You can hear the wailing and moaning (with Southern accents of course) from down in Dixie as the College Football Playoffs won’t include a three-loss Alabama this year. How could they possibly exclude the Crimson Tide; don’t they know that it’s a foregone conclusion each year that ‘Bama should be in the playoffs regardless of its record?
I have to agree with the selection committee choosing SMU as the twelfth participant despite a close loss to Clemson in the ACC championship game. Alabama’s last three games? A blowout win over Mercer (!), an embarrassing 24-3 loss to a mediocre Oklahoma squad, and a blah win over arch-rival Auburn, possessor of a 5-7 record. Not to mention a loss earlier to those Commodores of Vanderbilt!
Have to like the rest of the committee’s picks also—great matchups of interest around here. THE hosts Tennessee on Saturday the 21st at 8:00 in what should be a great game with the winner to face Oregon in the quarterfinals. Think the Bucks wouldn’t like a shot at redemption in meeting the Ducks again? Also, Indiana travels to South Bend to take on the Fighting Irish on Friday the 20th at 8:00 in a contest that is sure to “wake up the echoes” around the Hoosier State!
The only criteria I’d like to see changed in coming years is to seed the entire twelve-team field rather than giving conference champions an automatic bye in the first round. I’m thrilled to see Boise State and Arizona State participate, but are they really better than some of the other entries and bye-worthy?
Speaking of bowl games; after just a humiliating MAC championship game loss to Ohio’s Bobcats, MIami’s RedHawks are headed to Tucson on December 28th to play Colorado State in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl! I kid you not, you can’t make that kind of stuff up!
One final college football thought—is the SEC really as good as everyone thinks they are or is it just a result of self-promotion and good public relations?
Congratulations to Marion Local on their fourth consecutive state football title and 15th overall in copping D-VII honors and to Coldwater for winning their 8th in total by defeating perennial power Kirtland in D-VI. The Midwest Athletic Conference’s reputation continues to grow as it continues to be harder to win conference games and titles for member schools than it is to win state trophies!
Taking a quick look at high school basketball after just a few weeks undefeated teams abound in area leagues. In the MVL boys squads off to good starts include Butler, Tipp, and Sidney while the Butler, Fairborn, and Sidney girls all have unblemished marks thus far. In the WOAC the Franklin-Monroe and Newton boys enjoy perfect records while on the girls side of things Mississinawa Valley and National Trail remain unbeaten.
In the SWBL the Bellbrook girls, Bellbrook boys, and Eaton boys have yet to lose. In the MAC, with the Marion and Coldwater teams still waiting to see action due to the success of the football programs, Versailles boys opened with a win over Celina while the Marion Local, Minster, and St. Henry girls are golden to this point of the season. Finally, in the Three Rivers Conference Bethel, Lehman Catholic, and Troy Christian pace the boys field with Milton Union’s girls leading the pack. Here’s today’s first trivia question; Lehman Catholic is a consolidation of what two schools?
A quick update on prep bowling—in MVL boys action Sidney is 3-0 in early going while Greenville is 2-1 with wins over Troy and Butler last week. The Wave are led by a balanced lineup of Luke Kiser (177 average), Michael Thompson (168), Conner Leas (165), and Johnathon Floyd (164). Four girls teams set the pace with Piqua, Troy, Tipp, and Fairborn all rolling along. Greenville is led by Addy Arnett (152), Marissa Boney (150), and the aptly named Trinity Bowling (144).
The first day of gun week for the deer season in Ohio saw a bag of 26,667, the best since 2012. Gun season ends with a bonus weekend of December 21-22 while archery season goes through February 2nd. As a reminder to all of you hunters out there, squirrel season ends January 31st and rabbit season February 28th. Watch out for Elmer Fudd all of you Bugs Bunny fans!!
A quick second trivia question—name the NBA team with the best and the worst record through the first quarter of the season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 21-3 while the Washington Wizards (in name only evidently) are 3-18.
Lehman Catholic was founded in 1970 as a consolidation of two area high schools, Sidney Holy Angels and Piqua Catholic. The Cavaliers (there’s that name again, just like the University of Virginia!) have a proud tradition based upon the two former schools’ histories of athletic achievement. In future editions, we’ll take a look at other area consolidations over the years!