Tavern Game of the Week: No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 3 Louisville

This Saturday night has a heavyweight matchup in Death Valley as No. 5 Clemson hosts No. 3 Louisville. It seems like for the last two seasons Louisville has consistently been a noteworthy opponent on Clemson's schedule, but more as a trap game rather than an early season ACC playoff game. This top five battle under the lights is triggering some memories from the one game day experience I had at Clemson in 2013 when the No. 5 Florida State Seminoles came in and Jameis Winston had his Heisman coming out party as the Tigers got stomped 51-14. Hopefully for Clemson fans, and for everyone tuning into this game, this one won't be as much of a blowout.

The main attractions of this ACC matchup are the two quarterbacks that have Heisman chatter surrounding them: Clemson's Deshaun Watson and Louisville's Lamar Jackson. The two stars under center are, in my opinion, spot on reflections of their respective teams. Deshaun Watson has been under the Heisman spotlight for months now, much like the Tigers have been considered National Championship contenders since their loss on the big stage to Alabama. Due to these incredibly high expectations, Watson and the Tigers have been a bit underwhelming despite satisfactory performance so far this season. I want to stress the fact that I said "underwhelming" and not "bad." Clemson's overall performance just hasn't quite lived up to the preseason hype. That's partially thanks to their way-too-close of a win over Auburn in week one, and they have not played a nationally noteworthy opponent since. However, this can obviously all change when hosting the No. 3 team in the country and the Heisman front runner on Saturday night. So I don't think it's quite fair to say Clemson and their quarterback haven't fulfilled their potential, they just simply haven't had the chance to yet.

Looking at the Cardinals and their quarterback, the phenom under center is a mirror image of his team as a whole. This team was ranked No. 19 in the preseason polls which obviously entails that they were expected to be good, and Lamar Jackson didn't completely come out of nowhere after he tore it up at the end of the 2015 season. But I don't think many people expected them to make Florida State look foolish, have the most exciting quarterback in the country, and be two point favorites going into Clemson. Although the Cardinals have only had one opportunity to play a "contender" when they hosted the Seminoles, they took advantage of their one shot to establish themselves as contenders by winning 63-20.

Clemson's defense has been playing great so far in 2016, as they've allowed only 219 yards per game (3rd best in the country) and 11 points per game (5th best in the country). However, the glaring issue in Clemson's defensive preparation is the fact that you can't really prepare for a player like Lamar Jackson. What makes Jackson so good is his ability to make electric plays in such an unorthodox manner. He's simply a freak of nature. I think containing Jackson, if even possible, goes much further than X's and O's. Putting pressure on Jackson allows him to scramble into a free-for-all attempt at taking down the best athlete in college football. And it goes without saying that a player of this caliber has the ability to take advantage of a conservative defensive strategy. Jackson has also had some solid assistance from running back Brandon Radcliff, who has averaged 9.3 yards per carry, taking it to the endzone on three separate occasions.

Part of me wants to say that Clemson will come out on top because they are simply a more complete team than Louisville, but that's exactly what I said before the Cardinals took on Florida State and made both me and the Seminoles look like idiots. However, Louisville did have home field advantage against FSU, and coming into Death Valley for a game with this much hype is a difficult feat. I've said from the beginning of the year that I think Clemson will win the National Championship, and I feel like I need to stick to my guns. This is a game that Clemson loses with Tajh Boyd or Cole Stoudt under center, but this is 2016 and the Tigers' offense is led by the country's (now second) best quarterback. I think the Tigers will find a way to cover (Louisville is 2 point favorite) and win by 4.

Now let's get pumped to watch some incredible football on Saturday night:



Also just a friendly reminder for everyone at home: #FreeKodak

MEGA conundrum looming Columbus Day Weekend

I should note, this is a conundrum that is not quite set in stone. It's a conundrum that seems far less plausible than the host of NBC's hit reality series "The Apprentice" becoming president of the United States, but it's a conundrum nonetheless:

There is the POTENTIAL for Tom Brady's return from suspension to coincide with David Ortiz's final game ever.

Here's what we know: the Patriots will face the University of Rhode Island's football team the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. This is signed, sealed and delivered.

What we also know is that Game 3 of each American League Division Series will be taking place that day, at times to be determined.

This is where the unknowns begin to roll in. First things first, the Red Sox need to win one of their final five games (or see the Toronto Blue Jays lose one of their final five games, three of which happen to be vs. Boston) to clinch the American League East, thus assuring themselves a spot in the ALDS. Not a big guarantee guy -- I've been burned in the past -- but I feel fairly confident in saying the Boston Red Sox are your 2016 AL East champs.

So let's assume the above to be true.

The next variable is one I believe we'll be accommodated on. I don't think MLB will schedule a Red Sox game at or coinciding with 1 p.m. There's historical precedence here: Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS was played at night following a 30-20 Patriots victory over the Seattle Seahawks, and who can forget a similar scenario in 2013, when Brady hit Kenbrell Thompkins for a game-winning score over the Saints a few hours before this.

Now again, this is worst-case scenario we're talking, but what if MLB doesn't accommodate the New England market?

And to go truly doom and gloom...let's say Rick Porcello loses a 1-0 heartbreaker at home in Game 1, followed by David Price getting shelled in Game 2...and the Red Sox are down 0-2, meaning another loss would equal the end of David Ortiz's career?

The formal question: if Tom Brady's return from suspension airs at the same time as David Ortiz's potentially last game, which event will your eyes be glued on? And before you scream "uhhh hey Lev, ever heard of DVR?" Yes I have. Doesn't work for live sports, and my landlord is too cheap to pay for it anyways.

After extensively conducting some market research yesterday (I asked two people), the consensus was, no matter what, football rules.

What's interesting is that my sample size was in what you'd consider baseball's go-to demo (late 40s/early 50s). My barber (Paul up at Pete's in Hingham, great guy and a better haircut) and former boss at Pro Sports, Keith (speaking of which, RIP in peace to Pro Sports; it outlasted Sports Authority) both said Brady's first game back, no matter what.

Last time I had to make this type of live-viewing decision was September 2013, when the Breaking Bad finale went head-to-head with a Patriots-Falcons Sunday night game. I went with Heisenberg's sendoff live and caught most of the fourth quarter, and I regret nothing.

Hopefully this is much ado about nothing, the Sox get a prime time game at 7 or 8 at night -- with a 2-0 lead over the Indians, no less! -- and Oct. 9 can put the Funday back in Sunday once and for all.

I'm on record that short of actually winning the World Series, I still think John Henry is giving David Ortiz a $34 million check to play next season (symbolism for No. 34). But juuuuuuuuuust in case the games are on at the same time and juuuuuuuuuust in case it really is Papi's last stand...no-brainer, I'm going with the Sox.

Tom Brady isn't worried about the Cleveland Browns, and neither should you. He's worried about Super Bowl LI in Houston on Feb. 5.

And if for some reason your Sunday gets away from you while celebrating the Red Sox win, enjoy your 87 cent iced coffee the next morning for some reassurance that the Patriots are 5-0.

NFL ratings (slightly) down and I'm weirdly ecstatic

Mark Cuban has already turned around lots of things in his career. He turned around the Dallas Mavericks, he turned around Shark Tank, and if the United States are still standing, he'll turn this country around in 2020.

If the NFL would be willing to listen to Cuban, he just might be able to save them from themselves as well. 

Back in March 2014, Cuban (in?)famously said "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. And they're getting hoggy," in regards to the National Football League, mainly a shot at the increased Thursday Night Football package.

Anyone who knows me knows that aside from the one Patriots TNF game per season, I will go out of my way to avoid watching that mockery of a product that masquerades as professional football. I'd rather watch the most generic, vanilla re-run of the Simpsons or Seinfeld for the 1,000th time than watch the Jaguars and Titans play on a short week in those cringe-worthy color rush unis.

Lo and behold, Cuban just might have been right. But this soon? It's been about 36 months since his bold prediction -- way off from his initial 10-year timeline -- and through two weeks of the NFL season...ratings for all seven prime time games are down, via Mike Florio of PFT (not 2 b confused width PFT Comenter).

Now this isn't to say the implosion of the NFL is anywhere near. The game Florio cites as the latest example of negative ratings growth, Bears-Eagles on Monday night, still drew nearly 10 million more viewers than the next highest-rated cable program that evening (SportsCenter, which followed the game). MNF received a 4.5 rating among the 18-49 demographic, while SC got a 1.3. The next highest non-sports program was something called Love & Hip Hop on VH1, which drew a 0.9.

I get extra giddy that the first Thursday Night Football broadcast (not the season opener between Denver and Carolina, which isn't counted towards the TNF ratings for some reason) dropped from a 7.5 in 2015 to a 5.4 this season. Before you say "well it was the Bills and Jets, what did you expect?" New York City is the largest TV market in the country. Yes, last year's Week 2 game (Broncos vs. Chiefs) was likely more compelling, but the Denver and Kansas City TV markets are the 17th and 33rd largest, respectively, per Nielsen.

I'm ecstatic for the rating declines, however minimal they may seem, not because I hate football. I love football, and you probably do too, be it the pros or college.

I do hate what the NFL has slowly been morphing in to, with an inferior product week-to-week. The Thursday Night saturation is only part of the problem, but it's a biggie. Forcing games in London, continuously proposing an 18-game schedule and playoff expansion (not to mention expansion of the league itself)...the NFL is becoming more watered down than "Sip N Dip" coffee, a gross chain over on the East Bay of Rhode Island (I'd rather drink Starbucks, for those keeping score).

Other than whoever saves the country in 2020, another storyline to keep an eye on will be the expiration of the current CBA between the NFL and the NFLPA. The CBA will expire after the 2020 season, likely after the 2021 draft.

2011 was just a warm-up between the sides. If you think the NHL's labor strife has been bad (and it has), and if you think the '94 strike that killed the Montreal Expos was bad...buckle up. I'm not sure how high up the priority list it is, but have you heard a single NFL player or coach talk about how much they love playing on Thursday night? One? One?

It's too bad the Red Sox already have the AL East locked up, or I'd gladly skip the Pats tomorrow night to do my part in declining the ratings. 'Til then, lets see if Jimmy G can 1) play and 2) pick up his third win, which will correlate to a third 1st round pick that he'll be worth.

The Face of Failure...Pending.

Rutgers AD in hot water for drinking a beer at a tailgate

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/17599106/rutgers-ad-apologizes-drinking-beer-tailgate-party-event-shut-down

The nuts and bolts of the story are the Rutgers AD, Pat Hobbs, was trying to calm students down at a tailgating event -- seemingly doing a pretty good job -- and someone handed him a beer, which he apparently tried to chug. 

An of-age man, drinking a beer, and they shut the tailgate down. Interesting. I couldn't zoom in much on the video, but it looks like it was a Coors Light, so really, he was just chugging a water to calm students.

Of course, when it comes to the Rutgers athletic department, there's been nothing but shame of late. The old AD, Julie Hermann, was found to have mentally abused players and coaches in her past, all while Rutgers was facing allegations of failed drug tests within the athletic department. Mike Rice, the old men's basketball coach, was fired after video surfaced of him literally throwing basketballs at players (this caused Gilvydas Biruta to transfer to the good 'ol University of Rhode Island).

The coach who replaced Rice, Eddie Jordan, claimed he had a degree from the school, when in fact, he did not. Jordan was fired after posting a 29-68 record in three seasons, causing Danny Hurley to turn down a Big Ten program to stay in my godforsaken shanty town of Kingston, R.I.

Rutgers football also rose to "prominence" initially thanks to the prowess of one Ray Rice.

All this to say, while Hobbs literally did nothing wrong, it's a great reminder that the B1G chose Rutgers over UConn for inclusion into its prestigious league. Jim Delany, the B1G's commissioner, is almost as full of it as one Roger Goodell. Almost. Just check this story out from 2013.

I'm not even a big UConn fan per se, but if you can't admire what that basketball program -- both men's and women's -- has done, you're out of touch. I guess some UConn administrators have pissed off B1G and/or ACC officials, sort of like how Brad Zeigler has clearly done something to John Farrell to not warrant appearances in big spots? Who knows. All I know is that program deserves far, FAR better than the American Athletic Conference. 

Then again, I'm not sure Rutgers is even worthy of the American. Until then, the Huskies must just keep fighting the good fight, hope the Big 12 comes calling, or wait for another round of greed and lust to go off.

Is Jimmy Garoppolo this generations Herschel Walker?

Gone are the days where the Mt. Rushmore of NFL quarterbacks, locked and loaded, was Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. That quartet was the top four in the game, in no particular order, from basically 2009-2014. Roethlisberger was generally the consensus No. 5, but any conversation involving the hierarchy ended right then and there.

The new wave of QBs, basically the ones drafted in 2011 and 2012, have had very, VERY mixed results. Russell Wilson has a Super Bowl ring but I'm pretty sure Malcolm Butler murdered the Seahawks. Andrew Luck is trended more towards this generations Drew Bledsoe than anything else. Love Cam Newton but he's got to prove himself all over again after that performance vs. the Broncos in the Super Bowl. 

All of this to say, quarterback play is down a tick at this very moment. Peyton is gone and Brees' Saints have missed the playoffs three of the last four seasons and are off to an 0-2 start this year. Brady won't play until Week 5. Rodgers had his worst QB rating last season (92.7) since his first year as a starter in 2008, and granted it's two weeks in, he's down to 82.6 at the moment.

Which is all to say even further, is it totally unreasonable to say that roughly 75 percent of NFL teams would have at least some interest in Jimmy Garoppolo? And if so, can Belichick handle this asset the way the Dallas Cowboys once handled Herschel Walker and set up (extend) a dynasty?

Just check out what Jimmy Johnson was able to turn Walker in to. And that was for a running back! A different time, certainly. Just something to consider.

A few variables to consider before I get to where Garoppolo would best fit:

• "Omg Lev he played well for a game and a half calm down" Brock Osweiler got a 4-year, $72 million contract from the Houston Texans after losing his job to Peyton Manning last year. Matt Flynn duped the Seahawks, Raiders and Jets into decent contracts based on one game in Week 17 of 2011, when he threw for 480 yards vs. Detroit. 
• Do I believe Tom Brady can play until he's 45? Vinny Testaverde played until he was 44, in a world without so much coddling of the quarterbacks. Not at a high level, but Vinny doesn't fancy me as an avocado ice cream connoisseur.
• This would have been about 10 million times more fun to write if Garoppolo hadn't been hurt yesterday, but maybe I can do the same thing for Jacoby Brissett on Friday morning.

On to the field, in an odds-style handicapping. These odds are based on the 2016-17 off-season as it currently stands:

Off the board:

Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, St. Louis Los Angeles Rams

These are teams with firmly-entrenched starting quarterbacks that have track records of winning, with age still on their side, or teams that spent first round picks on QBs in 2016. Just won't happen. If Jimmy G is on any of these teams come Week 1 in 2017, I will get a University of Rhode Island football helmet tattooed on my bicep.

10,000 to 1:

Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints.

Completely different reasons for most of these teams. Tampa and Tennessee spent top-two picks on quarterbacks in '15, so unless Winston or Mariota morph into JaMarcus Russell this season, they ain't happening. Texans clearly like Osweiler, but Bill O'Brien could be intrigued by a Belichick product. Colts just made Luck the highest-paid player in the league, but Jim Irsay isn't exactly the kind of guy who won't make an erratic decision.

The Giants and Chargers are on here for different reasons than those above, though still long shots. Giants fans, look me in my Internet eyes and tell me Eli Manning is going to win a third Super Bowl. I know, I know, I probably said the same thing about a second Super Bowl in 2010. But NYG has made the playoffs once since 2008, and did it with a paltry 9-7 record and a negative point differential. Peyton should probably keep penciling Eli in for Tuesdays.

Same concept with Rivers, who doesn't have the postseason pedigree as Eli. San Diego made the playoffs in each of Rivers' first four seasons (2006-2009), but just once since. 

Brees still puts up Madden numbers but as I mentioned above, that hasn't exactly gotten New Orleans anywhere recently.

5,000 to 1: 

Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders

Looks like Oakland (or perhaps Las Vegas) has something in Derek Carr. Gotta make sure Teddy Bridgewater's knee isn't beyond the point of no return; giving up a first round pick for Sam Bradford just doesn't feel right. Matt Stafford is younger than Eli or Rivers, meaning the Lions can probably wait another few years through his prime, but let's see how he does without Calvin Johnson; to be fair, early returns are promising.

1,000 to 1:

Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs

I'll be pleasantly surprised if Blake Bortles appears on Pardon My Take again this season. I just don't see someone like Tom Brady or Peyton Manning back in their youth taking time out to appear on a podcast talking about Wikipedia articles. Bortles is in year three, when you generally want to see some tangible progress being made, and through two weeks, it's not there.

The Bengals will ride with Andy Dalton forever because they are one of the worst organizations in sports. Dalton's really not that bad; he's a ginger Joe Flacco, really. He's a competent starting quarterback in the NFL. But while he's led Cincy to the postseason in each of his first five seasons, he's yet to win a playoff game. 

Kansas City is an intriguing dark horse; Alex Smith is 32. Andy Reid drafted Nick Foles as one of his last acts in Philly, for what it's worth. Lots of talent on this Chiefs roster, so if something goes amiss with quarterback play this season, don't sleep on KC. They did trade for the last prominent Tom Brady backup, after all.

500 to 1:

New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals 

The Jets have invested lots of draft picks in quarterbacks since 2013; Geno Smith aside, it's too soon to say whether any of them can actually play or not. It has to say something that they were clamoring for Ryan Fitzpatrick to come back that badly. Man was that pathetic. 

Carson Palmer is 36, and while he's off to a pretty good start in '16, this guy has only one career playoff win.

The problems in Atlanta seem to run deeper than Matt Ryan, who's similar to Matt Stafford in that he's had an uber-elite receiver to throw to (Julio down by the school yard Jones), but it hasn't translated to much regular season success recently. 

250 to 1:

Miami Dolphins

Ryan Tannehill is signed through 2020, but what if he's average-to-mediocre again this season? I highly doubt they blow up the Tannehill-Adam Gase combo after one season, but the Dolphins fired Cam Cameron after just one 1-15 season in 2007. No way the Fins can be that bad again...right?

100 to 1:

Dallas Cowboys

You know about Tony Romo; we don't really know about Dak Prescott, however. The Cowboys could rise or fall up this list in the next few weeks based on Prescott's performance. Jerry Jones isn't afraid to spend money, which separates him from Mike Brown, the Bengals owner; however, you could make a case he's just as delusional as Brown, keeping on Jason Garrett despite one playoff win (and appearance, for that matter) in five full seasons. Garrett is 41-41 since the start of the 2011 season, his first full season at the helm; that'll get you the 7-seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference I suppose.

Jones' fierce loyalty to Garrett is linked with Romo, which is to say if Tony can play, he'll be the only Eastern Illinois alum rocking a star on his helmet any time soon.

50 to 1:

Buffalo Bills

All of this depends on what happens with Rex Ryan by the end of this season. If he's gone, the new coach will likely want his own guy, meaning Tyrod Taylor would be on his way out the door. Taylor is okay as a mobile quarterback, but he'll never be confused with Newton or Rodgers in that regard.

What Taylor does do well is limit his mistakes; he's thrown only seven interceptions in his 16 starts for the Bills. If he were on a different team, I think he'd give said team much longer odds of needing Garoppolo. But Buffalo is such a cluster you-know-what that he could be a victim of circumstance.

The Bills' quarterback history post-Jim Kelly isn't quite as dark as Cleveland's, but it's in the same stratosphere. I guess Trent Edwards is the best they've had? Maybe the one who served as Brady's backup in 2001 by the name of Drew Bledsoe?

25 to 1:

Chicago Bears

Jay Cutler wound up in Chicago in 2009, where the Bears have made the playoffs exactly once since -- and that was in 2010. I can't for the life of me figure out why they haven't moved on from this clown, or at least drafted a quarterback in the first few rounds to push him. 

It would be a homecoming for Garoppolo, who attended Eastern Illinois and grew up in Arlington Heights, Ill., which is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. 

Cutler is signed through 2020, but according to Spotrac, Chicago would only be on the hook for $2 million in dead money in 2017 and $1 million in 2018 if they should chose to finally move on from Cutler.

PS the Tavern recently hired a blogger who's somewhat of a Cutler fan:

15 to 1: 

Washington Redskins

Kirk Cousins is playing this season under the franchise tag, worth $19,953,000. He's thrown three interceptions in two games.

Where to begin with the follies in Washington...you could make a case Dan Snyder is a worse leader in D.C. than whoever doesn't lose (because there are no winners here) the presidential election in November. RGIII's knees are partially to blame for this conundrum, because it truly looked like things were happening there.

People in Washington have a long history of overpaying for certain things, such as the Louisiana Purchase, oil from Saudi Arabia, and documents from the Watergate Hotel, for starters. Their head coach, Jay Gruden, is currently too dense to move the best cornerback in the league (Josh Norman) on to a team's best receiver, instead locking him in to one side of the field. 

This franchise is way too unpredictable to count on anything, but there are talented pieces scattered about the roster.

5 to 1:

San Francisco 49ers

If anything...this is more likely a destination for Brady, which is another conversation for another time.

Jacoby Brissett would probably be a better option than Blaine Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick at this point. I'm no NFL draft guru, but I have to imagine San Fran already has its eyes open on the No. 1 or 2 overall pick next May. This roster has been downright depleted since the 2011-2013 run of success, with NaVorro Bowman really the only notable player still remaining and performing at a comparable level. 

Let's say Chip Kelly has learned from his mistakes in Philadelphia; from a sheer X's and O's standpoint, that would mean he learned cutting DeSean Jackson, letting Jeremy Maclin walk and trading LeSean McCoy were all horrible ideas, while replacing them with DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews was an even worse concept. 

If he's learned how to build an offense in 2016, he'll know he needs some wide receivers and tight ends to take pressure off the running back. Pretty elementary concept right there.

No matter the year, he'll need a quarterback to make it happen. Can't hurt that he's tight with Belichick, either. For about a million reasons, Kaepernick needs to move on from the 49ers. Gabbert is probably the worst quarterback who's started a game in the NFL so far this year. Although...

1 to 1:

Cleveland Browns

RGIII is done for eight weeks, possibly the season, possibly forever. Josh McCown got hurt yesterday too, which indicates Cody Kessler is about to become the 26th different starting quarterback since 1999. 

Go ahead, play this Sporcle. 

That really explains it all. 

I'd feel awful for Garoppolo if he were traded to Cleveland. It would mean that Week 1 win in Arizona was the apex of his career, with no chance to top it.

But it would also mean three first round picks on their way to Foxboro, all of which would be sure to land in the top five. Maybe even a few No. 1 overall.

And unlike the Bruins, who bungled the rewards of the Phil Kessel trade on a scale so grand it burns the eyes to read it, Belichick would make sure the return for Garoppolo resembled the return the Cowboys got for Walker.

Which means the duckboats can stay warm until 2030 and beyond. 

Springsteen Rocked Gillette Last Night

And I was nowhere near it. Also missed out on South Park live, which if you put the two events together would add up somewhere near the worst day of my life, but that's neither here nor there.

It was my first time missing Bruce in Foxboro since whenever the last time he played there before '08 was (I've only seen him twice, '08 and '12, so not nearly as much as it sounds by that statement). So I had my own impromptu Bruce show in my car, just tossed the Springsteen songs on shuffle and that was that.

I knew I'd regret passing up the show, but fortunately, I was left with an entirely different aspect of Bruce to consider: someone ranked all 314 of his songs, ranked from worst to best.

And to this woman who compiled the rankings, Caryn Rose, I just want to say props. Thank you for not telling me it's some B-side off The River or anything off of Human Touch. Thank you for not insulting the intelligence of the masses and going for a "Gotcha!" play at the end.

Rose, who writes for the Vulture apparently, confirms that "Born to Run" is Bruce's opus, followed directly by "Thunder Road," "Born in the USA" and "Badlands." You want to quibble with the rankings of those four specifically? Fine. You want to tell me "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" or "Dancing in the Dark" is worthy of cracking the top five rather than simply the top 30, I don't disagree at all.

This takes me back to a list Entertainment Weekly made of every Breaking Bad episode, ranked worst to first from No. 62 to No. 1. It was like the sabermetric nerds telling me Sandy Leon has been a better player than Xander Bogaerts this year for the Red Sox. "Four Days Out," some random episode in Season 2, likely isn't better than any episode in Seasons 4 or 5, with the possible exception of "Rabid Dog" (rightfully ranked last). And then "Fly" was in the top 5? Now that is straight up sabermatrician bogusness.

So one more time, thank you to a Rose, whoever she is, for not making a list just for the sake of making a list to #embracedebate.


PS-name me another blog that's gonna mesh Bruce, Breaking Bad and advanced baseball statistics on this fine Thursday. You can't.

Tavern Game of the Week: No. 10 Louisville vs. No. 2 Florida State

After a weekend of no top 25 matchups in week 2, there are a few noteworthy games between ranked teams this weekend. We ran a poll from the Tavern Twitter seeing which game should be the Tavern Game of the Week between: No. 10 Louisville vs. No. 2 Florida State, No. 19 Ole Miss vs. No. 1 Alabama, No. 18 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Michigan State , or No. 14 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Ohio State. The ACC matchup and the SEC matchup both received 35% of the votes, and I chose to go with the Louisville Cardinals hosting the Florida State Seminoles. It's nice to see a new face in the spotlight, so writing about Louisville seemed like a no-brainer.

Florida State is a team that has impressed everyone so far this season, mainly due to their 45-34 victory over Ole Miss thanks to a great second half comeback. The 'Noles trailed 28-13 at halftime before dominating the third quarter in which they prevented the Rebels from scoring while putting up 23 points of their own. In week 2, they spanked Charleston Southern 52-8, as you'd expect. The one glaring question in Florida State's offense, red shirt Freshman Deondre Francois, has not been a problem at all so far. Francois has totaled 681 yards and five touchdowns through the air, with 419 of those yards and two of those touchdowns coming against Ole Miss. And just to add to the positives for the Seminoles, Heisman hopeful Dalvin Cook has been playing well by running the ball for 174 yards on 34 carries (5.1 yards per carry) and getting into the endzone twice. Cook has also been doing some damage as a receiver, catching eight passes for a total of 110 yards. Cook's versatility is a crucial part of the 'Noles offensive attack.

Speaking of Heisman hopefuls, the Heisman frontrunner at this point in the season will be under center for the Cardinals.





The numbers do all of the talking for the sophomore QB out of Boynton Beach, Florida. Through two games, Jackson has thrown for 681 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception. But the numbers don't end there as Jackson is lethal to opposing defenses on his feet too. Jackson has tallied 318 yards and six touchdowns on 32 carries. That's an average of 9.9 yards per carry! This kid is an absolute rock star. Louisville's chances of winning this game obviously come down to how Lamar Jackson performs, and if he can work his magic against the Florida State defense.

The Seminoles' defensive hopes of shutting down Louisville's human highlight reel became less realistic without standout defensive back Derwin James. The sophomore Florida native tore cartilage in his knee against Charleston Southern, which could keep him out anywhere from two to ten weeks. This defensive unit has allowed averages of 21 points and 337 yards per game, two stats that don't make the top 50 in the country of their respective category. So to put that simply, Florida State's defense hasn't been spectacular so far, they haven't had to go against the most explosive player in the country yet, and their best player is injured for this game. It's kind of looking like to me that Lamar Jackson will be able to put up some numbers yet again.

Taking a look at Louisville's defensive numbers: they've allowed an average of 21 points and 311 yards per game. Extremely similar numbers to Florida State's defense, except the Cardinals haven't had to play a team of Ole Miss' caliber like the Seminoles did week one. And as I touched on before, the Florida State offense is deep, experienced, and can light up the scoreboard. Now that Deondre Francois has two games under his belt, I think he'll start to gain some more traction and improve to a new level, which we'll start to see in this game. Louisville's defense might struggle to contain all of this for 60 minutes.

Vegas has the No. 2 'Noles as two point favorites in this one, with an over/under of 66. I don't think a ton of defensive stops will happen in this game, so I'd take the over. In regards to the spread, I think Florida State is going to come out on top and cover. Lamar Jackson will still have a field day, but the Seminoles are a much more complete team. I mean Jackson is undoubtedly amazing, but Florida State has looked like a damn good team so far. Plus, it's tough to expect legitimate home field advantage at a stadium sponsored by Papa John's. It's certainly an intangible factor, but it's absolutely a factor.

Florida State and Louisville will kickoff at noon on Saturday (it should be a night game) on ABC.

For what it's worth, Louisville will be rocking some handsome chrome red buckets on Saturday.

We will be debuting our new red chrome helmets this Saturday for @CollegeGameDay! pic.twitter.com/dqTp0atc0m

— Louisville Equipment (@UofLEquipment) September 14, 2016

I'm usually not that big a fan of chrome helmets; a lot of the time they come off as obnoxious. But I think Louisville did a great job balancing the trendiness of the chrome with a simple design. The solid red with a solely white logo makes me like these a lot more than I thought I would.

So there's the preview for the Tavern Game of the Week. As always, hit me on Twitter for some college football talk @CalebBlackmur