Michigan State’s defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton gives instructions during football practice on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in East Lansing. 220811 Msu Fb Practice 116a When Mel Tucker took over the Michigan State football program in 2020, he poached Scottie Hazelton from Kansas State to be his defensive coordinator. Hazelton lasted all four seasons with the Spartans, but was not retained …
Read More »Daily Archives: December 22, 2024
Could the NFL’s RedZone experiment with commercials create civil liability?
Last Sunday, the NFL flipped the script, literally, on its RedZone product by inserting commercials into the seven hours of commercial-free football. Plenty of fans are mad about it. They paid for a commercial-free product, and they didn’t get it. Could they do something about it? Possibly. Plenty of legal theories are available in plenty of jurisdictions based on commercial …
Read More »College Football Playoff overreactions: Despite first-round blowouts, 12-team format does not need overhaul
In an article dedicated to overreactions, it seems odd to preach patience. But the overwhelming sentiment after the first round of the new-look College Football Playoff is that 12 teams is too many. If anything, this past weekend’s slate expanded the current gulf between the haves and the have-nots. All of the expected winners — traditional college football heavyweights Notre …
Read More »Broncos, Jets were never close to a deal for Jerry Jeudy
The most entertaining story of the week came from TheAthletic.com, which led a deep dive into the dysfunctional Jets with a tale that was too fantastical to not be true. Woody Johnson, per the three-byline #longread, vetoed a trade for Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy because Jeudy’s Madden rating was too low. Here’s the first line of the story that focuses …
Read More »Joey Halzle details Nico Iamaleava’s 20 rushing attempts against Ohio State
Nico Iamaleava, DeSean Bishop and Cooper Mays. Tennessee Volunteers versus the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff first round at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on December 21, 2024. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire Redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava completed his first season as Tennessee’s starting quarterback. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound signal caller completed 14-of-31 passing attempts for 104 …
Read More »NFL odds, Week 16 lines, ATS predictions, game picks, times, tips: Model simulates every game 10,000 times
While many bettors would prefer to make Week 16 NFL predictions and Week 16 NFL game picks with narrow lines, others would prefer heavy NFL favorites or NFL underdogs go bet on. Fortunately, both of those groups are in luck thanks to the wide spectrum of Week 16 NFL spreads. Four remaining games have Week 16 NFL odds of a …
Read More »College football grades: Ohio State, Notre Dame earn an ‘A’, Tennessee gets ‘D’ in first round CFP report card
Blowouts were expected in the first round of the College Football Playoff after all four games opened with point spreads of more than a touchdown. But while none of the games ended up being especially close, they did teach us plenty about the four teams that moved on. From a seeding perspective, (8) Ohio State was supposed to face the …
Read More »Patrick Mahomes: I pride myself on playing through pain
The week leading up to Saturday’s game against the Texans involved questions about how effective Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would be playing through an ankle injury and it didn’t take long to get an answer. Mahomes capped the first Chiefs possession of the afternoon with a 15-yard touchdown run. Mahomes said he didn’t feel like he was “setting a tone” …
Read More »College Football Playoff quarterfinal schedule, matchups, odds: Texas becomes new title favorite
We have a new favorite to win the College Football Playoff after the first round. No. 5 seed Texas is +300 to win it all at BetMGM after its 38-24 win over No. 12 Clemson on Saturday. The Longhorns have the shortest odds of anyone to win the national title and enters its Peach Bowl matchup against No. 4 Arizona …
Read More »NFL player props, QB, RB, WR, TE picks, Week 16, 2024 AI prop predictions: Jalen Hurts tops 198.5 yards
Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will make his first career NFL start when the Atlanta Falcons host the New York Giants on Sunday. Veteran Kirk Cousins was benched after throwing just one touchdown and nine interceptions over his last five games. Penix will face a New York defense that is giving up 200.4 passing yards per game this season, the …
Read More »Wisconsin defensive lineman enters NCAA transfer portal
Wisconsin redshirt freshman defensive lineman Jamel Howard Jr. entered the transfer portal on Saturday. The second-year tackle is the 22nd Wisconsin scholarship player to enter since the portal opened on Dec. 9. He is also the 11th member of Luke Fickell’s class of 2023 to depart. Only four players from that class remain with the program: WR Trech Kekahuna, TE …
Read More »Micah Parsons is expected to play on Sunday night
Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the rest of the Buccaneers are likely going to have to deal with Micah Parsons on Sunday night. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Parsons is expected to play against the Bucs. Parsons was listed as questionable to play because of an illness that kept him from practicing on Friday. Parsons was able to work …
Read More »College Football Playoff odds, matchups: Texas becomes the new title favorite after win over Clemson
We have a new favorite to win the College Football Playoff after the first round. No. 5 seed Texas is +300 to win it all at BetMGM after its 38-24 win over No. 12 Clemson on Saturday. The Longhorns have the shortest odds of anyone to win the national title entering the quarterfinals as Texas enters its Peach Bowl matchup …
Read More »How Saturday’s NFL games impacted AFC playoff picture: Steelers left scrambling after second straight loss
Saturday was a crazy day in the sports world. On a day where college football debuted its revamped playoff format and Tiger Woods made strides toward winning his first championship in over five years, two NFL games were played between four playoff bound teams. Each game included AFC teams whose playoff positioning was altered in some way by the outcome …
Read More »Five takeaways from Tennessee’s season finale at Ohio State
Tennessee Volunteers versus the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff first round at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on December 21, 2024. Photo by Dan Harralson, Vols Wire No. 8 seed Ohio State (11-2, 7-2 Big Ten) defeated No. 9 seed Tennessee (10-3, 6-2 SEC), 42-17, on Saturday at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio during the first round of the College Football Playoff. …
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