2022-23 NFL (Week 6)

Games I watched (some of):

Commanders 12-7 Bears

Ugh! All I caught was the 4th quarter (that was plenty!) and there was a moment late in the game where the Commanders got a turnover in field goal range and all they needed was a field goal....will they get it done? The tension was palpable. In fact, they got a TD, which they really needed because the final Bears drive was a furious race to the end zone. But the clock ran out right as the Bears got inside the 1-yard line...of course. These are two bad teams, the kind of bad teams that don't even make a dent when they play hard. I'd be kinda shocked if the Bears won again this year and the Commanders don't have much to look forward to either. 

Jets 27-10 Packers

I watched all of this game and the Jets were the better team from beginning to end. The Packers were lackadaisical throughout and their WR's just aren't up to snuff. As for the Jets, man, they've got for-real playmakers all over that defense and I like this QB (I know he's limited but I think they'd be better off unshackling him). They're not as good as the Bills but they should be better than the so-so Pats and the QB-less Dolphins, I expect them to hang around playoff territory all year long. The Packers still have Aaron Rodgers so they're never really out of it but the defense is not impressive and the weapons around Rodgers are not top tier; feels like the Packers are gonna struggle all year. 

Bengals 30-26 Saints

Fun game! Neither team took control, just two wild swinging freaks wailing on each other. The Saints offense was tasty, man, Andy Dalton keeps them orderly (but Jameis Winston has the higher upside...?), and they moved the ball well. Once the Bengals got JaMarr Chase into the offense, that was the difference (man, Chase was doing whatever he wanted). The Bengals are the better team but they haven't a game yet where the defense and the offense both show up, but they've got time to put it together (and I like their chances). The Saints are a fun team, kinda okay on both sides of the ball, and in a sloppy NFC they're still a playoff contender. 

Bills 24-20 Chiefs

Not a high scoring game because both teams started off with long drives that conclude in untimely turnover and that ended up eating a lot of clock. But it isn't how you start, it how you finish. Bills were able to get the go-ahead TD late and bait Mahomes into an INT and that was the W for the Bills. I think the Bills are the best team in the league, I think the Chiefs are in the discussion for the 2nd best team in the league (all apologies to the Eagles who are good on both sides of the ball, I've been watching the Bills and the Chiefs for years now, whereas the Eagles need to show they belong a little more than feasting on a weak schedule) and this is what it looks like when two really good teams go head to head. Great W for the Bills, puts them in the driver's seat in the AFC; tough L for the Chiefs (but I think their division stinks, so they'll be just fine). 

Cowboys 17-26 Eagles

Eagles kinda dominated the 1st half but the Cowboys recovered and were on their way to stealing the W when the Eagles extended the lead with a late TD on a good, methodical drive. I still think these are the two best teams in the NFC but I'm not sure the Cowboys don't win next time around. Feels like the Eagles are playing their best ball right now, while the Cowboys can still get better. 

Broncos 16-19 (OT) Chargers

Well, Russell Wilson at least had something of a game here (so is he not injured? Have we moved on from that lame excuse?) and while they pushed the Chargers into OT at home, they still couldn't come out with a W. I initially thought the Broncos/Wilson would come around and be decent by the second half of the season, then I figured that was out because Wilson was a shell of himself and the Broncos were gonna be a shit show all year, but now I'm not sure again (though I'm still leaning toward shit show). As for the Chargers, they just don't give Herbert anything to work with. You'd think that a big kid with a rocket arm is exactly what the NFL is looking for, but whenever they find one, they never know what to do with him! Receivers with no separation, o-line that seems to be blocking for some other QB and the endless pointless gambles--last night in OT in FG range on 4th down, I was half-expecting a fake! I'm not joking! This Chargers coach is that fucking reckless! And why was it that in OT both teams just kept bombing the ball down field? Neither team had any kind of plan for moving the ball, for getting 1st downs, for getting in FG range--no, they both kept trying hit the long ball when neither of these teams showed any skill at getting that done! And to cap it off: the muffed punt that led to the (merciful) game winning FG was clearly a penalty on the Chargers, not sure why they didn't call it. I've got no faith in either of these teams, though they both have good defenses and I want to like both QB's. Okay, well, it's finally over, at least. 

The rest of the slate:

Niners 14-28 Falcons. The Falcons are wacky, Mariotta is their kind of QB, seems like they finally got TE Pitts going, and in a weak division, the Falcons are still in the mix. The Niners are pretty good but don't seem capable of making the most of their chances, I like the D and Jimmy G as game manager; but when he tries to do too much, well, he usually does too much.

Patriots 38-15 Browns. Browns are a good team that doesn't play hard. The Pats are a so-so team that plays hard. And the score shows how much playing hard matters in the NFL. The Pats will continue to get W's they probably don't deserve because they're going to go to the necessary lengths to get the W; the Browns will continue to get L's they probably don't deserve because they aren't as good as they think they are. Feels like the Browns season is already kinda done, while the Pats might be a playoff team. 

Jaguars 27-34 Colts. Don't matter: I still think the Colts are terrible. The Jags are okay but still too young to get it done. 

Vikings 24-16 Dolphins. The Dolphins are gonna be cursed at QB all season long, you can already tell. The Dolphins might be good but I don't think we're gonna see it, I think they'll be aiming for a #1 pick soon enough. The Vikings are a just-good-enough kinda team, which might be the class of the NFC this year. 

Ravens 20-24 Giants. The G-Men just keep getting W's and the Ravens just keep managing to blow big leads. I think the Giants play hard, they play with humility and they do the little things to secure victories; I think the Ravens are good but don't do enough to actually get W's. These two teams could flip places by the end of the season or maybe they won't. 

Bucs 18-20 Steelers. Don't matter: I still think the Steelers are terrible. I thought the Bucs were ready to get their offense going but I guess not (seriously Tom Brady threw away his marriage for this?). 

Cards 9-19 Seahawks. The Cards just don't wanna win games. The Seahawks have a strangely spicy offense and while I don't think they'll be a playoff team this year, they've got the right buzz about them and are shaping up to be a serious spoiler. 

2022-23 NCAA Football (Week 7)

Games I saw (some of):

(10) Penn State 17-41 (5) Michigan

Michigan was better. For a while the Nittany Lions held them to FGs and even kept the game close with a pick 6 and a big play TD. But even then it was evident that Michigan was moving the ball and putting points on the board by executing their game plan while Penn State was keeping pace with big (lucky) plays. In the 2nd half, the Wolverines laid the smack down and it was not a surprise. Michigan is legit (I'm kinda shocked they got jumped in the standings by the Vols!) and the collision course with Ohio State is still holding up as one of the important games of the season. As for the Nittany Lions, they're okay but they're not top tier (and no one is nearly as excited about the match up with the Buckeyes). 

(3) Alabama 49-52 (6) Tennessee

Great game! Back and forth action from beginning to end.  And, man, it's been a while since I've seen anyone slice through the Bama defense the way the Vols did on this day. I wondered if Tennessee had the depth to roll with the Tide and the answer is yes. Big ups for the Vols QB, I thought he was fucking great throughout. Both teams drove on each other with such ease that it's hard to measure either team's defense, both were MIA. And, okay, I'll say it: honestly the difference was Alabama's WR's just dropped too many balls, if they make half the catches they should've made, Alabama probably gets an extra score or at least takes time away from UT's offense. Oh well, for what it's worth, Alabama is still on track to get back to the playoff and as for Teneessee, well, all they have to do is beat Georgia (dang, Georgia still has to play both of these guys....ugh). 

(8) Oklahoma State 40-43 (13) Texas Christian

Fun game! Constant action, went all the way to the end, all you want in a football contest. In the 1st half OSU was clearly the better side, felt like they were going to hold it in the 2nd half, but TCU came to play and snuck past them late. I was impressed with both sides, still think OSU is a legit good team, still got a shot at the playoff, I suppose. Both teams can move the ball, both teams can score, another classic shootout. TCU is now in line to get the Big 12's spot in the playoff, but don't be shocked if OSU is still around by the end. 

(7) Southern Cal 42-43 (20) Utah

Another great game! (Damn, this was a great college football day!) An old timey Pac-12 run and gun match, back and forth action. Like the OSU-TCU game, it felt like Southern Cal was the better team early on and would make it hold up but Utah came back hard in the 2nd half and going for the 2-pointer to seal the victory...oh, mwah (*chef's kiss*)....thing of beauty. Utah's season is kinda over with two losses, but they still managed to thwart USC and that's what college football is all about. Two good teams knocking each other out puts UCLA in the driver's seat.

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Georgia, (4) Clemson, (5) Michigan, (6) Tennessee, (9) Mississippi, (13) Texas Christian, (18) Syracuse, (20) Utah, (22) Kentucky, (23) Texas, (24) Illinois, 

Bad beat

(10) Penn State. Game effort, but not as good as Michigan. 

(15) North Carolina State. If the Wolfpack were as good as their top 20 ranking suggests then they would've finished off Syracuse, but they didn't...because they're overrated. 

(19) Kansas. Okay, okay, time to put the Jayhawk football back in the box. 

Not so good 

(2) Alabama, (7) Southern Cal, (8) Oklahoma State. All three of these games could've gone in Bad Beat but all three of these teams were higher ranked and the faves, so they should've won because they had more to lose, all there is to it. 

(16) Mississippi State. I'm surprised Kentucky still had winning football left in them, guess Mississippi State was, too. Hey, man, they needed this one and they didn't get it (SEC is an entire conference of spoilers at this point, Georgia better be on their toes).

(25) James Madison. Don't know them and I guess I don't need to.

Next week's intriguing matches: 

(14) Syracuse @ (5) Clemson (I'm still not a huge Clemson fan this year but they should slice through the Orange, we'll see)

(7) Mississippi @ Louisiana State (SEC got spoilers this year, Ol' Miss needs to bring it because even though we've all long forgotten about LSU, they're still dangerous)

(9) UCLA @ (10) Oregon (your PAC-12 championship)

(20) Texas @ (11) Oklahoma State (I think the Cowboys will bounce back but the Longhorns keep hanging around)

(24) Mississippi State @ (6) Alabama (No way Bama loses two in a row, right?)

(17) Kansas State @ (8) Texas Christian (I think TCU is the better team and will shine out big time, but we'll see)

2022-23 NFL (Week 5)

Games I saw (some of):

Colts 12-9 (OT) Broncos

Ohhhhhh, man, this why people hate football. I was under the impression that Russell Wilson's struggles in his new home in Denver would work themselves out and that offense would be fine as the season went along. Yeah...I don't think that any more. The Broncos could not move the ball at all and when they did, they managed to find ways to not score. Wilson had an INT in the end zone that made me hurt--and I'm not a Broncos fan, but in that moment I felt the heartburn that those booing fans at Mile High were feeling. Meanwhile, the Cols were even worse but the Broncos still couldn't figure it out. Oh man, this was baaaaaaad football, man. You deserve better on your Thursday night.

Steelers 3-38 Bills

As a Bills fan this started off pretty great: Bills stuck at their on 2-yard line, go for a 98 yard TD pass, then the Steelers fumble the ensuing kick, felt like the Bills were gonna win 38-3. But actually they failed to score on that next drive and the Steelers (with the rookie Pickett) came back with a nice drive for an FG and the Bills kinda fumbled around in the weather for a while. But the Bills got right, moved the ball, got points and the Steelers really just couldn't do anything in the 2nd half. Started great but then got a little shaky, then morphed back into the stomping it felt like it was going to be. Hey, all is right with the world, as far as I'm concerned. BRING ON THE CHIEFS!

Chargers 30-28 Browns

The Browns were driving late to take the lead when Jacoby Brissett threw a terrible INT at the end zone. The Chargers just needed a 1st down to end the game, so they go for it on 4th and 2 at theiw own 40 yard line with a minute left, even though the Browns had no timeouts left...don't get it...what a mystifying play call. I know we like gamblers and when coaches show belief in their players but this was taking it too far. Kick the punt and play defense against a backup; if not, you risk giving them the ball in FG range, which is exactly what happened! But, the Browns missed the game-winning FG and the Chargers escaped. This coach is not a good coach, I would not want him coaching my team. The Chargers should/could turn out really good but they find ways to lose.

Bengals 17-19 Ravens

Another set of weird coaching moves down the stretch, but the outcome was pretty much all leading to this final score anyway, so it felt like it all came out right. Both of these teams are playing good-not-great right now, we'll see who separates from the pack. 

Raiders 29-30 Chiefs

(Man, I knew I shoulda had Raiders +7) The Raiders pretty well dominated the first 20 mins or so, the Chiefs got back some points before halftime. You figured the Chiefs were gonna figure it out and move the ball in the 2nd half, but until they actually did it, felt like the Raiders were looking pretty good. Well, the Chiefs did get it going, by the 4th quarter had all the momentum, felt like they were gonna keep scoring. But the Raiders buckled down, had a really nice drive late, went for 2, came up short (to me, the replay was completely inconclusive, don't see how they could've overturned anything on that). The Chiefs were (mostly) the better team but the Raiders played with some spunk, thought going for 2 was not a bad idea (and I'm not completely sure they didn't make it), they gotta make this good play carry over though October if they're gonna stick around. 

The rest of the slate:

Giants 27-22 Packers. The Giants are playing well, moving the ball and getting W's. I didn't see it coming, but here we are. As for the Packers, another season where they just aren't as crisp as expected. I dunno, they should still be pretty good. 

Bears 22-29 Vikings. Felt like the Vikings were going to give it away but they manages to hold off the Bears. Man, that Bear offense is so anemic, how could the Vikings have let it get that close? The Vikings are winning but I'm still not sold. The Bears, on the other hand, are probably done winning for a while. 

Lions 0-29 Patriots. The Pats have these mojo moments and the Lions (and Jared Goff) are Belichick's mojo zone

Seahawks 32-39 Saints. Another crazy back and forth contest for the Seahawks (feels like they're going to have a lot of those). Good W for the Saints, stayed together, pulled it out late. 

Dolphins 17-40 Jets. The Dolphins are in turmoil, NYJ just felt like kicking some ass and no one stopped them. The score may look shocking but division games can get weird.

Falcons 15-21 Bucs. Terrible roughing the passer call kept the drive alive for the Bucs, instead of handing the ball to the Falcons with all the momentum. That one hurt for Falcons fans. As for the Bucs, they lucked their way out of a crushing defeat. 

Titans 21-17 Commanders. The Commanders had their chance to win late and decided to throw an INT at the goal line instead. Oh well. I'm still not as impressed with the Titans as I probably should be, while the Commanders are a perfectly mediocre squad. 

Texans 13-6 Jaguars. Not sure what happened here. The Texans play hard. As for the Jags, I still haven't made up my mind about Trevor Lawrence, he has moments where I see it and moments where I don't see it at all. Not sure where either of these teams go from here.

Niners 37-15 Panthers. Panthers suck (Coach Ruhle got fired the next day) and really just don't look good at anything. The Niners have a superior defense and a nice offense, I think they could be really good by season's end. 

Cowboys 22-10 Rams. The Cowboys pass rush is really great and the Rams still haven't figure anything out on offense (which is kinda shocking). The Cowboys are playing well without Dak, the Rams are not playing well even though they seem to have the full roster.

Eagles 20-17 Cards. Cards had their chance to win late and just didn't want to. Eagles keep rolling, but not unbeatable, by the end of the year we may forget how great Philly was to open the season. 

2022-23 NCAA Football (Week 6)

Games I saw (some of):

(11) Utah 32-42 (18) UCLA

Fun game! Two fairly evenly matched teams going back and forth on each other. My gut is that Utah is probably the better team but with 2 losses now, they're no longer in any kind of discussion, while the Bruins are still undefeated and sneaking into the top ten. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Georgia, (3) Ohio State, (4) Michigan, (5) Clemson, (6) Southern Cal, (7) Oklahoma State, (8) Tennessee, (9) Mississippi, (12) Oregon, (15) Wake Forest, (17) Texas Christian, (18) UCLA, (23) Mississippi State

Won but did not impress

(1) Alabama. What is their problem with A&M? The Aggies have done nothing but disappoint week after week this season and yet there they were at the doorstep on the final play of the game with a chance to steal a W in Tuscaloosa. How does that happen? I'm not as into this Alabama side as in previous years (the WR dominance seems to have finally passed, dumb mistakes on defense, I'm not as in on the QB play as everyone else, etc), I just don't think they have the offensive dominance we've come to expect from them--but they still should've handled this rather pedestrian A&M side. What gives, man?

(14) North Carolina State. Am I supposed to be impressed that they scrambled late to beat Florida State? Yes, conference games are always a toss up but if the Wolfpack are worthy of being ranked in the top 12-ish zone, then they should handle the Seminoles with more confidence.

(20) Kansas State. Iowa State is always a tough place to win but this kind of slog against a weaker conference opponent is not striking fear into any hearts out there. 

(24) Cincinnati. Seriously? South Florida has not been very good this year either at home or on the road, so there's no reason why Cincy should have struggled so mightily--if in fact the Bearcats are a top 20-ish team.

Bad beat 

(11) Utah. UCLA and Utah strike me as pretty evenly matched, they are familiar conference opponents and the Utes were on the road--and it was a pretty fun game. I got no complaints on Utah here, this was a good W for UCLA. 

(19) Kansas. Kansas was probably ranked too high just for novelty's sake and they put up a pretty good fight against a TCU side that can score some points. Kansas is still in the midst of the best season they've had in eons.

(25) Louisiana State. LSU probably shouldn't be ranked this season at all anyway, so they came in a little overhyped. But the Vols are good and this was just another Saturday in the SEC. LSU will be back next year I'm guessing, but not right now. 

Not so good

(13) Kentucky. Yeah, without Will Levis, they had no chance to move the ball with a redshirt freshman making his debut even against a hapless side like South Carolina. My gut is that this will be the data point people use to suggest that Levis should be the #1 pick (Random radio idiot: 'With Levis the Cats were a top 10 team but without him, they're not very good at all! He was elevating them by his presence!'), but I say hogwash to all that. I'll go ahead and say it: there is no way--NO WAY--Will Levis at the next level will be any better than Mitch Trubisky. I get it: he's had nice moments and apparently in person he's got the wow factor that snows NFL GMs (yeah, so did EJ Manuel). But if you think he's the next savior for the Steelers or the Panthers or whoever, you are mistaken and you'd be better off trading that #1 pick. (Hey, man, not trying to hate just being honest) Oh, as for Kentucky, yeah, their season is done. With a brand new frosh under center, there's no way they beat Tennessee or even Louisville (do I have to even mention Georgia?) and, hell, even Vandy's got a shot. I'd be surprised if we see Kentucky in the top 25 again this year. 

(16) Brigham Young. Notre Dame on a neutral field isn't exactly a cake walk but if BYU was capable of bringing it, then they would've brought it this weekend and they didn't.

(21) Washington. Conference road games are never easy for anyone but if the Huskies were top 20-ish, they should've handled their business against a weak Arizona State side and they did not. 

Next week's intriguing matches:

(10) Penn State @ (5) Michigan (game o' the week, must win games are good games this time of year)

(8) Oklahoma State @ (13) TCU (another good conference match, must win game, I suspect OSU is better but we'll see)

(3) Alabama @ (6) Tennessee (barn burner, we all know the Tide if the better team but they're not unbeatable and the Vols are legit good this year)

(7) Southern Cal @ (20) Utah (seems like this one could be a laugher, but don't be shocked if Utah bounces back from last week's loss to UCLA and stings the Trojans)

And then there's....Really? Am I supposed to get up for (15) NC State @ (22) Syracuse or (16) Mississippi State @ (22) Kentucky?

2022-23 NFL (Week 4)

Games I saw (some of):

Dolphins 15-27 Bengals

The Bengals grind one out against a Dolphin squad that is feisty but not yet mature. Tua gets hurt (again). Okay, here's my Tua rant: when Alabama whipped him out, I thought he was the best QB I'd ever seen and I just knew he was gonna be a monster. But his hip injury at Bama made me wonder and he slipped to the Dolphins; then he got a similar hip injury his rookie year and it slowed him down and made his unorthodox style all the more weird. Before any of this concussion stuff happened I already believed that Tua just wasn't going to be the top flight QB he looked like he might be at Bama. I just don't see it with Tua, I know he's a great athlete, he's had big games--I'm not saying he sucks, I just think the injuries have put a ceiling on what he could be. I'm rooting for him, I hope I'm wrong (well, I am a Bills fan, so I'm not hoping that hard), but I don't see Tua as the star he might've been. As for the Bengals, they're rounding into shape, I think they'll be just fine come playoff time. 

Steelers 20-24 Jets

Not as bad a game as I was anticipating. Okay, I'll say it: I like Zach Wilson and I hope the New York fans don't bury him with their unrealistic expectations the way they have with countless athletes before him. He looks good in the pocket, good looking arm mechanics, seems like he has good field vision and understands his options. The Jets are looking up. The Steelers, on the other hand, just keep annoying the shit out of me week after week (ugh, I live in Bengals territory so I see waaaaaaay more Steelers than I want to). The Steelers are not good, but I will say that Kenny Pickett is definitely better than Mitch Trubisky and at least they can move on from that debate. But I don't think the vaunted Steeler D is as good as they think they are, they still have O-line problems and I'm not particularly in on their skill guys. Not really sure about Pickett going forward but I can say the problem at the moment isn't QB--it's everything else.

Chiefs 41-31 Bucs

This'll sound weird but I saw this as a get-right game for the Bucs. Yeah, you don't usually think of a 10-point loss at home in prime time (after fumbling the opening kickoff) as a "get-right", but the Bucs offense looked better here than they have all season. So even though they had no shot at winning this game--Chiefs scored early and often and with ease--felt to me like the Bucs may have finally figured some things out. The Chiefs have a swagger that occasionally lets them down but more often than not propels them through solid victories; I know the Chiefs are good but I'm not sure they're great--they could be but we haven't seen it yet.

The rest of the slate:

Vikings 28-25 Saints. Back and forth, felt like the Saints had it, Vikings steal it late. The Vikings are good but sloppy, the Saints are not good but plucky. 

Titans 24-17 Colts. Titans are getting back to the ground and pound that got them W's last season. I think the Colts might be the worst team in the league: Matt Ryan is done and there's nothing particularly noteworthy on either side of the ball. 

Browns 20-23 Falcons. The Browns have found interesting ways to lose this season. Don't dislike the Falcons but I can't see them being a playoff contender, we'll see.

Commanders 10-25 Cowboys. The Commanders are perfectly mediocre. The Cowboys still keeping it going without Dak. 

Seahawks 48-45 Lions. Fun game! Back and forth action, the Seahawks have a strangely effective offense. Not sure what the Lions do. 

Bears 12-20 Giants. Sloppy game, somebody had to win. The Bears probably won't win another game all year. Not sure what's up with the Giants, getting W's, though. 

Jaguars 21-29 Eagles. Felt like the Jags had this but the Eagles just keep winning. It looks like the Eagles running game and defensive line are going to take them deep into the playoffs. The Jags are young, improving but not there yet. 

Bills 23-20 Ravens. Good W for the Bills. The Ravens got a big lead early but their offense dried up in the 2nd half and the Bills were able to work their way back in. The Bills still getting wins without playing their best is a bad sign for the rest of the league. The Ravens are a weird team: wily veterans but dumb mistakes, which will win out in the long run?

Chargers 34-24 Texans. The Texans play hard, man, they're not going to win a lot of games but they play hard and that alone will net a few W's. The Chargers still don't impress me the way they should. 

Cards 26-16 Panthers. When two bad teams get together, the less-bad one looks good for one week. 

Patriots 24-27 (OT) Packers. Not exactly a blistering performance against a rookie QB (Zappe!), but the Packers got the W against a wily opponent, so I'm gonna give the Pack a pat on the back. As for the Pats, well, I already this year's rookie QB better than last year's (got a weird feeling next year's might be even better!). 

Broncos 23-32 Raiders. Two evenly matched teams, division game, both teams are starting slow but I still believe both will be better by year's end. 

Rams 9-24 Niners. The Rams just do not look like the same team that blew through the NFC playoffs and took home a Super Bowl; veteran team, good coach, you'd like to think they'll figure it out but they do not look like they're going to....we'll see. I'm still in on the Niners: good D, okay QB, good skill position guys and a division that's falling apart. Feels like the Niners for now in the NFC West.

2022-23 NCAA Football (Week 5)

Games I saw (some of):

(22) Wake Forest 31-21 (23) Florida State

Two weeks in a row now I've watched Wake Forest and I keep being...hmmm....impressed?....by the QB: again, I can't imagine him being any good as an NFL QB but I can totally see him being a clipboard jockey for years and years. The way their offense just kinda glides along is pretty good, I think Wake Forest is a good squad. Kept waiting for Florida State to get it going and they had a stretch in the 3rd quarter where they confidently moved the ball and got some stops, but they just couldn't sustain it. Oh well. Wake Forest is the better team and I'd say a top 25 kinda team. 

(9) Oklahoma State 36-25 (16) Baylor

Fun game. Two good squads just taking at it each other for 60 minutes, good stuff. I like both of these squads, they both move the ball well and show some explosiveness. I think Oklahoma State is really good and the better of the two teams, but Baylor doesn't suck (I expect them to finish ahead of Texas and Oklahoma, for example). Don't be surprised if the Cowboys nab OU's traditional spot in the BCS this year. 

(radio) (7) Kentucky 19-22 (14) Mississippi

Ole Miss started off pretty good but their offense kinda wound down to not much, while Kentucky started slow but then couldn't convert their opportunities. Felt like UK was the better side but they didn't score the points today, so they'll be flipflopping in the polls, I reckon. Good W for the Rebels, disappointing L for the Cats.

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Alabama, (3) Ohio State, (4) Michigan, (5) Clemson, (6) Southern Cal, (9) Oklahoma State, (11) Penn State, (12) Utah, (13) Oregon, (14) Mississippi, (19) Brigham Young, (22) Wake Forest, (25) Kansas State

Won but did not impress

(1) Georgia. UGA having to storm back in the 4th quarter against Missouri shows that this team is either not as good as last year or not as focused on the little things as a champion needs to be (or both). Not the end of the world, they got the victory but they had to work much harder than they should've and that is worrying. Got Auburn next week, were they looking ahead (and, if so, why? Auburn isn't any better than Missouri)? This is the top of the argument that perhaps Ohio State should sneak ahead the defending champs. 

Bad beat

(7) Kentucky. The Wildcats missed a FG, an extra point (which led to missing a 2-pt later on) and had 3 turnovers in Ole Miss territory. Feels like they were the better team but they didn't get the W. Hey, man, a loss on the road to an SEC West team is not a terrible loss but it feels like they should've won and that's disappointing.

(10) North Carolina State. I thought Clemson was the better team and (unlike some years) they came to play on this day. Clemson isn't great but they're pretty good and getting better. Disappointing loss but not a season-ender. 

(16) Baylor. I am convinced that Oklahoma State is a legit good team (since Utah, Notre Dame, Florida, Miami, Oklahoma, LSU, Auburn, and Wisconsin are basically done, could the Cowboys get to the final four?) and though Baylor put up a good fight, they went down to a better team. Losing in the conference is always disappointing but Okla St is a good team.

(20) Arkansas. Come on, man, Alabama is better than Arkansas. You know it, I know it, the American people know it. 

Not so good

(15) Washington. I didn't have much faith in the Huskies but they had their chance to make some noise and they seem have to blown it. On the other hand, UCLA might actually be kinda good this year (so perhaps this is a bad beat). 

(17) Texas A&M. The season was probably already over (especially since their one signature win is Miami, who has already disappeared) but getting toasted at Mississippi State should pretty well finish off their season (oh, they're at Bama next week....good luck with that). 

(18) Oklahoma. Wow, they got trucked by TCU, just blasted, they were never in this game. Is Oklahoma the next Nebraska? (That scary thought is in all Norman minds at this point)

(21) Minnesota. Purdue has a way of removing the air from everyone else's balloons, don't they? Minnesota is plucky, they could bounce back--but in a season where Wisconsin and Iowa are nothing special...the Gophers had their shot. 

(23) Florida State. They had a moment in the 2nd half where it felt like they had figured some things out and were ready to roll. And then it passed and they lost. I got no faith in the Seminoles.

(24) Pittsburgh. Loss at home to Georgia Tech? Not a good look. 

Next week's intriguing matches:

(8) Tennessee @ (25) Louisiana State (we'll see if LSU feels hanging around, see if UT actually belongs here)

(17) Texas Christian @ (19) Kansas (wait....what...?)

Texas @ Oklahoma (both currently unranked, we'll see who can make it back into the rankings by season's end)

Auburn @ (2) Georgia (UGA hasn't been shining out lately, was this the anticipation of Auburn the reason why?)

(11) Utah @ (18) UCLA (a fun west coast match)

2022-23 NFL (Week 3)

Games I saw (some of):

Steelers 17-29 Browns

I was only kinda in and out of this game, mostly all I noticed was that Mitch Trubisky is just not gonna work as Pittsburgh's QB. The Browns running game is pretty great but I found their defense to be only so-so on this evening. Solid W for the Browns, clearly time for the Steelers to move on from Trubisky.

Bengals 27-12 Jets

Rather dull game. It was clear right away that the Jets offense was never going to move the ball, so most of the game was just hoping that Joe Burrow wouldn't get snapped in half. The Bengals have struggled this season but the Jets are just not good enough to inspire struggle. 

Raiders 22-24 Titans

The Titans looked like the last year Titans, the #1 in the AFC Titans, the run the ball down your throat Titans. And yet as sloppy and weird as the Raiders are, they still should've won this game. To recap: the Titans played their best game possible and still should've lost to an 0-3 squad. I just don't think that bodes well for the Titans this year. As for the Raiders, they'll get going at some point and probably be in the playoff hunt, but they strike me as a middle of the pack kinda team. 

Packers 14-12 Bucs

All defense. The Packers had two nice drives to open the game and that was it for them. The Bucs started slow but did have their chance to push the game to OT but couldn't convert the 2-pointer. You gotta think, though, if they meet again in the playoffs, it won't be a defensive struggle game. I think the Packers are the better team and probably will be the better team all year long; the Bucs D is legit but their offense is badly sputtering and that's weird for Tom Brady to endure. (This could definitely be your NFC Championship game) 

Niners 10-11 Broncos

Wow, what a dull game! I've always wondered why everyone hates Jimmy Garropolo and I think I realized why late in the 4th quarter: its like he just won't rest until he's thrown a horrible interception. Down the stretch he threw one but, man, he was throwing into ridiculous coverage all through that drive--it's amazing he didn't throw an interception sooner! That guy is either going to get the game winning TD or through the game-ending INT, and those are the only two options available for him. I think he's been overly maligned for guy that's made two final fours in the last 4 years, but I do see how he can be an annoying presence to the fans. As for the Broncos, they're starting slow but I think they'll be good by the end of the season (especially if the Raiders and Chargers keep on being this lackluster). Hang on Broncos fans, I think Russell Wilson is going to figure it out. And Niners fans need to hang on, too, I still think Jimmy G is going to win more games than he loses.

Cowboys 23-16 Giants

The Cowboys were the better team but the Giants aren't bad. I have no faith in their QB (another maddening QB: he has moments where he looks like he can be a guy, then he has moments where you wonder why they let him onto the field) but I kinda like the rest of the team and if they can find some identity as a grinding team, they can make some noise this year. The Cowboys are nice, I like that pass rush, but I'm not at all sold on the offense (and I don't mean the QB, because I now kinda like both Dak and Cooper Rush) and I wonder if they'll be able to pile up enough wins to get past the Eagles. 

The rest of the slate:

Texans 20-23 Bears. When the two worst teams in the league get together, you can count of one team gacking it up late. The Texans are frisky but woefully undermanned, the Bears are a leaden lump of a team (and may well have just gotten their last W of the season).

Chiefs 17-20 Colts. I didn't see any of this and I'm glad I didn't. The Chiefs must've worked hard to lose this game. 

Bills 19-21 Dolphins. The Bills ran 90 plays in the choking heat, managed to have clock issues at the end of both halves and still should've won. Clearly the heat was too much for them. Good division win for the Dolphins, frustrating L for the Bills. 

Lions 24-28 Vikings. The Lions led throughout, except when the game ended. *wha-wha* Good W for the Vikings or did they just get lucky?

Ravens 37-26 Patriots. The Ravens D is not looking like a classic Ravens D, while the Pats O is not looking like a classic Pats O, so....kinda glad I missed this. 

Eagles 24-8 Commanders. The Eagles are rolling right now, the Commanders are built to flail.

Saints 14-22 Panthers. The Saints are having serious offense problems and that's too bad, I'm still a believer in Jameis Winston, but I'm the last of a dying breed. Are the Panthers ready to play up to their potential?

Jaguars 38-10 Chargers. The Jags look kinda nice--makes you wonder what they would've been last year if Urban Meyer had given a thought to trying to win games. And what is going on with the Chargers? It's like they're on a mission to destroy Justin Herbert.

Rams 20-12 Cards. Meh. Looks about right. I think the Rams will be pretty good by the end of the season, but I think they're plan is to sleepwalk to the playoffs--which might work! I think the Cards are not very good but every once in a while Kyler Murray will shoplift them a W.

Falcons 27-23 Seahawks. I think the Falcons actually might be good, we'll see if they can get any consistency going, but I got a feeling they're not bad. The Seahawks play hard and they will win games they're not supposed to win--but don't be fooled, they're not a good team.