As stated last week, SU was not overly optimistic about Michigan’s chances against a powerhouse Ohio State team on the road. However, for the record I did make this statement: JJ McCarthy will have to have a career game which he is capable of (I think so although I am in the minority on this) if the coaches trust him enough to let him throw more. Clearly, the Michigan coaches are avid followers of SU and made the adjustment in the offensive game plan as McCarthy had a huge game with 3 long touchdown passes and running one in. SU watched the game with long-time subscriber, S. Levine, and relatively new subscriber, P. Lenz, who is now undefeated in his viewing appearances including two in-person games this year. SU’s observations:

1. Michigan was a bit lucky in the first half with two long touchdown passes in the 2nd quarter. Keep in mind that McCarthy has failed to complete these passes all year – as in all year. That kept them in the game while Ohio State was moving the ball effectively up and down the field.
2. Some may disagree with this statement but I think the Ohio State coach, Ryan Day, who calls the plays, just got bored with his play calling. For me, all he had to do was run his back-up running back on 1st down for 6 yards and then do short passes to his NFL-caliber receivers. It didn’t feel like Michigan could really stop either of those plays. But on critical 3rd down plays, he went to some trickery that just didn’t feel necessary – and also didn’t work. This happened a few times and killed some drives. Michigan had zero pressure on the Ohio State Heisman caliber quarterback and he is incredibly accurate. Some of the play calling really backfired from my perspective.
3. Michigan makes great adjustments at half time. Especially on defense and this has been consistent all year. Michigan outscored Ohio State 28-3 in the 2nd half. They may have taken away some of the short passes in the 2nd half but not sure.
4. Lots of criticism for Day’s decisions to not go for it on 4th down and short yardage in the 2nd half near mid-field. SU does not fault those decisions as it was unlikely that Michigan could sustain a long drive down the field. The game was still close there – hard to argue with that. However, the fact that they were in a 4th down and short yardage situation was on him I think.
5. Harbaugh finally allowed McCarthy to run in the 2nd half. They didn’t have Corum and Edwards was holding the ball in his opposite hand due to a broken thumb and a large cast. Every one of his runs was scary as you wondered if he would fumble. McCarthy is as fast as their running backs and allowing him to run on the zone read plays has been there most of the season. Difference maker yesterday.

Should Ohio State be in the final four now? You can definitely make the case. Enough other teams lost yesterday – LSU, Clemson – that they should be in the mix. I guess it comes down to TCU and USC. A closer loss would probably make this a no-brainer. No doubt the point difference will be a big factor. SU believes that the “committee” prefers to have different conferences represented unless it’s the SEC when they have no issue (hey, it’s the best conference so I get it).

For a Michigan fan (at least for the last 16 years), what a great day given how they have been dominated by Ohio State for most of these years. Very unexpected outcome and it’s why we love college football.

New York football fans have been enjoying surprisingly good starts for both the Jets and Giants this season. Until now. As we get ready to head into December, the storm clouds are on the horizon. The Giants have won a lot of close games – as in a lot. The football gods rarely let you go through an entire season of doing just that. At some point, you need to start putting points on the board and not rely on late field goals and touchdowns to determine the outcome. The schedule gets harder now with Dallas on Thanksgiving and then 2 dates with the Eagles. A wild card would be huge for the Giants this year. Can they find another gear? Hard to see that.

The Jets managed to lose a game vs. New England in truly unique fashion with a late, late, late punt return for a touchdown. I mean, that just cannot happen. It feels like a quarterback change may be coming although Joe Flacco is not an upgrade. SU is amazed at how mediocre NFL quarterbacks are this season. It must give college quarterbacks hope to have a career in the NFL even if they were not that great in college. It doesn’t take much to be a game manager and avoid turning it over.

Kyrie Irving is back and has apologized. SU still cannot root for the Nets but at least Irving is trying – for now. The over/under is 20 days before the next flare-up.

You probably did not watch it but Novak Djokovic won the ATP Men’s end of year championships beating 5 top 10 players in a row in the round robin format. He has now won this 6 times in his career. SU is still annoyed with him on his anti-vax stance but his career record is pretty amazing. He will turn 36 next year and is still at the top of the game.

The Mets are kicking the tires on Justin Verlander and are also expected to bring back deGrom. Is that even possible financially? The Yankees have made their offer to Judge but apparently the Dodgers might be in the mix now and Judge is from California. SU says the Yankees must have offered the captaincy to Judge as part of the deal and given who has been a captain for the Yankees historically, that has to be a tiebreaker for Judge. At some point, it’s not just about the money – at least SU thinks so with Judge. It’s history and your legacy. SU says he returns to the Yankees and that has to be just step #1 for the team.

Michigan vs. Ohio State this Saturday for the Big Ten East and a slot (most likely) in the college football playoff assuming they win the Big Ten Championship game. While SU is all in on Michigan, I don’t see how they stay with Ohio State offensively as you know they will put up points with their top passing game. JJ McCarthy will have to have a career game which he is capable of (I think so although I am in the minority on this) if the coaches trust him enough to let him throw more. I will manage my expectations for Saturday. Truth be told, the Big Ten is terrible this year aside from these two teams and Penn State. Now having said this, these teams will run the table in the Bowls but strength of schedule will not help Michigan if they lose to Ohio State.

Finally, the World Cup kicks off for the US team this afternoon. SU will do its best to get on board with the World Cup this year but I must admit soccer does not come naturally for me.

Apologies for not posting sooner. SU has been more focused on the election the last several weeks which to be honest is more interesting (and important) than how much money Aaron Judge gets from the Yankees. However, SU has been giving some thought to the start of free agency and I have a few options for Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees to consider.

Option 1: Many are expecting Hal to open the bank and sign not only Judge plus other big name free agents like Correa. Sure, that is an option but SU would prefer to see Hal re-sign Judge (yes) but then use his remaining budget to clear space for the youngsters. Looking at you Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks. Ship them out somewhere and eat the remaining money on their contracts in the process. I would rather see that happen than be limited budget-wise for other moves and end up keeping those two. They essentially block the next Gen players from getting significant playing time. This is the addition by subtraction option and probably fits into the Yankees’ budget.

Option 2: The bolder option is to re-sign Judge and then work a trade for Ohtani. This would energize the fan base. True, you would need to part ways with a couple of the top prospects including Volpe but as we all know, the Yankee prospects are always over-hyped and overrated. As in always. Be bold and get the fans excited for 2023.

SU believes they will trade Gleyber Torres for sure as it’s time to put LeMahieu at some position like 2nd base full time – or 3rd base if that is what is needed. You have to figure they bring back Anthony Rizzo for another 1 – 2 years.

SU was surprised that the Mets went for a 5-year, $102 million deal for Diaz as the closer. While he is only 28 years old, most relievers are up and down from year-to-year unless you are Mariano Rivera. A 5-year deal is unheard of for a reliever. SU assumes they still have money to bring back deGrom – perhaps overpay for 3 years. SU says the Mets are the most interesting team to watch in free agency. Their time to win is now.

Well, the Nets decided to not make the absolutely worst decision and hire the suspended Celtics coach to be their new coach this year. Looks like cooler heads prevailed on this one as they are having Jacques Vaughn manage the rest of the season. SU has noted that the team is playing better since Kyrie Irving was suspended – who would have thought that? Such a good guy. Btw, the general non-comment by the NBA players regarding Kyrie’s anti-Semitic actions are noted by SU. I guess the fact that there is one Jewish player in the NBA (on the Wizards) is not enough to draw more widespread condemnation. The Nets have to cut him loose and some team will surely pick him up as he is a top 10 player in the League and probably the best 1-on-1 player around. But his track record as a team wrecker is well-documented so proceed at your own risk NBA owners and GMs.

SU and several SU intergalactic subscribers took in the Rutgers – Michigan game last Saturday night. College football in-person is always one of the most fun and enjoyable experiences for a sports fan. For professional events, fans are too angry and pissed off (and drunk). I am not saying college sports are pure (and the students are certainly feeling no pain) but the environment is so much better – both for college football and basketball. Much preferred.

So, what should Hal do with Judge? He is going to cost $340 million or so for 8 years. Sign him? Let him go and get 2-3 high quality pieces?