College Football Playoff and NY6 Preview and Predictions

 

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After a crazy, unpredictable, and sometimes flat out strange College Football season, we have against all odds arrived at bowl season. Despite the ongoing pandemic, many cancellations, and some extremely inconsistent conference scheduling, the committee has chosen the matchups for the playoff semifinals and the New Year's Six bowls. Some may be controversial, and a few are much more interesting than other, but I'm honestly just happy that we have some college football to open up what should hopefully be a better 2021.

NEW YEAR'S SIX BOWLS

Cotton Bowl Classic

Oklahoma vs Florida

12/30/2020, 8PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Florida

Oklahoma won the Big 12 almost be process of elimination, while Florida limped into the SEC Championship game after a backbreaking loss to LSU in the fog. Should be an intriguing matchup, but Florida has the talent edge and should bounce back with a win here. 

Peach Bowl

Cincinnati vs Georgia

1/1/2021, 12PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Cincinnati 

Cincinnati's high-flying offense makes mixed with Georgia's suffocating defense should make this one of the more fun bowls to watch. Cincinnati skated through the AAC easily, while Georgia has looked flat at points this year and is dealing with a new rash of COVID cases. It won't be easy for the Bearcats, but they should eke out a win over the Bulldogs. 

Orange Bowl

Oregon vs Iowa State

1/2/2021, 4PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Iowa State

Second place in a weak Big 12 meets the surprise Pac-12 champion. Neither team is particularly impressive, and both have had some very questionable performances this year, with Oregon having only played six games. The game itself may not be too interesting, but expect Iowa State to cover here.

Fiesta Bowl

Texas A&M vs North Carolina

1/2/2021, 8PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Texas A&M

North Carolina's offense has looked absolutely potent over the past few games, but the Tar Heels have yet to prove they can hang with Clemson in the ACC. The Aggies meanwhile were passed over for a playoff spot for Notre Dame, and should be playing with a chip on their shoulder to prove the committee wrong. A&M should roll this game, bit expect both schools to contend in the near future.

CFP SEMIFINALS

Rose Bowl

#1 Alabama vs #4 Notre Dame

1/1/2021, 4PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Alabama

Notre Dame's defining moments this year have been narrowly defeating a weakened Clemson team and being destroyed by that same Clemson team at full strength. The Irish have talent, but it's not going be enough to take down the Tide juggernaut.

Sugar Bowl

#2 Clemson vs #3 Ohio State

1/1/2021, 8PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Ohio State

Clemson is an extremely talented and competitive team, there's not doubt about that. But I could say the same thing about Ohio State, and with the bulletin board material being thrown around by numerous media outlets and Dabo Swinney, I expect the well-rested Buckeyes to come in with a chip on their shoulder and triumph in a close game. 

CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

1/11/2021, 8PM ET, ESPN

Projected Matchup: Alabama vs Ohio State

The Pick: Alabama

God help us all.

NFL Saturday Preview

Embed from Getty Images I saw a Twitter post this morning that stated that this was the first time ever that we have had a NFL football on each weekday due to movements of games and holiday games. No surprise that something like this would happen in the year 2020 with everything that has happened with COVID-19, but the good news is that the year is almost over and 2021 is upon us. With that being said the year is not over yet and we still have some football games left this year. With it being the day after Christmas, now it truly becomes crunch time for playoff positioning as all three games have at least one team in playoffs contentions. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Vs Detroit Lions 

Even though Brady has looked questionable at times over the past number of weeks, he did look decent against one of the leagues worst defenses in the Vikings, who got smacked hard yesterday against the Saints. I expect Brady to repeat a good game against the Lions, even with an injured Ronald Jones. Leonard Fournette should be able to take the workload and help Brady out. On the flip side, Matt Stafford has been smacked around and riddled with injuries for most of this season. The fact that he is still playing this season is beyond credit so kudos to him for being an ironman for a losing team. This could potentially have shoot-out vibes going about it, but if D'Andre Swift doesn't get going, Lions will be behind the eight ball quick. No matter what though, give me the Bucs here and give the GOAT another playoffs...wild stuff.

San Francisco 49ers Vs Arizona Cardinals

With Nick Mullens getting Tommy John surgery, I expect this 49ers offense to be really bad behind the hands of the C.J. Beathard (if it is Josh Rosen however, I will be very excited since I was a huge Rosen guy). Kyler Murray has been dealing with an injury for a couple of weeks but has started to look better as it gets closer to the playoffs which is huge for the Cardinals. Expect the Cardinals to win and get one step closer to clinching their playoff berth.  

Miami Dolphins Vs Las Vegas Raiders

If anyone was curious, I started to type Oakland rather than Las Vegas. If the Raiders defense decides to show up today, this will be the best game of the day by a long shot. Tua has been pretty average in his games played this year and I guess that isn't a bad thing right now. If he wants to compete in the playoffs however, he is going to have to start booming sooner rather than later and this game has to be where it starts. Raiders are facing one of the league's best defenses today. Derek Carr will be returning this week, as he went out last week and will be starting today over Marcus Mariota. If the Dolphins lose today, they are most likely out of the playoffs which is sad to say since Brian Flores and his Dolphins have blown away everyone's expectations time and time again. A win here today for them knocks the Raiders out of the playoffs and keeps them in the hunt. I expect the Dolphins to win here today and ending the Raiders run for the playoffs.

NBA Christmas Day Preview

 

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We have another fantastic slate of games for Christmas this year. With this NBA season only 3 days old, these games will be an indicator of what some of these teams are this season. 8 of the 10 teams featured today are playoff teams from a year ago, and all 10 teams have big expectations for this season. Let's get into the games.

New Orleans Pelicans @ Miami Heat (-3)

Full disclosure, I'm a Heat fan. I think they're going to have another good season, and they'll hopefully pick up their first win today. This should be a fun matchup to start the day. Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans against Jimmy Butler and the Heat. Notice I said Brandon Ingram instead of Zion Williamson there. Zion is going to be a star, but I would argue that Ingram is more important for the Pels right now. Ingram is a lethal scorer and is a beast with the ball in his hands. There isn't anyone else on New Orleans that fits that description yet. Butler and Moe Harkless will probably draw the assignment to guard Ingram and that's the matchup where this game will be won. Butler needs to outplay Ingram, and Miami's shooters need to play better. Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson were abused by Orlando's Evan Fournier on Wednesday night, and unfortunately for Miami, JJ Reddick is capable of doing the same thing. Miami needs Herro to play a consistent 4 quarters and to at least keep Reddick in check. I'm gonna pick Miami as the home team today, and I'm honestly a little surprised that the spread is only 3 points. Don't be surprised if Reddick scores 30 points today though.

The Pick - Miami (-3)

Golden State Warriors @ Milwaukee Bucks (-10.5)

Draymond Green is out today, so Milwaukee needs to win this game. Golden State looked dreadful against Brooklyn on opening night without Green. Playing without him is going to be borderline impossible for the Warriors, they need him back as soon as possible. Both of these teams are 0-1 after the Bucks lost a heartbreaker to Boston after Jayson Tatum hit a 3 to go ahead with .4 seconds left. Giannis missed a free throw that would've tied the game and has now been mocked by the national media. The Bucks win easily today and Giannis scores 40.

The Pick - Milwaukee (-10.5)

Brooklyn Nets (-3)  @ Boston Celtics

The Nets looked like a juggernaut against Golden State on Tuesday night. They have so much depth on that roster, it's insane. When a team can bring players like Jarrett Allen and Spencer Dinwiddie off the bench, good luck. Kyrie Irving coming back to Boston would be a big story if there were fans, but there aren't. Boston is a good team, but they don't have the pieces to compete with Brooklyn in the playoffs. That being said, I'm gonna predict Brooklyn to come back down to Earth after that performance, but win in a close game. Jayson Tatum and co. will keep Boston closer than Golden State was able to at least. It's going to be a much more watchable game than the opening one of the campaign. Give me Brooklyn to win and cover the spread, but I think it'll be within a few points. I can see this one going either way.

The Pick - Brooklyn (-3)

Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5)

 The Mavericks are still without Kristaps Porzingis for a bit, so they won't have the firepower to beat this Lakers team. Especially after an opening night loss to the Clippers that has everyone talking about them. Luka Doncic is a great player, but there isn't anyone else that's going to kill you offensively. Dallas is a conference finals contender when they get healthy, but that doesn't matter for today. Kristaps is out, hammer LA (-6.5). This will be a fun game to watch, just not one that will be super close at the end. 

Los Angeles Clippers (-3) @ Denver Nuggets

The disrespect to Denver here. The team is coming off a conference finals run in which they eliminated the Clippers in 7 games. Now, Denver is 0-1 after a tough loss to Sacramento in overtime, which is not great, but I like their chances today. The Clippers are going to want revenge for their elimination last season and they have the talent to win pretty much every single game this year. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is one of the best duos in the league. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are no slouch either though. This is probably the best game of the day, in my opinion. I like Denver to win today because Nikola Jokic will be very hard to stop for LA, but the Clippers are the favorite in this game. You really can't go wrong either way here.

The Pick - Denver (+3)

The Real Problem with the Steelers Offense

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    Let us not mince words here. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense is as bad as ever. Everyone has their own scapegoat to pin this mess on, and I cannot say some of it isn't warranted. Randy Fichtner is obviously a massive problem, along with the coaching staff as a whole. But let us say you had to pin this all on one individual player on the offense, who would it be? Juju is a popular target because of his social media presence, but he is far from the biggest issue. For all he has done for the Steelers organization, one man is to shoulder the biggest blame for the faulty offense, and his name is Ben Roethlisberger. 

    I want to clarify that I was never one to put immense blame on Ben in the past. In previous years, he would be the top reason why the offense was as effective as it was. When Ben went down last year, we got to see just how valuable he was to the offense. Coming back this year, many Steelers fans such as myself had high hopes that the offense would rebound, and for the longest time it did in a big way. But I believe Ben bit off more than he can chew for a man of his age. When you're a quarterback throwing on average 40 to 50 passes a game, you can get away with it for maybe a game or two. Throwing with that much regularity is simply unsustainable, and the doors were going to blow wide open sooner than later. After what we have seen the past month, I can safely say they blew wide open. What seemed to be a dream start and a potential MVP season for Ben has turned into a nightmare.

    If you look simply at the numbers for the season, you can say he's doing fine. Look into the past month, and you'll start to see what he's becoming. Age has finally caught up to him, but the offensive system functions like he is still in 2017 form. Either the coaches have chosen to ignore it, or Ben himself is stubbornly clinging onto whatever made him great in the past, I cannot say. But I can say this: Ben throwing the ball over 40-50 times may very well have his fingerprints all over it. He is no longer that type of quarterback, but from what we've heard about the health of his elbow earlier this year, I believe Ben still thinks he has something left. And that may just be hurting the Steelers in the long run. It's sad to see, as in my life I have had the privilege to watch someone like him be the signal caller for several years and win a couple Super Bowls on the way. But we have to be honest, this offense starts and stops with Ben, and he's contributing to its downwards spiral. 

    The question remains: can the Steelers fix the problem? It may not look it right now, but yes, they still can. The way their offense functioned during the first couple months of the season was nothing short of perfection. Ben played smart football picking apart defenses with short, quick passes and they balanced that out with a solid run game. And for whatever reason they have chosen to abandon that since the game versus Dallas. It worked for a few weeks, but inevitably it was going to come crashing down, and that it did. 

    

    At the time of writing this, the Steelers came off a Monday Night Football loss to the Bengals, and they had a decent run game going. But that can only go so far as Ben takes them, and he took them down throughout the entire game. The receivers can no longer be blamed. Ben simply needs to play smarter and recognize what he can and cannot do anymore. This starts with running more than one formation. 

    There's debate whether or not Ben or Fichtner calls the plays, but no matter who does, they need to recognize this. This team has potential and talent on the offensive side of the ball, but they fail to reach that potential due to a severe lack of creativity. A majority of their plays are called from shotgun formation. Teams playing the Steelers know they are a pass heavy team, and with shotgun being a pass favored formation, it's no surprise teams have caught on. This part cannot be blamed as much on Ben, but again, we do not know who's truly calling the plays. Fichtner, at first, replaced Todd Haley because he allowed Ben more freedom with play calling. You can say Fichtner is Ben's puppet, but it's all conjecture. The main point is that this offense is fundamentally flawed, and much of the blame can be shouldered onto the signal caller himself. 

    As mentioned already, the Steelers have time to fix this. They do not have much time, but they have it nonetheless. These last two weeks will prove critical to the Steelers not only for this season, but next season, as Ben has already committed to playing in 2021. If these next two weeks prove to be the same struggles, I believe that commitment will be the death of the Steelers for 2021. For all that he has done, you can put no bigger blame than on Big Ben Roethlisberger himself. 

NFL: Contenders or Pretenders? Week 16 Edition

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With Week 15 being wrapped up we are now beginning to see the rough sketch of the playoff picture in front of us. As we approach Week 16, let us rundown each of the current 14 teams in playoff positions and determine whether they are a true contender or a plain pretender. 

AFC Playoff Picture

Kansas City: Contender

Plain and simple, Kansas City is the class of the league and by far the favorite for winning yet another Super Bowl. While they may not always look the strongest they can be, they are a very tough out. If you cannot play a good four quarters against this team, you are very likely not winning. The only thing stopping the Chiefs at this point could very well be themselves. 

Buffalo: Contender

While I did say the only thing that could stop the Chiefs could be themselves, I firmly believe Buffalo is good enough to give them a run for their money. The only issue facing the Bills is their suspect defense, who only a year ago were considered an elite squad. If they can return to form even just a little, they will be a difficult out for anyone within the AFC. Josh Allen is playing with house money and will look to prove something.

Pittsburgh: Pretender

The Steelers fell off HARD since starting 11-0. The cracks were showing for a little while before then, but finally the doors blew wide open. Personally, I have been an ardent defender of this team during the big winning streak. I always say good teams find a way to win. The Steelers still have the talent to pull off something this postseason, but with the injuries and the way the offense has been playing, it's hard to believe they'll pull of such a feat. Ben just does not look like what he once was, and he'll end up being the Steelers undoing. 

Tennessee: Contender

In my opinion, Tennessee may be one of the more overlooked teams currently within the picture. Derick Henry looms large amongst everyone's heads coming into the postseason, but make sure you do not overlook Ryan Tannehill, for he can beat you as well. Their defense is what truly worries me. Even with the names they got in the offseason, it has had minimal effect so far. If Henry can get it going again, they will be a tough out. 

Cleveland: Wait and See

Cleveland has shown that they are legit and can compete against the big teams, but with their inexperience in this spotlight I simply cannot gauge how they will do in the playoffs until they get there. They very well do well and win at least a game, but the AFC Playoff Picture is very crowded, and with it a good team may lose in the first round. Even then, this is a renaissance year for the Browns. They'll be back regardless of this year's outcome.

Indianapolis: Pretender

This may come off as a hot take, but I'm not quite sure if I can trust the Colts in the playoffs. Their defense is legit, that's no debate, but its Philip Rivers I'm worried about. He has been doing alright as of late, but considering his playoff history, he leaves much to be desired in that front. I cannot say how much of that was due to the Chargers postseason ineptitude, but it is his history nonetheless. The Colts have also played four games versus current postseason teams within the AFC, and have won only once (against the Titans). Forgive me for this take, but they have to prove something to me when they get there. 

Miami: Pretender

Do not get me wrong, Miami does have potential of pulling off a first round upset, but it's just too early. No one ever expected them to be in this position, so they are at least playing with house money at this point, but they need another year before they can consider doing real damage in the postseason. If they can hold off Baltimore from getting into their position, that will be impressive in its own right. 

NFC Playoff Picture

Green Bay: Contender

Once considered as frauds last season, they are looking legit this season. Aaron Rodgers is playing out of his mind, and when he's on, it is very difficult to beat this team. Give or take they've ran into some rough games like Tampa for example, but this team is who their record says they are. Anything less than a Super Bowl appearance will be considered a failure. Rodgers has only so many years left and they need to capitalize on any opportunity they have left. 

New Orleans: Pretender

Even before losing Brees I long suspected this team to be frauds and so far they are proving doubters such as myself correct. Brees has not been his old self this season. His age is finally catching up to him. The defense can only do so much. They may get out of the first round, but I do not believe this team can seriously compete for the Super Bowl. With that said, I would not be overly shocked if they did pull off a run. They still have talent, but they have looked suspect so forgive me if I do not believe in them. 

Seattle: Pretender

Their defense has been better as of late, but now their offense is now looking suspect. What was once a dominant squad has been diminished since the trademark debacle involving Russell Wilson. They can very well go on a run, and I will not be surprised in the slightest if they do. In the meantime, I still think they need to prove they can be consistent on both fronts of the ball before they can be considered a true contender. If they can fix their consistency, only then will they be a force to be reckoned with. 

Washington: Pretender

They are not going to make a big run, but I will not be shocked if they pull off a win in the first round. That's as far as they will go though. Washington has proved many people wrong this season. Their defense has been totally rebuilt and is now an elite force among the league. While Alex Smith is a good solid QB option for now, they need to find their quarterback of the future. They do not think it's Haskins, so who it is will be up for debate within the next couple of seasons. 

Los Angeles Rams: Wait and See

The Los Angeles Rams are an enigma. One week they look like the class of the NFC. The next, they are a disorganized mess. The past couple weeks is a microcosm of their season as a whole, blowing out the Patriots one week just to lose to the winless Jets the next. They clearly have the talent to make a run, but can they put it together come playoff time? That is the question, and thus why I have them as a "wait and see" kind of team. I'll reserve any future judgements of them until the postseason.

Tampa Bay: Wait and See

To be honest, the entire NFC should be treated with a "wait and see" approach because there is no distinctive "top teams" besides the Green Bay Packers. The same goes for Tampa Bay. They have all the talent to do it. Their defense has stepped up. Their offense is at least improved from the horrors of Famous Jameis and his turnover bakery. Consistency remains the key flaw with them with many other NFC teams. We know what Brady is capable of come playoff time, but will we see the Brady of the past or the withered husk of what he once was like we saw versus Tennessee last season. Until we see them in the postseason, I must reserve my judgement of them. 

Arizona: Pretender

They are not quite ready to be considered a contender yet. They have all the pieces, and it will be a year or two before they truly establish themselves as true contenders. Kyler Murray looks to be worth dumping Josh Rosen after just a year, and the Hopkins trade has paid off massively. Maybe they can pull off a first round victory, but do not expect them to make a Super Bowl run quite yet.  

New Years Six Bowl Games

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The college football regular season has come to an end and while many bowl games and teams have decided to opt out (we will get to those bowl games later). We are here to talk about the 6 big bowl games in college, and that's the NY6 bowl games

Alabama vs ND: The Rose bowl

This is the first of 2 semi-finals, while this game, the grand daddy of them all is almost always played in the Rose Bowl Stadium is beautiful Pasadena, California, but thanks to covid, that game has been moved to Jerry's World in Texas. Now usually Bama would of picked to play in the sugar bowl seeing how it's closer for their fans, but since Texas will allow more fans then Louisiana, they get to play in this bowl game. Now as for the game itself, Alabama's defense is still very sus don't get me wrong, but Bama's offense is definitely for real. Najee Harris is the best running back in college and Smith is one of the best WR's in the country, and Bama may be getting Waddle back which would just make that offense even more scary. As for ND, they face a lot of criticism for being in this game, but personally, they deserved it for them beating UNC and for their one win against a depleted Clemson team was enough to keep them in.  This game has already opened as Alabama as a 17.5 point favorite against ND, and I believe Alabama wins this game easily. 

Clemson vs Ohio State: The Sugar Bowl

A rematch of last year's very exciting Fiesta Bowl between these two teams should definitely live up to the hype. Ohio State's offense is definitely good, and having Sermon find his feet in this offense helps as well. What is still questionable with this team is Fields has been inconsistent and might be missing his star WR in Olave which would hurt. But this defense is still very talented. As for the team they are facing, Clemson is such a good football team. I feel like they are an evenly balanced football team on both sides of the ball. Trevor Lawrence continues to show why he is going to be playing for the jets next year, and this defense is so talented. As it just oozes with NFL talent. Clemson has opened this game as a 6.5 point favorite to start this game, and I feel Ohio State could cover this spread easy. With the big ten changing their covid rules again for the conference, Ohio State could get even more players back for this semi-final.

Texas A&M vs UNC: The Orange Bowl

Texas A&M feels like they were robbed of a spot in the playoffs and I'm not really sure if I agree. They did beat Florida in a thrilling game early in the year, but they also got beat up by Alabama as well. Kellen Mond and Jimbo Fisher are going to be out for blood in this game to show the committee they made the wrong choice. As for UNC, Mac Brown is leading this team from the grave and is trying to build a powerhouse to compete with Clemson in the ACC, and a win against a good A&M team would surely help his team in recruiting and help build for the future. I do still feel that it is early and need one more year till they are ready, so I like A&M in this game. 

Oklahoma vs Florida: The Cotton Bowl

Oklahoma has come a long way since the beginning of the year. They rebounded from a 1-2 start to win the Big 12  and avenge their loss this season to Iowa State. Spencer Rattler is showing why he was the top QB recruit out of school. Alex Grinch, the defensive coordinator for Oklahoma, also has his defense playing much better than the start of the year. The improvement of this team is very much obvious. A team trending in the opposite direction is Florida. Still a very good team, but they have taken two tough L's in a row. Kyle Trask will be playing in the NFL soon. Now Kyle Pitts has already said he won't be playing in this game, and I'll be curious to see who else doesn't play. This game will be a shootout between these two offenses and the game will come down to which defense makes the most stops. I feel like Florida could make enough stops in this game to win, unless more players opt out. Then, Oklahoma could win this game. But until I see Oklahoma win a big game, I say Florida.

Georgia vs Cincy: The Peach Bowl

Georgia is coming off a season that isn't usually up to their standards, so they are looking forward to getting this year done and over with. Georgia has finally figured out that Daniels is much better than the mailman. Ever since that change Georgia has been a different team, and their offense is finally in rhythm. This is still a very good team under Kirby Smart. Cincy is coming into this game as the Group of 5 representative and will look to prove that the committee also disrespected them by not even considering them for a top 6 spot. In the NY6 bowl games the group of 5 teams are 3-3, and they love to play the underdog role. Luke Fickel will have his team ready to play, but at the end of the day, Georgia has way more talent and depth then Cincy, and because JT Daniels is playing, I have to go with UGA here. 

Iowa State vs Oregon: The Fiesta Bowl

Iowa State is coming off another great year with Matt Campbell and Brock Purdy at Iowa State. Breece Hall was also a very good running back this year in the NCAA. Iowa State will look to finish off one of their best seasons with a NY6 bowl game win. Oregon wasn't even suppose to be in this situation originally. USC and Washington was supposed to play in the PAC-12 championship game, but due to covid in the Washington program, Oregon got to play USC instead. They ended up upsetting USC in the championship game. This should be a very good game between 2 very good coaches and I honestly think this game could go either way. Oregon brings in the talent every year, while Iowa State just plays tough football and can compete with a lot of teams in the country. So if I had to pick someone today I'll just say Iowa State cause I like this underdog. 

College Football Playoff Rankings - Instant Reaction

 

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ESPN just announced the top 6 in the latest edition of the CFP Rankings and I have thoughts. 

1. Alabama (11-0)

    Shocker. This one was obvious and they're clearly the number one team right now. Nothing more to say about this one.

2. Clemson (10-1) 

    Another shocker. They avenged their one loss to Notre Dame in the ACC Conference Championship yesterday and like Alabama, nobody is questioning this placement. They're easily one of the two best teams in college football and they deserve the 2nd seed here.

3. Ohio State (6-0)

    I don't think anyone is surprised by this ranking, but I personally don't think they deserve it. A six game season isn't enough to put a team in the top 4, in my opinion. They have a few solid wins over Indiana and Northwestern, I just don't think there's a large enough sample size to really consider them for the playoff. They're probably better than Oklahoma, so at least that's something.

4. Notre Dame (10-1) 

    Whatever. I guess they probably have a better resume than Texas A&M, but nobody wants to watch Notre Dame get demolished in a postseason game again. They got completely embarrassed by Clemson on ABC yesterday and now we get to watch it happen again versus Alabama. Awesome!

5. Texas A&M (10-1)

    I'm disappointed that they didn't make it, but it honestly doesn't matter. Whoever got the 4 seed was going to job to Bama anyway. I'd like to see some new teams make the playoff at some point. It feels like it's always the same five or six schools and A&M would've been a nice change of pace. 

6. Oklahoma (10-2)

    Get out of here man. I'm a fan of a Big 12 team, but this is wild. Oklahoma is not the 6th best team in the country and Cincinnati should be offended by being below OU. The committee always seems to love Oklahoma even though they've never done anything to warrant that love. Hopefully they go 6-6 next year so we don't have to worry about them getting blown out in the playoff. Their bowl game should be a blast. 

NFL Week 15 Preview and Picks

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Only three weeks remain in this tumultuous NFL season. Who will make the playoffs? Who will secure the ever-elusive first round bye? Will the league actually do anything about COVID outbreaks? Let's get into it.

Top Storylines:

Can the Steelers get back on track?

After several weeks of rescheduled games, a large accumulation of COVID cases and defensive injuries, and severely diminished returns in the passing game, the Steelers find themselves 11-2 with the reeling Bengals ahead. Monday night's game should give Mike Tomlin's squad a good chance to get back in the win column, but this team has many glaring issues to fix before the playoffs, especially on offense.

Can anyone slow down Kansas City?

Despite several turnovers and some uncharacteristically sloppy play from Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs looked like they were on their way to their second loss, only for the Kansas City offense to come back in force, scoring 30 unanswered points en route to a 33-27 victory over Miami. The Chief's offense looks as unstoppable as ever, and unless the Saints can trip them up this weekend, they should have the top seed locked up very soon.

Can the Browns recover after the heartbreaker?

It took 9 rushing touchdowns, several lead changes, a Disney film return from Lamar Jackson, and a 55 yard field goal from Justin Tucker, but the Ravens managed to topple the Browns in Cleveland on Monday night. Cleveland is till very much in control of a Wild Card spot, but their division hopes took a massive hit with that loss. Can Baker and Co. put this loss behind them and secure their first playoff berth in almost 20 years? Only time will tell, but the Ravens and Dolphins are both only one game back in the playoff race.

Who gets the last Wild Card spots?

With three Wild Card slots this year instead of two, the race for a playoff spot is suddenly much more interesting. In the NFC, the Seahawks, Bucs, and Cardinals currently hold the three available spots with the Vikings and Bears one game back. Other than the Seahawks passing the Rams for the NFC West crown, those 5 teams are the most likely to contend, though the loser of the Minnesota-Chicago game will most likely be out of the running. Over in the AFC, the Titans, Colts, Browns, Dolphins, and Ravens are all within 1 game of 9-4 and a wild card spot, with the Raiders trending in the wrong direction at 7-6. As the Steelers and Bills both can clinch a division title with a win this weekend, the three wild card spots are likely to come down to the second place team in the West along with the Dolphins, Browns, and/or the Ravens.

Picks ATS

Thursday Dec 17:

8:20 PM ET

Chargers @ Raiders (-3.0),  FOX/NFLN

Saturday Dec 19:

4:30 PM ET

Bills (-6.0) @ Broncos, NFLN

8:15PM ET

Panthers @ Packers (-8.5), NFLN

Sunday Dec 20:

1:00 PM ET

Bucs (-6.0) @ Falcons, FOX

49ers (-3.0) @ Cowboys, FOX

Lions @ Titans (-11.0), CBS

Texans @ Colts (-7.0), CBS

Patriots @ Dolphins (-2.0), CBS

Bears (+3.0) @ Vikings, FOX

Seahawks (-5.5) @ Washington Football Team,  FOX

Jaguars (+13.0) @ Ravens, CBS

4:05 PM ET

Jets @ Rams ( -17.0),  FOX

Eagles (+6.0) @ Cardinals, FOX

4:25 PM ET

Chiefs (-3.0) @ Saints, CBS

8:20 PM ET

Browns (-5.0) @ Giants, NBC

Monday Dec 21:

8:15 PM

Steelers (-12.5) @ Bengals, ESPN

Leicester City - Everton Recap

 

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Leicester City 0 - Everton 2

The Toffees put together another fantastic performance Wednesday afternoon against the 4th place Leicester City squad. Carlo Ancelotti went with the same lineup from Saturday, except with Robin Olsen in goal over Jordan Pickford. It wasn't a benching for Pickford, he injured himself against Chelsea while trying to cover up his only mistake of the match. Olsen was able to score a clean sheet today, Everton's 3rd of the campaign. A lot of the credit for that should go to the back four of Mason Holgate, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina, and Michael Keane. All four had good performances again, including a goal from Mason Holgate in the second half.

Richarlison opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a perfectly aimed shot into the bottom right corner of the goal. Kasper Schmeichel, Leicester's keeper, had a chance to make the save, but was too far away to get enough on it to knock it away. It wasn't a great strike from Richarlison, but it was in the one place Schmeichel would have trouble with it. Not Richy's best goal, but certainly not a weak one either.

 Everton's star holding midfielder, Allan, injured his hamstring at the end of the first half and was unable to finish the match. He had to be stretchered off the pitch. If Allan is out for a long period of time, Everton could struggle defensively a bit. Abdoulaye Doucoure was the perfect partner for Allan, and now Doucoure is likely going to be playing with Andre Gomes, Tom Davies, or even a returning Jean-Phillipe Gbamin for the next few weeks. 

Mason Holgate's 72nd minute goal was enough to put the game away. He scored off a Gylfi Sigurdsson corner, which was first headed by Richarlison, then kicked by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and then finally put in the net by Mason Holgate. It was as chaotic as it sounds. Richarlison picked up a wrist injury, but he was able to stay in the game and be productive. 

Andre Gomes tried his hardest to concede a penalty on Ayoze Perez later in the half. It was overturned by the VAR and referee Jonathan Moss after a few minutes of deliberation. It was such a stupid challenge by Gomes that it almost should've been a penalty just based on that.  Everton then went on to close out the remaining 10 minutes and secure the three points. 

Deciding on a Man of the Match for Everton today is awfully tough. I almost want to give it to the whole back four, but then you're missing out on Doucoure, Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, and Robin Olsen. Even Gylfi Sigurdsson could be thrown in there for this attacking creativity and solid defense. I'm going to go with Michael Keane though. He's the most important link of that group of defenders and he put together another great performance leading to the clean sheet. Mason Holgate and Richarlison are right behind him as the two goal scorers today. 

The victory today puts Everton in 5th place for now. West Ham could pass them in the next few hours with a win. Everton's next match is against Arsenal on Saturday. They'll be back home at Goodison Park with a chance to add 3 points over a struggling Arsenal team. 

College Football Championship Weekend Preview

After a chaotic and unpredictable season both on and off the field, we've (somehow) made it to championship weekend. Several games have already been cancelled as of this post, but hopefully we'll be able to see some good matchups this Saturday.

Power 5 Championships:

SEC

#1 Alabama vs #7 Florida

Saturday Dec 18, 8:00 PM ET, CBS

This game lost a bit of luster after Florida's loss to reeling LSU in the fog last weekend. Kyle Trask is a great quarterback, but Alabama has too much talent for Florida to overcome. Expect the Tide to win big in a high scoring matchup.

The Pick: Alabama -17

ACC

#3 Clemson vs #2 Notre Dame

Saturday Dec 18, 4:00 PM, ABC

Notre Dame won the first iteration of this game in overtime- against a Clemson team that was missing Trevor Lawrence and several key defensive players. While Notre are certainly has the talent to keep it close early, expect a more well-rounded Clemson team to pull away in the second half.

The pick: Clemson -10.5

Big 12

#10 Oklahoma @ #6 Iowa State

Saturday Dec 18, 12:00 PM, ABC

The conference that sabotaged its own Playoff chances early on gets to crown a champion this weekend with a spot in a NY6 bowl on the line. While Iowa St has played well this year and should keep it close, I expect Oklahoma's offense to keep the pressure on and pull out a victory.

The Pick: Oklahoma -5.5

Big Ten

#4 Ohio State vs #14 Northwestern 

Saturday Dec 18, 12:00 PM, FOX

The Big Ten East and West winners clash in Lucas Oil Stadium, one being an old stalwart and the other a pesky upstart. Northwestern has thrived on strong defensive performances all year, but that won't be enough against an offense like Ohio State. OSU has been playing with a chip on its shoulder, and that makes them even more dangerous.  

The pick: Ohio State -20.5

Pac-12

Oregon vs #13 USC

Friday Dec 17, 8:00 PM ET, FOX

After surviving a close matchup with UCLA, the Trojans face the Oregon Ducks after a last-minute cancellation from the Washington Huskies. Oregon started the season with high expectations but has grossly underperformed; expect USC to roll here.

The pick: USC -3

Group of Five Championships

AAC

#23 Tulsa @ #9 Cincinnati

Saturday Dec 18, 8:00 PM ET, ABC

The Pick: Cincinnati -14

Sun Belt

#19 Louisiana-Lafayette @ #12 Costal Carolina

Saturday Dec 18, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Costal Carolina -3.5

C-USA

UAB @ Marshall

Friday Dec 17, 7:00 PM ET, CBSSN

The Pick: Marshall -5.5

MAC

Ball State vs Buffalo

Friday Dec 17, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN

The Pick: Ball State +12.5 - (Buffalo wins outright)

Mountain West

Boise State @ #24 San Jose State

Saturday Dec 18, 4:15 PM ET, FOX

The Pick: Boise St -6.5

Best of the Rest:

* Picks ATS

Air Force @ Army (+2.5)

Ole Miss (-2.5) @ LSU

Minnesota (+12) @ Wisconsin

Illinois @ Penn State (-15)

Final Playoff Prediction;

1. Alabama (SEC Champion)

2. Clemson (ACC Champion)

3. Notre Dame (ACC Runner-Up)

4. Ohio State (Big Ten Champion)

Playoff Selection Show: Sunday 12:00PM ET, ESPN

Monday Night Football Preview - Ravens @ Browns

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 Week 14 - Ravens (7-5) @ Browns (9-3)

Spread - Ravens (-3)

We have a great matchup for Monday Night Football this week. The 7-5 Baltimore Ravens are traveling to take on the 9-3 Cleveland Browns. What a sentence! A Baltimore win would put them in a tie with the Miami Dolphins for the 7th seed in the AFC. The Ravens are coming off a win over the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday night, while the Browns are riding a four game win streak. Cleveland has gotten victories over Houston, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, and Tennessee during that time. The Titans are the only good team of the bunch, and oddly enough, that's the one game where Cleveland has looked strong. Their wins over Houston, Jacksonville, and Philly were all struggles, and those are games that great teams should win easily. 

The Ravens have had a rough season. It feels weird to say that while they're 7-5, but they haven't been very impressive so far. Their only impressive wins are over the Indianapolis Colts in November and the team they meet tonight, the Cleveland Browns. Baltimore won the last game between these two teams by a score of 38-6. Honestly, the game didn't even feel that close. Lamar Jackson has been good, but not as good as he was last year. It feels like they need another piece or two out wide to help Lamar move the ball through the air. A receiving core made up of Willie Snead, Hollywood Brown, and two rookies just isn't going to cut it in a competitive AFC. With the lack of weapons outside, they've completely relied on the running game again. It's worked pretty well for the most part, but less so than last season. This Browns defense has been pretty vulnerable when they have to play in normal weather conditions, so look for Baltimore to be able to score a ton of points today in Cleveland. Even if the weather sucks, the Ravens run game should be enough to get them on the board. 

Speaking of the run game, the Browns arguably have the best running back duo in the league. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have both put up pro bowl caliber seasons. Both backs have a chance to rack up over 1,000 yards on the ground this season. The last time a team had two 1,000 yard rushers was actually the 2019 Ravens, but the last team to do it with two running backs was the 2009 Carolina Panthers. Chubb and Hunt compare pretty well to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but I would take Cleveland's group if I had to choose. Baker Mayfield needs to take care of the football and hit the throws Baltimore gives him tonight. If Baker has a good outing, Cleveland wins. Baker playing well paired with that running back duo is a fantastic combination. I don't think this team is as good as their record, but they're a playoff team with an offense that can be lethal. I expect this game to be very close, but I have to take the home underdogs. 

My Pick - Cleveland (+3)

Pittsburgh Steelers VS Buffalo Bills Preview

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 Spread: Buffalo -1.5 O/U 48.5

We have a powerhouse Sunday night this week where we see the 11-1 Pittsburgh Steelers travel to face the 9-3 Buffalo Bills. The Steelers are coming off of an upset loss to the Washington Football Team last Monday where they were riddled with drop issues. Meanwhile, the Bills came out against the 49ers and got the win last Monday with Josh Allen throwing for 375 yards and 4 touchdowns.

If the Steelers are looking to clinch the division today, they have to be able to catch a football (shocking right). Luckily for them, they are getting some players back on their offense in James Conner and center Maurkice Pouncey, which is big for their run game that has struggled for most of this year. They are currently 29th in total rushing yards. When players return, more seem to leave. The defense has been taking hits at linebacker all year with the losses of Bud Dupree, Devin Bush, Vince Williams, who will be out due to being added to the COVID-19 list this week, and Steeler's fans "fan-favorite," Robert Spillane, who was put on IR this week as well. That leaves recently acquired Avery Williamson, Marcus Allen, and Ulysees Gilbert III. Not only are those linebackers out, but they are down a top corner in Joe Haden. With all these defensive pieces out for the Steelers, the "next man up mentality" is needed this week against a powerful Bills offense.

The Bills have been on a two game win streak going into their clash with the Steelers. Luckily for the Bills, they are pretty healthy going into this week's matchup. The Bills offense has improved this season with the addition of Stefon Diggs, who has been one of the league's best receivers this year with 90 receptions and 1,037 yards to go on top of that. He has not only improved his own game since coming to Buffalo, but Josh Allen's game as well. Allen is in my top 5 for the MVP race right now. If there is one thing on this offense that hasn't been good is their run game with Singletary and Moss. Both running backs have been ineffective this year with both having their fair share of fumbles this year. If they win this game, I believe the run game will have to be effective today and Josh Allen can help with that as well. The Bills defense has been effective with Tre'Davious White locking down top receivers all over the league. I expect him to be on either Claypool or Juju for this game and to shut them down for most of this game.

I think this will be either a one touchdown game or the Bills will win big, mainly because with the amount of injuries to the Steelers defense today. Give me the over on this game and Buffalo giving 1.5 to Pittsburgh

Pick: Buffalo (-1.5) 

NFL Week 14 Preview

 

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I can't believe it's already Week 14. We're getting down to the end of the regular season and I still don't think I know anything about most of these teams. There's a few interesting matchups this weekend that can shift playoff seeding around, so I'm gonna do my best to preview the games for today.

Texans (-1.5) @ Bears

Deshaun Watson has been cooking over the last few weeks. He's quietly had a very good season, albeit for a not so good Texans team. They've been much better since Romeo Crennel took over as interim head coach. I think that has more to do with Bill O'Brien than Romeo, but it's nice to see the Texans look more like an actual football team. The Bears are a disgrace. Ryan Pace has no idea how to find a competent starting quarterback. He's been in Chicago since 2015 and his best player at the position has probably been Jay Cutler, who he inherited. Pace's QB's of choice have been Matt Barkley, Mitchell Trubisky, and Nick Foles. That isn't exactly a great group of players right there. Trubisky and Foles have both played at times for Chicago this season. Neither of them have been very impressive and their play is holding them back from being a playoff contender. Trubisky is starting today, so my pick is easy.

My Pick: Texans (-1.5)

Cowboys (-3) @ Bengals

Honestly man, who cares? This game sucks. Andy Dalton revenge tour, I guess. 

My Pick: Cowboys (-3)

Chiefs (-7) @ Dolphins 

This is the early game that interests me the most. Kansas City has been a wrecking ball again this season, currently sitting at 11-1. The Dolphins have been arguably the biggest surprise in the league. They're 8-4 right now, which has them in a wildcard position. Tua Tagovailoa has had some flashes of fantastic play at the quarterback position for them, and their defense is one of the better units in the league. Kansas City will be a great test to see how good this Miami team actually is. I think the Chiefs will win, but I'll pick Miami to cover. I trust Brian Flores.

My Pick: Dolphins (+7)

Cardinals (-2.5) @ Giants

Arizona's struggles over the last few weeks are concerning. They should easily secure the 7th seed in the NFC over the Vikings, but it's looking like it'll be a struggle for that position. Kyler Murray being banged up has limited the potential of their offense, and their defense is still a work in progress. A win over a Giants team on the climb would be great to get them back on track. The Giants are coming off a shocking win at Seattle last Sunday. Colt McCoy started that game for the G-Men and somehow got them a victory. Daniel Jones is back this week, and that will help the offense score more than 17 points, hopefully. I'm going with Arizona because I don't trust anyone from the NFC East, but I won't be surprised if the Giants win.

My Pick: Cardinals (-2.5)

Vikings @ Buccaneers (-7)

The Bucs are the first home team to be favored this week. They're coming off a bye week and before that they were going through a rough stretch. 7 points is a lot for two teams separated by only one game, but the Vikings probably aren't any good. They have an unbelievably bad special teams unit, shocker, and their offense is inconsistent, also shocker. Kirk Cousins has been fine this year, I guess. Dalvin Cook is going to need to carry the Vikings into the playoffs for them to have any chance. The Bucs are a lot more trustworthy than a team quarterbacked by Kirk Cousins, so I'm gonna roll with Tom Brady and the Boys. 

My Pick: Buccaneers (-7)

Broncos @ Panthers (-3.5)

These teams aren't very talented, but they fight hard and are well coached. I like Vic Fangio as a defensive coordinator and that Denver defense is tough. Matt Rhule has done a great job of making the Panthers competitive this season with the talent they have. The Panthers are down Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore today, so I guess I'll go with the Broncos. I don't feel good about it though.

My Pick: Broncos (+3.5)

Titans (-7.5) @ Jaguars 

The Jaguars are going to try their hardest, but they're simply outmatched by this Tennessee team. James Robinson will probably keep them in the game for a little while though. Jaguars first half spread might not be bad. The Titans have too much talent offensively for this game to be close at the end. Derrick Henry and Ryan Tannehill are gonna put up huge stat lines on the way to an easy Titans victory.

My Pick: Titans (-7.5)

Colts (-3) @ Raiders

It took the Raiders until the last play to beat the Jets last week, so you would think they'll struggle this against a good Colts team. Unfortunately, you can't trust either of this teams to do anything expected, so I'll go with Vegas. Derek Carr needs to play better down the stretch for them to get back into the postseason. I think it'll happen. I'm a Derek Carr apologist, so it isn't my fault if this is wrong. 

My Pick: Raiders (+3)

Jets @ Seahawks (-15) 

15 is a lot of points to give to an NFL team. Luckily for Seattle, the Jets aren't one of those. 

My Pick: Seahawks (-15)

Packers (-8) @ Lions

I believe Aaron Rodgers is still the starting quarterback for the Packers, so I'm gonna take them. It could be -15 and I'd still go with Green Bay. The Lions are bad.

My Pick: Packers (-8)

Saints (-8) @ Eagles

The Saints are 3-0 under Taysom Hill, but those wins are against a Broncos team without a QB and the Falcons, twice. Taysom Hill isn't very good, but neither are the Eagles. Jalen Hurts is making his first career start for the Birds today. He looked okay last weekend in mop-up duty, but starting a game is a whole different animal. I think this game will be a lot closer than people are expecting because Taysom Hill isn't very good. The Saints will probably still win the game, but I like Philly to cover. I'm sure it's just because I'm an Eagles fan, but I think they can keep this one close.

My Pick: Eagles (+8)

Falcons @ Chargers (-1)

I'll never bet on an Anthony Lynn coached team. Especially when they're favored against a team of equal skill. This will certainly be a comedy of errors, but it's must watch television. 

My Pick: Falcons (+1)

The Football Team @ 49ers (-3)

This is another crapshoot. I don't like either of these teams to cover 3 points. Washington is in a playoff race, so I'll go with them.

My Pick: Washington (+3)

Steelers @ Bills (-2.5)

I think someone else will probably cover this game, so I'll just fire off my pick. 

My Pick: Steelers (2.5)

A preview for the Monday Night Game will be released separately this week. I'll do a recap on Tuesday for my picks and to see how they did. I'm expecting to finish well under .500 because I'm bad at this. 

 

Everton - Chelsea Recap

 

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Everton defeated Chelsea today, 1-0, at Goodison Park. It was the first true home game for the Toffees, as 2,000 fans were allowed to be in attendance. It's fair to say that the fans played a role in today's victory. They were loud and made their presence known to the Chelsea side. 

The game was very tight in the early minutes. Richarlison had a prime opportunity in the 6th minute for Everton, but he was unable to get much on the shot. The only goal of the evening was scored by Gylfi Sigurdsson on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute. Jordan Pickford hit an excellent longball that was played into the box by Everton's center forward, Dominic Calvert-Lewin. DCL dribbled the ball and was interfered with by Chelsea's goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy. Mendy's mistake led to a penalty, which Sigurdsson buried. 

Reece James created a number of scoring chances for Chelsea, but was unable to score on any of them. He was unlucky to hit the post on a few occasions. Pickford made some great saves on James and Kurt Zouma to keep the score at 1-0 in the first half. Mason Mount just hit the post on an excellent chance in the second half that would've tied the game. Even though Chelsea held possession for the majority of the match, they never felt that threatening. 

Everton's backline was phenomenal today. Carlo Ancelotti opted to play 4 centrebacks in Mason Holgate, Yerry Mina, Michael Keane, and Ben Godfrey. Holgate and Godfrey were utilized as fullbacks and were a big improvement over Fabian Delph from last weekend. They got up the field effectively and did a good job limiting Chelsea's movement up the wings. Michael Keane had a typical Michael Keane performance. He was able to clear a bunch of crosses from Chelsea's wide players and didn't make any mistakes. Mina had a strong game as well. He had a mistake in the opening minutes of the match, but settled in to play fine defense for the reminder of the 90 minutes. My Man of the Match has to be Gylfi Sigurdsson. He was the only player to score today and he was fantastic playing his natural position. Hopefully he is able to maintain this form in the coming weeks.  

This was a huge win for Everton. It brings them to within one point of a Champions League position for now. Especially after only getting 4 points out of a run of fixtures against Fulham, Leeds, and Burnley, getting 3 out of Chelsea is shocking. Doing it without their best player in James Rodriguez is even more insane. They meet Leicester City on Wednesday afternoon in another big match for Everton. 

College Gameday Preview

 

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Every Saturday is something special for me. I first found out my love for the sport during my first Penn State football game when I was a kid. Ever since then, my Saturdays have been devoted to this sport. This Saturday for a lot of teams is senior day, but it's also Army-Navy weekend so let's dive into this week's ballgames.

Penn State vs Michigan State: The Land Grant Trophy Game. An instant classic rivalry game that has been on the decline since Michigan State's football program started going downhill. Penn State should win this game easy because Lombardi is starting at QB. He blows, but hey, anything can happen

Army vs Navy: This game is what I look forward to every year. Now, I maybe saying this because of my parents being Navy Shipmen, but the pageantry of this game is always amazing. And seeing the brave young men play one more football game before they fight for our country is awesome. Although Army should win this game, I can never say that. So GO NAVY. BEAT ARMY.

Wisconsin vs Iowa: A game that usually determines the big ten west actually won't have any impact on who wins it this year. Northwestern is already the division champs. As for these two teams, they are still very good, well coached teams. They may not bring in the 5 stars like Clemson and Alabama, but at the end of the day, they will play a lot of teams tough and can compete with a lot of teams in the country. 

Miami vs UNC: The battle of 2 very overrated teams. Both teams are ranked way higher then where they should be in my opinion. If you look at Miami the only thing they have going for them is their defense. Other than that they are a dumpster fire. Their offensive line couldn't even block a JV team and that should tell you all you need to know. UNC is ok, but they still have to develop. And Mack Brown is doing a nice job of building up a nice recruiting class, but he still needs more time until they should be considered a top tier team. 

2020-2021 NBA Preview - Atlantic Division

 

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The NBA's Atlantic Division is looking to be the strongest division in the Eastern Conference this season. With the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Brooklyn Nets all likely to claim playoff spots again, the Atlantic should be a bloodbath this season. 

Boston Celtics 

2019-20 Record - 48-24

Key Additions - Tristan Thompson, Jeff Teague, Aaron Nesmith, Payton Pritchard

Key Departures - Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter, Brad Wanamaker 

Danny Ainge went conservative this offseason, opting not to pursue a big name like Myles Turner or Victor Oladipo in a sign-and-trade for Gordon Hayward. I think Ainge is going to be kicking himself for missing out on the reported deal with Indiana that would've sent Hayward to Indiana for Turner and Doug McDermott. Instead, Hayward left Boston for a deal with Charlotte that will pay him $120 million dollars over 4 years. Boston was able to recoup a $28 million dollar trade exception in the sign-and-trade, which is the largest trade exception in NBA history. I think that trade exception is a bit overrated by people at the moment because realistically, Boston is going to have to send back good value for a player making that much money. The options are limited, but that exception will be open for a full calendar year. It's something to keep an eye on during the season, as they could use it to add buyout players or expiring contracts at the deadline.

Looking at the players they brought in, Tristan Thompson should be a great fit in the backup big role. Daniel Theis is one of the most underappreciated centers in the league, and Thompson should be able to effectively back him up this season. The combination of Theis and Thompson is miles ahead of Theis and Kanter last season. Robert Williams continuing his strong play from the bubble would add another wrinkle into the frontcourt that make Brad Stevens' job harder. The other big acquisition is veteran point guard, Jeff Teague. Teague will fill Brad Wanamaker's role as backup point guard and should be an improvement there as well. Teague is also a great insurance policy in case of a Kemba Walker injury. I think the Celtics got better in the backcourt and at center, but their wing depth could be a problem this season. 

Without Gordon Hayward, the Celtics are left with Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, and rookie Aaron Nesmith behind Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart. Jayson Tatum taking a step into superstardom along with Jaylen becoming an all-star is crucial for this Celtics team. If those two players don't take another step forwards, the team will struggle to get back to the Eastern Conference Final. My prediction for Boston is that they'll finish top 5 in the the East, but not be good enough to win a conference championship. 

Brooklyn Nets

2019-20 Record - 35-37

Key Additions - Healthy Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Landry Shamet, Bruce Brown 

Key Departures - Dzanan Musa and Garrett Temple

Brooklyn's main additions to last year's roster are healthy Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Landry Shamet will definitely find a place in their rotation as well. If this Nets team can stay healthy, there aren't a lot of teams that can compete with their big two of Durant and Kyrie. Especially when they have some great pieces around their stars with Spencer Dinwiddie, Jarrett Allen, DeAndre Jordan, and Caris Levert. The Nets are going to have a very strong rotation this year. 

The biggest question for this upcoming season has to be the coaching of Steve Nash. Nash had served as a consultant for Golden State during Durant's time there, but hiring him as a head coach is an odd move. He has no coaching experience in the NBA and it feels like he was hired to please Durant. I believe in Steve Nash as a coach, just not for this year. Mike D'Antoni will help Nash improve throughout the season and certainly for the future, but I have trouble trusting a first year coach in the NBA. Especially when the East is full of strong teams this year. 

Brooklyn will look to be a top 5 seed as well this season. They clearly have the talent to secure home court in the East. Injuries are a real concern though, and the development of players like Jarrett Allen and Caris Levert will be important in case of injury. This could all change if they acquire James Harden, but that hasn't happened yet, so I'll say they're a playoff team that won't win a championship this season. For now. 

New York Knicks 

2019-20 Record - 21-45

Key Additions - Obi Toppin, Austin Rivers, Nerlens Noel, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Key Departures - Bobby Portis, Damyean Dotson, Mo Harkless, Taj Gibson

The Knicks are probably going to be really bad again this year. Tom Thibodeau is now their coach, which is a bold move. The guy ran Jimmy Butler out of town in Minnesota a few years ago because of his inability to motivate Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns to live up to their potential. He also got fired because his teams sucked. He won't have control of basketball operations in New York, so at least Knicks fans won't have to worry about that.

They certainly had a much better offseason than last year as they didn't sign 12 power forwards. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be a solid pickup on the wing and his defensive ability will be important going up against the likes of Kevin Durant, Pascal Siakam, Jayson Tatum, and Ben Simmons in the division. Nerlens Noel is a fine center to play big minutes when Mitchell Robinson gets into foul trouble almost every game. Obi Toppin was a great pick at #8 and he has tons of potential as an athletic big alongside Robinson. Austin Rivers will be a solid rotation player for this squad too. None of these guys will be superstars this year, but they should all fill roles on this team.

The progression of RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson into bonafide stars is really the only way for this team to be successful in 2021. I think both of these are unlikely to happen right now, so they aren't making the playoffs. Get a real point guard and we'll talk next summer. 

Philadelphia 76ers

2019-20 Record - 43-30

Key Additions - Danny Green, Seth Curry, Dwight Howard, Doc Rivers, Tyrese Maxey, Daryl Morey 

Key Departures - Al Horford, Brett Brown, Josh Richardson

The Philadelphia 76ers' decision to replace Brett Brown with Doc Rivers is the most notable move here. Finding a taker for Al Horford's contract was nice, but Brown held the team back last season with his poor tactics and game management. Doc Rivers is a proven coach in the league and even though his last stop with the Clippers didn't result in a championship, he was a good choice to turn this team around. Combining the Doc hiring with Daryl Morey heading up basketball operations, the Sixers went from a bottom tier front office to an excellent one. 

Bringing in tested veterans like Danny Green and Dwight Howard was a great decision by Morey. I'm really high on Danny Green in this system. He's the perfect kind of wing player to throw in their starting lineup alongside Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris. He'll hit open threes and play good defense. It's a perfect fit. Dwight Howard will serve as Embiid's backup and that's a huge improvement over Kyle O'Quinn. This Sixers roster is so much deeper than last year's.

The only move that confused me a bit was trading Josh Richardson for Seth Curry, but that could be because of my love for J-Rich. While he didn't have an incredible season in Philly, I thought he was pretty consistent as the fourth or fifth option on offense, and his defense remained at a high level. Seth Curry is a much better offensive player than Richardson, but is undersized at the shooting guard position. I imagine that they'll roll with Simmons, Curry, Green, Harris, and Embiid as a starting lineup. Simmons and Green should be able to cover up for Curry defensively, and that unit should have more spacing than the lineups from last season.

Like Brooklyn, the Sixers are in the conversation for James Harden. That would completely change their ceiling for the upcoming season and could make them a legit title contender. Of course, it depends what they would trade for Harden, but I trust Morey to make the right move. As currently constructed, this Sixers team is a contender for the Conference Finals. I'd consider them to be a dark horse title contender for this season. 

Toronto Raptors 

2019-20 Record - 53-19

Key Additions - Aron Baynes and DeAndre' Bembry 

Key Departures - Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Nate Bjorkgren

The Raptors are a tough team to predict this season. Last year, they lost Kawhi Leonard in free agency and, everyone had the Raptors finishing in the 6-7 range in the East. Of course, they went 53-19 without Kawhi. Led by Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry, they were a legit contender again last season. Now, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka are gone too. This leaves newcomers Aron Baynes and Alex Len as their depth at the center position. That's a huge downgrade. 

Kyle Lowry and Fred VavVleet are both back, which should help them have a strong backcourt again this season. The emergence of OG Anunoby as a defensive stopper and reliable shooter helped this team reach the second round, but they're gonna need Anunoby and Pascal Siakam to take another leap this year to get there again. I think it's unlikely, but Siakam has proven everyone wrong in the past, so I'm not ready to call it yet. 

This iteration of the Toronto, or should I say the Tampa Raptors, screams 6 seed to me. However, with Nick Nurse at the helm, I wouldn't be that surprised by a top 4 finish in the East. I don't think this team makes it out of the first round though. It's all about signing Giannis next summer. 

Patriots @ Rams Recap

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Rams 24 - Patriots 3

The New England Patriots are finished. Done. Season over. Cam Akers singlehandedly embarrassed the New England defense by putting up 177 yards on the ground. Jared Goff managed the game effectively and with Akers going off, he didn't need to do much else.  This game was a real coming out party for Cam Akers and this performance establishes him as the lead back out of the Rams' backfield. 

The Patriots offense was a disaster. Cam Newton was under pressure from Aaron Donald and company all night long. Even when he had time to process his reads, there wasn't much going on downfield. Cam was benched in the 4th quarter for Jarrett Stidham, who was also getting drilled on every dropback. Damien Harris and Sony Michel were able to get something going on the ground, but it didn't matter. The passing game was nonexistent tonight. Newton finished with 119 yards and 1 interception. They just didn't do enough offensively to make it a competitive game. Speaking of nonexistent, New England's run defense was just as pathetic as their offense. They were giving up chunk play after chunk play on the ground. The Patriots played as poorly as possible tonight. It didn't feel like a Belichick team at all. 

Los Angeles has to be feeling great about their performance tonight. The run defense is really the only concern to take away from the game, and that wasn't even terrible. I was very harsh on Jared Goff in my preview and even though he didn't really do much, he didn't cost LA the game either. An easy victory for the Rams and it was never really close. 

My Patriots +4.5 pick was very wrong and that's on me. I'll work on it for next week. 

Vince Williams Placed on COVID List

 

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The Steelers are now down both of their Week 1 middle linebackers for a few weeks. Devin Bush tore his ACL back in Week 6, and now Vince Williams might have COVID. Robert Spillane replaced Bush after his injury, but he left the game against Washington with a knee injury. The team being down it's original top three middle linebackers leaves Avery Williamson and Marcus Allen as the only remaining healthy options. Williamson, the former Jets and Titans linebacker who was acquired at the trade deadline for a future 5th round pick, is expected to start alongside converted safety, Marcus Allen. With a huge test coming up this weekend against the Buffalo Bills, the middle linebacker situation will be something to keep an eye on.

Thursday Night Football Preview

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 Week 14 - Patriots (6-6) @ Rams (8-4)

  Spread: Rams -4.5

We actually have a solid game for Thursday Night Football this week. It's a rematch of everyone's favorite game, Super Bowl 53! Things are a little different for both teams this time. Arguably two of the most important players from that 13-3 bloodbath are gone. Tom Brady is no longer with the Patriots and Todd Gurley is an Atlanta Falcon. The Patriots replaced Brady with Cam Newton at the quarterback position and Rams are using a committee of Malcom Brown, Cam Akers, and Darrell Henderson in the backfield. 

The Patriots have had a really weird season. They're currently sitting at 6-6, which leaves them 2 games behind the Colts and Dolphins for a wildcard spot, imagine hearing that before the season. New England needs to win out to give themselves a realistic chance at a playoff berth. With games against LA, Buffalo, and Miami, that seems unlikely. However, New England is currently on a two game winning streak including a 45-0 demolition of the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend. I still don't think this Patriots team is actually any good, but a win this week could prove me wrong. Cam Newton hasn't had a great season thus far. His best target has been Jakobi Meyers, a former undrafted free agent out of NC State. That's not want you're hoping for there. James White hasn't been as productive as in previous years and with Julian Edelman being out, Meyers is left as the main weapon on offense. The defense has been mostly unremarkable this season, however, they did just shut out the Chargers last week. What it will come down to tonight is the play of Damien Harris on offense. If he is able to run the ball effectively to take pressure off Cam and the passing game, the offense might be able to put up enough points to win. That and hoping Jared Goff decides to play poorly. 

The Rams head into week 14 with a record of 8-4, which puts them in a tie with the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West. The Rams typically win games when Jared Goff plays well. Unfortunately for them, he's had a very up-and-down season. Even though the team is 8-4, Goff is about 6-6 when it comes to showing up. They've won a few games where he's played poorly, but it's difficult to trust a team with a quarterback that sucks. The big question for this Rams team is all about Goff. Is he good enough to win you a Super Bowl? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say, no, at least for now. He's already been to one and Bill Belichick completely exposed him for the mediocre quarterback he is. I'm gonna say that the NFL's resident Anton Chigurh exposes him again tonight.

The Pick: Patriots +4.5

They suck, but I'm never going to get against Bill Belichick's game plan for bad quarterbacks. Never going to happen. 

Penn State Got SCREWED!

 

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The Big 10 removed the 6 game requirement to be eligible for the conference championship game today. I don't think anyone is remotely surprised by the move, but there's one huge ramification that nobody is talking about. Penn State will not be representing the Big Ten East in the conference championship game. This was also decided after they lost to Indiana back in October, what a game that was! They somehow weren't officially eliminated with the 6 game rule in play because they're still likely to finish 3rd in their division. Indiana is currently shut down because of a COVID breakout in their facility, so there was actually an outside shot at Penn State being the best eligible team from the East. That would've been a complete disaster of a game and Penn State fans would have been so annoying online. Imagine if that game happened and they won. I'd have to stay off the internet for months.  I'm just happy that we officially don't have to watch Penn State vs. Northwestern next week. Thanks to the Big 10 for doing the right thing and making a 6-0 Ohio State team a lock for the College Football Playoff. Hail to 2-5 State!!

The NFL is Incompetent

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This whole Dez Bryant situation from last night made realize something that I should've figured out a long time ago. The NFL is completely inept. They can't even get the easy things right. I mean, this dude has an inconclusive test the morning of the game and they all think, "eh, he's probably fine. Let's just let him play." Turns out, Dez Bryant has COVID. Not only does he have it, he spent the whole day preparing for a game and even warmed up with the team an hour before kickoff. I think every player on the Ravens has been exposed at this point, which is not something you really want. Some might even say that it's bad.  So what does the NFL do about this whole situation? Literally nothing. They just play the game as usual. The league needs to start taking the safety of the players seriously. It'll never happen, but it'd be nice. Shoutout to Dez for quitting though. That's some king shit right there. 

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