Tonight it will be Clemson University vs Alabama U. in the championship game of college football.
While one touchdown, (14-0) Clemson will be seeking its second title and first since 1981, Alabama hopes to capture a 4th title under coach Nick Saban, all since 2009 and at least a tenth consensus title starting with the Lee Roy Jordan led team of 1961.
Alabama won Associated Press titles in 1961, 1964, 1965, 1978 and 1979 under legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and added one under Gene Stallings in 1992. They won titles under coach Saban in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
My prediction is that Alabama will get the title in a fairly close game.
Alabama 24 Clemson 19.
Better known as a Dallas Cowboys’ star, Lee Roy Jordan and the 1961 Alabama title team were often referred to in glowing terms by coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. By the way Mr. Bryant got his nickname by virtue of the fact he had wrestled bears, the four legged variety, at county fairs.
The road teams did even better than Mike Francesa compiling a (4-0) record in one round/weekend of the NFL playoffs for the first time in 71 such weekends.
Perhaps 70 should have been an omen, (a more telling one is that only the Green Bay Packers at most a one point underdog, were not favored), as the 4 game rounds began with the 1970 season.
70 times, (45 times in the divisional round (1970-2014) and 25 times in the wild card round 1990-2014), the road team failed to win all four games.
The road team also failed in 1969 when both the NFL and the AFL, in its last season, each had 2 NFL quarterfinal games as the eventual league winners met in the Super Bowl. Also one year before 1990, 1982 had 8 wild card round games, 4 each on Saturday and Sunday due to a work stoppage/strike. The road team did not win 4 games on either day.
Willie Nelson / On The Road Again
Click above to view the great Willie Nelson perform this great hit. Circa January 1982, CBS Sports used “On The Road Again” as it promoted its to be televised sports events for the year.
If it was 1982, the promo began with the Super Bowl to be played in Pontiac, Michigan (that was the 16th and number 16 Joe Montana and the S.F. 49ers won it vs the Cincinnati Bengals).
For years before that, people noticed the promo for that Supe when games were telecast from Detroit. 1982 seemed far away before it arrived, now it is truly a distant speck in the rear view mirror of life.
Mike Francesa again had a good weekend forecasting NFL games.
His record vs the point spread was (3-1).
He was correct on the easy wins by the opponents in the first Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs at Houston vs the Texans, and the Green Bay Packers at Washington vs the Redskins.
In the two games in which the winning team did not cover the point spread, Francesa was (1-1).
When Chris Boswell made the chip shot field goal lifting Pittsburgh (18-16) at Cincinnati, Francesa and the Bengals still won the spread selection. Surely that is little consolation for Bengals’ fans.
The same can be said when Blair Walsh missed a chip shot field goal for the Vikings, giving the Seattle Seahawks a (10-9) win.
That was the only game (he picked Seattle minus 4 points) in which Francesa was wrong.
Last year with Al Michaels (again the far too behind the play Michaels took too long to say Walsh’s field goal attempt was not good.) presiding the Seahawks seemed certain to win the Super Bowl when they had first and goal at the New England 2 yard line in the last minute. They did not win!
Yesterday again with Michaels and NBC telecasting the tilt, the first non Super Bowl game, Michaels, in his I believe 30 years of broadcasting NFL games, was doing so in a Sunday playoff game, it seemed certain the Seahawks would lose as Walsh got ready for a chip shot field goal attempt. They did not.
Next week at one seed and 3 point favorite Carolina, the Seahawks will not be as fortunate. Then again let’s all wait to hear what Mr. Francesa thinks. Yes that is what has manifested.
The “hedge fund king,” Jim Nantz will be the lead announcer for CBS’ telecast of the 50th Super Bowl 5 weeks hence.
His gushing for Peyton Manning came forth as though some of his rich Texas friends hit with an oil well after Manning’s relief effort helped the Denver Broncos gain the AFC “1” seed for the second time in three seasons with a hard fought win vs the San Diego Chargers in the regular season finale.
I am not a fan of Peyton Manning as he has continually played so poorly in big games.
A week or two ago he not only seemed out of action but was likely unfairly named in some negative off field activity.
Now with Nantz, who presided at the Supe microphone as Manning with favored teams split 2 Super Bowls, winning vs the over matched Bears in the 2006 season game before losing to the Saints in the 2009 season game, to preside in 2015-2016 and his obvious rooting for Mr. Manning, this becomes a problem for those of us who think Manning does not deserve the hype he gets and we/I truly “fear” the coronation he will receive should he win the title with the now AFC one seed Broncos.
No comment for now on the two, Nantz and Manning, having the same agent. No comment on the Nantz silence regarding Manning off the field stuff. I can live with that.
What I can not live with is the fact now I have to “clean up the mess,” that has manifested giving Peyton Manning, he such a big game failure over the years, a truly realistic chance to make and even win the 50th Super Bowl, to be telecast by CBS with Jim Nantz, behind the microphone.
I have tilted at this and other “windmills of power” too long! If Manning and Company get the prize, already there is the condition of next opponent Pittsburgh (Steelers) quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger’s health to consider, so be it!
Just please remember to put a bulldozer in the record books as an asterisk, as Manning’s road is truly being paved!
The WFAN radio Mike Francesa “express” rolled on yesterday with two successful predictions.
His prediction of the Kansas City Chiefs minus three points, at Houston vs the Texans was an easy (30-0) winner.
At night, though the Pittsburgh Steelers won at Cincinnati vs the Bengals, they did so by two points, one less than the spread that listed the Steelers as three point favorites.
Thus Francesa, whose selection was Cincinnati plus three points, won again.
Today’s Francesa selections follow:
First he predicts the Seattle Seahawks minus 5 points at Minnesota vs the Vikings.
Later in the day he predicts the Green Bay Packers to win a toss up game at Washington vs the Redskins.
Somehow Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers survived in Cincinnati, they will not be as fortunate next week in Denver vs the Broncos.
The Cincinnati Bengals have not won a post-season game in 25 years.
They have lost 7 straight post-season games.
My prediction for tonight’s wild card game vs the favored Pittsburgh Steelers follows.
Bengals 23 Steelers 21
The Steelers are just under a field goal favorite.
The city of Pittsburgh has won wild card round games vs the city of Cincinnati in each of the two previous battles.
The Pirates won the wild card game vs the Reds in 2013.
The Steelers began their incredible march to the 2005 season Super Bowl win by beating the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Having split the last two Super Bowl games, the Seattle Seahawks have done very well in recent playoff games.
They went (5-1) in the post-season while advancing to two straight Super Bowls.
Seattle was the NFC one seed each of the last two seasons and rode it to the Supe by winning all 4 home games.
Their other “Supe” appearance after the 2005 NFL season was also marked by two home wins as the NFC one seed.
The franchise has quite a discrepancy in home/road success in the playoffs.
Seattle is a stellar (11-2) at home but just (2-9) in road playoff tilts. They have won 9 straight home playoff games but as the NFC six seed can not play in one this year.
The team also has a bit of a Saturday/Sunday playoffs success discrepancy, though not as pronounced nor nearly as relevant as home/road. The Seahawks are (9-4) in Saturday playoff games, just (5-9) on Sundays. In wild card round or divisional games played on Sunday they are just (1-6).
After his (3-0) week predicting NFL games in week 15, I did not get WFAN radio Mike Francesa’s predictions in the last two weeks of the NFL regular season.
This week I have them. I could say “you can have them” as in I would go against most, if not all, but his year prognosticating, surely has been better than mine.
Today Francesa says:
Kansas City Chiefs minus three at the Houston Texans.
Cincinnati Bengals plus three vs the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tomorrow the Sunday Mike Francesa predictions for this wild card round of the NFL playoffs.
Clemson University will be bidding for its first national title since 1981 when they face Alabama University in Monday night’s national title tilt.
Their only title win was in that 1981 game.
It was in the Orange Bowl vs a Nebraska team trying to spoil the Clemson title dream. It was not a game in which victory would have meant a title for Nebraska.
An experienced, excellent television announcer Don Criqui, who has proven not so great on radio, worked that game for NBC television.
Even a sub par Criqui is far better than Chris Fowler, a man with limited play by play experience and talent.
Sadly it will be Fowler, a fine studio host, who will be calling his second title tilt on Monday.
Brent Musburger, pictured above, hypes like no other. He is beyond annoying as again was evidenced during his broadcast of last week’s Rose Bowl.
Yet give me Musburger and not Fowler for the title tilt.
This is the 39th time since the magnificent performer Elvis Presley’s death in 1977, that his January birthday has followed.
Today watching some of the many Elvis Presley movies on Turner Classic Movies I simply point out that no matter what your musical taste nor your take on what did eventually take Elvis and his great talent from us, there is no denying his appeal as a performer.
Surely he was not for everybody and I, of all people, usually stray far away from the masses and to what appeals to them, but count me as an Elvis fan.
He was a record breaker in so many ways and I vividly recall in another record breaker, Wilt Chamberlain’s book (not the later one in which Wilt plays with us regarding a certain number and act) how he admired Mr. Presley and how so many who mocked him as a passing fancy, stood on lines to see him perform.
Thankfully records of another kind and their “kissing? cousins,” tapes and compact discs play and we can still hear his wonderful work.
Speaking of wonderful seeing some scenes in “Viva Las Vegas,” reminds me of the wonder and beauty (inside and out) of one Ann Margaret.
Elvis Presley, Ann Margret – The Lady Loves Me – Viva Las …
Click above to view Elvis and Ann, two undeniable vibrant, beautiful individuals in a nice musical number.
Andy B Sports 