soccer10k

As if the table wasn't enough to show the gap between the top 4 and bottom 4. [tweet] [/tweet]

Speaking of this, Canada is basically the opposite, they still have 4 road games and they're all against central american teams. If they struggle like the US has they could slip fairly quickly. Here's the next window for the contenders: Canada: @ Honduras, v. USMNT, @ El Salvador USMNT: v. El Salvador, @ Canada, v. Honduras Mexico: @ Jamaica, v. Costa Rica, v. Panama Panama: @ Costa Rica, v. Jamaica, @ Mexico yeah the US really needs to be comfortably clear of the playoff after this window. Go Costa Rica and go Mexico. I feel dirty just typing that.

The concerning thing is that their 3 toughest road games are left, and their last cycle includes 2 of them and a home game v Panama, so it'd be nice to have some clearance on qualification going into that. Yep. That’s why the next cycle in January is huge. Don’t want to have to go into the last couple matches needing a win to finish third.

Blah result but at least we got a point. Now go get 7 or 9 in the January window.

The Rams are a great team? Clearly not, though they came in with a 7-2 record. Clearly there are NO great teams in the NFL anymore. Congrats, NFL, your desire for parity has lead to league wide mediocrity Yep, we'll never have a team finish the regular season with 3 or fewer losses again. Just like after the 2014 season when five teams tied for the best record at 12-4. Haven't had a great team since!

Just get rid of some bowls then.

If Netherlands loses tomorrow there’s a decent chance they’re not even in the playoff. Turkey plays Montenegro and if Turkey/Norway both win, they’re each at 21 with Netherlands at 20.

I still think a 2-loss Bama would have to win the SEC title game to have any sort of a shot. The committee has prioritized conference champs assuming they have as many losses as a non-conference champ. So if Bama loses to Georgia to finish 11-2 and you have 13-0 Georgia, 1 loss Big 10 champ, 1 loss Big 12 champ and 1 loss Oregon, Bama isn't getting in. I don't think a 2-loss Bama that wins the SEC gets a spot in that scenario either though. A 2-loss SEC champ Bama absolutely gets in and there's already precedent for it. 2-loss Auburn was sitting at #2 in the CFP going into the 2017 SEC title game (they had beaten Georgia and Alabama that year), so they were clearly going to get in if they had won the conference. The Tide wouldn't have quite the same resume - Ole Miss is the only really good team they've beaten - but I think any team anywhere near contention that beats Georgia has to be in given the way the Bulldogs have looked since week 1. (The Clemson win looks oddly quite unimpressive right now given the Tigers' season, but they've destroyed everybody else.) "The Tide wouldn't have quite the same resume" is a massive understatement. Going into the SEC title game, Auburn had beaten No. 6 Georgia (11-1) by 23, No. 5 Alabama (11-1) by 12 and No. 24 Miss St (8-4) by 39. Plus their two losses were at No. 1 Clemson (11-1) by 8 and at No. 16 LSU (9-3) by 4. Meanwhile, Bama has beaten No. 10 Ole Miss by 21. If we assume they beat Arkansas but lose to Auburn to get to 10-2, Arkansas might be ranked in the 23-25 range if they beat Missouri. Meanwhile their two losses would be at a No. 10-15 Texas A&M (9-3 assuming they beat LSU) by 3 and at Auburn (8-4 if they beat South Carolina) who might be ranked in the 23-25 range if they beat Bama. So 2017 Auburn had two wins that were way better than anything than 2021 Alabama has, a loss way better than Alabama has and a second loss that would be way better than Alabama's second loss. Auburn was already ranked No. 2 with two losses. Alabama is No. 2 with only one loss. If they lose to an unranked Auburn, they're going to drop. They'll be behind whatever 1-loss team emerges from the Big 10 East and a 1-loss Oregon for sure. They'd be behind a 1-loss Oklahoma State if they beat OU, though they'd probably be might be ahead of OU. And of course Georgia. Because all of those teams (except Georgia) would also be winning big games while Alabama is losing to an unranked Auburn team. I do agree that Alabama has a chance of getting in with 2 losses if they beat Georgia. But I don't think it's a lock that they can just lose to a mediocre Auburn team and make up for it by beating Georgia to get in, especially with their resume this year.

I still think a 2-loss Bama would have to win the SEC title game to have any sort of a shot. The committee has prioritized conference champs assuming they have as many losses as a non-conference champ. So if Bama loses to Georgia to finish 11-2 and you have 13-0 Georgia, 1 loss Big 10 champ, 1 loss Big 12 champ and 1 loss Oregon, Bama isn't getting in. I don't think a 2-loss Bama that wins the SEC gets a spot in that scenario either though. That being said, this year certainly seems like it's set up for a 2-loss team to get in, especially if the committee just refuses to put Cincy in. -The only conference with an undefeated team is the SEC with Georgia. -The ACC is kind of a disaster and it seems pretty unlikely Wake goes 12-1. -In the Big 12, OU and OSU still have to play, which means one of them gets a second loss. OU also still plays Iowa State next week. Plus the winner of OU-OSU is going to have to face OU/OSU/Baylor in the Big 12 title game. Easily could have every Big 12 team with 2 losses. -In the Big 10, OSU still plays both MSU and UM. MSU also plays Penn St. Likely only one 1-loss team there barring MSU and UM both beating OSU. -In the Pac-12, Oregon will have to beat Utah twice, including next week in Utah, plus a 6-4 Oregon St team. -Notre Dame seems to have no chance to make the playoff because they lost at home to Cincinnati. Of course we do stuff like this every year and whatever scenario we're discussing as a possibility doesn't usually happen. But a 2-loss playoff team is definitely in play this year.

LOL Texas.

Win the three remaining home games and we’re probably at least third. Per UMFan’s chart, 23 points puts us at 92.3 percent for third or better.

Not gonna lie, I don’t mind at all we missed that chance in the 93rd minute. Reminds me of when Dempsey missed that super late PK 8 years ago to keep it 2-0.

BOOM! DOS A CERO!

Nice capitulation from Honduras. Panama scores in the 77th, 80th and 85th minutes and is up 3-2.

538's weird basketball WAR thingy pegs him as the 3rd worst player in the league thus far this year. He had another game last week against the Thunder where he left his man Dort) wide open for a dunk to try to chase after SGA to foul him even though two other Lakers were closer to SGA. Then Russ missed a game tying 3 at the buzzer.

Why the fuck is Russell Westbrook taking a 3 at the buzzer to win the game? Why the fuck do you even put the ball in his hands, Frank Vogel? What the fuck do you think he's going to do? He's going to do what every other player does which is shoot a long shot except the difference is he fucking sucks at it. I just don't fucking understand.

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Morris should have gotten a game also. This wasn't a hard foul that Jokic overreacted to. It was a cheap shot that caused Jokic's reaction. Glad they didn't overreact and give Jokic a longer suspension at least.

Don’t think it was intentional but Morris also went knee to the side of Jokic’s knee also. He got what he deserved for that cheap shot. As for Jimmy, I’m not sure he wants to invite Jokic (and presumably his brothers) into the back for a fight. Also, I hoped this account is really them. [tweet]https://twitter.com/JokicBrothers/status/1458086587187798030[/tweet]

Bama is nowhere near what they were offensively last year, which isn’t too surprising since they lost a QB, RB and 2 WR who all went in the 1st round. Yes, but in previous years they could just plug in the next guy and not miss a beat. There is no Julio Jones, Amari Cooper, Mark Ingram, Najee Harris on this team. That’s true but there was always going to be a bit of a drop off from last years team because of how good they were. And let’s be honest, they’re still really good. They’re still 8-1 and winning out puts them in the playoff. At worst they’ll finish with 3 losses, either losing to Auburn and not making the SEC title game or losing to Georgia and then losing in a bowl game. This isn’t a 2020 LSU or 2021 Clemson situation.

Bama is nowhere near what they were offensively last year, which isn’t too surprising since they lost a QB, RB and 2 WR who all went in the 1st round.

Can't say I've seen this trick play before. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY0WnI65lac

He certainly rapid fired the favorite GOP code words in that interview.

This also happened tonight. [tweet] [/tweet]

Must be nice for Giants fans to have one of their best players spend his whole career with the team and not be dumped for spare parts at the deadline during a down year for the team.