Sign up for the daily newsletter, Jay’s Plays of the Day, to get sports betting recommendations for the top games of the night and the week ahead.
NFL power poll
Morning. Hope your day is as good as Mike Vrabel’s last 70 days.
Yes, Vrabel — the former Tennessee Titans coach who was fired just two years ago — and the New England Patriots have won 10 straight.
Yes, those Patriots, the team that picked in the top five in April, are arguably the most complete team in the NFL.
And I’m not sure if it looks worse for the Titans, who are currently the worst NFL team since the winless Cleveland Browns almost a decade ago, or Bill Belichick, who led the Pats into the sewer two years ago before heading to Chapel Hill and leading the Tar Heels into the pit of a bad ACC.
Again, Vrabel’s current team is the best in the NFL. Vrabel’s former team is the worst.
Since it’s Christmas time — true or false on a Tuesday, Christmas music is overdone — let’s check these twice and send these lists to the poll.
Powerful
1. New England (11-2). Wanna know a crazy stat? Pats QB1 Drake Maye leads the NFL in passing yards but has not had a 300-yard passing game this season. Wanna know the level of elite consistency Maye is playing with? He has six games this season with 70-plus-completion percentage, at least 200 yards and two or more TDs. He’s one of only three QBs do that six or more times in a season and has four games left. The others — Tom Brady had eight and Matt Ryan had six — won the MVP in the years they did it. Maye for VP, anyone?
2. Denver (10-2). It is a tremendous skill to win close games, especially late. And these Broncos have it in spades. Denver is 8-2 in one-score games, gang, including seven in a row during this nine-game winning streak.
3. Los Angeles Rams (9-3). Remember when the Rams were peddling Matt Stafford before the season? Yeah, that Matt Stafford showed up Sunday in Carolina with three turnovers in a surprising loss to the Panthers.
4. Chicago (9-3). Yes, Da Bears. I could bore you with the numbers — multiple 100-yard rushers in Black Friday’s fleecing of Philly, Coach of the Year front runner (with Vrabel of course), etc. — but let’s ponder something. If Da Bears and the Super Fans are an easy 1 on the SNL sports skits, I’d put Peyton Manning’s United Way skit at 2.
5. Green Bay (8-3-1). The Packers are among the youngest teams in the league. They also are among the most unpredictable. They swept the Lions — last year’s NFC 1 seed — but lost to the Panthers and the Browns. Here’s the scary part for the rest of the NFC: Green Bay’s best WR1, Jayden Reed, is coming back before the playoffs.
Powerless
28./29. New York, New York. Hidden in the Jets’ junkiness is that Aaron Glenn’s crew is competing for their first-year coach, especially since he cleared the deck at the trading deadline. I should likely have the Jets above the Falcons, but I’m running out of time. Hidden in the Giants’ grossness is that the team’s lack of direction makes this head coaching decision even more critical.
30. New Orleans (2-10). Hidden in the Saints’ suckitude is the conundrum that Tyler Shough presents at QB1. Shough, the rookie second-rounder from Louisville, has started the last five games, and in the last three he’s been extremely solid. In those three, 75-for-108 (69.4%) for 764 yards with four TDs and two picks. Hmm.
31. Las Vegas (2-10). Hidden in the Raiders’ rottenness is the bona fide truth that former Georgia star Brock Bowers is at this level. If we had a TE draft across the league, if you do not think Bowers is round 1, pick 1, then I don’t know what to tell you.
32. Tennessee (1-11). Hidden in the Titans’ terribleness over the last several years is the borderline Hall of Fame career of Jeffery Simmons. With 6.5, Simmons is on track for his first double-digit sack season despite missing two games. He leads all defensive tackles with 29 QB pressures, and 12 of those came against double teams. Maybe the best Titans’ draft pick since Steve McNair.
Lane and coaching carousal
Wow, six new coaches across the SEC, and we’re still waiting on Penn State to names its next HC.
Nuts, I tell you.
It also has offered a slew of thoughts, questions and ponderings. Let’s explore them together.
> Watching the online drama — from the AI memes of ESPN’s Marty Smith aging 50 years waiting for actual news over the weekend in Oxford — was amazing. It also made me wonder what in the name of Steve Jobs would Vols Twitter have done back in 2009 when Lane Kiffin left in the middle of the night?
> UK canned Mark Stoops Monday and named Oregon OC Willie Stein within a few hours. Stein will stay with the Ducks through the playoffs.
> Let’s add to the entire narrative that no one can blame Lane for taking $13 million to go to one of the top-10 jobs in the country, but his handling of this was a debacle. Penn State is focused on BYU coach Kalani Sitake, who Monday consistently discussed his focus on the job at hand with the Cougars, who are playing for a playoff spot in the Big 12 title game.
> As every program in the country looks for the next Kirby Smart, how nice must it be to be a Georgia fan these days? Dang. And if Lane is getting $13 million per, Kirby deserves $25 million. Seriously.
> Lane’s press conference Monday was a complete circus. It started with bending the knee to the governor. It continued with his reference to the other “three schools” beyond LSU he contemplated. Say what? Side question: In Lane Kiffin’s news conference, he said there were four destinations he pondered. The first three — Oxford, Red Stick, Gainesville — are clear. Do we think the fourth could have been Penn State, maybe? UCLA? Saw someone online even suggest that if Alabama had lost the Iron Bowl, Kiffin was in play at Tuscaloosa. Thoughts?
> Lane is an elite play-caller, and I think he will win and win big at LSU. And in the end, the Geaux Tigers backers will embrace that. I mean that and think he’s a tremendous advantage from the jump, and if he keeps the LSU talent pipeline pumping, the Tigers are going to be a playoff fixture. But he seemed as smarmy and disingenuous as ever Monday.
> Interesting side note from Red Stick: Hot shot LSU DC Blake Baker is a top candidate for the Tulane job, which is open because Jon Sumrall went to Florida.
Crazy 72 hours. Unreal, in fact.
Playoff ponderings
The penultimate college football rankings will be announced today. It’s a wild time across the landscape of the sport.
We know 1-2 will remain the same as THE Ohio State and Indiana remain undefeated.
Georgia feels like an easy 3 and Texas Tech moving up a spot after A&M’s rivalry loss at Texas.
But the positioning — and the soon-to-start politicking — truly matters tonight.
With that, here are a slew of questions — for teams and for the committee — that need answers:
> For the committee chair: “How will the committee view a conference title game loss?” The Big 12 has a rematch between BYU and Texas Tech. Each is 11-1, with Tech losing at Arizona State and BYU losing to Tech. If BYU loses, that’s 11-2 with both losses to a top-four team. If Tech loses, BYU is in as an auto qualified, but how far do the Red Raiders drop?
Same for the SEC: Georgia is safe regardless, in my mind. But a Bama loss in Atlanta would be three defeats. Would they stay among the top 12?
> How far does Ole Miss drop because of the Kiffin conversation? If that’s true, could it impact Tulane too?
> Where is 10-2 Vandy, with losses at Alabama and Texas? And does Texas, fresh off handing A&M its lone loss, jump the Commodores?
> What does Miami’s strong finish mean in comps to Notre Dame, since each is 10-2 and the Hurricanes beat the Irish head to head?
> How high does Virginia jump and how big of a Babe Ruth candy bar in the punch bowl is five-loss Duke in the ACC title game for the league? Yikes.
My head hurts.
This and that
> On this giving Tuesday, I suggest you give someone a hug. Or a kind word. Or even a genuine smile. Even if it’s Lane Kiffin. And yes, Vader, we know it would only start with a hug in terms of your affection for the head engineer of the Lane Train.
> It also is the starting point of ESPN’s V Week, its charitable movement named for former NC State coach Jim Valvano that continues his foundation’s fight against cancer. Considering that the V Foundation has raised hundreds of millions for research to fight that dreadful and deadly disease, I resubmit my belief that Lo’ Charles’ dunk on Dereck Whittenburg’s airball to lift the Wolfpack over Houston in 1983 is the second-biggest sports moment ever. I think Jackie Robinson breaking the MLB color barrier is the biggest. Thoughts?
> Rules, friends. Here’s Paschall with a look at Georgia’s big swing against Alabama in Saturday’s SEC title game.
Today’s questions
True or false, it’s Tuesday morning, Ernie.
We started above, so fire away.
True or false, you are happy with the head coach at your favorite college football program. (Share and explain.)
True or false, the NBA has started.
True or false, Texas will be ranked over Vandy tonight.
True or false, the SEC will get five teams in the 12-team playoff. True or false, the SEC deserves at least five of the 12.
You know the drill; answer some Ts or Fs and ask some Ts or Fs.
As for today, Dec. 2, let’s review.
Britney Spears is 44 today.
Aaron Rodgers is 42 today.
Rushmore of “Aaron” and have a little fun.