Volume 26:44
Chicago Baseball
This past Thursday was a great day for both Chicago baseball. Both the Chicago Cubs and their cross-town rival Chicago White Sox clinched the playoffs just minutes apart. The White Sox got their final out at 3:45pm, while the Cubs clinched their berth at 3:47pm. This was the first time the two Chicago squads clinched the playoffs in the same day, and only the fourth time that they have been to the playoffs in the same season. However, the big story of the day wasn’t either of those, but it was in fact out of Chicago– Wrigley Field to be more specific. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong became just the seventh player all-time to join the 40-40 club for hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in the same season. He entered Thursday’s game with 45 homeruns and 39 stolen bases. Crow-Armstrong drew a walk in the bottom of the first, then on the first pitch of teammate Seiya Suzuki’s at-bat, PCA took off for second and slid in safely. The 40-40 season is just one of his many contributions to his team. PCA also has a 10 WAR, leading the MLB. He is the heavy favorite to win the NL MVP this season.
Wild Week 4
Week 4 of the College Football season is here, and it is looking like it will be one of the biggest and most important weeks of the entire season. But before we get into Week 4, what happened in Week 3?
To start Week 3, the Texas Tech Red Raiders escaped the Houston Cougars with a 28-26 win in a huge Big 12 game. The two squads fought back-and-forth the entire game, but in the end Houston’s failed two-point conversion was the difference.
However, the biggest game of the week was in Louisiana. It was the LSU Tigers vs. the Ole Miss Rebels. This wasn’t a normal top-10 game. Last season, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin left the Rebels before their playoff run. Where did he go? He went to LSU. However, you couldn’t tell that Kiffin had coached Ole Miss, because Trinidad Chambliss was running an offensive masterclass. The Rebels quickly jumped out to a 24-7 halftime lead. However, LSU wasn’t going to go down without a fight. Two third quarter touchdowns, and a fourth quarter field goal knotted the score at 24-24. But Ole Miss was not going to be denied it’s Kiffin-motivated revenge. Trinidad Chambliss’s late TD run sealed the Rebels 32-24 win.
Another SEC shocker came that same Saturday. The top-10 ranked Texas A&M Aggies hosted the Kentucky Wildcats. Texas A&M were 16.5 point favorites, but Kentucky didn’t get the memo. The Wildcats absolutely dominated the first three quarters and held a 28-7 lead after the third quarter. Once the lead was 31-14, the result of the game was not in doubt. The Aggies made it a more respectable 31-21 score, but it was never really that close.
There was another big game between a Kentucky team and a Texas team. This one was the Louisville Cardinals versus the SMU Mustangs. This game was dubbed by many the battle for ACC second. The winner would join the Miami Hurricanes as favorites to make the ACC title game. This game definitely lived up to the hype. Louisville came out hot, jumping to a 14-7 lead. SMU regained control, heading into halftime up 17-14. They traded touchdown after touchdown until Louisville led 35-31 with 10 minutes left in the game. The Cardinals forced three late turnovers, while tacking on seven more points to win 41-31.
To round out the week, the West Virginia Mountaineers got an upset win 38-27 over the Virginia Cavaliers.
Okay, so now that we are past Week 3, what is happening in Week 4?
The first game is the top ranked Texas Longhorns versus the undefeated Tennessee Volunteers. Texas QB Arch Manning has thrown for 661 yards and seven TDs this season.
Prediction: Texas 31-27 over Tennessee
I project this to be a close game, but ultimately the Longhorns will get a tough win.
The #2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs host the Oklahoma Sooners this week. Oklahoma has been an intriguing team this season– they are 2-1 and coming off a 14-6 win over the New Mexico Lobos.
Prediction: Georgia 37-26 over Oklahoma
The Bulldogs are going to get up for their first real test of the season, and pass it with flying colors.
Another SEC game this week is between the Ole Miss Rebels and Florida Gators. Florida beat Auburn last week to open their conference play. Meanwhile, the Rebels offense is just built different, led by QB Trinidad Chambliss. Other then Chambliss, they also have stud wide reciver Deuce Alexander and one of the nation’s best running backs in Kewan Lacy (Doubtful for today’s game).
Prediction: Florida 45-42 over Ole Miss
You never want to go to The Swamp. But after an emotional win, it is even worse. Ole Miss is not going to be ready for what will hit them, and we’ll have an upset in Gainesville.
The Big 10 also has a big game today. The Iowa Hawkeyes go on the road to face the Michigan Wolverines. Michigan has been a wild card this season, but both teams go into the game 3-0.
Prediction: Iowa 35-27 over Michigan
Michigan is playing carefree football, and making a lot of mistakes. That may work versus Western Michigan, but not versus Iowa. The Wolverines aren’t ready for this game.
We already know who Texas A&M and LSU are.
Prediction: LSU 44-28 over Texas A&M
Ole Miss is a lot different then Kentucky.
The next ranked Big 10 matchup is out west. The USC Trojans host the Oregon Ducks. This is a huge test for both teams to see who may be a real contender.
Prediction: USC 37-31 over Oregon
Oregon is always a thorn in USC’s side. But this year, it’s finally USC’s time.
Another huge matchup this week is the red-hot Mississippi State Bulldogs versus the undefeated Missouri Tigers.
Prediction: Mississippi State 24-21 over Missouri
The Bulldogs still have a chip on their shoulder. They are playing fun football. Don’t expect the ride to stop soon.
Here is this Week’s CT Top 25:
Texas Longhorns
Miami Hurricanes
Ole Miss Rebels
Ohio State Buckeyes
Georgia Bulldogs
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Indiana Hoosiers
BYU Cougars
Texas Tech Red Raiders
USC Trojans
Alabama Crimson Tide
LSU Tigers
Penn State Nittany Lions
Tennessee Volunteers
Louisville Cardinals
Iowa Hawkeyes
Utah Utes
SMU Mustangs
Michigan Wolverines
Florida Gators
Oregon Ducks
Missouri Tigers
Houston Cougars
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Kentucky Wildcats
MLB Playoff Chase
The MLB Playoffs are almost here. So how is the bracket shaping up? Every team has 1-2 games left this season. In the AL, the Tampa Bay Rays have clinched the top seed. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are preparing to duel each other in the Wild Card round.
The AL Central’s Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox have clinched their playoff spots. Cleveland leads Chicago by one game for the AL’s second seed and a first round bye. Both the Guardians and White Sox each have two games remaining on their schedule. Cleveland is facing the Kansas City Royals. The White Sox are ending their season with the Colorado Rockies.
However the AL West is where it get’s interesting. The Houston Astros hold the tiebreaker over the Texas Rangers, with both teams at 79-81. Only one of them can make the postseason, where they would host either the Guardians or White Sox. Texas is in Minnesota facing the Twins. The Astros are facing the Athletics.
Over in the NL, the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Atlanta Braves will be the top three seeds, in that order. Milwaukee is finishing with the MLB’s top record for a second consecutive season. Behind them, the San Diego Padres are 89-71 and can clinch the four seed with a win today. Should they lose, that opens the door for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs don’t have a game today and need to win their final game tomorrow and have the Padres lose both their remaining games to get the fourth seed. The Philadelphia Phillies are 87-73 and clinch a playoff berth today with a win and an Arizona Diamondbacks loss. The Diamondbacks are one game behind Philadelphia, but do hold the tiebreaker. Currently the most influential matchups will be the final two Padres versus Diamondbacks games taking place today and tomorrow. This series will single handeldly decide the remaining NL seeding.
NFL Week 2 Recap
We are past Week 2 of the NFL season. So what happened?
The Buffalo Bills beat the Detroit Lions 41-31
Buffalo was playing their first home game in their new stadium
Bills QB Josh Allen had five total touchdowns
The Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-3
Carolina QB Bryce Young threw for three touchdowns
The Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears 9-3
Bears starting QB Caleb Williams is week-to-week
Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent is questionable for Week 3
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans 24-20
The New England Patriots beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-3
The Green Bay Packers beat the New York Jets 20-17
Packers rookie kicker Trey Smack got his first NFL game-winning field goal
The Cleveland Browns beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-19
The New Orleans Saints beat the Baltimore Ravens 24-17
New Orleans QB Tyler Shough threw for 252 yards
The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Houston Texans 20-6
The Denver Broncos beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-13
Denver WR Jaylen Waddle had 138 receiving yards
The Las Vegas Raiders beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14
The Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders 37-20
Dallas QB Dak Prescott threw four TD passes
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels will miss time due to injury
The Seattle Seahawks beat the Arizona Cardinals 31-7
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 35-13
The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Indianapolis Colts 33-30
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes threw for 382 yards and three touchdowns
The Los Angeles Rams beat the New York Giants 28-6
LA QB Matthew Stafford threw for four TDs
New York QB Jaxson Dart is out for the remainder of the regular season
