NCAA Tournament Pool - Sweet Sixteen/Day 1 Results

 

Well, we lost two more champions last night, but neither of those teams destroyed our pool.  That is what happens when, well, chalk happens.  The winning seeds from last night were 1 (Duke), 1 (Florida), 2 (Alabama), and (3) Texas Tech.  Arkansas tried their best to crash the Elite 8 party, but they could not hold onto a 15-point lead in the second half, only to succumb to Texas Tech in overtime.

The lost champions were the Arizona Wildcats and Maryland Terrapins.  Yes, someone selected Maryland as our champion, which isn't as strange a pick as you might think given that they were a 4-seed, and they hadn't lost a game all year by more than 6 points.  Anyway, our champions are:  ALABAMA, AUBURN, Arizona, Connecticut, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland, MICHIGAN STATE, Mississippi State, TENNESSEE.  Four of the picks are in action tonight:  Houston (against Purdue), Auburn (against Michigan), Michigan State (against Mississippi) and Tennessee (versus Kentucky).  Most won't have much of an effect on the pool as wins by the favorites will either help or hurt most entrants - but boy oh boy does that set up an exciting weekend!

Since all the games were chalk, if you did not correctly have 3 of the 4 winners from last night, you lost ground in the standings.  Sometimes even if you had 3 correct, because we have a new leader, Max Macon 3 of Jupiter, Florida, followed by Bill Ganoe 1 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and Salvatore Plamondon of Lincoln, Rhode Island.  Salvatore had Maryland defeating Florida, and although a tough, gutsy pick, it cost him first place - at least for the moment.

The Picks of the Day went to all of the entries that correctly picked all 4 winners, and there are a number of those brackets, but CONGRATS anyway to:  Ty Hedgpeth of Wilmington, NC, Paul Cummings of Palm City, Florida, Mike Wolff 2 of Boynton Beach, Florida, Jane Reynolds and Carolyn Fowler of West Palm Beach, Florida, Measha Donatello Williams of Houston, Texas, Christina Zanzig of Stuart, Florida, Martha Kroesen of West Palm Beach, Florida, Dan Barsky 1 of Miami Beach, Florida, Rich Samuels 2 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Jody Cox of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Justine Frank of Charlotte, North Carolina, Kevin Dick of Alexandria, Virginia, Measha Raphael Williams of Houston, Texas, Day Yi 2 of Forest Hills, New York, Xavier Conway of somewhere near Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Alvaro Gonzalez of Boynton Beach, Florida, Allison Parker of Washington, D.C., Measha Michaelangelo Williams of Houston, Texas, Brandon Satterwhite of Juno Beach, Vincent Plamondon of Lincoln Rhode Island, Ashley Poer 1 of Lake Worth Beach, Florida, Theo Frank of Charlotte, North Carolina, Kisha Marzouca of Boynton Beach, Florida, William Pujals of Charlotte, North Carolina, Max Macon 4 of Jupiter, Florida and Cheryl Spuhler of Acworth, Georgia.

PHEW!!! - That was a lot.  So let's transfer from on-the-paper of the brackets to on-the-court for the games.

Players of the Day

10.  Kon Knueppel, Duke - 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists [Ed. Note - He must have been good to make the list b/c Pepster hates this guy as a player]

9.  Aden Holloway, Alabama - 23 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

8.  JT Toppin, Texas Tech - 20 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist

7.  Richie Saunders, BYU - 25 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals

6.  Derik Queen, Maryland - 27 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

5.  Johnell Davis, Arkansas - 30 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

4.  Caleb Love, Arizona - 35 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal [Ed. Note - Pepster did tell you to watch Caleb Love against Duke!]

3.  Cooper Flagg, Duke - 30 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks

2.  Derrion Williams, Texas Tech - 20 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, last-minute three to send the game to overtime, game-winner with about 7 seconds left in OT

1.  Mark Sears, Alabama - 34 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assist, 3 steals - 10 Three-Pointers Made

Trivia Question:  Mark Sears hit 10 three-pointers in Alabama's Sweet 16 victory over BYU.  Who holds the record for most made three-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game, and how many did he hit?

Stats of the Day

6.  Florida committed 12 turnovers in the first half

5.  Mark Sears of Alabama hit 10 three-pointers

4.  69-56:  Arkansas's lead over Texas Tech with 5:00 minutes remaining in the game

3.  Alabama hit an NCAA Tournament record 25 three-pointers; previous record was 21.

2.  If Alabama did not hit any two-point field goals last night, only their three-pointers and free throws, they still would have defeated BYU.

1.  Tyler O"Neill of the Baltimore Orioles, homered in his 6th-consecutive season opener!

Trivia Answer:  Jeff Fryer, Loyola Marymount, 11 (11-15) against Michigan in 1990

The way the games played out yesterday, the most obvious history of the NCAA tournament story was about that 1990 Loyola Marymount team (Hank Gathers death, Bo Kimble scoring 30+ on an off-night and shooting free throws left-handed to honor Gathers, Jeff Fryer hitting threes like nobody's business, and taking them like there weren't no fours - to paraphrase Antoine Walker.  But, I have already done that story in past years.  So then, I was almost hoping for a Maryland victory (except Florida is my champion) so that I can write about that 2002 national championship team with Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Lonny Baxter, Tahj Holden and Chris Wilcox, but that didn't happen.

But, then it hit me like an Ali Faroukmanesh three-pointer.  (I hear your collective, "Who?").  You know, Ali Farouskmanesh, the shooter of the gutsiest, craziest, most awe-inspiring three-pointer of all time.  Which three-pointer was this, you might aske?  THIS ONE!!!  Now, Faroukmanesh was wide-open on this shot, why was it gutsy and crazy?  Well, before we get to that point, let me just go back to why he is in the news.  Yesterday, Faroukmanesh was named the head coach at Colorado State - yes that Colorado State that just lost to Maryland on a buzzer beater.

So, in 2010, Kansas was the number 1 seed in the tournament, and cruised to a 90-74 victory over 16th-seeded Lehigh, behind 26 points from Marcus Morris, and double figures from Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, Xavier Henry and Tyrel Reed.  This brough the Jayhawks into a second-round matchup against the 9th seeded University of Northern Iowa, who had sneaked by the 8th seeded UNLV Running' Rebels 69-66.  In that game Ali Faroukmanesh led the team with 17 points, shooting 5-9 from three-point range, including the game-winner.  This brought us to the matchup against top-seeded Kansas in Oklahoma City.

Against Kansas, Northern Iowa led by 6 at halftime.  In the second half, Kansas lost star center Cole Aldrich to injury and Northern Iowa took more of a lead.  Kansas, gathered their breath, began pressing, and pulled back into the game, down only 1 with 35 seconds left.  Nothern Iowa has the ball and is facing backcourt pressure as they inbound the ball.  They easily beat the pressure and get the ball into Faroukmanesh's hands on the wing with a Kansas defender near him, and everybody else hustling to get into the Northern Iowa offensive zone.  Translation - there was nobody else there.  Good time to dribble, wait for the foul, hit two free throws and then play defenses with a three-point lead.  But no - Faroukmanesh pulls up and .... swish!!!  Four-point lead for Northern Iowa.  Faroukmanesh hits two more free throws, and Kansas never got any close than that 1-point deficit before Faroukmanesh launched.  Faroukkmanesh finished with a game and team high 16, on 4-10 from three-point range to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Northern Iowa ultimately lost in the next round to Michigan State 59-52, with the Spartans holding Faroukmanesh to only 9 points, on 1-6 shooting from three-point range.  And since Butler's Gordan Hayward's last-second three-pointer against Duke in the championship game just missed allowing Duke to win 61-59, Ali Faroukmanesh hit the most memorable shot in that 2010 tournament.  It will be interesting to see what he does as a head coach, with a team that definitely has some talent (unless they leave in the portal - but that is a story for another day!).

Sweet Sixteen/Day 1 Standings

1.  Max Macon 3 - 83 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

2.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 82 - FLORIDA/DUKE

     Salvatore Plamondon - 82 - ALABAMA/AUBURN

4.  Katie Kollmeyer - 81 - FLORIDA/KENTUCKY

5.  Marcus Jackson - 80 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

     Measha Leonardo Williams - 80 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

7.  Ty Hedgpeth - 79 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

8.  Paul Cummings - 78 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

     Preston Holbert - 78 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

10.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 76 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 76 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE

       Mike Wolff 2 - 76 - FLORIDA/DUKE

13.  Matt Hopps - 75 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 75 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Measha Donatello Williams - 75 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Christina Zanzig - 75 - MICHIGAN STATE/DUKE

17.  Brent Bellinger - 74 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Mark Holbert - 74 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Martha Kroesen - 74 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

       Dustin Lansing - 74 - ALABAMA/MICHIGAN STATE

       Marcus Spruill- 74 - DUKE/St. John's

22.  Dan Barsky 1 - 73 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Guy Hughes - 73 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Shane Jernigan - 73 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Rich Samuels 2 - 73 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

26.  Dan Barsky 2 - 72 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       Jonathan Cox - 72 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Eric Inge - 72 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       George Walks 2 - 72 - ALABAMA/FLORIDA

30.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 71 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Justine Frank - 71 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Christina Gomez - 71 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Alyssa Hopps - 71 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

34.  Kevin Dick - 70 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

       John Hedgpeth - 70 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Dan Laishley - 70 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Max Macon 1 - 70 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Barbie McInerney - 70 - FLORIDA/ARIZONA

       Jonathan Wasserman - 70 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Measha Raphael Williams - 70 - DUKE/AUBURN

41.  Natalie Moon - 69 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Steven Usma 2 - 69 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       George Walks 3 - 69 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Mike Wolff 1 - 69 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Day Yi 2 - 69 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

46.  Xavier Conway - 68 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 68 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Allison Parker - 68 - AUBURN/ALABAMA

       Jazz Piasecki - 68 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

50.  Kyle Henderson 1 - 67 - FLORIDA/Clemson

       Silas Nichols - 67 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 67 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

53.  Kingfish Parham - 66 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Brittany Sosa - 66 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Lily Spuhler - 66 - FLORIDA/PURDUE

       Steven Usma 3 - 66 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Day Yi - 66 - DUKE/St. John's

58.  Rachel Bornn - 65 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Jacey Fowler I - 65 - MICHIGAN STATE/TENNESSEE

       Shane Dogmillionaire - 65 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Jeff Plamondon - 65 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 65 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Rich Samuels 1 - 65 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Brandon Satterwhite - 65 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

       Bubba Zdrowak - 65 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

66.  Sean & Barbie McInerney - 64 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

67.  Adam Jorgensen - 63 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Chris LaForte - 63 - MICHIGAN STATE/ALABAMA

69.  Vincent Plamondon - 62 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Ashley Poer 2 - 62 - FLORIDA/ARIZONA

       Jane Reynolds - 62 - ALABAMA/AUBURN

       Chris Simmons - 62 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Amanda Staudt - 62 - MICHIGAN STATE/PURDUE (4)

74.  Joel Chernoff - 61 - AUBURN/DUKE

       Jenna Finkelstein - 61 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Colleen Giamberini - 61 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Kline Kroesen - 61 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Dave Piasecki - 61 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Ashley Poer 1 - 61 = DUKE/AUBURN

80. Theo Frank - 60 - DUKE/FLORIDA

      Quinn Jackson - 60 - ALABAMA/MICHIGAN STATE

      Kisha Marzouca - 60 - DUKE/FLORIDA

      Sasha Moon - 60 - DUKE/FLORIDA

      Steven Usma 4 - 60 - FLORIDA/KENTUCKY

      Justin Yung - 60 - DUKE/FLORIDA

86.  Karen Katz 1 - 59 - DUKE/Maryland

       Sean McInerney 1 - 59 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

       Sean McInerney III - 59 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sean McInerney IIII - 59 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Chuck Whitcomb - 59 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

       Dave Wilson - 59 - FLORIDA/DUKE

92.  Paul Cummings 2 - 58 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       James Garvin - 58 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Braeden Helland - 58 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

       Si Nichols - 58 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       William Pujals - 58 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 58 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Jessica Samuels - 58 - DUKE/Texas A&M

       Pepe Sosa - 58 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Jason Spuhler - 58 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 58 - FLORIDA/DUKE

102.  Jim Coleman - 57 - DUKE/AUBURN

         Karen Katz 2 - 57 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

         Max Macon 4 - 57 - FLORIDA/DUKE

         Ferris Spuhler - 57 - Kansas/DUKE

106.  Benny Frank Finkelstein - 56 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

         Jacey Fowler II - 56 - ALABAMA/FLORIDA

         Max Macon 2 - 56 - DUKE/FLORIDA

         Hannah Sosa - 56 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA

         Jeremy Spuhler - 56 - FLORIDA/DUKE

         Steven Usma 1 - 56 - DUKE/FLORIDA

112.  Tyler Giamberini - 55 - Maryland/ALABAMA

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 55 - DUKE/AUBURN

         Sean McInerney II - 55 - FLORIDA/St. Mary's

115.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 54 - HOUSTON/FLORIDA

         Cheryl Spuhler - 54 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

         Amy Zdrowak - 54 - AUBURN/ALABAMA

         Joshua Zdrowak - 54 - DUKE/FLORIDA

119.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 53 - DUKE/Connecticut

         Katie Zdrowak - 53- DUKE/St. John's

121.  George Walks 4 - 52 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

122.  Caroline Spuhler - 51 - FLORIDA/DUKE

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 51 - HOUSTON/Iowa State

124.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 50 - Connecticut/ALABAMA

125.  Dave Marzouca - 49 - AUBURN/Arizona

         Logan Spuhler - 49 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

         George Walks 1 - 49 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE

         Keith Zdrowak - 49 - DUKE/FLORIDA

129.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 47 - HOUSTON/St. John's

         Stephanie Henderson - 47 - AUBURN/Clemson

131.  Carolyn Fowler - 46 - AUBURN/DUKE

132.  Wes Wiggins - 43 - Arizona/Louisville

133.  Barkley Sosa - 41 - Mississippi State/Connecticut

134.  Luna Frank - 32 - Marquette/HOUSTON

Do You See What I See? The NCAA Block Squares Pool

Wow! 

First, Happy Belated Opening Day everyone. Your commissioner was doing what everyone should have done yesterday afternoon and attended an afternoon baseball opener. Here in the nation's capital the game turned out to be a really good starting pitcher matchup that ended with the Nationals bullpen imploding in extra innings. Only 161 games to go. 

And yes, I did stay up to watch my Cubs get a win in Arizona late last night.

Regarding the basketball, there were really interesting and exciting things going on in both The Association and the NCAA tournament. 

Did you see my Chicago Bulls score 8 points in 12 seconds to make up a 5 point deficit to the Lakers and win on a half court buzzer beater? I did! By the way, the Bulls swept the Lakers this year with both Luka and LeBron on the floor. I should be happy about this. 

Did you see the Washington Wizards give up 162 points to the Indiana Pacers in regulation last night? I did! It was actually funny watching the Washington crowd boo when Indiana held the ball and took repeated 24 second violations at the end of the game instead of running up the score. Great show of sportsmanship to hold the margin of victory to 53 points.

In the NCAA tournament, Alabama gave us a show. 

Did you see that the Crimson Tide hit the 100 point mark with 6:30 left in the game? I did! It's a 40 minute game and the score of 100-79 had already surpassed the betting over with six and a half minutes left. It's probably worth noting that Alabama broke a record for 3-pointers in a tournament game with 25, which gave your commissioner hives thinking that Tony Delk was on the floor somewhere. Look at this shot chart for Alabama! 51 threes taken? The game has changed.

Did you see the Texas Tech comeback against Arkansas? I did! Let me stat you down for a moment. Calipari was 35-0 in the NCAA tournament when he held a lead of 6 points or more during the game. He is 35-1 now after the Red Raiders walked them down from 16 back with 10:10 left in the game.

Did you see Cooper Flagg last night? I did! 30 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists to lead Duke to into the Elite 8, and that team looks ridiculous. He is even more skilled than I give him credit for.

Did you see that rather dominant performance from Florida last night? I did! Florida is really good, and my bracket pick to win the tournament, but I am really concerned with their free throw shooting. A team this good should be better at the line, and they are going to need to be better in San Antonio if they expect to win this thing.

On to the block squares pool. Did you see that your commissioner is heating up? I did! My arrival in Round 2 was followed by a definitive win in Round 3. Momentum is a dangerous thing my friends. The four winners from yesterday are below.

More basketball please! My Friday evening is currently free.

--Your Commissioner

30 Straight Points! The NCAA Block Squares Pool

By now you have heard or read everything you need to about UCONN delivering a 30-0 run last night to batter a good Illinois team. Illinois went 50 real time minutes and more than 9 game minutes without a point. During that period, Illinois missed 17 consecutive shots and for the game shot 25%. This for the most efficient offense in the country coming into the game. How bad was it? How about some social media...

And then there was Donovan Clingan. On shots he contested, Illinois was 0-19. He also had a pretty good game offensively. Again, the hyperbole from social media...

Two days ago, I raved about this team noting that I watched a beating in which nothing was memorable. Last night, UCONN decided to make me pay attention. 

I don't have much on the Alabama game except the shot chart from that game against Clemson. Just look at this! It is simply amazing. 

The game has changed my friends. And Alabama, welcome to your first Final Four.

For the Block Squares Pool, Scott Walters and Devin McDonough were our two winners last night. 

And just a reminder, I will start sending payouts tonight and tomorrow for the first four rounds. 

--Your Commissioner 

2024 NCAA Tournament Pool Sweet 16/Day 1

 

Sorry for the late post - but I did have work I had to do today (Damn depositions.)  But finishing this up while actually watching basketball, so that is nice!

Well, the Sweet Sixteen is now halfway done, and we had some pretty good games last night.  WE HAVE A NEW LEADER(S), but before we get started, I have to relay this story from one of the entrants in our pool.

Jody Cox of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was on vacation last week and as we all know, that was when our brackets were due.  He and his family were on a Spring Break ski trip, or in the jungle, or Serengeti, or Australian Outback, who knows.  [Ed. Note - I know, but it isn't my place to put his business out there.]  But, he really, really wanted to enter the pool.  So, being the bright, MacGyverish guy that he is, he drew his own brackets, took a picture and sent it to me so that I could timely receive his entry.  Now, it is perfectly legible and I had no problem scoring his sheet.  However, I found out in talking to him this week that he drew the brackets on a pizza box!!!  That my friends, is resourcefulness and dedication!!!  He is the Andrew Tate of our pool - without all of the criminality and horrible personality.

There are also some pretty interesting facts and statistics pertaining to the beginning of the Sweet Sixteen!

Purdue and Gonzaga - both in the Sweet Sixteen - have the most tournament wins without winning a national title at 46.  Illinois has 44.  [Spoiler Alert - 45].

The Illinois-Iowa State game is a matchup of KenPom's number 1 ranked offense (Illinois) and defense (Iowa State).

Duke hasn't beaten a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1994.  They play the one-seed Houston Cougars in the Sweet Sixteen tonight.

San Diego State has more tournament wins the past two years (7) than in all previous tournaments combined (6).

Louisiana Tech won the first women's NCAA Tournament in 1982 over Cheyney State.  The starting point guard for Louisiana Tech was Kim Mulkey.  You can read some about here on this post from SINICKAL.  (There's your F'in cite!)  You can also find us making fun of here in last year's Final Four Chronicles, and possibly more this year if LSU makes the Women's Final Four.

The Connecticut-San Diego State game is the rematch of the 2023 title game; The Marquette-NC State game is a rematch of the 1974 NCAA title game.  NC State won that game 76-64, behind the Most Outstanding Player David Thompson, in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Some big basketball names in that tournament:  Besides Thompson, Norm Sloan coached NC State and Tom Burleson was a standout, Al McGuire coached Marquette who had Maurice Lucas, and some featured players from outside that championship game included Bill Walton and Jamaal Wilkes from UCLA, Marvin Barnes from Providence, Campy Russell from Michigan and John Shumate from Notre Dame.  Loaded!

But, due to the rules of the day, we missed the possibility of the greatest tournament championship game, if the ACC Championship game was any indication.  See, back then only conference champions could participate in the NCAA Tournament, and NC State and Maryland were both in the ACC.  At the time of the tournament, NC State was ranked number 1 in the country and Maryland was ranked #4, but was probably the hottest non-Wolfpack team in the country entering the ACC tourney.  Being the number 1 seed, NCAA had a quarterfinal bye and dispatched Virginia 87-66 to make the finals.  Maryland, with the conference's number 2 seed, ran through Duke 85-66 and North Carolina 105-85 to set up the most collosal of conference finals, which NC State won 103-100 in overtime.  NC State qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and Maryland went home - as by far the greatest team to never even make the NCAA Tournament.  But that score is just the start ...

As stated earlier, NC State was led by David Thompson, three-time ACC Player of the Year and 1975 National Player of the Year.  His co-stars were Tom Burleson - the ACC Tournament's Most Outstnding Player - and Monte Towe, looking like polar opposites at 7'4" and 5'7" respectively.  Future Baltimore Oriole pitcher Tim Stoddard also started on this team coached by Norm Sloan.

Maryland had its own assortment of star players, including 6 future NBA draft picks.  It is even hard to say who "led" this team, but the six future draft picks included John Lucas, future Congressman Tom McMillan, Len Elmore, Mo Howard, Tom Roy, and Owen Brown.  Maryland was coached by the legendary Lefty Driesell, who passed away this February.

This game went back-and-forth all night, with Maryland hitting 12 of its first 14 shots.  NC State withstood that storm, and trailed only 55-50 at halftime.  NC State had a four-point lead with just over 2 minutes left in regulation, but Maryland scored two late buckups to force overtime.  Three lead changes in the extra frame occurred before NC State prevailed 103-100.

Most impressive state of this game is that both teams combined for zero turnovers in the second half and overtime.  Let me say that for the people in the back:  BOTH TEAMS COMBINED FOR ZERO TURNOVERS IN THE SECOND HALF!!!  That is high quality basketball.

Of course, the following year the NCAA expanded the tournament and allowed at-large teams into the NCAA Tournament.  Also of lasting import is the story that David Thompson could jump so high that he could take a dollar bill of the top of the backboard - and leave four quarters change!  He also scored 73 points in a single NBA game, topped only by Wilt Chamberlain (100, 78, 73 two times), and Koby Bryant (81) and Wilt Chamberlain (78).  [Luka Doncic also scored 73 in a game earlier this year.]

I know this is only NCAA Tournament-adjacent, but this is one of the three greatest basketball games ever, along with Duke-Kentucky 1992 (I can't believe I have to mention this - UGH!) and the 1992 US Olympic team's internal scrimmage chronicled in The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw. 

Now, let's get back to the 2024 games.

The first early game was Clemson/Arizona, with the Clemson defeating Arizona 77-72.  Clemson took an early lead, and although it kept seeming like the Wildcats were clawing back, they never could get over that hump.  With 1:06 remaining in the game, Clemson called time out, and then ran a picture-perfect out-of-bounds play for a PJ Hall Dunk that not only ended the game, but showed that all Wildcats must have problem defending the out-of-bounds under the basket play.  And, since I thought of this point as it happened, Guy Hughes of Lexington, Kentucky and Kevin Dick of Alexandria, Virginia have to suffer this thought with me now that I put it out there.

This is Clemson's first Elite 8 since 1980, when they were led by Larry Nance, who eventually went on to win the very first NBA Slam Dunk championship!

The second game was absolute annihilation:  Connecticut over San Diego State 82-52.  Some numbers from defending-champion UConn's run:

9 straight double-digit wins;

17 years since a defending champion reached the Elite Eight;

28 seconds that UConn trailed in last night's game; the only time they have trailed in this year's tourney;

86 - UConn's total margin of victory this tournament - the largest since 1985; and

+152 - The total +/- of Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, UConn's starting back court.

Alabama defeated North Carolina 89-87 in a super-exciting game punctuated by North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson's go-ahead three-point play and game-saving block for the Crimson Tide.

Then, Illinois beat Iowa State behind Terrence Shannon's 29 points, including two free throws with 6 second left to raise the lead to 5.

With a 3, 4 and 6 seed all advancing over a 1, 2, and 2 seed, we lost three champions last night, including Your Tournament Host.  Our remaining champions are:  ALABAMA, Auburn, Arizona, Baylor, CONNECTICUT, CREIGHTON, DUKE, Florida, Florida Atlantic, GONZAGA, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, MARQUETTE, Michigan State, North Carolina, NORTH CAROLINA STATE, PURDUE and TENNESSEE.  So, out of the 12 remaining teams in the tournament, entries have each of them as their champion, except Clemson.

Most entries had Connecticut in the Elite 8, and a surprisingly large number of entries picked Illinois into this weekend's game.  There were 12 entries with the Crimson Tide into the Elite 8, but only 3 that had Clemson surviving this far.  For that reason Kyle Henderson 1 of Fort Worth, Texas, Cheryl Spuhler of Acworth, Georgia, and Savannah Grace Pressly of Boca Raton, Florida all win the coveted "Pick of the Day"!  Congratulations you three.

Players of the Day

10.  Aaron Estrada, Alabama - 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

9.  Armando Bacot, North Carolina - 19 points, 12 rebounds

8.  Stephon Castle, Connecticut - 16 points, 11 rebounds

7.  Jaden Bradley, Arizona - 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

6.  Oumar Bello, Arizona - 15 points, 15 rebounds

5.  Cam Spencer, Connecticut - 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists

4.  Chase Hunter, Clemson - 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assist

3.  Curtis Jones, Iowa State - 26 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

2.  Grant Nelson, Alabama - 24 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 5 blocks

1.  Terrence Shannon, Illinois - 29 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

Social Media Posts of the Day

I saw this on both TikTok and Twitter - from two different posters.  It simply said, "I really hope Ke$ha did't wake up this morning feeling like P. Diddy!"

Ok Mr. Tournament Host - given the severity of the accusations against P. Diddy, that seems like kind of a shot.  How are you going to connect that to this tournament?  Here, let me show you.

So, there are a number of people implicated in the P. Diddy criminal investigation.  Among them is a 25-year old who is accused of working as a "drug mule" for Diddy, and has been arrested on charges of cocaine possession and possession of controlled substances.   In addition to being a "drug mule", this 25-year old has been accused in civil suits as procuring guns as well for Diddy.  This man is Brendan Paul.  Paul was arrested at the Opa-Locka airport attempting to board a private plane either owned or leased by Diddy.

Brenden Paul played basketball for Syracuse University during its heyday from 2018-2020 before transferring to Division II Fairmont State.  See, I told you could make the connection.

Anyway, it is important to note that everything stated above is still just an allegation and that in the United States we are innocent until proven guilty.

Now, on to the rankings.  You will notice a whole lot of Jacksons near at the top.  In fact, the Jackson Five are all doing very well.  I'll bet you can't find the 5th Jackson!  (You can't - it's Staudt!)  Anyways, as always, please check your scores and if you feel that a discrepancy exists, let me know.

Tournament Standings after Sweet Sixteen/Day 1

1.  Allison Parker - 86

     Marcus Jackson - 86

3.  Blake Jackson - 84

4.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 83

5.  Brian McMahon - 81

6.  Braeden Helland - 80

7.  Max Marion 3 - 79

8.  Ty Hedgpeth - 78

9.  Miles Jackson - 77

     Jeff Plamondon - 77

11.  George Fox 2 - 75

12.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 74

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 74

       Chris Simmons - 74

       Measha Williams 3 - 74

       Josh Zdrowak - 74

17.  Jody Cox - 73

       Amanda Staudt - 73

19.  Carolyn Fowler - 72

       William Pujals - 72

       Rich Samuels 4 - 72

22.  Cassi Spruill - 71

       Bubba Zdrowak - 71

24.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 70

       Javier Rodriguez - 70

       Rich Samuels 2 - 70

       Rich Samuels 5 - 70

       Measha Williams 1 - 70

       Justin Yung - 70

30.  Paul Cummings 2 - 69

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 69

       Sean McInerney 2 - 69

       Dave Piasecki - 69

       Marcus Spruill - 69

       Cheryl Spuhler - 69

36.  Kevin Dick - 68

       Mark Holbert - 68

       Matt Hopps - 68

       Si Nichols - 68

40.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 67

       Silas Nichols - 67

       Lee Pagan - 67

       Pepe Sosa - 67

       Jeremy Spuhler - 67

       George Walks 3 - 67

       Amy Zdrowak - 67

47.  Joel Chernoff - 66

       Paul Cummings 3 - 66

       Quinn Jackson - 66

       Jacey Reynolds 2 - 66

       Measha Williams 2 - 66

52.  James Coleman - 65

       Paul Cummings 1 - 65

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 65

       Matt Okell - 65

       Kingfish Parham - 65

       Day Yi - 65

       Katie Zdrowak - 65

       Keith Zdrowak - 65

60.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 64

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 64

       Skip LaForte - 64

       Max Macon 2 - 64

       Max Marion 1 - 64

       Sasha Moon - 64

       Rich Samuels 1 - 64

       Rich Samuels 3 - 64

       Brittany Sosa - 64

69.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 63

       Ashley Poer - 63

       Jane Reynolds - 63

       Keith Wynne - 63

73.  Justine Frank - 62

       Melissa Gaynor - 62

       Tyler Giamberini - 62

       Lily Spuhler - 62

       George Walks 4 - 62

78.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 61

       John Hedgpeth - 61

       Dawn Lamb - 61

       Derrick Lowe - 61

       Ryan Rodriguez - 61

83.  Jacey Fowler 1 - 60

       Cheryl Spuhler - 60

       Logan Spuhler - 60

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 60

87.  George Fox 1 - 59

       Max Macon 1 - 59

       Max Marion 2 - 59

       Michael McNally - 59

       George Walks 1 - 59

92.  Dan Laishley - 58

       George Walks 2 - 58

       Jonathan Wasserman - 58

95.  Jenna Finkelstein - 57

       Max Macon 3 - 57

       Chris O'Neil - 57

       Jessica Samuels - 57

       Jamie Toole - 57

100.  James Garvin - 56

101.  Adam Jorgensen 1 - 55

         Adam Jorgensen 2 - 55

         Max Marion 4 - 55

104.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 54

         Barbie Curlett 1 - 54

         Katie Kollmeyer - 54

         Mike Wolff 1 - 54

         Coco Wynne - 54

109.  Max Macon 4 - 53

110.  Clair Bullock - 52

         Barbie Curlett 2 - 52

         Karen Katz - 52

         Natalie Moon - 52

         Savannah Grace Pressly - 52

115.  Brent Bellinger - 51

         Nick Kuehl - 51

         Noel Martinez 1 - 51

         Kisha Marzouca 1 - 51

119.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 50

         Shane Jernigan 1 - 50

         Chris Pettit - 50

122.  A.J. Ripin - 49

123.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 48

124.  Anne-Marie O'Neil - 47

         Barkley Sosa - 47

126.  Colleen Giamberini - 46

         Sean McInerney 1 - 46

128.  Hannah Sosa - 45

129.  Stephanie Henderson - 44

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 44

         Jason Spuhler - 44

132.  Guy Hughes - 43

         Dave Marzouca 1 - 43

         Mike Wolff 2 - 43

135.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 42

136.  Noel Martinez 2 - 41

137.  ALYSSA HOPPS - QUINCY, MASS - 35 - CLINCHED LAST PLACE

The Ole College Try

Lots of upsets, as ranked teams went down to unranked foes.  And, a couple of more survived upset bids themselves.  It is too soon for the college football season to be this exciting, isn't it? NO - not at all.

For those that don't remember, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race all season at the expense of everything else.  Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.

Heisman Watch

Quarterback Edition

Favorite - Jalen Hurts -Oklahoma - He is 12th in the NCAA in passing yards AND 6th in the NCAA in rushing yards (tied).  Oklahoma pummeled UCLA this week, putting up only 48 points, which is down from the 59.5 they were averaging.

Rising - Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa - Alabama - Not sure you can consider "Tua", "rising", but I just didn't have him as a favorite last week.  He cemented his place in consideration (probably in second right now), with 444 yards and 5 TDs in a 47-23 victory over SEC foe South Carolina.  Plus, I just wanted to type his full name.

Sleeper - Anthony Gordon - Washington State - The Cougar quarterback leads the NCAA in passing yards - by over 200 yards (202 to be exact).  If Mike Leach can somehow keep Washington State competitive in the Pac-12 North, and maybe into a Pac-12 championship game, Gordon could rise up the charts.

Falling - Feleipe Franks - Florida - Believe it or not, some people thought that he would be a darkhorse coming into this season.  By suffering an ankle injury against Kentucky, thus ending his season prematurely, and then seeing Kyle Trask come in and lead Florida to a come-from-behind victory, any and all thoughts of this occurring have not just fallen - they have ended.

Running Back Edition

Favorite - Jonathan Taylor - Wisconsin - Best running back in college football.  Has a statement game against Michigan this weekend.

Rising - J.K. Dobbins - Ohio State - They say Ohio State is only going to go as far as Justin Fields takes them, but this is not true.  Their fate lies with running back J.K. Dobbins, who has already gained 425 yards this season, good for 4th in the NCAA.

Falling - D'Andre Swift - Georgia - As good as any runner (including Taylor and Etienne), but is a victim of his team's success.  Georgia is annihilating teams, and because of that, Swift is not getting many touches - just 9 rushes last week in the Bulldogs' 55-0 defeat of Arkansas State.

Sleeper - Zack Moss - Utah - Moss, a WeMakeItRain pre-season All-American would never ordinarily qualify as a "sleeper", except he plays for Utah.  So far Moss is tied for 6th in rushing yards in the NCAA with 373, and Utah has risen to 10th in the rankings.  If Utah somehow manages its way into the college football playoffs, Moss could get some Heisman love.  Moss also isn't suffering from overuse, as he only ran the ball 10 times (for 106 yards) last week.

Wide Receiver Edition

Favorite - Jerry Jeudy - Alabama - Because of the glut of talent present on Alabama, Jeudy is not going to have those "WOW" stats that lead the NCAA, but he will have those "WOW" plays.  His 24 catches are tied for 5th in the NCAA.

Rising - DeVonta Smith - Alabama - He made 8 catches for 136 yards and 2 TDs in Alabama's win over South Carolina.  Will ultimately be hindered because he lines up next to Jeudy.

Falling - Rondale Moore - Purdue - Moore is suffering from the injury to his quarterback Elijah Sindelar, but 3 catches for 25 yards last week against TCU is not going to cut it as a Heisman favorite.

Sleeper - David Duvernay - Texas - He already leads the NCAA in receptions with 27 (three-way tie).  Since he plays for Texas, he is going to get to play against a lot of Big 12 defenses, which means statistically, Duvernay's season is limitless.

Defensive Edition

5.  Jace Whittaker - CB - Illinois - His 3 interceptions lead the NCAA(well tied for the lead).

4.  David Reese III - LB - Florida - Finished last week's game against Kentucky with 16 total tackles, 13 of them solo.

3.  Oluwole Betiku, Jr. - DE - Illinois - Leads the NCAA with 6 sacks, despite opposing teams having to game plan for basically only him, and running the ball a ton in the second half.

2.  Ethan Aguayo - LB - San Jose State - Off a bye week, he no longer leads the NCAA with his 34 total tackles, but his per game pace leads me to believe he will have that lead back soon.

1.  Evan Weaver - LB - California - Leads the NCAA with 40 total tackles.

Player(s) to Watch

Jamie Newman - QB - Wake Forest - With the glut of talent at the QB position in college, Newman is going to be overlooked, but this kid can play. So far this year he has a 69% completion percentage, a 7-1 TD/INT ratio and supplements his throwing with an ability to run - 78 yards rushing against North Carolina.  Plus, Wake Forest is 3-0.

My New Favorite Player

Kyle Trask - QB - Florida - Only because he is not Feleipe Franks.

Players of the Week (Just Week 2)

5.  Khalil Herbert - RB - Kansas - He rushed for 187 yards and 1 TD on only 1 carry as Kansas defeated Boston College 48-24.

4.  J.K. Dobbins - RB - Ohio State - Making his second straight appearance, as he gained 193 yards on 22 carries and 1 TD in Ohio State's 51-10 victory.

3. Dillon Gabriel - QB - UCF - Gabriel had a phenomenal game as UCF soundly defeated Stanford.  Gabriel was 22-30 for 347 yards and 4 TDs.  No word yet on whether UCF fans are already giving themselves the championship this season.

2.  Anthony Gordon - QB - Washington State - Gordon was 36-48 for 440 yards and 3 TDs as the Cougars of Washington State defeated the Cougars of Houston 31-24.  I smell reality series ...

1. Tua Tagovailoa - QB - Alabama - What cane we say? 28-36 for 444 and 5 TDs.

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

Chance Poore - K - Kentucky - Actually, the award should go to his parents as this is a terrible name for a kicker, but Poore missed a 35 yard field goal with 53 seconds left which would have given Kentucky the lead, and possibly its second straight defeat over Florida. Hopefully it doesn't affect this red-shirt freshman's career too much.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Willie Taggert - Florida State - Taggert's second straight appearance, as he completely mis-managed the clock and time in the 4th quarter during Florida State's 31-24 defeat at the hands of Virginia.  Not that this was an upset as the ranked Cavaliers were favored to win, but instead of having a chance at a last-second play, Taggert's mismanagement led to no play for FSU.  Taggert may not make it through the season.

Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups

Alabama (1) v. Ohio State (4)/ (2) Clemson v. (3) Oklahoma

Again, still way too early to tell as tons of teams are still alive.  LSU is looking especially interesting, as is Georgia.  Can a Pac-12 team stay unbeaten?

Final Unbeatens

Still too many to list right now.  May commence this section in another week or two.

Rant(s) of the Week

Targeting.  Now, I am not one of those "in my day football was manly" type of people.  I fully support the safety of the players and targeting as a penalty.  But, we have to clarify what the rules are, especially in one particular instance, when the ball carrier and/or receiver is hit by someone else first causing their body - and most importantly their head - to change positions.  The officials called targeting on Kentucky's T.J. Carter for a hit on Florida quarterback Kyle Trask.  The problem, as Carter was attacking Trask another Wildcat defender had hit Trask from the back so Trask started falling forward.  Carter did hit Trask helmet-to-helmet, but, without the split second timing problem on the initial hit, Carter's shoulder would have hit Trask in the chest - textbook tackling.  The targeting penalty - and accompanying ejection - gave Florida an additional 15 yards and an automatic first down, instead of a 3rd and 29 from their side of the field.  Florida went on to score a touchdown on the drive.

Under Performance of the Week

Michigan State - They fall 10-7 to Arizona State at home. Arizona State is a solid program so this isn't like Tennessee losing to Georgia State, but the lackluster play and the 12 men on the field penalty which occurred as the Spartans were kicking the game-tying field goal are standard symptoms of an under-performance.

Last Week's Trivia Answer

As a reminder, the question was:

We will start off easy:  There are five active NCAA head coaches that have won NCAA titles as head coaches.  Name them.

The answers are: Mack Brown, Jimbo Fisher, Les Miles, Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney.

Trivia Question of the Week

With Tagovailoa returning to college after finishing second in the Heisman Trophy race in 2018, how many players have finished second for the Heisman Trophy returned to win the Heisman the following year?  Name them.

Match up(s) to Watch

5. Harvard at San Diego - It is the start of the Ivy League non-conference season, as the Crimson, with conference title hopes, start their year on the west coast.

4.  Tennessee v. Florida - Only ranked this high because I am going to be there.

3. Michigan v. Wisconsin - A huge Big 10 game this early in the year. This is a must if either of these teams think they have a chance to make the college football playoff with a conference championship.

2.  Auburn v. Texas A & M - A huge early season SEC matchup between schools with ideas of breaking into the Alabama-LSU duopoly atop the SEC west.

1.  Notre Dame v. Georgia - The biggest game of the week as two top 10 ranked teams play each other for the right to gain much needed style points for the committee when they select the college football playoff participants.  Georgia, with the opportunity to defeat Alabama or LSU in an SEC championship game, can absorb a loss much easier than Notre Dame can.

The Ole College Try

What a crazy couple of weeks in college football, and that is just with the University of Florida's endings.  Here is the recap of the season to date, with an emphasis on last week's games.  For those that don't remember, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race all season at the expense of everything else.  Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.

Heisman Watch

Quarterback Edition

Favorite - Baker Mayfield -Oklahoma - He doesn't have the yards of Josh Rosen or Mason Rudolph, but he is 9th in passing yards, 3rd in Touchdowns, and has the biggest win of the season.  With Lamar Jackson and Mason Rudolph both having lost, and Josh Rosen having lost twice, it is going to take a lot to move Mayfield out of this position.

Rising - Will Grier - West Virginia - We wanted, and still want, the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State game to mean something, but the West Virginia - Oklahoma game on November 25 has the potential to really mean something!

Sleeper - Luke Falk - Washington State - The undefeated cougars are rolling, primarily because of Luke Falk.  He has thrown for 1378 yards, and more importantly, has completed 77 percent of his passes.  His 14 TDs to 1 interception is astounding.

Falling - Sam Darnold - USC - Struggled at times against what should have been an overmatched California Bears team.  He still may be the top pick in the draft, but he isn't the Heisman favorite.

Running Back Edition

Favorite - Saquon Barkley - Penn State - He gained 211 yards and scored 1 TD against a tough Iowa defense as the Nittany Lions eeked out a 21-19 win.  He also had 94 yards receiving off 12 receptions.  Right now nobody else is close.  Barkley is the Heisman frontrunner overall.

Rising - Bryce Love - Stanford - He leads the NCAA in rushing with 787 with a 10.8 yard per carry average.  Stanford's two losses will keep him off the Heisman podium, however.

Falling - Jordan Scarlett - Florida - Not only has he been suspended the entire season, but freshmen Malik Davis and Kadarius Toney looked way more exciting running the ball than Scarlett ever did.

Sleeper - Mark Walton - Miami - Even though Miami has only played two games because of Hurricane Irma, Walton is still 34th in rushing with a whopping 13 yards per carry.  He is going to fly up this list with more games..

Wide Receiver Edition

Favorite - James Washington - Oklahoma State - Easily the best receiver in the country.  Has 520 yards on only 19 receptions (a 27.4 ypc).

Rising - Cam Phillips - Virginia Tech - 34 receptions, an NCAA best 523 yards and 5 TDs.

Falling - Ahmmon Richards - Miami - Last year's freshman All-American has yet to play this season.

Sleeper - Steve Ishmael - Syracuse - Leads the NCAA in receptions with 45, including 11 grabs in a close 35-26 defeat at LSU.  Plus, he was just added to the Biletnekoff Award watch list.

Defensive Edition

5.  Khalil Hodge.- LB - Buffalo - 52 total tackles, including 1 forced fumble.  Primarily on here because the last time Buffalo had a LB named Khalil - he turned out to be pretty good (Mack).

4.  Demetrius Monday - CB - Kent State - Your NCAA leader with 4 interceptions.

3.  Peter Kalamabayi - DE - Stanford - Leads the NCAA with 8 sacks, and he does it in a tough conference.

2.  Anthony Winbush - DE - Louisville - He has 8 sacks and leads the NCAA with 3 forced fumbles.

1.  Frank Ginda - LB - San Jose State - Leads the NCAA in tackles with 73 (21 more than the next highest total).  And it isn't because he is the only player on the defense that can tackle opponents, as teammate, safety Ethan Aguayo, is 5th in the NCAA in tackles with 48.

Player(s) to Watch

Keith Bryant - QB - Clemson - He doesn't have the eye-popping stats that DeShaun Watson did, and he may not look as exciting as DeShaun Watson did, but he does look in control of a team that looks destined for the playoffs.

My New Favorite Player

Logan Woodside - QB - Toledo - The senior is in complete control of an extraordinary offense, and he looks well on his way to another 4,000 yard passing season.  This is what a guy that stays four years at a mid-major school looks like - a great college quarterback.  He may not translate to the NFL, but he looks great for Toledo.

Players of the Week (Just Week 2)

5.  Mark Walton - RB - Miami - He gained 204 yards on only 11 carries in Miami's victory over Toledo after a three-week layoff due to Hurricane Irma.

4.  Manny Wilkens - QB - Arizona State - He threw for 347 yards in the Sun Devils' upset victory over Oregon.

3. Zach Smtih - QB - Baylor - The only loser on this list, but he kept Baylor in the game against Oklahoma falling 49-41 despite his 403 yards and 4 TDs on 33-50 passing.

2.  Bryce Love - RB - Stanford - he rushed for 263 yards as the Cardinal stomped UCLA.

1. Saquon Barkley - RB - Penn State - He gained 305 total yards from scrimmage, and Penn State needed every yard in a close victory over Iowa.

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

Nick Haynes - OL - Kentucky - His 10 yard late game holding penalty proved costly as the Wildcats missed a very long field goal at the buzzer by a mere 3 or 4 yards.  The fact that it wasn't a holding penalty notwithstanding, Haynes has to feel awful for costing Kentucky its first win against the Gators in 31 tries.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Mike Gundy - Oklahoma State - The Cowboys, who seemed on track for a potential playoff-qualifying rivalry game against Oklahoma, just were not ready/prepared for Texas Christian.  Playing in the Big 12 with one loss will not get you into the playoffs.

Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups

Alabama (1) v. USC (4)/ (2) Clemson v. (3) Oklahoma

Again, still way too early to tell as tons of teams are still alive.

Final Unbeatens

Alabama, Central Florida, Clemson, Duke, Georgia, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Minnesota, Navy, Oklahoma, Penn State, San Diego State, South Florida, Texas Christian, Texas Tech, USC, University of Texas - San Antonio, Utah, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin

Rant(s) of the Week

No rants this week.  Which in and of itself is an upset.

Under Performance of the Week

Oklahoma State.  This was supposed to be the year they challenged for the Big 12 title; which they still can.  But losing to TCU doesn't help matters.

Last Year's Trivia Answer (or perhaps even two years ago)

As a reminder, the question was:

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen threw for at least 300 yards for the 12th time in his collegiate career, breaking the school record held by whom?

The answer is Cade McNown.

Trivia Question of the Week

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has set the school record for touchdown passes with his 88th TD in last week's game.  Whose record did he break?

Match up(s) to Watch

5. Miami v. Duke - Other than my number 1 game to watch, this is the game of the week that could go a long way to determining a place in the ACC championship game, as 2 unbeatens play at the site of one of the more crazier endings in NCAA history.

4.  Mississippi State v. Auburn - The winner takes a big step forward in seeing who the number one contender is against Alabama in the SEC west.

3. Vanderbilt v. Florida - Not because this will be a good game, but have you seen the last two endings in Florida's last two games?

2.  USC v. Washington State - Can Luke Falk make a big step toward making Washington State a real contender in the Pac-12?  He can with a win over USC.

1.  Clemson v. Virginia Tech - Two undefeated ACC teams with incredibly strong defenses face-off in Blacksburg, which I can attest is an excellent college football crowd..

The Ole College Try

Welcome to the return of the almost weekly perspective of college football. I took last year off, so I am going to try to do this as often as possible.  For those that don't remember, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race all season at the expense of everything else.  Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.

Heisman Watch

Quarterback Edition

Favorite - Josh Rosen -UCLA - Best quarter, ever?  UCLA entered the fourth quarter against Texas A&M down 44-10, and rallied for a 45-44 victory, largely behind the passing of Josh Rosen.  Sure, some of the completed pass were lucky, but they happened.  Rosen finished 35-50 for 491 yards and 4 TDs.

Rising - Mason Rudolph - Oklahoma State - Sure it was against Tulsa, but Rudolph was 20-24 for 303 yards and 3 TDs.  That is a tremendous completion percentage for that high a yards per attempt average.  Now, if only they could beat Oklahoma.

Sleeper - Will Grier - West Virginia - The Florida transfer was 31-53 for 371 yards and 3TDs against one of the staunchest defenses in the NCAA, Virginia Tech.  The loss definitely hurts, but if West Virginia can run through the Big 12 and he puts up numbers, we should keep an eye on him.

Falling - Lamar Jackson - Louisville - Ok, so he isn't really falling.  But as the defending Heisman winner, if he isn't first then by definition he is falling.  He had a great game against Purdue, going 30-46 for 378 and 2 TDs, to go along with 107 rushing yards.

Seriously Falling - DeAndre Francois - FSU - Too soon?

Running Back Edition

Favorite - Saquon Barkley - Penn State - He rushed for 172 yards on only 14 carries as Penn State manhandled Akron.  We will have to wait to see how he handles the meat of the schedule before he truly challenges the quarterbacks, Jackson, Rosen and Sam Darnold.

Rising - Mark Walton - Miami - He gained 148 yards on only 16 carries against Bethune-Cookman, but he looked every bit the part of star running back.  Simultaneously ran over, and through defenders.  He will definitely play on Sundays.

Falling - Jonathan Taylor - Wisconsin - Wisconsin's leading rusher only gained 87 yards for the game.  Granted, it was only on 9 carries, as Wisconsin dominated Utah State, but to win the Heisman, you have to pile up numbers against the poorer teams.

Sleeper - Trayveon Williams - Texas A&M - Despite the heartbreaking loss to UCLA, Williams amassed 203 rushing yards on 22 carries with 2 TDs.  He will engage in a season-long battle for the SEC rushing title with Derrius Guice.

Wide Receiver Edition

Favorite - James Washington - Oklahoma State - The best wide receiver in college gained 145 yards on 6 receptions, 2 of which went for touchdowns.

Rising - James Williams - Washington State - He had an outstanding first game - albeit against Montana State - teaming up with Luke Falk for 13 receptions, 163 yards and 2 TDs.  Falk will keep throwing, and somebody is going to have to catch them.

Falling - Calvin Ridley - Alabama - This is truly not a knock on Ridley, but Alabama spreads the ball around too much for anyone other than the quarterback to post spectacular numbers this year.

Sleeper - Deon Cain - Clemson - His numbers are not going to jump off the page, but if Clemson can keep itself in the national title picture even given the graduation of DeShaun Watson, Cain is going to be a big reason why.

Defensive Edition

5.  Anthony Winbush. - DE - Ball State - He already has 3 sacks on the season, and would be ranked higher if he was playing against better competition.

4.  Joe Ferguson - S - Wisconsin - He had a 99 yard interception return for a touchdown, which means he already has 1 more touchdown than the entire offense of the Florida Gators.

3.  Daniel Bitulli - LB - Tennessee - He totaled 23 tackles - yes 23 (10 solo) - in the double overtime victory over Georgia Tech in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  Only ranked third because he total tackles comes primarily because the team could not stop the running attack of the  Yellow Jackets.

2.  Josey Jewell - DE - Iowa - The leader of an always stingy defense, Jewell sacked potential first round pick Josh Allen twice.

1.  Andrew Motuapuaka - LB - Virginia Tech - He himself looked dominant against West Virgina, totaling 12 tackles and a sack in the Hokies victory over West Virginia.

Player(s) to Watch

Bryce Love - RB - Stanford - Who is going to replace Christian McCaffrey?  How about Bryce Love, who rushed for 180 yards on 13 carries against Rice.  Not the receiver that McCaffrey is (but who is?), but will help Stanford play the tough, ground it out game for which they are known.

My New Favorite Player

Will Grier - QB - West Virginia - Since Tim Tebow, 5 quarterbacks have transferred from Florida, with 3 of them ending up in the NFL; Cam Newton, Jacoby Brissett, Jeff Driskel (Bengals IR), Treon Harris at Tennessee State) and Will Grier.  Can you name on QB from Florida that stayed and did anything?

Players of the Week (Just Week 2)

5.  Kelly Bryant - QB - Clemson - Not spectacular (16-22, 236 yards, 1 TD; 77 rushing yards, 1 TD), but showed enough to keep alive talk of a potential repeat.

4.  Baker Mayfield - QB - Oklahoma - One of the favorites to make the college football playoff, Mayfield started the season 19-20 for 329 yards and 3 TDs.

3. Lamar Jackson - QB - Louisville - See above.

2.  Josh Rosen - If he had played well the first three quarters he might have been the number 1 player of the week.

1. TaQuon Marshall - QB - Georgia Tech - His 5-9 for 120 yards passing is only dessert compared to his 249 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns against Tennessee.

Goat of the Week (Player Edition)

Antonio Calloway - Florida - As the best of the 10 players suspended from the Gators for defrauding the university, he takes to goat of the week.

Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)

Jim McElwain - Florida - Fresh off the shark-hugging scandal (OK, not really), McElwain showed his mettle by switching out Franks for Malik Zaire, when it is clear neither of them deserve to be playing upper-level NCAA football.The Gators gained a total of 192 yards, a large chunk on the first drive that led to a field goal.

Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups

Alabama (1) v. Oklahoma (4)/ (2) Ohio State v. (3) USC

Obviously way too early to tell as tons of teams are still alive.

Final Unbeatens

Way too many to rank at this point, but this will become fun as teams start to lose.

Rant(s) of the Week

This has been a problem since the NCAA created the targeting penalty, but the NCAA either needs to make clear to the officials, the teams, the players and the fans exactly what targeting is, or they need to stop enforcing the penalty (or at least the suspension part of the penalty).  There are too many inconsistencies from conference-to-conference, week-to-week, game-to-game, and sometimes even play-to-play for the players and teams to have any idea of what exactly is targeting.  We can quote the definition of it to each other all we want, but that does not stop the inconsistency.  It is not as subjective as you would think.

Under Performance of the Week

Ordinarily, Tennessee would qualify for this award, but playing against Georgia Tech's triple option is difficult, but more importantly, unusual.  Also, Ohio State struggled for a while against Indiana, but the Hoosiers have some really good players and Ohio State snapped out of their funk scoring more in the third quarter than Indiana did all game.  Texas A & M collapsed, but they did put up 44 points and thoroughly dominated the first 3 quarters of their game.  This means the title goes to:

The Washington Huskies.  They did not look all that good in a victory against Rutgers.  Of course, Rutgers could have a decent season and end up making us change our minds about Washington's 30-14 victory.

Last Year's Trivia Answer (or perhaps even two years ago)

As a reminder, the question was:

Florida coach Jim McElwain was caught chastising running back Kelvin Taylor on the sideline after Taylor was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct after performing a throat slash upon scoring a touchdown.  Who was the last Florida coach to noticeably explode on the sideline during a game?

The easy answer to this was Will Muschamp, or as he is known more colloquially - Coach Boom.

Trivia Question of the Week

Entering this season, Penn State junior running back Saquon Barkley needed only 1,360 yards (or less than he gained just last year) to become the all-time leading rusher in Nittany Lion history.  That list is star-studded.  Which player is the career rushing leader for Penn State?


Match up(s) to Watch

5.  All of the games affected by Hurricane Irma, whether the start times were moved up, postponed or just canceled, best wishes to all those people, fans, teams, schools and players in Irma's path.

4.  Georgia v. Notre Dame - Notre Dame is supposed to have a new, strong defense after going 4-8 last year whereas Georgia has a new QB, Jake Fromm, after Jacob Eason suffered an early injury.  I want to watch this game just to see how each of these ranked teams look.

3. Stanford v. USC - An early game that could help determine the Pac-12 champion, as well as put the winner on the pace for a berth into the playoffs.

2.  Auburn v. Clemson - Pundits and Auburn fans think this year's team has the ability to put them back into the upper echelon of the SEC, and thus college football.  Pundits and Clemson fans think that this defensive line alone gives them the chance to repeat.  It will be interesting to see how this game can shape the national projections.

1.  Oklahoma v. Ohio State - Ohio State does not make the playoffs last year without their early-season victory over Oklahoma.  Both teams keep this game on the schedule to help with the committee.  What would help more?  Winning this game.

End of an Era? Not just yet...

I am fascinated by the results of the five New Year's Day bowl games. Not because your boy Sinickal had EVERYTHING wrong. After all, everyone had most of them wrong. And for those of you claiming that you did have the SEC going winless, Florida State getting blown out, and the Big Ten going 3-1, where were you on New Year's Eve? I don't remember hearing the trash talk before the games at the volume that I am hearing it now. And if you did believe it before you saw it, you were in a very small minority of sports fans. And none of you said anything!

Okay, back to football. What the hell happened yesterday? I am not quite sure yet, but I am going to classify it as more aberration than evolution. Let's discuss this in the form of questions and answers...

1. Is the SEC over rated?

No, I don't believe it is. I still think that the SEC is a formidable conference and either the best or second best in the country. If I were a school in the Big Ten, I would not start scheduling SEC teams for homecoming just yet. I get that five of the top teams in the conference lost in big spots over two days, but lets look as some of the facts regarding the conferences...

According to fbschedules.com, here are the non-conference winning percentages for the power five conferences against power five teams prior to conference play this year.

Big Ten - 31% 
Big 12 - 40% 
ACC - 44% 
SEC - 71%
PAC 12 - 75% 

With regard to the bowl season, the current record for the SEC is 5-5. By comparison, the Big Ten is 5-4, The ACC is 5-6, and the Big 12 is 1-4. The star of the group is the Pac 12 which is currently 5-1.

So, let's not consider the SEC on the same level as the Sun Belt conference just yet. I am pretty sure that the depth of the conference is real and that the top teams will be just fine.

2. Certainly, we can agree that this is the end of the  current SEC run, correct?

Again, I am not sure that I would stretch that far based on a 40 hour snapshot. Over the last decade, the SEC has shown in wins and in talent that this current run of dominance is not a fluke. Again, here are the facts...

The SEC has produced 8 of the last 10 National Champions, including 7 in a row from 2006 to 2012. This is a near impossible run in which 4 different teams from the conference won more than half of the national championships awarded in the BCS era!

Looking at the NFL draft over the last few years gives the following. According to NFL.com, the SEC has had:

• The most players drafted in each of the last 8 years. 49 players were drafted in the most recent NFL draft.
• The most players drafted in the 1st round in each of the last 4 years. In all four years, at least 10 players have gone in the 1st round. By comparison, the only other conference with as many as 8 during that time is the Big 12.
• The number of 1st round picks by conference in the last five drafts are
• SEC - 50
• Big 12 - 27
• ACC - 21
• Big 10 - 18
• Pac 12 - 17
• Big East - 6
• The total number of picks by conference in the last five drafts are
• SEC - 241
• ACC - 169
• Big 12 - 150
• Big 10 - 154
• Pac 12 - 124
• Big East - 73

It is noted that conference realignment would increase the numbers for the Big East schools that moved to the ACC, Big 10 and Big 12. Despite that, it is difficult to reload over and over again with the amount of talent leaving the SEC every year. And it is an obscene amount of talent!

3. Okay, then what does it mean that Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss all lost in a matter of 40 hours?

I am going to concentrate on Alabama and, to a lesser degree LSU here. Specifically, let's look at two things a little more closely here.

First, go back and look at the rosters of Alabama and LSU from their 2011 regular season game. As of the 2014 NFL Draft, 42 players from those two rosters were selected by teams. By the time all of the players from the rosters have completed their colleges runs, it is estimated that 70 could be drafted. Let me repeat that, 70 players drafted from two rosters in one college game in an "over rated" conference! If you want to see the names and some mind blowing stats, check out this cbssports.com link.

Second, based on information from NFL.com, Alabama has been a talent pipeline for the NFL over the last few years. We can agree that Alabama's biggest weakness was in its secondary this year. It simply gave up too many big plays. That is just one glaring problem caused by the amount of talent lost recently. Consider that Alabama has had 9 defensive backs drafted in the last 5 years, with 5 in the 1st round. The Crimson Tide has also gone 5 consecutive years with multiple 1st round draft picks. That has never been done before. By the way, I could have done the same thing with LSU and it would have been as impressive.

I am not going to say that these schools shouldn't be able to reload, I am saying that sometimes it takes a little time to overcome significant loss. Again, I wouldn't start loading up these teams to enhance your non-conference record.

4. Fine, you can admit that the Big Ten is a much better conference than you thought, right?

Hell. And. No.

Ohio State is really good and Urban Meyer is simply a great football coach. Michigan State is consistently the second best team in that conference and a really good football team. The rest of the Big Ten is dog shit and you can have it.

5. How do we know that the SEC was that good over the last decade, since the playoff system clearly exposed Alabama?

I would simply go back and look at the talent produced. It was not an accident that SEC was pounding anyone it faced when it mattered. This year, the playoff format matched the four best teams in the country. No one, and I mean no one argued that Alabama was not one of them. Even those of you who think that the SEC is over rated as a conference thought Alabama belonged in the Final Four teams.

6. Is this the end of SEC dominance?

Let's not treat the last 48 hours with Twitter gloves. The SEC is not going to stop recruiting or simply not try anymore because its top teams lost in bowl games this year. Dominance in college football is most often ended by external means. That is, scandal and sanctions. I don't believe that the entire conference is going to be placed under probation anytime soon. Therefore, you can continue to fear the talent showing up at those schools

7. Is there anything else you want to talk about?

Yes!! In a separate post, we are going to talk about trash talking among fans and fan bases. The trolling that you currently see and hear is not trash talk. It is gloating and post-game posturing. That is different. If you are confident enough in your team to trash talk and tongue wag, then do it right. Damn, I hate people that hide before and during a game then tell you how great they are after the fact!