I have my entire NYE agenda staked out in three-letter acronyms.
In the morning, CVS (I’m old) and HEB (A man gotta eat, right?)
And of course in the afternoon and evening, my attention turns to the CFP.
Cincy will test ‘Bama for three quarters before the Tide drags them into deep water. The nightcap intrigues me. Let me first concede that Michigan is WAY better than I thought they were going to be this season. More physical. Faster. More skilled. More focused. Much more mentally tough. And Harbaugh finally got out of his own way. The Wolverines are legit, and deserve to be at this table.
But it’s curious to me that almost everybody seems to have forgotten about—or just dismissed—Georgia. The Bulldogs were clearly the best team in the country until their inexplicable come-undone against Alabama in the SEC Championship. Four bad hours do not negate almost four months of dominance.
I think the Dawgs will hunker down. And there’s another reason I’m going with Georgia. They haven’t said a word in the run-up to this game, while the Wolverines are distracting THEMSELVES with their incessant yapping.
I’m ambivalent about that crucial overtime call in Thursday’s Purdue-Tennessee game. After watching the play a dozen times or so, yeah, it probably should have been a TD. But the whining I’m hearing on social media is ridiculous. That play did not cost the Vols a bowl win. They did not get “jobbed.” Did you watch the entire game? It’s now Friday morning, and the Vol secondary has yet to cover a receiver or make a tackle. (To be fair, Purdue’s secondary wasn’t much better.) Look, the game was fun. I enjoyed it. But don’t tell me that was a great football game. I would barely classify it as a football game.
Hold the mayo? Hardly. The line of the day was delivered by South Carolina Coach Shane Beamer, who was asked what that promotional mayo shower meant to him. “It meant we won.” That’s laser focus.
That quote followed the Gamecocks’ convincing win over The Carolina Rival Known as Norff. The Tarheels’ run defense needs to be Tarred and Feathered. That was embarrassing. Mack has some real problems in Chapel Hill.
We all know it ain’t easy being green. It’s difficult to look good in green. (As Exhibit A, I introduce Baylah. They NASTY!) But Michigan State rocks those threads. I don’t know why the Spartans ever deviate from last night’s classic look.
Fifteen Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists announced yesterday. I’m glad I’m not a voter. All of those guys deserve induction, and almost all of them will get in at some point. But I’m especially pulling for a pair of first time eligibles with Texas ties—Andre Johnson and DeMarcus Ware.
Big Ben says this weekend’s game against the Browns looks like it will probably be his Heinz Field swan song after 18 years. Yep.
More eyebrow-raising was Russel Wilson’s oh-by-the-way wondering out loud whether Sunday’s home game with the Lions could be his last in Seattle. Hmmm.
On-line headline: “Part-time Kyrie won’t affect chemistry.” Oh, I’ll take that bet. That pompous idiot never saw a culture he couldn’t poison.
Finally, get paid, Becky! Spurs assistant Becky Hammon has landed a five-year deal to coach the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, and will be that league’s highest paid coach. She will finish out the NBA season with the Spurs. I still like her chances of one day becoming the NBA’s first woman head coach. The stairway that ultimately breaks through the glass ceiling is long and steep.
Safe and sane tonight, friends.
