Weekend winners
Alabama. Forget about it. As every other college football power finds ways to play competitive games, the Tide simply dominates. I am an Auburn grad and I can't help but be awed by their complete excellence.
Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders played excellent football Sunday night; it was a game plan that was executed with almost no flaws. And it still was not enough against Patrick Mahomes. Fun game.
Sean Payton. Stories circulated that a lot of folks within the Saints organization disagreed with his decision to play Taysom Hill over Jamies Winston. There was a lot of front-end second-guessing. Granted playing the Falcons helps every quarterback from Pop Warner to Kurt Warner.
Alex Smith. The former No. 1 overall pick had one of the more horrific injuries in NFL history. Sunday, after a well-documented and ardorous comeback, Smith got his first win in more than two years as a starter.
A lot of high school football in the 423. On Friday, the four teams in our area in the TSSAA playoffs advanced with McCallie, South Pitt, Red Bank and Meigs County pulling out Ws. Then on Sunday we read from TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer about Howard coach John Starr putting the giving in Thursday's Thankful Day.
Bonus picks: Shawn W, Todd C, and Jason G all advanced in the Intimidator Pool. Congrats, and best of luck this week - and remember there are a slew of Thursday games.
Weekend losers
Jeremy Pruitt. Wowser, where do we start? Yes, the third-quarter struggles continued. It was deeper than exposing the Vols' inexcusable inability to adjust. It was even worse than the dreadful decisions - from play-calling to pass progressions (hello Smoke Monday). It was larger than the battered-coach syndrome-like devotion Pruitt has puzzlingly given to Jarrett Guarantano. It sets up a Saturday date with Vandy that will decide the worst situation in the SEC among programs not looking for its next head coach.
Matt Ryan. I've offered this before, and maybe it was not this way a few years ago - or maybe it was not as pronounced - but Sunday dropped an exclamation point on this very real fact. Matt Ryan is on a Hall of Fame trajectory considering stats and hardware, and he's a pedestrian quarterback without Julio Jones on the field. And that statement ultimately means that Julio Jones may be the best wide receiver to ever put on cleats.
My fantasy team (and my college picks). Our fantasy team lost to Wells. Crud. Our college picks went 2-3-2 (that final two is not ties, it's COVID cancellations). Crud again.
Joe Burrow. The front-runner for NFL rookie of the year suffered what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury.
Hmmmm
Not entirely sure whether it was winning or losing the weekend, but the news that Auburn issued a self-imposed postseason ban for the upcoming basketball season because of NCAA violations certainly was newsworthy.
Newsworthy, beyond just the clear connection of my diploma.
The announcement was dumped in an insanely busy sports weekend, considering all the football and NBA free agency and the draft and the discussions about corona-related college basketball news.
It's a supremely smart move, considering that a) Auburn is going to be no better than a middle-of-the-pack SEC team, and even more directly b) who knows if there's going to be a college basketball postseason next March anyway.
(Side note: You have to wonder how hard Bruce Pearl would have fought against this decision if either of those five-star recruits who went to the G-League had decided to come to The Plains.)
Still, as much sense as the decision makes, even I have to question if it's enough for the violations committed by former assistant coach Chuck Person, who was part of the FBI investigation into rampant corruption in college basketball..
Is it enough for those violations? Not really sure, because the truly broken system - examples of Louisville and Syracuse making similar decisions come to mind - has been gamed in similar ways.
And the even bigger question has to center on Pearl, considering he is a multiple-time offender that has already had a multiple-year show cause penalty before coming to Auburn.
This and that
- Speaking of Bruce Pearl, I'm not sure there is any coach in any college sport without a title that has more job security than Pearl. Seriously, if the NCAA hits Pearl with a multi-year show cause penalty, I am almost 1000 percent certain that Auburn would name an interim coach - that Pearl would have a had in picking - and reinsert Pearlas soon as the penalty expired.
- Not sure exactly what happened in Tallahassee, but Clemson showed up to play, FSU learned that Clemson had a player with COVID. FSU cancelled the game. Strange scenario and one that left Dabo Swinney more than a little ticked.
- This headline caught my eye. A Trump supporter was charged with assault for "breathing forcefully on protestors." That's some serious halitosis. (I know, I know, COVID and all.)
- You know the rules. Here's Paschall's SEC wrap column leading with the explosiveness of Georgia's passing game with JT Daniels at the trigger.
- Wow, this story shocked me on several fronts. First, Jim Nantz is holding out for way more money. Like double his salary. Also shocked me that Tony Romo makes $17 million a year. And there's no way in this climate that this news does not come off as Helen Keller-level tone deaf.
Today's questions
Weekend winners and losers, go.
As for multiple choice Monday, let's stay in Knoxville.
In year three of Jeremy Pruitt's time with the Vols, which is the best description?
> These Vols are better than when Pruitt arrived;
> These Vols are about the same as when Pruitt arrived;
> The Vols are actually worse than when Pruitt arrived.
As for today, well, let's review Nov. 23 through the years.
Billy the Kid would have been 161 today. Miley Cyrus is 28.
The old-school classic "The Ten Commandments" was released on this day in 1923.
Rushmore of 10, and be creative.
Happy Thanksgiving week friends.
Jay Greeson