With the passing of David Bowie, we are dedicating this week’s TINK to Ziggy Stardust himself. “Let’s Dance” to some Bowie tunes and get caught up as championship talk reaches a fever pitch.
College football crowned its champion on Monday, the NFL playoffs are in full swing and basketball is heating up.
College Football
Roll Tide as they say in Tuscaloosa. Alabama claimed its 16th national title Monday as they beat #1 ranked and previously undefeated Clemson 45-40 in a thrilling championship game. Alabama was led by “Starman” Heisman trophy winning running back Derrick Henry (3 TDs) and seldom-used tight end O.J. Howard (2 TDs), who hadn’t caught a touchdown since 2013. Clemson fans’ solace is that the best player on the field was their quarterback Deshaun Watson who threw for 405 yards and 4 TDs, and will be a Heisman favorite again next year.
Alabama coach Nick Saban further cemented his championship legacy with a fifth national title. Only former Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant has more national championships (6).
National Football League (NFL)
Turn and face the strange “Changes”: For some odd reason, playing on home field wasn’t an advantage this week. For the first time ever, all four wildcard playoff home teams lost.
We had two ugly AFC playoff games on Saturday. The visiting Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 18-16 in a game that featured pouring rain, fights, concussions and some “Rebel Rebel” fans throwing bottles on the field. After coming back from a 15-0 deficit to take the lead in the final minutes, the Bengals had a critical turnover and two silly penalties, and lost on a last-second field goal. The game did showcase one of the best catches you will ever see by Steelers’ wide receiver Martavis Bryant.
Houston we have a problem, and the number is 30-0. “Under Pressure,” the Houston Texans were shutout at home by the Kansas City Chiefs. You knew it was a going to be a long day for the Texans when the Chiefs returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Celebrate with some BBQ…the game marked the first time since 1993 that the Chiefs won a playoff game.
Is there “Life on Mars?” The Minnesota Vikings think it might be warmer there than it was for Sunday’s home playoff game. The Vikings lost 10-9 to the Seattle Seahawks in the third coldest game in NFL playoff history (-6 degree F temperature at kickoff). The Vikings have been playing outdoors for two years as their new domed stadium is being built. Minnesota missed the potential game-winning field goal and is left dreaming of their new, indoor digs in the offseason. You know what else couldn’t handle the cold, the Vikings’ Gjallarhorn [yahl-lahr-hawrn].
In the weekend’s finale, former MVP Aaron Rodgers led his Green Bay Packers to a 35-18 victory over the Washington Redskins in the Nation’s Capital.
Here is this weekend’s playoff schedule:
Here is this weekend’s playoff schedule:
AFC
Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots (Sat., Jan 16, 4:35pm ET)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos (Sun., Jan 17, 4:40pm ET)
NFC
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals (Sat., Jan 16, 8:15pm ET)
Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers (Sun., Jan 17, 1:05pm ET)
College Basketball
Conference play has begun and we have a slightly modified Top-5:
#1 Kansas
#2 Oklahoma
#3 Maryland
#4 Michigan State
#5 North Carolina
“All the Young Dudes”…#3 Maryland is led by super-soph point guard Melo Trimble. Trimble led the Terrapins to a 63-60 victory over Wisconsin Saturday, scoring 21 points and hitting the game-winning three point shot with 1.2 seconds left. Trimble’s mom must have been a Wesley Snipes fan as Melo got his name from Snipes’ character Romello Skuggs in the 1994 crime flick Sugar Hill.
National Basketball Association (NBA)
While everyone is talking about the “Fame” of Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) and LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), keep your eye on Russell Westbrook. The Oklahoma City Thunder star has led the team to the fourth-best record in the league. Westbrook is killing it on the court (sixth in scoring, fourth in assists and first in steals), and shows off his all-star style in this True Religion Commercial.
Remember at TINK Sports we watch the games so you don’t have to.
See you next time…
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