The Grammy nominations were announced this week and we’ve got a lot of listening to do before February’s awards show. With the college football conference championships wrapped up last Saturday, teams that made the cut might be feeling like some of the Grammy nominees, counting down the days until they can take home the trophy.
College Football
Championship Saturday concluded without any upsets but delivered exciting games and record-breaking performances. Here’s what happened in the major five conferences:
- ACC: Clemson became the only undefeated major college team by beating North Carolina in a shootout 45-37
- Big 10: In a thrilling defensive battle Michigan State beat Iowa 16-13. There was “Beauty Behind the Madness” when Michigan State scored a touchdown with 27 seconds left to win the conference championship and give Iowa their first loss of the season
- Big 12: Oklahoma said “Love Me Like You Do” during their day off (no conference championship) and secured a spot in the Final-4 by virtue of an impressive 11-1 record
- SEC: Alabama dropped Florida 29-15 behind Heisman trophy leader, running back Derrick Henry, and his 189 rushing yards. Henry broke the 34-year-old SEC rushing record during the game.
- Pac-12: Stanford defeated USC. 41-22. Stanford running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Christian McCaffrey broke the NCAA single-season record for all-purpose yards (yards on offense, kickoffs and punts combined) in the victory.
The final rankings are out and the four-team College Football Playoff picture is now set.
College Football Playoff Schedule
- Semifinal: #1 Clemson versus #4 Oklahoma – December 31 @ 4:00pm ET
- Semifinal: #2 Alabama versus #3 Michigan State – December 31 @ 8:00pm ET
- National Championship Game: January 11 @ 8:30pm ET
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Playing without head coach Steve Kerr, who is rehabbing a back injury, the defending champion Golden State Warriors are singing “Uptown Funk.” Don’t believe them, just watch: they’re now a record 22-0 to start the NBA season with no signs of letting up. In sight is the all-time NBA regular season record of 72-10 held by the 1996 Chicago Bulls, ironically a team on which coach Kerr played.
The much-improved Eastern Conference has many surprisingly good teams. Seven squads are all within one game of each other: Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks.
Just “Thinking Out Loud”: The NBA season is roughly one-quarter over but we’ll keep you posted the rest of the way.
National Football League (NFL)
The once high-flying and defending NFL champions, the New England Patriots, had a “Ship to Wreck” having lost two games in a row, falling Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles 35-28. After talk of an undefeated season, the Patriots dropped to the #3 ranking in the AFC behind the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos who both won on Sunday.
The 12-0 Carolina Panthers proved to their fans once again that they’ll “See You Again.” The league’s only undefeated team had a close call and needed five touchdowns from MVP frontrunner QB Cam Newton to beat the struggling New Orleans Saints 41-38.
Bagels or Pizza? In the battle of New York (note that both teams share MetLife Stadium, which is in New Jersey) the New York Jets beat the New York Giants 23-20 in overtime. The win helps propel the Jets back into the playoff race.
In the Sunday night game, the Pittsburgh Steelers dismantled the Indianapolis Colts 45-10 behind another outstanding offensive performance. The Steelers racked up a record-tying 450+ yards of offense for the fourth straight game.
The Monday Night Football game was a dud for 58 out of 60 minutes but the struggling Dallas Cowboys (4-8) made “Something From Nothing” scoring 10 points in the final minute and fourteen seconds to beat the up-and-down Washington Redskins (5-7) by a score of 19-16.
Fantasy Football
Remember that most Fantasy Football leagues start their playoffs this week and they run for the next three weeks. Say a temporary goodbye to the attention span of your friends and family. But don’t let there be any “Bad Blood,” they’re speeding toward the finish line in pursuit of their league championship. And best of all, if they win, drinks are on them!
Remember at TINK Sports we watch the games so you don’t have to.
See you next time…
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