On the old ESPN Radio program, Mike and Mike, they would often return from a commercial break by saying they were “back and better than ever”. Well, I’m back – – and let’s leave it at that. I survived the safari and was not eaten by a lion; the fact that I am pecking this out on a keyboard demonstrates that I survived the 15+ hour flight home that also changed 6 time zones. [Aside: I handle jetlag well; that flight experience was most trying; let that be a word to the wise…]
I have been completely isolated from US sports for more than two weeks; I have not seen any college football and only last night did I see part of the Thursday Night game before nodding off late in the first half with the Bills ahead 24-7. I mention all that because I am going to try to turn this into a watered down Football Friday just because …
So let me begin with the traditional look at the football fortunes of the Wildcats of Linfield University; the school has not had a losing season in football since 1956. Last weekend, Linfield opened the season by hosting Denison University and won that game 31-7. This weekend, Linfield plays another non-conference game – – this time on the road against Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Go Wildcats!
Back before these rants were on hiatus, I did a college football preview rant and identified Nebraska as a “sleeper team” for 2024 because they finished last season well and traditionally Matt Rhule’s teams tend to improve in his second year at the helm. Nebraska beat Colorado last weekend to stretch their record to 2-0 at the start of this year. Go Huskers!
College Football Commentary:
As noted above, I have seen no college football with my own eyes to date in the 2024 season, so this commentary is – – at best – – a mile wide and an eighth of an inch deep. Just this week, the remnants of the PAC-12 (Oregon State and Washington State) shanghaied 4 teams from the Mountain West Conference in an attempt to resurrect a new PAC-12. As of now, there are 6 teams in the attempted reconstruction, and they are in alphabetical order:
- Boise State
- Colorado State
- Fresno State
- Oregon State (holdover)
- San Diego State
- Washington State (holdover)
Six teams do not a conference make; ergo I would expect to see the “Fledgling PAC-12” out and about seeking at least two more schools and maybe as many as six more schools to throw in with them such as …
- New Mexico State – – it fits the theme of every team being “Something State”
- UNLV – – geographically fitting
- Air Force – – right next door to Colorado State
- Idaho – – geographically fitting and right next door to Washington State
- Wyoming – – why not?
- UTEP – – if New Mexico State is in, UTEP is just down the road a piece.
And if any/all of that happens, what will become of the Mountain West Conference?
Going into the 2024 season, I thought Florida State was going to be a powerhouse to the point that they might have contended for a BYE in the first round of the expanded CFP. Forget that. The Seminoles opened the season with a loss to Georgia Tech in a game played in Dublin, Ireland. OK, that might be forgiven since Georgia Tech was significantly improved last year and brought back most of their offensive players. But Florida State came back to the States and lost again to BC leaving the Seminoles at 0-2. [Aside: Georgia Tech also lost their next game to Syracuse; so, the idea that Tech is some sort of nascent juggernaut seems to have gone out the window.]
With the CFP expanded to 12 teams this year, it is possible that there will be a team or two in the field with two losses on the record. That means at a minimum. Florida State will need to win out impressively to make the selectors forget these two stinkeroos when December rolls around.
And speaking of a stinkeroo – – Notre Dame wet the bed last week at home in South Bend losing to Northern Illinois in what was supposed to be a cupcake game for the Irish. For the record, Northern Illinois was paid $1.4M to come to South Bend to take their shellacking. Ooops …
In case you forgot, Northern Illinois is in the MAC; a team aspiring to the CFP must not lose to a team in the MAC. Take your mind back to 2007 when the BCS only had two teams playing off for the National Championship. USC was a powerhouse that year but managed to lose a game to Stanford when the Trojans were 41-point favorites at kickoff. It was Stanford’s only win of the year and it kept USC out of the playoff game. The Irish were 28-point favorites here and similarly lost outright; fortunately for Notre Dame, there are 12 slots in the playoffs this year not only 2 …
In case you think this was some sort of flukey win by Northern Illinois, the Huskies ran the ball for 190 yards in the game and outgained the Irish 388 yards to 286 yards. The Irish had a shot to win the game with a field goal in the final minute and had the attempt blocked.
Another result that jumped out at me was Texas 31 Michigan 12 with the game in Ann Arbor. In the last couple of years, Michigan – – under Jim Harbaugh – – was a team that bullied opponents and ran the ball hard and often. In this game, Texas was the bully:
- Longhorns outgained Wolverines by more than 100 yards
- Wolverines only gained 80 yards rushing
- Longhorns gained 143 yards rushing
- Longhorns were 10 for 16 on third-down conversions
- Wolverines were 3 for 12 on third-down conversions
Penn State won last weekend – – extending their record to 2-0- – but did not look good doing so. The Nittany Lions trailed at halftime at home to Bowling Green (another MAC team) and had to rally in the second half to win by a TD. For the record, Penn State went off as a 34.5-point favorite in the game. That is not a good look for a CFP-aspirant…
I got an email from a reader who is an alum of Temple University. He knew I would be out-of-touch and would probably not focus on Temple’s football fortunes as soon as I got back; so, he included this dismal stat about the Temple Owls and posed a question:
“In the first two games Temple has scored 1 TD and has turned the ball over 9 times. Can any team match that?”
I have no idea if any team can match that – – but I do know that if that sort of performance persists in 2024, it will be a season to forget on campus in North Philly.
One other early season observation deals with Missouri. Remember that the Tigers closed out the 2023 season by beating Ohio State in a Bowl Game. Mizzou is 2-0 this year beating Murray State and Buffalo which is not such a big deal. What just might be a big deal is that Missouri has not allowed a point in those two victories. The 6th ranked Tigers should get a sterner test this week when they host 24th ranked Boston College.
Just before I left, there was a depressing story related to college football. An assistant coach at Austin Peay was arrested and charged with ‘human trafficking”; he was charged with one count of “trafficking for sexual servitude”. The assistant coach resigned from his position after the arrest and the school accepted that resignation. There have been notable instances when lurid allegations turn out to be not much more than allegations, but these charges are such that the school had to find a way to distance itself from the situation as best it could. The coach is innocent until proven guilty at trial; Austin Peay could not wait for that process to play itself out.
NCAA Games of Interest:
Alabama – 16 at Wisconsin (49.5): Wisconsin is 2-0 on the season but the wins have come over Western Michigan and South Dakota. Alabama is a “step up” in class for the Badgers…
Memphis at Florida St. – 6.5 (54): Even though it is only Week 3, this is a “must-win” for Florida St.
LSU – 6.5 at S. Carolina (48): The Gamecocks are 2-0 on the season and have a road win over Kentucky already. Could be interesting…
Washington St. at Washington – 5 (55.5): This is the Apple Bowl game usually played at the end of every season back in “PAC-12 days”. At least the traditional rivalry game survived the implosion of the conference.
Oregon – 17 at Oregon St. (50): This is the Civil War game usually played at the end of every season back in the “PAC-12 days”. At least the traditional rivalry game survived the implosion of the conference.
Notre Dame – 9 at Purdue (47): A “must-win” for the Irish…
Troy at Iowa – 23 (39): Can you trust Iowa to score more than 23 points in a game?
Indiana – 3 at UCLA (46.5): Indiana is 2-0 having outscored its opponents 108-10. However, those opponents were Florida International and Western Illinois. UCLA is 1-0 having eked out a win at Hawaii two weeks ago by a field goal.
NFL Commentary:
Before focusing on the NFL, let me insert a note here about the Canadian Football league. This tidbit came to me in an email from Gregg Drinnan, the former sports editor of the Kamloops Daily News. If you have never seen a CFL game, I need to tell you about a rule in CFL football that does not exist here in the “Lower 48”. There is a scoring play called a rouge. A rouge is worth one point when …
- … a punt or a missed field-goal attempt is kicked into the other team’s end zone and the opposing team does not catch the ball and run it out of its own end zone.
Professor Drinnan pointed out that a CFL game ended with a “Walk-off rouge” and that might be a first. Here is the email I received:
“You won’t ever see this happen in the NFL. LOL!
“We had a walk-off rouge in the CFL on Thursday night as the host Toronto Argonauts beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 20-19. K Lirim Hajrullahu’s 40-yard field goal as time ran out in the fourth quarter was wide left but sailed through the end zone for a single point, breaking a 19-19 tie. . ..
“The game likely shouldn’t have been that close as the Argos (6-4) turned over the ball three times on downs when stopped on third-and-goal attempts from the one yard-line. . ..
“Toronto QB Chad Kelly, the most outstanding player in the CFL last season, was 24-of-39 for 322 yards and an interception. This game marked his return from what was a nine-game suspension for being in violation of the CFL’s gender-based violence policy. . ..
“Saskatchewan K Brett Lauther, who missed four of seven field goal attempts last week in a 27-24 loss to the visiting Montreal Alouettes, was 4-for-4 in this one. . .
“The Roughriders are 5-5-1.”
Here is something to look for that is peripheral to NFL on-field action this year. In 2016 and again in 2020, the NFL’s TV ratings went down. That news generated two narratives:
- The NFL has peaked in popularity. The game is too dangerous. The bubble is about to burst.
- This is a Presidential-election year and people are more focused on non-sports events in such years. This too shall pass.
Deshaun Watson needs a bridge over troubled waters again. [Hat tip to Simon and Garfunkel]. Having emerged bloodied from a series of sexual assault allegations, he now faces a new charge by a woman in Houston who says he exposed himself and sexually assaulted her in her apartment. One report I read said that she had “video” of the incident which allegedly occurred back in 2020. Watson denies the allegation; the NFL is “investigating” and will supposedly meet with the accuser. As of now, Watson is not suspended nor is he on the Commissioner’s Exempt List meaning he can still play for the Browns. But as a local disc-jockey used to say on a rock-and-roll station where I grew up, “the hits just keep on coming…” for Deshaun Watson. Best thing to do now is to reserve judgment until lots more info is revealed.
The Jets are unfathomable. Last year they won 7 games with incompetent QB play. Their defense made them worthy opponents just about every week. Now Rodgers is back and he played well – – if not spectacularly – – last week but the Jets’ defense was a no-show. What is that all about? At one point in the game, the 49ers scored on EIGHT consecutive drives.
No one should be surprised that Bengals lost their opener; they seem to start every season in the hole. Since Zac Taylor took over in Cincy, the Bengals are 1-10 in the first two weeks of the season. This one was really strange; Bengals were 7.5-point favorites over the Pats – – a team expected to contend for the overall #1 pick next year and they lost outright 16-10 at home.
Meanwhile, the Browns were dismantled by the Cowboys 33-17. Maybe Deshaun Watson was “distracted” here?
The Steelers beat the Falcons 18-10. The Steelers kicked 6 FGs in the game and won with their defense. The Steelers are the only team in the AFC North to win the opener.
The Vikes beat Giants 28-6. That was Sam Darnold back there for the Vikes completing his first 12 passes in a row.
The Panthers lost badly in Week 1 to Saints 47-10. Moreover, they lost their best DL, Derrick Brown, for the season with a meniscus injury requiring surgery. Could be another 2-15 season in the making?
The Bears scored 24 points in their win over the Titans so you might think that Caleb Williams led them to victory. Not so fast, my friend … [Hat tip to Lee Corso] Caleb Williams only threw for 93 yards in this game, but he got the win thanks to the Bears’ special teams and defense. Those units produced a blocked punt resulting in a TD and a Pick-Six in the fourth quarter. But a win is a win for the overall #1 pick in last year’s draft…
The Bucs beat the Commanders 37-20 in Jayden Daniels’ debut game. Here is an important question for Commanders’ coaches to ponder:
- Where was the Commanders defense?
The Commanders’ pass coverage was not existent, and Bucs converted 9 of 13 third down situations. Baker Mayfield was nearly perfect against the Commanders, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns; Jayden Daniels spent lots of time running for his life; the Commanders’ OL was awful last year and did not play much better than that last week.
Last night, the Bills rolled over the Dolphins 31-10. For what it is worth, the Bills have now won 12 of their last 13 games against the Dolphins. More importantly for the Dolphins, Tua Tagovailoa had to leave the game in the second half with a concussion and one report this morning said it could be 8-12 weeks until he is cleared to return. As of this morning, the Dolphins depth chart shows Skylar Thompson as the only QB cleared to play. That situation will not obtain for long…
Games This Week:
Raiders at Ravens – 9 (41): Both teams lost their openers, but the Raiders looked bad against the Chargers while the Ravens played the Chiefs to the wire.
Chargers – 5 at Panthers (39): Expect the Chargers to run the ball a lot in this game…
Saints at Cowboys – 6 (46.5): Both teams were impressive last week; between the two of them, they scored a total of 80 points. Call this the Game of the Week.
Bucs at Lions – 7.5 (51): Baker Mayfield torched the Commanders’ secondary last week; the Lions should be a much better adversary this week.
Colts – 2.5 at Packers (41): Malik Willis will be the QB for the Packers in place of Jordan Love here. Anthony Richardson is likely to be his erratic self in this game. It could be fun to watch, or it could be cringe-worthy…
Browns at Jags – 3 (41): Both teams lost their openers; the Jags kept it close against the Dolphins; the Browns were steamrollered.
Niners – 4.5 at Vikes (46.5): Both teams won handily last week; several touts have picked the Vikes as their “Upset of the Week”.
Seahawks – 3 at Pats (38): Can the Pats win another one here as the Seahawks face a body clock game?
Jets – 3.5 at Titans (41): Could be the Dog-Breath Game of the Week…
Giants at Commanders – 2.5 (42): Here is the REAL Dog-Breath Game of the Week…
Rams at Cards – 1 (47.5): Cards looked good against the Bills in Week 1 despite losing.
Bengals at Chiefs – 6 (48): Will the Bengals open yet another season at 0-2?
Steelers – 2.5 at Broncos (36.5): Can the Steelers score a TD this week? Bo Nix led the Broncos rushing in Week 1, that is not a recipe for success against the Steelers.
(Sun Nite) Bears at Texans – 6 (45.5): Caleb Williams will need to produce a lot more offense this week than last week.
(Mon Nite) Falcons at Eagles – 6.5 (47): This game was the runner-up as the Game of the Week.
Finally, words from Vince Lombardi:
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
Now close only counts in horse shoes, hand grenades, and CFL Football!
Marty:
Well played, sir …