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

This Week's Football Threads and Kicks

It's a pretty well-known fact by now that football and style go together like the Philadelphia Eagles and disappointment. The fashion presence in postgame press conferences from the likes of Cam Newton, Von Miller, Tom Brady, etc. is always over analyzed for something that doesn't impact on-field performance. But as we've learned from Deion Prime Time Sanders is that what you're wearing on the field essentially influences your entire quality of life.And with plenty of on-field fashion related news this week, let's talk threads and kicks.

BREAKING: LSU to wear "Gridiron Gold" throwback uniforms Sept. 17.
Inside look: https://t.co/3qLUMmWeA4#AllForLSU pic.twitter.com/cAuliuyAc3

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) September 12, 2016

The LSU football Twitter account shared the alternate uniforms the No. 20 Tigers will wear as they host Mississippi State on Saturday Night. I have to admit, these things are unreal. LSU wears their white jerseys for the home opener and home games against SEC opponents, which I don't particularly like, so we rarely ever see them wearing any other color. These threads would be a lot cooler if LSU didn't start the season off by getting upset, and it would be more fitting to pump the players up for either the Alabama or Ole Miss home game, but I guess this is a good way to gain some momentum moving forward. Although their classic yellow helmets are a fantastic look, I absolutely love these white helmets. Also, helmets that feature players' numbers on the side is a look that I will stand by 100% of the time (looking at you Alabama).

My favorite part of these alternates is the vintage "Sailor Mike" cartoon on the collar. This logo absolutely dominates the current Tiger that is featured on their helmet. I think the white pants with the simple purple "L" is a fresh look without pushing any boundaries. Overall, I'd give these alternates a score of 8.5/10. They're stellar, but giving out a perfect score needs to be rare.

Speaking of alternate jerseys, the NFL's ridiculous "Color Rush" line was released for all 32 teams.

I'll start off by saying, I absolutely despise the Color Rush movement. It's truly infuriating. I think they look hideous for the most part. My disdain is mainly derived from the Color Rush's existence being a promotional effort for Thursday Night Football, which we can all agree is consistently the worst football game of the week. I mean, come on. You can't tell me that the Seahawks' alternate looks good;

These things are absolutely disgusting. kfadshjiHy4987sdx. Sorry about that, I hit a few keys when cleaning the puke off of my keyboard, which ironically looked like a combination of all these uniforms. A few more of the worst ones:

Yellow/gold jerseys can look great, as we saw above with LSU. But yellow/gold jerseys with matching pants aren't easy on the eyes.

I will say that the teams who will be rocking all black or all white are good in my book. Blacked out uniforms have always been and will always be the most intimidating look on the football field. For the teams rocking the white jersey/pants combo, I think it's a clean look. But I think I mainly like that because it defeats the whole purpose of the Color Rush movement, so I'm automatically all for it.

My personal interests regarding the Color Rush uniforms obviously focused on the Patriots' version the most, which I think look solid. Just solid. I don't love them, but I don't hate them. I do like how they incorporated the shoulder stripes from the Pat the Patriot days, but that look without one of the best vintage logos of all time just isn't quite the same. The major flaw I find in this setup is that their standard uniforms just look better. I've always felt that the point of alternate uniforms is to look better than usual. You don't rent a tuxedo to appear less slick than your every day look.

One final thought on the Color Rush uniforms: the NFL really screwed themselves with the idiotic "one helmet per team rule." A lot of these uniforms would look a lot better if they featured alternate helmets, especially if the Patriots could rock the white lids with Pat the Patriot. Also the Saint's white Color Rush would look phenomenal with a white helmet/gold logo.Wake up Goodell!

Enough chatter about swag from the knees up, let's "kick back" and talk about cleats. In the NFL's opening weekend, we saw a few Adidas-sponsored players making noise on social media by wearing Yeezy cleats.

YEEZY cleats!!! Thanks @adidasfballus #3stripes

A photo posted by Von Miller (@vonmiller) on Sep 8, 2016 at 2:19pm PDT

S/O @adidasFballUS appreciate the Love 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lB48GIECt6

— Adrian Peterson (@AdrianPeterson) September 9, 2016

I will admit that I've always thought the Yeezys were an overrated sneaker. I mean, would people really praise their odd nature if they weren't created by Kanye? Well, I guess you could say the same for a lot of his music. It's just the way this world works: when Kanye is involved in the production, there will undoubtedly be an aura of creativity.

The low cut Yeezy cleats look pretty damn awesome, I'd feel like a million bucks running around in those things. However the high tops look a little too much like boots, or maybe a poor man's version of the Under Armour Cam Newton cleats.

I don't know if RGIII received a pair, but I feel like Kanye is a smarter business man than that. Talk about bad PR. Whether he received free Yeezy's or not, it's going to be awhile until Griffin can wear them on the field. Also, how hilarious would it be to see Aaron Rodgers run out of the tunnel at Lambeau with those high top Yeezys? I can't imagine a more ridiculous visual.



Now that Jordan has officially entered the football industry with its new deal with Michigan football, maybe the Yeezys will jump over the Jumpman on the gridiron. If I played on a team that just switched from Adidas (Michigan, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Tennessee) I couldn't help but be a bit jealous of these new Yeezy cleats.

So that's this week's edition of football threads and kicks. Disagree with any of this? Want to praise me for all of this? Either way, let's Tweet about it: @CalebBlackmur

I, Jake Levin, want the New York Yankees to make the playoffs

Certainly not at the expense of the Red Sox, and I do not want them to win the World Series.

However.

I think back to the 2001 Seattle Mariners, who won 116 games after Alex Rodriguez left as a free agent.

I think back to the 2004 Texas Rangers, who improved from 71 wins to 89 without Alex Rodriguez.

And then I look to the 2016 New York Yankees, who are 16-9 since Aug. 12. The date they forced A-Rod to retire released A-Rod. That's a tidy .640 winning percentage, since I'm a math guy and all. Tied with Kansas City for the best winning percentage in the AL during said time frame other than...the Red Sox.

I get he's 42, but the comedic value of yet another team catching fire after ditching A-Rod is tantalizing, to say the least. I'll even throw in the Red Sox winning the World Series in '04 after not trading for A-Rod.

All of this to say, I'd keep an eye on the 2018 Miami Marlins. Because we know what's happening next spring.

PS if you had told me in September 2015 that Rick Porcello would be a 20-game winner and possibly the Cy Young favorite in the American League, I would've said "yeah ok, and Donald Trump is going to be the Republican nominee for president."

Life comes at you fast.

Tavern Game of the Week: BYU vs. Utah

After such an incredible slate of opening weekend games, week two of college football is suffering from a bit of a hangover as we don't see nearly as many noteworthy matchups. In fact, not a single game this weekend features two teams ranked in the top 25. However, there are a few games featuring unranked, in-state rivals that should be intriguing. The Tavern Game of the Week is between the Utah Utes and the BYU Cougars. As I mentioned, neither of these teams have a spot in the top 25, but both have received votes with Utah getting 43 and BYU with 5. I think it's safe to say the winner of this game could very well make an appearamce in the week 3 rankings, so both bragging rights and national exposure are up for grabs.

The Holy War was settled last year in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, where the Utes edged out the Cougars by a touchdown with a 35-28 victory. Both teams' offensive numbers from week one are very similar, but these numbers were put up against varied levels of competition. BYU scored 18 points and totaled 415 yards in their win over Arizona, while Utah scored 24 points and totaled 436 yards against Southern Utah. BYU won with a late fieldgoal that put them ahead by two, so maybe the momentum from a close win will carry over into their matchup on the road against the Utes, who are favored by just three points.

BYU is one of four independent teams in college football, but they're looking to join a conference in the near future. Many speculate that the Big 12 would be the Cougars' first choice, but BYU certainly has some improving to do in order to impress a conference whose stock is on the rise. Not only for the Big 12 campaign, but also for their dignity, BYU needs this win. The Utes have come out on top in the last five meetings, so first-year BYU head coach Kalani Sitake is looking to flip the script of the Holy War on Saturday night.

Beyond bragging rights, a win for Utah could gain them some attention as a possible dark horse to do some damage in the Pac 12. As we saw in week one, the Pac 12 isn't off to a hot start. If the Utes execute on Saturday night, they could be one of the few teams from their conference with a spot in the week 3 rankings.

I would suggest keeping an eye on senior Utah wide receiver Tim Patrick, who had a hell of a first game by tallying five receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns. The guy throwing to him, junior QB Troy Williams, didn't have too bad of a game either: 20 of 35 for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Although this Utes offense seemed to do well against Southern Utah, BYU's defense will be bringing a lot more heat so Utah will need to look a lot more sharp in week two.

Taking a look at BYU's backfield, senior QB Taysom Hill's performance in week one kept a good distance from both mistakes and highlights. There's not much to criticize when a quarterback throws for 202 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 37 yards, but it's also not really anything to write home about. The same thing goes for BYU running back Jamaal Williams, who ran for 162 yards on 29 carries and failed to get into the endzone.

I'd like to see BYU get a victory in thid year's Holy War just to see a bit of a change up, so I'm going with my gut here and picking the Cougars. I think that will squeeze them into the tail end of the top 25 for week three, as they'll surprisngly host UCLA as the higher ranked team.

Why is the BC-UMass game at noon on Saturday?

The answer is because the New England Revolution play at home on Saturday night at 7, but more on that later.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the "Battle of the Bay State" is this Saturday at noon at Gillette Stadium between the Eagles of Boston College and the Minutemen of UMass.

Actually, you could live in plain sight and live and breathe sports like I do and still probably have very little idea the game is happening.

But it is, and the noon start time is curious to say the least. 

First things first, it's about 90-minute drive from Amherst to Foxboro. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around college kids chomping at the bit to get up around 9-9:30 on a Saturday morning for a drive like that, but that's just (somewhat recent) experience talking. Chestnut Hill is much closer, but it's not like you can step out of your dorm, brace yourself for the sunlight, and walk down to the stadium, either.

The majority of high school games in Massachusetts are played on Friday nights at this point, but there's a sizable portion that remain played on Saturday during the day. You're the only shows in town when it comes to I-A/FBS football in the Bay State; shouldn't you try to make an effort to let as many prospective players attend the game as possible? 

UMass isn't one of BC's chief rivals, but aside from Notre Dame, do they even have a secondary rival at this point? The U maybe, because of one play over 30 years ago? And while UConn would be an extremely logical fit as the Minutemen's largest nemesis, it seems as though the administrations of said schools legitimately hate one another. So much for that.

BC-UMass will never in a kajillion-zillion years be anything resembling an Auburn-Alabama type of rivalry, but that doesn't mean a facade can't be put on to have it resemble one. It does have a wikipedia page, after all.

But do you think the Iron Bowl would ever start at noon? I get the Eagles and Minutemen play in different conferences (well, at least BC plays in a conference), but there's plenty of marquee in-state/non-con rivalry games that still find their way onto the schedule every year and don't get relegated to noon start times. Think Florida-Florida State.

In 2014, BC and UMass played at 3 p.m. at Gillette, but in the final week of August before school had started up again. Still not an ideal start time, but better than 12.

If you're not trekking over to Patriot Place for this one but planning on watching on TV, the game is on NESN, which is great. NESN or Comcast New England, same difference. Makes perfect sense.

However, it was originally slated for NESN-plus, which isn't so great. Fortunately, the Red Sox find themselves in a pennant race, and their game vs. Toronto -- originally slated for NESN -- got moved to a national broadcast. Crisis averted.

But there's still the fact that the Revs got dibs on the prime time slot over this game. I'm assuming that since they're a Kraft property, they get first choice on time slots in Foxboro after the Patriots. Call me a skeptic but I can't see a college football game down south being moved for a soccer game.

Not to turn this into a football vs. soccer argument, but it's going to be very interesting to see which crowd is larger on Saturday. The primetime slot is more appealing, no doubt, and if it were the football game at 6 or 7 or 8 I don't think I'd even feel the need to bring any of this up.

UMass is currently a football vagabond, and while they played pretty darn well in Florida last week, I don't think that moves the needle much for the sake of interest. Beat BC? While neither Matt Ryan nor Doug Flutie or even Brian St. Pierre (do I hear Quinton Porter or Paul Peterson?) are walking through that door, a win over BC would be monumental for the Minutemen.

Monumental to the point mainstream media may start paying attention to UMass football? Harder to say, because this whole being an Independent thing isn't the best way to cultivate rivalries.

You have to start somewhere though. And it's a shame that noontime on a Saturday, in a stadium an hour and a half from campus, isn't just the best option right now, it's the only option.

Oh and for BC...best not lose this one. If any American sport could stand to learn a thing or two from the Premier League, it's college football. Relegation much?

It's finally happened: the Patriots have become too good

One of my favorite running gimmicks during last NFL season was the Monday morning (or one Friday morning, because Roger Goodell is a putz) ritual of snap chatting out my free coffee, courtesy of our good friends at Dunkin Donuts, after every Patriots win. I'm a big math guy (got a B+ in Math 107 freshman year in Rhody), so I figured that if each medium ice coffee cost $2.60ish, after the Patriots went 19-0, I'd save a whopping $49.40 over the course of the season. You sure weren't getting those savings in Detroit or Cleveland, the cities that could probably use such a stipend, but I digress.

I've feared for many years the day the Patriots regressed to the mean. I pondered it after the Ravens blowout in the '09 playoffs, I pondered it on that fateful night in Kansas City two years ago. But never once in my wildest dreams did I imagine the Patriots would become so good, it would affect me on a personal level:

Dunkin Donuts will now offer coffee for 87 cents following each Patriots win.

Like Lou having to raise the prices of Coke in Caddyshack because he was losing at the track, Dunkin Donuts has had to deprive us here in New England of free coffee because the Patriots are simply too good. There's some sort of equation to figure out exactly how much they're recuperating by raising the price to honor the greatest tight end in NFL history, but the point remains it's a sad day for team Dunkies members like myself. At least they'll still be offering something; I'm quite sure Starbucks has never offered a free venti grande for a Seahawks win.

But get ready to crack open your piggy banks on Monday (and Friday) mornings, because the price of 19-0 is now $16.53.

PS: let's say Aaron Hernandez wasn't a homicidal maniac, would coffee have been 81 cents? Or why not pay homage to Tommy boy, go with a 12 cent cup?

Double PS: if Dunkies wants to spin this as part of their campaign with Gronk and David Ortiz, how bout coffee is 34 cents after each Red Sox playoff win?

Mid-20s Massacre: Going gray, or going bald

People keep telling me I'm a millennial just because I was born in 1990, but I don't really see how it applies. I'm a classic rock guy, I prefer cash to Venmo, and I don't have an EZ pass in my car -- which is a Grand Marquis.

I think another point that supports my claim is my rampantly graying hair. It was a slow process at first but it's sped up tenfold over the last six months or so. Like I'm gonna be full on gray by the time I'm 30 and there's really nothing I can do about it.

I'm not particularly thrilled about this, given the only other people who went gray in their 20s I can think of are Brett Favre, who if you ask me gets a free pass for only winning one Super Bowl, and Taylor Hicks, who once won American Idol but hasn't dropped an album since '09, which is also the same year Favre blew the NFC Championship game for the Vikings. I think Ryan Lochte might be gray too, not helping my cause here.

But people keep telling me they'd much rather go gray at this age than go bald. I'm kind of on the fence here, given the notable bald celebrities I can think of: Larry David, Dustin Pedroia, or Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank. That's a little more my speed thank Favre or Hicks.

Then again what do I know. Should I embrace the gray and be glad I won't need to douse my head in sunscreen every day? Or am I becoming too much of an anti-Millennial, which would truly make me an old man?

Need your feedback here people. If you're give or take 25, would you rather go gray or bald?

Winners and Losers from College Football's Kickoff Weekend

I'm sure you haven't already read this opening line on numerous other recaps: Wow. What an amazing start to college football. So much excitement and we're only one week in. Cliche, yes. But you're a lunatic if this wasn't your mindset after such an awesome opening weekend. With so much to look back on, I'll do my best to highlight the set of Labor Day Weekend matchups with the three biggest winners, and the three biggest losers.

Winners

The Big 10 as a whole came out as the B1Ggest winners of the weekend. The most notable achievement out of the conference's weekend came from the Nebraska Cornhuskers honoring their punter Sam Foltz, who tragically passed away from a car accident in July:

Truly emotional stuff, and a genuinely awesome tribute to their fallen teammate as the Huskers took a delay of game penalty by leaving Foltz's spot empty for the punt. And to top things off, Nebraska came out with a 43-10 victory over Fresno State.

In terms of on-the-field performance, the Big 10 impressed by having the best week 1 record of any conference, going 12-2. One of the two losses came from Northwestern being upset at home by Western Michigan in a 22-21 nail-biter. The other loss came from....surprise, surprise: Rutgers! The fake Big 10 team, as expected, got stomped 48-13 by No. 14 Washington.


(Sleeveless guy at the 1 minute mark with the absolute lights out singalong performance. Muscle man spittin' bars!)

The Badger faithful had plenty to jump around about after their boys pulled of a shocking upset at Lambeau Field, taking down No. 5 LSU and Heisman hopeful Leonard Fournette. Wisconsin was unranked in week 1, but this victory shot them up in the week 2 rankings as they now sit at the No. 10 spot.

In terms of the preseason playoff hopefuls from the Big 10, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Iowa all won decisively, as expected. It's not much of an accomplishment for top 25 teams to stomp inferior opponents, but the Big 10 seemed to avoid any opening weekend slip-ups. All of this positivity gave me no choice but to grant the entire conference as week 1's biggest winner.




Regardless of if they suit up for weekend gamedays or not, it's always beyond amazing when someone beats the S.O.B we know as cancer. If you're not inspired by seeing someone overcome such adversity, I don't want to know you. So it was really cool to see Pitt running back James Conner play his first game after beating Hodgkin lymphoma. Conner rushed for 53 yards and a touchdown, along with recording 16 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown. Kudos to Conner as he helped the Panthers beat Villanova 28-7.

Sunday night's upset over No. 10 Notre Dame was not only an indicator of how the Longhorns' season may go, but also played a factor in Charlie Strong's job security. It might seem unfair that the third season in a complete revival project for a program in the dumps would be considered a make-or-break season, but fans and boosters of the blue chip Longhorns don't have much patience. The double OT thriller over the Irish allowed Charlie Strong to prove that his positive impact is starting to kick in. I thought Strong did an excellent job in managing his two quarterbacks throughout the game. While on that note, true freshman QB Shane Buechele was extremely impressive. That kid can really sling the ball and I'm looking forward to watching what he can do the rest of the season. Texas is now ranked for the first time under Charlie Strong, jumping up to the No. 11 spot.

Losers

Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners have been viewed as a preseason Heisman hopeful and probable playoff contenders, but Saturday's 33-23 loss hurt those chances. The Sooners made some very crucial mistakes, including two fumbles lost and giving up a kick-six on a missed field goal. The kick-six was certainly remarkable on Houston's end, but the Sooners field goal unit was asleep at the wheel while trying to defend it. Sure, this was a non-conference loss for the Sooners and they could rebound moving forward. But that's easier said than done with an already competitive conference schedule, along with Oklahoma's game against No. 4 Ohio State in two weeks. If the Sooners, who are now ranked No. 14 lose two of their first three, they'll undoubtedly catch a lot of heat. Even after the week 3 matchup against the Buckeyes, they then have to play at TCU before hosting Texas. Rough road ahead for Oklahoma, and they better fix their problems quickly if they want a shot at redemption.

Baker Meh-field

— Caleb Blackmur (@CalebBlackmur) September 3, 2016

(Nailed it.)

The Pac 12 finished opening weekend with a record of 7-5, which is overall very mediocre. It's not the mere amount of wins and losses that makes me consider the Pac 12 as a week one loser, it's the magnitude of some games that were lost. Week one is a great time for conferences to flex their muscles and face off against contenders from other conferences. However, the Pac 12 didn't succeed in their headliner matchups. USC got absolutely worked by Alabama 52-6. Now that blowout is partially a product of Alabama being amazing per usual. But it was also an indicator of how far the Trojans are from being a national contender. In the other big time Pac 12 vs. SEC battle, No. 16 UCLA and Josh Rosen dropped an overtime loss to unranked Texas A&M. The Bruins nearly pulled off a crazy comeback after being down 24-9 to start the 4th quarter, but "nearly" just doesn't cut it. Other than Stanford, I think the Pac 12 is a generally weak conference on a national scale, and week one reinforced this attitude.

The aforementioned upset of Wisconsin over LSU definitely caused Les Miles' stock to plummet, as the Tigers' head coach was already on the hot seat last season. LSU rallied around Miles' low job security last year by carrying him off the field in their final home game victory over Texas A&M. It was expected to be long time coach's last game at LSU, but apparently beating an unranked team 19-7 at home is good enough reason to hop back on the Les Miles train. Well as we saw on Saturday at Lambeau, the Tigers are probably in for another disappointing year and Les Miles still can't recruit good quarterbacks. Real estate agents of Baton Rouge: start looking into selling the Miles home.

In terms of winning/losing myself, I went 2-1 for picking the outcomes of the week one Tavern Games of the Week. I was pumped about correctly picking Houston over Oklahoma, but failed to predict the Texas upset over Notre Dame. I correctly picked Florida State to cover the five point spread against Ole Miss, which was an excellent game and a great second half by the Seminoles. Stay tuned for this week's Tavern Game of the Week, which I will preview most likely on Thursday.

Previewing Labor Day's No. 11 Ole Miss. vs. No. 4 Florida State

College football's kickoff weekend is saving the best for last with the headliner matchup between the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels and the No. 4 Florida State Seminoles on Labor Day. I'll take this version of Monday Night Football 10 times out of 10.

The Rebels and 'Noles are both coming off of successful seasons that did not live up to the high standards of these two squads. Ole Miss finished 2015 at 10-3, a season highlighted by upsetting Alabama, but tainted by losses to Memphis, Florida, and Arkansas. The Rebels showed promise in numerous victories last year, but consistency was clearly an issue. Florida State finished 2015 with the same record, with losses to Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Houston. Both teams are right on the cusp of the best in their respective conferences according to the preseason polls, and a win on Monday would help in proving that they could be the best. The only ACC team ranked ahead of Florida State in the preseason polls is No. 2 Clemson. For the Rebels, they trail three SEC opponents in the current polls, with Alabama at No. 1, LSU at No. 5, and Tennessee at No. 9. But Tennessee's piss poor showing against App State on Thursday night implies that the Vols' high expectations for 2016 were probably unwarranted.

Not only do we get to see two of the country's top teams go at it, but we have the pleasure of watching two of the most electric players college football has to offer in Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly and FSU running back Dalvin Cook. Swag Kelly and Cook are, as far as preseason hype is concerned, in the second tier of Heisman hopefuls. They're both hands down two of the best players in the nation, but they're slightly overshadowed by the highly praised likes of Christian McCaffrey, Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, and Leonard Fournette. The safe-bet preseason favorites. 

Swag's off-the-field IQ isn't necessarily one of his strengths, but at least he's refrained from having viral documentation of partaking in pot stuff. So on Ole Miss football standards, they've got a damn valedictorian under center. But all dad-joking aside, anyone who doubts Chad Kelly's talent on the football field is a moron. This kid can play, and he has the ability to step up in primetime. However, one major issue for the dual-threat QB is his inexperienced offensive line. Also, Swag is without his #1 target from last season in Laquon Treadwell. It also doesn't seem that Kelly will have much help with the ground game, as his running backs still have to prove their worth.

Speaking of the Rebels' passing game, the holes to fill from last year might not be as much of a worry as the talent of this Seminoles defensive backfield is. ESPN's top 100 list for college football players in 2016 featured three Florida State defenders, most notably sophomore defensive back Derwin James at the No. 16 spot. The 6 foot 3, 211 pound Florida native had an impressive college debut last year, recording 91 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, tow forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Some more names to watch for on this FSU defense include defensive lineman Demarcus Walker and cornerback Marquez White. 

On the other side of the ball, experience will not be an issue as the Seminoles return 10 of 11 starters. The only new face will be under center, as redshirt freshman Deondre Francois has earned the starting job.

In FSU's spring game, Francois had his ups and downs in an overall satisfactory showing, completing 20 of 33 passes for 246 yards with two touchdowns and two picks. Francois can really sling it, and if necessary, his feet don't seem to be a bad option either. Usually I'd be critical of his inexperience, but with so many returning starters, the offense should be fine.

According to the Vegas lines, Florida State is a five point favorite in this game. I'd bet on the 'Noles covering the spread, as I think they'll win by at least a touchdown. In a game that might come down to which team's playmaker puts on a better show, I have more faith in Dalvin Cook rising to the occasion and bringing his squad a week one victory.