NFL
Before the NBA’s 1988 Three-point shooting contest,( Boston Celtic’s Legend) Larry Bird said, “You are all playing for second.“Bird went out and won the contest.
The Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers could say the same thing to the rest of the teams in college football. Alabama and Clemson should get to a the final four. Alabama has been their four straight times, Clemson three. Every other team is playing for the other 2 spots.
5 Things We Learned About Week 1 In College Football:
5) UCLA is a long way off:
UCLA lost to Cincinnati 26-17. The Bruins had several opportunities to win but did not capitalize. The Bruins are young and don’t have a lot of talent on their roster. Chip Kelly’s patience will be tested with this young, inexperienced group. I would be shocked if UCLA wins 4 games this year. Kelly will turn this program around but they are at least two years away.
4) If you don’t know N’Keal Harry from Arizona State or Justin Hebert from Oregon…You will:
Wide receiver N’Keal Harry had 6 catches, two touchdowns and 140 receiving yards in Arizona State’s 49-7 win over UTSA. Harry is 6’4, 225 lbs of solid muscle. He has the same skill set of Terrell Owens. He will not only be a Top 10 pick in next year’s NFL draft he could win the Heisman Trophy. Oregon’s quarterback, Justin Herbert threw for 281 yards, rushed for 41 yards and had 6 total touchdowns in Oregon’s 58-24 victory over Bowling Green. Herbert is 6’6, 235 lbs. He could be the number 1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
#3) Is Tua Tagovailoa a lock for the Heisman Trophy?
#1 Alabama manhandled Louisville 51-14. That was the back story. The real story is sophomore quarterback Tau Tagovailoa. There is no quarterback controversy. This Alabama team has the best offense it has ever had under Nick Saban and Saban has the best quarterback he has ever had. Tagovailoa was 12 for 16 for 227 yards and had three touchdown passes. The more he plays, the better Alabama will be.
#2) The Miami Hurricanes are not a top 10 team:
On Sunday Night, #25 LSU dominated the #8 Miami Hurricanes from start to finish. Miami was down 33-3 before scoring two meaningless touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Miami’s quarterback, Malik Rosier continues to struggle with basic throws. He missed numerous open receivers and had two costly interceptions. Mark Richt is now in his 3rd season at Miami and he will never win big games with Rosier under center. Miami has now lost 4 games in a row going back to last year. During that time, Rosier completed less than 45% of his passes. It is time for Miami to move on from Rosier. He will never take them to the next level. As for LSU, they have a brutal schedule. I would be shocked if Ed Orgeron wins 10 games in Baton Rouge.
#1) Not Houston, But Texas, we have a problem:
For a second straight season, #23 Texas lost to un-ranked Maryland 34-29. Tom Herman is now 7-7 at Texas. The Longhorns have a plethora of talent on their roster and that talent alone should have carried them to a victory over the Terrapins. It didn’t. Herman’s 6 of his last 7 losses have been by 10 or few points.
Texas Tech lost to Ole miss 47-27. Kliff Kingsbury is now 30-34 in Lubbock and his conference record is 16-29. That is not getting it done. Both coaches have struggled and Texas football is in big trouble.
Bonus coverage:
#14 Michigan lost to #12 Notre Dame 24-17. Michigan coach, Jim Harbaugh is simply not getting it done in Ann Arbor. That’s 17 straight road losses against ranked teams, and in their last 18 games under Harbaugh, the Wolverines are 9-9. The former Bears quarterback may not be on the hot-seat but he should be.
Congrats to Herman Edwards, getting his first win at Arizona State… “You play to win the game.”
#19 Florida State loss to #20 Virginia Tech 24-3. Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher made FSU a Top 10 powerhouse. Willie Taggert has a career record of 47-51. He will ruin the FSU football program.
The Sports Whisperer’s Top 5:
#5) Auburn
#4) Georgia
#3) Wisconsin
#2) Clemson
#1) Alabama
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