Let’s open with college football. Friday night is the start of the Big Ten Champions series. Nebraska traveled Thursday to snow-covered New Jersey so the Big Ten Network and FOX Sports can provide new programming, or, i.e., generate revenue. The game is meaningless. Injuries can occur, and the field will be frozen, with temperatures in the teens. And the only reason it is Friday night is because the higher-profile Purdue-Indiana game was cancelled due to COVID problems for the Hoosiers.
The other Champions games, Illinois at Penn State (after the Illini fired Head Coach Lovie Smith) plus Minnesota at Wisconsin remain intact. Michigan State and Maryland faltered due to COVID concerns with the Terrapins program (a week removed from their game with Rutgers). Moreover, Michigan could not field a team to go to Iowa City.
Not that ANY of these games matter that much. Besides, all of the games are outdoors—college football in the colder temperatures in December was not meant to be played. Which is why the preponderance of the bowl games are contested indoors or in warmer climates.
The Big Ten certainly knows this—the Conference Championship Game involving Ohio State and Northwestern is indoors Saturday in Indianapolis. The Mid-American Conference, based entirely in the Midwest, regularly holds its Championship on the first Friday night after the season concludes. That game is at spacious Ford Field in Detroit. Which has a roof on it.
Should I be surprised with the behavior of the Big Ten? Not a bit. Bullied into holding a season after first indicating its schools would not play, navigating through a myriad of cancellations, and then changing the rules so that Ohio State could participate in the Championship and then in the National Playoffs, selfishness and money are core tenets of an academic alliance which plays sports on a high level. It reminded me of a great commercial line for a defunct clothing store in nearby Union, NJ: “Money talks. Nobody walks.”
Also on the menu tonight is the Pac-12 title game, with Oregon playing USC in the LA Coliseum, where the forecast is for a high of 70 degrees and a low of 46 overnight. Oregon is playing only because the University of Washington, which had the second best record in the Pac-12, could not field a team. The add-on games for the rest of the conference are ,of course, meaningless; Washington State gets an 11:30 MST start at Utah; Stanford travels to the Rose Bowl to take on UCLA; and Arizona State heads to Corvallis to play Oregon State in the rain. Arizona and Cal were a pandemic cancellation.
Saturday has the more interesting games on tap. In addition to Ohio State-Northwestern, Clemson and Notre Dame tangle in a rematch fo the ACC crown in Charlotte, Alabama and Florida are indoors in Atlanta for the SEC title and Big 12 rivals Oklahoma and Iowa State will be very comfortable inside of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Three out of four are in a dome, and it is projected to reach a balmy 51 degrees Saturday afternoon in the Queen City.
So the winners are rewarded with plumb locales, while the has beens are subjected to the unpleasant elements. That doesn’t sound right, let alone necessary. Especially in a year where hospitals are filling up too rapidly to help the great influx of COVID-19 patients.
Look at Southern California. The hospitals have reached 0% ICU capacity. The elected officials are fighting a losing battle with the virus. Yet two collegiate games are happening and the Jets and Rams meet in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. What if there is horrific injury in one of these games? Where can they treat the youngster? Or a heart attack or stroke? Do the game participants receive priority over the permanent residents of Los Angeles County? Is anybody thinking here? Does TV money actually mean more than lives?
Shifting back to the games which impact the College Football Playoffs. Ohio State is a huge favorite over Northwestern. Which they should be. But what happens if Northwestern does the unthinkable and downs the Buckeyes? Do the #15 Wildcats leap over a number of other teams and land a spot in the playoffs? Or does a one-loss OSU team still make it if a lot of other things happen—like Alabama being upset by the Florida Gators and Clemson, now with a healthy Trevor Lawrence at QB, avenges the loss suffered to Notre Dame in South Bend when Lawrence was sidelined with COVID-19?
What happens if Notre Dame, Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama all have one loss? In that scenario, only Clemson is assured of a spot in the CFP as ACC champs. I bet there would be a ton of chirping from Aggie fans in College Station about why Texas A&M, ranked at #5, should now be in the playoffs. #7 Florida, by virtue of its win over Alabama, would claim the SEC spot is theirs. An undefeated USC team would say they are CFP worthy.
What a mess this could become. Which is why a four team playoff is untenable. An eight team playoff would give the governing people wiggle room for losses by top teams and still allow for some to have a second chance in the CFP. Otherwise, what meaning would the conference championship games hold if the winners aren’t seated at the table?
Additionally, there is the pandemic and how it can wreak havoc with the CFP. What happens if one of the chosen four teams is suddenly ravaged by the virus? Does that become a forfeit win for their opponent? And how can a replacement be ready for such an important game—even if they are practicing to participate in a bowl game later this month or on January 1?
For me, this creates such a distaste of the present system. If the NCAA cancelled March Madness, then the college football barons could have done the same. Except that the bowls have too much say in what happens, and they are very stubborn in refusing to see the bigger picture.
The CFP is mulling moving the Rose Bowl game, which is a CFP semi-final, away from Pasadena. Not because of the pandemic reaching so many individuals in Southern California like I had previously stated. The Rose Parade has sought a waiver to proceed, but has not yet heard whether that can go on.
No, it is because the 10 FBS Commissioners and Notre Dame’s AD are troubled by “parents of student-athletes that they can’t go watch their sons play in the biggest game of their career.” Irish Head Coach Brian Kelly has threatened to withdraw his team from the CFP if there aren’t fans allowed. Really??
The Rose Bowl in 1943 was held in Durham, NC at Duke University during World War II. The logical relocation would be at AT&T Stadium. Which, if the game has to be moved, makes sense in placing a four teams in one venue.
Yes, there is chaos in college football in 2020. Not unexpectedly. How the next few weeks play out will be something to watch. And try to reckon with how decisions are made—in the best interests of who?
A subtext to the college football scene is the one year mutual benefit that the ACC and Notre Dame have enjoyed. The Irish are #2 in the ranking. By virtue of an unblemished record against lesser ACC opponents except for an undermanned Clemson squad, whom they have defeated. TV ratings have soared when the Irish have been on NBC and ESPN. Viewership in South Carolina and in SEC territory have seen significant spikes.
Which has caused pundits to raise the issue of whether it would be prudent for Notre Dame to permanently join the ACC in all sports. Surprisingly, Notre Dame receives $14 million a year from its NBC contract. In contrast, each ACC team brings home $21 million from their TV deals. That means Wake Forest makes out better than the mighty Irish. Those sums are paltry in comparison with the Big Ten, whose long-standing members rake in a whopping $52 million.
Notre Dame has prided itself on its football independence. They can pick and choose a handful of opponents, even if they are locked into five games a year with ACC schools as part of the agreement to join the ACC in all other sports. This gives Notre Dame the opportunity to schedule a weak team at home, a tough game here and there, while maintaining traditional ties with Navy and USC.
What those experts feel can happen is that Notre Dame can work with both the ACC and the networks to come up with a solution which keeps the games that the Irish want, puts them into the CFP picture via the conference (Notre Dame is seated with the 10 commissioners and has some preferred perks within the selection process, due to its incredible drawing power nationally). Notre Dame still has tremendous clout in the twin industries of college football and television.
It comes down to this—if the money is right, Notre Dame can surrender some of its football independence. They did it this season out of necessity; who knows what the landscape will look like in 2022, no matter how people hope there will be a return to normalcy.
Besides, in it agreement with the ACC, Notre Dame is locked into joining only one conference through 2036. That is the aforementioned Atlantic Coast Conference. Maybe someone can do something for BYU, too?
The NBA season starts on December 22. As of this moment, James Harden remains with the Rockets and has played in two pre-season games. TV hosts have joked that he looks heavy this year. He has admitted that he needs 5-on-5 completion to get ready.
Harden continues to want out of Houston. The talks have included an additional number of teams, but what the Rockets hierarchy seeks in compensation is exorbitant. I don’t think anything will happen this weekend, so start to anticipate Harden and John Wall to be the starting backcourt, no matter how much of a dark cloud the pouting, selfish Harden has been in the past and now, even more so. Then again, I would not rule out Harden sitting out the start of the 2020-21 season.
Please remind me of how many NBA titles he has won during his tenure in the league at OKC and with the Rockets—isn’t it 0? Just saying…he is making demands when his value is only as good as the teammates and coaches he has to work with. Even then, Harden has alienated a few of each.
I am happy that Giannis Anteokounmpo deicide to stay in Milwaukee. He loves the city, he wants to raise his family there, and it makes one of the small market franchises very relevant for a number of years.
I don’t question the moves that Lebron James made to further his basketball career and after his playing is over. LA is a media capital and the weather is suitable for year-round living. James still has exceptionally strong ties to his native Akron with his school and philanthropy, and he avidly roots for his beloved Cleveland Browns. Kevin Durant wanted to be near his medical support team and he sees NYC and national marketing opportunities and as a championships caliber club in Brooklyn. These guys are the exception.
Steph Curry wants to finish his career with Golden State—both sides are willing to talk about it. Again, this is rare. Will stars be willing to stay in small-to-mid market cities like Portland, Salt Lake City, Sacramento, or will they seek glamor in Chicago, Miami, LA? Such is the nature of the business of pro basketball.
College basketball is dealing with its COVID-19 issues, with multiple teams shut down, games scheduled on the fly and no clear picture of how the season will continue. The Big East continues to float the idea of a bubble at the Mohegan Sun Casino, their antidote to the coronavirus.
An unlikely venue has become a home to big-time college hoops. The Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota will host a game between #1 Gonzaga and #3 Iowa on Saturday. An article on CBSSports.com details how the management has taken great pains to insure a COVID-19 safe atmosphere through the study and advice of Sanford Health, a well-respected group that advises the NCAA on COVID-19 issues. Sanford administers the testing, meeting conference standards. Plexiglass surrounds the floor and team seating is akin to what the NBA did in Orlando, which was the model for this operation. An HVAC system circulates the air every 15 minutes. These guys really want to be part of the college basketball season, and they are most worthy.
Rutgers opened Big Ten men’s basketball play with a resounding win at Maryland on Monday. The #19 Scarlet Knights benefitted from the return of Geo Baker, who scored 15 points and guided the team at the point. Ron Harper, Jr. hit for 27 points and looks like a first round NBA draft choice. He has the pedigree—his father was an NBA champ and an All-Star and his mother was a college star who now is well-known in New Jersey coaching circles.
This was the first time RU has won a Big Ten opener. Plus this was a win away from the RAC, where they were 18-1 last season.
It is only one game. Up next is a more formidable task. #13 Illinois, the pre-season Big Ten favorite, is in Piscataway on Sunday. A win here, even if it is at home (although almost devoid of fans), will catapult RU into the discussion of the top teams in the nation.
I repeat—it is only one game, and this match with the Illini is in December, not February. What it does show is that Rutgers is apparently looking like a solid NCAA team—finally breaking the streak of no appearances in the tournament since 1991. Which would have ended in 2020 if they tournament was held. Finally, relevancy has returned to RU hoops.
NFL notes time. I enjoyed watching the Baltimore-Cleveland Monday night game. This game was an old-fashioned shootout, with the team that had the ball last was going to win. Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield was magnificent. But reigning NFL M.V.P. Lamar Jackson, battling cramps, trotted out of the locker room to guide the Ravens to the winning score after Mayfield had put the Browns in the lead.
Cleveland travels to the Meadowlands for the first of back-to-back games at Met Life Stadium. Their opponent, the Giants, will most likely not start QB Daniel Jones, as he was hobbled in last week’s home loss to Arizona. New York offensive coordinator Jason Garrett is sidelined by COVID-19. Last year’s Cleveland head man, Freddie Kitchens, who guided the Browns to a 6-10 record, is on the Giants’ staff as tight end coach, and he will assume the game-time play calling. Giants sub QB, Colt Mc Coy, has his own ties to the Cleveland team. Interesting subplots to a meaningful game for both squads trying to make the playoffs.
The Washington Football Team, the sudden leaders of the NFC East, host the Seahawks on Sunday. Another very meaningful game. Seattle QB Russell Wilson, a top tier player, has been sacked 40 times os far this season. Washington’s defense has shined the past few weeks, including in the win against the 49’ers in Arizona, when starting QB Alex Smith was felled by another leg injury. Highland Park native Dwayne Haskins will be thrust into the starting role in this pivotal game for both teams.
The marquee match is in New Orleans, where Pat Mahomes II and the Kansas City Chiefs clash with the Saints in the Superdome. Mahomes had a subpar game in Miami, throwing 2 TD passes but also 3 interceptions. Ageless Drew Brees may return from his broken ribs and punctured lung. Still expect to see Taysom Hill at QB in a number of packages, or if Brees is injured. This might be a Super Bowl preview. Of course, there are other teams headed to the playoffs, like the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills, who might be difficult foes.
Three weeks left and nothing is really settled. That includes the M.V.P. battle between Mahomes and Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers. There is a reason why Mahomes is the best player in the NFL—he leads a talented team which is well-coached, and he has an element to his game which Rodgers does not—he can run when needed to.
Rodgers has thrown for less yardage than Mahomes, who has passed for over 4,000 yards. Mahomes has 5 INT after his weekend in Miami. Rodgers has a better completion percentage and he has been picked off only 4 times. Mahomes trails Rodgers in QB rating and TD passes, 39-33, but leads in yards per catch. Notwithstanding the outstanding years Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen have had with Pittsburgh and Buffalo, these are the two top performers. Like the NFC East, the Mahomes-Rodgers battle will be decided in the last week of the season.
Oh, and the Jets will get walloped by the Rams this Sunday. In case anyone is interested.
Suddenly, the NHL has a problem. A pretty big one. The all-Canadian team division is in trouble with Canadian officials. The teams need approval from five provinces and the Canada Public Health Agency to conduct home games. That agency wants another Toronto-Edmonton type bubble. The NHL finds that to be untenable.
Just as the Raptors and Blue Jays had to relocate, albeit for different reasons, the
Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Senators, Jets, Flames, Oilers and Canucks might be housed in the U.S. for the upcoming 56 game season, scheduled to begin on January 13. I hope the NHL is seriously working on contingency plans.
I leave with this: Jeremy Lin is going to sign with the Warriors G-League team. With all the craziness and uncertainty right now, Linsanity, too?
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