SEC

O? Or Neaux?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Just last week we wrote about the perennial winning culture of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the perennial losing culture of the Detroit Lions, why they are who they are, and the chasm of difference in their on-field results.  It is titled Lions, Turkeys, and Culture.  Today we add Tigers to that list.

After Alabama dismantled LSU 55-17 last Saturday, we received a few inquiries from some of our VIP subscribers asking how the dramatic fall from the penthouse to the outhouse could be so severe and so swift in Baton Rouge.   So, unlike Coach Ed Orgeron we decided to listen to “what’s important now”  to our loyal fans and sent one of our best BBR investigative reporters to Baton Rouge to get answers.

LSU won it all last year by winning every one of its 15 games.  Individual awards, like Heisman trophies, and group awards, like the Joe Moore Award for the best offensive line, were collected like the marbles you had in your youth.  This year LSU has three wins against South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas.  Their combined record is 5-22.  They have five losses.  The point total differential is 222-110 or an average beatdown of 44-22 in those games.

So, what happened and why so quickly?

As is usual in such a fall there is no one answer, but a multitude of them.  And, the collective weight of them gained steam like a snowball down a hill.  The culture went from envious to toxic.

First, LSU lost five players who were drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.  No one, not even Bama can replace that talent in the next year.  Sure, there are four and five-star talents waiting in the wings, but that doesn’t make them first-round talents.  Fourteen players in all were drafted, an all-time team high mark.

Second, almost half of the 14 were early declarations.  What better time to test the market when you’ve proven your worth.  You don’t go up from 15-0, you only go down.  This makes the 2020 edition short on experienced talent.  Stated differently, most of the best juniors are gone.

Three of the best that remained opted out prior to the season.  One, Ja’Marr Chase, will go in the first round as likely the second wideout taken after Bama’s Devonta Smith.  Know where Smith grew up?  Louisiana, but we digress.

Seven more have opted out along the way in the year of the COVID-19. Three of them will get drafted, and one of them will also go in the first round.

As the talent moved on so did the offensive co-coordinator Joe Brady to the NFL and the defensive coordinator Dave Aranda to the head coaching position at Baylor.  They were replaced by Scott Lineham and Bo Pelini respectively.  No disrespect, but the two fifty-something-year-old hires have lost a bit off of their fastballs.

All of the above was occurring while America burned during the summer of discontent.  Ed Orgeron was praised by President Trump during a speech or three.  Coach O, as is his right, returned the compliment.

Did this sit well with the team?  No.  They decided to peacefully march across campus, as is their right, calling for an end to police brutality.  Who did they not invite or alert?  Coach O.  The march ended in the president of the university’s office.  Yes, it did.  The president called a dumbfounded Orgeron who hurried to the office.

Afterward, a clearly caught off guard Orgeron said that he had learned a lot in listening to his players in the president’s office.  Afterward, he privately admonished them for not including him on the front end of such a public display.  This was much to the dismay of the players.

All of this has taken place while players have to isolate as a team to stay healthy, then isolate as an individual if they don’t stay healthy.  The weight of it all feels like the aforementioned snowball.  The spirit of the team reaches new lows weekly.

The 2020 season was a mere 1 and 1/2 games old when LSU starting quarterback Myles Brennan, an impressive redshirt junior went down and now is out for the season.  In his place is an 18-year-old true freshman without the benefit of spring practice nor much fall prep.  On the road in the SEC a “rookie” often looks like a deer caught in the headlights in the deep south.

So where to from here?  The LSU Athletic Department is accused of mishandling nine Title IX filings alleging coverup or negligence in sexual battery, domestic violence, and worse matters.  Most are alleged to have occurred by former football team members and possibly five while Ed O has been the head coach.  Internal investigations are ongoing.  It could be all of the cover AD Scott Woodward needs to lower the boom on Coach O just one year removed from on-field perfection.  It’s doubtful, but it’s possible.

Short of that, O needs to jolt his coaching staff to its core.  Good old boys need to be bought out or outright fired.  Some can’t coach.  Some can’t recruit.   Does LSU have the cash in the pandemic year revenue shortfall to clear out several?  The boosters do, but are they buying in more so than the team has?

Experienced talent is lacking v. historical norms, but two back to back top-five recruiting classes, one on campus, and one about to be signed net week will help greatly.  In Louisiana lots of four-star and a few five-star players are never too many mile markers away from Baton Rouge.

And, if he survives as is expected, Orgeron needs to take a deep look in the self-reflection mirror.

An incredible championship run likely bought him some time (one more year) to fix the many blemishes.  But trying to hide them with makeup doesn’t work well in the heat and humidity that south Louisiana is infamous for.

His often-repeated mantra of “One Team, One Heartbeat” is anything but.

 

 

Abby Takes Down Vegas, Yr 3, Wk 11

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

As the season coughs it’s way to the last few weeks, Abby’s picks have been a bit under the weather.  A nice parlay landed and dulled the pain of some close (but they all count) losses.  Note to doggie- Notre Dame is legit and Texas is dog $%!#.

For the season the W/L total dipped below .500 for the first time at 26-28-1.  The bones are still cashing though at a respectable 45-38.  You can take bones to the bank or bury them in the backyard.  The hunch bet which picked opposite all of the above was a hedge bet winner and stands at 3-4.

The picks below will start a gambling December to remember.

  1. ULL +3 at Appalacian St. –  Rumors swirl that Coach Billy Napier will be headed to (pick one) Vandy, South Carolina, Texas, or another step up of his choosing in 2021.  But, for now, he keeps his Cajuns ragin.  It’s a Friday night special.  One bone.
  2. Vanderbilt at Georgia over 54 – Last week the Commodores had a mason for a coach, a female for a kicker, and an offensive offense.  The kicker barely kicked and the coach was kicked out of the door.  The offense still stinks.  The ship is sinking.  Anchor down.  Dead cat bounce.  Abby hates cats but loves UGA.  Two bones.
  3. Nebraska +3 at Purdue – Nebraska has one win this year.  It came versus a winless Penn St. Tomorrow they’ll have two for no good reason at all.  One bone.
  4. Florida at Tennessee + 17 and over 63 –  The double-digit dog in this series almost always covers.  It’s at Tennessee.  Florida is due for a 40 plus point game.  Tenn needs to score 27 and the parlay cashes.   One bone to win three bones.
  5. Indiana at Wisconsin -14 – The Badgers crashed into the wall on the third turn of the season.  They annually do so.  Abby predicts a focused effort against a good Indiana team.  This line seems quite high.  Therefore, we see a zig on a zag cover. Two bones.
  6. Texas A&M at Auburn + 6 and 1/2 – The Aggie cry for inclusion (a popular word these days) in the playoffs was dented by a bland performance last week.  This week the conversation ends.  Abby sees a straight-up win for Auburn as a real possibility.  One bone.

The hunch bet has a chance to get its year-long record to .500 this week.  Texas (-7) has no business being a seven-point pick over Kansas St much less almost anybody, do they?  Remember the note to doggie above?  Abby says Hook Em anyway.

Woof!

Abby Takes Down Vegas, Year 3, Week 8

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Sometimes Vegas giveth.  Sometimes Vegas taketh.

Last week Sin City took just a bit from Abby.

Her season-long w/l is now 19-17-1.  The most important bones are a fine 33-23 in her favor.  And, the beleaguered hunch bet is now 2-4 after it hit paydirt with a Florida cover.

Lots of games ran afoul of the pandemic this week.  The pickings are slim, but Abby dug up a few for you to gnaw on.

  1.  Miami at Va Tech -2 – This is the fourth line in the last two weeks that looks so wrong that she thinks it’s right.  One bone.
  2. Notre Dame at Boston College +14 1/2 – This is the ultimate “let down after a big win, go on the road, win but don’t cover” bet.  Abby tried this after Texas A&M beat Florida last month.  We found out that A&M wants to play hard all year.  It did not cash, but this one will.   One bone.
  3. Arkansas +17 1/2 at Florida and under 60 – Florida might still be scoring this morning on that Georgia D.  But, Abby smells a let down this week.  Arkansas +17 1/2 smells good, and under 60 smells even better.  One bone to win three bones.
  4. Army at Tulane over 47.   Both teams can score but in very different ways.  Can Tulane defend against the Army ground attack? No. Can the Army defend against the Tulane air game?  No.  Two bones.
  5. Baylor -1 at Texas Tech – We think that this is a good spot for team Aranda to put on its best defensive showing this year.  One bone.
  6. Wisconsin at Michigan + 4 and 1/2 – Jim Harbaugh said after the latest Michigan disappointment that he thought his team was really close.  Really close to what Abby inquires?  That said, this is a classic “overlooked, they are done, they will quit, no they won’t” spot.  One bone.

NBC just called Arizona for the next President of the United States.  It only took 11 days.  Abby is calling Arizona +14 1/2 over USC and Arizona St – 3 1/2 over California right after the polls close Saturday.  It’s a one bone to win three bones vote to get the hunch over the hump.

Woof!

 

Abby Takes Down Vegas, Year 3, Week 2

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Week one predicting isn’t for everyone.

Abby isn’t everyone.  She pawed her way to four bones while giving back two.  Her record was 2-2-1 (Louisville pushed the bet) and her hunch didn’t punch the ticket.  That’s plenty good enough in a week that LSU and Oklahoma went down in flames while others played flat (Texas A&M) and others barely escaped (Texas).

“Enough already, on to week two,” Abby barks.

  1.  Boston College +14 1/2 v. North Carolina- Old Mack Brown has the Tarheels on the right path.  But we’ll take a determined BC at home to cover late.  One bone.
  2. Duke +12 v Virginia Tech- Ditto the above.  One bone.
  3. Baylor at West Virginia +3 –  Dave Aranda’s D will hold WVA down below their usual point production.  But, but we expect the Mountaineers to cover and in fact win outright at home.  One bone.
  4. Ole Miss @ Kentucky -6 – The Rebels defense is offensive.  Kentucky is clearly the better team and angry coming home from a road spanking at Auburn.  Three bones.
  5. Auburn @ Georgia -7 – Abby loves Bulldogs.  Auburn will give it their all and keep it close for three quarters, but Georgia covers late.  Two bones.
  6.  Arkansas @ Mississippi St. -16.5 – Abby loves Bulldogs.  We could see a letdown after the LSU beatdown.  But Arkansas can’t score enough to keep it inside of three scores.  One bone.

The world awakens this AM to the news that President Trump has the coronavirus.  He’s 74.  He’ll beat it like a drum.  He’s nothing if not a fighter.  Take over 74 as the hunch bet lock of the year.  Get well soon, Mr. President.

There it is.  Abby has four home teams, three underdogs, two bulldogs, and one president while chasing nine bones.

Woof!

 

Blowing Smoke Following the Science?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Follow the science.  That’s been an often-used narrative since mid-March in the year of COVID-19.  It’s been the “go-to” when you are told to not go to bars for example.  It’s also been the barometer to gauge success in reopening America to the degree that it has in the regions that have.

It’s taken the place of ” we don’t have enough ventilators.”  Or, ” we don’t have enough ICU beds.”  Or, “we don’t have enough tests.”

Which brings us to the restart of the sports world.  In general MLB and the NBA have restarted with few problems save a rogue Miami Marlin who broke from protocol and infected a dozen or so Marlin teammates.

The NFL teams are in week two-plus of a delayed fall camp.  As of this AM, the NFL has administered 58,397 COVID-19 tests to 8,573 players between August 12 and August 20.  How many tests were positive?  Zero.

Remember, follow the science.  And, it seems if you do you will find that humans who test negative will continue to test negative while in close proximity.  And,  if they follow mask, social distance, and good hygiene practices when they are elsewhere they will continue to test negative.  The NBA even eliminated the “elsewhere” except for Lou Williams who went elsewhere for a brief gentlemen’s club social (not distance) gathering, but we digress.

So, “following the science” of the above seems to bellow “play ball.”  Except the BIG 10 and PAC 12 pouted, took the ball, and went home at least until Spring.

No one in the PAC 12 has been heard from and it seems that few care.  But, in the BIG 10, they care.  And, they’re mad.  Actually this long ESPN expose’ on how the BIG 10 came to an abrupt U-turn on the road back to football and all fall sports states that players, coaches, parents, some presidents, and administrators aren’t just mad, they’re furious.

So what brought them to this cancellation?  The new commissioner, Kevin Warren, has been nearly silent since the announcement but admitted that he should have been more communicative.  Supposedly the school presidents voted to shut down.  Those same presidents have been quite reluctant to speak on the record about the vote, if one actually took place, and how they individually voted if there was a vote.

The league went from an Aug 5 schedule announcement to an Aug 11 cancellation.  Pancakes don’t flip that fast.

As one Big 10 coach told ESPN, “We’re just left in the dark. Why wouldn’t you communicate? Why wouldn’t you respond? I don’t get it. Something’s just off.”  So much for transparency.

“Been in this league for 20-plus years,” a league source told ESPN. “This has been embarrassing.”

More directly from the article- “Warren on Wednesday sent an open letter providing more details about what the league considered, including troubling trends of COVID-19 spread, contact tracing difficulties and concerns about having reliable rapid tests.”

He went on to reiterate that the decision to postpone “will not be revisited.”   You’ll get no football and you will like it.

The father of one player called the open letter “just a bunch of regurgitation and smoke-blowing.”

All of this makes the state of Iowa the state of confusion.   BIG 10 member Iowa isn’t playing.  Big 12 member Iowa St is.  Make sense?

In a week or two, or in a month or two, the SEC, ACC, and the BIG 12 might regret their attempts to put on the proverbial shoulder pads.  Ask them now and they will tell you that they are following the science.

Does the “follow the science” argument in the passionate BIG 10 and in the dispassionate PAC 12 seem like, well, just a bunch of regurgitation and smoke blowing?

A short time will tell.

 

 

 

 

 

Again.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last fall on a sun-drenched early November Saturday two undefeated SEC powerhouses clashed in an epic, 60-minute, deep south battle.  When it was done, LSU had outscored Alabama 46-41.

But really NCAA football won.  It was another battle for the ages.  And, all felt mostly right in America for those nearly four hours of real-world escape while watching it.  Heck, even the leader of the free world paused from his busy schedule as Donald J. Trump watched it in person.

A star was crowned that day.  Joe Burrow went on to an undefeated season for the ages, a national championship, and a Heisman Trophy.

Just three months later, COVID-19 hit.  Down went college sports and college in-person attendance.  Down went the stock market.  Down went Trump’s approval ratings.  Down went employment.  And, down went our spirit.

And, now just four months after that, COVID-19 still hits.  But, employment has started to go back up.  The stock market has gone up, up, up.   Maybe there is hope?  But.  Down went George Floyd.  Down went statues.  The south took a flag down.  Down goes police funding.   Up goes violent crime before, during, and after peaceful protests.  As a result our nation’s spirit has sagged even further.

So, it’s time for college football to lift us up again, isn’t it?  Not so, or not so fast my friend, says the Big 10.  We’ll find out more today as their presidents meet.  They floated the cancel idea over the weekend.  The response was mixed at best.  The Big 10 has led the way in canceling sports since March.

Not so fast either says the PAC 12.  They are going to delay until October at a minimum it seems.  What does a delay accomplish?  Does the PAC 12 play football?  We digress.

The Big 10 was looking for all to fold as they did last Spring.  It isn’t happening.  Not yet anyway.

#WeWantToPlay is a movement started just this weekend spearheaded by Justin Lawrence, the Clemson QB and odds on Heisman favorite.  It has other notables behind it like Ja’Marr Chase, the LSU Fred Biletnikoff winner for the best WR.  The hashtag is trending #1 on Twitter as we write.

Maybe the players have an important voice after all. And, unlike the #United movement comprised of mostly PAC 12 players it doesn’t ask for 50% revenue sharing.  It just asks that the programs keep the players safe.  The PAC 12 players must think they are tax collectors or NBA players.  They are the only two that can scrape 50% from your top line.

Nick Saban, perhaps the loudest voice in the head coaches’ room said, “Look, players are a lot safer with us than they are running around at home. We have around a 2% positive ratio on our team since the Fourth of July. It’s a lot higher than that in society. We act like these guys can’t get this unless they play football. They can get it anywhere, whether they’re in a bar or just hanging out.”

Scott Woodward, LSU AD stated, “As we have said since the beginning, we are patiently working through each and every variable following the direction of our Return to Safety and MedicalGuidance Task Force. I believe our student-athletes want to play. We owe it to them to make every effort to do so safely.”

It sounds like Alabama and LSU want to get it on again and aren’t waiting till 2021 to do so.

So, is it up to the south to rise again?  The ACC seems inclined to follow the SEC.  The Big 12 is listening carefully.

If the Big 10 cancels, the carpetbaggers will head south.

Again.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s Ten Piece Nuggets time.  Usually the nuggets are provided to satisfy.  Today they likely will leave you hungry for more, for more college football that is.  Yesterday a story broke that, if it plays out, will likely mean NCAA football will not play out this fall.  Our nuggets are questions and we want answers.

  1.  What has changed in the months, weeks, and days leading up to now that has the power brokers of the Power 5 conferences thinking that they may not want to play this fall after all?  The answers are 1) a pesky spike in the virus, and 2) the PAC 12 “United” group of players demands we suppose.  Neither should be any surprise to anyone.  As for the virus, it ‘s been on the rise for eight weeks now and seems to be leveling again.  As for the demands, it’s 2020.  Everyone has demands these days.
  2. If the Big 10 folds its cards for the season, why do the other Power 5 Conference Commissioners feel the need to follow suit?   Peer pressure we presume.  If your conference played and a hot spot team or three broke out heaven forbid the scorn that they would receive that could have been avoided.  Really?  Would a “breakout” this fall inside of a team or three surprise anyone as they planned for fall?  Does it now?
  3. If you move it to spring as is being suggested do you play January to April?  If the answer is yes, did anyone look the old Farmer’s Almanac?  The average daily high temperature in Madison, WI, home of the Badgers, is roughly -12.  That “-” sign means minus!  Ditto for February and two thrids of March.
  4. If you move it to spring as is being suggested do you play in April till July?  If the answer is yes, did anyone look at the average temperature in June in Miami?  It’s around 95 degrees with 95% humidity.  In July it’s wetter and worse.  Lastly, do you think that the virus magically disappears in spring 2021?
  5. If you move it to spring, do you lose essentially all of the players who would prefer to train exclusively for the NFL Combine and/or on-campus Pro Day workouts?  The opt out number this fall was only 21 total players announced at this point.  It will be 15 times that this spring.  The NFL Draft is in late April.    Do you think the NFL will change that to accommodate the NCAA?  If you do, BBR has some beautiful land for sale for you just south of Miami.  It’s taken on a bit of water, but nothing like the rise that the ocean will have in the next eight years when climate change really kicks in.
  6.  Is the reason for the likely cancellation due to player safety?  Is there a safer place than being on campus when fellow students aren’t?  Is there a better place than having a full-time nutritionist and testing 2x a week right at your fingertips?  Or, should we say right up, then down, your nose?
  7. If regular kids can’t go to school, why should they be “forced” to play football?  They aren’t being forced, Karen.  Opt-outs are receiving full scholarship benefits in today’s kinder gentler world anyway.
  8. What if some of them contracted the virus during a game and took it home to older loved ones in their families?  Sure, that’s a concern.  But that is a concern no matter where you are and what you are doing.  If you cut them loose from the “bubble” that they are basically in right now, isn’t that a bigger concern?  Have you been to a bar lately?  Do you think any/many of them might venture out, then venture home?
  9. Do you think any of these school presidents, conference commissioners, and NCAA who hahs have asked the players what they want to do?  Doubtful.  They’ll let you opt-out if you want to on your own for now.  But, when it comes to the big decision to play or not, they’ll tell you what you are going to do and you will like it!
  10.  Or, is this all about the fan experience?  By that we mean the “money collection” experience?  No fans mean no parking, no food and beverage, no private seat license revenue, no ticket sales, no suite sales, etc.  We tend to doubt that since they can clearly see what the NHL, MLB, and NBA have done.  There is plenty of NCAA TV revenue to go around.
  11. (Lagniappe)  Will any conference go rouge?  We hope so.  Our bet is on the SEC and maybe, just maybe, the BIG 12.

Are you ready for some football?  It sounds like you might need to tune into the NFL where money talks and players kneel.

2020 NCAA Football. Kickoff or Punt?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Although it’s never really the offseason anymore, the NCAA football programs usually enter the offseason filled with questions that need answers.  This offseason was no different on the questions part.

Schools are out for summer and plenty of the questions remain.  A few that were answered are subject to change.  That is life in 2020 as the biggest questions still loom and the answers remain unknown.

Will colleges play football in the fall?  Will the NCAA allow it?  Will the virus allow it?

We offer eight questions below and offer more than eight answers.  It’s always good to hedge your football bets.

  1.  Will the NCAA dictate if and when the schools, teams, and conferences can kickoff.  No.  They’ll give generalized recommendations, but NCAA President Mark Emmert already stated that there will be no uniform start date this fall suggested by the for now governing body.
  2. Why did he say that?  He said that because he is smart enough to know that there isn’t one answer across hundreds of schools and fifty states.  He is also smart enough to know that the Power 5 conferences are watching carefully.
  3. Why are the Power 5 conferences watching carefully?  Well, they rule the roost.  If ever there was a time that they might break free of the NCAA and form their own governing body this might be it.  Football is BIG money for the BIG 12, BIG 10, PAC 12, ACC, and SEC.  It supports (with a bit of help from basketball and rarely baseball) all other sports teams, both male and female, that are revenue drains not adds.  Some schools subsidize their academic costs with football generated revenue.  If ever there was a year when revenue is needed, 2020 is it.  If you take the air out of football you’ll take the air out of the entire 2020-21 academic sports calendar year.
  4. So, will college football be played in the fall?  No, yes, and maybe.  “No” is the answer if the enemy spikes in the next four weeks to the point where wisdom and prevailing sentiment dictate otherwise.  “Yes” is the answer as of today for some schools in some states that crave it, depend on it, and have state government support for it.  That’s first and foremost the SEC.  Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana are opening back up for business in an aggressive manner v. many other states.  LSU announced its intention to have classes on campus as early as summer session number 2 in July.  “Maybe” is the answer for many schools as of now as they take a wait and see approach.
  5. What if half suit up and half don’t?  Follow the money.  Teams will reschedule opponents to the level they can to fill the fall calendar, and collect TV money to fill the bank accounts.
  6. Would the SEC go it alone and schedule a full slate of all in conference games?  It’s only a guess, but our answer is yes.  Why?  Aren’t you listening?  Follow the money.  If people are watching the NFL Draft, the MMA, and South Korean baseball (yes they are) in record numbers, can you imagine the ratings for SEC slugfests?  America is craving live sports.
  7. Could the season start late?  Sure.  It will have to if summer workouts and especially fall camps cannot start on time.  The risk of injury due to a lack of conditioning is real.  The fallout would be quite negative.  Sure.  The virus might have a thing or two to say about the date as well.  Sure.  The reconfigured schedule possibility could include fewer, and later in the fall games as an option.
  8. Would colleges field teams to play if they don’t have on-campus classes?  This one seems highly doubtful.  The criticism would be fast, furious, and ongoing.  The academic elite crowd already looks down their nose and around their reading glasses at the double standard of academics and big-time sports.  You can’t decide to virtually teach for social distancing safety and actually have sweat, blood, and tears flying on a field, can you?  The optic would be a difficult one to sell.

Take limited fans in the stands for $150 to win $100.

Take major college football being played for $100 to win $125.

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Week one has come and gone.  We think it’s always a risk to extrapolate from one game how a team will perform over the year.  But, we are in the risk business.  So, way we go.

  1.  The new AP Top 25 Poll is out.  Clemson and Alabama both dismantled their big underdog opponents.  Clemson received 54 of 62 first place votes.  Alabama scooped up the other eight.  Until further notice they are a clear one and two.
  2.  The rest of the top ten remained very much the same as well.  Underdogs mostly were so for a reason facing the big boys.
  3. Oregon could have beat Auburn but did not.  It was a chance for a PAC 12 team to send an early signal to the US that the conference belongs in the conversation later in the year.   There is plenty of football left but chances like this don’t come along to often once conference play starts.
  4.  The PAC 12 wasn’t done underwhelming though.  Friday night Cincinnati bounced UCLA.  UCLA looked uninspired and soft as Charmin on defense.   Chip Kelly hasn’t done much to regain his lofty status when he departed Oregon for the NFL.
  5. Arizona lost to Hawaii.  Anytime a Power 5 team loses to a non Power 5 eyebrows are raised.  There are plenty of raised eyebrows in Tuscon.   When Swag Kevin Sumlin arrived last year more was expected.   Sumlin’s teams don’t play defense.  Arizona surrendered 45 points, 593 yards in total, with 434 coming via the air.
  6.  PAC 12 Utah looked good handling BYU.  They are one left coast team that plays some D.  Washington might be another.  They worked over Eastern Washington 45-14.  Utah and Washington check in at 12 and 13 in the poll, so there is still time and hope for one or two conference members to emerge as legit national contenders.  It’s the rest of their conference that isn’t helping.
  7.  The race to the bottom of the SEC West is on.  Ole Miss bowed to non Power 5 but good Memphis.  Arkansas struggled at home to beat Portland State 20-13.  They square up Saturday.  The loser has a leg up (or is it down) on the race to the bottom.
  8.  But they weren’t the biggest SEC disappointments.  Nope, and it’s not even close.  The honeymoon is over for Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt after Saturday’s 38-30 loss to Georgia State.  Pruitt burned up all the good will he built in 2018 with upset victories over Auburn and Kentucky.  Some Saban proteges like Jimbo Fisher and Kirby Smart have thrived.  Some like Derek Dooley and Jim McElwain have not.  Pruitt sits in between for now as he just gets year two started.  But in the highly paid SEC coaching business it’s win or else.
  9.  Florida St. and Miami didn’t help the ACC argument.  At least they took on good to real good opponents in week one, so we”ll watch them from here.  Florida St. gave up 38 at home to Boise St.  Miami surrendered 10 sacks to an aggressive Florida defense in a sloppily played game that Florida held on to win.  There is Clemson in the ACC, and there are all others.  If you wanted to bet over the season win total for Clemson, the line was 11 and 1/2 games.  So you had to think they would run the regular season table.  In the next two weeks they host Texas A&M and travel to #21 Syracuse.  If they are 3-0 after that, you can  pay windmake plans to head to the pay window early cause the schedule won’t have on team on it (home or away) that isn’t the underdog by 15 or more.
  10. A&M is getting 17 and 1/2 in that game.  Bama is favored by 55 over New Mexico St.  55.  It’s rare that you see a line that high.  Usually Vegas will just take the game off of the board.  The crew from ESPN head to Austin for College Gameday.  LSU heads there as a 5.5 favorite for now.  The line has moved 3 points in ten days.   It’s early but give us A&M and LSU.  We’ll skip the Bama game like Vegas should have.

We wait forever for the season.  It’s here.  Enjoy.

Ten Piece Nuggets-Sports

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s a new week and the key to it’s success is getting it off to a good start.  The key to getting Monday off to a good start lies below.  A sports Ten Piece Nuggets is served.

  1. The Houston Astros beat the Baltimore Orioles 3-2 last Friday night and 23-2 on Saturday.  The “23” is no typo.  It is, though, the most runs ever scored by the 52 year old franchise.  Houston shortstop Carlos Correa, hit a 474 foot home run during the obliteration.  It’s the longest ever hit in the 27 year history of Camden Yards.
  2. So, Sunday, Las Vegas made the Astros a huge favorite to win the third and final game of the series and sweep the lowly 39-77 Orioles.  Cy Young former winner and possibly this year’s favorite, Justin Verlander, was on the bump for the 77-40 Astros.  A $100 bet on the lowly Orioles would pay you $420.  And a walk off, two out, two strike homerun by Rio Ruiz gave Baltimore the win.  It was the largest MLB single game upset v. the betting odds in 15 years.
  3. Despite the loss the Astros have a quite comfortable 10 game lead over the Oakland A’s in the AL West with about 44 regular season games left to play for most teams.   The NY Yankees have a quite comfortable 8.5 game lead over the second place Tampa Bay Rays in the East.  But the Central Division is shaping up as a “down to wire” two team horse race.  Cleveland and Minnesota are tied for first there with identical 71-47 records.  The playoffs only have room for three of Minnesota, Cleveland, Oakland, and Tampa Bay.  The Central winner sits home while the runner up falls to a one game wild card playoff situation as it stands today.   That’s huge for both teams.
  4.  Meanwhile in the NL the Los Angeles Dodgers can start printing home field advantage playoff tickets.  Their 79 wins are nine more than East Division leading Atlanta.  And, it’s a ridiculous 19 games over 59-59 Arizona, second in the West Division.  The Braves are clear of Washington by 6.5 games.  Like the AL, the NL horse race is in the Central where only 2.5 games separate the division leading Chicago Cubs over Saint Louis and Milwaukee.  And from the back of the pack comes the hard charging NY Mets.
  5. Do you know what happened on this August 12th date in MLB in 1994, 25 years ago today?  Nothing.   Players, under the threat of a salary cap, went on strike.  A month later Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the owners voted to cancel the season.  The dark ballparks were symbolic of some of the darkest days of “America’s Game” history.
  6. NCAA football stadiums won’t be dark for much longer.  It’s under two weeks and counting until teams the country over kickoff.  Twenty coaches enter year two with their teams.  It’s usually the year that programs under new coaches make the biggest leap if they are going to turn around the direction for which they were hired to begin with.  Turnover, transfers in and out, philosophy, culture, and two recruiting years take hold.  Or, they don’t.  Last year Ed Orgeron went from a too soon hot seat in year two to a ten win, top ten finish in year two.  Tom Herman guided Texas back into the final top ten standings for the first time in nine long(horn) years.
  7. Who might make that leap this year?  Let’s look west.  How about Herm Edwards at Arizona St?  BBR says meh.   Kevin Sumlin at Arizona perhaps?  No.  Chip Kelly is in year two at UCLA.  We doubt it.  But in Eugene, Oregon we like Mario Cristobal to get his Ducks in a top ten row.
  8. The SEC is brutal, but teams that go 8-4 or a tad better can get to the top ten with a an impressive bowl win to conclude 2019.  Five choices are available.  Joe Moorhead leads Miss St into year two.  We think they regress actually.  Chad Morris at Arkansas is rebuilding in his image from the ground up and has zero chance.  Jeremy Pruitt volunteered to engineer a turnaround at Tennessee.  They’ll be better, but Florida, Georgia, and Alabama and  one or two others will visit the orange and white checkerboard end zone too often still.  Dan Mullen is a rather underrated coach.  Florida could make that leap.  They return an improving Felipe Franks at QB as well.   But, we like Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M the most.  They return an improving Kellon Mond at QB, and Jimbo is a QB Whisperer.  The schedule is brutal.  They tangle with Alabama, LSU, and Auburn in the west and Georgia in the east.  Oh, and out of conference they have the Tigers from Clemson.  Brutal.  It says here that they will go 9-3 or better.
  9. Peyton Manning is doing 100 short feature stories for ESPN+ to celebrate the first 100 years of the NFL.  Peyton’s Place.  If you haven’t seen any, you must catch up.  They are a trip down memory lane, some obscure, all interesting, and quite humorous.  We think Peyton had a great past and we think Peyton has a great future wherever that takes him.  Meanwhile he has a great feature story run.
  10. Another great quarterback is on the move as well.  Tom Brady and his family listed their Brookline, Massachusetts home for a cool $39.5 million last week.  Keeping it under $40 million is quite the value pricing move.   Meanwhile, most of New England area went into full meltdown as to what this meant to his future and the future of the Patriots.  Brady’s restructured deal has team opt outs for 2020 and 2021.  Is this the final season of the longest running hit show in NFL history?  Calm down says Tom.  “You shouldn’t ready into anything.  My house is a little bit of an expensive one, so it doesn’t fly off of the shelf in a couple of weeks,” he advised.  Ya think?  “I love playing for the Patriots.  This is where I want to be.”  Sounds like he might become a commuter.

Hang in there, Tuesday is but a day away.