From the "Talks too much" studios, God bless short work weeks.
Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, center, talks with teammates Ezekiel Elliott (15) and Braxton Miller, left, during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Blacksburg, Va., Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. Ohio State won 42-24.Tuesday's top 12
Well, any questions?
Ohio State went on the road - and it was an electric environment - and thrashed Virginia Tech in the second half.
Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones (12) looks for a receiver during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Monday, Sept. 7, 2015.Cardale Jones was the answer to the summer's biggest college football quandary as he was QB1 for the top-ranked Buckeyes. Jones responded by running for 99 yards and throwing for 186.
But he was hardly the only weapon. Ezekiel Elliott was special, going for 122 and a score on 11 carries. Braxton Miller had two touchdowns was awesome with on 62 rushing yards and a team-best 78 receiving yards.
Offensively, Ohio State shredded the Hokies for more than 600 yards of offense, including 360 on the ground.
This bunch is special offensively.
And now they will welcome back arguably the best defensive player in the country in Joey Bosa, who was suspended for the opener.
It is fair to wonder what the score would have been if Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer had not broken his collarbone. With Brewer, VT had a 17-14 halftime lead. Without him - he was hurt on the first drive of the second half - the Hokies went three-and-out, fumble, pick, four-and-out on their next four drives.
Good night.
So what does this do to the 5-at-10's rankings? Not much.
Biggest mover: Notre Dame.
Biggest loser: Arizona State
Biggest upset: Northwestern over Stanford
1. Ohio State
2. Alabama
Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Brewer (12) walks out of a medical facility during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Blacksburg, Va., Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. Brewer hurt his shoulder during the third quarter. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) 3. TCU
4. Baylor
5. Michigan State
6. Auburn
7. Oregon
8. Georgia
9. FSU
10. Notre Dame
11. USC
12. UCLA
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AFC preview
OK, it's NFL game week.
Yes, most of the NFL noise to this point since the Super Bowl has been about inflation levels or Tim Tebow. Well, Tebow was cut over the weekend and even more conspiracy theories will emerge after reports that Patriots owner Bob Kraft was at a party in the Hamptons that Judge Richard Berman attended.
FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2015, file photo, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tim Tebow throws a pass before a preseason NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. Two people familiar with the move say the Eagles released Tebow. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, because the team hasn't announced the decision.(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, FIle) Oh great.
Let's get back to the field, can we?
We'll do the AFC today and the NFC tomorrow.
We'll take the Patriots, Steelers, Colts and Broncos to win their divisions. We'll take the Ravens and the Bills as the wildcard teams.
As for fearless predictions, well, glad you asked.
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) looks to pass under pressure from Carolina Panthers' Wes Horton (96) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Aug. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone) Here's one vote that Andrew Luck wins his first MVP award this year.
We think Tom Brady is going to have a monster year, and is going to need to because that secondary is sketchy.
This will be the final run of Peyton Manning as the Broncos get bounced in the first round of the playoffs.
Speaking of playoffs, we have the Colts and Patriots getting byes. Ravens over Broncos and Steelers over Bills. Then the Colts and Patriots win in the Divisional round with the the Colts winning in Indy to get to the Super Bowl.
Thoughts?
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Golf playoffs
Rickie Fowler holds the trophy after winning the Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament in Norton, Mass., Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) Rickie Fowler swiped the Deutsche Bank title from Henrik Stenson.
Fowler drained a slew of lengthy clutch putts down the stretch and Stenson made double-bogey on No. 16 and that was that.
The PGA Tour will take a week off before the final 70 will play in Chicago.
As the Tour sprints toward Atlanta, man there are four young, likable guys gunning for the Fed Ex Cup (and $10 million).
Jordan Spieth reacts to his missed putt on the 18th hole during the second round of play at The Barclays golf tournament Friday, Aug. 28, 2015, in Edison, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans) Take you pick right now between Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and Fowler and each has high upside.
Does any of this group have Tiger-like mass appeal? No, but that's not the point.
In fact, that those four - and a couple others like Stenson and Bubba Watson - all are in the mix, the drama of several contenders brings its own amount of intrigue.
And that's good too.
In fact, the top level of play right now is as good as we can remember.
None of these guys are Tiger, but competitive balance and excellence at the top has golf in a good place heading into the homestretch.
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This and that
- The eyes have it. This woman has 'Bama' printed on her fake eye. Nice.
- Two San Antonio high school football players are in hot water for tackling a referee in a game Friday night. Police are investigating the matter.
Georgia running back Todd Gurley- Todd Gurley says he feels ready to play.
- Nick Saban loves, Loves, LOVES talking about being a heavy favorite. OK, maybe not. That said, Alabama is favored for the 69th consecutive game, and unless Auburn drastically improves, the Tide figure to be favored in every game this regular season too. That would push the streak to 80. Crazy.
- Serena plays her sister tonight at the U.S. Open. That could be cool.
- Matt Harvey and the Mets are at odds about how much he should pitch down the stretch. This was not expected to be an issuer before the season because the Mets were not expected to be an issue before the season. This will be interesting to follow. Harvey is a legit ace with A-level stuff and is coming off a Tommy John surgery; baseball has long lamented about taking care of young arms.
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New England Patriots wide receiver Reggie Wayne (15) stretches but cannot catch a pass in the first half of an NFL football game as New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara defends Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson) Today's questions
OK, it's a true or false Tuesday.
True or false: Those high school punks in San Antonio should face criminal charges. It's a dicey scenario when you start having potential criminal charges in sporting events, you know?
True or false: Ohio State is the best team in the country.
True or false: The Patriots are going to the Super Bowl.
Got a true or false?