College Football National Championship Preview by Marshall Laskowski and Andrew Zajac

On Monday January 8th, the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies will face off in the national championship. Michigan got into this game by winning a thriller against Alabama in the semifinal game. Washington got in by winning another good game against Texas which they hung on to win. The Huskies are led by Michael Penix Jr. who had a great game against Texas and they have other great offensive talents like Rome Odunze and a good defense. Michigan has a great running game led by Blake Corrum and they have a great quarterback in J.J. McCarthy. Washington will be going up against the best defense they have played in Michigan. Both of these teams are 14-0 and have won the conference titles. There are some great storylines in this game because both of these teams will be in the Big Ten next year with Washington moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. The other big storyline is the Michigan sign stealing scandal.

Michigan comes into this game being led by J.J. McCarthy is the quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines. He has 2,851 passing yards and was one of the best quarterbacks in the country and Big Ten. One of the other great players for Michigan is running back Blake Corum who has 1,111 yards from the backfield. Michigan's best receiver is Roman Wilson with 735 yards and he was excellent in the semifinal game. Michigan’s defense is also elite and has only allowed 9.5 points per game which is the fewest in the nation. They are also only allowing 239.7 yards a game which is second fewest in the nation (first is Penn State). Michigan comes into this game as favorites and should be able to come out with the win if that defense can hold up against the explosive Washington offense. 

Washington has a great offense with weapons like Rome Odunze who has 1,553 receiving yards and has been great in the biggest games. The running back Dillion Johnson has also been excellent with 1,553 rushing yards. Michael Penix Jr. made his case about why he should have won the Heisman in the semifinal. Penix has 4,648 passing yards and has also been mightily present in the biggest games. The Washington offense has the most yards per game with 350 yards. They will need big games from the stars and one more good game out of the sometimes shaky defense. 

My name is Andrew Zajac and I will give you my complete, biased prediction about the college football championship game. Michael Penix Jr. and that high flying Washington Huskies offense will shock the Wolverines secondary. I'm calling it. They only have one good cornerback and no good safeties. End of Discussion. The defensive line of Washington is going to have a field day. With Zak Zinter still out with a season ending injury, Blake Corum is running straight into that beefy Huskies line. Washington is going to win 35-17, that is biased. I don't care. 

We will surely be in for a treat in the title game with the number one offense going up against the number one defense. Washington’s defense will need to stop the Michigan run game which has run all over teams this year. As for Michigan’s defense they will need to try and stop the almost impossible to contain Michael Penix Jr.

Sources:https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/130/michigan-wolverines 

Who Should have made the NCAA Playoffs by Grant Potoczny

I would usually write an article about the New Year’s Six, or how I think the playoffs would go, but I don’t have enough time, people are already writing about it, and the college playoffs were very corrupted this year, and this will be the last 4 team playoff.

So this year the teams #1 in the AP polls, #1 in the playoff rankings, and #1 in the coaching polls is Michigan, who is 13-0. Now #2 in the playoff rankings, #2 in the AP polls, and #2 coaching polls, is Washington, who is 13-0. Now #3 in the playoff rankings, and  #3 in the AP polls, and tied at #4 in the coaches poll is Texas. #4 in the playoff rankings, #5 in the AP polls, and tied 4th in the coaches poll is Alabama. #5 in the playoff rankings, #4 in the AP polls, and #3 in the coaches poll is Florida State. #6 in the playoff rankings, #6 in the AP polls, and #6 in the coaches poll is Georgia. Finally #7 in the playoff rankings, #7 in the AP polls, and #7 in the coaching polls is Ohio State.

So far Michigan is #1 all around, which is a very fitting place for them as they have won 10 games by double digits. Michigan’s opponents also only average less than 10 points per game with only 9.46 points per game. While Michigan will average 36.69 points per game. Which, unlike many teams, Michigan makes a difference with their defense, instead of just putting up points. Their opponents only average 87.1 rushing yards a game. Michigan is considered to have the 2nd best pass defense in the country, and they also have the 5th best rush defense in the country. So I feel that Michigan deserves to be 1st in the country.

Next up is #2 Washington. Washington is a very good team, who even though I don’t think that they are as good as most people think they are, I have no proof but a gut feeling. Washington, unlike Michigan though, has nowhere near as many convincing wins with only 5 double-digit wins, and with 6 wins within 8 points, or 7 within 7 points, and 4 games at field goal or 3 point range. Now Washington’s strength is their quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who was a Heisman finalist. Their defense is not the same thing though as Michigan, because they allow about 23.6 points per game. Their offense averages 37.7 points per game. They also average 343.8 passing yards per game, but only 125.2 rushing yards per game. So even though I think they are not nearly as good as Michigan, I believe they do belong at #2.

Now this is where there is some controversy, so right now Texas is ranked #3 currently. Now Texas is ranked #3 because they beat Alabama, but Alabama has gotten better throughout the season. That is why they are tied with Alabama at 4th in the coaching polls. Texas is 12-1, with their only loss to #12 all around Oklahoma.  Texas has 9 wins in the double digits. But had a few close calls, and again a loss. Texas averages 36.15 points per game, while their opponents do average 17.54 points per game. Texas averages 286.85 yards passing per game, while their opponents average 240.85 passing yards per game. Texas also has an average of 189.1 rushing yards per game, but their opponents average 80.8 rushing yards per game. I feel that Texas shouldn’t be in the playoffs, and is a good team, but should be placed at about #7. So in this case I feel that Alabama should be #3. 

So now that I have Alabama out of the way, now is the fight for the last and final spot in the playoffs. So I feel that Georgia is out because of their loss to Alabama, and should be placed at around #6. So I feel that the fight is between Florida State, and Ohio State. Florida State is 13-0, while Ohio State is 11-1, with their loss being to #1 Michigan. Each team has their problems though. So Ohio State did not play a conference championship, and Florida State’s starting quarterback was injured horrifically, in which he will never return to football again. After the injury, Florida State has not had the same wins as they used to, and is definitely not the same team. Ohio State, which by playing in the much stronger division of the Big Ten was 11-0 until they lost to the #1 team. I think that since Ohio State has their main weapons still they would be a better fit for the playoff. So I would have Ohio State as #4, and Florida State as #5.

So here is what I think the final rankings for the top 10 would look like.

1. Michigan

2. Washington

3. Alabama

4. Ohio State

5. Florida State

6. Georgia

7. Texas

8. Oregon

9. Penn State

10.  Missouri

College Football Playoff Preview by Marshall Laskowski

On Sunday, December 3, the College Football Playoff (CFP) was revealed with the top four teams making it. The #1 ranked and #4 ranked teams will play, and the #2 ranked and #3 ranked teams will play. 

The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl, both on January 1st, 2024, will feature the top four teams and will decide the national championship. The four teams that made the playoff are 1. Michigan;  2. Washington;  3. Texas;  4. Alabama. Bama will play Michigan in the Rose Bowl and Texas will play Washington in the Sugar Bowl. 

Here is a breakdown of each team’s journey to making the final four. 

#1 Michigan. They were very deserving of the number one spot and had a great season going 13-0 and winning the Big Ten title. They had one of the best defenses in the nation and the offense was great and got the job done for that great defense. That being said they were also in the middle of a cheating scandal and have lots of controversy surrounding their program. They earned their playoff spot, but also, their controversy, and some people might not count it if they win the whole thing (which they could). They will have a great opportunity against Alabama in the Rose Bowl, but I could see Alabama making it a game. 

#2 Washington. They are led by one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Michael Penix Jr. who had the most passing yards of any quarterback in college football this season. They also have great receivers like Rome Odunze and a great running back in Dillon Johnson. Although their defense is not as good as Michigan’s; it has been enough to get them 13-0 throughout the season. They got the big wins when they needed them most including two wins against Oregon and others wins against good Pac-12 teams. They have a good chance to beat Texas if the defense can hold up like they have been able to do all year pretty well and we know the offense will come through in a big game.

#3 Texas.  They have some impressive wins and a talented roster and were able to go 12-1 only losing to Oklahoma. They have come a long way throughout the season after beating Alabama in Week 2 and then losing in Week 6 to Oklahoma. They are led by quarterback Quinn Ewers who had a massive game in the Big 12 Championship which likely secured a spot in the CFP. They have a great wide receiver in Xavier Worthy who has 969 yards and five touchdowns. They will be up for a big challenge against a very talented Washington team which they will have to try and slow down the offense. They have the defense to win this game, but they will need another big game from Ewers to knock off Washington in the Sugar Bowl. 

#4 Alabama. This is the team that has had the most controversy surrounding them getting into the CFP over Florida State. They definitely have one of the best wins in all of college football this year beating Georgia in the SEC championship game. This is the win that got them into this playoff because they were able to knock off the back-to-back national champs that were on a 28-game winning streak at the time. They went 12-1 with 4 wins against ranked opponents after a rough start when they lost to Texas in Week 2 and almost lost to South Florida in Week 3. Jalen Milroe stepped up in big games when the Crimson Tide needed him most, including a miracle at the end of the Auburn game to keep the season alive. Alabama had a great season, but some people are still unsure about why Florida State didn’t make it. They have the toughest matchup out of any of the four teams going up against the number one ranked Michigan who has had a great season and will look to win the national championship after falling short last season.

There was a bit of controversy with the rankings, as Florida State (left out of the CFP) got ranked fifth, even after being 13-0 and winning the ACC. They became the first Power 5 team that was undefeated to miss the CFP.

This should be an exciting playoff, as we get four teams from four different conferences. They all have great resumes with tons of talent spread across the teams. 

Sources:https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/251 

Army vs. Navy Preview and Recap by Grant Potoczny

Army Vs Navy: The Greatest Rivalry in College Football

If you are a College Football fan you probably know about the Army, Navy rivalry, and you probably watch it since it is such a big rivalry they give it its own week! Army, Navy is the greatest rivalry, not because they have great teams, but because they are the future protectors of the country, hold high respect for each other, and would most likely rather go 1-11 and beat the other one, than go 10-2 and lose to the other one. They even have a competition where you go to the other academy, and try to steal the other team's mascot. So let’s go over the greatest rivalry in College Football.

While both aren’t the strongest teams, but they do have even records. Navy has a record of 5-6 and Navy has only played two ranked teams all year which was a lose to #15 Notre Dame who is extremely overrated 42-3, and a lose to #17 SMU 59-14. Both Army and Navy are running schools, so I do not expect huge passing stats. Navy averages 18.27 points per game, and their opponents average 22.91 points in a game. Navy averages a below average of 6.41 yards per pass attempt, and 99 yards in a game. Their opponents average 7.99 yards per pass attempt, and 240.36 pass yards per game. But Navy averages 4.3 yards per carry, and an impressive 200.5 rushing yards per game. Their opponents average 3.6 yards per carry, and 121.9 rushing yards per game. Navy averages 4.8 yards per play, and 299.5 yards per game. Their opponents average 5.6 yards per play, and 362.3 yards per game. As you can see Navy is a rushing based team either on defense, or on offense, but Army is a little stronger on the pass, so now I’ll look into their stats.

Army is also 5-6 on the season with only 1 loss to a ranked team, which was #13 LSU 62-0, but knocked Air Force out of the rankings when they played them, and beat them 23-3. Army averages 20.82 points per game, while their opponents average 22 points per game. Army also has an average of 7.87 yards per passing play, and average 107.27 passing yards per game. Army’s opponents average 7.39 yards per passing play, and average 180.4 passing yards per game. Army averages 4.4 yards per rushing play, and average 208.5 rushing yards per game. Their opponents 5 yards per carry, and average 180.4 rushing yards per game. Army averages 5.1 yards per play, and average 315.7 yards per game. Their opponents average 7.39 yards per play, and average 369.2 yards per game. So now I’ll go over my prediction of the game.

So, Army has a chance to win the Commander in Chief Trophy, since they beat  Air Force. (You can win, which is if you win 2 games, or retain, which is to win 1, but win the last year) I feel that Army’s passing will be too large of a difference in the game, so my prediction is Army winning 24-20.

Game Review

Army had less passing yards than Navy surprisingly, with only 54 yards passing, and 3.9 yards per pass attempt. While Navy had 179 passing yards, and averaged 6.2 yards per attempt. Though rushing went Army’s way as they had 205 yards on the ground, and averaged 4.4 yards per rush. Navy rushed for 130 yards, and averaged 3.7 yards per rushing attempt. Army’s total offense averaged 4.2 yards per play, while they had 259 yards in the game, but Navy averaged 4.8 yards per play, and had 309 yards in the game. (And no this is not a typo) The reason Army won with less yards is because in the 4th quarter with 4:49 left. If you included the defense, Army would add on 44 more yards, because it was returned for a touchdown. Also in the red zone, in the 1st quarter, Navy threw an interception.

College Football Conference Championships by Grant Potoczny

It is finally the Conference Championships in college football, and these should be some good ones since every match up has at least one ranked team. I’ll be giving an overview, stats, and what I believe will be the outcome of the game.

First off I’ll go over the Mid-Atlantic Conference game otherwise known as the MAC. In this game we’ll have Miami (Ohio) and 23 ranked Toledo. Right now I’ll go over Miami OH’s stats. Miami (OH) has had 2 losses on the season. The first to Miami (FL) (Huh that’s a coincidence)with the score of 38-3, and then to Toledo themselves with a score of 21-17. Mimai (OH) averaged 27.25 points per game while their opponents averaged 16.33. Miami (OH) averages 8.10 yards per pass attempt, and they average roughly 180.25 yards passing per game. Their opponents average 6.44 yards per passing attempt, but average 190.92 passing yards per game. Miami (OH)’s rushing game on the other hand averages around 4.4 yards per carry, while they average 152.8 rushing yards per game. Their opponents on the other hand average 3.6 yards per carry and 131.4 rushing yards per game. Miami (OH)’s total offense averages 5.5 yards per play, and 333 dead on per game. Their opponents on the other hand average around 4.9 yards, and 322.3 yards per game. Now it is time to look into Toledo who is currently ranked at #23. Toledo has a strong record of 11-1 with their only loss being to Illinois who is a Power 5 conference school. Toledo averages scoring 30.25 points a game while their opponents average 20.42 points a game. Toledo also averages 8.57 per pass attempt, and averages 219.33 yards per game. Their opponents averaged about 6.18 yards per pass attempt, and then their opponents averaged 189.08 passing yards per game. Then they average 5.3 yards per attempt on the ground, and they also average 211.4 yards per game on the ground. Their opponents on the other hand average 3.9 yards a carry, and then 143 yards on the dot. Toledo’s total offense averages 6.6 yards per play, while they also average 430.8 yards a game. At the same time Toledo’s opponents average 4.9 yards per play, while they average 332.1 yards per game. By just looking at the stats you can tell Toledo has a big advantage here, and they have a win over Miami (OH) themselves, so I’m guessing that Toledo wins 27-17 over Miami (OH).

Now I’ll go over the Conference USA game, which will hold New Mexico State (NM State) and #20 ranked Liberty. Though Conference USA is a little different, since they already don’t have divisions, and just take the two best teams in the conference. I’ll start by going over NM State and then transition to Liberty. NM State has lost to UMass, which was a score of 41-30, Hawaii 20-17, and Liberty themselves 33-17. NM State averages 28.23 points per game, while their opponents average around 19.69 points. NM State also averages 8.49 yards every time they put the ball in the air, and average throwing 217.38 yards per game. While their opponents average about 7.38 yards a play through the air, and 235.69 yards in a game passing. Though the Aggies strength is on the ground as they average 5.8 yards every time they run, and 205.1 yards running per game. They also have a very strong run defense as they average giving up 3.9 yards per run play, and 126.4 rushing yards the whole game. The total offense of NW State averages 6.9 yards per play, and 422.5 yards per game. Their opponents average 5.7 yards per play, and 362.1 yards per game. Now I’ll move onto Liberty who has a perfect 12-0 record, and who has had only 1, singular, 1 score game. Liberty averages an outstanding 40.08 points per game, while their opponents average 21.67 points in a game. Then Liberty averages 9.59 yards each pass, and they average 203.8 yards per game passing. Their opponents average 6.61 yards per pass attempt, and 237 yards passing on the dot. Though Liberty averages 5.9 yards per carry, and an impressive average of 295.4 yards rushed per game. At the same time their opponents are averaging 3.7 yards per carry, and only 107.7 rushing yards per game. Then Liberty averages 7 yards per play, and 498.5 yards per game. In the meantime their opponents average 5.3 yards per play, and 344.7 yards per game. In the end I think that Liberty is actually underrated and they should beat NM State comfortably, which is why I’m giving the score of 40-10, Liberty.

Now I’ll go over (uhg) the Big Ten championship. Now since the Big Ten has divisions still this is an incredibly unfair game since the East Division is way better than the West. But it’s a championship game so I have to go over it starting with #18 Iowa. Iowa has 2 losses to Penn State, who lost to Michigan, and another loss to Minnesota. Since they’re in the West they didn’t even play Michigan or Ohio State. And they will not have great offensive stats as they have just as good a chance of scoring off of defense, and special teams. Iowa averages a very disappointing average of 18 points per game, while their opponents average 12.2 points per game. Iowa also averages 5.1 yards per pass attempt and 123.4 yards per game. Their opponents average 5 yards per attempt and 174.3 yards per game. Iowa averages 3.5 yards per rush, and 122.9 yards per game. Then their opponents average 3.1 yards per rush, and 105.6 yards per game. Then Iowa’s total offense has a 4.1 yard average per play, and 246.3 yards per game. Their opponents average around 4 yards per play, and 174.3 yards per game. Now we’ll look at Michigan who has a 12-0, beaten 2 top 10 teams,  who has only had 2, 1 score games, and is #2 in the country. Michigan averages scoring an impressive average of 37.58 games per game, while their opponents average scoring 10.25 points per game. Michigan also averages 9.46 yards per pass attempt, and 224.75 passing yards per game. While their opponents average 6.03 yards per passing attempt, and 155.33 passing yards per game. Michigan then averages 4.4 yards per rush, and an average of 169.8 rushing yards per game. Michigan also averages 6.4 yards per play, and an average of 394.5 yards per game. Then their opponents average 4.4 yards per play, and 246.8 yards per game. This game should not be competitive at all and I think that Michigan will win 44-7.

Now I will go over the American Athletic Conference game, which includes #17 Tulane and #25 SMU. (Now I know that I put the Big Ten game before this but it will be a blowout) First off I’ll look at the stats of SMU and then Tulane. So SMU has had 2 losses on the season which are to TCU, and #12 Oklahoma. SMU averages about 41.83 points per game. While their opponents will average around 17.67 points per game. SMU averages every pass 9.12 yards, and 291.92 passing yards per game. Their opponents average around 5.91 yards per pass attempt and 184.25 passing yards per game. SMU then averages 4.5 yards per carry, and 180.1 rushing yards per game. SMU averages 6.6 yards per play on offense, and 472 yards per game. Their opponents average 4.5 yards per play, and 302.1 yards per game. Tulane has an 11-1 record on the season with their only loss being to #11 Ole Miss. Tulane averages scoring 27.92 points per game, while their opponents average 18.33 points per game. Tulane averages 8.53 yards per passing play, and 221.08 passing yards per game. Their opponents average 6.94 yards per passing play, and 242.17 passing yards per game. Tulane will also average 4.3 yards per carry, and 167.3 rushing yards per game. They do have an incredible run defense which only allows on average 2.9 yards per carry, and 86 rushing yards per game. Tulane averages 6 yards per play, and 388.3 yards per game. Their opponents average 5.1 yards per play, and 328.2 yards per game. In the end I think SMU will be too dominant through the air, where Tulane’s weakness is, so that’s why I’m making this my first upset of this article and saying that SMU wins 27-24.

Next up is the Big 12 Championship, which will include #19 Oklahoma State (I’m just going to call the OK State, so I don’t have to write all that, yes I typed this whole entire article in 4 days, and I’m at 1562 words at this very moment) and #7 Texas. (Yee-ha) OK State is currently 9-3 with losses to (wait guys are we sure they’re good?) an unranked UCF who is 6-6, an unranked Iowa State team who is 7-5, and last and their worst loss, South Alabama who is 6-6 in the Sun Belt Conference, you don’t know what that conference is well I only know 3 teams in it.(now) OK State has a very close margin as they average 30.17 points per game, while the opposing team averages 27.33 points per game. OK State averages 6.61 yards per pass, and 265.42 passing yards per game. While their opponents average 8.35 yards per pass play, and have a 251.17 average yardage through the air. Then OK State averages 5 yards per play on the ground, and 167.4 rushing yards per game. Their opponents average 4.6 yards per rushing play, and 172 rushing yards per game. OK State averages 5.9 yards per play, and 432.8 yards per game. Then OK State’s opponents average 6.3 yards per play, but only have an average 423.3 yards per game. Now I’ll move on to Texas, who only has 1 loss, which was to #12 Oklahoma. Texas averages 35.08 points per game, while their opponents average 17.25 points per game. Texas averages 8.48 yards per pass attempt, and has an average of 272.08 passing yards per game. Their opponents average 6.76 yards per pass attempt, and 240.08 passing yards per game. Then Texas rushes for an average of 4.9 yards per rush, and averages 188.3 rushing yards per game. Their opponents average 2.9 yards per rush, and 85 rushing yards per game. I feel like Oklahoma State doesn’t have a big enough difference in their score, and has some very poor losses, so I think Texas is gonna win 30-17.

Next up we have #15 Louisville and #4 Florida State playing for the Atlantic Coast Conference (or ACC) Championship. I’ll go over Louisville and then Florida State. Louisville has a strong record of 10-2 with losses to Kentucky and Pitt who they lost to after beating Notre Dame who is #16 (Wait what was that, that I just heard? Was it ESPN favorability) and #21 NC State. Louisville averages 33 points per game, while their opponents average 20 points per game. Louisville averages 8.82 yards per pass attempt, and 255.08 passing yards per game. Their opponents average 7.22 yards per pass attempt, and 217.92 passing yards per game. Louisville averages 4.9 yards per rush, and averages 183.5 rushing yards per game. Their opponents average 3.3 yards per rush, and average 96.8 rushing yards per game. Louisville averages 6.6 yards per play, and 438.6 yards per game. Their opponents 5.3 yards per play, and 314.7 yards per game. Florida State has a perfect record of 12-0 including wins against #13 LSU, an unranked, but good, their rival Florida. Florida State averages 38.75 points per game, while their opponents average 16.75 points per game. Florida State averages 8.62 yards per pass attempt, and 276.42 passing yards per game. Their opponents average 5.99 yards per pass attempt, and also average 175.33 yards per pass attempt. Florida State averages 4.8 yards per rush, and averages 156.3 rushing yards per game. Their opponents average 3.9 yards per rush, and 140.2 rushing yards per game. Florida State averages 6.7 yards per play, and 432.7 yards per game. While their opponents average 4.9 yards per play, and 315.5 yards per game. I feel like Florida State is a under-rated team who is definitely better than #3 Washington, and I feel like they will win 40-30.

Now we have the SEC (or South Eastern Conference) championship. This game includes #1 Georgia and #8 Alabama. The SEC usually has the best conference championships. This year though there is a better game. First I’ll go over Alabama, and then Georgia. Alabama has only 1 loss on the season, which was to #7 Texas. Alabama averages around 35.75 points per game, while their opponents average 17.92 points per game. Alabama averages 9.96 yards per pass attempt, and averages 231.5 passing yards per game. Their opponents average 6.19 yards per pass attempt, and average 184.25 passing yards per game. Alabama averages 4.5 yards per rush, and averages 177.6 rushing yards per game. Their opponents average 3.8 yards per rush, and average 128.4 rushing yards per game. Alabama averages 6.5 yards per play, and an average of 409.1 yards per game. Their opponents average 4.9 yards per play, and average 312.7 yards per game. Now I’ll move on to Georgia and look at their stats. Georgia has a perfect record and sits at #1 so far this season. Georgia averages scoring 39.58 points per game, while their opponents average 15.75 points per game. Georgia averages 9.35 yards per pass attempt, and averages 310.83 passing yards per game. Georgia’s opponents average 5.62 yards per pass attempt, and average 176.5 passing yards per game. Georgia averages 5.3 yards per rush, and averages 186.6 rushing yards per game. Their opponents average 4 rushing yards per game, and average 117.8 rushing yards per game. Georgia averages 7.2 yards per play, and 496.4 yards per game. Their opponents average 4.8 yards per game, and also average 294.3 yards per game. I believe that Alabama might win this since they are getting better every week since that loss, and they do have stats that can rival Georgia’s, so I think Alabama wins 30-28.

The final game I will be looking at is #3 Washington and #5 Oregon, for the PAC 12 Championship, and a spot in the playoffs. This will most likely be the best game. I’ll go over Oregon first and then Washington. Oregon has an 11-1 season with their only loss being to (well how about that) Washington. The game ended with a score of 36-33. Though there were some stupid calls on Oregon that they could’ve at least taken it to overtime with them. So now onto the stats. Oregon averages 45.25 points per game, while their opponents average 15.92 points per game. Then Oregon averages 9.63 yards per pass attempt, and 351.42 passing yards per game. Their opponents average 6.02 yards per pass attempt, and an average of 214.33 passing yards per game. Then Oregon averages 5.9 yards per rush, and 189.7 rushing yards per game. Then their opponents average 3.3 per rush, and 92.6 rushing yards per game. Then Oregon averages 7.9 yards per play, and 541.1 yards per game. Their opponents average 4.8 yards per play, and 306.9 yards per game. Now I’ll move onto Washington who has a perfect record of 12-0. So Washington averages 38 points per game, while their opponents average 23 points per game. Then Washington averages 9.4 yards every pass attempt, and 345.5 passing yards per game. Their opponents, though, average 6.5 yards per pass attempt, and 265.2 passing yards per game. Then Washington averages 4.6 yards per rush, and 122.6 rushing yards per game. Their opponents average 4.2 yards per rush, and average 134.6 rushing yards per game. Washington averages 7.3 yards per play, and 468.1 yards per game. Their opponents average 5.5 yards per play, and 399.8 yards per game. So as you can see Oregon actually has better stats than Washington and I say that Oregon wins 33-27.

49ers/Eagles Recap by Quinn Cunningham

The Eagles going into this game were 10-1 and the 49ers were 8-3. The 49ers blew out the Eagles 42-19 in Philadelphia. The 49ers destroying the Eagles in Philadelphia shocked many NFL fans. The Eagles first two drives were promising with two field goals that put the Eagles up 6-0.  The 49ers responded with two touchdowns on back to back drives putting them up 14-6.   In the second half every 49er drive resulted in touchdowns.  The 49ers scored 28 points in the second half—dominating the Eagles corresponding 13 points scored. 

The Eagles suffered their first loss at home all year and only their second loss all season. Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for a total of 287 yards. He had one touchdown pass.  The Eagles protected the ball and never turned the ball over all game, but the major decider of why the Eagles offense struggled was they only had a total of 46 rushing yards. And their leading rusher was Hurts who ran for 20 yards in seven carries. Overall, the Philadelphia rushing attack totally failed. They couldn't do anything but pass all the games. The Eagles converted 53% of their third downs which is not bad but they allowed three sacks. The Eagles defense played poorly. They have been saved by their offense alot this year, which might spell trouble for future games.  The Eagles have lost both of their games when they’ve scored under 20 points.  

The 49ers dominated on offense and scored 42 points. Which was aided by their 456 total yards. They threw for 314 yards and rushed for 146 yards. Christian McCaffery rushed for 93 yards in 17 carries and averaged 5.5 yards per carry and one touchdown. The 49ers also didn’t turn the ball over at all; they also scored a touchdown on every drive they had from the start of the second quarter. Deebo Samuel was only targeted four times, but received for 116 yards and two touchdowns. The 49ers defense was just as impressive as the offense; they held the Eagles to 46 rushing yards and a total of 19 points…holding the Eagles to the second least amount of points they have scored all season. Even though they didn’t turn the ball over at all, they played well enough for the offense to get on their feet and they held the Eagles to two touchdowns. Altogether the 49ers played great on both sides of the ball and got themselves to 9-3 and extended their lead in first place in their division.    

Carolina Panthers Fire Frank Reich by Andrew Zajac

On November 27, 2023 Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper fired Head Coach Frank Reich after starting the 2023 season 1-10. 

Reich was fired in an in-person meeting on Monday morning less than 24 hours after the embarrassing loss to the then 3-8 Tennessee Titans on the road. Tepper said in an interview with ESPN  "I met with Coach Reich this (monday) morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well." Tepper also fired assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. 

Reich didn't come out fully about retiring from coaching but he did say in an interview with the Charlotte Observer that "This is probably the final chapter of my NFL journey." He is the first NFL head coach since the combine of the leagues in 1970 to be fired to two consecutive seasons as a head coach. Last year he was fired as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts after the record of 4-12.

 He also commented to the Observer,  

“I want to convey that I have nothing but positive thoughts about Mr. Tepper, on a personal level, I saw a side of him that I deeply respect and care about. But the NFL is a meritocracy. It's not unconditional love. I understand from a professional standpoint Mr. Tepper is going to have certain standards that he expects to have met. I have no hard feelings, and my personal relationship with him was actually a real highlight of this short time.” 

The Carolina Panthers are locked on a sixth straight losing season since Tepper purchased the team in 2018 for 2.275 billion dollars. Since Teppers arrival in 2018 the Panthers have gone 30-63, second worst to the one and only J-E-T-S JETS, JETS, JETS! The Panthers are last in record (1-10), 29th in Points per game (15.7), 30th in opponents points per game (26.5), 30th in yards per game (265), and tied 28th in turnover margin (-7). 

Also, to add on about Josh McCown and Duce Staley, Josh McCown failed miserably at developing Bryce Young and Staleys running game is below average on a good day. That's why they got the boot, The End. 

And another fun fact, in two of their home games the opposing teams, which in this case are the Vikings and Cowboys, sold more tickets to the opposition than to their own home fans.  

Top Five MLB Free Agents 2023 By Marshall Laskowski

I will give a ranking of the top five free agents and list three or four possible teams for each player.

1. Shohei Ohtani - He is one of the most anticipated free agents of all time and could make a TON of money. Some people say he could get a contract worth up to $600 million. He should rightfully make this much because he is the best player in the MLB and is of great value, even though he can’t pitch until 2025. He will still be dominant with the bat.

Potential Teams: Dodgers, Giants, Mariners

2. Blake Snell - He is a two-time Cy Young winner that got a lot of strikeouts including 234 strikeouts in 180 innings in 2023. He is coming off a breakout year, but has also had a great career. He has played with both the Padres and Rays, but is a Seattle native so he could sign there. He is one of the best lefties in the Major League.

Potential Teams: Padres, Cardinals, Yankees, Mariners

3. Yoshinobu Yamamoto - He will be playing his first season in the MLB after playing in Japan since 2017 as a right-handed pitcher. He won that league's version of MVP and Cy young 2 years in a row. It is interesting that he and Ohtani will both be free agents after both playing in Japan. He is also only 25 years old so he could have a long big league career.

Potential Teams: Yankees, Mets, Red Sox 

4. Cody Bellinger - He is coming off a breakout year in 2022 to get his career back in shape after a couple of bad years. He is really one of the only good hitters in this class other than Ohtani. He has had a solid career also and has won an MVP in a season when he hit 47 homers. He played 6 seasons for the LA Dodgers and he played one year for the Chicago Cubs. He experienced a lot of winning with the Dodgers so he will likely want to go back to a winning environment. He should look for a good amount of money since the class doesn’t have many good hitters. 

Potential teams:Yankees, Cubs, Red Sox

5. Josh Hader - Is the top free agent relief pitcher this year and he is one of the best relievers in all of baseball. He has been an all-star five times in his career over seven seasons. He has played for the Brewers and Padres in his career. He has won the Hoffman Reliever of the Year award 3 times which goes to the best reliever in the National League. He should be getting paid pretty well this offseason because there are not many good relievers this year. He is coming off of a good year for the Padres when he got 33 saves and 85 strikeouts in 56.1 innings.

Potential teams: Rangers,Yankees, and the Dodgers

The offseason has begun and people should start to sign soon and I hope you enjoy my rankings and predictions.  

Sources:

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-free-agent-rankings-2023-2024 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/ 

What was the Best NFL Dynasty of All Time? By Andrew Zajac

What was the best NFL team ever? There are many great teams that dominated for one or two years but we are talking about dynasties, teams that wrecked everybody in their path for 5-10 years. But I narrowed it down to five dynasties: the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, 1980s San Francisco 49ers, 1960s Green Bay Packers, 1980s Washington Redskins, and the 2000s New England Patriots. This will be a ranking article, and yes I am biased.

Number 5: The 1980s Washington Redskins 

The Redskins are now known as the Commanders.  They won three Super Bowls over the time period from 1982-1991. They hired Joe Gibbs in 1981 hoping he would turn around the program, and boy did he! In 1982 they won their first Super Bowl with John “Diesel” Riggins, and arguably the best O-Line of all time, “The Hogs,” containing Joe “Jake” Jacoby, Russ “The Grimm Reaper” Grimm, Jeff “Bosco'' Bostic, Mark “May Day” May, and George “Head Hog” Starke. The following year in 1983 their tower came crashing down when they went into the slaughterhouse and lost to the Raiders 38-9. They came back in 1987 with high-caliber quarterback Doug Williams and a high-powered defense led by Darell Green. They tore apart the Broncos 42-10 with Doug Williams throwing for 340 yards (a Super Bowl record) and four touchdown passes. They capped off the dynasty with a Super Bowl in 1991 with Mark Rypien and Art Monk, and a reliant defense with Wilber Marshall and Charles Mann. I put them at number five because they only won three super bowls spread out over nine years and they lost a super bowl as well. Some of the other teams on this list won more super bowls in less time and they didn't lose a super bowl. 

Number 4: The 1960s Green Bay Packers

Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers hold down the respectable number four spot in this list. The Packers won two super bowls and three NFL Championships. The offense was led by quarterback Bart Starr and Fred Thurston and Forrest Gregg holding down the O-Line, a packed defense with multiple Hall of Famers such as fearsome Ray Nitschke, Herb Adderaly, and ruthless Willie Davis. The Packers won the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967. They beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the inaugural Super Bowl by a score of 35-10, and snagged the second Super Bowl victory against the Oakland Raiders 33-14. I put them at 4th because there were only 16 teams in the NFL at that point. Also, they only won two super bowls when other teams won more. Yes, I know that they won NFL Championships but no one really cares about those. 

Number 3: The 2000s New England Patriots

Now we have arrived at my most controversial one in this entire list. Yes, the Patriots did win six Super Bowls in this dynasty, BUT, they had 18 years to do it! That's averaging one super bowl every three years! Some teams on the list won four or five super bowls in 10 or less years. I can already hear the criticism, but Andrew Tom Brady is the greatest player ever! But Andrew, they are tied for the most Super Bowls of all time! Be quiet, first of all Tom Brady is overrated. Second of all, they are tied with the PITTSBURGH STEELERS! Nobody likes the Patriots except Patriot fans, and they have made poor life choices. Also, they lost to Chad Powers and the New York Giants not once, BUT TWICE! Finally, they lost to the Filthadelphia Eagles in 2018 with benchwarmer Nick Foles. I put them at three because they lost three super bowls and they are the New England Patriots. That's all I need to say. 

Number 2: The 1980/90s San Francisco 49ers

Bill Walsh was handed the controls and he started cooking with this team right here. This team won five super bowls in 18 years with legends such as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Stever Young, Ronnie Lott, Dwight Clark, and Roger Craig. San Francisco went 207-72-1 in that time period. Joe Montana is in the argument for the best quarterback in NFL history with a 4-0 record in Super Bowls and 3 Super Bowl MVPS. Roger Craig was the first player in history to have 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. Jerry Rice is the best wide receiver in history hands down. He is the all-time leader in three separate categories, catches (1,549), receiving yards (22,895), and receiving touchdowns (197). We can't forget about their star-studded defense, consisting of players such as fearsome outside linebacker Charles Haley, High-flying cornerback Eric Wright, and ruthless safety Ronnie Lott. They also had a pretty sweet kicker with an even sweeter mustache in Ray Wersching. I put them at number two because even though they had the same amount of time as the Patriots, they went 5-0 in the super bowl even though they won one less. Also, I put them ahead of the Patriots, because they are the Patriots. Enough said. 

Number 1: The 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers

Now, the best one on this list. The 1970s PITTSBURGH STEELERS! I know what you're thinking, oh Andrew, what about the Patriots, oh Andrew, what about the 49ers. I don't care, the Steelers are better than them. The Patriots had 18 years, and the 49ers had 18 years as well. The Steelers only had 8 years. And they won FOUR SUPER BOWLS, EIGHT CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF BERTHS, AND SEVEN AFC CENTRAL TITLES! You can't beat those numbers. The Steelers had easily the most well rounded team of all time, A explosive offense and a back-breaking, punishing defense. The offense was led by “The Blond Bomber” Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, and a one-two punch at wide receiver in Lynn Swann, and John Stallworth. But, we can't forget about Mike Webster and Jon Kolb holding down the O’line. Now, the best defense of all time, THE STEEL CURTAIN! Mean Joe Greene, Dwight “The Mad Dog” White, L.C Greenwood and his golden cleats, and Ernie “Fats” Holmes. Now, the best linebacker duo of all time, Jack Lambert, dracula in cleats, one of the most feared tacklers of all time, and Jack Ham, don’t think about throwing the ball his way, he will take it back to the house. Cornerback Mel Blount was so good they had to make a rule to prevent what he was doing, and Mike Wagner held down the safety position. The Steelers won four super bowls in a span from 1972-1979 in 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979. I put them at number one because they won the four super bowls in the least amount of time, and they made the playoffs every year of their dynasty. 

Is the Playing Field Really Level? by Stella Loverich

Manchester City won the Premier League last year, with record paychecks. This is second only to Barcelona, but Man City is not suffering the financial repercussions. In fact they also have record revenues of almost $900 million in the 21-22 season! So why is Man City so good? 

Well first of all, it’s their sponsors. They are getting money from their owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan. The seemingly endless reserve of cash is definitely a factor. If they have more money, they can get better players (just look at Kevin de Bruyne with his almost $500,000 per week paycheck).

So, usually the richest teams win - we have also seen this in Serie A, where the gap between Juventus, the team with the highest wage bill, and the lowest, Spezia, was about 9.5 times*. Again, in the Bundesliga, we have Bayern on top and a 15.5 times difference between them and Greuther Furth. La Liga had a 18.5 times difference (Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano) and France holds a stunning 41.5 times difference between PSG and Clermont foot. Compared to that, the pay gap between Man City and Brentford, the lowest paid club, of 5.65 times, isn’t even comparing. The extreme difference between wages is playing a part in their winning streak. 

But why aren’t all these other clubs sitting in order of their pay? It’s mostly due to the way soccer is: low-scoring, fluctuations, bad performances, good performances, and sheer work rate. For example, in Ligue 1 it’s true that PSG was sitting in first while Clermont Foot was fourth to last, but in the prem Brentford still finished middle of the table at 13th while Man City took the win.

By now we’re all expecting Man City to win the league this year, despite other team’s efforts. So while the European leagues may not be completely fair in regards to wages, it’s interesting to see the ups and downs for the teams we know and love. 

*stats as of the 21-22 season

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/15/business/manchester-city-player-wages.html

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/38705038/why-premier-league-european-football-anything-fair

Best Possible Fantasy Football Roster (Mid Way) this Season! By: Macon Workman and Caleb Shaffer

Quarterback: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

At this moment the answer is actually Will Levis, the former Kentucky quarterback playing for the Tennessee Titans, but Levis has only played one game so really the answer is Josh Allen. Allen  is the best possible quarterback you could have drafted averaging 23.2 points per game. Allen threw 17 touchdown passes and five rushing touchdowns but also has thrown eight interceptions. He’s thrown a total of 2,165 yards and has led the Bills to a 3-2 record.

Running back: De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins, and Christian McCaffery, San Francisco 49ers

At this moment the two best running backs are De’Von Achane averaging 25.4 points per game, and Christain McCaffrey averaging 25.1 points per game. De’Von Achane has 460 rushing yards and 5 td, also having 67 receiving yards with 2 tds. Then Christian McCaffrey has 652 rushing yards with 9 tds, and 292 receiving yards with 4 tds.  

Wide Receiver: Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins, and AJ Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

Tyreek Hill I don’t think is a surprise to anyone. Hill has racked up 8 touchdowns, 1,014 receiving yards with 61 receptions because of this Hill is averaging a grand total of 26.5 points per game and is leading all offensive players(except for Will Levis) in points. Now it's time for AJ Brown who had a great year as well but not as great of a season as Tyreek. Brown has 5 receiving touchdowns, 939 yards with 60 receptions.

Tight End: Travis Kelce (The Man Who Put Taylor Swift on the Map), Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce has 4 touchdowns, 597 yards and 57 receptions. He is averaging 14.03 points per game.  He and Mahomes are leading the Chiefs to the 1st place spot in the AFC.

Flex: Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers 

Keenan Allen is having his best season yet for the Los Angeles Chargers. Allen is averaging an impressive 22.8 points per game with 73 receptions on 97 targets. Keenan has 6 receiving touchdowns for 895 yards, and 1 crazy 49-yard touchdown throw. Allen is currently injured, so his place on this list at the end of the year may look very different. But now the Chargers are standing at 4-5 and their playoff hopes are dwindling.

Kicker: Dustin Hopkins, Cleveland Browns 

Dustin Hopkins so far this season has made 13 field goals with 7 of them being 50-plus yards. He is averaging 11.88 points per game. 

Defense: Dallas Cowboys 

So far this season, the Cowboys have 21 sacks, 9 interceptions, 4 fumble recoveries, and 5 touchdowns. This season they have allowed a total of 148 points. They are averaging 12.50 points per game.

2007: The Greatest Season in College Football by Grant Potoczny

I’ve been wanting to write an article about this season so let’s just give a very vague description. If you didn’t know 2007 was the craziest year in college football. In 2007 there were incredible upsets, underdog teams at incredibly high rankings, and an unlikely National Champion. 

First off is Michigan who doesn’t have much on this list, but one game. Michigan was #5 in the country and played Appalachian State. Michigan was supposed to win by 33 points according to the betting spread. In the 1st quarter Michigan was up 14-7, then Appalachian State put up 21 points in the 2nd quarter, and took the lead 28-17.  This is the point in the game where the better team comes out at halftime and then turns on the jets. Though this is the 2007 season, and so in the 3rd quarter Michigan put up 9 while Appalachian State put up 3 and went into the 4th quarter down 26-31. In the 4th quarter Michigan scored a 54-yard touchdown and elected to go for two and got stopped. The score now is 32-31 with 4 minutes and 36 seconds, but then Michigan intercepted the ball and then went for a field goal which got blocked. Then Appalachian State had the ball with 1 minute and 37 seconds. Then Appalachian State marched down the field and hit a 24-yard field goal with 26 seconds left. Then Michigan attempted a 37-yard that got blocked and finally Appalachian State defeated Michigan and Michigan had fallen out of the rankings completely, and completely ruined their season. This was also the first and only time a team went from the top 5 to unranked.

Next up we have Florida State who in the preseason was expected to win the ACC Atlantic Division. But the whole season came crashing down on them with a loss to a division opponent, which was Clemson, and then they went from  #19 to a fall out of the rankings. Then they went on a four game win streak including a win over #22 ranked Alabama. They were finally ranked again at #21 and then the rest of the 2007 season schedule struck as they lost two in a row. And then they had a two game win streak including beating the number 2 ranked team in the country, but I will keep that name anonymous until later. They suddenly lost to #11 Virginia Tech, beat an unranked Maryland and lost to #12 Florida and unranked Kentucky. They ended their season 3-5 in the ACC and were 7-6 overall.

Now we have Notre Dame with another fail, and trust me I am very happy about this. Notre Dame was named a top 15 recruiting class in the preseason and I’m willing to bet they had high hopes for the season. To start of the season Notre Dame played Georgia Tech an unranked team and so was Notre Dame, but I mean that recruiting was really good, so Georgia Tech beat them 33-3, then they lost to Penn State who was #14 31-10, then unranked Michigan 38-0, and then Michigan State, then Purdue. Well that’s a great way to start off a season with five losses. And then,  oh my goodness…they beat UCLA 20-6, but then they lost four straight games including losing to Navy who ended the season 8-5, and finally Notre Dame pulled off two straight wins to end their season after a loss to Air Force. 

Now we have Nebraska who made it to the Big 12 Championship the year before. Yes, Big 12 they were not in the Big 10 yet. Nebraska started the season with 2 straight wins against 2 unranked teams Wake Forest and Nevada. Then they lost to #1 ranked USC, which is like “Okay they lost to the best team in college football, it’s fine.” So they won their next two games against Ball State and Iowa State, again two unranked teams. Then they lost their next five games to a team who I will keep anonymous, but they were ranked #17.  Then they lost to unranked Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. Next, they would lose to that week’s #17 Texas and then they were beat by a team that I will keep anonymous. Next they beat an unranked Kansas State, and then finished off their season with a loss to Colorado. That left Nebraska 2nd to last in the Big 12 North Division.

Now USF will be on this list, and bonus if you don’t know who USF is, it is University of Southern Florida. Only if you watch lots of college football you might see these guys pop up on a Friday night game, or get a terrible kickoff time on Saturdays. In their first game USF played Elon, and I do not know where they are from, and do not care enough. Then they played Auburn who was ranked #17. Then they went ahead and beat them in overtime. The next week they were ranked at #23 and played North Carolina who was unranked. They beat them and had to play 5th ranked Virginia, and then they somehow pulled that out. Then they beat two unranked teams and they were now the 2nd ranked team in the country. After that they went on a three game losing streak, all to unranked teams. All the sudden they fell out of the ranking totally. They then beat 3 unranked teams to move into the rankings only to lose to unranked Oregon in the Sun Bowl.

Now we have a team that has historically had a terrible football team, the Kansas Jayhawks. The Jayhawks had an extremely pretty easy schedule, but an impressive season nonetheless. Kansas went 4-0 in their first games, and then they played their first ranked team which was Kansas State at the rank of 24. Kansas won that game and then won 6 more games against unranked teams including Nebraska, and they were . Then they reached 2nd and they played another team that I will keep anonymous, but I will tell you that they were ranked 3rd in the nation. And lost their last game of their regular season. Then they beat #5 ranked Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl.

Boston College is now the topic team in this paragraph. Boston College started off the season with 8 straight wins, and had notable wins against 15th ranked Georgia Tech and 8th Virginia Tech. Then they got to 2nd in the nation, and then lost to two straight to unranked teams. Then they beat 15th ranked Clemson and an unranked Miami team. Then they had to play 6th ranked Virginia Tech in the ACC Conference Championship, and lost to them. Then they played unranked Michigan State in the Citrus Bowl and were able to defeat them.

Missouri is now the team to talk about, and they started off with 5 wins, including a win to 25th ranked Nebraska. Then they lost to 6th ranked Oklahoma. Then they played 22nd ranked Texas Tech and beat them, and then went on a 4-game win streak not including that game. Then they ran into 2nd ranked Kansas and this was huge. Whoever won this game would go to the Big 12 Conference Championship, and then if they won that game, they would go to the National Championship. First Missouri was up 7-0 after the first quarter, and then 14-0 after the 2nd. Then came halftime, and after the 3rd Missouri was up 28-7. Then Kansas scored 3 touchdowns in the 4th, but Missouri scored 8 points, and so Missouri won, and was heading to the Conference Championship to play Oklahoma. And so this was huge, 1st ranked Missouri played 9th ranked Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship, and if Missouri won they would go to the National Championship. In the 1st quarter Missouri was up 3-0, and then in the 2nd Oklahoma put up 14 points, while Missouri put up an unusual score of 11 points. Going into halftime it is 14-14. In the 3rd quarter Missouri didn’t score, and Oklahoma put up 14 more. Then in the 4th Oklahoma put up 10 points while Missouri only put up 3. This ended up putting Missouri out of the talk for the Championship.

Now I’ll go over LSU’s season, and it was a good and bad record that they were able to break. LSU had a very tough schedule as the madness made them play a total of 6 ranked teams in the regular season. That means half their games were played against ranked teams, and that was just the regular season. LSU started off strong with a 6 game win streak, including wins over #9 Virginia Tech, #12 South Carolina, and #9 Florida, and they stayed at #2 until week 6 when they finally went to 1. Then they played 17 ranked Kentucky and lost in a game that went to triple overtime. Then they beat 18 ranked Auburn and 17 ranked Alabama, and over 2 unranked teams, and thy were back at #1. Then they played Arkansas and they lost in triple overtime, again! Luckily for them they were in the SEC Conference Championship, where they beat 14 ranked Tennessee to go from 5th to 2nd. (They did not have a four team playoff, just a single game) Then they played 1st ranked Ohio State to beat them and become the first and so far only two loss National Champions.

I would usually end the article right here, but I had the idea of writing something extra. So you might have noticed all the losses from the 2nd place team in 2007, this is known as the “Curse of the No. 2.” Bonus: No. 1 and No. 2 have not lost in the same week since 1996, but in 2007 it happened 3 times. In the span of 9 weeks the #2 team lost 7 times! The first to make the dominoes fall is when Stanford beat USC 24-23. Then Oregon State defeated Cal or California 31-28. Then Rutgers beat South Florida 30-27. Then Florida State beat Boston College 27-17. Then Arizona defeated Oregon 34-24. Then Missouri beat Kansas 36-28, huh that game sounds familiar, doesn’t it. Then Pittsburgh or Pitt beat West Virginia 13-9. The thing is that only 1 of the teams that beat a #2 team were ranked, and that team was Missouri.

Michigan vs. Penn State Preview by Marshall Laskowski

Michigan and Penn State play this weekend in Happy Valley at Beaver Stadium. In the AP Poll Penn State is ranked ninth and Michigan is ranked second. Michigan is 9-0 and Penn State is 8-1 with their only loss coming to Ohio State. Penn State is coming off a big win both on the scoreboard and for momentum after crushing Maryland 51-15. Michigan is under serious heat right now due to the fact that they are facing criticism for sign stealing from future opponents. This will be an extra motivation for the Nittany Lions to try and beat a team that has been cheating. Not to mention, they are also very big rivals.

Michigan is led by quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is a Heisman candidate with 2,134 passing yards. Their leading rusher is Blake Corum with 649 yards. He has been a star player over the last several seasons. The leading receiver for the Wolverines is Roman Wilson with 589 yards. Michigan's defense is also amazing as they lead the nation with only allowing 6.7 points a game which is four less points than the second place team, Ohio State, who is allowing only 10.7 points per game. Michigan also has allowed the fewest yards per game at 231.4 yards per game allowed. Penn State's defense is also elite allowing only 11.9 points per game, the third fewest in the nation, they have also allowed only 234.4 yards a game (the second fewest in the nation). Penn State also has the second most sacks nationally with 38. Penn State is coming off of a big win against Maryland where Drew Allar showed he was a great QB by passing for 240 yards and 4 touchdowns. Michigan is 9-0, but they have not played a good team all season with none of their wins coming against ranked opponents. If Penn State wins this game and Michigan beats Ohio State in the last game of the year, there is a chance for a 3-way tie in the Big Ten East between Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State. So… Penn State needs to win this game for a chance to make the Big Ten Championship and maybe the College football playoff. 

This will be a great game, but don’t expect a lot of offense because of the defenses. However, this will also feature a lot of talented players on offense. I hope that Penn State can come away with a win and keep their hopes alive. 

Sources:https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/stats/_/id/130/michigan-wolverines 

Rangers Win World Series by Marshall Laskowski

The Rangers won their first World Series in franchise history winning the series in five games against the Arizona Diamondbacks…closing the series out on the road in  Arizona. The Rangers were dominant on the road going the whole playoffs without losing a game away from home…as perfect 11-0. 

The most amazing part about this World Series is that they won both games four and five without right fielder Adoils Garcia who won ALCS MVP for them and was their best player before the World Series; he also hit a walkoff home run in Game 1 of the World Series. The Rangers also were able to pull off a win in Game 3 with their star starting pitcher Max Scherzer only being able to pitch three innings and leaving with an injury. 

The MVP of the Series was Corey Seager who hit three home runs and had six RBIs and a 1.137 OPS. The Ranger had pretty tough opponents throughout the postseason until the World Series. They played the 99 win Rays, the division winners and 101 win Orioles, the Astros who have been to the last seven ALCS series, and also the D-backs who went on a surprise run but were a very good team. The Rangers were great and should be very proud of this World Series run and will look to replicate next season. 

Sources:https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38798075/rangers-corey-seager-wins-second-world-series-mvp-award 

The History of Five Soccer Teams and their rating (in our opinion) by Nakula Balachandran & Cooper Leitzell

1. Argentina: This soccer team was formed in 1893 and is the 8th oldest soccer team in the world. They’ve won 6 FIFA world cups and as you may know, won last year's world cup.

2. U.S.A:  This soccer team was founded on April 5, 1913. The U.S has never won a FIFA world cup. 

3. Spain: Spain has won 3 continental titles. The Spain soccer team was formed in 1920. They have won 1 FIFA world cup

4. Portugal: Portugal has been playing in the world cup since 1921 and their best finish was 3rd in 1966. 

5. England: England is one of the oldest soccer teams, being founded in 1870. England has only won the FIFA world cup once.

RATINGS

5. USA: They are an ok team but when they're in the world cup I cheer for them.

4. England: They are just better than the USA because they have won against the USA more times.

3. Spain: This team just has some very good club teams.

2. Portugal: You all know why. CHRISTIANO RONALDO SIUUUU

1. Argentina:This player is named MESSI and is the goat as we all know.

Ballon D’Or 2023 by Stella Loverich

What is the Ballon D’Or? 

The Ballon D’Or originated in 1956 as the European Footballer of the Year award. Gabriel Hanot and Jacques Ferran invented it as only available to European players, but later expanded to be open to all players. George Weah was the first non-European to win it in 1995, when all players playing in a European league were eligible. Later in 2007 all players could qualify for the award. Finally in 2018 the Ballon D’Or Feminin was established after 62 years! 

Who picks the winner?

Journalists have always picked the winner, starting with Hanot and Ferran back in the fifties. Countries pick a journalist to represent them, and then coaches and captains of national teams as well. The representatives then pick from a list of 30 players, giving a top 5 list with the first getting 6 points, the second getting 4 points, and so on. However you may be thinking, where is the 5 points? Well they were hoping to add extra points to the first pick, in order to keep things weighted heavily in the direction of the ultimate winner.

Finally, who won this year? 

For the women’s side, Aitana Bonmati won. Not a surprise since she was the favorite and won the World Cup for her team. And for the men’s side, Lionel Messi received his 8th Ballon D’Or. The runners up for the women were Sam Kerr and Salma Paralluelo, and for the men, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé took second and third. 

https://olympics.com/en/news/ballon-or-2023-shortlist-announced-messi-haaland-list

https://theathletic.com/4995233/2023/10/30/messi-ballon-dor-explained/

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/ballon-dor-2023-live-updates-winners-nominees-awards-results/2285efe776052fb67a0af89d

Pittsburgh Steelers Injury Report Week 8 by Andrew Zajac

Week eight of the NFL Season brought the Pittsburgh Steelers a loss and a couple of injuries. 

The Steelers lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-10 at Acrisure Stadium on October 29, 2023. 

But they lost a couple key players during the game that did not return. The Steelers have a shortened week playing in the prime time Thursday night football game against the Tennessee Titans at home on November 2nd. Let's get right into the report. 

First, the big one. Kenny Pickett came out of the game with a rib injury at the end of the first half on a very questionable no-call roughing the passer. Pickett was ruled out of the game at halftime and his status is still up in the air for the game on Thursday night. He is a game-time decision for the game. Mike Tomlin did not disclose any information at the post-game interview. 

Another big one, Minkah Fitzpatrick, three time All-Pro safety left the game early in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. He walked off on his own power and went into the blue tent, but then eventually was led to the locker room late in the first quarter being ruled out in the game. 

He is having an MRI on October 30, 2023. 

To end on a good note, All-Pro Defensive Tackle Cameron Heyward was activated off of Injured Reserve and has a chance to play in the Thursday Night game. Heyward suffered a groin injury Week 1 against San Francisco.  

Hopefully, the Steelers can get their star players back in time for the game on November 2nd. 

Credit: Espn. Com, CBS. Com, Steelers Now. Co

Penn State/Maryland Preview by Marshall Laskowski

This weekend Penn State will be taking on the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, Maryland. Penn State is ranked 9th nationally with a 7-1 record. Maryland is 5-3 with a 2-3 record in the Big Ten Conference. Penn State's only loss came to Ohio State where they lost 20-12. The Terrapins losses came to Ohio State (37-17), Illinois (27-24), and Northwestern (33-27). 

Maryland is led by Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa who has 2,200 passing yards. The Terps leading rusher is Roman Hemby with 441 yards. The Terps leading receiver is Jeshaun Jones with 496 yards. Maryland has been pretty solid over the past five years making a bowl game twice. But, they have always been stuck behind Penn State, Ohio State, and Michigan in the Big Ten East. 

Penn State is led by young QB Drew Allar who has thrown for a total 1,655 yards this season.  KeAndre Lambert-Smith is the lead receiver (550 receiving yards), and Kaytron Allen is the rushing leader with 482 yards on the ground. This is a must win for the Nittany Lions to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive and the rest of their games really are must wins. But it will be tough going to Maryland and getting a win in a hostile environment. 

Both teams are looking to keep good seasons going with wins but Penn State certainly needs the win more. 

Sources:Maryland stats 

Messi vs Ronaldo by Stella Loverich

Ronaldo and Messi are some of the best soccer players in the world, some might call them the greatest of all time. Who do you think is the best, looking at some of these stats?

Table Created by Stella Loverich

*Keep in mind that stats are constantly changing and these may not be exactly correct as of today

Overall, I would say that Messi is the superior player. He has scored more goals from outside of the box (instead of tap-ins), has a higher goal per game average, has more assists, Ballon D’Ors, and trophies. Also, Ronaldo is currently paying the price for his lucrative Al-Nassr move, and has dropped 4 points from his rating. There are pros and cons to both players, who do you think is the best?

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/best-fifa-23-rating-lionel-messi-cristiano-ronaldo-kylian-mbappe-erling-haaland/g0nizi5iajo1hzwxm47ipcxt

https://www.messivsronaldo.app/

https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/ea-sports-fc-24-ratings-cristiano-ronaldo-lowest-score-fifa-07-al-nassr-move/blt0aefa62dc8b6b5f1

A Dying Dynasty by Grant Potoczny

Alabama has been known to be a dominant college football team for a very long time. In a very short period of time though they have been losing their dominance over many teams. Let’s see what’s going on and the stats compared to their dominant seasons stats.

Alabama used to have a very dominant offense which carried them to multiple championships. Alabama had a tendency of putting up tons of points, and they averaged 630 points per season and averaged 48.5 points per game. The 2020 Alabama team also beat both of the teams they played in the playoffs by at least three scores. 

The 2021 Alabama did extremely well getting to the playoffs winning their first round and then losing to Georgia. Alabama scored 598 points that year and allowed 302 points. Alabama’s offense averaged 39.9 points per game. Alabama’s defense allowed an average of 20.1 points per game. Alabama won their first playoff game, and it was against Cincinnati 27-6 and lost to Georgia in the College Championship 33-18.

Alabama’s performance started to drop in 2022, and this time they didn’t even make it to the playoffs even though they had better stats. Alabama scored 534 points and allowed 236 points. Alabama averaged 41.1 points per game, while they also allowed an average of 18.2 points. Both of Alabama's losses came in their own conference, the SEC. Alabama still went to a New Year's Six and crushed Kansas State 45-20.

2023 Alabama has not been the same with a loss to Texas of 34-24. They also have not been beating worse teams badly, for instance only putting up 17 on 3-4 South Florida, a very close game. They just beat 4-2 Texas A&M by 6, and to top it all off a 3 point win over a 2-5 Arkansas. Alabama averages around 30.1 points per game which is 57th out of 133 FBS teams. Their defense averages 16 points allowed which is 12th in the nation, but still not up to Alabama standards. They have 211 points scored, which if it doubles (which it will most likely not) would be 422 points. In the seasons that I’ve talked about before this they put up two seasons in the 500’s, and even one in the 600’s. The defense has also allowed 112 points, which would be 244 points allowed.

As you can see Alabama is slowly crashing, and it is the death of a great football dynasty.