Articles in
January 2024

AFC, NFC Championship Game Predictions

The Chiefs and the Ravens and the Lions and the Niners square off for the privilege of playing in Super Bowl LVIII in Vegas on February 11th at 5:30 PM CT on CBS. The four teams are the best in the league, and the quarterbacks and defenses should determine each outcome. Will Patrick Mahomes continue his magical career or will Lamar Jackson and that No.1 ranked Ravens defense matriculate to Vegas. On the NFC side, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers will try to earn their way in, but face a talented and hungry Detroit Lions team. A key factor for the 49ers is Deebo Samuels’ health. He’s got a hurt shoulder and is questionable. I expect him to play since it’s for the chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2 weeks, but his effectiveness could be hampered by his injury.

Here are predictions for today’s contests…..

Record so far

SU: 7-3, ATS, 5-5

AFC Championship Game

Kansas City Chiefs (13-6, 7-2 Away) @ Baltimore Ravens (14-4, 7-3 Home)

M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD.

2 PM CT

CBS

Jim, Tony, Trace, Evan, Jay

Yella, Shawn Smith

Ravens by 4 1/2

Like I’ve been saying the past couple of years, it’s so hard to go against Mahomes. He’s burned so many experts. He just keeps get’er done. But I like Lamar this year. He has been an extraordinary quarterback and the Ravens defense is superb. Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey, who’s back from an injury he suffered three weeks ago, and the Ravens defense is hard to penetrate. The Chiefs defense is underrated and very good as well. But I’ll take Lamar and the Ravens to advance to Allegiant Stadium for Super Bowl 58 on February 11th.

Ravens 24, Chiefs 17

NFC Championship Game

Detroit Lions (14-5, 6-3 Away) @SF 49ers (13-5, 6-3 Home)

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA.

5:30 PM CT

FOX

Kev, Gregory, EA, Tom

Laundry, Clete Blakeman

Niners by 7

Some people would call this a reach, but I’m going to make it. I like Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, tight end Sam Laporta and stellar defensive end Aiden Hutchinson and the Lions to pull off the upset in the Golden Gate state, and put the Lions in Super Bowl 58 playing for their first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. This team has magic. They went to Arrowhead the first game of the season and despite Everybody predicting them to lose, they defeated Mahomes and the Chiefs. I like them to do that at Levi’s late this afternoon as well. Give me Coach Dan Campbell, who’s done a remarkable job pulling a franchise from its bootstraps and brutal struggles all the way to the pinnacle of the sport.

Lions 28, 49ers 24

PGA Season kicks off on the Blog, The Farmers Insurance Open prediction, Australian Open predictions

Historic Torrey Pines will host the Farmers Insurance Open once again as golf season is in full swing now with the tour “matriculating” on the California Swing. The Farmers begins today and will conclude on Saturday so the tournament wants to not coincide with the NFC and AFC Championship Games on Sunday.

Last week at the American Express, 20 year old University of Alabama sophomore Nick Dunlap captured the title with a 5 foot nine inch par putt on 18 to hold off 29 year old South African Christian Bezuldenhout by a shot to become the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson did it in 1991, 33 years ago. at the Northern Telecom Open in Phoenix. Now Dunlap is pondering whether to join the PGA Tour or remain an amateur. When he becomes a professional, he is exempt in all events up to 2026. If he joins this year, he can play in 3 of the 4 majors, the Masters, the PGA Championship, and the U.S, Open. He would not qualify for the Open Championship. If he played as an amateur, he would be eligible for all majors except the PGA Championship. He is the reigning U.S. Amateur champion. He finished -29 for the Amex, one shot clear of the South African. Quite a feat. There is no guarantee any young player is going to be super elite as a professional, but that’s quite a start for a 20 year old amateur. If he stays at Alabama this season he will get NIL deals with adidas and other sponsors, so that should be a nice deal as well. The Huntsville native is weighing his options. He shot a 12 under par 60 on Saturday and two under par 70 on Sunday.

Onto this week.

The pros will play two courses, Torrey Pines North (7,258 yards, par 72) and the epic Torrey Pines South Course (7,765 yards, par 72). The first two rounds will be played on both courses as the players split between the two and the final two days will be played exclusively on the South Course. the Poa Anuua greens will be stimping up to 14, very quick. The rough will on the South Course will be up to 4 inches.

The defending champion is Max Homa, who is in the field.

It’s been an interesting year and a half in golf with the LIV Tour raiding the PGA Tour for another player when it secured Jon Rahm in December. That’s a blow, but you look at the PGA Tour and there still are many elite players. The LIV and PGA are trying to come to an agreement and become one entity, but it’s a time consuming process. The PGA is moving on with the guys on its roster. You still have Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, and many more competing in all of the new signature events and the majors and other regular events. The Signature events this season are eight tournaments consisting of 70 to 80 players with the 50 top players from the Fed Ex Cup in 2023 competing with 20 to 30 other qualifiers in other ways. The events have purses of $20-25 million with first place paying $3.6 M. Chris Kirk has already won the first Signature event at the Sentry in Maui earlier this month. The seven other events are the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Jan. 29th-Feb 4th, The Genesis Invitational Feb. 15th-18th, the Arnie March, 7th-10th, the RBC Heritage April 18-21st, the Wells Fargo May 9th-12th, the Memorial June 6th-9th, and the Travelers Championship June 20th-23rd. The 50th Players Championship’s purse is $25 M with the winner earns $4.5 M. That stellar event will be played March 14th-17th. The 88th edition of the Masters is April 11th-14th. The 106th PGA Championship will be played at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville May 16th-19th. The 124th U.S, Open is June 13th-16th at Pinehurst No.2, and the 152nd Open Championship is July 18th-21st at Royal Troon. The Fed Ex Cup with a $25 million payout for first place consists of three events: the Fed Ex St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Aug 15th-18th, the BMW Championship Aug 22nd-25th, at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorago, and the Tour Championship at East Lake Aug 29th-Sept 1st. The Fed Ex St. Jude and BMW both have $20 M purses with first place paying $3.6 M.

So, the tour is always stepping it up for the players. Not a bad deal if you work hard and can be successful.

Weather in El Diego

Today, 62, partly cloudy, wind SSW 7 MPH.

Thursday, 63, Partly sunny, wind SW 7

Friday, 67, partly sunny, wind NNW 8.

Saturday, 71, Partly sunny, N 7.

Television

Today-Thursday, 2-6 PM CT, Golf Channel

Friday, 2-4 PM CT Golf, 4-7 PM CBS

Saturday, 1-3 PM CT, Golf, 3-7 PM CBS.

Here are the odds for the Farmers:

Xander 9/1

Cantlay 10/1

Homa 10/1

Morikawa 11/1

Ludvig Aberg 20/1, 24 year old Swede who won the RSM Classic in Sea Island last November.

Sungjae Im 22/1

Min Woo Lee 22/1

Tony Finau 25/1

Jason Day 25/1

Keegan Bradley 33/1

Eric Cole 35/1

Sahith Theegala 40/1

Sepp Straka 45/1

Will Zalatoris 45/1

Hideki Matsuyama 45/1

Harris English 50/1

Justin Rose 50/1

Shane Lowry 60/1

Daniel Berger 65/1

Luke List 80/1

Winner

I’ll take the 30 year old native on San Diego on his home course. He finished T-3 last weekend at the Amex shooting 63-65 on Saturday and Sunday to finish -27 tied with JT and Kevin Yu. Interestingly, Dunlap, being an amateur, could not claim the first place prize money, so Bezuldenhouf took home the $1.5+ million check.

This still young, but now veteran stallion finished T2 in the 2021 Farmers and tied for 7th in the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey, which Rahm won. He has a T-10th and T-3rd to open the 2024 season. Give me:

Xander Schauffele

Sleeper

Sahith Theegala

Australian Open predictions

ESPN will televise. You need to be a real early bird as coverage begins at 2:30 AM CT for the semis and finals. It’ll be on when you wake up.

Men’s Semifinals

Novak Djokovic over Jannik Sinner 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7)

Alexander Zverev over Danill Medvedev 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5

Men’s Final

“Sasha” Zverev over Novak 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

Winner. Alexander Zverev

Sasha’s hot right now and though Joker has won 10 Australians and 24 majors in all (7 Wimbledons, 3 French and 4 U.S.), I’ll take the upset.

Women’s Final

Dayana Yastremska over Coco Gauff, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (8-6)

Winner: Dayana Yastremska

The Ukrainian is an elite story and knocks off the red hot Coke. Coke’ll be back though.

****Coming up in the next couple of days*****

National Football League Predictions for the NFC and AFC Championship Games

NFL Divisional Round Predictions

This weekend provides another step for 8 teams to ascend to Super Bowl 58 which will be played at state of the art Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Sunday, February 11th at 5:30 PM CT on CBS. No.1 seeds the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers are in action against upstarts the Houston Texans and the Green Bay Packers respectively. The Chiefs and Bills resume a rivalry with, amazingly, Patrick Mahomes playing his first road playoff game ever in the National Football League. That’s 15 games before this Saturday. He’s defeated the Bills twice in Arrowhead Stadium in the postseason. He’s on the road this time.

And the story of the year, the Detroit Lions, which won their first playoff game since January 8th, 1994, 32 years, will host the Tampa Bay Bucs at Ford Field.

Here are predictions for this weekend’s contests.

Last week: SU-4-2, ATS, 3-3

Saturday

Houston Texans (11-7, 4-4 Away) @ Baltimore Ravens (13-4, 6-3 Home)

M&T Stadium, 71,108

3:30 PM CT

ESPN

Joe, Troy, Lisa, Laura

Yella, John Hussey

Ravens by 9

Houston is a thrilling young team led by their electric 22 year old rookie quarterback Coleridge Bernard “C.J.” Stroud. It’s not out of the question for the Texans to upset the Ravens, but I’ll take Lamar and his stellar defense in a close one however.

Ravens 20, Texans 17

Green Bay Packers (10-8, 5-5 Away) @ SF 49ers (12-5, 5-3 Home)

Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA., 68,500

7:15 PM

FOX

Kevin, Greg, EA, Tom

Rane, Alex Kemp

Niners by 9 1/2

I really like this electric young team led by their stellar 25 year old quarterback and Bakersfield, California native Jordan Love to possibly pull off an improbable upset in the Bay Area. The Niners have the horses for sure, so it’s hard to go against them. It was beyond stellar what the Packers did in Dallas last Sunday in a 48-32 victory. Love threw for 272 yards and 3 TDs, and, like Stroud against the Browns last Saturday, posted a 157.2 quarterback rating. 158.3 is perfect, so that’s almost a perfect performance. It seemed perfect. But I’ll take Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuels and Nick Bosa to advance and host the NFC Championship Game. Still, I like the Packers to make them earn it, and the Packers future is very bright. Could be rainy Saturday in Santa Clara, so I’m going with a lower scoring game.

Niners 24, Pack 21

Sunday

Tampa Bay Bucs ((10-8, 5-4 Away) @ Detroit Lions (13-5, 7-2 Home)

Ford Field, Motown, 65,000

2 PM CT

NBC

Mike, Cris, Melissa

Wood, Bill Vinovich

Lions by 6 1/2

I don’t like what I’m seeing from Jared Goff and the Lions. I Love what I’m seeing from them. Bake Mayfield is playing at a high level as well, but give me Goff and the Lions to move on to the NFC Championship Game, which would be played in Detroit if the Lions and Packers win. If the Niners win, the game will be played on the left coast regardless of who wins the Lions-Bucs.

Lions 34, Bucs 27

Kansas City Chiefs (12-6, 6-2 Away) @ Buffalo Bills (12-6, 8-2 Home)

Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, N.Y., 71,608

5:30 PM CT

CBS

Jim, Tony, Trace, Jay

Mark’s Cleaners, Shawn Hochuli

Bills by 3

That’s just astounding to me that this is Patrick Mahomes first road playoff game after playing in 15 straight home playoff games. He’s 12-3 in those playoff games. Both teams braved the bitter January weather at their respective stadiums last weekend to emerge victorious, both in impressive fashion. Always hard to go against Mahomes. I’ve been burned by him before, including last season in Super Bowl 57 against the Eagles, a 38-35 Chiefs’ victory. But I like Josh Allen this time. Give me Allen and the Bills to win this encounter with the home field advantage as the difference.

Bills 24, Chiefs 20

Quick note on the Great One, Kalen DeBoer and National Football League Playoffs Predictions

Coach Nick Saban leaves an indelible legacy in University of Alabama football lore that may never be duplicated. He and Coach Bryant are the greatest of all time, but the difference was Bryant could recruit and put 140 players on his sideline, while Saban could only field 85 scholarship players on one team. The way Coach Saban did it with the recruiting restrictions he encountered was remarkable in and of itself. It’s hard to compare eras and definitively say that one legend was better than the other. They both won six national championships, while Coach Saban also won a national title at LSU in 2003 for a total of 7. But it’s 2024 and Coach Saban has been the standard for 17 years in Tuscaloosa. Coach Saban was magnificent. His legacy may be untouched in college football. He’s certainly the hallmark for all college football coaches.

He leaves gigantic shoes to fill, and that’s quite an understatement, but I don’t know how else to put it. What he did at Alabama with his prolific records, 123 NFL draft picks, 44 in the first round, 4 Heisman Trophy winners in Mark Ingram (2009), Derrick Henry (2015), DeVonta Smith (2020) and Bryce Young (2021), is beyond reproach. And that’s not even close to all of his accomplishments; the SEC titles, the wins, and this one very significant stat that seldom gets noticed: Coach Saban coached 656 players who earned their undergraduate degrees from the Unversity with 103 of those players earning Masters degrees. That is astonishing. The Great One will be sorely missed. It’s hard to see him go.

He has handed over the reins to former Washington Huskies coach Kalen DeBoer, and my initial reaction is that this is a home run hire. If Coach DeBoer can recruit in the southeast, he will be supremely successful. He can certainly develop and motivate. It’ll be a challenge locking horns with Kirby and Hugh on the recruiting trail along with the many other highly talented and relentless SEC and national coaches. But with the right staff, DeBoer can excel. I like this a lot. More on the Great One and his legacy and the DeBoer hire coming up in the near future.

NFL Wild Card Predictions

I’m not going to be too extensive this week, but will hopefully, like a friend of mine said about Eric Clapton one time “Give you what you want.” I’m highly intrigued and invested in these Wild Card games. We all love college football. The Tide and the Tigers along with other SEC and key national teams dominate the headlines and our interest. But the NFL is extraordinarily interesting in the postseason. The level of play is ramped up to elite status. There are electric atmosphere throughout NFL stadiums that host a playoff game. There are stellar matchups during this long MLK Day weekend. Here are my predictions for this weekend’s contests.

Last Year in the Playoffs

Straight Up:11-2

ATS: 8-5

Didn’t get Super Bowl 57 right as the great Mahomes and the Chiefs defeated Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith and the Eagles, 38-35. Super Bowl LVIII will be @ Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas Sunday, February 11th, at 5:30 PM CT on CBS.

Fourteen teams are competing for the privilege of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy late Sunday Night, February 11th. There will be six wild card games this weekend as the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers have earned byes by virtue of each team finishing as the top seeds in their respective conferences. Here are my projected winners this weekend.

Today

Cleveland Browns (11-6, 3-5 Away) @ Houston Texans (10-7, 6-3 Home)

NRG Stadium, Rocket City, 72,220

3:30 PM CT

NBC

Noah Eagle, Todd Blackledge (sounds funny to say Todd in the NFL) Kathryn Tappen

Lead Ref, Clay Martin

Browns by 2

I’m going to take the great DeMeco Ryans, his stellar rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Texans to knock off the renaissance man, Joe “Fountain of Youth” Flacco (he’ll be 39 on Tuesday), and the Browns. This should be a hardly fought contest, but I like DeMeco and C.J. at home to eke the game out and move on to the Divisional Round next week.

Texans 24, Browns 21

Miami Dolphins (11-6, 3-6 Away) @ Kansas City Chiefs (11-6, 5-4 Home)

QEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, KC, 76,416

7 PM CT

Peacock, No NBC, just streaming on Peacock

Tirico, Coach Garrett, Kaylee Hartung, W&L grad (Go Generals)

Laundry, Brad Rogers, lead yeller wood

Chiefs by 5

The temperature at kickoff will be -2 and it’ll feel like -20 with the wind blowing at 15-25 MPH. It’ll be tough on the Dolphins. It won’t be that much easier on the Chiefs, but they are more used to this in January. Give me Mahomes and the Chiefs to move on. However, I don’t see prolific offensive numbers in these brutal conditions. The Chiefs play excellent D.

Chiefs 14, Dolphins 7

Sunday

Green Bay Packers (9-8, 4-5 Away) @ Dallas Cowboys (12-5, 8-0 Home)

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX. 80,000

3:30 PM CT

FOX

Kevin, Greg, EA, Tom

Vogue, Ron Torbert

Them Cowboys by 7

Jerry and Dak get a playoff victory as they are a juggernaut at Jerry’s Place this year. The Cowboys move on to the Divisional Round with “High Hopes.”

Cowboys 31, Packers 21

Los Angeles Rams (10-7, 5-4 Away) @ Detroit Lions (12-5 6-2 Home)

Ford Field, Motor City, 65,000

7 PM CT

NBC

Tirico (the great one is a busy man) Cris, Melissa

Hunter’s, Craig Wrolstad

Lions by 3

Some experts are picking Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford and the Rams, but I’ve always thought McVay’s coaching ability is a little overrated. Give my Jared Goff, former Bama standout Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions.

Lions 34, Rams 30

Monday

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, 5-3 Away) @ Buffalo Bills (11-6, 7-2 Home)

Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York, 71,608

3:30 PM CT, Changed due to weather

CBS

Jim, Tone, Trace, Jay Feely

SudsnDuds, Carl Cheffers

Bills by 9 1/2

I like Mike Tomlin, Najee Harris Mason Rudolph and the Steelers to pull off the upset in Orchard Park. It’ll be cold with the temperature at 21 at kickoff, and it’ll feel like 5, with some snow and wind at 20 with snow several hours leading up to the kickoff. Just like the Steelers in the conditions in the playoffs. The Bills can handle it, too, of course, but the Steelers always have some magic in the postseason.

Steelers 17, Bills 14

Philadelphia Eagles (11-6, 5-4 Away) @ Tampa Bay Bucs (9-8, 4-4 Home)

Raymond James Stadium Tampa, 75,000

7:15 PM CT

ESPN

Joe Troy, Lisa, Laura

Yella, Adrian Hill

Eagles by 3

The Eagles have fallen on hard times this year as the season has progressed. Jalen Hurts just can’t seem to click with this year’s offensive coordinator and the defense lost its six leading tacklers off last year’s team and has struggled since halfway through the season. I like Bake to be Bake and the Bucs to pull off the upset.

Bucs 23, Eagles 20

Michigan vs. Washington, College Football National Championship Preview/Prediction, Luke Vid

This should be electric tonight at NRG Stadium in Houston with the 14-0, number 1 ranked Michigan Wolverines squaring off with the Number 2 ranked and 14-0 Washington Huskies at 6:30 PM Central on ESPN.

Michigan is one of the most controversial teams in recent memory led by their controversial coach. But their stellar performances this season, including their 27-20 victory over Alabama in overtime last Monday, have proven this team is for real.

While Michigan will try to bury you with physicality, the Washington Huskies like to electrify you. The Huskies and their dynamic offense defeated the No.3 Texas Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl semifinal game last Monday Night, 37-31. Another upset for this constantly underrated, undervalued team.

I’m looking for a classic tonight. Here is a look at the teams, the game and a prediction.

Record 2023 Season

Straight Up: Bowls 8-7, Overall, 202-54, 79% .

ATS: Bowls: 9-6. Overall, 122-128, 49%

Inside the Numbers

Michigan

Defeated No. 10 (at the time) Penn State on the road on Saturday, November 11th, 24-15. Defeated then No.2 Ohio State 30-24 at the Big House on November 25th. And then, last week, the Wolverines defeated the Crimson Tide in overtime at the Rose Bowl in the first semifinal game, 27-20.

Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has completed 230-of-314, 73% for 2,851 yards, 22 TDs against 4 ints. His clutch completion to superb running back Blake Corumon on 4th and 2 with Michigan trailing the Crimson Tide, 20-13, and 3:19 left in the game at the Alabama 40 yard line, was quite possibly the play of the season. McCarthy then hooked up with electric receiver Roman Wilson for 29. McCarthy and Wilson tied the game, along with the extra point, which was an issue for the Wolverines, on a 4 yard TD toss. He steps up when his team needs him the most.

Running back Blake Corum is also a spectacular player and the guy who makes the Wolverines go. Corum caught a TD pass versus the Crimson Tide last Monday and took it in from 17 yards in a highly physical run in the first overtime that was the game winning score for the Wolverines as they stopped Bama on its ensuing possession. On fourth and goal at the Michigan 2, Bama OC Tommy Rees called for a run/pass option. But the snap was so bad, that all Jalen Milroe could do was pick it up off the ground to his right and try to run it in. Michigan stopped him and moved on to tonight. Corum rushed for 1,111 yards and 26 TDs this season.

The key wide receivers are solid. Wilson has posted 45 receptions on the season with 12 TDs. He was a stud against the Crimson Tide. His 29 yard reception from McCarthy was terrific as he leapt between two Crimson Tide defenders, pulled down the ball, and ran it to the Bama 4 yard line. From there he took it in from 4 yards off a pass from McCarthy. Cornelius Johnson has 44 receptions for 579 yards but only 1 receiving TD.

The Michigan defense is a machine. It has the lowest scoring defense in the country allowing only 9.8 per game. That’s serious old school. They are a force that the Huskies offense will have to reckon with.

Washington

For the Huskies, their great quarterback, Michael Penix Jr., was prolific this season and should have won the Heisman in my opinion. But his team is playing for it all, and LSU’s Jayden Daniels is getting ready for the NFL draft. I’d rather be Penix.

Penix completed 336-of- 504 passes, 67%, for 4,648 yards 35 TDs against 9 ints. When he gets time, which is most all of the time as the offensive line won the Joe Moore Award for the most outstanding offensive line in the country, he picks teams apart. He’s a pretty decent runner if coach Kalen DeBoar and OC Ryan Grubb want to mix it up a little. His running back, Dillon Johnson, from Mississippi State and Greenville, Mississippi (I’ve got a good friend from there, who I went duck hunting with a while back on the Mississippi Flyway where we hit our limit at 7 AM) has rushed for 1,162 yards and 16 TDs. He’s a little banged up heading into tonight, but said he’s ready to “rock’n roll.”

Then the o line is superb and the guys in the perimeter are the best in the country. The great Rome Oduze has caught 87 passes for 1,553 yards and 13 TDs. Ja’lynn Polk has added 65 receptions for 1,122 yards and 9 TDs. Jack Westover has 41 for 391 and 4 TDs, and Jalen McMillan has 39 for 526 and 4 TDs.

Their defense may not be as stellar as Michigan’s, but they’re physical and scrappy.

So it’ll be Michigan’s power versus Washington’s skill and speed. However, both teams can do both in reality.

Coaches

James Joseph Harbaugh

60 years old. Born in Toledo Ohio, December 23rd, 1963.

College, 143-52 (73%). National Football League, 49-22-1 (68%)

Bowls: 4-7; 1-2 CFP: 5-3 NFL Playoffs. Lost to his brother John and the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl 47 in the 2011 season. Jim was coaching the 49ers. Both of those teams have a good shot to reach this year’s Super Bowl 58 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 11th at 5:30 PM CT on CBS. John Harbaugh is still excelling at Baltimore and Lamar Jackson is the most elite player in the NFL right now.

James still shows a lot of interest in the NFL. With openings at the LA Chargers, the Washington Commanders, the Carolina Panthers and the Las Vegas Raiders, he’s highly sought after by NFL teams themselves. Harbaugh hired agent Don Yee on New Year’s Eve. Yee has represented Tom Brady and Sean Payton, so that’s interesting. Harbaugh is a terrific motivator, recruiter and a pretty good in game coach. He made some good decisions against the Crimson Tide, especially his 4th and 2 call late in the game with his team down 20-13 that worked.

Kalen Douglas DeBoer

49 years old. Born in Milbank, South Dakota on October 24th, 1974.

Record in College: 104-11 (90%, are you kiddin me? That’s beyond elite).

Bowls: 2-0. 1-0 in CFP with last Monday’s victory over Texas, which his team also defeated in last year’s Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antone in his first season in Seattle. He won 3 NAIA National Championships as head coach at Sioux Falls (South Dakota)from 2005-2009. He was 12-6 at Fresno State, going 9-3 in 2021 and is 25-2 at Washington.

Phenomenal offensive mind and spectacular person. He’s so likable that you want him to excel.

Game Details

No.1 Michigan (14-0) vs. No.2 Washington (14-0)

NRG Stadium, Houston, 72,220

6:30 PM CT

E-S-P-N

Fowler, Herbstreit, Holly, Molly

Suds r Us, 8182 Highway 31 South if you’re interested: Marcus “Tiger” Woods, ACC

Wolverines by 5 1/2

Final Analysis and Decision

The line has gone up from 4 1/2 this morning to 5 1/2. I’m not sure what the gamblers are thinking because the Huskies have been doubted all season, and they have come through every time. They were a 9 1/2 point underdog to Oregon in the PAC-12 Championship Game and won; they were a 4 1/2 point underdog to Texas and defeated the Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl. To me, Kalen DeBoar is a better “college” football coach than Jim Harbaugh. I picked against them versus Oregon and against Texas. I’m not going to do it again. Give me DeBoar and the Huskies.

Washington 31, Michigan 28

Big Luke Combs

Here’s an awesome music vid from Luke. When he’s not missing a meal, Luke is a stellar country singer. Love his stuff.

College Football Playoff Predictions

The big games are here and they are electric matchups of programs with storied traditions. These two stellar matchups will award the two winners a shot at winning it all next Monday, January 8th, 2024 @NRG Stadium in Houston at 6:30 PM CT on ESPN. Today it’s No.4 Alabama vs No.1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl and No.2 Washington vs. No.3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Teams with similar makeups in each contest will square off. Here are predictions for these superb contests.

Record in Bowls. SU: 8-5, ATSS: 8-5

How about Missouri, Ole Miss and Georgia! Wow, what efforts by all three teams. I give credit to where credit is due. Theo picked Missouri over Ohio State, which nobody picked. Derrick picked Maryland over Auburn, which nobody did either. Great job, fellas. Wow, Hugh lost a lot of momentum in the Music City Bowl. That was a catastrophe.

Rose Bowl

No.1 Michigan (13-0) vs. No.4 Alabama (12-1)

Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, 89,702

4 PM CT

ESPN

Chris, Herbstreit, not saying his first name, he was rough on the Commodores in a Selection Show. As Otter and Boone said about Neidermeir and Dorfman, “They can’t do that to our Pledge. Only WE can do that to our pledge.” Holly, Laura

Whistles: Big 12, Michael Vandervelde

Wolverines by 2

Harbaugh over Saban? Are you kiddin’ me? Harbaugh has hired an agent to get an NFL job, and while he keeps saying he wants his team to, “dominate the day,” I see the Crimson Tide and Jalen Milroe, JC Latham, Isaiah Bond, Jase McClellan and the offense, Dallas Turner, Chris Braswell, Terrion Arnold, Kool-Aid McKinstry and defense getting the job accomplished in Pasadena and moving on to NRG Stadium in Houston next Monday.

Crimson Tide 24, Michigan 14

Sugar Bowl

Washington (13-0) vs. Texas (12-1)

Caesars Stadium, N’Awlins, 83,000

7:45 PM CT

ESPN

Sean, Gregory, Molly, Katie

Hunter’s Cleaners, Big Ten, Ron Snodgrass?

Hook’em Horns by 4

Who will be the Tide’s opponent? This game is going to be electric. Sark has become one of the best coaches in the game, but Kalen DeBoer of Washington is right there with him. It’s hard to go against quarterback Michael Pennix Jr. and the Huskies. They’re so resilient and so likeable. But, I’ll take the Longhorns in a classic offensive shootout. The defenses are good, but these offenses are prolific. Should be a terrific game worth staying up a little later for.

Texas 38, Washington 35

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Vanderbilt women’s tennis player Astra Sharma 1 on 1. https://t.co/D0WS0rVnqG @VandyMeg @mmhamlett @Vandywtennis @ManOfVandy @SkipPrince
May 18, 2017, 2:34 PM

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