was pretty terrible in this game. The first interception wasn't really his fault, but the second was and the third was Levis-level embarrassing and sealed the victory for the Bills. Where do the Dolphins go from here? Well, the talk is trading for Trey Lance (Cowboys) or even Bryce Young (Panthers), but neither of those seem like solutions to their problem, so the longer Tua is out the harder it'll be for the Dolphins to get anything going. As for the Bills, they moved the ball pretty well but frankly this game was over so quick, they didn't really do much. Last year the Bills went all in surrounding QB Allen with playmakers on both sides of the ball, but the offense was still mostly just Allen and the defense suffered injuries that ground them down to nothing by the time the playoffs came around. This year they're capped out of the star market, so its just Josh Allen hero ball and while that is terrifying on the one hand, it is probably theur best chance for success. So, while most think the Bills will take a step back (my pre-season picks had them out of the playoffs in the AFC), it is just as likely that the Bills reach their peak relying on Allen. Then again, Tua's travails show how dangerous it is to put all eggs in one basket. 

Saints 44-19 Cowboys

Holy golly! The Saints just scored and scored and scored and then mailed in most of the 2nd half. After two weeks this Saints offense looks amazing and while I want to be skeptical, I dunno, they look damn good! As for the Cowboys, well they were out of this game so quick, it's almost like they weren't even there. I suspect the Cowboys are still pretty good but they were too good against the Browns and too terrible against the Saints, so not enough yet to get a feel for them. And the Saints, well, so far so good (and they are in a sorry division, so this could keep going). 

Jets 24-17 Titans

Another week of watching the Titans....*sigh*  Well, they are a tougher, more physical team than I expected in the post-Vrabel era but with QB Levis, they have put a cap on how effective that offense can ever be. Levis is not a disaster but he's not good, every good move he makes will invariably be followed by a backward step. It took the Jets a while to get going--again, up against a tougher D than they expected--but once they did, they controlled the game to the close. I still think the Jets can be really good but they aren't there just yet, so the ceiling is hard to figure. The Titans are a tough out but won't win a lot of games. 

Bengals 25-26 Chiefs

Fun game, though I thought the Bengals had their chances to put this game away and they didn't rise to the task. The Chiefs (re: QB Mahomes) made the plays down the stretch to steal the victory but they still don't look like the mighty Chiefs (and I suspect they won't all year long). The Bengals are better than their 0-2 record, but how much better is hard to see. 

Bears 13-19 Texans

I liked QB Caleb, he's unorthodox (he's got weird foot work, which is either his downfall or his super power, I haven't decided yet) but he is a rookie and the team is still glitchy on offense. I like the Bears D but it, too, needs work. The Bears are frisky but not very good. The Texans are good but haven't shown that they can reach their peak. I like QB Stroud, he spreads the ball around nicely, and the D is nice but not great. Felt like they should've stomped the Bears, not sure why they didn't. 

The rest of the slate:

Bucs 20-16 Lions. The Bucs look spunky, the Lions don't look as good as it feels like they should be. 

Colts 10-16 Packers. Man, this was on the table for the Colts and they didn't take it, so are they just not any good? Good W for the Packers, with QB Love out indefinitely, they need to sneak every victory they can (so far so good). 

Niners 17-23 Vikings. Hmmmmm....the Vikings had the highlight of the week, a 97 yard bomb to WR Jefferson. But that aside, I'm surprised the Niners couldn't get their offense going. West teams coming east is always tough but the Niners looked so good to me against the Jets last week, I thought they would just roll through this.

Seahawks 23-20 (OT) Patriots. The Pats are feisty, but the Seahawks are, too. A win on the road is always good. The Pats are one of those teams that won't win games but will cover spreads. 

Giants 18-21 Commanders. NYG becomes the first team to ever score 3 TD's while giving up 0 TD's and still lose. Look at that score line....who scored the TD's? 

Chargers 26-3 Panthers. The Panthers suck, one of the worst teams of all time. The Chargers are still just chugging along. 

Browns 18-13 Jags. Well, QB Watson looked okay but what happened to the Jags? I think they might suck. 

Raiders 26-23 Ravens. Uh-oh. Ravens are 0-2 and if they can't beat the Raiders at home, then things are not looking good for them. As for the Raiders, well, their D plays hard and QB Minshew with some nice weapons isn't a bad offense. The Raiders might actually be kinda good. 

Rams 10-41 Cards. The Cards offense has looked pretty good so far (second only to the Saints?) and they clearly brought it here. The Rams have offensive line problems and their suffering through injuries on the offensive side. Good W for the Cards, tough L for the Rams. 

Steelers 13-6 Broncos. Looks like a slog of a match. The Steelers have a really good D and an offense that should be able to run the ball a little. Not sure what the Broncos have just yet, seems like not much so far. 

Falcons 22-21 Eagles. I saw none of this but I know the Falcons came back late to steal. The Eagles still look like the stagnation machine it was in the 2nd half of last season. The Falcons should/could have a nice offense, we'll see if they can keep QB Cousins upright. 

2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 3)

Games I saw (some of):

(1) Georgia 13-12 Kentucky

WTF was that? UGA really kinda sucked in this game, they finally got RB Etienne going in the 2nd half (well, a little bit) and at least he secured them the TD they needed to win. But, man, the Bulldog defense didn't stop the run or the pass--UK is not exactly a barn burning offense--and the Bulldog offense mostly sputtered and I thought QB Beck played maybe the worst game of his collegiate career. So is Kentucky better than we thought? Well, they can't be as bad as they looked the prior week at home to South Carolina. But, I don't think that was it. I think I have recounted this memory on here before but here goes again: back in the Nick Saban days when Alabama was murdering everyone (right before Georgia started murdering everyone), the Tide rolled into Lexington and dropped a 51-3 ass whoopin' on the Wildcats. It's easy to look at the score and say 'Alabama is really good and Kentucky really sucks' and most of the time that would be the proper takeaway. But, no. What happened was the Tide brought their A-game because they were afraid of Kentucky; they could've put forth no effort at all and won 27-10 and no one would've thought anything of it, but Saban wanted to send a message and the message was 'that Kentucky squad is gettin' kinda good and I don't wanna fuckin' lose to them!' So Saban pulled out all the stops and embarrassed the Cats. So when UGA comes in and plays the worst game they've played in a decade, they're saying 'Kentucky sucks so bad they can't possibly hang with us', which, again, most of the time would be correct. But, UGA kinda got lucky here. They were not the better team for most of this match and, yes, one good drive is all it took to secure the victory...but....one good drive is all they had against a team they clearly had zero respect for. Now, I understand their attitude, I had already completely given up on this Kentucky squad and now I'm forced to kinda take them seriously again (for a while). But instead I think I'll just look sideways at the Bulldogs and keep an eye on their upcoming games: @Alabama, @Texas, @Ole Miss, Tennessee at home and, hell, Georgia Tech to close the season might not be the biscuit they thought it would be. Just sayin': keep an eye on Georgia, they don't look like they're into it this year. 

(4) Alabama 42-10 Wisconsin

Only kinda vaguely paying attention to this one because every time I looked up the Bama running game was gashing the Badgers and putting up TD's. Not a vintage Wisconsin side, but an impressive thumping by the Tide. (Speaking of vintage: they retired Ron Dayne's number before the game and my man showed up in shorts and a t-shirt; I'm not exactly a dapper dressed myself but that ain't a good look for a Heisman winner)

(16) Louisiana State 36-33 South Carolina

South Carolina made big plays and kept the Tigers off balance, but when LSU finally settled down and played, they really were the better team. I've watched LSU a coupla times and I've generally been impressed but they also feel schizophrenic, like they can win or lose just about any time anywhere. As for South Carolina, that nice win in Lexington felt like the start of something big, but the 2nd half of this game reminded us that the Gamecocks are middle of the pack.  

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Texas, (4) Alabama, (5) Mississippi, (6) Missouri, (7) Tennessee, (9) Oregon, (10) Miami, (12) Utah, (13) Oklahoma State, (14) Kansas State, (15) Oklahoma, (16) Louisiana State, (18) Notre Dame, (23) Nebraska

Won but did not impress

(1) Georgia. WTF? UK's D-line had some nice moments and UK's running game did, too. But the Bulldogs never should've let this game stay in jeopardy for so long. 

(17) Michigan. Didn't exactly dominate Arkansas State at home, kinda fell apart in the 4th quarter! Not saying the Wolverines aren't good, they've still got plenty of talent on the defensive side, but this title defense is not gonna be easy and they clearly do not have the offense to go too far.

Bad beat

(20) Arizona. I watched a bit of Arizona the previous week not exactly lighting it up against Northern Arizona and I can't say I was shocked to see that Kansas State handled them rather easily. I'm putting this as a bad beat but it is also quite possible that Arizona just isn't as good as they were last season.  

(24) Boston College. BC is kinda spunky but so is Missouri, so going on the road and hanging with an SEC powerhouse (-ish) is not a bad showing. This is not a bad L.  

Next week's intriguing matches:

(24) Illinois @ (22) Nebraska (I dunno, man, Nebraska back in the top 25? I'll believe it when I see it--and the Illini ain't exactly appointment viewing either, this may be the peak for both of these squads this year)

North Carolina State @ (21) Clemson (The Wolfpack won't roll over to the Tigers, this is a good test for Clemson to see if they're for real)

(11) Southern Cal @ (18) Michigan (a conference game? Uh....okay, should be fun)

(12) Utah @ (14) Oklahoma State (two blue collar, lunch pail squads going at it, we'll see who earns the W)

(6) Tennessee @ (15) Oklahoma (another conference game? The Vols are looking pretty good and though the Sooners haven't really gotten going yet, I got a feeling they might blow up in this game; curious to see who shines out in this one)

2024-25 NFL (Week 1)

Games I saw (some of):

Ravens 20-27 Chiefs

Nail biter, went down to the wire, just a toe over the line kept this one from going to OT (not unlike the KD Nets going down to the on-their-way to being champion Bucks a few years back, no?). The Chiefs look like a slightly degraded version of what they were last season: an okay defense and Patrick Mahomes making magic and not much else (which was actually a slightly degraded version of what they were the season before). Is that good enough to win the Super Bowl? Well, its worked for 3 of the last 4 years, so you can't count 'em out yet. As for the Ravens, the announcers were constantly pointing out their spotty O-line play and I think I agree: the D is good, Lamar Jackson is good, the skill players are good, but that O-line could be the Achilles' heel. If they figure that out, they should probably be on pace to win this match against the Chiefs if/when they meet again in the post-season. These are clearly two of the better teams in the AFC, wouldn't be shocked if the AFC Championship was a re-match (which the Ravens really should've won, if you think back to January).

Titans 17-24 Bears

Ugh, this was not the game I wanted to sit through. Coming in I thought the Titans would be one of the worst teams in the league this year and that the Bears should be way better than last year, though still rather middle of the pack overall. Well, for most of the game the Titans looked solid on both sides and the Bears looked like they couldn't move the ball at all.  But throw in a big kick return, a blocked punt and one of the lamest pick-6's you will ever see, and the Titans are going home with an L and QB Caleb is the first #1 pick QB to win his debut since David Carr a coupla decades ago. This is a tough game, man, the Bears did not look good but they got the W and that's all that matters. As for my initial takes, well, the Titans might not be awful--but, then again, they might be--and the Bears should get better as the season goes on, so perhaps they will be middle of the pack, which would be pretty good for a rookie QB. 

Pats 16-10 Bengals

The Bengals start slow, so no need to panic over this result. But, man, if the Bengals are gonna win any games this season, the Pats are the kind of team they need to beat. The Pats ran the ball well and their pass rush wasn't bad, so they might not be a disaster, but they don't have a great deal of depth and they do have a rookie head coach and rookie QB waiting in the wings. As for the Bengals, I dunno, they seems to be way short of weapons on offense and the defense was not impressive going up against QB Brissett, so....where are they going? I still believe in QB Burrow, but he needs to step up and win the winnable games (like this one). 

Rams 20-26 (OT) Lions

Fun game! For the 1st half, Lions felt like the superior team. But in the 2nd half, the Rams pulled it together, mixed up their attack, got the right stops on D and almost stole this one on the road from the Lions. Man, I gotta say: I loved QB Stafford in this game. The way he picked his spots and knew exactly what to expect from his O-line was masterful, it was like watching prime Peyton Manning. I always thought Stafford was pretty good but he is mellowing into a really top class veteran slinger that knows how to move the ball, protect his teammates and win games. If I was a Rams fan, I'd already be in love with this team and even though they didn't pull out the W, I'd keep an eye on the Rams because they might end up winning games they're not supposed to win. As for the Lions, in the OT they ran the ball all the way down the field and into the end zone--an option that was totally available to them all through the 2nd half! They relied too heavily on QB Goff, instead of sticking with a balanced attack to run some clock and preserve the lead. So, they got the W, they played well for the most part, but they came real close to fumbling this one away for no reason. 

The rest of the slate:

Packers 29-34 Eagles. Saw none of this game, the real takeaway is that QB Love is gonna be out for several weeks with a knee sprain and that is bad bad bad bad bad news for the Packers. We'll see what their backup QB situation is like (hello, Ryan Tannehill?) but this a bad way to open the season. As for the Eagles, good win, good way to open the season. 

Steelers 18-10 Falcons. QB Cousins did not have an impressive showing in his debut with the Falcons, are we chalking that up to a vicious Steelers pass rush or Cousins just done? No idea.

Cards 28-34 Bills. Took the Bills a while to get going, is it a bad sign that started slow or a good sign that they finished strong? Are the Cards actually a capable offense or did they just catch the Bills hibernating?

Texans 29-27 Colts. (Seems like this was the game to see this weekend) I think both of these teams are gonna be good this year. We'll see.

Jaguars 17-20 Dolphins. Feels like the Jags let this one get away, about to build on their big lead when they fumbled in the end zone and gave it away. Feels like the Dolphins got a gift and they made it hold up. The big news was Tyreke Hill getting arrested before the game (not a good look for the Miami PD). 

Panthers 10-47 Saints. So are the Saints gonna be good? (jk) Oh, the Panthers....

Vikings 28-6 Giants. Interested to see where the post-Cousins Vikings go from here, but they won't get to play NYG every week, so the uphill climb starts now. Oh, the Giants.....

Raiders 10-22 Chargers. Raiders look spunky (if untalented), the Chargers look like...well, the Chargers: tons of talent but are they any good?

Broncos 20-26 Seahawks. Close match, the Broncos actually impressed going to a hostile stadium with a rookie QB and holding their own. Not sure about the Seahawks, another year with QB Geno, a new head coach and a schizophrenic defense. 

Cowboys 33-17 Browns. The Browns had one nice drive, otherwise this was all Cowboys. The Cowboys look like the Cowboys, the Browns gotta be pretty worried about QB Watson, if he doesn't pull it together this will be a long, awful, expensive season. 

Commanders 20-37 Bucs. I like the Commanders to be kinda good this year but they did not get off to a good start as the Bucs made their defense look pretty Swiss cheese-y. I like the Falcons to pull it together but if not, the Bucs might romp through this division. 

2024 US Open

Women's

(13) Navarro 3/6 - 6/7 (2) Sabalenka

Sabalenka wasn't wildly better than Navarro on this night, but she was better enough. Sabalenka went up a break in the 1st and rode it to win the set. Then she went up a break in the 2nd, faltered when serving for the match (which bummed me out because I was hoping to skip off to catch the Ravens-Chiefs kickoff) and for a minute it felt like she was going to let the whole thing get away from her. But she pulled it together, got the match to a tie break and then breezed to victory (which she could've just as easily done 20 minutes earlier). As for Navarro, this was her first major semifinal and while she's a nice player, I'm not sure I really saw anything to make me think she's going to be a semifinal regular or anything. Always liked Sabalenka, on her best day she's a tough out, but she's (I'll say it) Russian and therefore an unpredictable head case and on her bad days can flame out Hindenburg-style. (The final has a real Rocky IV vibe to it, huh?)

(6) Pegula 1/6/6 - 6/4/2 Muchova

Dang, the first set was over so quick, I barely saw it. Seemed like Muchova was in the driver's seat, then all of a sudden she wasn't. Not really sure what happened, Pegula found her game and stuck to it and Muchova just couldn't hang. Nice run for Muchova but she wasn't built to win this tourney, though I was impressed how easily she dispatched Paolini in the Round of 16. 

(6) Pegula 5/5 - 7/7 (2) Sabalenka

Sabalenka is the better player, bigger game, better talent but....she's dying to blow it. So the opportunity for Pegula was to just stay on track and take advantage of Sabalenka's breakdown. Well, didn't happen in the 1st set, Sabalenka went up a break, then gave it back, but turned it on late and won the set. In the 2nd, Pegula got up a break early but Sabalenka unpredictably cranked it up, got her break back and rode the momentum to take the title (which suggests that Sabalenka keeps it together better when she's coming from behind?). Pegula is a nice player but I don't see the little extras to put her over the top--but she did take out Swiatek rather easily, which is maybe the most impressive match of the whole tourney. so.... Sabalenka is one of the best in the world right now, but again, she is a moody player and totally capable of giving it away. But she didn't here, she stayed strong, made the most of her opportunities, overcame her mistakes and looked pretty damn good doing this. Curious to see if she rides this momentum into next season. 

Men's

(1) Sinner 7/7/6 - 5/6/2 (25) Draper

Didn't get to see this, as my computer glitched while I was trying to catch the replay and I ended up catching the very end instead. Oh well, just two of the best, most exciting players in the world, I'm sure it was no big deal. 

(12) Fritz 4/7/4/6/6 - 6/5/6/4/1 (20) Tiafoe

I like Tiafoe, hell of an athlete, but I'm not sure he's good at tennis. He makes up in power what he lacks in mobility---almost! And that's what I mean: he doesn't have the ability to recover that the tippy top players have. He's got amazing strength and has the impressive ability to pick his spots (shows a real intuitive knowledge of the game) as well as anyone I've seen in ages, but I just don't think he's got that last little skill that the greats have. If we were to put in him the top tier right now, I'd put him at the very bottom: good enough to tromp over the lower tiers, but probably not good enough to get past the giants. As for Fritz, I like his game and while he doesn't have Tiafoe's strength or showmanship, I do think he possesses the intangibles to firmly ensconce him in the upper tier. This match was glorious back and forth action for the first 4 sets, felt like the 5th was gonna be an all timer. But, then, outta nowhere, Tiafoe just...I dunno what happened to him, he just couldn't finish any more and he totally lost his serve (his one game was a break, where Fritz tripped over himself serving for the match). I don't know what happened and while I think the overall outcome was pretty much correct, a 5th set tiebreak may well have bounced in the other direction. I like Tiafoe, fun to watch, a tough out, but I think he's a quarterfinals kinda guy (we'll see). Fritz has his shot at the championship, Sinner ain't be easy.

(1) Sinner 6/6/7 - 3/4/5 (12) Fritz

Yeah, that's about right. Sinner is the best in the world right now (I suppose Alcaraz would disagree, but I stand by it) and Fritz is a nice up-and-comer, but he ain't exactly ready to win a Major just yet. Sinner took control early and breezed through the first two sets. Fritz was up a break in the 3rd and just couldn't hold it together, Sinner surged back and reminded everyone why he is the #1 seed right now. I like Fritz, I think he has room to get better and I think he'll be around for the next few years. But Sinner is full-on ready to put Djokovic out to pasture and for the foreseeable future it is up to Alcaraz to dual the top dog, with Fritz and the rest waiting for the crumbs. 

2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 2)

Games I saw (some of):

Arkansas 31-39 (16) Oklahoma State

The Razorbacks pretty well dominated the 1st half but the Cowboys were able to right the ship and salvage the contest. Disappointing start on the one hand, but heartening finish on the other. My gut feeling is that Arkansas isn't bad and Oklahoma State is probably a bit overrated. 

South Carolina 31-6 Kentucky

Ugh, in a lifetime of watching godawful Kentucky football, this was a notable low point. We knew that one of these teams would be jettisoned from the SEC talk, I thought it would be South Carolina but it is Kentucky. In a season where Vandy is running up the score on people, this is probably the most winnable game on UK's schedule and they were horrible. Horrible, horrible, horrible. QB play was terrible, special teams was awful, D-line (a recent strength of UK) was nothing special, this was a uniquely terrible display. When I was a kid the Wildcats didn't totally crater until the 4th quarter but they were never in this game--and there's no reason to think they'll be in any SEC games this year if this is what they look like at home to South Carolina. As for the Gamecocks, I dunno, I still suspect that they're not any good but they weren't tested at all here, so this result tells me nothing.

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Georgia, (2) Ohio State, (3) Texas, (4) Alabama, (6) Mississippi, (11) Utah, (12) Miami, (13) Southern Cal, (14) Tennessee, (16) Oklahoma State, (17) Kansas State. (18) Louisiana State, (20) Arizona, (22) Louisville, (25) Clemson

Won but did not impress

(7) Oregon. Hmmmmm....two straight weeks of just-enough offense to get it done. Okay, they're 2-0, can't front on that, but for a top 5 high expectations kinda squad, they have yet to live up to any kind of hype. 

(8) Penn State. 27 points to Bowling Green? What happened to the vaunted brick wall Nittany Lion defense? Again, they haven't faltered yet but they've got a ways to go to look like a squad that can really control a game. 

(15) Oklahoma. Okay, Houston is a pretty good squad, but this game was down to the wire and the Sooners probably ought to be better than that (or maybe Houston is better than we thought....?). 

Bad beat

(10) Michigan. Sorry, Wolverines, the Longhorns are just better. Michigan lost a lot--A LOT--from last year, this season will be an uphill climb. It ain't over for Michigan but this season might be a slog.

(24) North Carolina State. I'm not out on the Wolfpack but the Vols are looking pretty good right now. Would've been a great W but it just wasn't gonna happen. 

Not so good

(5) Notre Dame. Ha! Man, Northern Illinois even got robbed late and still managed to finish the upset. Great win for Northern Illinois, bad loss for the Irish (and it may have finished Texas A&M's season, too, right?).

(19) Kansas. The Jayhawks were probably overrated. I saw none of this game but it looks like they were never really in it. 

(21) Iowa. Really bent over backwards to give this game away late. Seemed like they were the better team for the most part but they didn't put the Cyclones away and didn't finish out the game. Tough L.

(23) Georgia Tech. Why were they in the top 25? Because they beat the Seminoles? Man, we've already forgotten about the Seminoles, so feels like Ga Tech's season has already peaked. 

Next week's intriguing matches

(20) Arizona @ (14) Kansas State (Which one is gonna turn it on and be good? Dunno, might be interesting to see who steps up)

(16) Louisiana State @ South Carolina (Is South Carolina any good? LSU probably wasn't planning on neding their A-game this week but they might oughta bring it just in case)

(24) Boston College @ (6) Missouri (No idea what'll happen here)

(9) Oregon @ Oregon State (Is Oregon gonna wake up or can they just sleep walk through their biggest rival, too? Are the Ducks going to keep getting W's and still keep falling in the rankings?)

Tulane @ (15) Oklahoma (Tulane doesn't suck, so its time for the Sooners to get their game together)

2024-25 NCAA Football (Week 1)

Games I watched (some of):

(14) Clemson 3-34 (1) Georgia

Kinda mellow in the 1st half, both teams were just feeling each other out. But after halftime, UGA took off and left Clemson way behind. I wasn't a huge fan of Clemson's QB and their defense was just okay, so not sure how good Clemson is. As for UGA, well, I'm pretty sure they don't suck, but not sure how much of a for-real test this Clemson side was for them, so I'm still in wait and see mode on the Bulldogs. Good news for Clemson is they've already played their toughest game, this is an L that will not hurt them and they have plenty of time to round into shape and get back to the top 12 (that's right, 12 teams in the tourney this year). 

(7) Notre Dame 23-13 (20) Texas A&M

Fun game, good W for the Irish. Both teams grind, grudge match of a game all the way through. Down the stretch the Irish made plays and the Aggies couldn't get there. I liked both teams, thought they both played with grit on both sides of the ball. Curious how Notre Dame builds on this victory. Would've been a lot better for A&M if they'd won this, they've got an uphill SEC schedule awaiting them. 

(19) Miami 41-17 Florida

Miami's QB is weird, I like that he plays with confidence, but he takes it a bit too far, plays with a suicide complex or something. But he is talented and that Hurricane offense looked better than it has in years (decades?), so for now at least, I'm in on the Canes. As for Florida, they just never got anything going on either side of the ball. Not sure if they had a bad day or it's just an early game or the Hurricanes are really that good--I dunno. I got no sense of the Gators in this match (and that's not a good sign).  

(23) Southern Cal 27-20 (13) Louisiana State

Fun game! Wow, I loved both QB's, both defenses were pretty good, this was hard fought from beginning to end. There was a moment in the 3rd quarter when it felt like LSU's pass rush was going to take over, but it didn't happen, USC bounced back, made plays in the 4th quarter and gutted it out. LSU was pretty good, this L puts them in a tough spot but they're clearly going to be a tough out in the tough SEC this season. As for USC, great victory, they look like their offense is not going to miss losing their Heisman QB and the defense looks way better than last year, keep an eye on the Trojans. 

Top 25 

Handed their business

(1) Georgia, (2) Ohio State, (4) Texas, (5) Alabama, (6) Mississippi, (7) Notre Dame, (8) Penn State, (9) Michigan, (11) Missouri, (12) Utah, (15) Tennessee, (16) Oklahoma, (17) Oklahoma State, (18) Kansas State, (19) Miami, (22) Kansas, (23) Southern Cal, (24) North Carolina State, (25) Iowa

Won but did not impress

(3) Oregon. Could be that Idaho is good (they're usually a tough squad), but I was expecting a little more firepower from a top 3 Ducks squad. Are they overrated? Just starting slow? Up against a strangely good opponent? We'll see in the next few weeks, I reckon. 

(21) Arizona. The Wildcats finished strong last season, came in with some expectations and while they did put up a 60-burger, they gave up 39 points to New Mexico, which feels like a red flag. Nice offensive performance, but that D needs to be better than this. We'll see, maybe they're just shaking off the dust. 

Bad beat

(13) Louisiana State. Played well, looked good, but not as good as USC.

(14) Clemson, Yeah UGA's just better. Good to challenge yourself early, but....UGA's better.

(20) Texas A&M. They were in this game with Notre Dame, if they could've just held up on a coupla plays, they could've scored themselves a good W out of the gate, instead it's a home loss. Too bad, rough way to open the season but this team is clearly pretty good. 

Not so good

(10) Florida State. Yipes! Being the opening game of the season and losing in a buzzer beater to Georgia Tech is not a good look. Then getting rolled at home by Boston College--the Seminoles were never in this game--is pretty much a season ending defeat. They're not just 0-2, they're 0-2 in their conference! Yeah, they are done, they can maybe play spoiler but I'd be pretty shocked if we see them in the top 25 again this year. The Seminoles were good last year and you'd think they'd be a shoo-in for a 12 team tourney but two conference losses is no bueno, they are finished. 

Next week's intriguing matches

(4) Texas - (9) Michigan (got a feeling that the defending champion Wolverines are gonna get pummeled, we'll see)

(15) Tennessee - (24) North Carolina State (One of these squads is overrated, will we find out which one this week?)

South Carolina @ Kentucky (Two mid-table SEC teams meeting early, one will rise and the other will fall, I think we'll know right away which one is which)