Weekend winners
The Braves. Oh my, what an amazing run over the last couple of months. It’s the reason we talk so glowingly and lovingly of the ‘er’ months, but man this team is something special, no? And that’s from a Dodgers fan. Pick a favorite part of this club: Is it the postseason resurgence of Will Smith, the realization that Brian Snitker is way better at his job than he gets credit for, the homegrown bats in the middle of the lineup of Albies, Freeman and Riley, or the litany of key additions AA made right before the deadline? Heck, why limit it there. Is it the never-say-quit conversations when the club lost its best pitcher in the spring to a broken hand after punching a wall or losing its best overall player and its clean-up hitter to injuries and dirt-bagginess? Whatever it is or whichever one you feel the strongest about, this Braves bunch is so incredibly likable and so easy to cheer for. And now they get the Houston cheaters with Atlanta’s rotation set exactly how you would want it. Yes, please.
Tom Brady. Not only did Brady bunch together his 600th career TD pass to join a club that includes, well, him, with 600 or more TD tosses, dude was that guy on Sunday. (Side note Mike Evans tossed the ball into the stands and Brady had to swap some merchandise with the fan for the historic 600th ball.) Still, that was not Brady’s biggest highlight in my book. During a nationally televised game, a young fan in a Bucs 12 jersey on the first row held up a sign that read “Tom Brady helped me beat brain cancer.” With less than 90 seconds left in the Bucs’ blowout of the Bears, Brady approached the young fan, chatted with him, shook hands and gave the cancer survivor his Bucs cap. Man, I love it when our heroes are kind. Shut up, Andrew. It’s just dusty in here.
The Big Ten. Sure, the SEC has the most ranked teams with six, and we always expect the SEC to potentially have half of the playoff field. But while the SEC has the best tandem in the country with No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Alabama, the Big Ten has the best trio in the country with THE Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State.
All of the eliminator pool players. No one was bounced this week, and a majority of you did it with the Cardinals, who KER-rushed the Texans. My records have J-Mac, Sleepy Floyd, Fat Vader, Mike B, HGLIII, Ted P, Matt H, Brian E, Jason T. still alive. If you think you are still dancing and I’ve made a mistake, please let me know.
Tennessee. Why not these Titans right? Who in the AFC is decidedly better than they are? The Bills? Maybe, but the Titans beat the Bills. The Titans destroyed the injury-plagued (and surprisingly overrated) Chiefs on Sunday and are 5-2. Of their final 10 games – four of which are against the dreadful trio of Houston, Jacksonville and Miami – the Titans likely will be favored in nine of them. The AFC bracket going through Nashville and finding ways to subdue Derrick Henry in January is appealing, no?
NFL gamblers. For the third straight week, the betting public hammered the books on NFL games. Some of the big swing games were Arizona covering as a 20-point favorite and the Patriots crushing the hapless Jets, but the killer blow for Vegas was Packers minus-8 over Washington and Green Bay winning by 14.
Weekend losers
The Dodgers are excuse makers. Yes, I’m a Dodgers fan. Been one since the infield was Garvey-Lopes-Russell-Cey, and I’ll stay one for as long as they have baseball. But the Dodgers faithful lamenting injuries is asinine considering the Braves were just as limited in almost the exact same spots.
Big 12. As the Big Ten positions itself with multiple options for the playoff, this was an awful showing for the Big 12. Oklahoma escaped against Kansas, which is easily the worst Power 5 team in the country, and previously unbeaten Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State.
Dabo Swinney. It was a great run Dabo. Truly. And that’s how quickly it can go from rolling to off the rails. It also is an amazing testament to what Saban has built, because after that first year, Saban’s one hiccup – multiple losses in 2010 – still left the Tide with a 10-win season and a top-10 ranking. Clemson is now 4-3 and unranked after losing at Pitt by double digits Saturday.
Cincinnati. No not the Bengals – the AFC North-division leading Bengals who are using an LSU connection of Burrow to Chase to light up foes – but the Bearcats. Yes, the unbeaten, No. 2-ranked Bearcats. And cue the violins, because wins like Saturday’s lackluster 27-20 victory over a one-win Navy bunch will have Cincy as the most motivated team in a the six Jan. 1 bowls. Cincy has to start blasting people because of the dominos in front of them to get into the playoff. Would Cincy get in over a one-loss Alabama? What about a two-loss Alabama if that second defeat is by a score in the SEC title game? Would Cincy get in over an unbeaten Oklahoma? What about the real chance of their being multiple one-loss Big Ten teams with power brands? Put your foot on the gas Luke Fickell if you want to get to the dance.