NFL Power poll
We are starting to see the division among teams in the divisions, and that means we are a week or two away from getting a better understanding of the playoff scenarios.
Right now, the only thing we know is that Cleveland is out because, well, it's Cleveland. Man, Cleveland does it big whether it's winning or losing, the Rock and Roll City makes a strong push to being the best or the worst with little in between.
Powerful
1. Dallas (9-1). The Cowboys have a 1.5 game lead on Seattle for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, and that may be the most important aspect to this already record-setting Dallas run. That and of course where the long-term home for Tony Romo may be. Lots of folks have Romo going any number of places ranging from Denver to the Jets. What if he renegotiates his contract with Dallas with a wink-wink, make-it-up-to-later deal with Jerry Jones to stay in Dallas?
2. New England (8-2). No team has been without as many meaningful pieces - be it Tom Brady's four-game suspension, Rob Gronkowski's injuries, the roulette wheel at running back, et al. - and all the Patriots do is continue to collect wins.
3. Seattle (7-2-1). The horrific images of that tie against Arizona on a Sunday night linger for the Cardinals and appear to be a distant memory for the Seahawks, who are flying to the ball of defense and have an underrated collection of skill players around Russell Wilson.
4. Oakland (8-2). Hold on to your hat, but the Raiders are actually an offense that whips it down the field and rolls the dice for big plays. Refreshing right? There are defensive holes but the Raiders may have the most entertaining offense in the league.
5. Denver (7-3). Defensively the Broncos are top-shelf, but even coming of last weekend's bye, you have to wonder if the quarterback group there can make that one big drive in one big December game that could very well be the difference between hone and road playoff trips.
Powerless
28. New York Jets (3-7). There are a few very loyal, very overly proud fan bases out there across all sports that make you wonder why they are a) so devoted and b) so sure their team is a contender. The Jets fans are right there chief among them.
29. Chicago (2-8). As if the Bears needed more bad news, starting quarterback Jay Cutler likely will miss the rest of the season. Of course that begs the question of whether Cutler missing the rest of the season actually is bad news?
30. Jacksonville (2-8). Quite possibly the biggest disappointment in the league, considering there were a lot of folks in the preseason touting the Jags as a playoff team. And now another sprint toward the top five in the draft means a complete overhaul since Gus Bradley is 14-44 as the coach and almost assuredly must be fired and Blake Bortles may be the least accurate full-time starting quarterback in the league.
31. San Francisco (1-9). At least the 49ers are not Cleveland. WE can just hear the chants now: "We not last!" We're not last!"
32. Cleveland (0-11). Ouch-standing.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban walks the field before the first half of an NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) College football playoff committee
They are back tonight, unloading the next list of who is where and how they got there.
Even though Alabama coach Nick Saban was less than thrilled with the way his team played against UTC, the Tide are clearly No. 1. Plus, with all of the top four teams winning, there likely will not be a new team in the mix.
The order may change since Clemson was No. 4 and No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Michigan each escaped conference game with inferior foes by slim margins. Plus, the unknown status of Michigan starting quarterback Wilson Speight leaves the committee wondering how potent the Wolverines offense will be.
We will get a ton of answers Saturday when the Buckeyes welcome the Wolverines, and here's a reminder of the shakedown in the Big Ten East:
If Michigan wins, it is in the title game. If Ohio State wins, the Buckeyes need Penn State to lose to Michigan State to get to the title game. If Ohio State wins and Penn State wins - the Nittany Lions are a 13-point favorite - then James Franklin and Penn State win the East. With that scenario, there is a clear path for two Big Ten teams. Follow along.
THE Ohio State boatracing Michigan and its back-up quarterback. Penn State laying the hammer to Michigan State on Saturday and getting Wisconsin in the title game. (Badgers are in with a win; if Wisconsin loses and Nebraska wins, the Cornhuskers go. It would behoove Penn State for Wisconsin to be the foe, since the Badgers are more highly ranked.)
So there you have it, the Big Ten taking center stage this weekend with Oklahoma - which is the highest ranked Big 12 team - taking a break. The Sooners, who remember got smacked by Ohio State, will face Oklahoma State in a winner-take-the-Big-12 game.
As for the Pac 12, Washington's loss to USC 10 days ago still looms and the Huskies face Washington State in the Apple Cup this weekend before dancing with Colorado in the Pac-12 title game. Utah was eliminated in its upset loss to Oregon last Saturday.
Dallas Cowboys' Dez Bryant (88) catches a pass for a touchdown as Baltimore Ravens' Shareece Wright (24) and C.J. Mosley (57) defend in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth) Vegas stumble
It was a weird weekend in the NFL.
Weird here means exceedingly strange because Las Vegas was hammered pretty good by gamblers, both regular players and sharps alike. It is widely know that the betting public generally sides with the favorites. They are the better teams and the ones that also have the public's rooting interest.
Well, this weekend was a hit for Vegas well into seven figures because some of those super-popular favorites delivered and covered the number this weekend. Dallas (minus-7) beat Baltimore 27-17. New England (minus-11) beat San Francisco 30-17. Pittsburgh (minus-9) beat Cleveland 24-9. Of course Monday night was no help either with Oakland (minus-6.5) beating Houston 27-20.
Some Vegas sports book managers say the Tampa Bay upset of the Chiefs and the Giants failing to cover a 7-point spread in a 22-16 win over Chicago (helped by two missed extra points by New York kicker Robbie Gould) saved the books another million dollars because of the number of parlays that included the Chiefs and the Giants.
Also of note, and maybe this is Vegas being too good at its own craft, teasers went wild this weekend. A teaser is a combination bet in which the player has to each leg of the entire wager, not unlike a parlay.
However, whereas a parlay gives the better odds - 5-to-1 or more depending on the number of teams - a tease allows the player to manipulate the point spread. The most common one is a three-team teaser and a player getting to move the line of each game six points one way or the other.
Eight of the 12 games played Sunday fell with in six points of the line meaning each side of those picks as a teaser was a winner. See, amid all the big casinos and the fancy dinners and shows, Vegas does lose every now and then. (Although the way things work, here's betting a huge number of underdogs cash this week.)
This and that
- The Montgomery Biscuits have a new hat.
- This is a surreal story. Four Texas Rangers minor league players, including Rougned Odor, the 19-year-old little brother of Rangers star Rougned Odor (yes, they have the same name), face charges for sexual assault in a hazing incident that was caught on video and posted to SnapChat. No es bueno.
- Jurgen Klinnsman was officially sacked by the U.S. men's soccer team. Just passing it along.
Today's question
It's a true or false Tuesday, so you know the ropes.
True or false, the Big Ten will have three in the top five tonight. True or false, the Mocs will draw more than 7,000 Saturday in the playoff game against Weber State. True or false, you would take the Patriots, Cowboys and Seahawks against the rest of the NFL right now to be the eventual Super Bowl champ.
As for a Rushmore, well, let's go movie specific. Rodney Dangerfield would have been 95 today. Rushmore of lines from Caddyshack.
Go.