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Bar Chat

11/13/2023

Golf Alert: Camilo Villegas back in the winner's circle!

Add-on posted early Tues. p.m.

NFL

--Last night, Buffalo lost to Denver 24-22 on a last-second field goal by Will Lutz from 36 yards out, only after his first 41-yard attempt just sailed wide right.  As in Buffalo should have won it.

But nooo…12 men on the field for the Bills, giving Lutz his second chance.

But the Bills also killed themselves with a 28-yard pass interference call on a third-and-10 from the Buffalo 45 that enabled the Broncos to get into field goal range in the first place.

Denver is 4-5 after a three-game winning streak, while the Bills are a shocking 5-5, with injuries and turnovers galore, 18 of the latter on the season, four Monday.

Russell Wilson, 24/29, 193, 2-0, 117.4, has played well, 6 TDs, zero interceptions during the winning streak.

Buffalo, after playing the Jets next Sunday, plays the Eagles, Chiefs and Cowboys the following three, the first two of the three on the road.  It will take a mini-miracle for the Bills to make the playoffs.

Josh Allen threw two interceptions Monday and now has 11 on the season (at least one in six straight), and a 19-11 TD/INT split, after going 37-10, 36-15, 35-14 the prior three seasons.

The 11 INTS are the most in the NFL this season.

Damar Hamlin saw action in the fourth quarter, his first action in a game since his cardiac arrest Jan. 2, 2023.  He registered one tackle during his brief stint.

This morning, the Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.  Dorsey was promoted from quarterbacks coach to OC in 2022 when Brian Daboll left to become the Giants head coach.

Current QB coach Joe Brady is taking over as interim offensive coordinator.

--Just to go back to a few games after I posted Sunday, while Houston’s C.J. Stroud is the best story in the NFL this season, Minnesota QB Joshua Dobbs is becoming a close second.

Dobbs, replacing Kirk Cousins, has been terrific in his two starts, 23/34, 268, 1-0, plus 44 yards rushing and a TD on Sunday in the Vikings’ 27-19 win over the Saints (5-5), Minnesota now 6-4.

I do have to note that Wake Forest’s A.T. Perry saw his first significant action at wide receiver for New Orleans and had a terrific 15-yard TD reception from Jameis Winston in the fourth quarter, one of his first two catches of his career, 38 yards in all.

And Detroit is 7-2 following a thrilling 41-38 road win against the Chargers (4-5), as both quarterbacks shined.

Jared Goff was 23/33, 333, 2-0, 122.4 for the Lions, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown 8-150-1.

Justin Herbert was 27/40, 323, 4-1, 114.9 for L.A., Keenan Allen 11-175-2 in defeat. Another frustrating season for Chargers fans…major talent on the roster, just not getting it done.

--As for the New York football teams, the Giants are a sickening 2-8 (boy, did I get this team wrong!) after their 49-17 drubbing in Dallas (6-3), this after losing to the Cowboys 40-0 in the season opener.

Dallas outgained New York 640-172 for the game, 368-27 in the first half.

Dak Prescott was a cool 26/35, 404, 4-1, 138.3, with a touchdown on the ground. Brandin Cooks caught nine for 173 and a TD, CeeDee Lamb 11-151-1; Lamb now the first in NFL history with three consecutive games of 10 receptions, 150 yards.

For the Giants, rookie Tommy DeVito needed 27 pass attempts, completing 14, to pick up a whopping 86 yards.

You have to feel for running back Saquon Barkley, who doesn’t deserve this.

As for the Jets (4-5), what a crappy loss in Las Vegas Sunday night, 16-12 to the Raiders (5-5), Zach Wilson with a deadly late interception.

Once again, the outstanding Jets defense got the job done, holding L.V. to just 274 yards, but the Jets haven’t scored an offensive touchdown in 11 quarters, 36 consecutive offensive series without a TD, the longest streak in the NFL.

The team, however, is loath to bench Wilson for someone else because it would be an admission GM Joe Douglas blew it in selecting Wilson second overall in the 2021 draft.  For his career he has 20 TD passes, 24 interceptions and a putrid 72.1 passer rating.

The Jets also commit way too many penalties, 17 in the last two games, each one costly, and that’s on the coaches.

College Football

--Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh didn’t address his legal battle in his press conference Monday, but he did call the Wolverines “America’s team.”

Yup, America, a nation of cheaters…I guess that is his definition of “America’s team.”  Ain’t mine.

Friday is the big day for the court to rule on Harbaugh’s suspension.

College Basketball

AP Top 25…it’s early…records thru Sunday…

1. Kansas (51) 2-0
2. Purdue (7) 2-0
3. Arizona (3) 2-0…up 9 after beating Duke in Durham…
4. Marquette 2-0
5. UConn (1) 2-0
6. Houston 2-0
7. Tennessee 2-0
8. Creighton 2-0
9. Duke 1-1…down 7
10. Florida Atlantic 1-0
11. Gonzaga 1-0
12. Miami 2-0
20. North Carolina 2-0
24. James Madison 3-0

Monday night, unranked Michigan whipped St. John’s 89-73 in Rick Pitino’s Madison Square Garden debut.  Michigan shot 51.6% from the field, which Pitino will no doubt be addressing in practice, while the Red Storm was only 36.0% from the field, 33.3% from 3.

Penn upset 21 Villanova 76-72 at The Palestra.

NBA

--Going back to Sunday night, Tyrese Maxey had 50 points for the first time in his career, Maxey saying after he was playing for the injured Kelly Oubre. The Sixers (8-1) beat the Pacers (6-4) 137-126, as Maxey became just the 3rd guard or guard/forward with 50 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks, the others Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

--The Knicks (5-5) lost to the Celtics (8-2) in Boston, 114-98 Monday night, a back-to-back for New York and I’m giving them a pass.  It didn’t help RJ Barrett sat out with a migraine.

MLB

--Post-season award week and Arizona’s Corbin Carroll and Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson are your 2023 NL and AL Rookies of the Year.

Both Carroll and Henderson were unanimous selections, receiving all 30 first-place votes.  The Mets’ Kodai Senga received 22 of 30 second-place votes…very solid.

Today, Tuesday, is Manager of the Year, which I couldn’t care less about, but we have Cy Young Award Wednesday, and MVP hardware on Thursday.  The NL MVP vote breakdown will be fascinating.

--The Milwaukee Brewers hired bench coach Pat Murphy to replace Craig Counsell.  Murphy has been with Milwaukee since 2015 after he left the Padres, where he briefly served as interim manager after Bud Black had been fired.

Golf Balls

--Big final event of the fall season coming up, The RSM Classic at St. Simon’s Island, Georgia.  Players are either battling to retain their Tour cards for 2024, needing to finish in the top 125 of the points standings, or a few of them are trying to finish within Nos. 51 to 60, which entitles them to two Signature Events (i.e., massive purses) in 2024 – The Genesis Invitational and the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

--In an interview with the Irish Independent, Rory McIlroy called Patrick Cantlay a “dick,” so this will be interesting if the two are paired up on a Sunday in 2024.

Rory was talking about the Ryder Cup dustup with Joe LaCava, Cantlay’s caddie.

“I start having a go at them,” McIlroy said.  “Joe LaCava used to be a nice guy when he was caddying for Tiger and now he’s carrying for that dick he’s turned into an ass…”

--Steven Alker won the Champions Tour finale last Sunday, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, his seventh senior circuit win.

But Steve Stricker, who had to pull out at the last minute when he learned his father was admitted into the hospital, won the season-long Charles Schwab Cup and the $1 million bonus.  Alker second, Ernie Els third.

Stuff

--NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship gets underway Thursday, Marshall the No. 1 seed, Notre Dame the 2, North Carolina 3 and Georgetown 4.

Wake Forest is a 10-seed with a first-round bye, playing the Indiana-Lipscomb winner on Sunday.

Nine ACC teams in all are in the tournament, including defending champion Syracuse, which didn’t even get a bye.

The Deacs are in their 13th straight NCAA Tournament, most in the ACC and in the country.

Next Bar Chat, Sunday p.m.

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[Posted early Sunday p.m. before late NFL games]

Add-on early Tuesday evening….

Wake Forest NBA Quiz: [I had a lot going on this weekend, and this quiz was in the can for me.] So, Wake fans…name the 12 Wake Forest hoops players who went on to play 500 games or more in the NBA.  I’ll give you one…Len Chappell…the rest are more modern day. Answer below.

College Football Review

Comments written prior to new AP Poll…CFP rankings used…

Once again the AP and CFP differed heading into the weekend….

AP

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Ohio State
4. Florida State
5. Washington
6. Oregon

CFP

1. Ohio State
2. Georgia
3. Michigan
4. Florida State
5. Washington
6. Oregon

And once again I have to start with Michigan.  I’ve been saying for weeks the Big Ten would have to act quickly on the sign-stealing scandal before the CFP folks make their decision in December, and the conference acted late Friday, suspending coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three regular season games, after the Big Ten found the program to be in violation of its sportsmanship policy for conducting “an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years.”

Harbaugh will still be allowed to coach the team during practices and other team activities. 

As it stands, Harbaugh would rejoin the Wolverines should they qualify for the Big Ten championship game or the College Football Playoff.

The Big Ten’s announcement comes after a week that was filled with meetings, letters and responses to those letters, all attempting to influence Commissioner Tony Petitti, who was hired in April.

Michigan President Santa Ono sent Petitti a letter a week ago asking the Big Ten to wait for the results of the NCAA’s investigation into Michigan’s sign-stealing instead of levying punishments in the near future.  This followed reports that Big Ten leaders were pushing the conference – and more specifically, Petitti – to take action against Harbaugh and Michigan.

“If you refuse to let the NCAA investigative process play out, the Big 10 may not take any action against the University or its players or coaches without commencing its own investigation and offering us the opportunity to provide our position,” Ono wrote, according to reports.  “That is not just required by our conference rules; it is a matter of basic fairness.”

Ono has reportedly backed Harbaugh at every turn of this saga.  Harbaugh said last week Ono’s support is “deeply appreciated.”

Wednesday night, Michigan sent the Big Ten a 10-page letter, doubling down on their key points. Among them, according to Yahoo Sports, were that the Big Ten lacked substantial evidence showing wrongdoing by former analyst Connor Stalions, who resigned from his position this month, let alone Harbaugh; and that Petitti didn’t have the authority to punish Harbaugh under the conference’s sportsmanship policy.

But there is plenty of evidence of wrongdoing.

That said, Tuesday, Sports Illustrated published evidence – piggybacking on an Associated Press report – that rival programs decoded Michigan’s signals then shared them with another Big Ten team. Reports later revealed the teams as Ohio State, Rutgers and Purdue, with Ohio State and Rutgers sending information to Purdue before the Boilermakers faced Michigan in the Big Ten championship game in 2022. 

None of those reports alleged Ohio State or Rutgers used improper measures to track Michigan’s signs.  On Wednesday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day told reporters that “nobody here did any of that,” responding to the stories about his program aiding Purdue.

Yahoo reported that, in its response to the Big Ten on Wednesday, Michigan included documentation of opponents discerning their offensive and defensive signs.

Jerry Brewer / Washington Post

“If the next episode of this bizarre Michigan cheating scandal doesn’t include Jim Harbaugh showing up in the goofiest possible disguise to coach his team, then college football has no sense of humor.  An absurd controversy grew stranger Friday afternoon when the Big Ten took about as much time as it could to announce a potential season-defining disciplinary action: Harbaugh can’t coach the Wolverines for the final three games of the regular season.

“To be perfectly unclear, the coach who may or may not have known about a staffer’s alleged prohibited in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation has received a rare kind of preemptive punishment for a complicated matter still under investigation.  The Michigan situation is the haziest clear-cut crime.  Connor Stalions, the recently fired analyst and apparent mastermind of the harebrained scheme, left evidence of wrongdoing all over the country. But while it is easy to assume Stalions didn’t sin in isolation, there haven’t been compelling revelations that prove a high-level, Harbaugh-orchestrated conspiracy.

“Scrutiny takes time.  Truth and accountability are not microwaveable concepts.  But in the emotional whirlwind of sports, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti felt the need to act now….

“Depending on how the sight of maize and blue affects your senses, you are left to conclude the punishment was too heavy-handed or lenient, too inconsequential or too misaligned with NCAA procedures. But can we pile on by adding too comical?  This is officially the silliest season in an era of college football silliness. On multiple levels, rival schools are on their worst behavior, and now their never-ending wrestling matches are spilling into a kangaroo sports court.

“Michigan isn’t simply accused of cheating. It is accused of smugly daring to cheat in defiance of accepted norm.  The competitive advantage of stealing signals isn’t necessarily the crime; many teams are known to do that.  The manner in which Stalions arranged the effort to decipher opponents’ calls is the reprehensible football act.  And for the Wolverines, the hypocrisy of their anonymous accusers is both their gripe and part of their defense.

“Ultimately, Petitti was forced to pick a side.  It now looks like the outrage of the Big Ten coaches and athletic directors influenced his decision.  Petitti will be perceived as pliable moving forward.  It’s tough to hold authority when your members, constantly aggrieved, feel as if they can shout their way to a favorable response.  Then again, if Petitti had delayed action, he could have been made to seem like a Michigan apologist concerned only with trying to get multiple Big Ten teams into the College Football Playoff.

“Given a choice between the general discontent of most of its members and the specific resentment from Michigan, Petitti went with the latter.”

So Michigan officials and lawyers questioned the timing of the ban, which came on the Veterans Day holiday – when courts are closed.

And it was announced Saturday morning, officially, that Harbaugh would not be able to coach today, as there was no court ruling on a temporary restraining order filed Friday night.

An in-person hearing for the temporary restraining order is scheduled for next Friday at 9 a.m.

“We look forward to presenting our case next week where we intend to demonstrate that the Big Ten has not acted legally or fairly,” Michigan said in a statement Saturday.

Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore is serving as Michigan’s acting head coach against Penn State…so let’s play the game….

And 3 Michigan (10-0) dominated the No. 10 Nittany Lions (8-2) up in Unhappy Valley, 24-15, as the Wolverines and Coach Moore rammed it down PSU’s throats, literally, the final 32 plays, and all 30 of the second half.  Zero passes after the intermission!  You’ve gotta love it.

Blake Corum led the way, 145 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns, while Donovan Edwards had 52 and a score on 10, and that’s all the Wolverines needed, as the Michigan defense harried and harassed quarterback Drew Allar (10/22, 70) into a pathetic performance.

Afterwards, Coach Moore was a rather emotional mess:

“I want to thank Coach Harbaugh,” tears streaming down his face, during an on-field interview with Fox. “I f--king love you, man. I love the shit out of you, man. I did this for you.”

As for the impact of Harbaugh’s absence, in actuality, as USA TODAY’s Dan Wolken put it: “The practical effect of that penalty [the 3-game suspension] is that nothing really changes for Michigan other than who’s making the fourth-down decisions and calling the timeouts.  That’s not nothing [Ed. and we’ll see what if any impact there is in the Ohio State game, assuming Harbaugh doesn’t win in court], but in terms of Michigan’s chances of winning a national championship, it’s probably about the least-impactful thing Petitti could have done.”

But once again, we have to look at Penn State coach James Franklin’s record, and for a guy making $7 million a year, with all kinds of recruiting advantages, he has come up amazingly small in big moments.  It’s all on him.

Franklin is 4-16 against Michigan and Ohio State; 1-11 against them when they are in the Top 5,  1-14 when they are in the top-10.  3-17 vs. top-10 teams overall.

Meanwhile….

1 Ohio State (10-0) whipped crappy Michigan State (3-7) 38-3, as the combination of Kyle McCord (24/31, 335, 3-0) to Marvin Harrison Jr. (7-149-2) clicked again.

2 Georgia got star tight end Brock Bowers back but while he had three receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown, he wasn’t really needed as the Bulldogs (10-0) dominated 9 Ole Miss (8-2) in a major test, which means we’re going to have an SEC title game of Georgia-Alabama, which will be sweet.

Kendall Milton was Georgia’s star in this one, nine carries, 127 yards and two touchdowns.

But in Lane Kiffin’s defense, his Rebels were very undermanned on the offensive line, and quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was knocked out on a scary hit in the second half, didn’t have a chance.

Ole Miss’ New Year’s Six hopes are most likely finished.

Speaking of 8 Alabama (9-1), they reached the SEC championship game with a 49-21 win over Kentucky (6-4), quarterback Jalen Milroe accounting for six touchdowns, three in the air, three on the gound.

4 Florida State (10-0) will remain No. 4 in both polls, but barely, as they had an unimpressive win over Miami (6-4) 27-20.

Florida State will be playing 11 Louisville (9-1) in the ACC championship game after the Cardinals defeated Virginia (2-8) 31-24, Thursday night.  Louisville is very much in the New Year’s Six conversation, even with a loss to FSU, given the ACC’s bowl alliances.

I just have to add that Virginia’s Perris Jones at week’s end remained in a Louisville hospital after the running back was immobilized and carted off the field after being injured on a hard hit.

Early Friday, the school announced that Jones had “regained movement in all of his extremities.”

Saturday, we learned he had spinal surgery and was going to be transferred to a rehab facility in Louisville at some point.  He was, we are told, able to walk briefly on Saturday.  Our prayers go out to him and his family, and his teammates.

5 Washington (10-0) is right there for a CFP bid after defeating 18 Utah (7-3) 35-28.  The Utes were up 28-24 at the half, with 306 yards of offense against a porous Huskies defense, but then Washington clamped down in the second half, yielding just 76 yards.

[Washington also survived a near-catastrophic mistake, after a defensive player brought an interception back to the 1, but didn’t bother to carry it into the end zone.  Utah recovered, but Washington got a safety on the next play.]

Washington is headed towards a rematch in the final Pac-12 title game against 6 Oregon (9-1), 36-27 winners over USC (7-4), that is assuming Oregon takes care of business the final two weeks of the season, including the Civil War against Oregon State Thanksgiving weekend.

My pick for the Heisman, Bo Nix, was his usual sterling self for the Ducks, 23/31, 412, 4-0, Bucky Irving adding 118 on the ground.

The game was 36-14 in the fourth before a late USC rally fell short.  Just amazing the Caleb Williams-led Trojans have lost four games.  Firing the defensive coordinator on Monday was too little, too late.

7 Texas (9-1) stayed CFP relevant, though I really don’t see how they get in even if they win out, the Longhorns defeating TCU, 29-26, after being up 29-13 with 8:50 to play.  Quinn Ewers was back at QB for Texas and he was effective.

12 Oregon State (8-2) stayed in the Pac-12 title hunt with a 62-17 win over Stanford (3-7), Beaver Nation getting fired up for Washington at home next weekend, and then Oregon on the road.

14 Missouri (8-2) is headed towards a nice bowl game, though probably not New Year’s Six, with a 36-7 convincing win over 13 Tennessee (7-3), running back Cody Schader with 205 yards on 35 carries and a touchdown, as well as five receptions for another 116!

15 Oklahoma State (7-3) laid a massive egg against UCF (5-5) 45-3, as the Knights’ RJ Harvey rushed for 206 yards on 24 carries with three TDs.

And 16 Kansas (7-3) suffered a devastating 16-13 loss at home to Texas Tech (5-5).  The Jayhawks tied it at 13-13 with 0:25 left in the game, and somehow allowed the Red Raiders to drive into field goal range for the win.

I keep saying this, but it’s a shame 19 LSU (7-3) won’t be in a New Year’s Six bowl game, at least I don’t see how this is possible, but at least the Gator Bowl, I hope.  The Tigers beat Florida (5-5) as the amazing Jayden Daniels had another game for the ages, 17/26, 372, 3-0 through the air, with an astounding 234 yards on just 12 carries and two touchdowns on the ground.

Daniels is the first quarterback in FBS history to have 350 passing, 200 rushing in a game.  And he was in concussion protocol leading up to the game.

LSU receivers Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers combined for 12-282-2.

Daniels is simply the most exciting player to come along in quite a while.  The Heisman winner, though?

I get the arguments for him to be so, but if Bo Nix leads Oregon to the Pac-12 title, I just think he deserves it.

21 Arizona is 7-3 after a 34-31 win at Colorado (4-6), the Wildcats needing a 24-yard field goal as time expired for the win.  Jonah Coleman rushed for 179 on only 11 carries for Arizona.

Coach Prime apologized afterwards to the Colorado faithful for not doing better but this was CU’s best performance in weeks and he has still accomplished a lot this season.

Plus, they covered, Arizona an 8-point favorite coming in, and at the end of the day….

22 Iowa (8-2) shutout Rutgers (6-4), as the Hawkeyes held the Scarlet Knights to 127 yards of offense!  The over/under on this one was 27.5.

Iowa is now headed to the Big Ten title game against Michigan or Ohio State, having taken firm control of the West division.

25 Kansas State (7-3) beat Baylor (3-7) 59-25.

Which brings me to the Group of Five, New Year’s Six battle…

The CFP has only ranked Tulane, at No. 23, and the Green Wave (9-1) barely defeated Tulsa (3-7) 24-22, as the Golden Hurricane (which really is a bizarre nickname for inland Tulsa, but that’s just me…knowing it wouldn’t be appropriate to call them the Tornadoes…given the oil history, Tulsa should be the Roughnecks…anyway…where was I….) missed a 2-point conversion with 3:00 to play that would have tied it.

The CFP hasn’t ranked two teams now both 10-0.

Liberty defeated Old Dominion (4-6) 38-10, and James Madison blasted UConn (1-9) 44-6, as quarterback James McCloud had a rather decent effort…like just 33/37, 457, 4-0!

The CFP must rank these two this week, one of which, at least, is likely to finish undefeated.

Which brings me to the second-biggest story in college football, next to Michigan, and that is JMU not being eligible for a bowl game…any bowl game.  The NCAA can issue the waiver (JMU not being in the FBS the required number of seasons through an archaic by-law).  Just do it!

Some final games…

Clemson fans have a good feeling about the future again, now 6-4, following a 42-21 win over Georgia Tech (5-5), Cade Klubnik with four touchdown passes.  If running backs Will Shipley and Phil Mafah return, for starters, along with Klubnik (you never know these days with the portal), the Tigers are right there next season. 

Johnny Mac’s Coastal Carolina is 7-3 with a 31-23 win over Texas State (6-4)

Boston College (6-4) suffered an ugly loss at home to improving Virginia Tech (5-5), 48-22, as the Hokies outgained the Eagles 600-262! Eegads, that blows.

Leaving me with Wake Forest’s pathetic effort at home yesterday, falling 26-6 to N.C. State (6-4), the Deacs simply not showing up, outgained 265-45 in the first half, seven yards rushing for the game, while yielding 268.  As in a total beatdown at the line.  Our field goal kicker, Matthew Dennis, also missed another easy one.

In fact, were it not for a late Wake touchdown pass (the 2-point conversion then embarrassingly returned 100 yards by State for 2-points for them), it would have been the first time Wake was shut out in Dave Clawson’s 10 seasons in Winston-Salem.

This was a Wolfpack team that was coming in a bit unsettled as quarterback MJ Morris, who had replaced Virginia transfer Brennan Armstrong after N.C. State got off to a poor start, and then went 3-1, decided to redshirt, as he is allowed to do, not appearing in more than four games.

So Armstrong was reinstalled, the guy sucks, but he’s a big kid and he ran for 96 yards.

Afterwards, Wake coach Clawson was highly emotional…and not for the first time this season.

Clawson took responsibility for what he called the Deacs’ “awful performance”. And then he went on blame himself for everything that went wrong, including another three turnovers, and two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, let alone the putrid offense.

“I just want to apologize to our fan base and students. That was just an awful performance. We were flat, we had no energy and that is 100% on me. I’ve got to do some soul searching and look at our team.”

Tearing up, Clawson went on:

“I take these losses hard. I’m responsible for it. There’s no (finger pointing). I’ve done a bad job this year.  I think I just took some things in our program for granted. We’ve had a good run for seven years and I thought some of those things would carry over program wise and offense wise. And we just kind of lost our way, and when that happens it is the responsibility of the head coach.”

The guy is clearly burned out and I wouldn’t be in the least bit surprised, despite having a nice long-term contract, and being beloved by the Wake community, if he resigned.

Next week, the Deacs (4-6) head to Notre Dame to face old teammate Sam Hartman, assuming Hartman is indeed the starter for the disappointing 7-3 Fighting Irish.

--We had a big development Sunday morning.  Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher, despite the fact he had eight years left on his contract and will receive a buyout upward of $75 million.

How can this happen, you might be asking yourself?  Oil money, sports fans.  Lots of West Texas oil money among the A&M alumni.  [Think the late T. Boone Pickens and what he singlehandedly did for Oklahoma State.]

The decision was apparently made Thursday after a meeting with school officials.  A&M won on Saturday, beating Mississippi State, but the 6-4 mark is another huge disappointment for a program with lofty aspirations.

Fisher initially signed a 10-year contract in 2017 for $75 million, leaving Florida State after eight seasons and a national championship.  Then in 2021, he received a 10-year, $95 million extension through the 2031 season.

After going 9-1 and winning the Orange Bowl in the Covid season, 2020, the Aggies went 8-4 in 2021, and 5-7 last season.

This season they lost to Miami, Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss, i.e., very James Franklinesque.

Among the early coaches being mentioned to replace Fisher is Duke’s Mike Elko, and I’m going with him, Elko having worked with Fisher, successfully, for three seasons (2018-2021). TCU’s Sonny Dykes is another, because he’s had success and is popular in the state.

And now the new AP Poll…CFP to reveal its rankings on Tuesday night.

[No changes in top eight this week…]

1. Georgia (54) 10-0…No. 1 22 straight weeks, second-longest run in 87-year history of AP poll…[USC 33 straight polls at No. 1 from 2003 to ’05.]
2. Michigan (7) 10-0
3. Ohio State (1) 10-0
4. Florida State 10-0
5. Washington 10-0
6. Oregon 9-1
7. Texas 9-1…ugh, announced today that star RB Jonathon Brooks has a torn ACL…
8. Alabama 9-1
9. Louisville 9-1…helps FSU…highest ranking since Nov. 2016…
10. Oregon State 8-2…the Beavs…first time top 10 since Oct. 2012…
11. Missouri 8-2…up 5!...Hmmm…New Year’s Six in play after all…
12. Penn State 8-2…fired OC today…
13. Ole Miss 8-2
14. Oklahoma 8-2
15. LSU 7-3
16. Utah 7-3
17. Tulane 9-1
18. James Madison 10-0
19. Arizona 7-3
20. Notre Dame 7-3
21. Tennessee 7-3
22. North Carolina 8-2
23. Kansas State 7-3
24. Oklahoma State 7-3
25. Liberty 10-0

What will the CFP do with the Group of Five schools?

The only big game this coming week is Washington at Oregon State, at least on paper.

Boise State fired head coach Andy Avalos after going 22-14.  This is an attractive job for a hot OC at a Power Five school looking to prove himself in a head position.  Have three good years and move back to Power Five as head coach at a Big Ten or Big 12 school, says moi.

NFL

--So, I have to admit, with the Giants and Jets on later, I watched a lot of golf from Bermuda today, and little of the first games.

I did watch some of the morning game from Frankfurt, Germany, a hideous affair, Indianapolis moving to 5-5 with a 10-6 win over the Patriots (2-8), as Pats QBs Mac Jones (who should really change his name to Mac Davis, because at least Davis had some hits on the Billboard Charts, and a variety show, but that’s just me) and Baily Zappe threw godawful interceptions in the fourth quarter, head coach Bill Belichick likely to burst a blood vessel on the long flight home, compounded by the strong west to east winds.

--The Steelers are a shocking 6-3 after beating the Packers (3-6) 23-19, Pittsburgh with 205 yards rushing, like the old days, Jordan Love with two more INTs for Green Bay.  Shocking in that for a ninth straight game, Pittsburgh was outgained…399-324.

--The 49ers (6-3) are back on track after a 34-3 beatdown of the Jaguars (6-3) in Jacksonville.  Brock Purdy (19/26, 296, 3-0, 148.9) regained his mojo, while the Jags’ Trevor Lawrence was awful; Jacksonville fan, and S&N supporter, Steve G. no doubt drowning his sorrows in a Nashville gin mill.

--The Texans are now 5-4 and the story in the NFL this season, beating the hot Bengals (5-4) on the road, 30-27, on a last second field goal, C.J. Stroud with 356 yards passing, Cincy’s Joe Burrow two interceptions.

Houston’s Devin Singletary had 150 yards on the ground, 30 carries.  The Texans are exciting!

--And in a near-Heidi moment, the Browns, at 4:24 p.m. ET, kicked a field goal to defeat the Ravens (7-3) in Baltimore, 33-31, in what was to be a battle between the two best defenses in the NFL.

But a flag was thrown on the kick, there was uncertainty on whether there would be another kick, and the game went off the air, at least in my area, commercials on, because it was now 4:25 and the NFL was obligated to go to Giants-Cowboys…but Cleveland did win it.  Good lord.  The Browns 6-3.  A nice birthday present for Browns fan Trader George.  More on this one in my Add-on, Tuesday.

--So, yes, the Giants (2-7) are in Dallas (5-3) as I go to post, but for New York, Tommy DeVito, former Four Season and Jersey Boy (Cedar Grove, NJ), is starting with Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor injured.  What is significant is DeVito becomes the 10th rookie quarterback to start a game this year, the most rookie starters we’ve seen in a season since 1950.  And it’s just Week 10!

--The Jets (4-4) are in another must-win situation at Las Vegas (4-5), or their fans, such as yours truly, will officially kiss the season goodbye.  I did learn last night at dinner out that head coach Robert Salah is the next-door neighbor of a good friend of mine, my friend and his wife saying he’s a delightful guy.

Hopefully, for Salah’s sake, he remains a neighbor beyond this season.

--The Rams had a bye this week, but signed quarterback Carson Wentz, as Matthew Stafford works through his right thumb injury.  Wentz, 30, last played for Washington last season and was pretty miserable, but he had a solid season for Indianapolis in 2021.

College Basketball

--Friday night, 12 Arizona defeated 2 Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium, 78-73, as former North Carolina Tar Heel Caleb Love helped his new team defeat Duke by knocking down four free throws in the final 17.4 seconds.

All-American Kyle Filipowski had 25 points for the Blue Devils.

--Outside of James Madison’s upset of 4 Michigan State on opening night, there haven’t been any big upsets in the Top 25 thus far.

--Wake Forest fans hope Friday’s night loss at Georgia, 80-77, doesn’t come back to bite us come March and tournament decision time, but it likely will. The Deacs have games against Utah (up next) and Florida (less than 3 weeks) that now loom even larger. 

--Kansas and coach Bill Self agreed to a new contract that will make him the highest-paid basketball coach ever at a public college.  He is set to make $9.44 million for the 2023-24 season, including a $1 million signing bonus.

This moves him past John Calipari, who is making $8.5 million this season and next.

Mike Krzyzewski was credited with nearly $13.7 million in total compensation for 2020 as Duke’s coach.  Ex-deferred pay, it was about $12.4 million, including bonuses paid.

That amount is the largest single-year pay for a college sports coach not connected to a buyout.

NBA

--It turns out us Knicks fans didn’t know all the facts about Julius Randle in the first six games of the season, the Knicks 2-4, Randle playing miserably.

But one thing about Julius, he has always been a gamer, a la the Mets’ Francisco Lindor (or the Texas Rangers’ Marcus Semien).  No load management crap with Randle.

And it turns out that his ankle, on which he had arthroscopic surgery in the offseason, wasn’t 100 percent, more like “70 percent,” said a Knicks source, but he didn’t want to sit out.

Then last Monday and Wednesday, he played very well, 27 points, 10 rebounds in a win against the Clippers, and 23 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists in a win over the Spurs, the Knicks also humbling Victor Wembanyama (14 points on 4 of 14 from the floor).

Ergo, it seems Randle’s ankle is getting better.

This afternoon, the Knicks made it three in a row at the Garden, 129-107 over the Hornets (3-6), Randle with a solid 23-point effort, RJ Barrett his third straight strong game, 24 points, after coming back from injury, and Immanuel Quickley with 17 points and 9 assists coming off the bench.

--The Clippers (3-5) lost their third straight with newcomer James Harden, 144-126 in Dallas Friday night, as Luca Doncic had 44 points for the Mavs (7-2).

--I have to go back to Thursday, and Giannis Antetokounmpo scoring an NBA season-high 54 points, only to have his Bucks lose to the Pacers, 126-124, because two of his eight turnovers proved costly at the end.

Giannis was 19 for 25 from the field, 16 of 18 on free throws, 12 rebounds, but the costly mistakes in crunch time.

--Philadelphia lost key forward Kelly Oubre Jr. for an unspecified amount of time after he was struck by a vehicle near his residence in Center City.

Oubre, who signed a one-year deal with Philly before the season, has averaged 16.3 points and 5.1 rebounds in his first season with the team.

MLB

--I have to admit, I was very surprised the Angels signed 71-year-old Ron Washington to a two-year contract to manage the club, the fourth manager since the Mike Scioscia era (2000-2018).

Washington last managed the Texas Rangers from 2007-2014.  He has worked as the Braves’ third base coach since 2017, including the World Series title in 2021.

I mean everyone loves Ron Washington, I just think he’s getting up there in years.

--Yankees GM Brian Cashman spoke to reporters the other day and defended the 2023 edition, 82-80, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

“I’m proud of our people and proud of our process,” Cashman said at the general manager’s meetings.  “It doesn’t mean we’re firing on all cylinders, it doesn’t mean we’re the best in class.

“But I think we’re pretty f--king good, personally.”

Not this past season, buddy.

Cashman said much of the Yankees’ debrief since missing the playoffs has been separating fact from “bullshit.”  And he cited all the injuries and underperformance and blah blah blah….wrote the Mets fan.

--Meanwhile, it remains all about Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto, as it’s assumed the latter will be traded ahead of his free agency end of next season.  But some say the Padres will hold Soto and wait to see where they are come July before deciding whether to move him.  The same could be said about the Mets’ Pete Alonso, in a similar situation, who the team is either going to sign to a big extension, or see what they can get for him in July.

Both Soto and Alonso are clients of Scott Boras, who gets along well with Mets owner Steve Cohen, aka Uncle Stevie.

Golf Balls

--As the PGA Tour winds down its fall season, and the last opportunities for players to finish in the Top 125 to earn their card for 2024, we had the Butterfield Bermuda Championship at beautiful Port Royal, where I have to say every year, it’s held on a course that I have played many a time from back in my youth.  [Stay at the Pompano Beach Club, right there…you can walk to the course.]

Heading into today’s final round….

Alex Noren -19…age 41, no wins on Tour
Camilo Villegas -18…age 41, last of 4 wins 2014
Matti Schmid -17…25-year-old German
Ryan Moore -17…age 40, last of five wins in 2016
Stewart Cink -16…age 50, last of eight wins in 2021

And Camilo Villegas wins it by 2 shots over Noren, 3 over Schmid.  Just a great win for golf and fans all around the world.

The guy who burst on the scene with two of his now five wins in 2008, including The Tour Championship, the Colombian with the Hollywood good looks, charisma…Villegas was a huge fan favorite.

But after his win in 2014, he was largely in the golfing wilderness, he then lost his 22-month-old daughter to brain cancer in 2020, and it has been one long climb back.

Last week, though, he finished T2 and then this.  Young golf fans just have no idea the crowds that will gather if Villegas can be near the top of the leaderboard on a Sunday this coming year at the Masters, the PGA Championship, and all the biggies he has now qualified for, including The Players.  This is great stuff.

You rock, Camilo!!!

--Adam Long made history here, shattering a 31-year-old PGA Tour record, albeit a little known one.

Long arrived in Bermuda with an amazing streak of accuracy having hit 58 consecutive fairways.  He then broke the record of 59 set by Brian Claar back in 1992.

And he wasn’t finished, hiking it to 69 consecutive fairways before finally finding the rough on No. 15.

Long ended up T13, and at No. 138 on the points list, is one of many needing a miracle next week in the season finale to get into the top 125.

Matti Schmid went from 148 to 120.

--Tiger Woods has been seen walking pretty well, sparking hopes he may be teeing it up in a Tour event, perhaps early next year.

Woods said in an interview with the Associated Press: “My ankle is fine. Where they fused my ankle, I have absolutely zero issues whatsoever. That pain is completely gone. It’s the other areas that have been compensated for…all the surrounding areas is where I had all my problems and I still do.  So you fix one, others have to become more hypermobile to get around it, and it can lead to some issues.”

It is unlikely Tiger will be playing in his own Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Nov. 30 to Dec.3, because he’d have to walk four rounds.

So he’ll probably play with son Charlie in the PNC Championship for the third straight year, because he can use a cart in that one.  And from there, we’ll see.  He’s got to play in a regular event to test things out before potentially giving it a go at Augusta with the hilly terrain there.

Premier League

Saturday, Tottenham lost its second straight, Wolverhampton with two goals in stoppage-time for a 2-1 win at home.

Arsenal beat Burnley 3-0; Manchester United defeated Luton Town 1-0 as they battle back, now sixth in the standings; Liverpool whipped Brentford 3-0; and Chelsea, after a big win over Tottenham last week, picked up an exciting 4-4 draw against Man City, with a stoppage-time PK.

Standing after 12 of 38…played – points….

1. City…12 – 28
2. Liverpool…12 – 27
3. Arsenal…12 – 27
4. Tottenham…12 – 26
5. Aston Villa…12 – 25
6. Man U…12 – 21
10. Chelsea…12 – 16

Stuff

--For the record, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks did end their 11-game losing streak to start the season last Tuesday against the Flyers, 2-1, and then won their next one, Thursday, against the Oilers, 3-2.  Friday, they lost to Vegas, 5-0.

--The Beatles have topped the UK charts with their single, “Now and Then”, making them the act with the longest gap between their first and last number ones.

Sixty years after “From Me to You” topped the charts, Sir Paul McCartney said: “It’s blown my socks off!” 

“Now and Then” is also this century’s fastest-selling vinyl single, according to the Official Charts Company.

Top 3 songs for the week 11/12/77:  #1 “You Light Up My Life” (Debby Boone)  #2 “Boogie Nights” (Heatwave)  #3 “Nobody Does It Better” (Carly Simon)…and…#4 “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me” (Barry White)  #5 “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (Crystal Gayle)  #6 “I Feel Love” (Donna Summer)  #7 “Baby, What Big Surprise” (Chicago) #8 “Heaven On The 7th Floor” (Paul Nicholas…awful…)  #9 “How Deep Is Your Love” (Bee Gees) #10 “We’re All Alone” (Rita Coolidge…C- week…I was in the midst of an historically awful semester at Wake…less said the better…)

Wake Forest NBA Quiz Answer: 12 players to play 500 or more games in the NBA….

Al-Farouq Aminu, Muggsy Bogues, Len Chappell, Tim Duncan, Josh Howard, Frank Johnson, James Johnson, Chris Paul, Rodney Rogers, Ish Smith, Jeff Teague, and Danny Young.

Darius Songaila, a very underrated star at Wake and a solid NBA reserve, played in 495.  John Collins will eventually play in well over 500.

Very brief Add-on up top by Tuesday evening….

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