Weekend winners
Joe Burrow. Or is it Burreaux? Wow, what a season. And the question is not whether he'll win the Heisman, but if it will be the biggest landslide in Heisman history.
Ryan Tannehill. As much money as Marcus Mariota has cost himself is as much money as Tannehill has made with his performance this year. With a competent passing game, Derrick Henry looks like the best running back in football.
Oklahoma. Everything fell into place and the Sooners got in. Now they get a 30-point whipping from Coach O and dem boys coming, but hey, at least they got in. It will be a nice sendoff for Lincoln Riley before he coaches the Cowboys next season. While we're here, man, it fell directly in line for the playoff committee, didn't it? And when the gap between 3 and 4 is this great, it really makes four seem like the right number so the expansion talk can certainly wait.
Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss. Hey, we can all discuss our view on hires and grades and what not, but know this: I have talked to no fewer than a dozen Ole Miss fans - who knew that many Ole Miss fans lived on Signal? - over the weekend and to a person, they all are over the moon about Lane Kiffin. Even to the point that they are thankful for the "peeing" celebration because it was the springboard that pushed Matt Luke from the captain's chair and allowed Kiffin a way in. As for Kiffin, dude continues to get chance after chance - and I believe he would have had UT in the college playoff by now if he had stayed in Knoxville (probation may have come, too, but still) - because he is exciting, his offense scores, he recruits his whistle off and he is charismatic. And how much does Kiffin connect with his players? Well, with everyone everywhere knowing that Saturday was Kiffin's last game with FAU, he still got them to play their tails off and roll UAB.
Jimmy G and the 49ers. Those of us who have been writing off the 49ers because we're not sure if Jimmy Garrapolo can answer the bell in a big moment now have to admit that Jimmy Garrapolo has answered the bell in a big moment. In a game that will have huge meaning when home field is decided in the NFC, Jimmy G delivered the goods in New Orleans. (And toppled my NFL winning streak in terms of picks. So there's that.)
Weekend losers
Utah. Likely should have seen that coming since Utah's team strength all year has been its defensive front, and Oregon's O-Line was as good as anyone against Auburn. Also of note, we were a couple of bad breaks from being perfect on our picks this weekend. The first bad break was Oregon breaking two long TD runs in the fourth quarter, including a total-breaking run in the final minutes that if the back had taken a knee, the Ducks would have run the clock out. Alas.
My fantasy team. Good thing we got the bye in the first week of the playoffs. Still, two of my stalwarts - Mark Andrews and Josh Jacobs - are dealing with injuries and the Saints defense looks spent. Giddy-up.
Kirby Smart. Yes, injuries have mounted. Yes, LSU is really good. But Georgia and all that talent should not get housed by anyone. Not like that anyway. And the comparisons between Smart and Mark Richt are everywhere. And they are pretty telling, and not in a good way for Kirby. Because remember, if there had been a four-team playoff in the early days for Richt's time in Athens, he would have made the field at least twice (and maybe more than that) and who knows what would have happened.
The Modern Era voting panel. Dear Lord, the baseball Hall of Fame is turning into a mid-level fraternity with bids being passed out like Halloween candy. "We need the dues." And to make matters worse, Ted Simmons? Ted Bleepin' Simmons? Over Dale Murphy or Dave Parker or Thurman Munson or Steve Garvey or a handful of other dudes who teams would never have traded straight up for Ted Bleepin' Simmons at the height of his powers. And Barry Bonds can't get in but Ted Bleepin' Simmons and Harold Bleepin' Baines are in the Hall. Worthless.
The referees in Foxboro. Wow, calls going against the Patriots - at home - feels downright criminal, right? And the two calls that went against Belichick and Co. on Sunday were staggeringly bad. Also of note, the NFL TV folks need to figure out a way to be able to switch games when the Titans are crushing the Raiders and the Pats and Chiefs are playing a game like that.
Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Season Success (Bowler optional)
It's back. The longest running stunt of the 5-at-10 is our bowl contest.
It's free. It's against the spread. Last year we had a record-setting number of entries. Hopefully we will come close to matching those numbers.
For those new to the show, well, here's the deal. Pick the winners for all the bowls because every bowl matters. Yes, even the Gasparilla Bowl. And the Lending Tree Bowl. And the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. (Yes, the Quick Lane Bowl between Pitt and Eastern Michigan is a stretch, but hey, don't watch.)
But definitely make your picks and take your shots. You could win stuff. Who's with me? Let's go.
The SEC could not fill its entire bowl requirements, but Johnny Vols Fans have to be pleased heading to Florida for the Gator Bowl, as Weeds writes here.
Speaking of bowls, man, I enjoyed TFP college football guru David Paschall's story here about Nick Saban saying "we have made everything about the playoffs in college football." Uh, duh, Nick. And it wasn't that big of an issue for you when you and the Tide were, you know, in the playoff.
That said, for years we have all known that motivation is one of the biggest swing factors when trying to pick bowl winners. Now, as Paschall wrote, trying to guess which players will play in which bowls is also a swing factor. And as much as I love Auburn, if I'm Derrick Brown there is ZERO chance I'm putting the pads on for the Bloomin' Onion Bowl. Zero.
As for the bowl contest, I will post the bowls and the spreads tomorrow but we wanted to make sure everyone knew we were in.
Again.
This and that
- How about that Arkansas coaching search? The Hogs may have lucked into a hire that could turn out very good in Sam Pittman, the veteran offensive line guru. That said, how many dudes turned down the Hogs, including Kiffin, who reportedly took less money to go to Ole Miss?
- College picks went 3-2-1 with losses coming on THE Ohio State not covering (and it may have cost them the 1 seed, so there's that) and the total in the Utah-Oregon game that was busted on that anything-but-meaningless breakaway TD. (The total in the Big Ten game pushed 55. That makes us 60-50-3 on the season, which is the baseline of break-even in terms of entertainment hunting. Let's go bowling.
- NFL picks went 2-3 - Stupid Patriots - and we're 48-30-2 this year. That's entertaining, friends.
Today's questions
Who won the weekend? Go.
Who lost the weekend? Go again.
Which way on a Monday - which bowl game outside the playoff (and your favorite team) are you most excited for?
Hey, Happy birthday Felicity Huffman. Tip the jailer.
Also, on this day in 1965, "A Peanuts Christmas" debuted. Home run production, right there.
Rushmore of TV Christmas specials. Go.