Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below decks of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken are their usual snout to the grindstone and fin or tentacle to the wheel selves this morning …
One of these days, those two will get some work done. Maybe.
Anyway, ‘tis the weekend when football reigns supreme. And oh, do we have a good’un. The University of Georgia Bulldogs visit the University of Alabama Crimson Tide in an SEC matchup with a veritable plethora of plot lines, postseason implications, and all that other good stuff that make sports worth watching.
The two teams last met in last year’s SEC title game, when Alabama squelched Georgia’s perfect season and shot at a third consecutive national championship by a 27-24 score. Since then, Alabama has changed coaches, bringing Kalen DeBoer over from Washington after Nick Saban’s retirement. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, who inherited the mantle of college coaching’s top dog (SWIDT) after Saban’s departure, can solidify his spot on the totem pole with a win in Tuscaloosa on September 28. It will not be easy.
There is a lot of strength-on-strength in this game. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe is the FBS’ third-ranked passer. Alabama ranks sixth in the nation in points scored per game. That’s the good news for the Crimson Tide. The bad news is Georgia has the number one defense in the nation. On the other side of the ball, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is 16-1 as a starter. The one? You guessed it — Alabama, whose defense, like its offense, is ranked sixth nationally. Georgia’s offense is not blowing people away; it ranks 58th nationally in points scored per game.
However, you don’t need a pinball wizard racking up the points when your defense has yet to allow a touchdown in your first three games. This promises to be a tight, tense classic. The only regret I have about this game is that I’ll be at work and unable to watch. Ah well.
Other matchups involving ranked teams have the Oklahoma State Cowboys visiting the Kansas State Wildcats. Each team is looking to rebound from a loss lack week and keep their names in the playoffs hopper, although a regular bowl game appears far more likely for both. The University of Louisville Cardinals fly north to South Bend for a bout with the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. After its shocking loss to Northern Illinois earlier in the year, Notre Dame has righted the ship. At the same time, Louisville intends to prove its early season success is not strictly due to a cream puff schedule.
In a Big Ten matchup, it’s a battle of the undefeated as the University of Illinois Fighting Illini travel to either College Township, Pennsylvania or University Park, Pennsylvania, depending on who you ask. In either case, they’re taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions.
And a brief look at baseball. The American League postseason roster is set, with the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Royals clinching wild card spots on September 27. The National League is still a hot mess, with the Arizona Diamondbacks holding a half-game lead over the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves for the final two wild card spots, the San Diego Padres having clinched the first berth.
Have a terrific Saturday, everyone.
