A Tournament of North Carolina's Tournament Wins (Jordan Region)

With North Carolina not invited to participate in the 2023 NCAA tournament, I read someone on Twitter roast Tar Heel fans (like me) that we are just going to sit and watch old tournament games to fill the void.

Hmm.  What a great idea.

Watching old tournament games sure is fun and it can make you remember the good times while the bad times forced you to have nothing to do.  So instead of just watching old North Carolina hoops games, how about we create out own tournament of Heels' NCAA tournament wins to see which one is the best.

So below are the 32 best games, and I divided them up into four regions -- Jordan, McGuire, Williams and Smith regions. We will battle over the next three weeks to see who comes out as the best game in Carolina tournament history. The seedings have the six tournament champions getting the No. 1 seeds and the top No. 2 seeds. From there, just the best games no matter where they happened in the tournament. 

Here is the entire tournament revealed. In a few days, we will have our first round winners and our Sweet 16. Here ya go: 

JORDAN REGION
1 - UNC/Georgetown (1982) vs 8 - UNC/Notre Dame (1985)
4 - UNC/Oklahoma (1990) vs 5 - UNC/Cincinnati (1993)
3 - UNC/Ohio State (1946) vs 6 - UNC/Villanova (1982)
2 - UNC/Michigan State (1957) vs 7 - UNC/Ohio (2012)

MCGUIRE REGION
1 - UNC/Kansas (1957) vs 8 - UNC/Baylor (2022)
4 - UNC/Kentucky (1995) vs 5 - UNC/Oregon (2017)
3 - UNC/Kentucky (2017) vs 6 - UNC/Temple (1991)
2 - UNC/Duke (2022) vs 7 - UNC/Oklahoma (2009)

WILLIAMS REGION
1 - UNC/Illinois (2005) vs 8 - UNC/Purdue (1977)
4 - UNC/UNLV (1977) vs 5 - UNC/Stanford (2000)
3 - UNC/Davidson (1969) vs 6 - UNC/Notre Dame (1977)
2 - UNC/Gonzaga (2017) vs 7 - UNC/Loyola Marymount (1988)

SMITH REGION
1 - UNC/Michigan (1993) vs 8 - UNC/James Madison (1982)
4 - UNC/Virginia (1981) vs 5 - UNC/Tulsa (2000)
3 - UNC/Houston (1982) vs 6 - UNC/Villanova (2005)
2 - UNC/Michigan State (2009) vs 7 - UNC/Charlotte (1998)

So let's do the Jordan Region. Of course the top overall seed is North Carolina's win over Georgetown in the 1982 national championship game. The game is simply iconic and probably cruises to the Final Four. The 1985 game against Notre Dame was a barn burner with Kenny Smith going at it with the Irish's David Rivers (Brad Daugherty was huge with 18 points).

The 1990 team that upset Oklahoma is one of the great moments in Carolina history. Rick Fox's shot to beat the top seeded Sooners is iconic. Their opponent is an underappreciated UNC-Cincinnati game in the regional final (Brian Reese's missed dunk just lives in my memory together ... but it worked out). 

Most people won't know about UNC's 1946 win over Ohio State in the East regional final, but the game went into overtime before John Dillon and Jim Jordan led the Heels to their first Final Four. In another East region final, UNC had such a great team effort to eliminate Ed Pinkney and the Villanova Wildcats. Michael Jordan led the way with 15 points. 

Finally is likely a mismatch. There is UNC/Ohio in 2012 which is best known as the Stillman White game. White, a freshman walk-on, had to start in Carolina's Sweet 16 game due to Kendall Marshall's wrist injury suffered against Creighton in the previous round. They take on Carolina's Final Four win over Michigan State in 1957. That triple overtime game would be placed among the most revered wins but gets overshadowed by their win over Kansas the very next day ... and the fact we don't have vivid YouTube videos of it.  1957 wins.

The first round Jordan Region winners:
1 - UNC/Georgetown (1982)
4 - UNC/Oklahoma (1990)

2 - UNC/Michigan State (1957)
3 - UNC/Ohio State (1946)

Stay tuned and we will run down the McGuire Region next. 

Sportz Assassin's West Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Kansas. The Jayhawks are the defending champs and many feel they are truly the best team in the nation. If not for their loss (and a big loss at that) in the Big 12 title game, they'd be the overall No. 1 seed. 

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Gonzaga. I want to say Kansas and I believe they will get to the Final Four. However, there are so many trends that say Kansas won't do that, so I'm going elsewhere. UCLA has injury isssues so I'm going with a very, very talented Gonzaga that is laying in the weeds. 

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): TCU. The Horned Frogs can score the ball and they have a 23-point win at Kansas on their resume.  I'm well aware that they could face my "team that will win the region" in the second round, but TCU is that kind of team that can connect on a big swing. 

YOUR CINDERELLA: VCU. There are a lot of tantalizing options in the West, but VCU is my choice. They love the press and pressure the ballhandlers and will go against a Saint Mary's team that wants to play slow. That's an interesting game. The can use the same formula to get by UConn the next round.   

WORST SEEDING ERROR: VCU. I wouldn't call this an error as much as an unfortunate issue that comes with how the tournament is structured. Since VCU is an automatic qualifier, they cannot be placed in the First Four ... which took one of the 11 seeds from them. Because of that, the Rams were knocked down to a 12 seed.     

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: UCLA. The Bruins start in Sacramento and then on to Las Vegas. No doubt they've got a great home court advantage. 

MUST WATCH GAME: Saint Mary's vs VCU. Like I mentioned earlier, this VCU-Saint Mary's game should be so interesting to break down.  

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Kansas vs Arkansas.  Arkansas has two lottery picks on its team and while the Razorbacks are wildly inconsistent, they also have the talent to take down a No. 1 seed. This should be a great one if it happens. 

Sportz Assassin's Midwest Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Houston. Houston has looked like the best team in the nation at times. They're a tough defensive unit and if Marcus Sasser is healthy then this team certainly can win the entire thing. 

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Houston. Sure, they've spent the bulk of the last two months playing AAC competition, but they have a fairly open path to the Final Four where ... well, I will get to that later. 

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Texas A&M. This team can shoot the basketball, which is typically a recipe for creating an upset. If they can dispose of Penn State, they'll get that old rivalry game against Texas. From there, is there anyone in the bottom of the Midwest bracket that scares them? No. 

YOUR CINDERELLA: Drake. This team is filled with seniors, with the lone non-senior at the top of their rotation is the coach's son. Tucker DeVries is that guy that sparks Cinderella runs and the Missouri Valley Conference has had a history of doing well in the NCAA tournament.   

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Texas A&M. How does a team that finished second in the SEC regular season and runner-up in the SEC tournament (both to top overall seed Alabama) get a No. 7 seed? Sure, their non-conference schedule was bleh, but look what you've done in one of the top conferences in the nation.     

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Auburn. In the region, it will be Auburn, and it is a mistake by the Selection Committee. Auburn spends the first weekend in Birmingham, which is a two hour drive from campus. The fact that they are a No. 9 seed and playing essentially a home game against No. 8 seed Iowa is wrong. If the Tigers win, they'll play at home against Houston, the top seed.  That's pretty egregious. If Houston advances to the Final Four, they'll get to play at home in Houston, so getting out of this region would be a huge advantage for the Cougars. 

MUST WATCH GAME: Iowa vs Auburn. Iowa's offense vs Auburn's defense in front of what should be a partisan crowd in Birmingham. And in typical 8-9 fashion, both teams are so up and down that you have no idea what to expect before or during the game.  

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Texas vs Texas A&M.  Two longtime rivals who had an acrimonious split when Texas A&M left Texas behind for the SEC. In two years, Texas will also join the SEC and will steal the Aggies thunder. These two met just twice since 2012 and both were at neutral sites, just like Des Moines will be. 

Sportz Assassin's East Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Purdue. Zach Edey. That 7'4 form of length in the paint that is so difficult to defend and nearly impossible to get around. A guy like that uplifts his teammates and allows them to take opportunities others aren't afforded. Edey was asked to take on more this season, and here is the time to shine. 

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Purdue. They've been right there over the last few years and I think Matt Painter finally gets it done. 

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Duke. The Blue Devils aren't their typical dominating selves heading in the NCAA tournament but they are certainly playing at their best. They have such a young team that has finally found itself ... as has their first year head coach, Jon Scheyer. 

YOUR CINDERELLA: Oral Roberts. Having said that, the last two times Duke wasn't a top four seed, they lost in the first round. And their first round opponent, Oral Roberts, is as dangerous a 12th seed as you will see. Max Abmas and Connor Vanover are dangerous players.  If ORU has made a Sweet 16 run two years ago and could do it once again.   

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Duke. They've really come on of late and dominated the ACC tournament. I think they're better than a No. 5 seed.     

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Michigan State. Really no one has that great of advantage, but Columbus will a relatively easy trip for Purdue, Marquette and Michigan State. Ah, but Michigan State should have quite the crowd in Ohio's capital if they face Marquette in the second round. 

MUST WATCH GAME: Duke vs Oral Roberts. There are a lot of great first round matchups in the East, but this Duke-Oral Roberts game is just so intriguing. We all know how dangerous ORU can be and Duke is equally playing its best basketball right now but also isn't the powerful entry it usually is. Both teams could actually go far in this tournament.  

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Purdue vs Memphis.  Look, Memphis just beat another No. 1 team this past Sunday, Houston. This is Penny Hardaway and he's not going to have his team scared of anyone. Purdue doesn't have that flex like the other No. 1 seeds but they do have the best player in college basketball in Edey. We all look for a top seed to miss the second weekend and this could be the game that makes that happen. 

Sportz Assassin's South Region Preview

TEAM TO BEAT: Alabama. Alabama is the top overall seed and has had a fantastic season. Brandon Miller is a star and should have a nice NBA career. The Tide are so athletic and when they get going they are so difficult to stop. 

TEAM THAT WILL WIN THE REGION: Alabama. Bama, as the perks of being the top overall seed, have a pretty good path to their first Final Four in program history. 

TEAM TO WATCH FOR (LESS THAN A NO. 3 SEED): Creighton. The Bluejays were one of the buzzworthy picks in the preseason but it just hasn't worked out. Creighton has turned that around and are beginning to fulfill that promise. They have a variety of guys who can score, including Ryan Kalkbrenner.

YOUR CINDERELLA: Charleston. This is such an efficient and experienced team. Remember that they started 21-1. A team that can rain threes is also one to watch out for.   

WORST SEEDING ERROR: Maryland. I really have no gripe in this region. Maybe Maryland should be a 9 seed? Again, I'm reaching.
     
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: Alabama. Really no one will have an advantage once the region gets to Louisville. So Alabama spending the first weekend in Birmingham is nice. 

MUST WATCH GAME: Maryland vs West Virginia. If you love physical basketball, then you'll love Huggins vs Willard.. Two teams who were tough to beat at home but a bit loose anywhere else gets to battle it out in Birmingham. 

MUST WATCH (POTENTIAL) SECOND ROUND GAME: Arizona vs Utah State.  This may not happen as Utah State would need to upset Missouri, but I really like Utah State's ability to defend the paint and Steven Ashworth hitting threes against Arizona's fast pace offense. 

I Love the New Baseball Pitch Clock

First off, I loved baseball as a kid. Loved it. Lived it. As a 7 year old in 1982, I knew every batting order in the National League (who cares about the American League until you have to see them in the World Series). I gradually grew less and less enamored by baseball as I got into my teens and now as a middle-aged man. I mean, I still like baseball but I do not love it like I once did.

I couldn't even tell you the starting lineups for last year's All Star Game.

The reason I say this is that is my context of baseball's rule changes for 2023. The two more prominent changes are the elimination of the shift and the pitch clock.

Let me quickly start with the shift. I'm all for going against the norms and finding loopholes in the rules and exploiting them if you can. That's what the shift was, and I was good with that. But it was a bit of a drag to see it used so often that it was choking offenses. Spare me the "well then hit 'em where they ain't" lines because baseball is hard to just to get a hit let alone be able to cue it to where you want. We have witnessed some off-putting baseball. So the easy fix was the new rule of two infielders ... actually in the infield ... must stay of opposite sides of second base. So you can still like the shortstop or second baseman close to the bag accordingly but we don't have three guys on one side of the field stuffing every ground ball.  This is great.

Now for the pitch clock. I love it.

Is baseball's biggest problem the length of time it takes to complete a game? Probably not. The shift actually is worse. But the pitch clock has made baseball more fun to watch for me. I like cutting all that fat from the game. All the unneccesary time wasted walking around the mound, stepping off the rubber, or hitters adjusting batting gloves, helmets, guards, pants, junk, whatever. We don't get less baseball -- we get the same amount of baseball in a much more viewer friendly format.

I know there are traditionalists crying over this because baseball isn't supposed to have a clock. While that's cool and all, baseball has had issues with games going too long and that hurts developing a fan base. I'm the generation that began to see all night games in the World Series where I had to wake up the next morning to find out who won. I'm the generation that had to leave stadiums early because my dad ... and then me ... had to be at work early the next morning. I'm the one who has baseball games on as background noise instead of intently watching each moment like I'd do with the NBA or NFL. Especially in 2023 where if anything cool happens that I missed watching that second, I'd just rewind and view it. But other than the World Series, I never really sit and watch each pitch of a game. But I've been doing so with this pitch clock. The game doesn't lose me like it did because the next pitch is less than 15 seconds away.

And this must be great for baseball as a whole just as far as scheduling. If games begin around 7-ish, and they are lasting around 2.5 hours, you're on the road back home before 10pm. You can stay up and watch an entire game before going to bed. And TV-wise, baseball will be able to schedule somewhat similar to what all the other sports enjoy.

The NFL knows it can schedule a Sunday for a 9am game, 1pm game, 4:30pm game and an 8:30pm game and that rarely overlap. The NBA does so with games at 1pm, 3:30pm, 6pm, 8:30pm and 11pm. Baseball can try, but there was so much fat in there that it was impossible to plan. Imagine a playoff round with games at noon, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm that would wouldn't have to miss a pitch in any game? Plus there should be adequate time for a studio show round up.

Whatever.

For the people who don't like it ... I get that. But I'm not on your side. Baseball is better for this.

Super Bowl LVII Should Be A Blast

 Last year I stopped doing my "Stops to Super Bowl" series because ... well ... I just didn't have the time. With my work commitments and a father to six children I just didn't have the time to do all the research I loved to do on the game. That doesn't mean I don't miss it ... I just don't think I can make it what I want it to be anymore.

But this Super Bowl makes me want to bring it back. This Super Bowl really is fascinating. You have both No. 1 seeds in this game, two relatively recent Super Bowl champion organizations and a load of tidbits to fill up a book of narratives. 

*KELCE BROTHERS.  I think it is so cool that two brothers will face off in the Super Bowl. Two very outgoing brothers at that. Should make for some greats soundbites and pre-game pieces for every NFL show leading up to the game.

*MAHOMES AND HURTS. For the first time we will have Black quarterbacks facing off in the Super Bowl. You'd think this wouldn't be that big of a deal since we are 35 years removed from Doug Williams (1987) becoming the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl, but it took 26 more years for the next one to win it -- Seattle's Russell Wilson (2013). Since then, only Patrick Mahomes (2020) has won it which makes for just three of the previous 56 Super Bowls to have a Black winning QB. Steve McNair (1999), Donovan McNabb (2004), Colin Kaepernick (2012) and Cam Newton also started Super Bowls but lost (both Wilson and Mahomes have also started and lost Super Bowls). 

*FLY, EAGLES. I remember when the Cowboys, Redskins/Commanders and Giants were ripping up Super Bowl titles and the Eagles were just not keeping up. Prior to 2017, the Cowboys (5), Giants (4) and Commanders (3) winning 12 Super Bowls while reaching the game 18 times. The Eagles were 0-2 in the big game, but now has the two most recent appearances and the most recent championship. While the Cowboys are always drenched in drama, the Commanders have been a mess for nearly three decades and the Giants perpetually are rebuilding, the Eagles have been making the right moves. 

*GLENDALE: Glendale, Arizona has been the site for some great Super Bowl moments. The last time the game was there (Super Bowl XLIX) was the Patriots-Seahawks game where Seattle didn't hand the ball off to Marshawn Lynch and were picked off on the goal line. The previous game there was XLII when the Giants upset the unbeaten Patriots. Tempe (which is also a suburb of Phoenix) hosted Super Bowl XXX when the Cowboys beat the Steelers. 

*MOST NFL TITLES
13-Packers
9-Bears
8-Giants
6-Patriots, Steelers
5-49ers, Cowboys, Commanders
4-Browns, Colts, Eagles, Lions, Rams

*MOST NFL TITLE APPEARANCES
22-Giants
19-Bears
18-Packers
11-Patriots, Commanders, Rams
9-Browns
8-Broncos, Cowboys, Steelers

*MOST NFL TITLE GAME LOSSES
14-Giants
10-Bears
6-Rams, Redskins
5-Broncos, Browns, Packers, Patriots
4-Bills, Vikings
3-Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles

*MOST NFL TITLE LOSSES WITHOUT A WIN
4-Vikings, Bills
3-Bengals
2-Falcons, Panthers
1-Chargers, Titans, Buffalo All-Americans, Pottsville Maroons

The Jaguars and Texans are the only current NFL franchises to have never played in an NFL championship game.

Sportz' NFL Championship Picks

We're down to the conference championship games. After going 4-2 in the Wildcard round and 3-1 in the Divisional Round, I'm here to tackle who will be going to the Super Bowl. 

49ERS at EAGLES

Philly was sensational against the Giants last week, but the 49ers are a different kind of animal. Offensively they have an outstanding line and great playmakers. Defensively, the Niners are so physical and tackle so well. Of course, that also describes the Eagles. The difference is at quarterback. I just trust Jalen Hurts against the Niners more than a really game Brock Purdy against those Eagles. Eagles by 6

BENGALS at CHIEFS

This game is so hard to pick. Will the Chiefs really lose four straight games in 13 months to these Bengals? Both quarterbacks are elite, defenses playing well and everything is clicking. My main concern is Patrick Mahomes' ankle. Will he be able to make those off script plays against a defensive front that has played well in the playoffs. Bengals by 3.

Sportz' NFL Divisional Picks

Last week I went 4-2 with the Vikings and Chargers letting me down. 

JAGUARS at CHIEFS

The Chiefs have a week of rest while the Jags are coming off one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history. That won't happen this week. Chiefs by 13.

GIANTS at EAGLES

Man, this is tough. I have felt the Eagles have been the best team over the first 14 or so weeks of the season. Once Jalen Hurts went out, things have changed. The Giants have become more comfortable in who they are at the moment, but I still like Philly in this one. I think the week off has allowed Hurts to get a bit more healed up.  Eagles by 4.

BENGALS at BILLS

This is the first meeting between Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, making this the best QB showdown of the weekend. The key will be if Allen can stop turning the ball over. He got away with it against Miami last week but won't against Cincinnati. I'm trusting Allen protects the football and gets the win. Bills by 4.

COWBOYS at 49ERS

To me, the Niners are better than the Cowboys everywhere ... except at quarterback. While I'm not the biggest fan of Dak Prescott, this is easily the toughest opponent and defense that the rookie Purdy has faced over his short career. The key is if Dallas can make him feel uncomfortable and puts real pressure on him to make plays. They will, but not to the point where it really damages San Francisco's offense.  49ers by 7.

Looking At Who Has Quarterback Questions Heading Into the Offseason

So, let's get at it.

NO PROBLEM AT ALL

CHIEFS: Patrick Mahomes is likely the NFL MVP for 2022.

EAGLES: Jalen Hurts had an MVP-like season.

BILLS: Josh Allen.

BENGALS: Joe Burrow.

CHARGERS: Justin Herbert.

JAGUARS: Trevor Lawrence.

COWBOYS: Dak Prescott. Despite all of the noise surrounding him, Dak will be back. He's their guy. 

VIKINGS: Kirk Cousins isn't the most popular Viking right now, but he's their guy. 

SEAHAWKS: It would seem that Geno Smith is the guy for now in Seattle. 

BROWNS: Deshaun Watson. They spent a lot of money and draft picks on him and hope a full offseason can knock off the ton of rust he showed in 2022. 

STEELERS: Kenny Pickett was their first round pick last year and nearly led Pittsburgh to the playoffs. 

BRONCOS: Russell Wilson may have had a horrendous season, but he's got to be the guy with all the money and resources used to obtain him last offseason. 

BEARS: Chicago may be the worst team in the league and own the No. 1 overall pick, but they won't be using that pick to draft a quarterback. They are all in with Justin Fields. 



A LITTLE BIT OF A QUESTION

DOLPHINS: You would think that Tua Tagovailoa would be the starter, but his concussion issues bring some real world questions about his health going forward. And don't forget that the Dolphins are losing their first round pick in the upcoming draft because they were tampering with Tom Brady.

GIANTS: It seems as if Daniel Jones has proven himself to be the guy for New York, but it is far from a done deal, contract wise. I expect it to get done, but it isn't 100%.

PATRIOTS: Mac Jones regressed last year, but that could be due to New England's messy offensive coaching and play-calling setup. It's doubtful New England looks to make a move right now. 

LIONS: If I wrote this over a month ago, the Lions certainly wouldn't be in this slot. But Jared Goff had a fantastic second half to the season and darn near put Detroit in the playoffs after a 1-6 start. Goff was once the top overall pick and started a Super Bowl so it isn't like he is a bum. 

FALCONS: I'm guessing Desmond Ridder will be given the opportunity to blossom next season. I doubt they draft anyone early in the upcoming draft, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't consider a later round pick. They also could look to bring in a veteran to mentor Ridder. It should be Ridder's job no matter what they do. 

RAMS: This is Matt Stafford's team, but is he in the phase of his career where he'll be missing more time during the season? Baker Mayfield looked pretty good in Stafford's absence, but who could parlay that into a starting opportunity elsewhere. 

CARDINALS: With Kyler Murray down with a knee injury, he could miss a sizeable chunk of the 2023 season. So Arizona will need to figure out who their guy will be in Murray's absence. A Jacoby Brissett type job. 

DECISIONS TO MAKE

RAVENS: The Lamar Jackson saga has reached an ugly turn due to Jackson missing the end of the season and unavailable for Baltimore's playoff game against Cincinnati. With his contract status up in the air and the possibility of the franchise tag being used, this will be one of the main storylines of the offseason. 

BUCCANEERS: Is the Tom Brady era over in Tampa? That will be the question for the second straight season. Will he retire? Will he look to go somewhere else (Miami? Tennessee? Las Vegas?) for a better shot at a championship? Is there any possibility he returns? After that absolute dud of a playoff performance against Dallas, that doesn't seem to be the case. 

PACKERS: Does Aaron Rodgers retire? He sure looked like he was retiring the way he left Green Bay's final game of the season. Of course, he could decide to come back for another season with the Packers ... or he wants to play but the Packers may decide that it is time to go with Jordan Love and move on from A-Rodg. Another major offseason storyline.

49ERS: This is one of the weirdest situations in the league. Trey Lance was the No. 3 overall pick that the Niners traded up for, but who missed most of 2022 with an injury and was already a bit of a project. Jimmy Garopollo was the starter most of the year before he became injured. And, well, everyone just loves what Brock Purdy is doing right now in San Francisco. Jimmy G likely moves on and then a decision will need to be made about Purdy and Lance. I mean, it has to be Purdy, right?

TITANS: Look, Ryan Tannehill is expensive and the Titans can get out from under that this offseason. But Tennessee could stick with Tannehill, especially with Malik Willis clearly not ready. 

COMMANDERS: Word is that the Commanders' brass is telling potential candidates for offensive coordinator that Sam Howell is the plan for next season. Howell showed a lot in college and came off well in his lone playing time (Week 18) during the 2022 season. Expect them to lock in an experienced backup or retain Taylor Heinecke. 

SAINTS: The salary cap limits what New Orleans could do in free agency. Right now, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Taysom Hill don't seem to be long term solutions but they may have to run it back with one or more of those guys. If not, they may be on the market to look at a Baker Mayfield or Carson Wentz to be a stop gap. Yeah. So maybe running it back is not a horrible option. 

LOOKING FOR A BRAND NEW GUY

JETS: Sure, there may be an attempt to save Zach Wilson's career, but he's shine is all but gone from the fans and his teammates. With some bigger names out on the market and the Jets with a roster that can contend for a deep playoff run, New York will likely look for a better option. 

RAIDERS: All we do know is that Vegas is done with Derek Carr. Carr will be one of the top free agent quarterbacks for several of the teams in this category, but Las Vegas doesn't want him back. Is his replacement Jarret Stidham the answer? Eh. Rumors of everyone from Tom Brady to Aaron Rodgers will stick in Sin City until we get that answer. 

TEXANS: Houston is at rock bottom right now. They need a new coach, new quarterback and lots of talent. They also have the No. 2 pick in the draft and look to draft their next franchise quarterback. 

COLTS: Well, the Matt Ryan experiment ... among other experiments that went on in Naptown ... didn't work and now they need a new plan. And a new coach. With the fourth pick in the draft, expect the Colts to look for their future QB there. 

PANTHERS: Carolina has one of the most interesting quarterback cases in the NFL. Who will be their guy? Sam Darnold looked okay towards the end of the season as Carolina had a real shot at reaching the playoffs. PJ Walker likely isn't the guy. Could Matt Corrall, the rookie who missed all of 2022 with an injury, be looked at as the future hope for the Panthers? There is also the possibility that Carolina could be willing to trade up to draft someone. 

Sportz' NFL Wildcard Picks

The NFL Playoffs start this weekend, so here we go:

SEAHAWKS at 49ERS

Alright, is Brock Purdy ready for this? Is Geno Smith? Seattle combined for just 20 points in the two meetings this season. I think the Niners defense gets it done again. Niners by 9

CHARGERS at JAGUARS

Two young quarterbacks making their first playoff appearances of what both franchise hope to be a regular occurrence. I just like what's around Justin Herbert than what's around Trevor Lawrence. Chargers by 4.

DOLPHINS at BILLS

I picked the Bills to win the Super Bowl with my preseason predictions so I'm riding with them. Miami is starting Skylar Thompson so I think Buffalo flexes its muscle.  Bills by 11

GIANTS at VIKINGS

Basically the question is, "do you trust Minnesota"? I do for this game, and this game only.  Vikings by 3.

RAVENS at BENGALS

Like the Dolphins, the Ravens will be without their top quarterback as Lamar Jackson. This is a rubber match for these AFC North foes, and I think the Bengals beat Baltimore for the second straight week. Bengals by 7.

COWBOYS at BUCCANEERS

What's funny about this game is that we are seeing two of the biggest brands in the NFL facing each other (Brady vs Cowboys) but both are coming into this game not on the best of terms. Tampa Bay is an 8-9 division champ while the Cowboys looked awful in a loss to the Commanders last week. Dallas is more talented, but they can say that most weeks (like against Washington) and it doesn't always work out. Cowboys by 8.

NFL Hot Seat 2022

 The cheer of the holiday season makes way for the harsh reality that NFL head coaches will be fired in a couple of weeks. There is no shortage of disappointments this year and there could be a large amount of job openings looming. Here is where I expect those to happen:

COLTS

Duh, since they've already fired Frank Reich earlier this season and hired Jeff Saturday off of ESPN's desks to come in and take over. The Saturday experiment likely won't last to 2023 so the Colts will be looking for a new coach ... and another new quarterback.

PANTHERS

Carolina fired Matt Rhule early in the season, but Steve Wilks has kinda turned the season around. They aren't really good by any stretch, but he's playing to the team's strengths and they are a) competing and b) winning enough games to have a shot at winning the NFC South. Carolina will be sort of tearing it all down next season (they already traded away Christian McCaffery and dumped Baker Mayfield) so who knows where their head is at in regards to keeping Wilks

BRONCOS

Denver has been an unmitigated disaster this season and the financial promises to Russell Wilson means he's not going anywhere. Hackett not only has run a miserable offense but the team has been so dysfunctional (they seem to get into a sideline fight every week) that it is clear he has lost control of this thing. Amazing how this was a buzz team to win a Super Bowl when the season started and now they are one of the more lost franchises out there.  

CARDINALS

There are already reports that Kliff Kingsbury will resign when the season is over, and from his body language in the Cardinals' loss to the Buccaneers he already looks like he's already packed up to move out. Arizona was a disappointment before they lost Kyler Murray for the season and next year could be just as rough with the expectation that he'll miss most of the season. I had a small feeling that the Cardinals would keep Kingbury on just one more year since it would be difficult to break in a new coach without having your franchise quarterback but it seems the decision has already been made.

TEXANS

No one knows why Lovie Smith was hired in the first place and he's proved the doubters right with the worst record in the NFL. Of course, that isn't all on Smith. They have no quarterback and the team has lost a lot of their top talent (Watson, Hopkins, Watt) over the last few seasons that the roster is pretty bare. On Smith's side is that the Texans have competed all season long despite not having the talent to win a lot of games. However, this has the look of a team that will draft a quarterback with the top pick and will want a new coach to come in and work with him. 

CHARGERS

This is so tough. There are many people who really like Brandon Staley ... and there are many others who have no idea why he does the things he does. Even though the Chargers will likely be in the playoffs despite a slew of injuries, it seems like the season is a disappointment. Like a lot of decisions on this list, the coaching job will tie to the quarterback for the foreseeable future. Justin Herbert is due to get paid and the Chargers will need to make a decision about who they want as their coach going forward. 

RAMS

There's no way Los Angeles is firing Sean McVay, but there is a chance he hangs it up and heads into broadcasting. There was a though that he could do that after the Rams won the Super Bowl in February but the team had a "run it back" sentiment in the offseason. Instead, the Rams looked fat and happy and weren't really competing at a high level even before Matthew Stafford's injury (which has some really big questions surrounding it). Maybe the guys who thought about hanging it up last offseason will do so this year. Maybe McVay heads to the booth. 

RAIDERS

It was starting to look like Josh McDaniels just isn't cut out to be a head coach, but the Raiders have gone on a late run. Of course, those games have been very fluky so you don't want to put too much stock into the end results when there seems to be issues below the surface. I don't see McDaniels as a one-and-done guy, but it may be better for everybody if Las Vegas gets a new coach and McDaniels heads back to run the Patriots offense.  

SAINTS

Another one-and-done possibility? The Saints join the Broncos as teams whose seasons really went wrong fast. We know that their franchise quarterback isn't in the building. Andy Dalton will continue to be a solid backup quarterback but he's no longer a guy that can take you places. If Jameis Winston was the answer, well, he'd be playing. The NFC South is really ugly and the Saints haven't been able to take advantage of that (though at 6-9 are still in the playoff hunt). This looks to be headed to a rebuild situation and I'm not sure Allen could survive that. Then again, they may just decide to give him one more year as a babysitter for the team (a Lovie Smith situation). 

FALCONS

Like the entire division, the Falcons may be looking at replacing their head coach. Arthur Smith's offenses haven't been very good, and that's why he's there. Sure, Matt Ryan showed us all how old he was and Marcus Mariota was an interesting starter for 2022, while Desmond Ridder has yet to show us much. I think Smith may get one more year, but he better show a ton of progress. 

BUCCANEERS

The fact of the matter is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were build to make a Super Bowl run this year. That's the way this roster is constructed and the reason Tom Brady un-retired. Sure, injuries to the offensive line early on hurt, but this hasn't looked anything like the team Bruce Arians ran the past few years and not one that Brady is going to win another title with. That begs the question: what will this team look like next year? If Brady retires or decides to walk to another team, does the roster get tore down? If so, does Todd Bowles survive that? Heck, if Brady comes back does he ask for a replacement for Bowles? This just doesn't seem to be working out, but how long do they keep trying? 

BROWNS

Okay, so Kevin Stefanski just got Deshaun Watson to play with after nearly two years away from football. He likely gets to have a full season with Watson, even though it has gotten off to a slow start. If the final two weeks look ugly against the Commanders and Steelers, then a change may be warranted. 

COMMANDERS

There is a lot to unpack here. First off, the team has been streaky all season. After starting 1-4, Washington went 6-1 over its next seven games before going 0-2-1 the last three weeks. Games at home to the Browns and Cowboys aren't easy, and Washington could look at a similar collapse like they had last season, which could cost Ron Rivera his job. Still, there is a lot to be said for what Rivera has done as the head coach of a franchise that had to navigate COVID, power through all the Daniel Snyder crap that seems to pop up every couple of weeks and having one of the weirdest quarterback situations any head coach has seen over a three year period (Dwayne Haskins, Alex Smith and his shattered leg, Ryan Fitzpatrick's hip injury less than a half of a game, Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinecke). Also, there is the universal assumption that the Commanders will have a new owner by next spring ... which could mean Rivera's job is safe for one more season at least. 

JETS

Robert Saleh has made some questionable moves on the field and comments off the field but this team feels like a quarterback away from making noise in the AFC next year. I think he's likely to stick around for 2023.

COWBOYS

Say what you want about Jerry Jones, but he's been loyal to his coaches of late. Unless Mike McCarthy embarrasses Jones, he'll likely be back once again in '23.

Who Could Possibly Be NFL's Week 18 Flex?

As the NFL's Week 16 begins in full today on Christmas Eve, it is fun to speculate what the Week 18 Sunday Night Football flex game will be. As you know, the NFL attempts to place the final game of the season as one that has meaning to the postseason. There are a couple of candidates.

TITANS AT JAGUARS

With Jacksonville's win over the Jets on Thursday, they are just a Week 17 win over the lowly Texans from making this a battle for the AFC South crown. The Jags are currently a half game back of the Titans and currently own the tiebreaker. As long as they are within a game of one another in the standings and this game will matter. This is the heavy contender for the Week 18 flex game. 

BUCCANEERS AT FALCONS

This actually could be for the NFC South championship and an automatic playoff spot. Right now, the Buccaneers have a one game lead over the Falcons, Panthers and Saints and ... depending on how the next two weeks go ... this could be for all the division marbles. It is not unusual to have a bad division anoint their champion on the final game of the season. Just two years ago, the Washington Football Team needed to beat the Eagles to clinch the NFC East with a 7-9 record.

RAVENS AT BENGALS

By the time we get to this game, both teams will have clinched a playoff spot. The Bengals already have and the Ravens are on the verge of doing so themselves.  However, this could be for the AFC North title and have meaning as it pertains to seeding. Right now, the Bengals are 10-4 and the Ravens are 9-5 with Baltimore winning their first meeting and the winner of the division likely lands the No. 3 seed and the loser goes on the road to face the AFC South champ.

COWBOYS AT COMMANDERS

Dallas may not be playing for anything on this day and the Commanders (with that tie) could need a lot of stuff to go on around them to make this game matter. If that does happen, the NFL would love to have the Cowboys in this game against a big rival.

JETS AT DOLPHINS

This could be a thing. The Jets have fallen out of the playoffs right now and the Dolphins are on a skid themselves, but still are holding on to the final postseason spot. The Jets won the first meeting, meaning another win gives them the tiebreaker if they both tie for that last spot.

LIONS AT PACKERS

Wouldn't this be a dream for NBC? Aaron Rodgers with a chance to forge a way into a playoff spot and taking on the Lions who has turned a 1-6 record into a 7-7 mark. Detroit won the first meeting but it may be a stretch to think Green Bay will be able to fight back to still be alive in a couple weeks.

BILLS AT PATRIOTS

Doubtful for this one because there is a lot that would need to happen earlier in the day to make this one matter. The NFL typically doesn't like to try to guess that things break a certain way for this game to matter but instead have this game run simultaneously with the other games that impact this playoff spot. Plus, who knows if the Bills have the top seed wrapped up and won't even need this game.

Playoff Expansion Won't Take Away These Snubbed Conversations

Honestly, there has only been a few times where there was a huge outcry about a team being snubbed in the College Football Playoff. Typically they get it right even if there are a few disagreements from those who feel left out. That will likely not be the case when the Playoff expands to 12 teams soon. 

Usually the top four teams are fairly easy to identify because the criteria is so strict that you are debating a small amount of flaws between a small amount of schools. But when you are starting to split hairs between teams with multiple losses across a variety of conferences then it could get really dicey.

Going into this week's championship weekend, Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC are pretty much universally agreed to be the schools most deserving of receiving the four berths. If they all win their conference titles this weekend, there will be no drama from the Selection Committee. Of course, if any of them lose then there will be a lot of debate about who deserves to get in, but that pool of prospects will revolve around a couple of candidates. 

Now let's look at how chaotic the 12-team format will make this process. For starters, the top ranked six conference champions are guaranteed a Playoff spot. Typically that would be the champs from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC plus the top ranked Group of 5 champ. Typically. The other six berths go to wildcard teams. Forget that we have the championship games on Saturday for a moment and just look at those six wildcard teams according to the current rankings. It would have Ohio State (ranked 5th), Alabama (6th), Tennessee (7th), Penn State (8th), Kansas State (10th) and Utah (11th) in the Playoff. The "first four out" would be Washington, Florida State, LSU and Oregon State.

LSU could state that they have beaten Alabama. Florida State then says, "yeah, but we beat LSU". Washington really hasn't beaten anybody except Oregon and Oregon State. Factor in the fact that the "next four our" consists of Oregon, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas and you realize the Pac-12 just has a cycle of who beat who. Meanwhile, South Carolina beat Tennessee and Clemson (who would be Playoff teams in this scenario) in back to back games.  

Now let's add those championship games back in and assume those games' favorites (Clemson, Michigan, TCU, USC and Georgia ... along with Tulane) win those conference titles. That adds losses to Kansas State and Utah (who are holding onto Playoff spots) as well as LSU (in that "first four out" scenario). Now how do you cut that? Kansas State, Utah and LSU would have four losses. Could Washington or Florida State work their way back in? Or could Utah (who currently is the only school to beat one of the current Playoff placeholders) cry foul that they had to beat USC twice to get a playoff spot. Would losing a conference championship be held against you as a normal loss?

Now, think about an upset. 

Imagine Purdue, who isn't ranked anywhere in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, beats Michigan. First off, would they then become one of the six highest ranked conference champs? Probably, though it would make for an interesting conversation if we had two really stout Group of 5 champs ... like last year with Cincinnati, Louisiana and Utah State. Second, that would then vault Clemson into a first round bye. Yeah ... 8th-ranked Clemson. What if Kansas State upsets TCU? Then Kansas State would also likely receive a bye. How far would Michigan and TCU fall? Michigan couldn't possibly fall below Ohio State who they spanked in Columbus just last week, right? That's also a huge deal because four schools get to host first round games so how they rank will be extremely vital.

Right now, Clemson is ranked 9th and Penn State 8th which means Clemson would have to travel north to play a cold weather game instead of in the warmth of South Carolina. Hey, that's part of the deal and something I am looking forward to ... but let's break down why Penn State would be ranked ahead of Clemson for a moment.

Both Clemson and Penn State have two losses. Clemson's were to South Carolina (18th) and Notre Dame (21st) while Penn State's were to No. 2 Michigan and No. 5 Ohio State. Clemson has beaten Florida State (13th) and NC State (25th) while Penn State has beaten zero ranked teams. Sure, Penn State lost to better teams than Clemson but they haven't beaten anybody either. Clemson also in this scenario would be ACC champions. That must be a huge tiebreaker when considering who gets to host this game. Penn State finished 3rd in their division.

The NCAA tournament has 68 teams and has similar debates about who gets No. 1 seeds, who got left out of the dance and where teams were seeded. Even a 12 team format in football will have those exact same debates except there will be the added drama of byes and home field games. Of course, the debates mean that we care and that their event and sport are being discussed. That's always a good thing.   

What Would the 12-Team Playoff Look Like With the Committee's Second Ranking?

 The College Football Playoff has announced their second ranking, so let's see how that would shake out with the future 12-team format.

BYES
1-Georgia
2-Ohio State
3-TCU
4-Oregon

FIRST ROUND
12-Tulane at 5-Michigan
11-Ole Miss at 6-Tennessee
10-Clemson at 7-LSU
9-Alabama at 8-USC

SECOND ROUND
USC/Alabama at 1-Georgia
LSU/Clemson at 2-Ohio State
Tennessee/Ole Miss at 3-TCU
Michigan/Tulane at 4-Oregon

So, what makes this interesting? For one, there's Alabama and Clemson right in the mix despite everyone declaring them dead. History doesn't mean anything when dealing with today's college teams, but know Georgia would have to play Alabama in a quarterfinal game is both exciting and feeling unfair. We'd also get Tennessee ... who was the top team last week ... playing the team the committee didn't respect in TCU. And due to the championship mandate of the byes, Michigan (No. 3) would play Oregon (No. 4) in the quarterfinal.