First, never do we wish failure upon anyone. Having said that, here and only here was it correctly predicted North Carolina’s hiring of Bill Belichick as head coach would be a disaster. Five games in and there are already reports circulating that both Belichick and Carolina are trying to find a smooth landing for his imminent exit. They got blown out at home again by Clemson, trailing, 28-3, after one quarter before losing, 38-10. The second half was played in front of mostly blue empty seats with the team showing no fight, energy or enthusiasm. Belichick looked like a deer in the headlights, in fact a miserable deer, if that's possible.
But that’s not all. A lawsuit was filed weeks ago against the North Carolina board of trustees by a former NC administrator alleging Belichick was illegally hired. Their team unity is at an all-time low and assistant coach Armand Hawkins was suspended for recruiting violations. And let's not forget the whole Jordon Hudson issue. Things are so bad, Hulu pulled out of a Belichick documentary surrounding the team’s current season. UNC's athletic director Bubba Cunningham and Belichick are saying the standard lines of "support" and "commitment," but it's all a red herring. The buyout is $20 million but who cares what the number is. Belichick’s hire was like fitting a square peg into a circle. It can’t happen. North Carolina’s football team is in a full-scale downward spiral and only Belichick’s inevitable firing will stop the bleeding. The only good news is the Tar Heels are idle this week.
Why the SEC is the gold standard
The difference between the SEC and any other league is there are no days off. That’s why many SEC schools schedule nobodies out of conference in the middle of the season, a concerted effort to heal physically, and prepare for the next conference opponent. Ohio State or Oregon of the Big Ten, who have just as much talent and resources as any SEC team, don’t play nearly as competitive conference schedules because the Big Ten is not deep. Sure, Penn State’s 42-37 loss to winless UCLA is a poor example but that game was basically a “no-show” by the Nittany Lions after the disappointing double OT loss to Oregon the prior week. They can only recover from that by winning the league, which is highly unlikely. Even Vanderbilt, the resident doormat of the SEC, looks like a team to be reckoned with.
Meanwhile No. 2 Miami is also in another league with a plethora of average teams. They defeated FSU on the road, 28-22, but the Seminoles reside in the weak ACC, and Miami has no ranked teams left on its schedule. What impressed me most about Miami was how physical and well-disciplined they were. This is the best Miami team in decades and it’s because coach Mario Cristobal knows how to fill holes by getting four new starters in his secondary via the transfer portal. This team hits hard both legally and sometimes illegally and sends a "message" on almost every tackle. Add the fact that they have Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck, a proven winner, and only injuries or a collapse prevents them from being in the College Football Playoff.
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College athletes betting on pro sports a bad call
Great news! The NCAA is expected announce their tacit approval for college athletes to bet on professional sports. Allowing 18-year-old athletes to legally gamble might eliminate the only pureness left in the student-athletes. This change could probably be the catalyst for yet another college gambling scandal as the temptation for any athlete grows to do the wrong thing when he has huge gambling debts. The likelihood of a vulnerable college football/basketball player in huge debt due to gambling losses tanking a play or two increases exponentially with the passing of this legislation. It sends the wrong message, exposes young inexperienced men to the dark side of gambling addiction and makes no sense. There is no compelling reason for this to be modified, and the NCAA knows it.
A record-breaking donation
Stanford football received the largest gift in its history from former player Bradford Freeman – $50 million! Stanford has been rendered irrelevant for decades but the money would have been better spent on NIL. Just ask Texas Tech, which spent more than $20 million on NIL this year and is now undefeated, ranked No. 9. It says here both Stanford and Cal return to the newly formed Pac 12 in 2036 when the ACC collapses. The closest ACC school is SMU in Dallas and the commute to all the East Coast time zone schools is a disadvantage, provides no regional rivalries and, of course, makes no sense. The Big Ten has at least four West Coast schools, all considered rivals and a plethora of schools in the Midwest. All Stanford and Cal have is each other and a boatload of frequent-flyer miles.
?We want to extend our wishes for a speedy recovery to Coach Prime (Deion Sanders) who appeared unhealthy last weekend during Colorado's loss to TCU, 35-21, and had to frequently sit in clear discomfort. This week, he underwent another procedure for blood clots but is expected to coach against Iowa State.
My Top 25 picks
No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon (-7.5): Huge game for Hoosier coach Curt Cignetti. Oregon comes off a bye week but their quarterback has already shown he’s the real deal. Just can’t see the Hoosiers keeping up with the Ducks' overwhelming offensive talent. Their best hope is to control the ball and run the clock. Ducks roll!
No. 8 Alabama (-2) at No. 14 Missouri: A victory by Mizzou would be a signature win. The Tigers are wearing all black uniforms and coach Eliah Drinkwitz asked 'Bama coach Kalen DeBoer if he was wearing his black hoodie? Huh? What does attire matter? What is significant is Alabama and its quarterback, Ty Simpson, are getting better each game and expect it to continue. Roll Tide!
No. 1 Ohio State (-17) at No. 17 Illinois: Biggest game in decades in Champagne. The Illini, like most teams in the Big Ten, cannot match up with the Buckeyes' talent. Also, remember Illinois’ loss to Indiana? Barring turnovers, you can change the channel early.
No. 5 Oklahoma at Texas (-1.5): You all know what happened to Texas last week at Florida (29-21 loss). Quarterback Arch Manning was again ineffective, missing several TD opportunities and being very nimble in the pocket. He and Texas get their chance at redemption as they play No. 5 Oklahoma in the annual Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns, who were preseason No. 1 and now unranked, are still alive for a CFP berth but on life support. We’ll trek it to the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 11, to see firsthand if Texas can turn it around. With Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, John Mateer, missing the past three weeks and questionable to play, expect the Longhorns to prevail.
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