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Bar Chat

11/27/2023

Michigan defeats Ohio State...again....

Add-on posted early Tues. PM….

College Football

As we await the big CFP Rankings tonight, Tuesday, and wait to see where Florida State is placed…there could be major chaos after the games Friday night and Saturday.

Oregon vs. Washington, Friday, 8:00 PM ET
Oklahoma State vs. Texas, Saturday, Noon
Alabama vs. Georgia, Saturday, 4:00 PM
Louisville vs. Florida State, Saturday, 8:00 PM
Iowa vs. Michigan, Saturday, 8:00 PM

And then the Group of Five, New Year’s Six battle….SMU vs. Tulane, Saturday, 4:00 PM.

--Not for nuthin’ but I nailed Mike Elko going to Texas A&M (Bar Chat 11/13, reiterated 11/20).  Elko may not have been the first choice, as it sounds like A&M wanted Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, after it was clear the Aggies weren’t getting the likes of Oregon’s Dan Lanning, either, but Elko shouldn’t care.

With A&M owing Jimbo Fisher $77 million in buyout money, the Aggies are taking a different approach, giving Elko a six-year, $42 million deal, with all kinds of cash and prizes behind the door where Carrol Merrill is standing.

Not bad for a guy who was 16-9 in two seasons as the coach at Duke.

[Just a reminder, he was defensive coordinator for A&M before moving to Durham.]

--It would seem UCLA coach Chip Kelly has survived, basically because of his win over USC, the Bruins finishing 7-5 heading into their bowl game.

He’s nearing the end of a sixth season in which he’s posted a .500 record (34-34) with no bowl victories.

Kelly will make $6.1 million next season, with a contract through 2027.  His buyout drops to zero after the 2025 season.

--It turns out only 79 teams were bowl eligible by the official standards, so James Madison, Jacksonville State and Minnesota get games, the Golden Gophers despite being 5-7.

JMU and Jacksonville State got in because with the shortfall, a clause in the NCAA bylaws was activated that allows transitioning programs such as these two to become eligible for the postseason, both with strong records, 11-1 and 8-4.

A good reward for these two.  If you’re wondering what Minnesota is feeling, Coach P.J. Fleck summed it up: “We’ll always accept a bowl bid – always.  There’s so many beneficial things to a bowl game, with practices, with development.  To be honest, we might be our best football team in a month if we get everybody back.”

By the way, Navy or Army could finish 6-6 after their tussle on Dec. 9, the two 5-6, but this is after the bowl matchups have been announced.

--Meanwhile, the transfer portal is already open, and Kansas State quarterback Will Howard announced he’s in.  He’s been a quality four-year starter for the Wildcats will be highly attractive to a lot of big teams.  Ditto Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke.

Too bad neither would be interested in Wake Forest, who if it wanted to go this route (instead of playing Michael Kern and Mitch Griffis next season) would have to settle for a young gun at a big program who is stuck behind someone more established.

--Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders ended the season as the most-sacked quarterback in major college football, 52 times, and he has a broken back to show for it, according to a video posted by his brother.

Sanders missed his only game of the season with the injury Saturday, having been knocked out of the previous game after suffering an arm and ankle injury.  But the back issue wasn’t revealed until the post late Sunday.

‘It’s crazy because I feel good, bro,” Shedeur told Deion Jr. in the video.  “But when I start running for real, it’s like the idea is like, ‘Ah, I feel good,’ but realistically…you can’t.  I can’t even throw right now.”

Coach Prime didn’t get into details about his son’s injury after the game.

NFL

--That was a heckuva late Sunday afternoon contest for CBS, Eagles beating the Bills (6-6) in overtime, 37-34.

For starters, there was Philadelphia, down 31-28 and needing a 59-yard field goal from Jake Elliott, in miserable conditions, and all Elliott did was figure out the crosswinds at Lincoln Financial Field and he nailed it.

The Bills then got the ball first in OT, got a field goal from Tyler Bass, who had missed two earlier that would have won it for Buffalo, and Jalen Hurts then drove the Eagles 75 yards for the winning touchdown, Hurts taking it in himself from 12 to wrap it up, the Eagles 10-1.

They haven’t looked great at times, but all they do is win.  It was Philadelphia’s fifth straight when trailing at halftime.

And all Hurts does is win…14 straight games over teams with winning records and eight straight in games he trails by double digits.

As for Buffalo, it could be season over.  Not only did Bass miss two FGs, but the Bills committed 11 penalties for 80 yards (compared to the Eagles’ 4 for 30).

The Bills have games against Kansas City, Dallas, and Miami, plus a tough road game versus the perplexing, underachieving Chargers.

But I’d be remiss in not adding that this was the first game in which both quarterbacks had multiple touchdowns both rushing and passing.

Josh Allen had two TDs passing, two on the ground, 420 yards of total offense, while Hurts had three passing, two rushing.

Allen, though, is also now 0-6 in overtime.

--Denver (6-5) is writing one of the better stories in recent NFL history.  After a 1-5 start, everyone calling them one of the worst teams ever, Sean Payton’s boys have reeled off five straight, including the Chiefs and the Bills, and Sunday, Cleveland, 29-12.

Russell Wilson wasn’t spectacular, but Denver was opportunistic, capitalizing on three Cleveland fumbles, and the Browns no longer have Deshaun Watson, let alone Nick Chubb, going way back.  But they are still there…7-4.

--Chicago (4-8) is the first team to win a game this season without scoring a touchdown, 12-10 over Minnesota (6-6) Monday Night, a brutal loss for the Vikings, as Josh Dobbs threw four interceptions, his Cinderella story over for now.

--In the Steelers’ 16-10 win over the Bengals, their first with a new offensive coordinator, while they scored only 16 points, they looked much better and gained over 400 yards for the first time in 59 games.  Think about that.  Fifty-nine games!

--In Baltimore’s 20-10 win over the Chargers, Boston College alum Zay Flowers, a player I was very high on in last spring’s draft, scored twice – including a 37-yarder on the ground to clinch it.

Flowers has 58 receptions, 10.6 average, a solid rookie campaign.

--Carolina fired head coach Frank Reich Monday, just 11 games into his tenure.  Par for the course when it comes to owner David Tepper, who fired longtime coach Ron Rivera.  Matt Rhule lasted less than two years.  Reich got his 11 games.

Last offseason, Carolina traded some picks – including their 2024 first-rounder – plus talented wideout D.J. Moore – to Chicago for the No. 1 overall pick, with which they selected Bryce Young, who has been underwhelming, while C.J. Stroud – who went No. 2 behind Young – looks like a future All-Pro.

So now, who would want to go to Carolina and work under the mercurial Tepper?

This will be the Panthers’ sixth straight losing season, Carolina 30-63 since Tepper bought the team in 2018 for $2.275 billion and have never made the playoffs.

Tepper’s next hire will be the seventh full-time or interim head coach to serve under him.

Reich had signed a four-year contract with the Panthers that runs through the 2026 season, and Tepper is on the hook for an estimated $9 million per season over the next three years.

He fired Matt Rhule after 2 ½ seasons of a seven-year, $63 million contract.

College Basketball

New AP Poll, records as of Sunday….

1. Purdue (60) 6-0
2. Arizona (1) 6-0
3. Marquette 5-1
4. UConn (2) 6-0
5. Kansas 5-1
6. Houston 7-0
7. Duke 5-1
8. Miami 5-0
9. Baylor 6-0
10. Tennessee 4-2
11. Gonzaga 4-1
12. Kentucky 5-1
13. Florida Atlantic 5-1…up six
14. Texas A&M 6-1
15. Creighton 5-1

17. North Carolina 5-1
18. Villanova 6-1
20. Colorado State 6-0
22. James Madison 6-0

Massive game Friday, 9:00 PM ET, ESPN2…defending champion UConn at Kansas.

UConn set a new Division I record Monday night in beating New Hampshire, 84-64.  It was the Huskies’ 24th straight non-conference victory by double-digits, the previous mark of 23 was held by North Carolina in 2008-09.

I’m kind of surprised by this.  I would have thought a record like this would be higher.

After Kansas, UConn faces North Carolina at the Garden, and then travels to meet Gonzaga in Seattle, Dec. 15.  Fan Jeff B. is looking forward to another big run in March.

MLB

--Free agent starting pitcher Sonny Gray agreed to a three-year, $75 million deal with the Cardinals Monday.  Gray finished second in the AL Cy Young voting to Gerrit Cole.  He was St. Louis’ No. 1 target.

--Outfielder Jason Heyward signed a one-year, $9 million deal to return to the Dodgers.  He had a bounce-back season in L.A., hitting .269 with 15 homers.  Plus he played all three outfield spots and first base in a platoon role.  He’s entering his 15th season, making beaucoup bucks for mediocre performance, but this re-signing makes sense.

--Meanwhile, the Mets and Yankees are in a bidding war for Japanese star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is expected to command at least $200 million, after posting a 1.21 ERA last season.  Others teams are no doubt in the mix.

But there are two other Japanese hurlers who just posted, with a 45-day window.  30-year-old lefthander Shota Imanaga and right-hander Naoyuki Uwasawa, who turns 30 in January.  Both are potentially attractive for a lot less money, but us Mets fans want Yamamoto!

NBA

--Kind of funny that 38-year-old LeBron James suffered the biggest loss of his career Monday night against the Sixers, 138-94…44 points.  Conversely, in the game he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most minutes played in NBA history.  And he also failed to record a rebound for just the fourth time in his career.

Afterward, James said “a lot” needs to change for the 10-8 Lakers.

Golf Balls

--Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas this weekend (Thurs.-Sun.) offers golf fans a juicy little tournament…20 golfers, including Mr. Woods, all eyes on how he looks come the third and fourth rounds…four days of walking, albeit on a flat course.

You’ve also got Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas.

And…Will Zalatoris is making his debut after back surgery, so this will be interesting.

--But no Jon Rahm, and as Alex Miceli of SI.com reports, rumors are rampant that Rahm is going to jump to LIV Golf, potentially for $600 million!

If you’re Rahm, why wouldn’t you take it?  And if you’re LIV, meaning the Saudi Public Investment Fund and head honcho Yasir Al-Rumayyan, why wouldn’t you spend that much on the “flamboyant and well spoken” Rahm, as Miceli puts it.  It would send a signal that LIV is here to stay.

The main thing is, Rahm could still play the majors.

--Back to Tiger, PGA Tour radio host Taylor Zarzour claimed his sources in Florida have told him Woods was planning to increase his schedule, as in “he’s telling people he thinks he can play five or six tournaments in 2024,” which you assume means the Masters…but that’s a tough walk.

--Paul McGinley is going to get a crack at the NBC lead analyst job, replacing Paul Azinger.  McGinley will be doing this weekend’s Hero World Challenge coverage with Dan Hicks and Curt Byrum, and it’s his audition, along with one or two other events.

I don’t see how McGinley will fail.  He’s great with Rich Lerner and Brandel Chamblee on the Golf Channel. Good luck, Paul!

Stuff

--The NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship is down to the Elite Eight, matches to be played Friday and Saturday.

16 Stanford vs. 9 Clemson, 5 West Virginia vs. LMU (CA), Indiana vs. 2 Notre Dame, 3 North Carolina vs. Oregon State

Notre Dame and North Carolina won their Sweet Sixteen matches on penalty kicks to advance.

No. 1 seed Marshall was taken out by Stanford 3-0.

Go Beavers!

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.  The final CFP rankings, after all of Friday and Saturday’s conference championship play.

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Posted early Sunday p.m., prior to late NFL action….

Add-on up top early Tuesday p.m.

NFL Quiz: San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey leads the NFL with 16 touchdowns thus far, with a shot at 25 for the season.  Name the only five players in NFL history to have 25 or more TDs in a single-season, all of whom did it in a 16-game schedule.  Answer below.

College Football Review

Comments written prior to release of AP Poll…CFP rankings used…

First, a reminder…the CFP jumped Washington over Florida State, like the AP had done, and the two polls concurred on the entire top eight heading into this week.

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Washington
5. FSU
6. Oregon
7. Texas
8. Alabama

And in the Group of Five, New Year’s Six battle, Tulane is No. 23 and Liberty was No. 25, by the CFP.

Taking care of the Thursday/Friday games first, some of which set the stage well for Saturday’s theatrics….

--Friday night, 6 Oregon secured a spot in the Pac-12 championship game with a 31-7 victory over 16 Oregon State (8-4), the Ducks (11-1) getting a second chance against 4 Washington, having lost to them 36-33 on Oct. 14.

My Pick to Click for the Heisman, OU quarterback Bo Nix, was superb yet again, 33/40, 367, 2-0, plus a touchdown on the ground, as he upped his season totals to an otherworldly 37 TDs and just two INTs.

Tez Johnson (11-137-0) and Troy Franklin (9-128-1) were once again on the other side of Nix’s throws.

--7 Texas secured its spot in the Big 12 title game Friday night with a 57-7 demolition of a respectable Texas Tech team (6-6).  The Longhorns (11-1) got a 95-yard kickoff return and a pick-six for two of their scores.  Arch Manning saw his first snaps for Texas in the contest.

So Texas waited for the results of Saturday’s games.

--9 Missouri (10-2) should be New Year’s Six bound after a 48-14 win over Arkansas (4-8), as Cody Schrader continued his phenomenal play for the Tigers, 27 carries for 217 yards and a TD.

[Schrader is the kid who spent four seasons at Truman State in Missouri, then walked on to Mizzou last season. He now leads the nation in rushing.]

--11 Penn State (10-2) mauled Michigan State (4-8) in East Lansing Friday, 42-0, outgaining the Spartans by a staggering 586-53, 23-5 in first downs.

--Thursday night, 12 Ole Miss finished the regular season 10-2 under Lane Kiffin, winning the Egg Bowl over Mississippi State (5-7), 17-7, and staying very much in the New Year’s Six hunt, though it needs help.

--Friday, 13 Oklahoma (10-2) beat TCU (5-7) 69-45 as Dillon Gabriel threw for an even 400 yards and three touchdowns for the Sooners, while rushing for a fourth.

[But to jump ahead, with Oklahoma State’s comeback 40-34 win over BYU Saturday, the Cowboys will face the Longhorns for the Big 12 title, not the Sooners, who lost to OK State.]

--No. 17 Iowa (10-2) is heading to the Big Ten title game, after a scintillating 13-10 win at Nebraska (5-7) on Friday.  At game time, it was the lowest over/under total on a college football game this century – 25.5 – much to the dismay of those taking the ‘over.’

The game opened as high as 28 earlier in the week, got down to 24.5, and then ticked up to close at a consensus 25.5.

To put this in perspective, just eleven games since 2000 have had totals less than 34, according to ESPN Stats & Information, and Iowa has been involved in eight of them, all of which then stayed under the total.

And yet as of Friday at BetMGM, no game on the board had attracted more bets on the over than Iowa-Nebraska, and other sportsbooks reported upward of 80% of the money bet on the total backed the over.

Iowa took advantage of three Nebraska turnovers and won despite managing just 57 yards and two first downs in the second half.

Fittingly, the game ended when the Hawkeye picked off Nebraska quarterback Chubba Purdy with 15 seconds left and got into field goal position on a 22-yard run by Leshon Williams.  Iowa backup kicker Marshall Meeder, who was attempting his first field goal for the Hawkeyes, was true from 38 yards for the 13-10 win.

23 Tulane (11-1) strengthened its claim for the New Year’s Six, Group of Five bowl bid with a 29-16 win over UTSA (8-4), Friday.

So on to Saturday…and THE GAME…2 Ohio State (11-0) at 3 Michigan (11-0)…

It started out slowly, Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord not sharp, and then McCord threw an interception and Michigan ran it in from seven yards, Blake Corum going in from fourth-and-inches for the 7-0 lead.

Ohio State then drove it down the field and got a field goal, 7-3.

Michigan would then drive it 75 yards, the final 22 a J.J. McCarthy to Roman Wilson touchdown pass, 14-3.

But OSU responded in impressive fashion, 73 yards, making it 14-10 on a 3-yard TD pass from McCord to Emeka Egbuka.

And that’s where we stood at half, 14-10 Michigan; Ohio State, though, outgaining the Wolverines 192-119.

Michigan then got a field goal to open the third quarter, 17-10, but Ohio State had a 12-play, 75-yard to answer, TreVeyon Henderson taking it in from 3, 17-17.

Then after Michigan lost All-American offensive lineman Zak Zinter to a gruesome leg injury, a very emotional time for players and fans, on the very next play Blake Corum ran it in from 22 yards, 24-17 Michigan.

James Turner then kicked a field goal for the Wolverines, 27-17 early in the fourth, but the Buckeyes answered, 65 yards, the last 14 on a McCord to Marvin Harrison, Jr. 14-yard TD reception, Harrison 5-118-1 for the game.

So it was 27-24, 8:05 to play, but Michigan then proceeded to masterfully drain seven minutes off the clock and Turner kicked another field goal to make it 30-24 with 1:05 remaining.

The Buckeyes made it to the Michigan 37 before McCord’s second interception of the day on a wobbly pass toward Harrison closed it out, McCord hit as he threw.

OSU ended up outgaining Michigan 378-338 but the two turnovers were costly.

And now all Buckeye Nation can talk about is how OSU coach Ryan Day has lost three straight to Michigan, 1-3 overall.  Before the skid, Ohio State had won eight straight and 15 of 16 against Michigan, including a 7-0 record under Day’s predecessor, Urban Meyer.

Ohio State is most likely out of the CFP, and Michigan just has to beat Iowa in the Big Ten title game next week to stake its claim, and the 2-seed.

That’s assuming No. 1 Georgia takes care of business in the SEC Championship game against 8 Alabama.

Georgia (12-0), despite playing without three of its top five receivers, held on to defeat Georgia Tech (6-6) in their big rivalry game, 31-23, as Kendall Minton picked up the slack and rushed for a career-high 156 yards and two touchdowns.

Speaking of Bama, they moved to 11-1 with a thrilling, phenomenal 27-24 miracle win over Auburn (6-6) in their annual Iron Bowl.

Jalen Milroe (16/24, 259, 2-0 in the air, 18-107 on the ground) stamped his mark in Iron Bowl lore with a spectacular 31-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond, 0:32 left, to put Bama in front 27-24.

But that’s just part of the story.

Alabama started out with first-and-goal at the Auburn 7 before moving backward. The Tide lost 18 yards on a bad snap and were pushed back 5 more yards with an illegal downfield pass on third down after Milroe crossed the line of scrimmage.

That set up the fourth-down miracle.  It was the very best of college football.

And terrible coaching by Auburn on the final play, rushing just two.

Continuing on in the top ten….

4 Washington (12-0) stayed alive in the CFP race, 24-21 over Washington State (5-7) on a last-second field goal.

So we have our dream Pac-12 title game for a CFP berth, Washington-Oregon.

5 Florida State remained in the conversation for sure, 12-0, 24-15 over Florida (5-7), but needing a big fourth quarter rally.

Florida, however, outgained FSU 232-224.  And Jordan Travis’ replacement, Tate Rodemaker, was just 12/25, 134.  [Trey Benson rushed for all three FSU touchdowns.]

The Selection Committee will not be impressed and hurting the Seminoles further was 10 Louisville (10-2) falling to Kentucky (7-5), 38-31, the Cardinals committing three turnovers, the Wildcats’ Ray Davis rushing for the deciding touchdown from 37 yards out with 1:02 to play, while catching two passes for TDs as well.

Florida State needed to be able to beat a top ten Louisville squad in the ACC title game but not now.  Bye-bye FSU.  They’re toast, even if they finish next weekend 13-0.

[And Louisville’s loss helps Ole Miss big time, since FSU is, under my scenario, headed to the Orange Bowl, so no New Year’s Six with two ACC entrants.]

In other games of note….

14 LSU (9-3) hopefully is Gator Bowl bound, 42-30 over Texas A&M (7-5), Jayden Daniels 16/24, 235, 4-0, passing; 11 carries for 120 on the ground.  Ho-hum…just another spectacular performance as he finishes the runner-up to Bo Nix for the Heisman Trophy, says moi.

LSU receiver Malik Nabers has had a helluva season, too, six receptions yesterday for 122 yards and two TDs and now leads the nation with a split of 86-1,546-18.0-14 TDs.  Pretty, pretty good.

15 Arizona (9-3) will be a highly attractive bowl team after a 59-23 win over Arizona State (3-9), Noah Fifita with 527 yards and five touchdowns in the air for the Wildcats.  Receiver Tetairoa McMillan, 11 catches for 266 and a score. 

18 Notre Dame (9-3) is another attractive bowl squad, 56-23 over Stanford (3-9).  Sam Hartman (8/14, 140, 2-1) wasn’t needed, as Audric Estime rumbled for 238 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries.  The Fighting Irish had 381 yards on the ground overall.

Iowa State (7-5) had a big 42-35, come-from-behind victory over 19 Kansas State (8-4) in a snowstorm in Manhattan, KS.   The Cyclones got spectacular efforts from quarterback Rocco Becht (8 of 12, but for 230 yards and three touchdowns), and running back Abu Sama III, 16 carries for 276 yards and three TDs…scoring runs of 60, 71, and 77 yards!

Big win for 22 North Carolina State (9-3) over North Carolina (8-4), as much-maligned Brennan Armstrong had one of his best games in years at quarterback for the Wolfpack, 22/31, 334, 3-0.

For the Tar Heels, after starting the season 6-0, they lose 4 of 6, and the supposed second best QB in the upcoming draft, Drake Maye, really sucked, two interceptions and a lost fumble.

24 Clemson (8-4) is on a roll, 16-7 over South Carolina (5-7).

In the New Year’s Six, Group of Five hunt, No. 25 Liberty finishes the regular season 12-0 with a 42-28 win at UTEP.  Former Demon Deacon Quinton Cooley had 83 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, bringing his season totals to 202-1,251-6.2, 13 TDs.

But the Group of Five bid will go to the winner of the Tulane-SMU American Athletic Conference title game.  SMU is 10-2 and will be CFP ranked ahead of Liberty, I believe, following a 59-14 win over Navy (5-7).

The only problem, and potentially a big one, for the Mustangs is they lost quarterback Preston Stone to an injury after he had thrown three touchdown passes.

[Meanwhile, James Madison, 11-1, which hoped to be in the Group of Five conversation before a loss to Appalachian State last weekend, though was ruled ineligible beforehand anyway, is apparently on the verge of a bowl game nonetheless because there aren’t enough bowl-eligible teams to fill the 82-team postseason slate.]

Duke is 7-5, 30-19 victors over Pitt (3-9).

Coach Prime ends up 4-8 with a 23-17 loss at Utah (8-4).  There are rumblings in Boulder, just sayin’.

UCLA’s Chip Kelly is likely to be fired.  After a nice win against USC last week that we thought saved his job, the Bruins finish 7-5 after falling to California (6-6) 33-7.

Rutgers (6-6) finished on a downer, losing to Maryland (7-5) at home, 42-24.

Friday, Miami (7-5) defeated Boston College (6-6) 45-20.

And lastly, Wake Forest concludes the season a dismal 4-8, losing at Syracuse (6-6) 35-31.

But not only was this an entertaining game, despite Wake’s defense giving up four 75-yard Syracuse touchdown drives and an 80-yard one for the Cuse’ five scores, the Deacs finally found a quarterback, junior Michael Kern, who was sharp, 17/24, 261, 3-1, and highly mobile, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t be starting next season over Mitch Griffis.

Wake fans can also look at the skill position players and a lot of the good ones could come back a final season, now seeing what they might be able to do with Kern.

I say ‘could’ because these days most of them might just transfer for a final season elsewhere.

And what will coach Dave Clawson do?  Lots and lots of questions and issues with the program.  But at least for one day I felt better.

I can’t help but add that in speaking to reporters this week, Clawson went back to the Wake-Notre Dame game, and as I’ve been telling you all season, Coach is still unhappy over the whole Sam Hartman situation.

Notre Dame fans last Saturday treated Hartman like royalty on senior day, the school playing Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” for the guy.

“Here’s a guy we recruited and we developed, and they are putting on a video of him, saying, ‘We will always love you,’” Clawson said.

“I’m like, you only dated him for a couple of months.  It can’t be love. We are the ones who love him. We had five years with him.  You rented him for a season.  They brought him and rented him for a year, and now they love him.  When that video played, it’s just like, ‘Holy cow, this is where college football is.’”

But Clawson did add: “I think the world of Sam. Quite honestly, it’s hard for me to watch Notre Dame football because that’s the Wake Forest quarterback playing for them. He spent five years here and did a lot for our program.  We’re still close.”

Here comes the new AP Poll…a big CFP reveal Tuesday night.

1. Georgia (52) 12-0
2. Michigan (10) 12-0
3. Washington 12-0
4. Florida State 12-0
5. Oregon 11-1
6. Ohio State 11-1
7. Texas 11-1
8. Alabama 11-1
9. Missouri 10-2
10. Penn State 10-2
11. Mississippi 10-2
12. Oklahoma 10-2
13. LSU 9-3
14. Arizona 9-3
15. Louisville 10-2
16. Notre Dame 9-3
17. Tulane 11-1
18. Iowa 10-2
19. Oklahoma State 9-3
20. Liberty 12-0
T-21. N.C. State 9-3…good job by them…
T-21. Oregon State 8-4…the Beavs got worn out by the schedule…
23. Toledo 11-1…I keep ignoring them, it’s not intentional…
24. James Madison 11-1
25. SMU 10-2

Same eight teams have been the top eight for five straight weeks.  Last time this happened was 2008.

My tentative Final Four….

Georgia, Michigan, Oregon-Washington winner, and Alabama (if they beat Georgia).

Texas does have the early-season win over Bama, however.  But how can you keep out Bama if they beat No. 1?

Florida State?  I still just don’t see it.  A Georgia-FSU CFP semi, for example, would be absolutely hideous with no Jordan Travis. The committee knows that.

I’ll say the CFP ranks the team’s Tuesday night as follows.

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Washington
4. Oregon
5. Ohio State
6. Florida State
7. Texas
8. Alabama

More in my Add-on, Tuesday, prior to the CFP.

NFL

--Going back to Thanksgiving Day…the Packers (5-6) kept their playoff hopes more than alive with a solid 29-22 win over the Lions (8-3) in Detroit, Jordan Love continuing his fine play at QB for Green Bay (22/32, 268, 3-0, 125.5), now 8 TDs and 2 INTs his last four games, three of them wins.

For the Lions, Jared Goff threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns, but he fumbled three times, two of them caused by the Packers’ Rashan Gary (3 sacks), one returned for a touchdown.

[And Lions coach Dan Campbell made an awful decision to go for a fake punt deep in Detroit’s own territory late in the third quarter that proved to be costly.]

The reason why Green Bay is ‘right there’ in the playoff hunt is because after a home game against Kansas City next week, their schedule is easy.

Meanwhile, Dallas (8-3) whipped the Commanders (4-8) in Arlington like a rented mule, 45-10, as Dak Prescott had another monster game, 22/32, 331, 4-0, 142.1, and is very much in the MVP conversation, Prescott having his finest season.

Dallas has now won 13 straight at home.

But the biggest story was a record-setting pick-six from the Cowboys’ DaRon Bland, his fifth of the season!  The second-year cornerback could be Defensive Player of the Year.

[Ken Houston, Eric Allen, and Jim Kearney all had four INTs for TDs in a single season.]

And then there was the halftime performer, smokin’ hot 77-year-old Dolly Parton in a Cowboys Cheerleaders’ uniform!

[Washington then fired defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer on Friday, as head coach Ron Rivera’s own status is rather shaky, to say the least.]

In Thursday’s nightcap, San Francisco moved to 8-3 with a 31-13 win at Seattle (6-5), Christian McCaffrey with 114 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

--In the first ever “Black Friday” NFL game on Prime, the New York Jets sucked again, routed by the Dolphins (8-3) at MetLife Stadium, 34-13, the Jets 4-7.

Miami didn’t even play well, three turnovers by Tua, including a pick-six for the Jets’ Brandin Echols, though Jaylen Waddle (8-114-0) and Tyreek Hill (9-102-1) got their yards.

The Jets were held to 159 yards of offense as they went with Tim Boyle at quarterback.  If I told you he was 27 of 38, you’d think, hey, that’s not bad.  But then if I told you it was for all of 179 yards and the longest pass play was for 13 yards, you’d say, gee, that blows!

I mean Breece Hall caught 7 passes for 24 yards, and Garrett Wilson 7 for 44 and the other Jets touchdown.

But this game will forever be known for a play at the end of the first half.  New York was down only 10-6 when Boyle attempted a Hail Mary pass that was picked off by Jevon Holland for a 99-yard pick-six!  What is now being called “Hell Mary,” among other things, is right up there with the “Butt Fumble” in Jets lore.

My team is careening towards their 13th straight season without making the playoffs, the longest drought in the NFL.

Mike Vaccaro / New York Post

“Black Friday was Bleak Friday at MetLife Stadium, a relentless parade of awfulness and (coach) Robert Saleh can’t be blamed for all of it. But he can certainly be blamed for much of it.  You certainly could wonder if the 60 minutes of non-competitive football isn’t a product of this whole operation now.  The final score was 35-13 in favor of the Dolphins. The Jets have suffered worse blowouts in their history.

“But they’ve rarely looked this unprepared, this out of sorts. And that’s on the coach.”

Saleh’s job status, however, isn’t in doubt as long as Aaron Rodgers wants him as coach, ditto offensive coordinator, and Rodgers’ buddy, Nathaniel Hackett.  Owner Woody Johnson will do whatever Rodgers wants as part of getting Aaron to return next season.

As for Rodgers coming back this season, he has admitted he would only do so if the Jets were in playoff contention and they aren’t anymore as of Friday.

--Today, the Giants won their second straight with QB Tommy DeVito, a rousing affair, 10-7, Chad Ryland missing a 35-yard field goal for New England that would have sent the game into overtime.  Giants 4-8, Pats 2-9.  New York moving further away from Caleb Williams, but I get it.

DeVito was 17/25, 191, 1-0, 103.9, and just as importantly, rookie receiver Jalin Hyatt showed what he is capable of, 5 receptions, 109 yards.

For the Pats, Mac Jones and Baily Zappe were picked off three times.

--Pittsburgh is 7-4, with an easy schedule, following a 16-10 win over the Joe Burrow-less Bengals (5-6).  Kenny Pickett was an efficient 24/33, 278, 0-0, 97.8, while Najee Harris, who has been bitching up a storm over the offense, rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown.

--The Colts are 6-5 and very much in the hunt, 27-20 over the Bucs (4-7).

--Chicago fans loved the Panthers falling to 1-10, losing to the Titans (4-7) 17-10, Chicago with Carolina’s first-round draft pick.

--And the Jags, at 8-3, for the moment have the top seed in the AFC, after holding off the Texans (6-5) 24-21.

--Last Monday night’s Eagles-Chiefs game drew a massive 29.02 million viewers, the most-watched game of the season across all networks and the most-watched “MNF” game in the ESPN era, which began in 2006.

It was also the largest audience for a Monday night regular-season game since 31.45 million viewers watched Dallas defeat Green By in November 1996.

Which means one thing.  If the Chiefs meet the Eagles in the Super Bowl, with a Taylor Swift  appearance thrown into the mix, it will be an all-timer for sure.

College Basketball

We had a ton of action with all the holiday tournaments after I posted my early Tuesday Add-on and we’ll have a shakeup in the polls…Purdue the new No. 1 come Monday afternoon.

Tuesday

No. 1 Kansas fell to 4 Marquette in the Maui Invitational, 73-59, as Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles shut down All-American Hunter Dickinson, who had just 13 points and 8 rebounds, while MU’s big man Oso Ighodaro had 21 points and 9 boards.

Also in the Maui event, 2 Purdue defeated 7 Tennessee, 71-67.

Wednesday

In the Maui title game, Purdue beat Marquette 78-75 in a terrific college basketball contest, Purdue up 45-33 at the half.  Zach Edey had 28 points and 15 rebounds for the Boilermakers, while Purdue shot 10 of 21 from 3, a winning formula.

Kansas then rebounded to beat Tennessee, 69-60, Dickinson 17 points, 20 rebounds.

Thursday

8 Creighton suffered its first loss to Colorado State (6-0), 69-48.

14 North Carolina lost its first to unranked Villanova, 83-81 in overtime.

Friday

19 Florida Atlantic had a critical early-season win over 12 Texas A&M (5-1), 96-89.  FAU, which was No. 10 at the time, inexplicably lost to Bryant earlier.

FAU then had an important game Sunday with Virginia Tech in Kissimmee, Florida, and the Owls, who you’ll recall were a stunning Final Four team last season, blew out the Hokies 80-54, so they should make a nice move back up in the rankings this week.

Meanwhile, defending champion and No. 5 UConn, at 6-0, may move up a notch or two.

NBA

--The Knicks had a nice win at the Garden Friday night in an In-Season Tournament game against the Heat (10-6).

Down 21 points, Immanuel Quickley scored 20 points off the bench, providing the spark as the Knicks won it 100-98.

Tonight, the Knicks are at home against Phoenix, another good test.

--Funny scene in San Antonio Wednesday night as the Spurs hosted the Clippers and former Spur Kawhi Leonard.  The fans booed Leonard basically every time he touched the ball and with Leonard at the line, coach Gregg Popovich, who we all know is rather unique, grabbed the public address mic and admonished the home fans.

“Excuse me for a second.  Please stop all the booing and let these guys plays. It’s got no class, it’s not who we are.  Knock off the booing,” Pops said.

His words were met with cheers and boos. Then Spurs fans booed even louder and continued to boo Leonard and other Clippers players throughout the game.

“Anybody that knows anything about sports knows you don’t poke the bear,” Popovich said after the game, which the Clippers won 109-92.

The Spurs acquired Leonard in a draft-night trade in 2011, and he was the 2014 NBA Finals MVP after the Spurs knocked off LeBron and the Miami Heat in five games to win their fifth championship.  Leonard went on to earn All-Star berths in 2016 and 2017, but his tenure in San Antonio came to a rocky end after he played just nine games in the 2017-18 season due to injury. He was then traded to Toronto, where he helped lead the Raptors to the title in 2019.  The next season he was off to L.A.

--Meanwhile, the Spurs, after a 3-2 with Victor Wembanyama, have lost 11 straight!  Wemby is averaging 19 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks.

They aren’t the only team off to a miserable start.

Detroit 2-14, Washington 2-14, Memphis 3-12.

I do have to note Friday’s Milwaukee-Washington game, the Bucks (11-5) beating the Wizards 131-128, as Brook Lopez matched his career-high with 39 points.

So I come to praise Lopez, age 35, his 16th season.  What a nice career.  16.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and very importantly, .796 from the foul line, rare for a 7’1” post man.  Total respect for the lad.

MLB

--We note the passing of a long-time Met, catcher Ron Hodges, who spent his entire 12-year career with the Metropolitans.  He was 74.

Hodges was part of the team from 1973-84, mostly a backup catcher with a .240 batting average, 19 home runs and 147 RBI in 1,426 ABs.  He was a second round selection in the secondary phase of the 1972 draft out of Appalachian State.

Hodges was brought up to the Mets in 1973 after injuries to Jerry Grote and Duffy Dyer.  He made his debut on June 13, 1973, catching Tom Seaver’s complete game win over San Francisco.

But he’s probably best known for a 13th-inning walk-off single against NL East-leading Pittsburgh on Sept. 20, 1973, a game memorable for another reason.

In the top of the 13th with a runner on first, Dave Augustine hit a two-out drive against Ray Sadecki that caromed off the left-field wall (the shelf) above the 358-foot sign.  Literally, the ball landed on the top of the wall and somehow bounced back towards the field. Cleon Jones threw to Wayne Garrett, and the shortstop relayed it to Hodges, who tagged Richie Zisk trying to score from first, in what became known as the “Ball on the wall play.”  The Mets, as part of their Miracle Mets drive that season, pulled within a half-game of the Pirates and took the division lead for good the following day behind Seaver’s five-hitter.

I’ll never forget that game as a young fan.

--And Willie Hernandez died.  He was 69.

Hernandez had that special season, ditto his Detroit Tigers, who went 104-58 in 1984, after a stupendous 35-5 start, and won the World Series over San Diego.

All Willie did that year was win the AL Cy Young and MVP Awards.  The reliever threw 140 1/3 innings, 32 saves, 9-3 record, 1.92 ERA, and he threw 9 1/3 in the postseason (2 earned), including two saves in the World Series, going two innings to close things out in Game 5, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn flying out to end it.

Hernandez was a 3-time All-Star, also 1985 and ’86, as well as that magical ’84.

Premier League

We had a biggie Saturday, Liverpool with a late equalizer to earn a 1-1 draw on the road at Manchester City.

City’s goal was from Erling Haaland, which made him the fastest player to reach 50 Premier League goals – in his 48th match – and gave City an advantage until the closing stages.

City will be disappointed.  Liverpool has to be pleased with the point.

Also Saturday, Newcastle had a big 4-1 win over Chelsea, and Arsenal eked out a 1-0 win at Brentford to take the top spot.

Today, my Tottenham Spurs suffered their third loss in a row after a virtually flawless first 10 games, 2-1 to Aston Villa, who passed them in the PL standings.

Everton, after its 10-point penalty dropped them to 19th, lost today to Manchester United 3-0.

By the way, after Everton was levied the penalty for breaching the league’s financial rules, I may not have made it clear in discussing the investigations for similar shenanigans involving Man City and Chelsea.  They are still ongoing, and the Premier League could still penalize these two as well, and if it happened in season, wow, especially in terms of the former.

Standings after 13 of 38

1. Arsenal…30 points
2. City…29
3. Liverpool…28
4. Aston Villa…28
5. Tottenham…26
6. Man U…24
7. Newcastle…23

Stuff

--Huge win for the New York Rangers (15-3-1) over the Boston Bruins (14-3-3) at Madison Square Garden Saturday afternoon, 7-4 (these being the two best teams in the league thus far).  Is this a different Rangers squad than the editions that teased us in the past? Looks like it.

--Guess what?  I forgot the World Cup Alpine Ski season had begun!  And it’s really because Mikaela Shiffrin already set the all-time Cup wins mark last season when she passed Ingemar Stenmark’s 86, after earlier passing Lindsey Vonn’s women’s mark of 82.

Well Shiffrin is up to 89, with a win in the slalom at Levi, Finland, a few weeks ago.

This weekend the women were in Killington, Vermont, Shiffrin with a third in the giant slalom Saturday. 

And this just in…she wins the slalom today over rival, and friend, Petra Vlhova…win No. 90!

The men are in Beaver Creek, CO, next weekend for two downhills, if you’re in the area.

--Max Verstappen wrapped up the Formula One season in Abu Dhabi today, win No. 19 out of 22 races!  This can’t continue in terms of fan interest.

--LIV Golf released the bulk of its 2024 schedule Wednesday, with some new courses and familiar ones, but as yet no Donald Trump venues.

There are three open spots on the schedule, however.

For the second year in a row, LIV will open its season Feb. 2 at Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  The known U.S. stops include Las Vegas Country Club, the Golf Club of Houston, the Grove in Nashville, and a return trip to the Greenbrier in West Virginia.

The schedule at least is the clearest sign to date that LIV Golf is pushing forward amid the lingering uncertainty hanging over the professional golf world.

--You know what story I couldn’t give a flying leap about?  Oscar Pistorius being granted parole.

I’m also not in the least bit interested in the Hall and Oates legal drama.

Top 3 songs for the week 11/24/79:  #1 “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer…enough already!...)  #2 “Babe” (Styx)  #3 “Still” (Commodores)…and…#4 “Dim All The Nights” (Donna Summer)  #5 “Heartache Tonight” (Eagles)  #6 “Please Don’t Go” (K.C. & The Sunshine Band)  #7 “You Decorated My Life” (Kenny Rogers)  #8 “Send One Your Love” (Stevie Wonder)  #9 “Tusk” (Fleetwood Mac)  #10 “Pop Muzik” (M…dreadful week…D-…it was fall of my senior year at Wake…scrambling to figure out a way to graduate in four years…)

NFL Quiz Answer: 25 or more touchdowns, single season.

LaDainian Tomlinson…31, 2006, SDG…28 rushing, 3 receiving
Shaun Alexander…28, 2005, SEA…27 rushing, 1 receiving
Priest Holmes…27, 2003, KAN
Marshall Faulk…26, 2000, STL
Emmitt Smith…25, 1995, DAL

Priest Holmes…24, 2002, KAN
John Riggins…24, 1983, WAS

Riggins was 34 when he had this big season.

Brief Add-on up top, early Tues. p.m.

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