2023-24 NCAA Football (Week 8)

Games I saw (some of):

(7) Penn State 12-20 (3) Ohio State

I had the Nittany Lions to cover a 4-point spread but they just couldn't generate any offense here. Credit the Buckeye D-line, a really impressive showing for a defense that hasn't really had to do much yet this season. And kudos to WR Marvin Harrison Jr, its not like he was unstoppable but every time the Buckeyes needed a play, he got it done. Good showing for the Buckeyes, outside of a sloppy Notre Dame game, they haven't really had much competition yet but this was a good win against a good conference opponent. Penn State can feel proud that they didn't get clobbered, they were in this game for the most part and this is probably the best L on anyone's record right now, so still a pretty good showing for the Nittany Lions and they do still have a chance to make some noise. 

(16) Duke 20-38 (4) Florida State

The Dukies put up a good show in the 1st half but when it was time for the Seminoles to take over, they did. They started a little slow but the Seminoles endured Duke's best efforts and made the plays they needed to easily take this game. I'd say this is a good W for the Seminoles, they fought a tough team and came out on top. Not a bad L for Duke, indeed, this is still the best season they've had in eons and this was a game effort on the road to a tough conference foe (and I still kinda like Duke's QB, we'll see if he can fine some draft day love). 

Virginia 31-27 (10) North Carolina

I thought the refs favored the Cavs all the way through this game, it was subtle, but there were holding and such penalties on the Tar Heels that they weren't calling both ways. Just felt like the refs were making UNC work a little harder and the Tar Heels just couldn't rise to it. That said, UVA is really pretty bad this season and UNC still had this game in their grasp but a devastating pick-6 changed everything for them and they just couldn't dig their way out. Tough L for the Tar Heels but I'm not sure they deserved it; the Cavs got lucky--I'll say it: they got lucky! 

(17) Tennessee 20-34 (11) Alabama

Tale of two halves: UT dominated the Tide in the 1st half, making plays confidently on both sides of the ball while the Tide felt like they were playing in mud. I was a little surprised but I figured that Bama would come out strong after halftime. They did! They whomped the shit out of Tennessee in the 2nd half, murdered 'em, stomped 'em, beat them up and down and made it clear who the better team was. Good reversal for the Tide but where was that dominance in the 1st half? And where has it been all year? The problem I see with Bama this year is their thoroughly mediocre QB play but in the 2nd half I thought Milroe was kinda great--way better than it even felt like he could be! So is Saban ready to let Milroe cook? Has the stubborn Bama coaching staff been the problem with Milroe? Or did Milroe just find something here? I dunno, but it does suggest that Bama has a little more in the tank and could still make some noise this season. We'll see but I had pretty much already given up on Bama getting big W's this year and now I'm hesitant to write them off. Tough L for UT, they looked good for 30 minutes (and not so good for 30 minutes) but this was a pretty good performance from them, we'll see if they build on the good parts or get subsumed by the bad parts.

(14) Utah 34-32 (18) Southern Cal

Fun game! Back and forth action all through the 2nd half. I kinda thought USC was the better team but Utah made plays when they needed to and they hit the big FG as the clock expired, so they get the big W on the road. Southern Cal looks like a team built to dominate but they're clearly not there yet, they're truthfully still a rebuilding team (a la LSU) and the success they've had so far is--I don't want to say "illusory"--I'll say "suggestive" of what they could be rather than what they actually are. This team is still a work in progress and though they are capable of big W's in big games, they haven't really done it yet and in the last 4 weeks they were up and down at Colorado, got stomped by Notre Dame, struggled with a kinda terrible Arizona team and blinked against a tough Utah side. I don't think they're done, though, they still have UCLA, Oregon and Washington--I bet they win at least 2 of those. As for Utah, they just keep rolling along, they're a good team, I think they're getting better and if they can find W's against Oregon and Washington, they're gonna be in line for a plumb playoff spot (right?). The Pac is the fun conference this year, still plenty of good games left out there. 

Minnesota 12-10 (24) Iowa

Okay, I turned this game on with just a few minutes to go and I saw "the play" (below). The controversy of this week is when Iowa ran back a punt return with under 2 minutes left for the potential game-winning TD. But after further review, the refs decide that the returner called a fair catch--deemed an "invalid fair catch" (what does that even mean?)--and overturned the TD. Total bull shit! Watch the live video, no one ever at any point thinks he called a fair catch and even the initial review was to make sure he hadn't gone out of bounds. Listen to the "expert" rules guy, the returned gives the "getaway signal"--not a fair catch signal!--and that somehow negates the whole play. Iowa got robbed, robbed bad!  At home! WTF? I thought this was bull shit when I saw it live and I still think it's bull shit 2 days later. Terrible call, refs should be ashamed of themselves. That said, there was no reason for Iowa to be losing late in the game to Minnesota, Iowa is better than that and they should've handled their business (1st rule of sports: never let the game get close enough to get ripped away by the refs). 

Top 25

Handled their business

(2) Michigan, (3) Ohio State, (4) Florida State, (8) Texas, (9) Oregon, (11) Alabama, (13) Mississippi, (14) Utah, (19) Louisiana State, (20) Missouri, (22) Air Force, (25) UCLA

Won but did not impress

(5) Washington 

Wow, they struggled hard to scramble late to eke out a W at home against a not-very-good Arizona State side. Don't know what happened here but the Huskies better make sure it doesn't happen again. 

(6) Oklahoma

I figured a so-so Central Florida squad at home was just what the Sooners needed to empty out the play book, fling the ball around and pile up some points...but...uh...no, they struggled all game long and were very lucky to steal a W. Not a good performance, this was an easy one and they almost let it slip away.

(23) Tulane

I don't know Tulane that well but I was expecting they would handle an uninspiring North Texas side and they did not. They had to come back to secure the W and that's just not a good look against a team they should easily demolish. 

Bad beat

(7) Penn State

Just couldn't move the ball on that Buckeye front and though they mostly handled WR Marvin Harrison Jr, when push came to shove the Buckeyes got the plays they needed and the Nittany Lions didn't get the stops they needed. The upside is that this is probably the best L of the season so far (right?) and they didn't get stomped but this was obviously the best team the Lions have played this year. 

(16) Duke

They kept it competitive in the 1st half but when the time came, the Seminoles stepped up and the Blue Devils had no answer. Not a bad L. 

(17) Tennessee 

Whoa, tale of two halves! The Vols should feel pretty good about their 1st half dominance, even if they're still bandaging up their 2nd half defeat. It was gonna be a tough one and it was. 

Not so good

(10) North Carolina

I thought the Tar Heels got jobbed by the refs routinely throughout tis game but it was their own mistakes that doomed tham and that's unacceptable in a home conference match (especially against a kinda terrible Cavs team). 

(18) Southern Cal

One of those games where you knew the team that had the ball last was gonna win it. Well, the Trojans scored their final TD too early and couldn't hold off the Utes. They needed this W, though, and they didn't get it. 

(24) Iowa

Yeah, they got ripped off, but the game shouldn't have been that close. The Hawkeyes needed to step up against an inferior Gopher side and they dropped the ball (well, sorta). 

Next week's intriguing matches

(6) Oklahoma @ Kansas (Kansas had some top 20 time this season but they've dropped a couple in a row and have been completely forgotten but with OU coming off a lackluster showing to Central Florida (a trap game?), I'd say this trip to Kansas is suddenly interesting again; let's see if KU can get their groove back)

(1) Georgia @ Florida (yeah, I think UGA is going to mop the floor with the Gators but there is at least a hint of upset potential here; flip side is we might see UGA's first really complete game of the season)

(8) Oregon @ (13) Utah (the marquis match, both of these squads are playing well and need the W)

(20) Duke @ (18) Louisville (Coach K taking on Denny Crum...oh wait, this is....football? Okay, well, could be fun)

(21) Tennessee @ Kentucky (UT needs their groove back and Lexington is where they've always found it in the past; the Wildcats had some top 20 time this season but they've looked pretty horrible lately, do they find enough magic to punch a hated conference foe in the face or do the Vols pull it together and lay the smackdown? We'll see)

(3) Ohio State @ Wisconsin (very little chance of an upset here but this is a traditional rivalry and the Buckeyes are coming off their toughest match of the season, could be some slippage; don't be shocked if this turns out to be a fun game)

Colorado @ (23) UCLA (are there any wheels left on the Colorado bandwagon? Can they get it up one more time for a Bruin side that has perhaps overachieved this season? This is gonna be a fun one: either one team gets humiliated or its a barn burner, no matter the outcome, this should be a fun one)

2023-24 NFL (Week 6)

Games I saw (some of):

Ravens 24-16 Titans 

(London games suck) A match of who wanted it less. Both teams were sloppy, neither team looked particularly good at anything and ultimately I got nothing out of watching this. I hate the London games--have I mentioned that before? 

Niners 17-19 Browns

Fun game! For all the love QB Purdy has been getting lately, in this game he looked kinda crappy. Turns out if you put a top flight pass rush in his face, take away Deebo and McCaffrey and make Kittle disappears, then Purdy is actually kinda....Mac Jones-y (OMG, did I just say that?). I'm not dissing Purdy, I'm just saying he has a lot of weapons at his disposal and when they're not there, he comes way back to the pack. Still a nice QB, but he's really one of the best game-managers I've ever seen, not sure he actually elevates a team or anything. As for the Browns, I hope Deshaun Watson was taking notes because with a defense like this, he's got to see he'll be in every game. Good W for the Browns, the Niners had their shot to steal it but the FG sailed wide--hey, man, that happens.

Eagles 14-20 Jets

The Eagles looked listless and distracted all through this game and still had multiple opportunities to win--indeed, they very much gave this one away. Good for the Jets for sticking around and playing to the whistle, sometimes that's all it takes to win. The Eagles and Niners are no longer undefeated, but I'd still say they're the two best teams in the league.

Giants 9-14 Bills

Man, the Bills bent over backwards to not play offense in this game. Josh Allen seemed determined to not throw down the field and though the running game was pretty good, it wasn't as good as NYG's, and it didn't lead to shots down the field. As for the Giants, are they allergic to the end zone? Is there some kind of magical force field at the goal line that only allows them FG's? WTF? The Giants more or less dominated this game, had the ball at the 1-yard line at the end of both halves, and still just could not get the TD they needed. This was a weird game but the Bills managed to pull it out, while the Giants managed to blow it. So....I guess the Bills are good and the Giants are bad....?

The rest of the slate: 

Broncos 8-19 Chiefs

Yeah, I was watching baseball--and I got no regrets!

Commanders 24-16 Falcons

QB Howell is a puzzle: he has moments where he looks good, like legit good; but then he has other moments where he looks like a Commander QB. The Falcons should be better than this, they need a QB desperately.

Vikings 19-13 Bears

I dunno....the Vikings....wanted it more?

Seahawks 13-17 Bengals

Tough game but the Seahawks made too many mistakes to get a W on the road. The Bengals did enough to win but still don't look particularly dangerous. 

Panthers 21-42 Dolphins

Took the Dolphins a while to get going but once they did, it was an avalanche the Panthers could not hang with. The Panthers are well on their way the #1 pick, which they will....trade? 

Colts 20-37 Jags

The Colts are better than they ought to be...which isn't saying much. The Jags look ready to make a leap (or maybe they're just good at taking out bad teams). 

Saints 13-20 Texans

The Texans have a QB and a defense, they are for-real. The Saints have moments of competence but not enough to put them in the driver's seat of their horrible horrible division. 

Pats 17-21 Raiders

The Pats suck as bad as they have in decades, never occurred to me that Belichick would still be there in the bottoming-out phase. The Raiders are pretty good....at beating bad teams.

Cards 9-26 Rams

The Cards have little to play for. The Rams are kinda sneaky good.

Lions 20-6 Bucs

The Lions are really starting to look like a for-real NFC top tier squad. The Bucs look like they only show up on the road.

Cowboys 20-17 Chargers

I was in and out of this game, felt like the Chargers were generally the better team but when the Cowboys needed it, they got it, while when the Chargers needed it, they didn't get it. Evenly matched, I suppose, but the Chargers are as incapable of closing out games as anyone I've ever seen. And the Cowboys are good not great, they'll make the playoffs but they'll need luck to get very far. 

2023-24 NCAA Football (Week 7)

Games I saw (some of):

(1) Georgia 37-20 Vanderbilt

Okay, last week I wrote in this space that when Georgia laid a double-deuce ass-whippin' on Kentucky that was a sign that Kentucky was actually pretty good--you probably thought that was the dumbest thing you'd ever read. But look at what UGA did to Vandy: the Bulldogs put forth zero effort, didn't cover the spread, and won handily even while giving up a bunch of points late. Are you gonna tell me that this is because Vandy is better than Kentucky? Do you see what I mean? UGA went full throttle on Kentucky because they're actually kinda afraid of Kentucky and put forth zilch effort here because they're not the least bit afraid of Vandy (or, I would suggest, South Carolina or Auburn, two other zero effort games they've played so far). Keep an eye on Florida and Tennessee, the other two opponents I expect Georgia will bring full force to. UGA was fine, barely broke a sweat, didn't do anything particularly noteworthy but won with ease; meanwhile, those Vandy boys will braggin' for the rest of their lives about covering the spread against the #1 team. 

(8) Oregon 33-36 (7) Washington 

Frankly, I thought Washington was the better team throughout. But when Oregon was up late, driving with under 2 minutes left, I was wondering where it all went wrong for the home side. But then Oregon blew it on 3rd down, then went for it on 4th down, blew it again and gave the Huskies the ball at the 50-yard line instead of punting (which is what a normal football coach would've done--or, hey, if you knew you were going to go on 4th down, how about calling a better play on 3rd down?). Washington quickly went down the field and scored the go-ahead TD, then watched as Oregon sailed the tying FG wide. So instead of winning a conference game on the road, Oregon chose to not even go to OT. Man, I'm still reeling from last year's Oregon debacle at Stanford (involved this week in another debacle, see below), where they just refused to take the W that Stanford was begging them to have. Again, Oregon simply refused to win this game--just wouldn't have it! Oh well, I thought Washington was the better team anyway, not sure why they were down late in the 4th quarter. 

(10) Southern Cal 20-48 (21) Notre Dame

Well, Caleb Williams haters got to see probably the worst game he'll play as a collegian--and, you know what? None of those 3 interceptions was really his fault. USC was just unlucky, didn't go their way, credit the Irish for playing hard and taking advantage of mistakes. But I'm still not out on Southern Cal--they just had a bad day--and as for Notre Dame, well, the worst of their schedule is now behind them and they weathered it pretty well: tough L to Ohio State, good W's over Duke and Southern Cal and a puzzling L @ Louisville. I expect Notre Dame to drift back into the top 10 by the end of the season (and have a good shot at laying a beatdown on Clemson). As for USC, well, the tough part of their schedule is still ahead: Utah, Oregon, Washington, UCLA still staring at them. Might be a long season for the Trojans but they've got a for-real QB, so we'll see how many of those games they can pull out. 

Texas A&M 13-20 (19) Tennessee

Man, the Aggie QB is one of the most puzzling dudes I've seen in ages: he made some really gutty, gritty tough guy plays and he made some of the softest, dumbest, lamest mistakes I've ever seen. Can't recall a single performance with such high highs and such low lows at the same time! At any rate, he single handedly kept them in this game and simultaneously doomed them with untimely mistakes. The Vols are okay, not great, not as good as last year I'd say, but they'll probably beat Kentucky and Missouri and should give Bama a good run (man, imagine beating the Tide 2 years in a row...) and that should put them in line for a nice bowl. A&M has nice talent, they hang around in games but they just don't have the moxie to close out games and get W's. (I know they're paying Jimbo Fisher a ton of money but it feels like the right coach could come in there and win right away, though what are the odds they pick the right coach?).

(23) Kansas 32-39 Oklahoma State

The Cowboys were better early and late and, though they sagged badly in the middle, they did enough to win this game. I was impressed with the Jayhawks, I don't recall ever watching them play football (and I watched Duke football, too! What a crazy season!). Rugged conference match, ranked team on the road, home team that feels disappointing (though no one expected them to be any good), all made for a fun game. Glad I gave it a watch.  

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Georgia, (2) Michigan, (3) Ohio State, (4) Florida State, (6) Penn State, (7) Washington, (12) North Carolina, (15) Oregon State, (16) Utah, (17) Duke, (19) Tennessee, (21) Notre Dame, (22) Louisiana State

Won but did not impress

(11) Alabama

Another week, another display of poor QB-ing. They've still got plenty of talent and are gonna be a tough out for anybody, but they aren't the overpowering Tide we've seen over the last decade. 

Bad beat

(8) Oregon

Could've had it, managed to blow it. Was the coach auditioning for the Chargers gig? (He looks very Charger-y to me)

(10) Southern Cal

Tough L but when you're in the top 10, you're supposed to win the big ones and so far USC hasn't done that.

(18) UCLA

Oregon State must be a tough place to play (or even find!). So I'll look the other way at a tough conference L on the road. 

(25) Miami

So weird to watch the Hurricanes unable to beat the Tarheels for another year. This is not the U I grew up with. 

Not so good

(14) Louisville

Beat Notre Dame (handily, no less) but couldn't get stops @ Pitt? Oh well, Louisville has probably already overperformed this season.

(19) Washington State

Whoa! How did they get smoked (smoked!) at home by a sloppy Arizona side? 

(23) Kansas

@ Oklahoma State is never easy and KU played well for most of this match, but I think they're actually pretty good, we'll see how they bounce back. 

(24) Kentucky

Felt like after the Wildcats took their annual beating from UGA that they'd be toughened up and ready to kick some ass for the rest of the season. But after going up 14-0 on Missouri, they just kinda stopped playing--a dangerously bad habit to get into. UK still has Tennessee and Louisville ahead, are they gonna right the ship or is this just another Kentucky team?

BONUS

Is the Colorado hype machine running out of gas? I myself had finally come aboard, only to see Colorado let an easy conference W slip away. Look, Colorado is already way better than last year, if they lose out, they'd still show a marked improvement. But the hype so far would suggest that UC is ready to run with the big dogs and yet here they manage to blow it....to a tree.

Stanford 46-43 (2OT) Colorado

Next week's intriguing matches

(7) Penn State @ (3) Ohio State (your marquis match right here, this is the one to watch)

(17) Tennessee @ (11) Alabama (fun one, we'll see if Bama can play a complete game and gut out a tough W because UT will be bringing their best effort, I guarantee)

(16) Duke @ (4) Florida State (this is probably the best team the Blue Devils have had in....ever? If they're gonna win in Tallahassee, now is the time)

(14) Utah @ (18) Southern Cal (another good match in the PAC)

2023 MLB Playoffs

Hard to believe, I know, but I still love baseball as much as I ever did. I don't give it nearly the time and attention that I did as a kid (that time and attention has drifted to the NBA), but I still love it. 

Look at those standings. Check out all those dominant squads at the top. They're all gone. The Orioles, Dodgers, Rays and Brewers all got swept and the Braves won 1 game (on a 2-run  homer in the 8th inning). The Blue Jays and Marlins got swept, too, but no one will even remember those. 

Rangers v Astros and Diamondbacks v Phillies. 

Yes, I know football is more important but playoff baseball is still the best. 

2023-24 NFL Football (Week 5)

Games I watched (some of):

Bears 40-20 Commanders

You see, Bears fans? This is why you need to trade Justin Fields now. What is the point of seeing Fields emerge just so you can go 5-12? Go all in on the #1 pick--your team is that bad!--and dumping Fields has to happen sooner rather than later. The Jets, Patriots, Falcons all need QB's (hell, the Commanders are probably pretty impressed with him), move on before he turns just good enough to fuck up your future! I implore you: trade him now! (Also, kinda fun game, felt like the Commanders might come back and make it spicy, but they didn't and got rolled up on instead) 

Jags 25-20 Bills

(London games suck) Man, the Bills looked like they were sleepwalking and they may have lost Matt Milano for the season, so not a good showing for them. And they still almost pulled this out! After putting up no effort on offense and mostly getting ripped apart on defense, they still had a chance to steal it in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, the Jags dominated the shit out of this game and still almost gave it away to a team that had no defense at all by the end. Weird game. Yeah, I still hate the London games--they're dangerous to the players involved!

Ravens 10-17 Steelers

God, the Ravens are such an uninspiring team. They look bored on both sides of the ball for the most part and then when they do actually try, they don't actually look that good. As for the Steelers, these guys are not good, the offense is kinda terrible and yet there they were, stealing the game from the bleary-eyed Ravens. The Ravens are still on track to win this division and I don't understand how/why. Over the last few years I've learned to truly loathe the Steelers, but the Ravens are getting that way for me, too. I hate watching these squads.

Cowboys 10-42 Niners

Only watched the first half, which was more competitive than what the score suggests (though I'm not particularly surprised that the Niners went hognutty in the 2nd half). The Niners are--BY FAR--the most complete team in the NFL right now. That offense is wicked and the defense is good all over and when they've got their game plan going, yeah, they can quickly dispatch a good Cowboys team like a Rick and Morty background character. The Cowboys are still one of the better teams in the NFC but they've got a ways to go to hang with the Niners. 

Packers 13-17 Raiders

In and out of this game (I mostly watched baseball this weekend), seemed like every time the Packers had something going on offense, they would throw an interception. The Raiders defense was flying around and half the time they were making plays and the other half, they were running themselves out of position. Oh well. They did enough to win.

The rest of the slate: 

Texans 19-21 Falcons

Kinda wish I'd seen this game. The Falcons are weird but they can sling it around, the Texans have a QB and that alone makes them interesting. 

Panthers 24-42 Lions

The Panthers are probably the worst team in the league, but they just drafted a QB, so what do they do with the #1 pick if it falls to them? The Lions are pretty good and can look great against horrible squads like the Panthers. 

Titans 16-23 Colts

Division match, could've gone either way.  

Giants 16-31 Dolphins

Giants got no business hanging with the Dolphins. 

Saints 34-0 Patriots

Ugh! The Belichick era is coming to a loud, thudding close, huh? Are the Pats ready to tank? Is this a turnaround game for the Saints?

Eagles 23-14 Rams

Yeah, that looks about right. The Rams are one of those teams that look pretty good when you watch them but somehow still manage to not win games. The Eagles are in a weird place: they're good enough to win with a half-hearted effort, so will they ever evolve into that next level machine they're gonna need to be to get by the Niners? Not sure (Niner injuries may make the question moot). 

Bengals 34-20 Cards

Bengals needed this. The Cards aren't as bad as they ought to be, but by season's end, they'll be in the hunt for the #1 pick, I reckon. 

Jets 31-21 Broncos

Yeah, the Jets suck but the Broncos suck even worse! 

Chiefs 27-20 Vikings

Are the Chiefs just better than everybody else or are they getting lucky? Are the Vikings as bad as their record or will they turn a corner and start kicking ass (I'm honestly not sure)?

2023-24 NCAA Football (Week 6)

Games I saw (some of):

(20) Kentucky 13-51 (1) Georgia

A coupla years back, Alabama came to Lexington and laid a 63-3 beatdown on the Wildcats. My takeaway (follow me now): wow, Kentucky's better than I thought! Why did I think that? Because Alabama their A+ game and did not fuck around when they very easily could've put forth a C- effort, won 31-10 and no one would've thought twice about it. But what I'm saying is Coach Saban looked at Kentucky and said to himself, 'Whoa, these guys are actually pretty good and there's no f'n way I'm gonna risk a loss to f'n Kentucky!' And so they brought the stomp boots and withheld all mercy. Yes, UK got stomped but it was a stomping of respect, not an indicator that Kentucky sucked. I was sorta expecting the same thing this week against UGA and, well, if you lean back and squint, I guess you could make the same argument. The difference here is that UK shot themselves in the foot with dumb penalties and missed/dropped passes and then just sorta gave up by halftime (that was disconcerting). If you thought UK had a shot at covering +14.5 at UGA it was because that so far the Bulldogs haven't really had a complete game and certainly don't look as in control on either side of the ball as they have in their last two runs to the championship. It may well be (buck up, Kentucky fans!) that this was the game they were waiting for, this was the game they marked on the calendar as the real start of the season. I would suggest Florida and Tennessee (and Kentucky) were really the only three "tough" games on their schedule (and if you think Florida and/or Tennessee has a shot at covering, I wouldn't bet on it!). Kentucky had moments of moving the ball and they had moments of getting stops, but UK's dumb mistakes dug an impossible hole and they all knew it right away. Unfortunate to see the Wildcats just give up so quick, but really the only glaring weakness that jumped was--holy shit!--their punter is terrible! That guy should not be in Division One. As for UGA, well, they cruised too easily to really tell, but they look like they're rounding into shape and it may well be a third championship for the Bulldogs. 

(12) Oklahoma 34-30 (3) Texas

Fun game! Both teams looked good to me, went right to the end, I was impressed (at times) by both squads, I think they're both top tier teams and I expect they'll both be hanging around come playoff time.  Can't help but pointing out, though, that this is a disappointing L for Texas, they were the higher ranked team at home, they've got to take this one. Great W for the Sooners, the first great moment since Caleb Williams left town. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Georgia, (2) Michigan, (4) Ohio State, (5) Florida State, (11) Alabama, (12) Oklahoma, (14) North Carolina, (15) Oregon State, (16) Mississippi, (23) Louisiana State, (25) Louisville

Won but did not impress

(9) Southern Cal 

I only watched the 1st quarter, but, man, they looked uninterested in playing football. Not sure if Arizona at home is just that much of a mail-in game or if they're looking ahead to Notre Dame or if LA life is just too exciting to get the job done, but 3 OT's later and the Trojans got the W, so maybe I'm making too much of nothing. But if they can lose to Arizona, then they can lose to *ahem* a lot of teams. 

Bad beat

(20) Kentucky

You're out of your element, Donnie. Moments of playing hard vanished pretty quickly as the Bulldogs finally played their first really good game of the season. 

(21) Missouri

I dunno, LSU is always a tough opponent, even if they seem to be down this year. Missouri made a game of this, went deep into the 4th quarter, not a good L but not a devastating L.  

Not so good

(3) Texas 

Gotta beat your conference rivals at home. You just do. 

(10) Notre Dame

Been a while since the Irish played a schedule this tough. But then again, getting pushed by Duke and then whipped by Louisville doesn't exactly feel like a gauntlet. (Playing Southern Cal next week, that's the gauntlet!)

(13) Washington State

Gotta win at UCLA if you want to be a top ten team. Not a bad L but they didn't get it done. 

(17) Miami

Hmmmmm, loss at home to Georgia Tech?  WTF?

(24) Fresno State

I don't know west coast football, I thought they could get the win at Wyoming, but it feels like Wyoming wanted this one. 

Next week's intriguing matches 

(8) Oregon @ (7) Washington (your marquis match, who wants to win the Pac this year?)

Texas A&M @ (19) Tennessee (good SEC match, we'll see what A&M can generate on the road)

(23) Kansas @ Oklahoma State (time to see if Kansas is truly worthy of being ranked, the Cowboys probably see this as a winnable game, right?)

(10) Southern Cal @ (21) Notre Dame (okay, Irish, time to get the ol' mojo back)

(25) Miami @ (12) North Carolina (feels like the Tar Heels should lay a serious smackdown here, right?)

Missouri @ (24) Kentucky (two mid-level SEC squads coming off tough losses, who will bounce back quicker?)

(18) UCLA @ (15) Oregon State (PAC-12 shootout, let's see it)

2023-24 NFL (Week 4)

Games I saw (some of):

Lions 34-20 Packers

The Lions came ready to play and the Packers did not. The Lions dominated the 1st half and it felt for a moment that the Packers might dominate the 2nd half and that perhaps a real barnburner could emerge. But the Lions had a nicely elongated scoring drive early in the 4th and that zapped the Packers right there. The Packers just waited too long to get going; the Lions wanted the W and they got it, good win for the Lions. 

Falcons 7-23 Jags

I don't like the London games. I don't like games that occur outside of NFL home stadiums. If English people want to go to an NFL game, let them get on a plane to an NFL city and buy a ticket. Taking the game abroad is crude and silly and embarrassing for both America and Britain (and misvalues the product of football, where the value should rise based on scarcity rather than availability--the argument against the 17 game season, too, for that matter). That was just the preamble (oh, I could keep going!) but let me also suggest that the London games are inherently dull. The crowds don't know what they're looking at (usually they're looking at the NFL's crappiest teams!) and the teams themselves always look out of their element. I don't like games in non-NFL stadiums and I don't like the London games specifically. And I didn't like this one. The Falcons could muster no offense (isn't about time they rook a run at Justin Fields? Is there a better QB option for the Falcons out there?) and the Jags did just enough to keep the game boring. (Okay, here's a bombshell question to ask yourself: are we sure Trevor Lawrence isn't just Daniel Jones? Are we sure?) Snooze of a game. 

Dolphins 20-48 Bills

Wow, the first 20 mins of this was high octane insanity. But the Dolphins kinda wound down and the Bills were able to keep it going. But don't be fooled: even with the Bills (my fave team, btw) up by 4 TD's in the 4th quarter, I was still nervously watching my TV, waiting for the Dolphins to make a run. It didn't happen because even the Dolphins knew the game was over by that point. Not sure if this was a fluke or something to keep an eye on: the Dolphins fumbled a lot in this game, not all of them were damaging, but there were stretches when you just knew the ball was gonna be up for grabs. Is that a Miami thing to keep an eye on? Not sure. As for the Bills, they looked good, they were ready to play, and though I'm still a little skeptical of the D (especially since White looks to be gone for the year), the offense is rolling nicely right now. Ditto the Dolphins: so-so D, amazing offense. Will these two meet in the playoffs? Will it be in Buffalo or Miami (home field in January has never been so important!).   

Chiefs 23-20 Jets

Early on the Chiefs Chief-ed all over NYJ and it felt like this was just going to be an extended Taylor Swift commercial (I have no doubt that apologies were flying all over the NFL corporate office Monday morning). I turned the game off and watched a movie, paused the movie to check on the game and it was tied in the 4th quarter--I was shocked! That last drive of the Chiefs to finish off the game was masterful stuff, both sides throwing haymakers--I can't remember a scoreless drive that was so fascinating to watch (or frustrating as I had the Chiefs +9.5 and all they needed was one more touchdown!). The Jets defense is real--are you convinced now? And the Jets running game is pretty damn good, if they had a real QB, they'd be--oh, wait, we already went through all this last summer, didn't we? And the Chiefs, well, Mahomes and Kelce and Chris Jones are for-real all-time badasses but, ehh, I'm not sure I'm in on any of the rest of the team--this could be Mahomes' best season, the further the Chiefs go, the more likely he wins MVP. 

Seahawks 24-3 Giants

Weird game. The Giants moved the ball okay but then their offense would stall or make some crippling mistake. Meanwhile, the Seahawks offense was not particularly effective (they only had one really good drive in the whole game), but a big play here and a Giant mistake there and they still manage to roll up the hapless Giants. Man, everything about the Giants has regressed from last year and I'm already not looking forward to their next off-season. And the Seahawks are up and down, unreliable but with the occasional big play. I think both of these teams are not very good. 

The rest of the slate:

Broncos 31-28 Bears

The Bears were up big in this game and managed to give it away, not sure how that was even possible. But it highlights that the Bears need to get rid of Justin Fields pronto, the last thing they need is him turning good and ruining their draft position (hey, Falcons, surely Fields is better than your QB, right?). The Broncos are just not good at anything, I don't see how they get better or why they would even bother this season, like the Bears they are better off playing for the Caleb William sweepstakes. 

Ravens 28-3 Browns

The Browns scratched Deshaun Watson right before game time and that was pretty much it for them, the defense can only carry so much. The Ravens have been spotty so far but they already have 2 division road W's (headed to Pittsburgh this week) and that's a pretty good indicator that they're gonna win that division.  

Bengals 3-27 Titans

The Bengals start slow every year but this is getting ridiculous--and with the way the Ravens are piling up W's, the Bengals need to get going now or their season will soon be over. The Titans are as up-and-down as any team in the league. 

Rams 29-23 (OT) Colts

The Rams built a huge lead, the Colts came back and tied it up and then the Rams won anyway. Both of these sides are better than I thought they'd be--but I thought they'd be both terrible, so that doesn't mean they're actually any good. 

Bucs 26-9 Saints

What happened here? Still puzzled by the Bucs success on the road, not sure what to make of the Saints. 

Commanders 31-34 (OT) Eagles

The Eagles really tried to give this away but the Commanders just wouldn't take it. 

Vikings 21-13 Panthers

The Vikings overachieved last year, seem likely to underachieve this year. But they're still way better than the Panthers. 

Steelers 6-30 Texans

The Steelers do not look good at all. Texans, on the other hand, seem to have found their QB of the future. Keeps an eye on the Texans, they are officially the wtf team of the AFC.

Raiders 17-24 Chargers

The Chargers tried to give this away but the Raiders just wouldn't take it. 

Pats 3-38 Cowboys

Ugh! The Pats' QB problems are at the end point, I'd say. Wait, though, the Pats have lost to the Eagles, Dolphins and Cowboys--arguably the three best teams in the league, not sure it is panic time just yet. The Cowboys are rolling.

Cards 16-35 Niners

The Niners are rolling. The Cards are not even trying to be good.