Andy

Convincing the Sugar to move off NYD in years it's not a semifinal so the semis can always be on NYD would qualify as massive. I'd root for that, personally.

Christian McCaffrey went 1,000/1,000, 3rd guy ever. Marshall Faulk 99 and Roger Craig in the 80s. Carolina went 5-11 and got their horsefeathers kicked in the entire month of December. Way to go, guys. Please draft Tua.

That game was a blast and Lawrence vs Burrow is an unreal matchup for the title game.

He is technically correct if only because Florida State only dropped to 2 in the AP poll in '14. There was, of course, no selection committee in '66 when it happened to (oddly enough) Alabama. It's transparently a motivational tactic for his team, but yeah, it's pretty lame. At least no one on his team got suspended for PEDs this year.

In the last 4 years the Cubs payroll was 12% over the Cards, 88% over the Brewers, 74% over the Reds, and 102% over the Pirates. We were the Yankees of the NL Central. I'm okay with being the Yankees of the NL Central (we should be the Yankees of the NL Central). I'm not okay with being the older version, high-spending Yankees of MLB. I am. Everyone in MLB is swimming in money, if the Cubs decided to swim in slightly less money and the rest of them didn't, that's their damn problem.

I can't speak for everyone here, but I would assume most don't have a particular number in mind. The general idea, though (certainly my idea), is that some of the stuff that's been tossed around in order to get below whatever payroll ceiling the Ricketts have in mind, during a clear window of contention that you can't automatically assume will be repeated, is really really stupid. I understand not paying through the nose for Cole or Rendon, but there's no real reason the Cubs should be basically ignoring the possibility of signing anybody at all absent cost-slashing moves that will hurt the on-field product.

The tl;dr is that going over the tax for the 2nd straight year is more like a ~25 million cost than a ~5 million cost, and doing so for a 3rd straight year is upwards of 50 million. "Putting it another way: The system in place makes it much cheaper for the Cubs to have a $207 million payroll in 2020 and then a $250 million payroll in 2021 than to have a $209 million payroll in 2020 and then a $211 million payroll in 2021. It’s an absurd extension of the way these penalties are structured, but it’s true." Of course, the level of faith I have in the Ricketts actually consenting to go back over the luxury tax in 2021 (if this cockamamie scheme of theirs pays off in the first place) is basically horsefeathering zero.

Trading him now so that they don't have to look cheap for not paying him in 2 years. Also some nonsense about how they tried really hard to get him to sign an extension but they couldn't so they had to try to make the team better by trading their best player. Yeah that's the part I'm mad about to. But this whole league wide collusion thing...I assume the team that would trade for him is planning on paying him, right? Collusion not to go over the luxury tax =/= collusion to not pay anyone at all.

By....who? Who do you think is in charge here? The owners, in collusion. But I don’t think Ricketts has a lot of pull among them as fairly recent member of the club. Ricketts was allowed to buy the team as long as he was willing to participate in their newest version of collusion, and he was willing. So he may not have much pull but that doesn't mean he has any desire to run afoul of the party line, anyway.

If we could manage to win 2 more titles like the Blackhawks did, I could probably live with that. (Of course, that's likely not what's going to happen.)

Darvish has a no-trade clause for this year that he's not waiving.

That's funny, right there. All this talk of contending teams trying to free up payroll in a "sport with no salary cap" is silly, though. The luxury tax is effectively a salary cap, and its obvious that teams are treating it as one over the past few years. Why do we so easliy accept a salary cap in other sports, but in baseball the mention of it is unforgivable? Salary caps are [expletive]. That said, if the owners are going to treat the luxury tax threshold as a salary cap - which is collusion and illegal, but that's never going to be proven - then fine, institute a salary cap, but it damn well better come with a high salary floor like every other sport's does.

Yes, please. The idea that a franchise almost literally swimming in its own cash would need to trade an extremely productive recent MVP to improve its team (to say nothing of the idea that improving its team would be virtually impossible under that scenario), rather than just going and signing a few players to do so, is horsefeathering bat horsefeathers crazy and anyone who subscribes to that idea out of hand is basically too stupid for any insult to be effective. I think that's pretty logical.

Oh God I'd forgotten all about that stupid cat and now hate you for bringing him up.

Unless we're doctoring the ball like Houston is, I don't think a Cole/Pirates type would even be acceptable. Cole was basically league average his last 2 years in Pittsburgh.

I dont get the blow it up plans. The whole tanking till 2015 was to build a core (supposedly save $ during the tank) then use that saved $ to pay that badass core. So when this team thats averaged 94 wins.per season cost controlled core comes to FA finally then its time.for Ricketts to payup.. The point of tanking to build a core was that Epstein was bored in Boston and wanted to tank somewhere and build a core. Which lined up well with Ricketts' desire not to spend money, which he successfully conned people into believing was part of some long-term plan to spend buckets of money later when really the plan was to spend only as much as he could get away with as a so-called big-market team.

Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl in Nassau, BS – 12/20, 2 pm (ESPN) Charlotte vs Buffalo Tropical Smoothie Café Frisco Bowl in Frisco, TX – 12/20, 7:30 pm (ESPN2) Kent State vs Utah State New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, NM – 12/21, 2 pm (ESPN) San Diego State vs Central Michigan FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl in Orlando, FL – 12/21, 2:30 pm (CBSSN) Liberty vs Georgia Southern Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl in Boca Raton, FL – 12/21, 3:30 pm (ABC) SMU vs Florida Atlantic Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, AL – 12/21, 5:30 pm (ESPN) Florida International vs Arkansas State Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl in Las Vegas, NV – 12/21, 7:30 pm (ABC) Washington vs (19) Boise State R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl in New Orleans, LA – 12/21, 9 pm (ESPN) UAB vs (20) Appalachian State Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in St. Petersburg, FL – 12/23, 2:30 pm (ESPN) UCF vs Marshall SoFi Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu, HI – 12/24, 8 pm (ESPN) BYU vs Hawaii Walk On’s Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA – 12/26, 4 pm (ESPN) Miami vs Louisiana Tech Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, MI – 12/26, 8 pm (ESPN) Eastern Michigan vs Pittsburgh Military Bowl in Annapolis, MD – 12/27, 12 pm (ESPN) North Carolina vs Temple New Era Pinstripe Bowl in New York, NY – 12/27, 3:20 pm (ESPN) Wake Forest vs Michigan State Academy Sports & Outdoors Texas Bowl in Houston, TX – 12/27, 6:45 pm (ESPN) (25) Oklahoma State vs Texas A&M San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl in San Diego, CA – 12/27, 8 pm (FS1) (22) USC vs (16) Iowa Cheez-It Bowl in Phoenix, AZ – 12/27, 10:15 pm (ESPN) Washington State vs Air Force Camping World Bowl in Orlando, FL – 12/28, 12 pm (ABC) (15) Notre Dame vs Iowa State ServPro First Responder Bowl in Dallas, TX – 12/30,12:30 pm (ESPN) Western Kentucky vs Western Michigan Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara, CA – 12/30, 4 pm (FOX) California vs Illinois Franklin American Mortgage Company Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN – 12/30, 4 pm (ESPN) Mississippi State vs Louisville Belk Bowl in Charlotte, NC – 12/31, 12 pm (ESPN) Kentucky vs Virginia Tech Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX – 12/31, 2 pm (CBS) Arizona State vs Florida State AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, TN – 12/31, 3:45 pm (ESPN) (23) Navy vs Kansas State Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl in Tucson, AZ – 12/31, 4:30 pm (CBSSN) Georgia State vs Wyoming Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, TX – 12/31, 7:30 pm (ESPN) (11) Utah vs Texas VRBO Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL – 1/1, 1 pm (ABC) (13) Alabama vs (14) Michigan Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL – 1/1, 1 pm (ESPN2) (12) Auburn vs (18) Minnesota TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl in Birmingham, AL – 1/2, 3 pm (ESPN) Boston College vs (21) Cincinnati TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, FL – 1/2, 7 pm (ESPN) Indiana vs Tennessee Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, ID – 1/3, 3:30 pm (ESPN) Nevada vs Ohio Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, TX – 1/4, 11:30 am (ESPN) Tulane vs Southern Miss LendingTree Bowl in Mobile, AL – 1/6, 7:30 pm (ESPN) Miami (OH) vs UL Lafayette “New Year’s 6” Games: Goodyear Cotton Bowl in Arlington, TX – 12/28, 12 pm (ESPN) (17) Memphis vs (10) Penn State Capital One Orange Bowl in Miami, FL – 12/30, 8 pm (ESPN) (9) Florida vs (24) Virginia Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA – 1/1, 5 pm (ESPN) (6) Oregon vs (8) Wisconsin Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, LA – 1/1, 8:45 pm (ESPN) (7) Baylor vs (5) Georgia Playoff: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Semifinal in Atlanta, GA – 12/28, 4 pm (ESPN) (4) Oklahoma vs (1) LSU PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Semifinal in Glendale, AZ – 12/28, 8 pm (ESPN) (3) Clemson vs (2) Ohio State College Football Championship Game in New Orleans, LA – 1/13, 8 pm (ESPN) Semifinal Winners

Ohio State is in unless they get absolutely crushed and even then maybe they are. The discussion that's interesting if Wisconsin wins, especially by a decent margin, is Wisconsin vs Oklahoma.

Baylor is utterly hopeless without Brewer. It's a bummer because their defense is doing a pretty good job.

Rivera obviously was going to be ousted after the season, but it's a bit of a bummer to ax him during the year.

Funny, I'm hearing Leach to Ole Miss and Norvell to Arkansas. Please, no Kiffin. BTW, Chris Peterson just resigned from UW. DC Jimmy Lake gets the UW job, so no coaching carousel affect there. Reports are that Petersen just needs a break, nothing else going on. If there's anyone you can believe that of, it's Petersen, who practically had to be pulled out of Boise. Guy's not a job-chaser.

My rooting interest is Georgia over LSU because it would send a B1G team to the Orange Bowl and therefore would send ND to the Citrus rather than the Camping World.

Pac-12 Championship Game in Santa Clara, CA (8 pm Friday, ABC) (5) Utah vs (13) Oregon Big 12 Championship Game in Arlington, TX (12 pm, ABC) (7) Baylor vs (6) Oklahoma Sun Belt Championship Game (12 pm, ESPN) UL Lafayette at (21) Appalachian State MAC Championship Game in Detroit (12 pm, ESPN2) Miami (OH) vs Central Michigan Conference USA Championship Game (1:30 pm, CBSSN) UAB at Florida Atlantic American Championship Game (3:30 pm, ABC) (20) Cincinnati at (17) Memphis SEC Championship Game in Atlanta (4 pm, CBS) (4) Georgia vs (2) LSU Mountain West Championship Game (4 pm, ESPN) Hawaii at (19) Boise State ACC Championship Game in Charlotte (7:30 pm, ABC) (22) Virginia vs (3) Clemson Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis (8 pm, FOX) (8) Wisconsin vs (1) Ohio State Dec. 14 Army vs (24) Navy - in Philadelphia (3 pm, CBS)

Top 25 games ------------------------------ (1) Ohio State at (13) Michigan (12 pm, FOX) Texas A&M at (2) LSU (7 pm, ESPN) (3) Clemson at South Carolina (12 pm, ESPN) (4) Georgia at Georgia Tech (12 pm, ABC) (5) Alabama at (15) Auburn (3:30 pm, CBS) Colorado at (6) Utah (7:30 pm, ABC) (7) Oklahoma at (21) Oklahoma State (8 pm, FOX) (12) Wisconsin at (8) Minnesota (3:30 pm, ABC) (9) Baylor at Kansas (3:30 pm, ESPN) Rutgers at (10) Penn State (3:30 pm, BTN) Florida State at (11) Florida (7:30 pm, SEC Network) Oregon State at (14) Oregon (4 pm, Pac-12 Network) (16) Notre Dame at Stanford (4 pm, FOX) (17) Iowa at Nebraska (2:30 pm Friday, BTN) (19) Cincinnati at (18) Memphis (3:30 pm Friday, ABC) (20) Boise State at Colorado State (3:30 pm Friday, CBSSN) (23) Iowa State at Kansas State (7 pm, FS1) (24) Virginia Tech at Virginia (12 pm Friday, ABC) (25) Appalachian State at Troy (6 pm Friday, ESPN+) Other nationally available games --------------------------------------------------- Western Michigan at Northern Illinois (7 pm Tuesday, ESPNU) Ole Miss at Mississippi State (7:30 pm Thursday, ESPN) Texas Tech at Texas (12 pm Friday, FOX) Toledo at Central Michigan (12 pm Friday, ESPNU) Miami (OH) at Ball State (12 pm Friday, CBSSN) Missouri at Arkansas (2:30 pm Friday, CBS) Washington State at Washington (4 pm Friday, FOX) West Virginia at TCU (4:15 pm Friday, ESPN) South Florida at UCF (8 pm Friday, ESPN) Indiana at Purdue (12 pm, ESPN2) Northwestern at Illinois (12 pm, FS1) Louisville at Kentucky (12 pm, SEC Network) Tulsa at East Carolina (12 pm, ESPNU) Florida International at Marshall (12 pm, CBSSN) Wake Forest at Syracuse (12:30 pm, FSN/ESPN App) Wyoming at Air Force (2 pm, Facebook) UConn at Temple (3 pm, CBSSN) Rice at UTEP (3 pm, ESPN App) Miami at Duke (3:30 pm, ESPN2) Boston College at Pittsburgh (3:30 pm, ACC Network) Maryland at Michigan State (3:30 pm, FS1) Southern Miss at Florida Atlantic (3:30 pm, NFL Network) Vanderbilt at Tennessee (4 pm, SEC Network) Tulane at SMU (4 pm, ESPNU) UAB at North Texas (4 pm, Stadium) Utah State at New Mexico (4 pm, Facebook) Navy at Houston (7 pm, ESPN2) North Carolina at NC State (7 pm, ACC Network) UL Monroe at UL Lafayette (7:30 pm, ESPNU) BYU at San Diego State (9 pm, CBSSN) Arizona at Arizona State (10 pm, ESPN) Fresno State at San Jose State (10:30 pm, ESPN2) California at UCLA (10:30 pm, FS1) Army at Hawaii (12:30 am, CBSSN)

Georgia is having a really weird year. They have boatloads of talent but have rarely looked like it.