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Will Howard Shines for Ohio State

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – All Ohio State quarterback Will Howard ever wanted was a chance to show off his talents.

The spotlight was all his on Monday night.

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Howard built off a record-breaking first half to complete 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns, lifting the Buckeyes to a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff title game at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It was after a 56-yard completion to Jeremiah Smith with 2:38 left in the game that reality seemed to set in for Howard, who took some time to showboat a bit by throwing his arms up while running downfield while Ohio State coach Ryan Day jumped for joy on the sideline and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James celebrated from box seats.

Such a moment was always the goal for Howard, a Kansas State transfer who had always dreamed of performing on college football’s biggest stage.

“If you were to ask a 19-year-old or 18-year-old Will Howard if he’d be at Ohio State playing in the national championship, I think he’d probably say, ‘You’re crazy, man,’” Howard said earlier this week.

Now, Howard is a champion, and teammates think that this is just the beginning for the 23-year-old.

“Just the type of quarterback he is, in my eyes he’s a first-round draft pick,” Smith said. “Will’s just a great leader — on and off the field.”

Howard made CFP championship game history by completing his first 13 passes on Monday, and he was 14-for-15 passing for 144 yards and two TDs before the break. Ohio State scored a touchdown on all three of its drives in the first 30 minutes of action to build a commanding 21-7 lead by intermission.

The Fighting Irish rallied but couldn’t find a way to get past Howard and the Buckeyes, with the Ohio State signal-caller being named Offensive MVP following the game.

“They’ve changed my life in more ways than I can say, man,” Howard told ESPN, referring to the impact that Day and his new teammates have had on him. “Coach Day and these guys here have completely, completely changed my life. … I can’t believe God gave me the chance to be a Buckeye.”

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 19

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – Way back in 2008, then-President Barack Obama – half-kidding – told a 60 Minutes TV audience, “I’m gonna throw my weight around a little bit. I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said, speaking about the collegiate football season. “I think any sensible person would say that if you’ve got a bunch of teams who play throughout the season, and many of them have one loss or two losses, there’s no clear decisive winner that we should be creating a playoff system.”

By the time the 2015 College Football championship game rolled around, the Ohio State Buckeyes made a trip to The White House as national champions after defeating Oregon in the first full-scale playoff victory. “I will say, it was about time,” the president joked. “I cannot claim full credit. I will point out that I pushed for a playoff system in 2008.

“You’re welcome, America,” he added. “It was a great playoffs.”

The BCS had fiddled with the system, the rankings (AP, New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and others but never really got the job done. This year? It was a 12-team playoff with the first round on campuses spread across the nation. Then, on New Year’s eve and New Year’s day, the quarterfinal teams played off – super-charging the annual Fiesta Bowl (Arizona), Peach Bowl (Georgia), Rose Bowl (Pasadena) and Sugar Bowl (New Orleans).

The semifinals were even better games as Notre Dame defeated Penn State (27-24) at the Orange Bowl (Miami) and Ohio State beat Texas (28-14) in Arlington (Dallas area).

Tomorrow night, at 7:30pm (ET), it’ll be Notre Dame against Ohio State at the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta for the national championship to define all national championships.

But, it’s been a lot of football since the week before Labor Day and a long postseason.

“To lead the country in plays snapped wasn’t our goal,” said Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the former Oregon head coach. “Our goal was to get to the national championship game.

“The fact that we have two running backs that can rotate all the time, We’ve rotated our receivers and, we have a bunch of receivers that can play. We have a bunch of tight ends that can play.

“A part of it was the length of the season has changed. Before, back when I was at Oregon, you were in the regular season and then you go to a bowl game. We had 37 days off between the final regular season game against Oregon State and then our bowl game against Auburn.

“That’s an entirely different thing. You play your last game in the regular season. Two weeks later you’re playing Tennessee. If you beat Tennessee you go to the Rose Bowl. If you win the Rose Bowl, you go to the Cotton Bowl. If you win the Cotton Bowl, you go to the national championship. The whole landscape of the schedule has really impacted what we did on both sides of the ball,” said Kelly in a Thursday media day session.

Kelly notes that OSU head coach Ryan Day talked to our entire staff about the marathon season Ohio State was planning for all the way back to the summer.

“That’s been on the forefront of our strength and conditioning program, our nutrition program, how our offense plays, how our defense plays, how our special teams play.

That was an overall program decision from the head coach down of how do you handle this length of a season, because it hadn’t been done before. It wasn’t, like, hey, let’s go call this guy because he did it. At this level it hadn’t been done.”

Day recognized the challenge of the season and the opportunity ahead: “I think in life — that’s why they call them “growing pains,” because in life you only grow when you go through difficult times,” said Day.

“I say all the time to our players, ‘the first time you got on a bike you didn’t just ride the bike, you fell down, and how quickly did you learn from falling down to get back on the bike to learn to ride a bike? Well, it’s like that in life.’

“You learn from going through difficult times like that. I think our team has done that, but now we have to go finish what we started. There are great stories on this team individually. There’s great stories on this team collectively. But I’ve said this before, the only way those stories get told is if we win, and we have an opportunity to become the ninth team in Ohio State history to win a national championship and the third team in over 50 years, and there’s been a lot of really good football teams in Ohio State history.

“We talked about that, looking up at the banners of those years, and to see just a couple of them over 50 years of great teams. We have an opportunity to separate ourselves, so that’s it. That’s the only thing right now that matters, and how do we do that? By being in the moment, preparing ourselves.”

On the Notre Dame side of the field (which is the opposite side than when ND defeated Georgia Tach back on October 19), there are no secrets to be shared from head coach Marcus Freeman.

“Yeah, I think more than anything, each team has a plan to do what they do well,” said Freeman on Saturday. “Again, we know we’ve got to be able to run the ball and we’ve got to be able to stop the run, or it’s going to be a long day.

“That’s the reality of when you talk about playing in this game, you have to do what you do well and do the things that have given your program a chance to be in this situation. That’s we’re going to do.

“You have to be able to make adjustments. If your plan going into the game isn’t having success, then you’re insane not to make adjustments to try to give your program a better chance to succeed. This game will be about, hey, who has the best plan going in, but how you make adjustments in terms of having success on offense and being able to stop them defensively.”

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: “For more than 50 years, George (Kalinsky) was synonymous with Madison Square Garden,” the MSG family of companies said in a statement announcing the death of The Garden’s official photographer. “There wasn’t a single important moment at The World’s Most Famous Arena that George didn’t capture. From Willis Reed‘s inspiring walk onto the court for Game 7 of 1970 NBA Finals to ‘The Fight of the Century’ between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, George and his lens were there.”

MSG Networks announcer Mike Breen told Newsday, “First off, he just was so kind, and whenever you ran into him, he made you feel that he was so happy to see you. There’s nobody that’s that happy to see me. But George was like that. He did really make you feel good.”

Other tributes came in after news of Kalinsky’s death spread throughout the Garden’s longtime dwellers. “The kindest guy,” said Walt “Clyde” Frazier during Friday night’s Knicks telecast on MSG Net. “He took my first ‘Clyde’ pictures. [It was] his ingenuity, folks. The Garden has been able to find a facsimile for Clyde, for Reed, for Ewing. No one has come close to replacing George Kalinsky.”

In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited the Garden, and Kalinsky spoke to him briefly backstage. Later, Kalinsky captured the Pope singling out 6-year-old Geralyn Smith in the crowd and lifting her up by her lower legs onto his “popemobile.”

Pope John Paul II at The Garden, quite possibly George Kalinsky’s greatest photo

The Pope liked the image so much he asked for a copy and put it on his desk at the Vatican.

Kalinsky was awarded numerous high honors during his career, including the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media Award in 2021, the highest tribute for writers, broadcasters and photographers in the world of basketball.

Kalinsky is survived by his daughter Rachelle Kalinsky, his son Lee Kalinsky and grandchildren Emily Birnbaum, Jason Birnbaum, Josh Kalinsky and Jackie Clarke, his sister Marilyn Kalinsky and brother Howard Kalinsky, according to Newsday.

TIDBITS: The International Basketball Federation announced its 2025 Hall of Fame Class. The group is headlined by Spain’s Pau Gasol, South Carolina and USA Women’s national team head coach Dawn Staley and former Duke and USA Basketball senior national team coach Mike Krzyzewski. Staley was named as a player.

Pau Gasol was a “colossus on the floor for Spain,” said the FIBA statement, “inspiring unprecedented success with his towering performances and leadership. He achieved superstardom status at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2006 in Japan when he earned MVP honors alongside winning Spain’s first-ever major trophy.” A five-time Olympian, the center was Spain’s flag bearer at London 2012 and led his nation to three medals at the Olympic Games. These accomplishments also came alongside three titles at the FIBA EuroBasket, as well as two NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Said the statement of Staley: “Dawn Staley, a floor general for the USA during her playing days, lifted the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup titles in 1998, in Germany, and in 2002 in China. The point guard played at three Olympic Games and conquered the gold medal on each occasion. She stepped out in 1996, 2000, and in Athens in 2004, when she was the flagbearer for her country. Staley won a total of 10 gold medals as an athlete, before transitioning to the sidelines. As the head coach, Staley steered the USA to gold at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018 and at the 2020 Olympic Games.”

Mike Krzyzewski masterminded USA’s effort to return to the summit following a blistering defeat in the Semi-Finals of the 2006 World Cup. He was at the helm of the star-laden Team USA that was nicknamed Redeem Team and conquered the Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympics and followed up by steering a Kevin Durant-led USA to World Cup glory in 2010, in Turkey. … ‘Coach K’, as he is affectionately known, led USA to one World Cup title and two more Olympic gold medals before stepping down as his nation’s head coach in 2016 to focus exclusively on his illustrious NCAA career, where he has no fewer than five championships.

Here is the full list of inductees that make up the 2025 Class of the FIBA Hall of Fame:

Players

– Alphonse Bilé (Côte d’Ivoire)

– Andrew Bogut (Australia)

– Leonor Borrell (Cuba)

– Pau Gasol (Spain)

– El Khatib (Lebanon)

– Ticha Penicheiro (Portugal)

– Ratko Radovanovic (Serbia)

– Dawn Staley (USA)

Coach

– Mike Krzyzewski (USA)

The members of the Class of 2025 will be honored at an enshrinement ceremony on May 17 that will take place alongside the FIBA Mid-Term Congress in Bahrain. A total of eight players and one coach are being recognized for their stellar individual contributions to the sport.

On Friday, the University of South Carolina’s board of trustees approved a contract extension for women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley that will make her the highest-paid coach in women’s college basketball. … The extension keeps Staley in Columbia through the 2029-30 season with an annual base salary of $4 million per year. Previously, she was the third-highest-paid coach in the country — behind LSU’s Kim Mulkey and UConn’s Geno Auriemma — at $3.1 million per year in base. With a signing bonus and annual increases, the total contract is worth more than $25 million

THIS JEST IN: The January 5th WWYI prediction, among many for the calendar year 2025, was as follows:

  • Free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki will sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Check ✅ marks the spot.

On Friday night, news broke that the San Diego Padres, one of three MLB team finalists in the Sasaki-Derby, had folded the tent and offered their international free agent pool money to other prospects based in the Dominican Republic. Team 2, the Toronto Blue Jays, tried to sweeten their pot of signing bonus gold but to no avail. That left the door open for the Los Angeles Dodgers to sign Sasaki, pay the international player signing bonus, but then recoup the benefits, equivalent to securing a rookie and having him sign a minor league contract. The reigning MLB champion Dodgers secured the best 23-year old free agent starting pitcher for the duration.

SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE: Again, stealing a title from Sports Illustrated in its glory years, Bill McCartney, a football coach who in the 1980s took the University of Colorado from perennial losers to national champions, but who later left behind his $350,000 annual salary to refashion his locker-room message about prayer and sacrifice into a sprawling men’s evangelical movement, died on Friday in Boulder. He was 84 and the cause of death was complications of dementia, his family announced in a statement released by the university. … According to The New York Times, “As the founder of the Promise Keepers, a men-only Christian group based in Denver, Mr. McCartney reached his greatest influence in 1997, when an event he staged in Washington drew an estimated half-million men to the National Mall. … Historians described the movement as “one of the fastest-growing religious revivals in American history,” The New York Times reported afterward on its front page. The group then lost momentum — but regained it in recent years, when new leaders relaunched it as a vehicle for support of Donald J. Trump to express a newly assertive Christian masculinity, wrote the Times. … The Promise Keepers are not to be confused with the Oath Keepers who played a major role in the January 6 insurrection at the United States Capitol. More than 500 Oath Keepers either pleaded guilty or were convicted for their role in the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. More than 1,000 cases stemmed from January 6, with sentences of 18 years for seditious conspiracy. The Promise Keepers have distanced themselves from those of the Oath Keepers, but with little to no comment.

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: A gold medal awarded at the 1904 Olympics, the first Olympic Games hosted by the United States, was sold at auction for over half a million dollars, part of hundreds of lots of memorabilia from the Games gone by.

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics medal sold for $545,371. It bears the inscription “Olympiad, 1904” and shows a victorious athlete holding a wreath on the front. On the other side, Nike, the goddess of victory in ancient Greek mythology, is shown alongside Zeus, the pantheon’s king of gods, and the words for the 110-meter hurdles. The medal, awarded to American Fred Schule, included the original ribbon and leather case.

Similarly, an “extraordinarily rare gold winner’s medal from the St. Louis 1904 Olympics, issued by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) to American gymnast George Eyser for placing first in the rope climbing competition,” was auctioned for a cool but more affordable $80,163.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

12-Team CFP to Begin Dec.20th

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The first 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff will begin on Dec. 20 and end exactly one month later, with the national championship game set to be played in Atlanta, it was announced Wednesday.

The expanded playoff format will start with four first-round games played at campus sites on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21. Two of those games will be broadcast on TNT, which has a sublicense with ESPN.

The quarterfinals begin on New Year’s Eve with the Fiesta Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by a trio of games on New Year’s Day. The Peach Bowl will begin at 1 p.m., the Rose Bowl at 5 p.m. and the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m.

Both semifinals will start at 7:30 p.m. The first, the Orange Bowl, will be played on Jan. 9, and the second, the Cotton Bowl, will take place on Jan. 10.

The championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Michigan Runs All Over Washington

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HOUSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Michigan’s Blake Corum and Donovan Edwards each rushed for two touchdowns and No. 1 Michigan completed an undefeated season with a punishing 34-13 victory over No. 2 Washington in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Monday night in Texas.

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Corum had 134 yards on 21 rushes and Edwards added 104 on just six carries as Michigan (15-0) won its first national title since winning in split fashion in 1997. The Wolverines racked up 303 yards on the ground while limiting Washington to 46.

Mike Sainristil returned a key interception 81 yards to set up Michigan’s final touchdown and Will Johnson also had a pick.

Michael Penix Jr. completed 27 of 51 passes for 255 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for Washington (14-1). Jalen McMillan had a touchdown catch and Rome Odunze had five receptions for 87 yards for the Huskies.

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Washington’s Dillon Johnson played despite injuries to his left knee and right foot. He had 33 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 24 yards.

J.J. McCarthy completed 10 of 18 passes for 140 yards for the Wolverines, who outgained the Huskies 443-301.

Michigan led by seven when it took over with 9:44 left in the game.

On the first play of the drive, McCarthy connected with Colston Loveland for a gain of 41 to the Huskies 30-yard line. Four plays later, Corum scored on a 12-yard run to give Michigan a 27-13 lead with 7:09 remaining.

Penix lofted a 44-yard pass to Odunze with 6:18 left to get Washington in scoring range. But the Huskies soon faced fourth-and-13 from the Wolverines 30, and Sainristil picked off the ball and raced the other way, setting up Corum’s 1-yard TD run with 3:37 remaining.

 

Clemson Wins, Top 25 College Football Round-up

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CLEMSON, SC – Cade Klubnik passed for a touchdown and ran for another as host Clemson took advantage of No. 20 North Carolina’s mistakes in a 31-20 victory Saturday, giving the resurgent Tigers their third straight win.

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Will Shipley rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown and Phil Mafah gained 84 yards and scored on a fourth-down play as the Tigers (7-4, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) completed their league schedule. Klubnik threw for 219 yards on 21-for-32 passing and rushed for 44 yards in a rematch of last year’s ACC title game.

North Carolina’s quest for a spot in the ACC Championship game was dashed earlier in the day when Louisville won at Miami. The Tar Heels (8-3, 4-3) have lost three of their last five games.

North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton ran for 178 yards on 19 carries, but he lost two fumbles after not fumbling in the team’s first 10 games. Quarterback Drake Maye was 16-for-36 for 209 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.

No. 1 Georgia 38, No. 18 Tennessee 10

Carson Beck completed 24 of 30 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bulldogs cruised to a road win over the Volunteers in an SEC matchup in Knoxville, Tenn.

Georgia (11-0, 8-0 SEC) remained perfect and increased its winning streak to 28 straight games since the end of the 2021 campaign. The Bulldogs moved into a tie for the longest winning streak in SEC history. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint had seven catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns to lead Georgia. Dillon Bell caught one touchdown and passed for another on a trick play, and Brock Bowers finished with seven catches for 60 yards and a score.

Joe Milton III completed 17 of 30 passes for 147 yards for Tennessee (7-4, 3-4). Jaylen Wright finished with 90 rushing yards and a touchdown for the Volunteers, whose 14-game home winning streak ended.

No. 2 Ohio State 37, Minnesota 3

TreVeyon Henderson ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns in less than three quarters when the Buckeyes defeated the Golden Gophers in Columbus, Ohio.

Next for the Buckeyes (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten) is a trip to Ann Arbor on Nov. 25 to play No. 3 Michigan with a spot in the conference title game at stake as well as implications for the CFP. Henderson broke open a close game with a career-long 75-yard TD on the first play of the third quarter to make it 20-0. Marvin Harrison Jr. had a 4-yard TD catch to make it 27-0. Harrison, a Heisman Trophy contender, had three receptions for 30 yards and one score before being rested midway through the third quarter. Kyle McCord was 20 of 30 for 212 yards and two TDs for the Buckeyes.

Minnesota’s Athan Kaliakmanis completed 11 of 19 for 89 yards, an interception and a lost fumble.

No. 3 Michigan 31, Maryland 24

Blake Corum rushed for 94 yards and two touchdowns as the Wolverines withstood the Terrapins’ upset bid and recorded their 1,000th program victory in College Park, Md.

Derrick Moore had a fumble return for a touchdown and Mike Sainristil and Darrius Clemons picked off Taulia Tagovailoa for Michigan (11-0, 8-0 Big Ten), which led by 20 points midway through the first half. J.J. McCarthy passed for 141 yards and was intercepted once.

Billy Edwards Jr. scored all three of Maryland’s touchdowns on 1-yard runs. Tagovailoa passed for 247 yards for the Terrapins (6-5, 3-5).

No. 4 Florida State 58, North Alabama 13

The Seminoles overcame a 13-point deficit and the early loss of Heisman Trophy candidate Jordan Travis to remain unbeaten with a win over FCS foe North Alabama in Tallahassee, Fla.

Backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker completed 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns for the Seminoles (11-0). Rodemaker could be their quarterback going forward after Travis left Doak Campbell Stadium via ambulance late in the first quarter after an ugly ankle injury at the end of a 16-yard scramble.

At that point, Florida State faced its largest deficit of the year. The Lions (3-8) got their attention with 86- and 80-yard touchdown drives to start the game. Noah Walters threw 13- and 6-yard strikes to Takairee Kenebrew and J.J. Evans, respectively. Walters finished the game 13 of 26 for 65 yards with an interception. Kenebrew’s scoring grab was the 26th of his career, a school record.

No. 5 Washington 22, No. 11 Oregon State 20

Michael Penix Jr. threw two touchdown passes and Dillon Johnson rushed for 89 yards as the Huskies survived a scare and edged the Beavers in Pac-12 play at Corvallis, Ore.

Rome Odunze caught seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns for Washington (11-0, 8-0 Pac-12), which clinched a spot in next month’s Pac-12 championship game. Penix was just 13-of-28 passing for a season-low 162 yards.

Damien Martinez rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns for Oregon State (8-3, 5-3). DJ Uiagalelei completed 15 of 31 passes for 166 yards and two interceptions for the Beavers, who gained 319 yards.

No. 6 Oregon 49, Arizona State 13

Bo Nix passed for 404 yards and tied a school record with six touchdown passes in a little over two quarters and the Ducks rolled over the Sun Devils in a Pac-12 matchup in Tempe, Ariz.

Nix completed 24 of 29 passes and matched the school record of six TDs. Ty Thompson then took over for Nix as the Ducks (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12) continued their march to the conference championship game Dec. 1 in Las Vegas. Thompson also threw a touchdown pass, giving the Ducks a team-record-tying seven for the game. Troy Franklin (eight catches, 128 yards) and Patrick Herbert (three, 78) had two touchdown receptions each, while Tez Johnson (six, 80), Gary Bryant Jr. (three, 82) and Casey Kelly (one, 19) each had one touchdown reception.

Trenton Bourguet was 20-of-37 passing for 142 yards for the Sun Devils, and Cam Skattebo and Jalin Conyers combined to go 5 of 10 for 63 yards.

No. 7 Texas 26, Iowa State 16

Quinn Ewers passed for 281 yards and two touchdowns, and CJ Baxter ran for 117 yards as the Longhorns overcame a slew of mistakes to beat the Cyclones in a key Big 12 Conference game in Ames, Iowa.

Texas (10-1, 7-1 Big 12) remained alone atop the league standings and all but clinched a spot in the Big 12 championship game on Dec. 2 in Arlington, Texas. Ewers completed 23 of 33 passes and Xavier Worthy caught four of his throws for 77 yards. Baxter, playing in place of the injured Jonathon Brooks, had his first collegiate 100-yard rushing game.

Iowa State (6-5, 5-3) got 323 yards passing and two TDs from Rocco Becht. Jayden Higgins hauled in seven passes for 104 yards.

No. 8 Alabama 66, Chattanooga 10

Jalen Milroe passed for 197 yards and three touchdowns in one half as the Crimson Tide rolled to a victory over the Mocs at Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Milroe completed 13 of 16 passes before exiting and helping the Crimson Tide (10-1) win their ninth consecutive game. Justice Haynes rushed for two scores and Jase McClellan, Roydell Williams and Richard Young each added one for Alabama.

Luke Schomburg completed 10 of 21 passes for 107 yards and one interception for the Mocs (7-4), who are ranked 16th in the FCS Coaches Poll. Chattanooga starting quarterback Chase Artopoeus missed the game with a shoulder injury.

No. 9 Missouri 33, Florida 31

Harrison Mevis kicked a 30-yard field goal with seven seconds left to lift the Tigers past the Gators.

Mevis also kicked field goals of 22, 38 and 24 yards as the Tigers (9-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) furthered their bid for a New Year’s Six bowl bid. Missouri moved 62 yards to set up Mevis’ winning kick, with Brady Cook completing a 27-yard pass to Luther Burden III on fourth-and-17 to extend the drive. Cook passed for 331 yards and one touchdown and ran for another. Cody Schrader rushed for 148 yards and a touchdown, and Burden caught nine passes for 158 yards.

Backup Florida quarterback Max Brown rallied the Gators from a 30-21 fourth-quarter deficit to a 31-30 lead. Trey Smack kicked a go-ahead 35-yard field goal with 1:36 left. Trevor Etienne gained 119 total yards and scored two touchdowns for Florida (5-6, 3-5). Graham Mertz completed 14 of 21 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns before suffering an apparent collarbone injury in the third quarter.

No. 10 Louisville 38, Miami 31

Jack Plummer’s 58-yard touchdown pass to Keon Coleman Jr. with 4:17 left in the game proved to be the winning score for the visiting Cardinals, who held off the Hurricanes in South Florida.

Louisville (10-1, 7-1 ACC) will face No. 4 Florida State for the conference title in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 2.

The victory marks the first double-digit-win season for the Cardinals since 2013, their lone campaign in the American Athletic Conference. Meanwhile, Miami (6-5, 2-5) will finish with a losing record in conference play for the second straight season.

No. 12 Penn State 27, Rutgers 6

Kaytron Allen rushed for two touchdowns and Demeioun Robinson made a big defensive play to lead the Nittany Lions over the Scarlet Knights at University Park, Pa.

Alex Felkins kicked two field goals and Kevin Winston had an interception for Penn State (9-2, 6-2 Big Ten), which defeated Rutgers for the 17th consecutive time. The Nittany Lions are 32-2 all-time against the Scarlet Knights.

Jai Patel kicked two field goals for Rutgers (6-5, 3-5), which lost its third straight contest. Gavin Wimsatt completed 10 of 16 passes for 130 yards and one interception.

No. 13 Ole Miss 35, UL Monroe 3

Jaxson Dart passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns to lift the Rebels over the Warhawks in a nonconference game in Oxford, Miss.

Dart threw all of his touchdown passes during a third-quarter blitz that enabled the Rebels (9-2) to finish 7-0 at home. They visit Mississippi State on Thanksgiving night to complete the regular season.

Jiva Wright passed for just 56 yards and the Warhawks (2-9) totaled just 258 yards.

No. 14 Oklahoma 31, BYU 24

After quarterback Dillon Gabriel was injured, freshman Jackson Arnold proved to be a steady hand, guiding the Sooners over the host Cougars at Provo, Utah.

Taking over after Gabriel went down with a head injury late in the first half, Arnold was 5 of 9 for 33 yards passing and rushed for 24 yards on eight carries as Oklahoma (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) won its second consecutive game after back-to-back defeats. Gavin Sawchuk scored the go-ahead score for the Sooners midway through the fourth quarter.

Jake Retzlaff was 15-of-26 passing for BYU with 173 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Aidan Robbins had 182 yards rushing for BU (5-6, 2-6), which lost its fourth consecutive game and has dropped five of their last six in conference play.

No. 15 LSU 56, Georgia State 14

Jayden Daniels threw six touchdown passes and ran for two more scores as the Tigers routed the Panthers in their nonconference mismatch in Baton Rouge, La.

Daniels added to his Heisman Trophy-worthy resume by passing for 413 yards and rushing for 96 for the Tigers (8-3). He tied Joe Burrow’s school record with eight touchdowns in one game.

Darren Grainger passed for 179 yards and a touchdown and Marcus Carroll rushed or 87 yards and a score on 15 carries to lead the Panthers (6-5), who lost their fourth consecutive game.

No. 16 Iowa 15, Illinois 13

Kaleb Johnson’s 30-yard touchdown run with 4:43 left lifted the Hawkeyes over the Illini that clinched the Big Ten West Division title at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.

Quarterback Deacon Hill completed 19 of 29 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown while Iowa’s defense forced a safety and broke up 13 passes — four by cornerback Jermari Harris — to take Iowa (9-2, 6-2) to its second Big Ten championship-game appearance in three years.

Illinois quarterback John Paddock, the Big Ten’s reigning Offensive Player of the Week after throwing for 507 yards against Indiana, hit 22 of 47 passes for 215 yards. Reggie Love III rushed 18 times for 64 yards and the lone touchdown for Illinois (5-6, 3-5), which must win Saturday against Northwestern at home to claim a bowl berth.

No. 17 Arizona 42, No. 22 Utah 18

The Wildcats raced to a 28-point lead, including scoring on a blocked punt return, to win their fifth consecutive game by beating the Utes in Tucson, Ariz.

Arizona (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12) kept alive hopes of reaching the conference championship game by defeating its fourth ranked team during its winning streak, which is the school’s longest since starting the 2014 season with five consecutive wins.

Noah Fifita passed for 253 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats, who led Utah (7-4, 4-4) by four touchdowns one play into the second quarter. But the Utes, playing without three key defenders, battled to within 28-10 before Arizona’s Treydan Stukes intercepted a pass from Bryson Barnes with 11:22 left.

No. 19 Notre Dame 45, Wake Forest 7

Sam Hartman threw for 277 yards and four touchdowns and the Fighting Irish pulled away to trounce the visiting Demon Deacons in South Bend, Ind.

Hartman, a transfer from Wake Forest, completed 21 of 29 passes without a turnover against his former team. He was intercepted seven times in his previous four games. Audric Estime led the ground attack for Notre Dame (8-3) with 115 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown, and Rico Flores Jr. caught eight passes for 102 yards.

Wake Forest quarterback Michael Kern completed 11 of 20 passes for 80 yards, and running back Justice Ellison had 63 yards on 15 carries.

No. 21 Kansas State 31, No. 25 Kansas 27

Will Howard accounted for three touchdowns as the Wildcats scored 15 unanswered points to defeat the host Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kan.

Kansas State (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) won its 15th straight game in the rivalry. Howard was 13 of 24 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown.

Freshman Cole Ballard, who was making his first career start for Kansas (7-4, 4-4), completed 11 of 16 passes for 162 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Devin Neal, a native of Lawrence, Kan., ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.

No. 23 Oklahoma State 43, Houston 30

The Cowboys scored 27 unanswered points spanning the halves to rally past the host Cougars.

Oklahoma State (8-3, 6-2 Big 12) posted 501 yards of total offense. Alan Bowman finished with 348 yards passing and two touchdowns against an interception, a pick-six. Ollie Gordon II rushed for 164 yards and had three TD runs, and Brennan Presley had 15 catches for 189 yards for the Cowboys.

Donovan Smith went 17-of-29 passing for 235 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for Houston. Along the way, he hit Jonah Wilson with a 60-yard TD bomb. Smith also caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Joseph Manjack IV.

No. 24 Tulane 24, Florida Atlantic 8

The Green Wave held serve in their battle for the American Athletic Conference crown, defeating the host Owls in Boca Raton, Fla.

Michael Pratt threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns for Tulane (10-1, 7-0 AAC), which kept pace with UTSA (7-0) atop the conference. The leaders will meet in New Orleans on Friday.

Daniel Richardson completed 24 of 31 passes for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception for Florida Atlantic (4-7, 3-4), which lost any hope of bowl-game eligibility. LaJohntay Wester, who entered leading the AAC in catches (93) and receiving yards (1,042), added 11 and 86, respectively.

-Field Level Media

Georgia Tops CFB Playoff Poll

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IRVING – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Georgia is No. 1 — again — in the Associated Top 25 poll released Sunday, a spot the Bulldogs now have held for 22 straight weeks.

It is the second-longest stretch at No. 1 for any team, trailing Southern California, which topped the poll 33 straight weeks from 2003-05.

Georgia captured 54 of 62 first-place tallies from poll voters, who disagree with the College Football Playoff committee. For the second straight week, the committee put Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Georgia and Michigan in its standings.

The next CFP standings come out Tuesday.

The top eight in the AP poll remained unchanged this week. Michigan, with seven first-place votes, was No. 2, followed by Ohio State (one first-place vote), Florida State and Washington. Each team in the top five owns a 10-0 record.

No. 6 Oregon led a quartet of 9-1 teams and was followed by Texas, Alabama, Louisville and No. 10 Oregon State (8-2).

Louisville and Oregon State moved into the top 10 for the first time this season. Louisville last reached the top 10 in November 2016. The Beavers haven’t climbed that high since October 2012.

Moving out of the top 10 was Penn State, which fell three spots to No. 12, after its loss to Michigan on Saturday. Ole Miss also dropped three ticks to No. 13 after being beaten by Georgia.

Big losses on Saturday led Tennessee and Oklahoma State, both 7-3, to plummet in the poll.

The Volunteers fell seven spots to No. 21 after Missouri defeated them 36-7. The Cowboys dropped nine places to No. 24 after being manhandled by UCF 45-3.

Missouri’s win sent the Tigers up five notches to No. 11.

A trio of teams from non-power conferences — No. 17 Tulane (9-1), No. 18 James Madison (10-0) and No. 25 Liberty (10-0) — remained in the rankings.

Falling out was Kansas after being upset by Texas Tech. Kansas State (7-3) replaced them and landed at No. 23.

The two Kansas teams meet next Saturday on the Jayhawks’ home field in Lawrence.

–Field Level Media

CFP’s Hancock To Retire in 2025

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IRVING, Texas – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock announced that he will step down when his contract expires February 1, 2025.
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“My time at the CFP has been a dream come true,” said Hancock, 72, who will be entering his 19th season working in post-season football this fall. “I cherish what I do and the folks I get to work with. And I do love college football. Now I will run through the tape, as the track coaches say, and then I will enjoy whatever next steps are waiting for (his wife) Nicki and me.”
Hancock was named executive director of the CFP a few months after the event was created in 2012. He was the only CFP employee at the time. The leaders of the 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame directed him to finalize the details of a media rights agreement, negotiate agreements with bowl games and championship-game host cities, build a staff, find office space, contact members to serve on the selection committee, and draft protocol and procedures for the committee to use.
The result has been nine enormously successful years for the CFP so far.
The CFP is slated to expand from four to 12 teams after the 2023-24 season.
“The plan was established several years ago for me to notify the CFP Board of Managers a year in advance if I decided to step aside, in order to provide ample time to plan a smooth transition to the next executive director,” Hancock said.
“I’m advising the board now, so the new executive director will have a long on-ramp, as he or she prepares to guide the CFP into the 12-team era.”
“Everyone who is blessed to work with Bill knows he is a highly skilled administrator, strong leader and truly good person. He’s a legend in college sports,” said Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum, the chairman of the CFP Board of Managers. “We were sorry when Bill told us about his and Nicki’s decision, but we are so grateful for his service in getting the CFP started and carrying it through the first nine years—10 after next year.”
Hancock will remain in his current duties through the 2023-2024 season.

College Hoops Fans, It’s Christmas Day

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“When it’s not always raining there’ll be days like this
When there’s no one complaining there’ll be days like this
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch
Well my mama told me there’ll be days like this.”

  • Van Morrison, Days Like This
YouTube player

 

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – If you aren’t paying attention to the sports calendar, a day like this might slip right on by. There are plenty of examples for great and underrated days in sports. One, The Breeders’ Cup, just passed by – seven World Series games in one day of horse racing – gone.

A few others?

  • The Army vs Navy Game
  • NCAA Tournament Thursday
  • NFL Championship Sunday (Monday is the MLK, Jr holiday, too)
  • Patriots’ Day in Boston (Boston Marathon in the morning and running all day; The Sox at 11am at Fenway)
  • Iron Bowl – Auburn vs Alabama in NCAAF (November 27 this season)
  • El Clásico – Real Madrid vs Barcelona (Every time they play)

We’ll take you through Opening Evening/Night for College Basketball 2021-22. (All times Eastern Standard):

4:30pm – The broadcast begins with some Bad News with some Good News. The Bad: FS-1 starts its broadcast and our minds immediately think, “John Tesh wants his song back,” as Roundball Rock, the NBA on NBC intro theme, seems SO out of place as has been the case with FOX/FS-1 coverage of the BIG EAST. The Good: The wonderful and familiar voice of Bill Raftery rises from the TV’s speakers like the smell of fine wine or aged single malt Scotch – as in Raftery’s favorite phrase – “Just One More.” Raftery is such a great asset for college hoops and seemingly every fan looks forward to listening to “Raft” all the way until March Madness.

“ONIONS!”

4:31pm – By the time everyone looks up, Villanova is up 7-0 on Mount St. Mary’s or is it Mt. Saint Mary’s. One thing is for sure, it’s NOT St. Mary’s.

4:42pm – Raftery gives us the very first “ball screen” reference of the new season.

4:50pm – A break in the action and the endless stream of Insurance ads allows time to check the TV schedule for the rest of the evening. There are dozens of games, but these stand out and will be included in this running story as the night goes on with an obvious BIG EAST theme.

  • 6pm – Akron at Ohio State … a little early in the season to give Akron 16.5 points, eh?
  • 6:30pm – Central Connecticut at UConn … They’re Back, if you dare drive to Storrs.
  • 6:45pm – (The alphabet games begin with … IUPUI at Butler (That is Indiana University Purdue U Indianapolis)
  • 7pm – BIG BOY Game No. 1 – Kansas vs Michigan State in Game 1 of Champions Classic at The Garden
  • 7:30pm – Alpha 2 … UMBC at UMass (University of Maryland – Baltimore County for you alphabet fans)
  • 8pm – More alpha … UAPB at Creighton … University of Arkansas Pine Bluff! Be there.
  • 8:30pm – A tough one: SIUE (Southern Illinois University Edwardsville) at Marquette
  • 9pm – The various ‘college networks all tip-off vs each other with a TV remote challenge:
    • Houston Baptist at Texas (Longhorn Network)
    • Louisiana Tech at Alabama (SEC Network)
    • Navy at Virginia (ACC Network)
  • 9:30pm – BIG BOY Game 2 with Duke vs Kentucky at MSG
  • 10pm – Longwood at Iowa (Big Ten Network) – might be with Ernie, Chuck, Kenny and Shaq by then?

5:25 pm – Villanova heads to the lockers with a halftime lead, 45-21, over Mount St. Mary’s. “All ‘Nova,” they say. Collin Gillespie, a 6-3 senior guard for Villanova QBs the team while scoring seven points. From Kyle Lowry to Scottie Reynolds to Ryan Arcidiacono to Donte DiVincenzo to Jalen Brunson, Villanova recruits solid point guards and two position guards with the best of them. Nova Coach Jay Wright recruits to his system and it works, year-after-year.

5:35pm – A quick check of the entire NCAAB scoreboard shows that Manhattan defeated Manhattanville, 99-42, meaning Manhattanville is in for a very long season. Also, when looking at the Columbia at Fordham pregame, the odds show the Fordham Rams favored by 9.5 over Columbia U, an IVY League school on the sidelines since March 2020.

5:41pm – One game in and I can’t believe I’m looking forward to the Akron vs Ohio State game.

5:45pm – FS-1 having “technical problems” and Bill Raftery is pressed into solo play-by-play and commentator action before Jimmy Jackson joins the broadcast from FOX Sports Studios. Play-x-Play man Aaron Goldsmith does not return.

 

Editor’s Note: (This will be updated many times tonight, no more than 30 minutes between updates ideally).

5:50pm – During another lengthy FS-1 timeout, it allowed time to check the Mississippi Valley State at St. John’s pregame notes. A stop on ESPN dot com also showed fans are selling tickets online from $3 to $68. The problem? The $3 seats were better located than the $68 seats.

5:55pm – Bill Raftery informs us – with the score 65-40 – that “the next 10 minutes are important for The Mount.” They taught Raft that line at Nielsen TV Ratings school.

6pm – It’s off to the Akron at Ohio State game. We are soon reminded that Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek and Nate Thurmond once played ball at Ohio State but LeBron James grew-up and played high school ball in Akron, Ohio.  Score? 8-6, Akron early.

For some reason, it bothers me that Ohio State has a big map of Ohio on their court, copying Indiana. Shouldn’t Ohio have the rights to the map? It’s not like Indiana State has a map of Terre Haute.

6:17pm – It has become apparent that college basketball will be played this season in front of fans and indoors, of course. Not a mask will be seen or worn by students (and fans) in the stands, all packed-in like sardines and screaming their brains out. That leads to the very obvious prediction that there will be COVID+ outbreaks in college hoops this season. … If the Ottawa Senators (of the NHL) can have five guys break-out with COVID+ with some pretty serious NHL protocols, including the glass and boards as a barrier for the team benches, then college hoops – with the crowd on top of the players and benches could be in big trouble. Good Luck.

6:22pm – It also looks as though College Basketball coaches will dress down, much like their NBA counterparts. Gotta wonder if Rick Pitino, head coach of Iona, will wear cuff links with his sweats?

6:24pm – Technical difficulties will be the buzzword for Opening Tip-Off night of College Hoops 2021-22. ESPN2 lost video for only a few seconds and switched to remote side-by-side of the announce team, sitting in their home studios. What the COVID pandemic taught the networks is that they can save money and NOT send their broadcasters to the games. Airfare, hotel accommodations, meals and per diem all saved by networks. The fans lose as it’s not like you’re getting any discount on ESPN channels for the less than in-depth coverage with commentators staring at TV monitors instead of getting the first-hand knowledge, interactions, experiences and insights from courtside on-site. Boo.

6:30pm – ESPN breaks away at the 8:00 minute mark with Ohio State leading Akron, 20-17. (Reminder: The line was Akron +16.5). Now, it’s decision time. Do we watch five more ESPN2 commercials or do we flip for tip of the Central Connecticuit vs UConn game? With Villanova winning, 91-51, ‘Nova’s Justin Moore leading the team in scoring with an impressive opening-eve 27, it’s time to head back to FS-1.

6:33pm – The ball is tipped at Gampel Pavillion in beautiful Storrs. Full house. The Huskies are described as “an NBA team disguised as a UConn team,” by former NBA and UConn player Donny Marshall, a better than average TV commentator. He’s right, as UConn opens up a 15-5 lead at the first break (15:43 left in 1st Half).

6:55pm – It’s time for the alphabet game portion of the night to begin as IUPUI and Butler give it a run at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.  Quick thought: Wouldn’t it be cool if the PxP guy said Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis instead of IUPUI every time down the court?  One problem. It’s four minutes into the first half and IUPUI has yet to score. (But they trail by only three points).

7pm – It’s time to head to the Varsity game and it’s great to see Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas do their pregame stand-up for Michigan State vs Kansas from courtside at Madison Square Garden with Holly Rowe adding to the broadcast from courtside, too. Bilas is the best in the business, as he notes “the energy (in The Garden) is amazing.” Pretty good for neutral court. No anti-COVID+ masks at MSG either, by the way.

7:16pm – ESPN wastes NO TIME with a classy video taped message montage and best wishes salute to Hall-of-Fame basketball contributor Dick Vitale who is battling lymphoma with a weekly chemotherapy sessions. Vitale has put so much time, effort and money behind the ESPN-led “V Foundation” in memory of Coach Jimmy Valvano, it’s now time for everyone in the college and worldwide basketball community to stand-up to support Dickie V. Donate $ HERE.

7:23pm – A break in the action of the Michigan State vs Kansas game allows some time to look at the Bracketology work on ESPN.com and predictions for the March Brackets and NCAA Tournament teams.  It’s a LONG way off and very difficult to predict in November, but here’s a look-see. Digital Sports Desk will do a bracket for While We’re Young (Ideas) either this weekend or next. See Joe Lunardi‘s first crack at it HERE.

Hey Joe? St. John’s is a “last four in,” eh? See you in Dayton!

7:35pm – At the three HOUR mark for this column and the College Basketball season is well underway across this nation. With the three hour mark came the first bathroom break of the evening and, with that, I broke out my favorite book, the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook – a must for these early season games. I plugged this in a Sunday Sports Notebook but, it’s worth another plug to purchase it HERE. Spring for the Spiral bound version and the digital edition for travel and easy storage as a PDF on your computer or IUPUIPad.

7:45pm – As the games play, a thought comes and I can’t say it’s the first season that this thought has come along. When you see the likes of Kansas and Michigan State competing against each other at The Garden, it’s very apparent that they are playing at an entirely different level than the rest of the pack. With 2:59 left in the first half, Kansas leads Michigan State, 32-31.

Meanwhile, ESPN is promoting its halftime show and the next rankings of the NCAA Football Top 25. ESPN’s Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit are at The Garden for the upcoming halftime show, previewing the 9pm EST reveal of the CFP rankings. Everyone likes Georgia, many like undefeated Oklahoma, but after that?

Back to College Hoops. Amazing! Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will accept an award from Champions Classic, and its sponsor, State Farm. Of course, Coach K has been a $tate Farm guy forever. Talking heads are debating whether Coach K (five NCAA titles) or John Wooden (10 NCAA titles) is the best college basketball coach of all time.

Duke’s Coach K starts the 2021-22 season, announced to be his last, with a career record of  1,170–361. Wooden went 664–162 in his basketball coaching career, although there were fewer games played overall and the NCAA Tournament was limited to 16 teams when the Wizard of Westwood coached at UCLA.

8pm – ESPN is going full throttle as Rece Davis is joined by LaPhonzo Ellis and Seth Greenberg on the set (on MSG’s floor). You can’t help but wonder why ESPN gets its college coverage so finely tuned while its NBA coverage struggles annually, outside of key play-by-play man Mike Breen.

8:10pm – A quick flip back to ESPN2 and a tune-in at Columbus, Ohio shows Akron going up by a point (66-65) after 6-8 sophomore forward Ali Ali hit a three-point FG and converted the free throw after he was fouled on the play. With 0:06 remaining, Ohio State’s 6-8 sophomore forward Zed Key took a feed from Malachi Branham and scored the game-winner with less than 0:01 on the clock. The win marked the first “barn-burner” and “buzzer-beater” of the new college hoops season. As noted above, Akron and its (+16.5) covered quite easily, but lost a heart-breaker.

8:35pm – Kansas’ 6-5 senior guard Ochai Agbaji drains a three-pointer to make it 61-50 Jayhawks. It continues to look as though the teams at The Garden are playing a different sport than the rank and file early season games elsewhere in college hoops.

8:50pm – With Kansas in control, there’s time to start surfing a few of the other games. The first three clicks were greeted by more insurance commercials, but a stop at New England’s NESN+ brought about the UMBC at UMass game, a close 48-44 affair with 10:55 left. With a tip from the announce team, we see UMBC is 3-20 from three-point range while UMass is 0-10 from downtown. Note to NCAA Basketball: It might be time to bag the three-point shot. (Kansas won 87-74).

9:00pm – In other A-10-related action, St. Bonnies is drilling Siena (22-10 in second half) and Davidson is up by 27 over Delaware. Meanwhile, out in Western Massachusetts, the Minute People finally hit a “3” and were leading 54-46 when the channel surfing headed to the various Sports Nets.

9:01pm – FS1, aka the BIG EAST Network, went to split screen for Fairfield at Providence and Niagara at Xavier.  On FS2, Marquette was holding a slim lead over Southern Illinois -Edwardsville. Long way to go. Coach Shaka Smart is in his first year at Marquette and brought a few of his Texas recruits along with him. By the way, NYC soccer fans might note, the “Special Assistant to the Head Coach” at Marquette is Nevada Smith.

9:05pm – A look at the ACC Network put forth an early Upset Alert 🚨 as Navy led No. 25 Virginia 5-0. The lead floated out to sea seconds later and Virginia led 7-5 when it was time to look elsewhere. Remember, colleges play an exhibition or two but there’s no “real” preseason games. It is evident tonight. Navy would prevail 66-58 for the ONLY upset of the first night for the Top 25 teams. Virginia is sure to drop out of that elite group.

9:15pm – Bonus programming! A look at the YES Network from New York showed a Southern U. vs Louisville billboard but the fans of college hoops were being treated to Oklahoma hosting Northwestern State (that of Natchitoches, Louisiana). OK was up 45-33 upon tune-in and we noted 6-8, 275 lbs center Larry Owens along with two players from Athens, (Greece, not Georgia), one from Tbilisi, (Country of and not State of Georgia), and one player from Israel. Can you imagine the culture shock upon arriving from Athens to Natchitoches? And, just how did that happen? NWSU head coach Mike McConathy is in his 23rd year, so go figure?

Meanwhile, in between games at The Garden, ESPN has turned it back over to the College Football Playoff rankings.

9:25pm – The College Game Day crew (football) finally gets around to the Top 10. They reveal in reverse order and here ya go, ICYMI.

  1. Georgia
  2. Alabama
  3. Oregon
  4. Ohio State
  5. Cincinnati
  6. Michigan
  7. Michigan State
  8. Oklahoma
  9. Notre Dame
  10. Oklahoma State

The CFP Show had some serious arguing over rankings that don’t mean a thing on November 9th.

9:32pm – When in doubt, back to the BIG EAST as Creighton and Arkansas Pine Bluff are battling it out (63-57 upon tune-in time with 12:42 left in the 2nd half). Arkansas Pine Bluff led 47-38 at the half but a little 29-7 run did that lead in. Creighton is very tough at home and any BIG EAST team to go on the road to Omaha and come back with a “W” is fortunate.

9:37pm – The FS1 producers switched to a live look-in for the end of the Niagara at Xavier game as Niagara missed a shot down the stretch that could’ve put the pressure on Xavier in a big way. X ended up winning 63-60 after Marcus Hammond hit a full court heave-ho for three at the buzzer. Xavier was favored by 17 points.

9:45pm – Yes, it was time to check in at TNT where Milwaukee was leading Philadelphia, 118-109,

9:50pm – It’s time to settle in for the final game of the night, with all due respect to that Longwood vs Iowa game on the Big Ten Network. No. 9 Duke and No. 10 Kentucky playing in front of a packed house at Madison Square Garden (18,132) is “the” way to put an exclamation point on the first night of the NCAA Basketball Season.

ESPN is making it clear the entire season will be a tribute to Coach K, and rightfully so. Coming out of a break, ESPN rolled old photos and footage of Coach K at Army and getting a couple important victories – including No. 1,000 at The Garden against St. John’s, by the way.

Speaking of St. John’s, they drilled Mississippi Valley State, 119-61.

10:10pm – ESPN catches a very incognito Bruce Springsteen amongst the crowd at MSG. The Boss was  joining his daughter, Jessica, a 2014 Duke grad and 2020-21 USA Equestrian team silver medalist at the Tokyo Games.

10:13pm – Game score going back and forth between Duke and UK as the first half develops into a decent game, albeit somewhat physical.

10:25pm – The refs give each team a talking to, as the game got “chippy” and there was some jawing. Duke led 29-25 with 4:00 remaining in the 1st half.

10:40pm – At the half, Duke led 39-35 as the Kentucky team and head coach John Caliperi headed to the lockers. Coach Cal said on the TV interview with Holly Rowe, “we almost lost two exhibition games.”

11:00pm – Kentucky comes out hot in the 2nd half and it becomes quite apparent that this game is likely to go down to the wire.

11:10pm – Direct TV: Serena v. Wonder Woman; Serena …Wonder Woman.

11:12pm – Players, competing at high speed and rate, are cramping up a sign of not being in “game shape” as of yet.

11:45pm – Duke’s young team, despite four players cramping-up, close-out the Kentucky Wildcats, 79-71. Freshman Trevor Keels led the way for the Blue Devils with 25 points. Duke’s 6-10 freshman forward Paulo Banchero added 25 points.

Later in the night: Both Gonzaga and UCLA both won big over their opponents. The Zags taking Dixie State (Utah, by the way), 97-63 and UCLA – who Jay Bilas touted as the No. 1 team in the country – defeated Cal-Bakersfield, 95-58.