The Southbound Sports Show: Recent Episodes
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The Big 12 conference is putting its name on the market which will leave only the Big Ten remaining with Big in its name. We go through questions that have been asked over the past few weeks and still think that the media pushing the Mavs was a way to sway gambling lines.
The Boston Celtics are two wins away from another NBA championship. The Florida Panthers are doing their best to keep the Stanley Cup out of Canada. Mike Tomlin received a three-year extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Caitlin Clark was snubbed from women's basketball Olympic team.
Caitlin Clark has been attacked on court during her first season in the WNBA without getting calls from the refs. The Celtics are back in the NBA finals looking for redemption against the Mavs. James Franklin was successfully sued by a team doctor that alleged he influenced medical decisions.
Utah has shot down rumors of them being interested in joining the ACC while the NCAA agrees to pay players. EA Sports is paying teams based on their performance in the AP poll and the Big Ten distributed more money than the SEC once again. Alabama, Louisville, NC State, and UNC are jumping up to division one in hockey once they can find additional teams to form a conference.
The video game EA College Football 25 has been confirmed for a summer release with its first trailer. The trailer didn't show any gameplay which is alarming. Penn State is starting a 700 million-dollar renovation project on Beaver Stadium. The UFL regular season is already over which is an issue with having divisions and only eight teams.
The ACC has started spring meetings and said Florida State has been cordial. There are rumors that Florida State and Clemson will leave the conference even if they do not have a landing spot. The future NFL and college football schedules are being released with primetime matchups being set at noon.
The Arena Football League has been removed from the NFL Network after striking a deal earlier this year. Teams are shutting down in the middle of the season after complaints of not receiving equipment. Meanwhile, the UFL is battling back with games hitting over a million viewers in week six.
The NFL draft had some head-scratching moments with the Atlanta Falcons taking Penix being the most bizarre. The Michigan Wolverines had the most players drafted with the other playoff teams and Florida State rounding out the top five.
NFL draft week is here with five quarterbacks being predicted to be chosen at the top of the draft. There are many rumors of teams trading down so it should make for an exciting draft. Spring football games were played with some opting for a touch version of a game instead of tackle which doesn't make for great television.
Caitlin Clark was drafted as the overall number one pick in the WNBA and most people were shocked at how little she made compared to other professions. The NHL playoff race is very tight and the NCAA gives Michigan double secret probation.
Caitlin Clark caused the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team to have the most-watched basketball game of the year. Beating the NBA and men's college basketball. John Calipari announced he is leaving Kentucky and is rumored to take the job at Arkansas. The UFL saw its tv ratings drop below a million viewers a game while the NFL continues to focus on Jim Harbaugh.
The UFL kicked off its season going against the college basketball tournaments. NC State has advanced to the Final Four in both women's and men's basketball. Michigan avenged its loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament to make it to the Frozen Four for the third consecutive year.
NC State has made an unexpected run to the Sweet Sixteen as the media tries to keep the ACC together. Michigan steals a basketball coach from Louisville. Ohtani is caught in a gambling scandal. The NFL changes the kickoff rules to a variation of the XFL rules.
The Steelers have traded for Justin Fields after acquiring Russell Wilson and are now linked to Justin Jefferson. They are trying to win now while the Vikings are entering a full rebuild. The ACC has been named in another lawsuit as Clemson tries to leave along with Florida State.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Russell Wilson for cheap with the Broncos paying the bulk of his salary. The Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Panthers. Kirk Cousins signs with the Falcons. Nick Saban is still complaining about NIL.
The Big Ten is rumored to expand again before the 2026 college football season as the conference looks to lock in more autobids for the playoffs. The NFL teams are making cuts with Russell Wilson being the biggest trade bust in NFL history. The NFL combine had most players only compete in a handful of events.
Tyreek Hill breaks a woman's leg doing football drills in his yard. The NFL combine results are in with no player ranked as a Pro Bowl talent or better. Michigan set a record with the most players invited to the combine with eighteen. The ACC accuses Florida State of a felony.
The college football playoff committee has changed the number of automatic bids for conference champions to five. Florida State has court dates scheduled to battle the ACC while ESPN looks to spin off its own channels into a separate streaming package.
Taylor Swift was able to make it back from Japan to watch the Chiefs win the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. The 49ers blew another lead in the big game with some questionable coaching decisions. ESPN is looking to lock in the rights for the college football playoffs going forward.
The flag football version of the NFL Pro Bowl was one of the worst football presentations on television, ever. The NCAA is facing lawsuits from Tennessee and Virginia while Dartmouth considers its basketball players employees.
After some miracle plays, the Chiefs and 49ers prevail to move on to the Super Bowl. Jim Harbaugh jumps back to the NFL with the Chargers as Sherrone Moore is promoted to head coach at Michigan. The Steelers are looking to hire Arthur Smith as OC.
The NFL hiring process has been extended this year as teams give multiple candidates 2nd round interviews. The Detroit Lions make the NFC Championship game for just the 2nd time after a weekend full of missed field goals. Wikipedia has been changing the national championship claims for several schools even though the NCAA fully recognizes them.
The Packers upset the Cowboys as Dallas once again lost early in the playoffs. The Steelers vs Bills game was delayed due to a snowstorm and fans had to shovel snow out of their own seats. Coaching rumors are heating up again as Harbaugh is interviewing with the NFL and Alabama hired DeBoer.
The Michigan Wolverines won the national championship over the Washington Huskies. Nick Saban announced his retirement. Pete Carroll was forced to step down. The Bears retain their coach. The Steelers have a quarterback controversy.
The Michigan Wolverines finished an amazing season with a national championship win over the Washington Huskies. The Wolverines rushed for more yards than the Huskies' entire offense was able to gain as they cruised to a 34-13 win.
Michigan takes down Alabama in the Rose Bowl while Washington beats Texas to set up a new-look Big Ten showdown in the national championship game. The Florida State Seminoles embarrass themselves against Georgia to leave the national championship game to decide the undisputed national champion. The NFL has a controversy of its own after the refs denied the Lions a game-winning two-point conversion of the Cowboys. Christian McCaffrey takes down a lot of fantasy football championship teams.
The NFL had a slate of games over Christmas weekend with the focus turning towards officiating once again. The Raiders are on a roll as they look for a new head coach and fantasy football is coming to an end. College football conspiracies have taken over bowl season with many asking for a change to the transfer schedule as more players opt out.
The NFL still has issues with replays and getting the calls right after not giving the Jaguars a clear touchdown. The Chargers gave up and ruined a lot of fantasy football playoff games. The college football bowl season is another disappointment after continuous opt-outs from players across the country.
Fantasy football playoffs are here with NFL teams fighting for a playoff spot. ESPN says that Florida State fans are not upset anymore about missing the playoffs while they are looking to get out of the ACC. Bowl game predictions are here as we close in on one of the last bowl games.
Florida State was screwed out of a chance for a national championship by the college football playoff committee highlighting the issues with the playoff format going forward. The ACC now has additional pressure on it to stay together after it was passed over for an SEC team.
Michigan beat Ohio State for the third year in a row but the Buckeyes stay at number six in the college football playoff poll. Experts are saying Florida State will drop out of the playoffs if Alabama upsets Georgia because they think the ACC is weak. The Steelers offense put up better numbers but still had trouble scoring points.
Matt Canada is fired. Deshaun Watson breaks his shoulder and will miss the rest of the season. The Big Ten ends its investigation into Michigan after Jim Harbaugh accepts his three-game suspension. Jordan Travis suffers a season-ending leg injury that ESPN continues to show throughout the game.
The Big Ten officially suspended Jim Harbaugh for three games and Michigan was still able to beat Penn State on the road. Michigan has a hearing against the Big Ten on Friday as the regents explore leaving the conference. Coaches across college football and the NFL including Jimbo Fisher are getting fired.
The Big Ten sent a formal notification letter to Michigan regarding the sign-stealing allegations. Meanwhile, a former coach sent a shared spreadsheet of Michigan's signs to the AP claiming the allegation against Harbaugh is overblown. The NBA is going head-to-head with the NFL with its new in-season tournament where players play for money.
The NFL trade deadline saw a good number of deals go through including Chase Young to the 49ers and Rasul Douglas to the Bills. Michigan is still under investigation while it looks like Harbaugh is likely to sign a contract extension. The first college football playoff ranking has Ohio State as number one as predicted.
The Michigan Wolverines are under investigation for stealing signals and is scheduled to meet with the NCAA this Thursday. Information is still coming out. The Rams cut their starting kicker even though he is one of the leaders in fantasy points scored this week.
Major League Baseball is seeing their top teams getting eliminated due to the extended time off during the opening round bye week. College football faces the same issue with neutral site games after an extended layoff while lower seeds will get another home game to stay in game shape. Penn State travels to Ohio State to determine the pecking order in the Big Ten while Notre Dame and Pitt eliminate the Pac-12 and the ACC from receiving multiple bids to the playoffs.
The Atlanta Braves beat the Phillies on a spectacular double play to end the game and the stadium light show put everyone in the dark. The Big Ten has been taking a page from the NFL and giving injury reports on gameday which makes it easier to follow. The 49ers seem to be the top team in the NFC. Miami loses to Georgia Tech after not taking a knee to end the game.
NFL fans are complaining about the games being rigged because Patrick Mahomes slid near the goalline instead of going for the score to cover the spread. The Tiger King is fighting Jordan Travis over his use of his trademark term. The XFL and USFL have announced a merger for next season.
The Green Bay Packers came back from a 0-17 deficit to beat the Saints. The NFL is seeing major players continue to miss time with injuries. The Dolphins put up 70 points on the Broncos. Florida State beats Clemson for the first time in years and Ohio State squeaked out a win against Notre Dame.
The COO of the Virginia International Raceway blamed festival attendees for the poor conditions of the Blue Ridge Rock Festival. The Blue Ridge Rock Festival said they are working on providing refunds but have not given any further updates. The NFL is seeing another spike in injuries and is using data-driven information to prevent them. Top college football programs decided to sleepwalk through week three while Travis Hunter was injured on a late hit.
Aaron Rodgers will be out for the season after tearing his Achilles tendon. The Cowboys destroyed the Giants. Alabama doesn't look good in a loss to Texas. Mel Tucker is suspended at Michigan State over a sexual assault allegation case.
Colorado headlined a weekend with some crazy upsets. The ACC looks like it is up to Florida State to win. The commercial times have increased from last year due to the clock changes. The NFL season is about to begin.
Colorado headlined a weekend with some crazy upsets. The ACC looks like it is up to Florida State to win. The commercial times have increased from last year due to the clock changes. The NFL season is about to begin.
The college football season kicked off without intriguing matchups in week zero. The NIL era is still giving the NCAA trouble as they do not consistently apply penalties. The NFL is making roster cuts but there doesn't seem to be a lot of recognizable names among the players being cut.
Fantasy football drafts are starting to take place so we look at the top players from each position group and some potential sleeper candidates. Wisconsin is changing its offense to the Air Raid in the run-heavy Big Ten. Stanford is looking to give up its media rights in exchange for joining a new conference and relying on its endowment to fund its athletic teams.
The NFL preseason is in full swing with teams naming their starters and others making moves before the season starts. We look at key fantasy players and what roster moves affect them going into the season. The ACC votes to stop a merger with the Pac-12 and no other team makes a move to leave before the deadline.
The Big Ten has expanded to 18 teams after accepting Oregon and Washington from the Pac-12. The Big 12 took Utah, Arizona, and Arizona State leaving only four teams to make a Pac-4. The NFL preseason started with the Hall of Fame game which didn't even feature a lot of the star players for either team.
The Colorado Buffaloes are re-joining the Big 12 after television negotiations with the Pac 12 were disappointing. The Pac 12 now looks to Apple TV and streaming as a main part of its revenue. Florida State and Clemson are looking to leave the ACC. The Denver Broncos are losing players to injury as Sean Payton takes shots at the coaching from last season.
NFL contracts are getting signs with Justin Herbert and Trevon Diggs leading the way. Popular NFL running backs go together to complain about their contract situations. Jim Harbaugh faces a potential four-game suspension for recruiting violations to start the season.
Hopkins has signed with the Titans giving new life to Derrick Henry in fantasy football. Northwestern players try to fight back but time is not on their side. The Tennessee Volunteers escape significant punishment after getting caught paying players.
Pat Fitzgerald gets fired by Northwestern after a student report detailed hazing going back to the mid-2000s. Fitzgerald was originally placed on leave for two weeks after an investigation found he had no prior knowledge of the hazing. Bob Huggins tells WVU that he never officially retired.
The new fiscal year has created a new look Big 12 with even smaller stadiums and brands. The USFL championship game is a dud because of the lopsided divisions. ESPN makes massive layoffs while the Pac 12 is still looking for a new television deal.
The offseason is in full swing with the college world series ending. Les Miles had to vacate wins after playing an ineligible player. Former quarterback Ryan Mallet dies in a drowning accident and Leonard Fournette has his car catch fire on the highway.
EA Sports is hit with a lawsuit over the upcoming college football video game. The Blue Chip Ratio is seeing major inflation. Bob Huggins is out as the coach of West Virginia and the NFL is doubling down on restricting gambling in the league.
The Olympics is sponsoring an Esports competition. The Nuggets win their first NBA championship as Vegas wins their first Stanley Cup. The USFL is as unbalanced as the SEC and the Big Ten. We also have created an official We're Back tracker for the upcoming college football season.
Summer lifting programs have started now that the school year has ended. The USFL television ratings are not looking good while the Ironman competition suffered a fatal camera crew accident. The NFL is investigating gambling issues while college football realignment rumors spin out of control with Miami and Notre Dame being admitted into the AAU.
The Boston Celtics battled back from an 0-3 deficit against the Heat only to lose in game seven. Tom Brady now owns a part of the Raiders with speculation starting that he could play again if Garoppolo isn't able to play. ESPN does not want to pay the SEC more money if they move to a nine-game schedule while the Big Ten selections by NBC for prime time are underwhelming.
The conference finals series in both the NHL and the NBA could end in sweeps as the major market teams are getting eliminated. Big Ben said he hoped Kenny Pickett would be a bust. Pat Narduzzi calls out Deion Sanders over his roster management and the Pac-12 draws closer to an announcement on their television deal.
The XFL championship game delivered weak ratings while the Celtics came back to defeat the 76ers. The NFL schedule has been announced with one playoff game being broadcast online. The NCAA television picks are in while seven teams from the ACC explore breaking their own television contract.
The Heat are a threat in the NBA playoffs as an 8-seed and the Lakers are becoming favorites as a 7-seed. The NFL is suffering a hangover after the draft and Iowa has college athletes under investigation for gambling on sports.
The NFL Draft saw quarterbacks go high once again after a year off. Bryce Young was the first player taken and the Texans made moves to get the second and third pick. The XFL playoffs featured a major upset as Big Game Bob Stoops has his team playing in the championship game.
The NFL Draft is about to kick off with uncertainty on the overall number one pick. Former Ohio State quarterback failures are causing Stroud to drop. The Big Ten is hiring officials away from the Pac-12. Transfer season has started after college football spring games have wrapped up with a ton of new names in the portal.
The Eagles sign Hurts to a five-year, $255 million contract that makes him the highest-paid player in the NFL. Steelers are finalizing a trade for Allen Robinson II. The Big Ten teams looked shaky in their spring football games. People are accusing the XFL of being rigged as it heads up against the USFL.
YouTube TV has announced prices for the NFL Sunday Ticket and while the package can be purchased without a subscription, the prices are still higher than the DirecTV version. DC and Houston have clinched playoff berths in the XFL. The ACC extends its commissioner while the Big Ten makes its hire. Kingsbury returns to college to coach at USC.
The NFL is in full offseason mode with teams focusing on the draft with potential trades. The XFL has a ratings decline again but they are still leading television ratings each week in their time slot. The NCAA women's and men's basketball tournaments were marred in controversy over poor officiating.
Lamar Jackson asked the Ravens for a trade. Aaron Rodgers might have to wait until July to be traded to the Jets. XFL numbers are staying competitive. Questions about parity in the NCAA have started after all of the top seeds have been eliminated from the NCAA basketball tournament.
The XFL is struggling to promote the league while having poor ratings. The Aaron Rodgers deal is still waiting to go through while Lamar Jackson looks to cash in on free agency. The Big Ten chokes again in the NCAA tournament with Purdue being the second number one seed to lose to a sixteen seed.
Aaron Rodgers has been traded to the Jets while the Dolphins and 49ers also make moves for a new quarterback. Lamar Jackson is holding out for more money while Jimmy Garoppolo signs with the Raiders. The NCAA tournament bracket is set while expanded tournament talks heat up again.
The Saints make Derek Carr the backup for Jameis Winston while Lamar Jackson gets the franchise tag. Daniel Jones signs a new deal while the Jets meet with Aaron Rodgers. Former ESPN president John Skipper said the ACC and the Pac-12 should merge to address their revenue problem.
Florida State threatens to leave the ACC unless they institute uneven profit sharing. Clemson joins them soon after putting major pressure on the ACC. The Pac-12 television deal is pushing Oregon and Washington to beg the Big Ten for entry. The XFL sees its ratings decline after being pushed to the cable networks as expected.
NC State and UNC faced off in hockey outside in Carter-Finley stadium after the Hurricanes played there in the NHL Stadium series. The XFL season kicked off with some familiar faces. The USFL held their draft for the 2023 season.
The Philadelphia Eagles lost the Super Bowl on a holding call after being called for twice the amount of penalties as the Chiefs. The Eagles deserved to get a chance to get the ball back and have a chance to tie. The XFL season is starting this weekend with the Rock now leading the league with his ex-wife Dany Garcia.
Tom Brady has announced his retirement for the second time while Aaron Rodgers is waiting to make his decision. The Florida State Seminoles send out their resume to the Big Ten and the SEC. The new Pro Bowl games format is a dud and the Chiefs get ready to take on the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
The Broncos have officially traded for Sean Payton. The Chiefs and Eagles win in the championship round and will face off in the Super Bowl. Other coaching changes are happening around the league as college football signing day is closing in.
The Bills were unable to keep up with the Bengals leaving questions about their future. The Cowboys choke again leading to questions about their future with Dak Prescott. The Packers are looking to move Aaron Rodgers to an AFC team while the AFC is loaded with quarterbacks.
Harbaugh announced that he will return to Michigan after working directly with the president instead of the athletic director to get a new contract. The NFL is firing more coaches as scapegoats after playoff failure. Tom Brady struggles as Tampa Bay is eliminated from the playoffs. Now only younger quarterbacks remain in the playoffs which could signal a changing of the guard.
The Steelers and the Packers both miss the playoffs as the NFL screws the Bills and the Bengals with playoff seeding. Jim Harbaugh has been interviewing with NFL teams. The AP Poll releases its final poll with TCU staying at number two after suffering the worst national championship loss of the modern era.
The NFL postpones the Bills and Bengals game after a scary injury to Damar Hamlin. The expanded NFL season creates problems for fantasy football because of teams resting players after a late bye week. Jim Harbaugh is being approached by NFL teams after an early exit in the college football playoffs. The NCAA is recommending expanded championships that include twenty-five percent of the field which would be 90 for the basketball tournament and 32 for football.
Big wins by the Steelers and Packers have created an improbable path to the playoffs. The NFL faces another concussion investigation into the Dolphins and fantasy football championships are here. The college football playoffs are huge for the Big Ten as they try to win a national championship after failing on the big stage for years. Can Ohio State or Michigan get it done this year?
The college football early signing day is tomorrow with NIL deals forcing coaches to get creative with recruiting. The transfer portal could end up being the equalizer for smaller schools that have struggled with recruiting. This college bowl season may end up being one of the last as playoff expansion and conference realignment move forward.
College football has lost a legend. Mike Leach passed away following a cardiac event as his team was preparing to face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl. We pay tribute to his career as the pioneer of the air raid offense.
Michigan wins the Big Ten East with a decisive win over Ohio State to set up a Big Ten Championship matchup with Purdue. Georgia and TCU look to be playoff locks while USC tries to keep Ohio State out of the playoffs with a win over Utah. The United States advanced out of the group stage of the World Cup. The Green Bay Packers have a quarterback battle with Jordan Love looking to take over control of the franchise.
Zach Wilson could be on his way to getting benched after his performance against the Patriots. The United States ties Wales in their first World Cup game. The college football playoff race is heating up while other schools look to make coaching changes.
We take a look at the hit on JuJu Smith-Schuster and compare it to the hit on Antonio Brown. The NFL still needs to make adjustments to targeting penalties for player safety. The Pac 12 is down to USC while Clemson and UNC both make a push late for the ACC to make the playoffs. The XFL holds its quarterback draft.
Former top quarterbacks around the league are struggling and getting benched. Are we seeing the final moments of quarterbacks like Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and even the great Tom Brady? College football was filled with major upsets leading to the playoffs having a chance to feature new teams or some teams that haven't played there in a while.
The NFL trade deadline involved a lot of moving pieces including Claypool going to the Bears. Arguments are being made over football being played on turf vs grass. The first college football playoff ranking is announced while another controversy over the tunnel at the Big House occurs after Spartans attacked Wolverines players after the game.
The 49ers make a desperation move by trading multiple draft picks to get Christian McCaffrey. Mac Jones and Kenny Pickett lead young quarterbacks that are struggling with turnovers. We go high tempo with the Penn State White Out and Texas vs the Big 12 while Northwestern has a chance to win the Big Ten without being bowl eligible. Clemson survives leaving the Pac 12 as the only power five conference without an undefeated team.
Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson have not lived up to the hype this season and their teams suffered devastating losses this week. The Jets have continued to win even though Zach Wilson has been a downgrade from Joe Flacco. Tennessee finally beats Alabama and Michigan destroys Penn State.
Christian McCaffrey is involved in trade rumors after the Panthers fire Matt Rhule. Russell Wilson looks like a bust for the Broncos. The Ravens analytics team is still being talked about after their controversial fourth down decision. Penn State travels to the Big House to face Michigan in a top ten battle as Matt Rhule is being mentioned as a candidate for top college jobs.
Tua is injured in back-to-back games which prompts the NFL to review its concussion protocol. Mike Tomlin promotes Kenny Pickett to QB1. Aaron Judge breaks the AL home run record as the NL East race heats up. Wisconsin fires Paul Chryst while the Big Ten West and ACC Coastal battle for the worst division.
Steelers fans are upset with Tomlin as they want Pickett to start at quarterback. Tampa Bay had play clock issues which led to a delay of game penalty that might have cost them the game against Green Bay. Aaron Judge is chasing the Yankees home run record and the Florida State Seminoles are ranked for the first time in years.
The 49ers luck out after Trey Lance breaks his ankle. Derrick Henry continues his slow start to the season as the AFC East and NFC East divisions have the best records through the first two weeks of the season. The college football coaches poll continues to make no sense as conferences get ready for the expanded playoff.
Geno Smith lights up the Broncos as the Seahawks upset the Russell Wilson led team in week one. The Vikings destroyed the Packers, and the Steelers were able to beat the Bengals in overtime. Scott Frost is fired by Nebraska as the Big Ten West took some major losses.
The Steelers have announced that Mitch Trubisky is going to be the starting quarterback with Kenny Pickett as the backup. Fantasy football drafts are wrapping with solid pickups still available through free agency. The Pac-12 is looking at playoff elimination the week after playoff expansion is announced.
Scott Frost starts the season firmly on the hot seat after a controversial onside kick led to a Northwestern comeback for Nebraska to start the season 0-1. The 49ers have extended Jimmy Garoppolo to keep the quarterback on the roster as QB2. ESPN has released their list of college playoff teams before the season that features the same teams as always.
High School football is about to kick off as the NFL entering the last week of preseason with teams naming starting quarterbacks. College football is ready for opening day as more teams announce potential conference moves and NIL deals.
The Claysburg-Kimmel School Board awarded a $1.188 million contract to complete the football stadium project. NFL preseason games have started with major quarterback battles across the league. College football preseason polls have been released with NBC being the lead bidder for the Big Ten television rights.
Fall football camp has started with heat acclimation and the NFL is starting the full preseason schedule with key players sitting out. ESPN is reporting that they are no longer involved in the TV deal with the Big Ten conference.
Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne are not going to play in the Hall of Fame game. Pro sports franchise valuations have been released with the Cowboys coming in at number one. Soto has been dealt to the Padres in one of the biggest trade deadline deals of all time.
Julio Jones is set to join Tom Brady on the Buccaneers. The NFL is launching their own streaming platform. The XFL has announced its team locations for the 2023 season. Conference realignment rumors are still flying as the players look to unionize.
It is hard as a coach to make plans when parents are unreliable. The MLB All-Star game is using a home run derby as a tie breaker. Coaches are complaining about the NIL deals and want to implement some sort of salary cap.
We have some quick hitters to start off the show. Malkin is testing free agency while Baker Mayfield is traded to the Panthers. College Recruiting is being flipped upside down because of NIL deals while conference realignment takes another turn.
USC and UCLA have joined the Big Ten leaving two top conferences in College Football with the SEC. The rest of the conferences are scrambling to maintain relevance as the Big Ten and SEC look to increase their multimillion-dollar advantage in the NIL era.
The Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup which keeps teams from the 90s winning championships after the Atlanta Braves won the World Series last fall. ESPN needs to invest in higher resolution cameras if they are going to continue to broadcast hockey as it would benefit the most from 4K resolution. The Pitt Panthers won the permanent rival lottery as the ACC decided to remove divisions.
Chase Claypool considers himself to be a top three receiver in the NFL when he wasn't even the top receiver on the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. Steph Curry leads Golden State to another NBA championship as the Avs lead the Stanley Cup Finals. NIL deals are starting to change team positioning in College Football.
7-on-7 season is underway as coaches start to prep their new offenses for the upcoming season. The Celtics are a game away from losing the finals as the Lightning try to get their third straight Cup. Florida State fires Mike Martin Jr after three winning seasons and USA Today sued Nebraska over their coaching contacts as Scott Frost took a pay cut.
The NCAA baseball tournament showed how flawed the booth reviews can be after a runner was called safe in the Michigan vs Louisville game. Replay showed a clear tag as the runner slid into second. Russell Wilson has learned the complete Broncos playbook as Deshaun Watson received another allegation. The Celtics look to continue hitting threes as the Avs punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup final.
The NFL offseason is in full swing with plenty of top ten lists being created. The NBA and NHL playoffs both featured exciting game sevens as we get closer to crowning a champion. College football without divisions pushes forward as equal scheduling now becomes a focus. NC State is denied a bid in the College World Series in a baffling move by the NCAA committee.
The NFL is considering changes to the Pro Bowl as more details emerge regarding the Haskins accident. Saban and Jimbo have been battling over NIL while the Pac-12 decides to remove divisions. Fox is looking to help the USFL expand while the NBA and NHL playoffs see major upsets.
Tarik Cohen tore his Achillies during a workout as a free agent bringing the NFL healthcare coverage back into focus. The XFL has signed a multi-year deal with ESPN. The Penguins were eliminated after an injury controversy with Crosby. The 76ers are eliminated once again.
Tom Brady makes plan to join Fox after his playing days are done. The NCAA reveals a plan for NIL deals while the ACC makes plans to eliminate divisions. The NBA and NHL playoffs are underway with top teams trying to stay alive.
Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback selected in the first round of the NFL draft as other quarterbacks had to wait to hear their name called. The Jaguars take a surprise pick at number one. The Big Ten is approaching a billion dollars a year in their television negotiations.
The NFL Draft will begin on Thursday while teams prepare to make moves. Mike Tyson punches a man on a plane while a baseball pitcher tackled a baserunner. USFL continues to have strong ratings while the XFL makes coaching moves.
Former Michigan running back De'Veon Smith was cut from the USFL for asking for pizza instead of chicken salad. A golf ball sized chip in the USFL is giving kickers trouble. The Tom Brady saga continues as reports give additional details on his potential move to the Miami Dolphins.
Dwayne Haskins was tragically killed in a traffic accident. There is a conspiracy theory that Tom Brady faked his retirement so that he could sign with the Dolphins. The NFL and the XFL have announced a partnership. Penn State is back in the news with another Joe Paterno scandal.
Bruce Arians retires, and he is insisting that his beef with Tom Brady had nothing to do with it. The Saints are preparing for Sean Payton to coach another team. Kansas wins the NCAA basketball tournament as sanctions loom from the investigation into paying players. Spring football games have started with Colin Kaepernick getting at workout at Michigan.
Tyreek Hill is traded in a massive deal to the Dolphins. We take a look at the NFL draft boards and give our best bets for each position. USC has the greatest practice ever on a college campus.
The Browns trade the Texans for Deshaun Watson which highlights a bunch of quarterback moves across the league. The Raiders traded for Davante Adams which opens up free agency moves for multiple teams. March Madness is underway with the SEC and Big Ten choking in the tournament.
Tom Brady has announced his return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other quarterbacks continue to move around with the league with Mitch Trubisky signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Major League Baseball has ended the lockout with the full 162-game schedule intact. The Big Ten lands a bunch of teams in the NCAA tournament with no chance to win the national championship.
Aaron Rodgers announced that he is returning to the Green Bay Packers. Russell Wilson is headed to Denver to play with the Broncos as they chase a Super Bowl. The MLB lockout continues as they owners continue to push for a 162-game season. Coach K loses his final home game against UNC.
Major League Baseball has canceled opening day and the first two series of the season as a multiple week lockout seems likely. Grambling State has hired Art Briles as OC. The USFL and Conference USA both face lawsuits before their seasons begin.
Juwan Howard has been suspended for the rest of the regular season after slapping a coach for the Wisconsin Badgers in the post-game handshake line. The USFL draft begins with former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson going overall number one to the Michigan Panthers. The XFL and the NFL have announced a deal to work together with the XFL being a research and developmental league.
The Rams win the Super Bowl by overcoming two turnovers to win in the final minutes of the game. The NFL announces the Hall of Fame class of 2022, and the winter Olympics is once again marred by poor television coverage and performance enhancing drugs.
The Bengals are set to play the Rams in the Super Bowl following another boring Pro Bowl. The Winter Olympics have begun, and the United States has not been performing well. Teams across the NFL continue to make coaching changes while Jim Harbaugh returns to Michigan for another season.
Tom Brady, the greatest football player of all time, has announced that he is retiring from the NFL. The Harbaugh rumors have heated up and have him landing with the Vikings. The Rams and the Bengals win the championship games to advance to the Super Bowl. The Big Ten is looking to experiment with no divisions like the ACC tried a few years ago.
Sean Payton announces a surprising retirement as the four NFL playoff games all end on walk-off scores. The MLB Hall of Fame snubs Barry Bonds and Roger Clemons while voting in David Ortiz, a player also involved in steroids. June Jones turns down the Hawaii football job after being offered a limited contract.
Ben Roethlisberger played his final game for the Steelers franchise that saw him win two Super Bowls. The first round of the expanded NFL playoffs is full of blowouts much like the college football playoff. Jim Harbaugh hasn't signed an extension with Michigan yet and is linked to several NFL jobs. The Big 12 is going to split into two divisions whenever the expansion teams begin conference play.
The Steelers sneak into the playoffs after the Chargers call a timeout in overtime to allow the Raiders to win instead of settling for the tie. The NFL wild card weekend kicks off as Tom Brady tries to lead the Bucs to back to back championships. NFL teams are interested in hiring Jim Harbaugh after he led Michigan to a #3 final ranking in the AP poll. Georgia breaks the curse as they beat Alabama in the national championship game.
The Green Bay Packers have clinched the number one seed in the NFC and stand in the way of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who look to repeat. Ben Roethlisberger has played his final home game for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they need help to make the playoffs. The Washington Admirals domain redirects to the Washington Football Team website which also happened before the Cleveland Guardians were introduced. The college football playoff committee is focused on expansion after another year of first round blowouts while rumors of large payment offers in recruiting kickoff the NIL era.
The Steelers get destroyed by the Chiefs which dims their playoff chances greatly. Fantasy football championship rounds are affected by the COVID-19 list and games being delayed. Bowl games are also affected, with teams moving bowl games while players continue to opt out. The college football playoff sees changes to travel and media availability to protect against cancellations.
Today we look back at the early signing day and the push to eliminate it completely. Major players, including Kenny Pickett, are opting out of bowl games putting pressure on the committee to expand the college football playoffs. The NHL is skipping the Olympics due to COVID as the NFL has to shift games around like last year.
Chase Claypool costs the Steelers another chance at a game tying touchdown against the Vikings because he wasted time celebrating a first down catch. Fantasy football playoffs are set to begin with major players on the IR. The NCAA rushes to ban fake slides and we discuss the biggest Heisman snubs after another Alabama player takes home the award.
The Pitt Panthers complete their miraculous run to win their first ACC conference championship in football. The Michigan Wolverines knock off Iowa to win the Big Ten and get an invite to the college football playoffs. Cincinnati also receives a playoff invitation as the first group of five school and their reward is a matchup with Alabama. The Steelers stay alive after a two-point conversion by the Ravens comes up just short.
Mike Tomlin promises changes after the Steelers are blown out by the Bengals. Christian McCaffrey returns to the IR. Green Bay Packers stock is for sale. Michigan pummels Ohio State in a gigantic upset that may help shake up the college football playoff. Lincoln Riley is moving to USC and Brian Kelly is moving to LSU as major coaching changes are happening across college football.
The Steelers continue to struggle as they fall to the Chargers after giving up a late touchdown. The USFL announced its teams and the Pittsburgh Marauders are set to return. Penn State extends James Franklin for 10 years as Michigan State still hasn't officially extended Mel Tucker. Ohio State visits Michigan for a top five battle as the main highlight during hate week.
The Steelers future quarterback issues are in focus after they tie with the Lions when Ben Roethlisberger missed due to COVID protocols. The owners of the Red Sox are interested in purchasing the Penguins. Michigan beats Penn State as James Franklin is mentioned as a candidate for multiple coaching openings. Schools are continuing to fire coaches even if they have enormous buyouts.
The Atlanta Braves break the curse and win the World Series for the first time in twenty-six years. Aaron Rodgers gets fined for misleading about his vaccination status after catching COVID-19. Scott Frost will take a pay cut to stay at Nebraska as the ACC has its playoff chances dashed after UNC beats Wake Forest in a non-conference game.
Untimely injuries, bad officiating, and inexplicable loses give the impression that there really are sports curses. The Braves try to break through their own to win the World Series. The NFL sees a lot of movement as the trade deadline see major injuries around the league. TCU fires program builder Gary Patterson as the first college football playoff rankings of the year is released.
We revisit a story we covered in the fall about Georgia High School Football coach Rush Probst being dismissed by Colquitt County. We look at the mailbag questions from last week and the fake attendance posted by Mizzou. The NCAA tournament committee made some head-scratching decisions this year and Johnny Football returns.
Antonio Brown has finally moved on from the Pittsburgh Steelers as they have traded him to the Raiders. The Orlando Apollos have taken over control of the AAF. The NBA is giving fans warning cards if they yell at players. And nine college coaches have been charged in an admissions scandal.
Started the episode talking about big college football match ups this weekend. Discussed attending the PSU vs Michigan game at the Big House. Talked about sports betting and made my NFL/College football picks for the week. Finished the episode talking about the AFC North and the Steelers upcoming games.
This show is focused on the World Baseball Classic. The World Baseball Classic is a tournament in the vein of the World Cup. Teams from countries around the world compete in a baseball tournament. The tournament takes place during spring training every few years. This year the tournament was shown exclusively on MLB.tv. This may be the reason behind the lack of awareness of the tournament.
Even though baseball is America’s pastime, the United States has never won the World Baseball Classic. Well, that changed this year as the United States is the World Baseball Classic champion. It didn’t look like the United States had a chance in this tournament but the team really didn’t have a weakness. Ian Kinsler came under fire for his comments on the makeup of the United States team. He said something about the United States team not being focused on celebrating as they are there to play baseball. These comments came after one of the teams in the tournament were celebrating throughout their game.
The media shouldn’t call out Kinsler for his comments as it wasn’t that long ago that the media was pushing the NFL to remove celebrations from their games. Now, the same media members are calling sports boring after their original comments pushed celebrations out of sports. It seems to be coming full circle as there are rumors that the NFL is going to add full celebrations back into their games. Baseball could use celebrations, but they also need to speed up the game. It is very hard to watch baseball on television unless you are at a bar or a place to casually watch a game. A World Baseball Classic championship isn’t going to lure new fans to baseball.
The first two rounds of the NCAA tournament have been completed. Just like every other year, there are no perfect brackets left. Countless hours and shows about bracket selections are broadcast each year and no one has every been able to pick the winning teams correctly. It has gone so far as to have websites offer round by round picks in hopes of drawing additional interest into the later rounds of the tournament.
Now onto the games, the officiating has been horrible in the tournament. The end of the North Carolina and Arkansas game was an atrocious way to start what is generally a great tournament. At this point, it seems like the NCAA actually wants the Tar Heels to win and advance to the later rounds. It makes sense from a matchup perspective. They are lined up to play some other teams with big basketball brands in the later rounds if they keep winning.
Another matchup that had a huge missed call was the Northwestern and Gonzaga game. Northwestern drives the ball to try to close the gap with what looks like an easy basket. Gonzaga has a defender reach his hand up through the hoop and knocks the ball away. If you are unfamiliar with the rules of basketball, this is an illegal move.
This goal tending call is not reviewable by the rules of the NCAA. At this point in time, there is no reason that call should not be able to be reviewed. Every NCAA tournament game has the same camera angles covering the court. The goal of replay and refs should be to make sure the game is as fair as possible. That is not happening in this tournament.
The solution would be to add another ref that sits in the booth and watches the television angles. Technology has improved to the point where multiple cameras capture every angle and that footage can be recalled at the press of a button. This gives the refs a chance to get every call right. The players deserve it. The coaches deserve. The fans deserve it. So make it happen.
The NCAA bracket was released Sunday night during a shortened CBS broadcast. Last year, the network tried to stretch the show into a two-hour nightmare by extending the release of the bracket as long as possible to drive ratings. This tactic failed miserably when the full bracket was leaked on Twitter minutes into the show. This year CBS took a different approach. The show started promptly and regions were released in a timely fashion. This marked a positive change by the network but the bracket itself was puzzling.
I do not like the set up of the first four play in bracket. Automatic qualifiers should not be forced to play in the first four bracket. The first four bracket should consist of only teams that made the tournament by at large selections. The Big Ten champion would never be forced to play in the first four bracket and that should go for all of the other conferences as well. The problem with the bracket extends into the number of teams they let in the tournament. Advertisers still want the tournament to expand but at some point you have to say enough is enough. The regular season has to count for something.
This debate is sure to carry over to the College Football Playoffs. The NCAA needs to step in and set up regulations that are consistent for all sports. They need to set a limit on the amount of teams that can make a post season tournament. This can be set as a percentage so that it is consistent across all sports. There are 351 Division 1 schools that play basketball across 32 conferences. Since 68 teams can make the NCAA tournament, 19.37% of schools can play in the postseason for a chance at a national championship.
There are 128 schools that play in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Using the same percentage, an equivalent playoff for football would consist of 24 teams. I think everyone can agree that 24 teams is too much for a football playoff. The same should be said of the NCAA tournament. It should not expand.
As for the seeding, the Big Ten is vastly under-seeded and their top teams have been placed in the same region. This does not allow the Big Ten conference to show its depth in the tournament. It looks like they prioritized matchups based on television ratings potential. With this, the regions worked out so that there are two overpowered regions and two that look like cake walks for the top teams.
This leaves the tournament unbalanced and slighted towards the teams that are perceived to be top basketball schools. To add some madness to March, I would like to see a more balanced bracket in the future. This would remove any doubts or questions by coaches or teams that feel they got a bad seed or should have made the tournament. Teams should have the regular season highlight their accomplishments to the point that no committee is needed to select or seed teams for the tournament. I would almost like to see some computer component added to the selection criteria. Almost.
In this episode of our podcast, we go longer than we typically do. We are talking about the NFL free agency period. This period takes the center stage before the draft as teams are trying to solidify their current rosters with proven NFL talent. Picking up talent in the draft is a much cheaper option, but draft picks take time to develop. Signing free agents is a quicker way to build roster depth.
During this time period, teams need to decide if they are going to try to sign free agents to help them complete or try to rebuild through the draft. Some teams have been slowly signing free agents over the years to backfill their roster in hopes of another deep playoff run. The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the teams using this strategy.
They know they have a proven winning quarterback with Ben Roethlisberger. He is just entering the twilight stage of his career. They need to press into win now mode by signing free agents and hoping Ben does not retire. They already have talent on offense and they made sure to keep it by signing a big front loaded contract with Antonio Brown. This means they will have cap space in a few years when they will have to rebuild after Ben Roethlisberger retires. Their main needs now are on defense. The Steelers can make an attempt to lure in a big time defensive player or wait and try to fill in their talent gaps in the draft. Waiting for the draft is a bigger risk, but in a few years they may be able to avoid a full rebuild year if they are able to build around a young and hungry defense.
Moving away from the Steelers, running backs are in a rare position of high availability this year. It is scary to think that a contender could bolster their running attack by signing a veteran running back like Adrian Peterson or Jamaal Charles. These are premier names in the NFL and would make a great second or third option for a playoff contender. With running backs having a short shelf life, a team could pick up a great free agent running back for cheap.
We end the podcast by talking about the NCAA once again. Last week, the NCAA stepped in and suspended five University of Richmond baseball players for participating in a fantasy football league. The irony is that this suspension comes during March Madness, where the NCAA promotes false gambling like fantasy football by advertising bracket picks directly on their own website.
This podcast is a continuation of our last one. I am once again talking with Jeffrey Meier about the NFL combine. When talking about the fastest 40 times, I mistakenly refer to Chris Johnson as Charles Johnson. I don’t think the bench press is a good measurement of actual football strength and I feel it would benefit the NFL if they invested in better exercises to measure players with.
They make a ton of money off of athletes in the draft and the majority of the picks are busts. Every year the NFL draft consists of 256 picks. That equates to around 15% of the total number of roster slots in the entire league. That leaves teams to decide on roster slots every year with an over abundance of players. Most of the players taken in later rounds never actually make it into an NFL game. NFL teams have to decide to cut players that have been in their system for a few years or draft picks based on potential and what they observed in practice.
We also dive into the invitation process of the NFL draft as it seems more and more like an exclusive club every year. The league picks and chooses who they want to punish and who they want to stay in the league. This means that some players are targeted by NFL rules officials while others seem to skate by without a second glance by the league. Basic science disproved the league’s stance on football deflation but they still ruled in favor of punishment anyway. Meanwhile, their old golden boy Peyton Manning was able to have HGH shipped to his house without any further investigation. It seems like these transparency issues could be a prominent reason why the league is struggling with dropping television ratings.
There are rumors swirling around the Michigan State athletic department. Their athletic director missed an NCAA tournament selection debriefing to stay in East Lansing to attend to some of the issues they have been facing on campus.
Some of the problems are related to the US women’s gymnastics coach that is under investigation. There was also a video posted online that showed students looting the pockets of another student that was knocked out on the ground. It was under investigation to see if anyone could be identified from the video. There are also early reports that it is possible three players will be removed from the Michigan State football team due to their involvement in some other type of investigation.
The NFL combine is coming up and I get a call from Jeffrey Meier for the first time. He has appeared on the podcast before, but we haven’t had a segment together yet. We talk about the combine set up and touch on the drills that take place. Our conversation is so long that we have to split it into our first two part podcast.
Our website is also under a large move into a new location which will help increase our reach. There may be some temporary issues when trying to reach our site, but rest assured we will be back up and running as soon as possible. If you have any questions or concerts, please reach out to us. When our move is finished, we will make an announcement on social media so be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Twelve cities have put in applications for an expansion Major League Soccer franchise. That includes two cities here in North Carolina along with my preferred sports city of Detroit. I am hoping that a new franchise gets added to one of those three cities to give me an MLS team to cheer for. I am also hoping that they are able to extend their video viewing options for the league.
MLS needs to put together a digital package that is superior to the other major sports leagues in the United States. They need the extra exposure. The best way for them to grow their fanbase is by exposing more people to their league. It has slowly been improving in past years, but they could really benefit by making a push towards live video on social media. I would like to see MLS put together some type of red zone styled channel that streams live on social media. Since soccer is tougher to predict when scoring is going happen, it could rotate between games showing corner kicks and teams moving the ball into the zone. Using something like this, they could also show scoring drives on a slight delay. This will help drive in fans as most major sites do not update MLS scores instantly anyway.
The other topic on the docket is college football recruiting. The top teams held their place as the USC Trojans slipped into the top five with a small class. It seems like the hype train is on USC once again. All of the major recruiting services reported late in the afternoon that the only team that could possibly move into the top five was LSU. Once the afternoon was completed, USC was the team that had slipped into the top five instead.
I decided to record the podcast a bit differently this week. I recorded bits and pieces during the game on my phone. The quality could have been a bit better if I had anticipated the need to use a microphone with the input jack on my iPhone 6. I enjoyed the live recording aspect of the podcast and am hoping to use this as a springboard into doing more live recordings in the future for Southbound Sports.
The Super Bowl itself featured one of the most epic comebacks of all time. The start of the game gave me the feeling that this would be another Super Bowl blowout like the Seahawks victory a few years back. The Falcons were able to score at will and even returned a Tom Brady interception for a touchdown. With a massive lead and all factors of the game clicking, it looked like the Falcons were cruising to an easy victory.
The Falcons had a chance to put the game away, but their coaching decisions left a lot to be desired. If I were a Falcons fan, I would have been sick to my stomach watching the offense take sacks to push them out of field goal range. The Falcons had such as huge lead that they probably could have ran the ball three times and punted for the remainder of the game and still won. Instead, they opted to try to pass the ball which led to them blowing the largest lead in Super Bowl history.
This year the Super Bowl features a highly anticipated match up. The New England Patriots are chasing history because their quarterback, Tom Brady, is on track to become the lone quarterback in NFL history with five Super Bowl victories. It will not be an easy task because they face a high powered Atlanta Falcons team.
The Falcons are soaring into the Super Bowl after scoring a total of 80 points in their first two playoff games. The Patriots look to be a much tougher opponent. The Patriots have scored 70 points in their first two playoff games so they are bringing a highly efficient offense of their own into the big game.
Tom Brady is hard to beat in the big game. In the two Super Bowls he lost, he was pressured the whole game. He took a lot of big hits and sacks throughout both of those games. Both losses came to Giants teams that were built around a pass rushing defense. The Falcons do not have that type of defense. Tom Brady is going to have time to sit back in the pocket and pick the Falcons apart.
The only chance the Falcons have in this game is to outscore the Patriots. The Falcons have the weapons to score on offense and I think their secret weapon is Mohamed Sanu. If Sanu is able to score two touchdowns, the Falcons will win the game. Sanu has been versatile on offense taking snaps at quarterback and taking tough hits after running routes over the middle. The Falcons will have to exploit the Patriots with special packages if they look to overtake the majestic Tom Brady.
We are down to four teams in the NFL playoff picture. Three of these four teams have quarterbacks who have made our list for the right to be named the greatest quarterback of all time. Two of them, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger, have made the list based on the fact that they have won multiple Super Bowls. They match up against each other in the AFC Championship game.
The Patriots are a current dynasty and the most powerful franchise in the NFL in recent years. They seem to win every year regardless of the amount of turnover they suffer on their roster. The Steelers are the most storied franchise in NFL history winning the Super Bowl in multiple decades. When these two franchises face off, they will spark a rivalry that has met three times in recent history in the playoffs. The Steelers are 0–3 in those games. With Peyton Manning retired, this Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger match up is the premier quarterback match up in the NFL. Both quarterbacks are top 10 in every major statistic used to measure quarterbacks, all time.
- Most Wins: Brady 3rd, Roethlisberger 8th
- Most Touchdowns: Brady 4th, Roethlisberger 9th
- Most Passing Yards: Brady 4th, Roethlisberger 10th
With a Super Bowl win, Tom Brady would own the record for most Super Bowl wins by a quarterback ever. Ben Roethlisberger is looking to get his third Super Bowl victory. A win for either the Patriots or the Steelers in this year’s Super Bowl would put their quarterback even higher in the record books.
On the NFC side, Aaron Rodgers is on the cusp of making the list ranking just outside of the top ten in passing touchdowns. I have added him to the list by default as he will make the list unless he retires after this season. Matt Ryan is the outsider of the quarterbacks remaining in the championship round of these NFL Playoffs. He is the only quarterback remaining to never win a Super Bowl. In fact, he has never even played in a Super Bowl. Matt Ryan has enough weapons on offense to win a Super Bowl this year. He just has the unfortunate luck of having to win back to back games against teams that have experience winning the big game.
Matt Ryan and the Falcons do face a Packers team that is decimated by injuries. The Packers advanced on a clutch throw by Aaron Rodgers late in the 4th quarter against the Cowboys that set up a game-winning field goal. The Packers have a roster full of players that were not able to practice this week. They are going to have to rely on another huge game by Aaron Rodgers to advance to the Super Bowl this year.
On this podcast, I am once again talking with Matty B. We take a look at each NFL playoff game and give a breakdown of each team.
Seattle Seahawks vs Atlanta Falcons
We like the Falcons to beat the Seahawks in this year’s playoff game due to the evolution of the Atlanta offense. The Falcons are no longer one dimensional in their passing game. Now they are comfortable passing the ball around instead of relying only on Julio Jones.
Houston Texans vs New England Patriots
Matt thinks the Texans are going to keep this game close while I think they will just cover one of the largest spreads in NFL playoff history. It looks like Jadeveon Clowney is finally reaching his potential as an NFL player and his performance will make a huge impact on this game. The Texans need a big game from Clowney if they are going to prevent the Patriots from moving on to the AFC Championship game.
Green Bay Packers vs Dallas Cowboys
We break down the Packers vs Cowboys game and have our first split decision. This game will decide which one of us has a chance at a perfect weekend of picks. The Cowboys have a powerful offensive line which they are hoping to control the game with.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs
We take a look at the Steelers vs Chiefs playoff game and talk about whether or not the Chiefs have a chance of winning. The championship experience the Steelers have is going to be tough to beat, even at home.
We have officially launched our own podcast. The Southbound Sports podcast will cover the world of sports with a weekly Wednesday episode. The podcast will be syndicated on every major podcast outlet including iTunes and Stitcher. We have also created a YouTube channel and will feed additional video content there as well.
In our initial podcast, I chat with Matty B about the Orange Bowl. The Orange Bowl turned out to be a major disappointment for me as the Michigan Wolverines came out flat. Jabrill Peppers tweaked his hamstring and ended up not playing in the game. That led to the defense playing some zone and getting burnt on busted coverages to fall behind big to the Florida State Seminoles. With the talent level of the Noles, that is not something that can happen.
The Wolverines battled fiercely though and were able to make a miraculous comeback. They took the lead late in the fourth quarter to put a scare into Florida State fans everywhere. Chris Evans, a Wolverine freshman, broke through a hole in the right side of the line and scampered in for the go-ahead touchdown. It was all for not though as the Seminoles took the kickoff up past midfield to set up a game-winning touchdown.