MAC Time

I watched a good portion of the MAC Championship game between Northern Illinois and Buffalo.

It went down to the very last play of the game on 4th down when Buffalo couldn't convert.

The college game is very exciting when the score is close. This was a great game to watch.

A Title For Everyone

The Massachusetts high school Super Bowls will be held at Gillette Stadium on Friday and Saturday.

At least all of the teams get to play in the Big House, but there are too many divisions and games.

Fans will have the options to watch two games on Friday and six on Saturday as they crown champions for eight divisions.

The MIAA needs to take another look at this. With so many divisions, does it minimize the title of State Champion?

Need More Than Wins

The NFL likes to brag about how many of the teams are still in the hunt for a playoff spot.

It's a little harder than just winning games. The NFL Network outlined a scenario with the Packers.

Not only do they need to win their last five games, they need help from other teams in the form of losses.

At this time of year, a team can only do what they need to do. They really can't count on help from others, but in most situations, it's their only hope for a playoff spot.

Is There Eli In 19?

The Giants are 3-8 with no hope of the playoffs. Coach Pat Shurmur said the team is sticking with QB Eli Manning.

The season is lost. Manning is probably not part of the team's future. If he wants to keep playing, it will be with another team.

A Giant Loss

Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr said that his team needed to win its final eight games for any playoff hopes.

They were on a two game winning streak before they took on the Eagles in a must-win situation.

Big Blue lost a 16 point lead before losing 25-22. With a record of 3-8, they are out of the Wild Card hunt.

Beckham got his money earlier this season, but he can't buy wins.

Teams Look To The Playoffs

As of Week 12, there are only a few teams out of the playoff picture. It will change week to week as it does every year.

Some teams are hanging on, but need so many other things to happen.

That makes the NFL playoffs so great. So many teams have a chance to the end.

Jets Not Flying Next Year

The 7-3 Pats will be hosted by the 3-7 Jets tomorrow. The season is basically over for Gang Green. They can look forward to next year. That's what they do on a regular basis.

They will have $100 million to spend in salary cap money. They can do all sorts of creative things.

There is no doubt that GM Mike Maccagnan will make some bad moves and the team will be where they are now.

So Many Points

I never realized there would be 15 college games played today on various television networks.

There is no doubt they were all different. Some of the games were not the best display of football.

It's hard to believe that the over and under for Oklahoma and West Virginia was 85.

Oklahoma leads 59-49 with 9:59 left.

How will this end?

No Longer 126-0

I always enjoy statistics that come out after a game. The Rams beat the Chiefs 54-51 on MNF the other night.

The Chiefs will always have the distinction of being the only NFL team to ever lose a game when they scored over 50 points.

Those teams had a NFL record of 126-0. That all changed the other night.

It's Way Too Cold

It was unfortunate that a lot of high schools had to play their Thanksgiving Day game on the night before. The weather will be so cold on Thursday morning.

The game day temperatures will be like cold NFL playoff games in January.

The End At UMass

I was surprised to hear that UMass parted ways with Coach Mark Whipple after five seasons.

Things have not gone well for him during his second stint with the team. Back to back 4-8 seasons set things in motion.

He still has two years left on his contract and will work out a settlement for the $500,000 owed him.

Whipple won a Division 1AA National Championship in 1998 during his first time with the team from 1998-2003 before he left for a coaching job in the NFL with the Steelers. His record was 49-26.

UMass has struggled with their Independent schedule. His record of 16-44 was not good enough to keep his job.

Who will UMass get at this point? The salary is a turn-off for the big-time coordinators looking to move up. Recruitment and retention could become an issue.

It's a long road ahead as the team looks to another season.

Andy's Time

UMass WR Andy Isabella compiled amazing numbers in his team's loss to #5 Georgia. He ranks very high in all statistical categories among Division 1A programs.

What does this say about his future in the NFL? Most predict that he could go in the fourth of fifth round. Will that happen?

He has a lot of film that teams can look at. UMass played a very tough schedule during his time there.

How do the "experts" view all of this?

UMass Ends 4-8

UMass lost to 5th ranked Georgia by a score of 66-27. They beat the point spread and influenced the over/under for those who bet.

They finished up the season at 4-8 and look forward to next year.

I'm sure many will complain that they should've done better.

I think we all expected more, but it was all hype in the end.

Nobody Knows The Truth

Sports talk radio in Boston continues to get worse. One station continues to push a story that Coach Belichick wanted to trade Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.

There might be some truth about Gronk when he was waffling about retiring. The Brady situation might never be fully known.

That doesn't stop some from promoting their own agendas for the sake of ratings.

More Than 66 On Saturday

UMass plays 6th ranked Georgia on Saturday at 4pm. The line is 41 1/2 against them, with the over and under of 66.

How will this game get played out? Nobody really knows in the end.

Leaving Money On The Table

The opportunity for Steelers RB LeVeon Bell to play this season has come and passed. He will sit out the rest of the season and leave $14,544,000 on the table by not signing for the franchise tag.

It was strictly a business decision by him as he is seeking a huge contract for next season when he becomes a free agent.

Was this the right move? Players at that position have a short career span. Will some team step forward and offer him a huge amount of money? That remains to be seen.

Time For Todd

The Jets had one of their worst games ever while they took a 41-10 beating from the Bills.

Nothing went right for them. They had two yards of offense in the first quarter. The Bills moved the ball at will. It was a total mauling of the Jets.

The New York tabloids are calling for the firing of Coach Todd Bowles. With a career record of 23-35, he will probably last to the end of season, but will be gone after that.

Ownership is standing behind him because it's easier to fire him at the end of the season.

The Mediocre Teams

ESPN probably thought it had a great game on schedule tonight when the 49er's host the Giants. That will not be the case as they are 2-7 and 1-7 respectively.

The season has spiraled out of control for both teams. There is more talk about moving on from Eli Manning who counts for $23.2 million on the salary cap.

Big decisions need to be made by the Giants front office. They are on a very short leash at this point.

Now 7-3

The Pats lost to the Titans today, 34-10. They were totally outplayed and now have their bye week to get back on track.

The worst thing about the loss is that we will be forced to listen to all sorts of nonsense on talk radio and social media.

People are quick to turn on the team. They expect the Pats to win every game. They are so delusional.

A Short Game

UMass lost 35-16 today to BYU. They really struggled on both sides of the ball. The kicking game was horrible.

The most noteworthy item was the game lasted only 2:45. That is unheard of in college football at this level.

When both teams run the ball a lot, they burn the clock and the game gets over quicker.

Dez Time

Dez Bryant finally signed a contract with the Saints the other day. During today's practice, he might have suffered a season ending injury with his Achilles tendon.

Fans were hoping to watch him play at the age of 30. Time has been catching up to him.

Not Ready To Fire

Whenever a team owner says that a coach won't be fired during the season, it's a good bet that they will be dismissed at the end of the season.

Jerry Jones said that about Jason Garrett and his Cowboy staff as the team flounders at 3-5 and has a good chance of missing the playoffs.

Jones must feel there is no point in doing it now, so he will wait until the end of the season.

He should also fire the GM, but he is the owner and GM.

Maybe Tebow Time

Tim Tebow got his chance at professional baseball with the New York Mets because of his celebrity status. He has played reasonably well at this point, but is still stuck in the minor leagues at the AAA level.

The new Mets GM has indicated that Tebow might get invited to the major league spring training camp. Making it to the Big Apple would help sell tickets which the Mets want to do in a big way.

Not All Play There

The high school football playoff system in Massachusetts is really messed up.

How can a team that is 0-7 be involved in a playoff game? Teams with a losing record should not be part of anything.

The MIAA governing body has too many "Super Bowls". They can't even play them all at Gillette Stadium.

All of those kids deserve a chance to play in the Big House and not some venue that is just a placeholder.

Dallas Time

The eight division alignment in the NFL is great from a competitive viewpoint. Teams always have a chance to make the playoffs unless their season starts badly.

The Cowboys lost 28-14 tonight to the Titans. They are now 3-5 in the NFC East. They need to play well over the second half of the season to have any chance of additional games.