Ok. No coaches are about to depart as this is typed, right? I can get the notes off tonight unscathed? Let’s get going. Just in case.
Matt Campbell Update
No updates at Oklahoma and Notre Dame, but Virginia Tech got their guy (Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry), and Campbell seems pretty far from the conversation for both the Sooners and the Irish at the moment, so Iowa State fans, while they should feel uneasy, don’t have to be panicking right now. Of course, I would have said this about Notre Dame fans about 25 hours ago. So don’t trust me. I just do the playoff numbers. I’m not a coaching search expert.
Speaking of Playoff Numbers…
The top nine from tonight go:
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Alabama
4. Cincinnati
5. Oklahoma State
6. Notre Dame
7. Ohio State
8. Mississippi
9. Baylor
Which is close to what we expected (our model had Cincinnati ahead of Michigan and Alabama and it had Notre Dame still ahead of Oklahoma State). I’ll write more about this tomorrow, but this is mostly concerning for Cincinnati, leaving the door open for both an 11-2 Alabama and a 12-1 Oklahoma State making the field ahead of them; and for Notre Dame, whose chance of passing an 11-2 Alabama is still there but isn’t as large as it could be, and whose chance of holding off a 12-1 Oklahoma State is confirmed to not exist. It’s nothing too huge—Cincinnati’s still probably in with a win, Notre Dame’s secure path still seems to be Baylor and Iowa winning—but it’s not nothing (also, with Wisconsin exiting the rankings and Purdue not entering, Notre Dame has no ranked wins, which is not a good sign at all for the Irish).
Again, more tomorrow.
Can Ohio State Make a Splash?
Ohio State hosts Duke tonight, and it’s a good opportunity for the Buckeyes to flip the script on what’s been a rough start to the season. Elsewhere in the Big Ten/ACC challenge, Purdue is hosting Florida State right now as the Boilermakers try to deepen their claim to being the best in the country.
The Cubs Did Something!
Nothing huge, but the Cubs signed Yan Gomes to a two-year deal and Clint Frazier to a one-year deal. Frazier’s a bit of a lottery ticket—might not last the winter, but still has a lot of potential. Gomes is a solid catcher, could start if they trade Willson Contreras (it’s possible), and would be a good heavily-used backup if they don’t trade Willson Contreras (the DH coming to the NL opens some options). Not splashy, but good deals. Good moves. Lot of offseason left, even if we might be about to hit pause.
Other Teams Did Too
The big ones today:
- Javy Báez to the Tigers for six years and $140M. Excited for him to get paid. Excited because the Tigers should be a lot of fun next year. Sad because I miss him.
- The Marlins traded a solid prospect to the Rays for Joey Wendle. The Rays benefit by further deepening their farm system while lessening their 40-man roster crunch. The Marlins benefit by getting a good-hitting utility man.
Baseball’s Got Another Ball Problem
Shockingly, MLB wasn’t forthright about its balls again. They were evidently still using some of the old ones this year (refresher: MLB switched to a ball this year that was supposed to stay in the park more, in an effort to get more guys on the bases), and they didn’t make it public. The players didn’t know. I don’t know how big a deal this is, but it’s just bizarre. What a strange saga.
***
Ok, Lane Kiffin hasn’t taken the Lions job or anything like that, so I think we’re in the clear. Viewing schedule for the rest of the night goes Purdue/FSU, Ohio State/Duke. Of course, if one or the other gets out of hand, pivoting is encouraged, and there’s plenty going on elsewhere. Such is the beauty of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, viewable on the ESPN family of networks. Did I say that right?
