Thoughts From My Couch

Georgia and Alabama Deliver the Game of the Year (#4 Alabama 41, #2 Georgia 34) When a pair of Top 5 teams are scheduled to meet this early in the season, you expect to see fireworks. After Jalen Milroe started dismantling the Georgia defense, it looked like Alabama was going to wipe the floor with them. Leading 30-7 at halftime, Alabama was on their way to an unexpectedly easy victory. Then, out of nowhere, Georgia's offense found its legs. Georgia scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, taking a 34-33 lead with 2:31 left. That good feeling lasted 13 seconds. Milroe connected with freshman sensation Ryan Williams on a 75-yard strike to immediately retake the lead. Carson Beck's third interception of the game sealed the deal, earning Alabama a massive early-season victory. Kentucky Finally Gets One (Kentucky 20, #6 Ole Miss 17) Ole Miss drove down the field and made quick work of Kentucky on the first drive of the game. After that, the Rebels couldn't get anything go...

The start of the 2024-25 NHL season is right around the corner, so it's time to take an early look at how I think things will shape up. The 2023-24 season brought plenty of excitement. Connor Bedard made his presence felt, proving to be everything we'd hoped he'd be on his way to a Calder Trophy-winning performance. Auston Matthews was on the road to 70 goals, falling just short with 69 at the end of the season. Connor McDavid and Nikita Kucherov became the fourth and fifth players in NHL history to record 100 assists in a season, finishing third and second in the Hart Trophy race, respectively, to Nathan MacKinnon. Everything culminated with the Florida Panthers avoiding a 3-0 blown lead in the Stanley Cup Final by beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 to win their first Stanley Cup. As I did last season, I'd like to start by explaining that my thoughts should not be taken as anything other than guesses. To prove that point, here are some of my predictions from last se...

Welcome to the Neighborhood, New Kids  #18 Michigan 27, #11 USC 24- In a matchup worthy of the Rose Bowl, new conference foes squared off at The Big House in Ann Arbor. The Trojans looked impressive in their first two games of the season, while the defending champions suffered a significant tumble against Texas two weeks ago before narrowly defeating Arkansas State last week. With Alex Orji getting the start for Michigan, they stayed true to their ground-and-point game. Michigan jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but USC was on the verge of a huge road victory midway through the fourth quarter. Instead, Kalel Mullings ran one in with 37 seconds left to regain the lead and earn a redemptive win.   #6 Tennessee 25, #15 Oklahoma 15- Josh Heupel's ties to Norman are extensive, winning a national championship in 2000 and serving as their offensive coordinator until he was fired in 2014. Oklahoma, playing their first game as an SEC member, didn't put up much of a fight in the fi...

2023-24 In Review The 2023-24 season started slowly for the Hurricanes. Featuring an uninspired State Fair trip, a disturbingly bad 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home, and a four-game losing streak during their Western Canada trip, the Hurricanes didn't show much promise until a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on December 12 to help turn their season around. The team went 38-11-6 in their final 55 games, falling three points short of the Metropolitan Division title and the President's Trophy. The Hurricanes finished in the Top 10 in goals scored and fourth in goals allowed while boasting the league's top penalty kill and the second-best power play. In the postseason, the Hurricanes used some heroics in the first round to down the Islanders in five games but fell behind 3-0 to the Rangers in the second round and failed to recover, losing in six games. Notable Performances Sebastian Aho's 89 points were the second-most in a season since the team relocated to...

Bayou Bengals Barely Escape (#16 LSU 36, South Carolina 33) After building a 17-point lead on their visitors on Saturday, everything went terribly wrong for South Carolina. It started with Lanorris Sellers going down with an injury after a strong start, including a 75-yard touchdown run late in the quarter. Then, a potential pick-six to give them an 11-point lead late in the fourth quarter was wiped off the board after Kyle Kennard took an unnecessary shot at LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier during the return. It allowed LSU to get the ball back, drive down the field, and score the eventual winning touchdown with 1:12 remaining. It soured what could've been a huge win for the Gamecocks after they dismantled Kentucky a week ago. Norvell, Noles' Offense No-Show Again (Memphis 20, Florida State 12) The fall from grace of the Florida State Seminoles needs to be studied. One injury last season seemingly altered the trajectory of their entire program. Last season's ACC champions...

Alright, Alright, Alright in Ann Arbor (#3 Texas 31, #10 Michigan 12) The week's premier matchup saw the defending champions, #10 Michigan, welcome the #3 Texas Longhorns to Ann Arbor. The home team provided little resistance for Quinn Ewers and the Longhorn. Ewers threw for three touchdowns, including a pair in the first half to lead 24-3 at the break. The Texas defense held the Wolverines without a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter, forcing three turnovers in a 19-point victory.  Stunning Upset in South Bend (Northern Illinois 16, #5 Notre Dame 14) What a difference a week makes. After a huge win in College Station last weekend, the #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish laid an egg at home against the Northern Illinois Huskies. After Riley Leonard scrambled for the opening touchdown, North Illinois rallied for 13 straight points, leading most of the first three quarters. Notre Dame took the lead midway through the third quarter, but the Huskies nailed a field goal with 31 seconds...

Opening Week Blues, Part 5 After losses to Florida State in their last two openers, #13 LSU looked to get off to a good start in Las Vegas against #23 USC. Both schools were replacing Heisman-winning quarterbacks after Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels left for the NFL. The ensuing battle between USC's Miller Moss and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier proved much tighter than anticipated. The difference in the game proved to be the final six minutes. With LSU holding a slight lead, USC drove down the field and took the lead after Moss dropped a dime to Ja'Kobi Lane. LSU responded with a field goal to tie the game, giving USC the ball with less than two minutes left. After Kyron Hudson made his second spectacular one-handed grab of the night and LSU was called for targeting on the play, it appeared that the Trojans were setting up for a game-winning field goal. Instead, Woody Marks scored his second touchdown of the game with eight seconds left to seal the victory. For the fifth strai...