| Part one if you missed it | Labor Day Weekend is approaching much more quickly than you think, which is a horrible thought for some but an absolute delight for someone like myself. As I've done in the past few seasons, I'll be previewing some players to watch in this upcoming college football season. There is no particular order to these previews, just a bunch of dudes that you should keep an eye on from your couch this fall if you're lookin' to optimize your good time. Part two of five:
Tua is a prime example of one of those guys whose presence on a "players to watch" list seems kind of pointless, since he's so obviously one of the most talented QBs in college football that we've seen in awhile. But he's one of those guys whose talent is so worthy of making sure the masses are truly appreciating it. Tua had an absolutely marvelous season, piling up numbers while rarely playing in the fourth quarter of games. The Hawaiian native led the nation last year in passing efficiency rating with a 199.4. No quarterback in the country aside from Dwayne Haskins threw more TD passes than Tua's 43. Tua was barely edged out by Kyler Murray in Heisman voting, but Tua still took home the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Maxwell Award. His 3,966 total passing yards were the 5th most in the country, and he only threw six interceptions on 355 passing attempts. In six different games last year (A&M, Arkansas, Tennessee, Citadel, Auburn, Oklahoma), he was able to tally at least 300 yards AND three touchdowns. It's being reported that Tua is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, but we can all just hope that he'll have enough time to rehab it before the season, because he is truly so much fun to watch.
The rhythm and stat lines of Lavisk Shenault's sophomore season were stunted a bit by injury, as the Colorado Buffs wide receiver only played in nine games last year. But that didn't stop him from making a name for himself, recording 86 receptions (tied for 13th most in the country), 1,011 receiving yards, and six receiving touchdowns. The Buffs also used him in the ground game a bit, where he got into the end zone five times and averaged 6.8 yards per carry. When this kid has the ball in his hands he could easily be mistaken for a highly talented running back; the Buffs like dishing him short dump and shovel passes, allowing him to just take over and gain yardage. He passed the 100-yard mark in receptions on five separate occasions last year: 211 vs Colorado State, 177 at Nebraska, 126 vs UCLA, 127 vs Arizona State, and 102 vs Washington State. I know Colorado games probably aren't at the top of most people's weekend to-do lists, but Lavisk Shenault is one of the more intriguing athlete's in college football this year.
It is not hyperbole in the slightest to say that Travis Etienne singlehandedly saved Clemson's 15-0, National Championship season. Of course Etienne put up monster numbers all season, and is inarguably one of the nation's top running backs, but without his dominant performance against Syracuse, the Tigers would not have been undefeated. Remember, that was Clemson's first game without Kelly Bryant. Trevor Lawrence left the game with an injury, and Syracuse is one of the few competitive teams in the ACC. It was a perfect storm for the alleged shoo-in to be unexpectedly toppled. But Etienne totaled 203 yards on 27 rushes (7.5 yards per carry) and three touchdowns. He stepped up when they needed him that game, and he stepped up...well, every other game actually. Etienne won the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and ACC Player of the Year; his 24 rushing touchdowns were the most in the nation, he had the fifth highest average yards per carry with 8.1, and totaled the fourth most rushing yards with 1,658. There were only two games in Clemson's 15 that didn't include a Travis Etienne touchdown. He ran for triple digits eight times last season. With the amount of talent that is returning, the Clemson offense should be a well-oiled machine from the start.
Now that there aren't any more Bosa brothers coming off the edge in Columbus, are BIG 10 offenses able to exhale in relief? Not quite, because it seems as if Chase Young is just another NFL-caliber defensive end coming out of the Ohio State University. The 6'5" 265 pound beast has plenty of speed and strength to go along with the size. He's even athletic enough to drop into pass coverage if necessary; he notched five passes defended in 2018. He had the second most sacks in the BIG 10 last season with 9.5, forced a fumble, and had 14.5 tackles for loss. Young totaled 33 tackles last year (24 solo, 9 assisted). He is projected by the majority to be an early pick in next year's NFL Draft.
There was a good chunk of speculation last year that Justin Herbert would enter the NFL Draft, but with his return to Eugene, Oregon the expectations are rightfully very high. Herbert currently holds the longest streak of active players for going 28 straight games with a touchdown pass. In 2018 Herbert threw for 3,151 yards and 29 touchdowns (tied for 13th most). The Ducks QB only threw eight picks on 404 passing attempts. I feel like Herbert staying for his senior season was the correct decision because I believe this is his best chance to reach his ceiling. This will be the first season in which Herbert is playing under the same head coach as the year prior; Herbert's freshman season in 2016 was Mark Helfrich's final one with Oregon, 2017 was Willie Taggart's sole season with the Ducks (Herbert got injured that year as well), and then last year was Mario Cristobal's first season as head coach. So it'll be nice to know that Herbert has now gotten the chance to settle in a bit with Cristobal's system. The Ducks open up the season against Auburn which should be a serious challenge. Last year Herbert opened the season up with a bang against Bowling Green by throwing for five touchdowns.
Labor Day Weekend is approaching much more quickly than you think, which is a horrible thought for some but an absolute delight for someone like myself. As I've done in the past few seasons, I'll be previewing some players to watch in this upcoming college football season. There is no particular order to these previews, just a bunch of dudes that you should keep an eye on from your couch this fall if you're lookin' to optimize your good time. Part one of five:
Quarterback continuity is always a blessing, and the reigning national champs are blessed beyond belief to have Trevor Lawrence back. After the show this kid put on during his freshman season, he has been labeled as a generational talent. It's pretty much the consensus that he's NFL-ready at the age of 19. For the first three games of the 2018 season, Lawrence was part of an ongoing QB competition with Kelly Bryant, who has since transferred to Mizzou. Dabo Swinney deemed Lawrence as QB1 after he went 13/18 for 176 yards and four touchdowns at Georgia Tech. In total, he tallied up 30 touchdown passes (tied for 10th most with Jake Fromm and Brett Rypien) and 3,280 yards, completing 65.2% of his throws. He only threw four interceptions on 259 passing attempts (the last pick was Nov. 10 at BC). He's poised, smart, and surgical, which was largely put on display in the College Football Playoff: 27/39 for 327 yards and three touchdowns against Notre Dame; 20/32 for 347 yards and three touchdowns against Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide. This kid is appointment television and will be one of the Heisman favorites throughout the season.
The Wisconsin Badgers certainly underachieved in 2018, but star running back Jonathan Taylor did not disappoint in the slightest. Taylor caught everyone's attention during his stellar freshman campaign, and last year he just continued to impress by leading the nation with 2,194 rushing yards, 168.8 rush yards per game, and 2,254 yards from scrimmage. The Doak Walker Award winner/unanimous first-team All-American recorded 16 rushing touchdowns, which was tied for ninth most in the nation. This absolute freak eclipsed the 200-yard rushing mark in five different games last season, and was only held under triple-digit rushing yards once (46 yards on 11 carries @ Northwestern). His most dominant performance came on the road against Purdue, where he ran for 321 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 9.7 yards per carry. Jonathan Taylor is clearly next in line for the Badger-turned-pro club. Taylor only needs 506 yards to become the university's fifth all-time leading rusher. While keeping an eye on this stud, take some time to appreciate the ridiculous consistency of beastly, cheese-fed Wisconsin offensive lines.
There seems to be a lot of uncertainty throughout the Pac 12 at the moment; it's somewhat of a mystery as to which team should be considered the favorite to win the conference, they're questioning why they decided to locate their headquarters in pricy San Francisco, and they're wondering when their next chance will be to play in the College Football Playoff. But if there's one thing that is for certain, it's that the conference boasts one of the best linebackers in the entire country, Evan Weaver of the Cal Golden Bears. Weaver was the center piece of a very impressive defensive unit in 2018, which only allowed 317.2 total yards per game (15th best in the country) and 20.4 points per game. Weaver was tied for second-most total tackles in the country, racking up 155 over the course of the season (88 solo, 67 assisted). The senior is listed at 6 foot 3, weighing in at 245 pounds, and he's an absolute magnet to the ball. 8.5 of his tackles last season were for loss, with 4.5 being sacks. His most impressive showing in 2018 came against Colorado where he recorded 18 tackles. That's just absurd. And I can't fail to mention his two interceptions last year, with one being a 37 yard pick-six in a 12-10 upset win over Washington (the other came against Washington State). Weaver is a second-team preseason All-American, and needs just 29 tackles to crack the top ten of Cal's all time tackle leaders.
The "best wide receiver in the nation" throne is Jerry Jeudy's to lose this season. There are a few other guys that are kind of close, but as far as I'm concerned nobody is as talented as Jerry Jeudy until proven otherwise. The 2018 Biletnikof Award winner and first team All-American reached the end zone 14 times (third most in the country) and totaled 1,135 receiving yards (10th most in the country). On four separate occasions last year, he reeled in multiple touchdowns in one contest. The South Florida native broke the triple digit threshold in receiving yards five times in 2018, including the National Championship where he had five catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. When Jerry Jeudy has the ball in space, it's over for the defense. He's so incredibly talented at making guys miss. Whether it's a juke, a euro step, or just pure breakaway speed, he's a delight to watch after he makes the catch. I can't imagine his numbers looking any lower this season with Tua still tossing dimes to him.
You're always bound to come across a few ridiculously athletic wide receivers in the Big 12, and that's undoubtedly the case for Jalen Reagor of the TCU Horned Frogs. His versatility is certainly utilized properly; he caught the ball 72 times for 1,061 yards and nine touchdowns, while he ran the ball 13 times for 170 yards (13.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. Reagor's extraordinary speed is very effective on jet sweeps. His sophomore campaign was highlighted by TCU's regular season finale against Oklahoma State, where Reagor rushed for 121 yards on five carries and made eight catches for 91 yards. He notched a touchdown both through the air and on the ground. Two other noteworthy performances from last year came at Kansas where he had 177 reception yards, and a 150 reception yard clinic at West Virginia. Reagor was also used for some special teams, as he averaged 12.1 yards on eight punt returns and 30.3 yards on four kick returns. TCU is certainly looking for a bounce back season in 2019, and Jalen Reagor is expected to be their biggest playmaker.
And not just any real conference. The Huskies are going home, to the Big East, where they never should have been left out of in the first place.
A pretty significant event happened between today and the original post when it came to my vigilantism for UConn: the men’s basketball team hired Dan Hurley away from the University of Rhode Island. Obviously, my passion for the Rams comes first and foremost, but I can say today that at the very least, Hurley’s move makes sense. The American Athletic Conference never made sense for UConn and it never made sense as a stepping stone for a coach on his way out of the Atlantic-10.
Hurley is now a coach in the Big East (or at least will be come 2020), which is where the Huskies belonged all along. Now I need to figure out if I should be actively rooting for UConn against Providence College, or just sort of keep that kind of thing on the DL.
Most importantly, it’s time to check in on the other nine things I said I needed to have happen in sports. Is anything else close to coming to fruition?
1. I need baseball to MATTER again
Hard to say where this is trending, but it’s probably not great. The Red Sox-Dodgers World Series last fall featured two of the most storied franchises in the two of the biggest media markets and the average rating for each game was quite pedestrian; ratings for the series were lower than when the Mets and Royals played in 2015, for example.
It didn’t help that the series only went five games but what really doesn’t help is the amount of times I’ll get home from work -- generally covering a high school lacrosse game, which has outstanding pace of play -- around 8:30 to find the Red Sox are only in the third inning of a game that started at 7.
Not saying shorten the game to seven innings, none of that. But for real, the pace of play issue in baseball continues to be a major league problem. How about a 15-second pitch clock? How about shortening inning breaks to 1 minute, 30 seconds? Figure out another way to get the ads out there. Maybe keep a sidebar up during the game with logos. Just something, anything, to speed these games up.
I could keep going and going, about how sabermetrics have sucked the enjoyment out of the game, but really this is another story for another time.
2. I need Jaromir Jagr to win another Stanley Cup
Jagr, 45 at the time of the original post, signed on with the Calgary Flames for 22 games, registering a single goal and six assists before he was waived. Apparently he appeared in four games this past season for the Klando Knights in his native Czech Republic, which means he’s not totally done playing hockey, but it appears as though after winning back-to-back Cups in his first two seasons in the NHL, the Jagr won’t be adding a third to his collection.
You're telling me Jagr couldn't give the Bruins whatever David Backes gave them this season?
3. I need the Seattle SuperSonics to return to the NBA
There’s been a compromise of sorts here: the NHL is expanding to Seattle, which still leaves open the possibility that the NBA can join back in on the fun. Thing is, unlike in hockey, not many franchises are screaming to be relocated in the NBA at the moment. It feels like the manifest destiny of the big four leagues right now is 32 teams, which means expansion is still a very real possibility for Sonics 2.0, but who knows when.
Inject this jersey into my veins yesterday.
4. I need lacrosse to overtake soccer as the “fifth sport”
I think we’re making some progress. The US men’s soccer team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup thanks to a loss to Trinidad & Tobago -- which has the same population as the greater Memphis area. As an aside, the New England Revolution just hired the coach who lost that game.
NBC Sports Boston is televising Boston Cannons games from their new digs in Quincy, which doesn’t hurt. One thing I don’t understand, however, is why there are multiple professional leagues. Why not get all of the same players under the same umbrella? Also, might be a me problem, but the “PLL,” or the Premier Lacrosse League, triggers Pretty Little Liars.
5. I need Roger Goodell to resign/be fired/fall victim to a coup as NFL Commissioner
There hasn’t been a major scandal since the summer of 2017 in the NFL, per se, although the ongoing Tyreek Hill saga -- and general apathy -- will eventually prompt Goodell to bring down the hammer suspend him for a game or two.
The obsession with London hasn’t subsided, to the point that even the Red Sox and Yankees are about to play a two-game set there for crying out loud. Nor has the obsession with Thursday Night Football, nor the ongoing plot for an 18-game schedule (total side note but since this original post I took a step towards quasi-respectability and got a job covering the Patriots on the side and I can confirm the players hate both TNF and the idea of 18 games).
There’s the fact that the San Diego Chargers are failing to sell out a soccer stadium, and the crowd for the “Battle for LA” between the Rams and Chargers last fall wasn’t all that different from an Atlanta Thrashers Tuesday night home game in February.
In summation, it’s all the same nonsense on the periphery that still exists when it comes to Roger Goodell. He’s neither helped nor hurt his cause, but give it time.
6. I need the University of Rhode Island to drop its football program
Not a great two years for me here. While the Rams went 3-8 in 2017, they actually went 6-5 in 2018 -- their first winning season since 2001. On the plus side, they choked after a promising start to miss out on the FCS playoffs. On the down side, they are installing lights and turf at Meade Stadium, though no new stands, which if they haven't been condemned yet, should be.
Again, I’ll remind you of the sports URI does not sponsor in lieu of football:
Men's ice hockey
Women's ice hockey
Men's lacrosse
Women's lacrosse
Field hockey
Wrestling
Men's swimming & diving
Women's golf
Men's tennis
Men's volleyball
On the subject of UConn, the Huskies only beat the Rams by seven last fall, 56-49. That says way more about how pathetic that program is, however, and how good it is that basketball, not football, was the driving force in a conference realignment.
7. I need the NBA to re-do its age minimum rule and fix (save?) college basketball
Plans are indeed in the works to lower the age minimum to 18, it sounds like. Throw in the fact that California may be about to pants the NCAA and allow college athletes to profit off their ‘likeness,’ college hoop just might be saved after all.
8. I need the Red Sox to stop retiring numbers like they’re the Memphis Grizzlies
On the one hand, it’s been over two years since they last retired a jersey (David Ortiz’s No. 34). On the other, I can’t shake this feeling that the Roger Clemens retirement ceremony is coming. My original gripe wasn’t with Ortiz’s jersey going up on the right field facade, it was more about Wade Boggs’ No. 26 the year before. He’s a Yankee, not a Red Sock (or Devil Ray). Change my mind.
A much less crowded version of the facade at the Fens. If we're being honest, does Joe Cronin's No. 1 really need to be hanging up there?
9. I need the NHL to send its players to the Olympics in 2018 and beyond
Yeah, they didn’t go. Was nice not having to get up and drink at 7 in the morning I guess. We’ll see what happens in 2022.
Lightning round updates: “I need the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to go back to the Anaheim Angels, or better yet, the California Angels. The name literally translates to "The Angels Angels of Anaheim." Dumbest name in sports, bar none.” Apparently, they’re just the Los Angeles Angels now. Who play in Anaheim.
“Speaking of Anaheim, I need the Mighty Ducks logo back. Could work well on the orange uniforms they've used for a decade.” No dice.
“I need Eli Manning to not get in the Hall of Fame some day. Save for those 2007 and 2011 runs to the Super Bowl, did you know Eli's never won a playoff game?” Eli Manning in 2017-18: 8-23 and got benched for Geno Smith at one point.
“I need UMass to not do anything stupid like join the American Athletic Conference and stay put in the Atlantic-10. Need that rivalry with Rhody in hoops.” Boy is this topical at the moment. With UConn in the AAC, I could almost see it for the Minutemen. Almost. Now? If they wanna join for football only, go crazy. For all other sports? As the Huskies can attest, good luck with Tulane and East Carolina on a snowy Wednesday night at the Mullins.
“I need the college football playoff to expand to eight teams. The fact that there's a playoff at all was a good first step, but it was a half measure like you read about.” Would be cool but it’ll still just be Alabama-Clemson ever year.
“I need Gary Bettman to resign as NHL commissioner.” He’s in the Hockey Hall of Fame now. No, seriously.
BONUS ROUND: Five more things I need to happen in sports
1. I need a new minor league team to take the place of the Pawtucket Red Sox for the 2021 season
Funny how life works. Once upon a time, 12-year-old Lev would've run through a brick wall for Larry Lucchino when he called the Yankees the "Evil Empire." Now, 28-year-old Lev just wants to push Larry Lucchino into a brick wall for stealing the PawSox from Rhode Island and moving them to the noted baseball hotbed of Worcester, where minor league baseball has already failed.
Would be ideal if the new team at McCoy Stadium was still a Red Sox minor league affiliate. Either way, something needs to fill its void. At least the only Hall of Fame Roger Clemens can get into will soon be defunct.
2. I need the Celtics to stay the course with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
That includes signing Kemba Walker, I suppose. Big week for the Huskies, huh? Should Tatum and Brown play to their abilities, the Celtics have the kind of young core the Zombie Sonics had from 2007-2012 or so with Durant/Westbrook/Harden. Walker is older, of course, but that's the kind of Big 3 I can root for.
3. I need Kyrie Irving to sign with the Lakers
That's right, I want the band to get back together. I want the infighting between Kyrie and LeBron to put the Shaq-Kobe feuds in Lakerland to shame. I want it to demolish a dynasty before it even begins.
I also want Kyrie there so that the Knicks strike out yet again. And even though the Nets wouldn't be better than the Celtics with just Kyrie, I'll admit it would be poor optics for him to land in Brooklyn before the yield of the Pierce/Garnett/Jason Terry trade delivers a championship to Boston.
4. I need Space Jam II to be the worst sequel of all-time
It's a tall task, no doubt, when you consider how awful Caddyshack II and Anchorman II were in comparison with the originals. But I'll be rooting against it like the 2011-14 Miami Heat.
5. I need Zdeno Chara to be the last active athlete from the 1990s
This isn't as crazy as it seems. We're down to four in hockey right now, between Chara, Jumbo Joe, Patty Marleau and Matt Cullen. Adam Vinatieiri is the only one under contract in football right now, though I suppose Phil Dawson could latch on during training camp. Vince Carter is currently a free agent in the NBA, and barring a Bartolo Colon or Adrian Beltre comeback, we're done in baseball.
If you haven't heard by now, it means you're either out of touch, or could never even fathom the idea of caring in the first place (literally no in between on this one): The Alliance of American Football (AAF) is dissolving. Dissolve? Is that even a word?
Although it's not official yet, the league is on its way out with absolute minimal chances of revival:
I'm not going to sit here and tell the AAF how to run a business, as I'm fully aware that my undergrad marketing minor does not grant me credible input to the situation. However, my prestigious communication degree permits me to lecture you guys on cognitive dissonance, and how it applies to alternative leagues simply not working in today's professional sports climate. Don't worry, I'm truly just not enough of an intellect to actually make this into a boring lecture. But for real, as much as I'd love leagues like the AAF to work, diminishing seasonal limitations on sports we love to watch, these surrogate attempts are bound for failure. The market for such entertainment has been monopolized to the point of no return.
Many football fans, including myself, had the highest hopes of success for the AAF. I mean seriously, what fan could turn down quality football during the NFL/college offseason? We were fully aware that the level of play in the AAF would be inferior to what we're typically exposed to, but that was just part of the payoff for getting that football fix before the withdrawals could even fully kick in.
The Merriam-Webster definition of cognitive dissonance uses the word "incongruous," which would require a second definition search for the average human. Any definition that enables definition inception is just unacceptable. So let's put it into simpler terms, courtesy of humanity's most useful creation, Wikipedia:
"In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort(psychological stress) experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictorybeliefs, ideas, or values. This discomfort is triggered by a situation in which a person’s belief clashes with new evidence perceived by the person. When confronted with facts that contradict beliefs, ideals, and values, people will try to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their discomfort."
So for anyone who actually likes football enough to direct any attention to the AAF, the shared beliefs, ideas, and values generally revolve around the sport's emotional investment and the experience that accompanies that autumn and early winter ride. The AAF's (not particularly successful) business model revolved around scratching the itch of football fans ,when they had historically needed it after the thrill of the postseason. Which seemed perfect. Until the reality of subpar play combined with zero ritualistic value kicked in, this league seemed like it could fulfill the beliefs, ideas, and values of football as being, in the simplest terms, "good" and "fun."
Unfortunately for everyone involved, the AAF as a whole completely failed to fulfill the beliefs, ideas, and values of football being good and fun. The idea of it leading up to opening weekend was extremely fun, and one might even say it was good. But seriously, the first slate of games was a good time. It was partially ironic, but deep down everyone was counting on this to be at least decent.
One could argue that the quality of play was decent at best, and there's no doubt in my mind that I've consumed football with both lesser and equal value, many times. It's not like my eyes were bleeding during AAF games. Hell, financially reviving the AAF would be absolute chump change to me if I had a dollar for every conveniently timed college game that I watched, having no knowledge of anyone on either roster. So if the AAF kind of just flat out sucking is the dissonance to our cognition (that's like the part of a movie/show when they say the title) of football, why do bad college games not seem as terrible as an AAF game?
Before the AAF season started I found myself eager to react to some unfamiliar football truly at face value. Other than the fun realizations of some former college stars on rosters, there weren't any past storylines to fog the actual on-field play, which is somewhere from extremely rare to absolutely impossible with today's media coverage of football. And although there was some media coverage of the AAF, it truly was all speculation with no opportunity for historical bias. But I quickly understood that in order to enjoy football without the surrounding storylines, traditions, and fandom- the quality of play needed to be spectacular. Which, as a complete and utter shock, it was not. Who would've thunk that an aspiring minor league would have inadequate talent?
There are plenty of football games that we willingly, and happily, consume that display a deficient performance from both teams, in college and the NFL. But our preconceived ideas of a program/organization's value to the sport's landscape skew our perceptions of certain games. Let's take last season's USC vs. UCLA matchup. Heading into this historic Pac 12 battle, the Trojans had had five wins matched by five losses, while UCLA was rocking a dismal record of 2-8. I'm not an old man yelling at the clouds about this new league not being played "the right way" or that USC/UCLA is even worth tuning into nowadays. But that intangible, preconceived value of two traditional, regional rivals battling it out at the Rose Bowl is not too shabby of a fall back if the quality of play is completely underwhelming. The AAF obviously, in its inaugural season, does not have any preconceived value of "tradition" or "legacy."
I feel that's the same obstacle for sports outside of the main four to truly break through the mainstream barrier. Soccer and lacrosse are the only two that currently come to mind, as they've both been on the cusp of evolving into conventional spectator sports for a little while now. It's tough for fans to buy in league-wide, since there's no sense of inherited fandom. A major aspect of professional sports is the notion of team loyalty paralleling devotion to your roots, both territorial and hereditary. And even in the case of expansion teams in already existing leagues where there is a complete lack of traditional fandom, there's the David and Goliath factor of competing with established franchises. Let's take the Nashville Predators as an example; there's obviously minimal hockey history in the state of Tennessee (no place I'd rather be), and the fans went all in on this relatively new experience the city was offering. This happened in the cities that had AAF teams, but the problem was that they were all expansions. There were no Goliaths to be taken down.
There are four paradigms that can define a person's reaction to cognitive dissonance, and the "Effort Justification" paradigm fits the AAF perfectly. Essentially, this alludes to willingly doing something that sucks because you've convinced yourself that the payoff will be worth it. Sound familiar? "Okay, I know nothing about this league; their rosters, divisions, playoff formats, rulebook deviations. Let me read up on it. Prep myself for the season so it'll be like the NFL season never ended." First weekend or two of games rolls around; "This isn't that great but if I keep watching it'll pick up steam and this will be awesome." One week later; "If I start throwing on the unders this could remain somewhat relevant in my life." And then you realize, there is absolutely no way a football league established in 2019 could give us anything even remotely close to our inherited perception of the game. No matter how much we want it to work, it won't. Rest In Peace to the Alliance of American Football. And may this be a lesson to future alternative leagues that martyrdom isn't worth it if you're still alive to pay the debts.
As you've probably heard by now ten thousand times, Clemson and Alabama will face off in the postseason for the fourth year in a row. Monday evening's clash between the Tigers and Tide will be the third National Championship played between the two, with last year's meeting coming in the semifinal game. For obvious reasons, this consistency has allowed many reasonable comparisons to what the NBA has provided in the Warriors/Cavs saga. If you've been tuned out of hoops in the last half-decade, let me tell ya this: the general population is not particularly fond of parity's absence, which has unfortunately been the case in college football lately.
Derrick Henry and Deshaun Watson after Clemson vs 'Bama Part I
Look, I understand the frustration in seeing the exact outcome that everyone predicted back in August. Seriously, anyone who had a championship matchup of any combination of teams other than this one was just trying to stand out. Or they were just legitimately not that smart. Because not a single person who has paid even an ounce of attention should be surprised by this matchup. And you know what? As much as I can see the negative perspective of this, I'm not even a little bit mad about it. Come on people, these are the two clear-cut top programs in the country, and aside from last year's semifinal stinker, this matchup gave us two incredibly entertaining National Championships. There's a reason why we keep seeing them go head to head: because they're the best. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why watching the two best teams play each other is fantastic. Why would people whine and moan about watching an array of NFL talent compete? This is undoubtedly the highest quality product that college football could put on display, and people don't like that?
One major narrative that has been present in recent weeks, which has coincided with discussing a lack of parity, is the idea of playoff expansion and what that could look like in the future. That's certainly a consideration that I've taken part in, as it's a fun idea that would provide us with more entertainment at the end of the day. I mean, it's undeniable that the other bowl games, the non-playoff games, have seen intrigue decline since the playoff was introduced. The playoff has become the new standard in which teams aim to meet. Although expanding the playoff would make an appearance slightly less prestigious, I still think the aura of it being a playoff game gives it an edge in entertainment, at face value at least.
But in a season like this, a season where the championship matchup's predictability slightly ebbed the season's typical trepidation, does playoff expansion even matter? The main idea behind increasing the number of playoff berths is to create a scenario in which no worthy teams are on the outside looking in. Before all of the bowls games were played, it looked like there were a few teams who were worthy of a playoff spot but failed to do so. If the playoff had expanded to eight teams for this season, we would have seen the following games, according to the College Football Playoff rankings:
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 UCF
No. 2 Clemson vs. No. 7 Michigan
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No 6 Ohio State
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 5 Georgia
Again, I'd be all for watching these games and having the time of my life while doing it. This is a great idea if you're viewing the College Football Playoff strictly from an entertainment/financial standpoint. But if you take entertainment and money out of the playoff (which is probably the biggest oxymoron I've ever typed out in my life), its core purpose is to truly decipher who is the country's best team. The BCS unfortunately left us with a few big time "what if" scenarios through the years, but this is one of those years that the BCS would have given us this exact same matchup. The majority of the playoff has just given teams a chance to confirm that they are not one of the top two teams in the country. It's just reinforced that the top two teams are as advertised.
There are exceptions to this, with last year's playoff being the highlight; Georgia and Oklahoma gave us a double overtime thriller, in which both teams looked to be of championship caliber. Clemson seemingly played the part throughout the regular season, but the Tigers were quickly exposed in getting shellacked by 'Bama. But from a macro standpoint, a four team playoff last season made astronomically more sense than the BCS system. The other seasons in which Clemson and Alabama met in the National Championship, their semifinal wins were blowouts. The other teams didn't look like they even belonged there. There were two teams that were clearly the best, without some JV team in the No. 5 through 8 range complaining that they should've had a shot (thank Christ UCF lost to LSU, seriously).
So the saga continues; Clemson and Alabama meet in the natty ship with no doubt in anyone's minds that these are the two best teams. And all of those outsiders looking into the playoff, hootin' and hollerin' about how they should've been in the playoff, they all proved that they wouldn't have done a damn thing had they made the playoff; everyone but Ohio State that was ranked No. 3 through 9 lost their bowl game. Granted, Ohio State played No. 9 Washington so one of the teams ranked in that range had to win. But even then, we all know Ohio State would have been used as an absolute mop by either the Tide or the Tigers. And yeah they won the Rose Bowl, but allowing that Washington backdoor cover was bush league. "Good teams win, great team cover" - Eleanor Roosevelt. And then before the New Year's Six bowl games were played, Georgia definitely looked like a team that deserved to be in that final four but blew their chance. My word did they get manhandled on Tuesday night by Texas. They took the gamble of opening their mouth aboutplayoffs before they played their bowl game, and it was worst case scenario for the Dawgs. Talking about a deserved playoff berth and then playing like that? Get outta here.
Have I been rambling about absolutely anything and everything aside from the actual game that's about to be played, Clemson vs 'Bama Part IV? Absolutely. But that's your fault for reading this far. It boils down to this: we can break down this game in an analytical sense all we want. Number crunching, computer data, all that jazz (investors? possibly you!). But heading into Monday, knowing that we'll witness a fight to be the undisputed heavyweight champ of college football (and knowing that UCF can't claim to be national champs again), it's a damn good feeling. It feels right. And I, for one, am ready to rumble. I complain a lot about the most irrelevant and minuscule things you could imagine. But trust me, watching Clemson and Alabama play in the National Championship is not something to complain about. Enjoy the damn ride.
Monday, December 24, 2018
The No. 3 Fighting Irish of Notre Dame:
Record: 12-0
Wins over currently ranked opponents:
·24-17 vs. No. 7 Michigan
·31-21 @ No. 22 Northwestern
·36-3 vs. No. 20 Syracuse (at Yankee Stadium)
Average points per game: 33.6
·Most points scored in a single game: 56 @ Wake Forest
·Fewest points scored in a single game: 19 vs. Pitt
Average points allowed per game: 17.3 (Ninth best in country)
·Most points allowed in a single game: 27 @ Wake Forest
·Fewest points allowed in a single game: 3 vs. Syracuse
Key Players:
Ian Book, Junior, QB
The perception of Notre Dame’s season indulged in a big time upswing when Ian Book took over for Brandon Wimbush at quarterback. This team clearly has talent, but Wimbush just couldn’t really be trusted at times. With Book under center, the Irish offense seems to induce much more confidence out of spectators. Book’s numbers aren’t near the top nationally, but that’s partially because he didn’t record any stats in the first two games of the season, and even in the third he only had three passing attempts. Book was also out against Florida State due to injury. Still, he’s thrown for 2,468 yards and 19 touchdowns, with six interceptions on 280 attempts. His completion percentage of 70.4 is the fifth best in the country.
Dexter Williams, Senior, RB
For the first four games of Notre Dame’s season, senior running back Dexter Williams was suspended. But he certainly made his presence known when he suited back up in a 38-17 win over Stanford, when he rushed for 161 yards and a touchdown. In just eight games, Williams has tallied 941 rushing yards and twelve touchdowns on the ground, while averaging 6.6 yards per carry. He’s also dabbled a bit in the passing game, recording 13 receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown. Williams has eclipsed the 100 yard rushing mark in half of the games he’s played: 161 yards on 21 carries against Stanford, 178 yards on 17 carries at Virginia Tech, 142 yards on 23 carries at Navy, and 202 yards on 20 carries against Florida State.
Julian Love, Junior, CB
Julian Love has anchored the Fighting Irish defensive backfield, and is undoubtedly the most outstanding corner to come out of Notre Dame in recent memory. The First Team All American racked up 47 total tackles this year, with three of those being for loss. In Notre Dame’s regular season finale at USC he totaled twelve tackles. He has one interception and three fumble recoveries in the turnover department. In 2018, Love had 15 pass breakups, bringing his career total to 38, which is in a career in Notre Dame football history.
Jerry Tillery, Senior, DT
Defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, who was originally recruited as an offensive tackle, is physically horrifying as he stands at 6 feet 7 inches, 305 pounds. Things turned out well for Tillery since switching to the defensive side of the ball, as he was named a Second Team All American this season. This regular season, he had 30 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. He recorded 48 total quarterback pressures. In Notre Dame’s thrashing of Florida State in South Bend, Tillery used his height and long arms to block an extra point, which was then scooped up and ran back for two points by Julian Love.
Te’von Coney, Senior, LB
The Notre Dame defense was led in tackles by senior linebacker Te’von Coney, as he recorded 107 of them. Nine of those were tackles for loss, with 3.5 being sacks. He came down with one interception, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups on the year. Coney’s performance has been good enough to make him a Third Team All American. He stands at 6 feet 4 inches, 240 pounds, and is a very explosive player. He had double-digit tackle totals in five of ND’s dozen games: 10 vs. Michigan, 14 vs. Ball State, 14 at Navy, 10 at Northwestern, and 12 vs Syracuse.
Other notes:
·
Notre Dame is the first team outside of the Power Five conferences to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. The value of conference championships regarding playoff spots has been up for debate lately, and the 12-0 Irish are the second team to enter the playoff without a conference championship on the resume (Alabama last year was the first). It shouldn’t really shock anyone that Notre Dame is the inaugural non-P5 playoff team, as they have much higher of a profile than Group of Five teams such as, I don’t know, UCF as a definitely random example, or other Independent teams such as BYU and Army. If there was one team to break the apparent “P5 rule” the majority of people would have bet the house on it being the Irish.
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Head Coach Brian Kelly seemed to be under some fire after Notre Dame’s 4-8 season in 2016. But what a turnaround it’s been, as the Irish finished last year with a 10-3 record, topped off by a Citrus Bowl victory over LSU. And then this year obviously has been so far, so good. Kelly earned this year’s honor of The Associated Press college football Coach of the Year, as well as the 2018 Home Depot College Football Coach of the Year award. He’s clearly done an excellent job, leading his squad to the playoff with zero regular season losses. I do think Kelly is at a slight disadvantage when it comes to recruiting for a school like Notre Dame. Sure, there’s a wildly rich history of football in South Bend, Indiana. But it’s still South Bend, Indiana. They don’t have the recruiting tools that some of these massive public universities have, whether it be pool parties, generally nice weather, wild nightlife scenes, etc. And you may think the Irish are at an advantage by being able to pitch a great education to recruits. But guess what? Any recruit that is planning a road to the NFL will not really be too concerned with the quality of their potential degree. So for Brian Kelly to get his guys a spot in the final four is impressive to say the least.
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It’s probably a bit stale to bring up, but it’s absolutely noteworthy that the last time the Fighting Irish were on a stage this big, after an undefeated regular season, things did not go well. Alabama absolutely wiped the floor with the Irish in a 42-14 thrashing. I’ve written before how the focus on that game really should be more about how good ‘Bama was, rather than about how poorly ND performed. It’s also completely erroneous to say that ND didn’t belong in that national title game. Ohio State was undefeated that season, but was on a postseason ban. Oregon looked to be a national title contender all year until losing to Stanford, preventing them from playing in the conference championship. So it came down to a one-loss Oregon team without a conference championship, or an undefeated Notre Dame team. They deserved to be there, but Alabama was just so clearly superior to anyone that could’ve showed up on that field. Luckily for the Irish, their return to the national spotlight does not include Alabama for now. But if they plan on shining in the spotlight and beating Clemson, Alabama will most certainly be the next challenge. But for now, all focus is on the No. 2 Clemson Tigers.
It's no coincidence that the closest program to Saban's Alabama is ranked right behind them at the No. 2 spot. Next up, the Clemson Tigers:
Record: 13-0 (ACC Champions)
Wins over currently ranked opponents:
28-26 @ No. 19 Texas A&M
27-23 vs. No. 20 Syracuse
Average points per game: 45.4
Most points scored in a single game: 77 vs. Louisville
Fewest points scored in a single game: 27 vs. Syracuse, 27 @ Boston College
Average points allowed per game: 13.7 (Second best in country)
Most points allowed in a single game: 35 vs. South Carolina
Fewest points allowed in a single game: 3 @ Wake Forest
Key Players:
Trevor Lawrence, Freshman, QB
All eyes have been on the true freshman out of Cartersville, Georgia ever since he took the Tigers' starting job under center from Kelly Bryant, who had led them to the playoff just last year. (Bryant has since announced that he is transferring to Missouri). And since taking over the title of QB1, he's been good enough to make someone inexplicably do a poorly executed imitation of some Southern accent and say, "that's a damn good quarterback." If that numerical stat doesn't persuade you of Lawrence's ability to perform on the field, he's completed 65% of his 326 passing attempts. He's racked up a total of 24 touchdowns and 2,606 yards through the air, with only four picks
Travis Etienne, Sophomore, RB
Travis Etienne has undoubtedly been Clemson's most exciting player on the offensive side of the operation. The sophomore is hands down one of the best running backs that college football has had to offer this year. He's ran the ball for 1,463 yards (5th most in the country), 21 touchdowns (3rd most), while averaging 8.3 yards per carry (5th best) on 176 carries. Etienne posted three rushing touchdowns in three straight games ('Cuse, Wake, NC State). He tallied triple digit yardage on the ground in seven games this season. One of those was a clutch 203 yard performance in a narrow win against Syracuse, amidst QB troubles with Trevor Lawrence going down with an injury in Clemson's first game without Kelly Bryant. Travis Etienne is a certified stud, and he's been the most impressive part of the Tigers' productive offense.
Tee Higgins, Sophomore, WR
Trevor Lawrence's top target this season has been Tee Higgins, the king of the fine town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In his sophomore campaign, Higgins has caught the ball 52 times for 802 yards, finding the end zone ten times. Throughout the regular season, he went off gaining over 100 yards in three different games: three receptions for 123 yards @ Texas A&M; eight receptions for 119 yards vs NC State; six receptions for 142 yards vs South Carolina. Higgins can be a really exciting receiver to watch as he's proven the ability to make catches that validate the price of admission.
Christian Wilkins, Senior, DT
Clemson's defensive line is like the Monstars from Space Jam, so it's tough to say which one of them has been the most outstanding. But I'd bet the majority of people would make an argument that the highlight of one of college football's most noteworthy units is Christian Wilkins. The Springfield, Massachusetts/Suffield Academy product was named as a First Team All American and the winner of the Campbell Trophy (top scholar athlete). Wilkins has 52 total tackles, 36 of those being solo and 16 assisted. Of those, 13.5 were tackles for loss, five being sacks. Against NC State, he blocked a field goal. The big guy also has two rushing touchdowns, each of them being a one yard plunge over the goal line. After registering six points against South Carolina, Wilkins struck the Heisman pose. Big guy Heisman poses are the apex of big guy touchdowns. Wilkins is most certainly a first round NFL talent.
Clelin Ferrell, Junior, DE
At some point in time, Clemson got very greedy in their recruiting when it came to talented defensive linemen, and that has certainly paid off. Clelin Williams is also a First Team All American. He stands at 6 feet 5 inches, 260 pounds and won the Ted Hendricks Award for the best defensive end in the country. He notched 47 total tackles (24 solo, 23 assisted), with 17 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. On top of that, he recorded 13 quarterback hurries, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles. Much like Wilkins, you'll be seeing this guy on Sundays.
Other notes:
Trevor Lawrence has looked great at quarterback so far, but is now put to the true test. The main reason that starting him over Kelly Bryant made sense is that Bryant was good enough to make the playoff, not good enough to win a championship. And in a program like Clemson's, that's just not good enough. So Trevor Lawrence has gotten to the playoffs, it's time to see if he is more of a Kelly Bryant, a Deshaun Watson, or somehwere in between.
Clemson's season has been terrific. There's no arguing that. Undefeated, conference champions. But some people remain a bit skeptical on the Tigers due to the ACC being absolutely putrid. And it's true; the current state of the conference does not even slightly resemble the emerging power it seemed to be a few short years ago. But this Clemson team is talented enough that I wouldn't let a weak conference schedule determine their quality level.
The Tigers' matchup against Notre Dame will be the fourth ever game between the to programs. The last time they played in 2015, we were gifted a classic that involved hurricane weather and the denial of a game-tying two point conversion. The Tigers have won the last two meetings (2015, 1979) while the Irish one the inaugural battle between the two schools (1977).
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