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Weekend winners
SEC basketball. Yes, at some point, one of the big powers from the league where it just costs more will stumble and lose to a directional school at home. When that happens — and it will — MocsColts will remind us of the perils of regular-season hoopla and the SEC’s consistent toe-stubbing in last year’s tournament. But Saturday was eye-popping as there are three SEC teams in the top-five, five in the top-nine, and nine in the top-25. And Saturday was downright impressive, with top-ranked UT winning at Illinois, No. 2 Auburn destroying THE Ohio State in Atlanta and the rest of the league handling a slew of impressive non-conference challengers. Buckle up. The SEC likely will have six teams ranked in the top 10 when the poll is released today.
Travis Hunter. He was a fine Heisman pick. I would have voted for the Boise State RB, all things considered. But dude followed his convictions — and his belief in Coach Prime — to the pinnacle award in his sport.
Navy football. Wow, that was dominance. And that game is great. Simply great. Every single year.
Josh Allen. Write his name on the NFL MVP ballot in Sharpie. And not one of those fine-tipped Sharpies. The fat daddy. Four total TDs and 430 combined passing and rushing yards in a dazzling win over Detroit Sunday was an exclamation point. Dude is having himself a run right now. Stats — first NFL player in the Super Bowl era to throw for three and run for three scores in a game — and getting engaged to Hailee Steinfeld? Well done, Josh.
The Eagles. All that drama, and then Philadelphia strolls out and punches the Pittsburgh Steelers in the mouth. And if you had “Nick Sirianni out-coaching Mike Tomlin” in your parlay over the weekend, congrats on the huge payday.
Weekend losers
Detroit. This is not as much about losing a 48-42 shootout to Buffalo and Josh Allen — although did you see Jared Goff’s stat line of 460-plus passing yards and five TDs? — as it is the ever-growing list of defensive injuries. Another D-lineman and two starting level DBs may be lost for the season after Sunday.
Will Levis. OK, we know now, right, Titans fans? His three-pick showing Sunday got him pulled and replaced by Mason Rudolph. Levis’ QBR (the ESPN-generated quarterback stat) is 33rd among qualified QBs this season.
K.C.’s three-peat chances if Patty Mahomes really hurt that ankle.
The NBA style of play. Look, the athletes are better than ever, but the NBA game — especially during the regular season — has become an extended, long-range game of H-O-R-S-E. Dallas and Golden made 48 3s Sunday. Forty-eight. The 1984 World Champion Boston Celtics averaged 112-plus points per game and made 55 3s all season.
Isiah Pacheco’s bank account. The Chiefs RB1 got a $45,020 fine from the league for unnecessary roughness during a game in Week 14. According to this story, that’s more than 80% of his weekly paycheck. Yikes.
Through the looking glass
OK, I’m not sure if there has been a more transcendental 10-or-so day period in the history of college football than what we are experiencing right now.
Integration back in the day was a bigger singular event, but consider everything from last Wednesday to this coming weekend.
The NFL GOAT head coach takes a college job.
The transfer portal opens and every available QB on the market is looking for seven figures. Heck, Auburn landed Jackson Arnold, who may or may not be better than Walker White, who also entered the portal.
Speaking of the portal, Marshall opted out of the Independence Bowl because more than two dozen Thundering Herd players sprinted to the portal after a coaching change.
Speaking of big dollars in the recruiting arena these days, LSU coach Brian Kelly has pledged up to $1 million of his own money to the LSU NIL portal. And, while we suggested something similar late last week with Bill Belichick, it was mostly tongue-in-cheek. Kelly’s doing it for real, and like so many of the other changes in the sport many of us call our favorite, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Travis Hunter — a two-way superstar who had a terrific year — is the perfect face of the players in this sport right now. He followed the money to Jackson State, a HBCU, to play with Deion Sanders, and then followed him again to Colorado.
We had a bowl game on the same Saturday as the final regular-season game of the season.
And now we are less than a week from the first round of the expanded 12-team playoff that will be at least 16 before my eighth-grader graduates from high school.
Not sure Bear Bryant would even recognize this sport anymore.
Thoughts?
This and that
› Wow. Yellowstone. And they keep saying “season finale” not series finale, you know? We’ll discuss more tomorrow, so folks can catch up.
› Also, “Landman” is smoking right now. Again, a day of grace, but if Billy Bob Thornton is not in line for some award nominations, then the voting folks are not watching this show.
› Count me among the fans of the Monday Night Football doubleheaders like tonight. Thoughts?
› You know the rules. Here’s Paschall on UT football as the Vols look to get ready for Saturday’s opening round of the 12-team playoff.
Today’s questions
Weekend winners and losers. Go.
Multiple choice Monday goes this way.
Of the portal QBs, who will be this year’s Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward?
— Jackson Arnold
— Darian Mensah
— Malik Murphy
— Connor Wiegman
— Other
As for today, Dec. 16, let’s review:
The Boston Tea Party happened on this day in 1773.
Ludwig van Beethoven would have been 254 today.
Rushmore of “van,” and have a little fun, will ya?