Michigan Wolverine Basketball is Not Getting Better Anytime Soon

What Ty looks like watching Wolverine Basketball

After getting absolutely annihilated by Illinois last night, this Michigan basketball season, which started with so much promise, is beginning to look pretty dire. At the start of the season I thought that they would be a mid level team in the Big Ten. I figured they'd win the games they were supposed to, lose the games they were supposed to and maybe have a few surprise victories as well. I thought they would definitely make the NCAA tournament and hover right around 20 wins. I figured they would look a lot like last years team, only a bit better.

That was how the season started. They looked really good early on. They were making shots. Zak Irvin looked fully healthy, and he was hitting his mid range shots and three pointers. Derrick Walton was running the offense efficiently. Duncan Robinson was a sniper off the bench. Muhammad Ali Abdur Rahkman was slashing and getting to the rim with ease. Even their big men, Mark Donnal, Moe Wagner and DJ Wilson, were getting big rebounds, playing solid defense and hitting the occasional jumper.

But, something happened right before Big Ten play. Their first loss came to South Carolina. South Carolina absolutely suffocated them on defense, and Michigan could do nothing. They were also giving up easy dribble drives, and leaving guys wide open from three. I thought, no big deal, they weren't going undefeated, they will fix this. In the next game, against a nobody team, they did just that, and throttled whoever they played by almost 20 points. Then, they traveled to UCLA, who was the number 2 team in the country at the time. UCLA was coming off a big win at Kentucky, and they looked legit. I was nervous about this game being a blowout. But, Michigan played a great first half, matching everything that UCLA did. I even had hopes that maybe they could pull the upset. The second half came, Michigan had their lapses that they showed against South Carolina, and UCLA ended up pulling away with relative ease. Michigan still scored 90 plus points, but they gave up over 100. That is unacceptable in college basketball.

The Wolverines lost that game, then they lose their Big Ten opener on the road to Iowa, in overtime. They had a lead, but they couldn't close the game out, and they were letting guys shoot wide open threes, like the South Carolina game again. Still looking for their first Big Ten win, they were 10-3. Not bad, but not great. Their first Big Ten win came against Penn State. PSU is not a good basketball team. Sure, they have beaten Michigan State this year, but MSU is one of the most inconsistent teams in all of college basketball. But, During the PSU game, I did not like what I saw from Michigan. Again, they were just letting guys get into the lane with little to no resistance. PSU must have had, at least, 5 wide open layups. Then, when they would clog the paint, they would leave shooters wide open for threes. It was very frustrating. PSU built a 13 point lead in the second half, but as I said, they are not a good basketball team, and Michigan made enough plays to eek out a win.

I did not feel good after this win. I hated the way they were playing basketball. The defense was non existent. They were playing way too much one on one. Irvin kept jacking threes, even though his shot was wildly off from deep that night. Derrick Walton inexplicably chose to not shoot unless it was crucial, or at the end of the shot clock. The big men did nothing. No rebounding, poor interior defense and dumb shots from all 3 of them. Duncan Robinson looked scared on the court that night. It was the first time he looked like a division 3 transfer. Something just didn't sit right with me.

They then played Maryland. Maryland was also struggling a bit coming into this game. But, Michigan just did not play well. They kept the game close all the way to the end, but they just did not have enough gas in the tank. Whenever Michigan would cut the lead to 2 or 3, Maryland would rattle off 4 or 5 straight points and build there lead back to 8 or 9. And normally I'd say that they were making lucky shots, but when no one is guarding you that close, those are easy shots to make. They also let Maryland have their way in the post. This seems to be a recurring theme this year. They can't figure out a way to stop you inside, or if they do, they leave shooters wide open at the three point line.

Last night's game, at Illinois, was a disaster. Michigan played hard for about 18 minutes, then Illinois blew the doors off of them. What was once a 2 point lead for Michigan ballooned to 13 for Illinois at halftime. It was the same story. They stopped Illinois inside, but let shooters shot with no defense. They also just stopped making shots as well. Michigan looked so bad last night, it made me a little sad. Illinois ended up winning by 17 points, but it was not even that close.

This is the same team that, 4 years ago, was playing for a national title. Sure, the players have changed, and they might not be as good as Nik Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III or Mitch McGary were, but they should not have a drop off this bad. Hell, the year after their run to the title game, they were in the Elite Eight. They were even in the tournament last year and won a game. Something is not right at Michigan right now. These are John Beilein guys, and I love John Beilein, but they are not doing wwhat they need to be doing on either end of the floor. Where we sit right now, they are 11-6 and 1-3 in conference play. Things are not going to get any easier for them as well.

As much as it pains me to say it, I think Michigan may be one of the worst teams in the Big Ten this year. They play no defense, they can't rebound, they aren't making their shots and they play too tight. The majority of this team is seniors, so hopefully they will wake up and realize that this is it for them, but watching them right now, I do not see that happening. Things seem to be getting worse before they get better. Hopefully they can prove me wrong, but with the way they are playing right now, I do not see that happening. Not only are they not going to make the NCAA tournament, I would not be surprised if they got left out of the NIT.

John Beilein needs to coach these kids up some more. These are his type of players, and I blame a lot of what is going on right now on him and his staff. Shore this mess up or else enjoy your vacation at the end of the regular season because if this play continues, I guarantee you will not be playing in any postseason tournaments.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His love for Michigan does not make him blind to rec league levels of basketball playing. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Clemson Comes out on Top in a Classic College Football Sequel

I was going to write about something different today, but that will have to wait until tomorrow, because the College Football Playoff Championship last night was absolutely incredible. We got Alabama-Clemson part 2, and I think the sequel may have been better than the original. Don't get me wrong, last year's title game was great, but last night's title game was on a whole other level. For about 3 quarters, it was kind of boring, and was going as expected, but the fourth quarter made this game an instant classic.

In the first three quarters, Alabama dominated the pace and tempo of the game. They were able to run on Clemson, and when they gave them the ball, Alabama's defense was able to control, and even rattle Clemson and Deshaun Watson. At the end of the third, the score was 17-14, Alabama. When the fourth quarter started, Alabama had the ball, and Jalen Hurts, who had a horrific passing game, found OJ Howard wide open and he ran 68 yards for a score to put Alabama up 24-14. I figured that was the end for Clemson. I figured Alabama's defense would put the clamps on the Clemson offense, like they had almost all game, and the offense would be able to salt the game away by running the ball.

Deshaun Watson would not let that happen. Right after the Crimson Tide took that 10 point lead, Watson seemed to wake up, and he immediately drove his team down the field. Aided by a late hit call, Watson took off on a designed QB run, and had one of the best non TD runs that I have ever seen. He went to the corner of the field, looked like he was going to step out of bounds, but instead turned the ball up field and dove for the goal line. He was definitely pushed out of bounds before he got in, but on the very next play, Wayne Gallman ran the ball in easily. Clemson was now within 3 points, and it seemed like they grabbed all the momentum. Alabama then got the ball back, did nothing with it and punted. Clemson got it back, did nothing with it as well, and punted. Then, same thing for a third time with Alabama.

After all the punting back, Clemson and Deshaun Watson took over the game. He drove that team down the field, making precise throws, and picking the perfect spots to run, when it was needed. On the eighth play of the drive, Watson found Williams for a 4 yard strike, and for the first time all year, Alabama was on the ropes. Clemson took the lead in the title game, scoring 14 unanswered points against the vaunted Alabama defense. Some have said, I'm sure I was one of those people at times this year as well, that this Alabama defense was one of the best of all time, but Clemson ran roughshot over them halfway through the fourth quarter.

Alabama would not be silenced so easily. After Clemson took the lead with just over 4 minutes left, Alabama got the ball back, and Steve Sarkisian finally opened up the playbook. They ran one of the better wide receiver pass plays that I have seen. It was perfectly executed. Earlier in the drive, Alabama also converted a crucial fourth and one with a bruising run from Damien Harris. Then, facing a second and medium, in the face of the blitz, Jalen Hurts did what he does best. He saw that Clemson had brought all their linebackers, and he took off. He proceeded to go 30 yards untouched on his way to the end zone, giving Alabama the lead with just under 2 minutes left. All the joy that the Clemson fans had was gone.

With Alabama in the lead late in the fourth, the cameras panned to Watson. He had a look of "I'm not going out like this". He looked confident. The fear from early in the game was gone. He was in the "zone", as it were. On the kickoff, Clemson's returner almost looked like he was going to go the distance, but he got tripped up at about the 35. This was when Watson took over. He was zipping the ball into very small windows to receivers that were covered very well. On one play, his tight end stretched as far as his body would let him, and he pulled the ball in. Mike Williams, who is awesome, was beating the Alabama secondary with relative ease, and Watson was finding him on this last drive.

Clemson drove it all the way down to the 6 yard line, and with 6 seconds left, they went for the win. The announcers were saying that they thought that they should kick the field goal and play for overtime, but I loved the call to go for the win. The ball was snapped and Watson rolled to his right. Clemson ran a "rub" play, Alabama fans I'm sure thought it was a pick play(it actually looked like it may have been a pick play, but this is one opinion from a guy that had no skin in the game), and his small slot receiver, Hunter Renfrow, was WIDE OPEN. Watson hit him in the chest and Renfrow crossed the goal line with one second left on the clock. The extra point was good and Clemson had a 35-31 lead. The Tigers then proceeded to do an "onside" kick, and they recovered and Watson came out and kneeled on the ball, and the game was over.

My heart was racing, and I DIDN'T EVEN CARE WHO WON! This was an incredible title game. I think Deshaun Watson proved all his doubters wrong. People said he was overrated and inconsistent all year, but when it was a big game, Watson played his best. I am still flabbergasted that he did not win the Heisman. I also do not understand how he is not the best available QB in the upcoming draft. He is so much better than Deshon Kizer, Mitch Trubisky or any other QB that is going to be draft eligible. I'd take Watson if I needed a QB without any hesitation. Watson proved last night that he was the best player in college football. He looked phenomenal last night, when he needed to be phenomenal. Alabama's vaunted defense looked tired and shocked. They could not stop Watson last night, and he played even better last night than he did last year. They just flat out could not do anything to slow him down. They looked awesome for 3 quarters, Alabama's defense that is, but when it mattered most, they got exposed.

Games like these are why I love college football so much. It was kind of boring for a bit, but when it came down to crunch time, this game more than lived up to the hype. Also, quick shout out to Dabo Swinney for giving Colin Cowherd the business in his post game press conference. I loved it, and I'm so glad whenever anyone can point out how stupid Colin Cowherd truly is. Anyway, congrats Clemson. you were the better team last night and you had the best player on the field. Deshaun Watson will rightfully go down as one of the better college QB's of all time. He played so great last night, and for his entire career. He seems a bit underrated to me, but I think he will finally gets the credit he deserves. What a game and what an ending to the college football season. Just incredible.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He never thought Clemson was a fraud, he picked them to win at the beginning of the season. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Kyle Korver to the Cavs is OK. Not Great, Just OK

The scales of NBA power have not tipped that much

Now that the Kyle Korver to Cleveland trade is official, I have a few takes.

First off, this has to mean that the Hawks are about to have a fire sale. Korver was in the final year of his contract, and I suppose the front office figured they'd better get something for him before he leaves in free agency. Paul Milsap looks like he's the next one to go. Milsap is an awesome basketball player, and I'm sure he wants to play on a contender and, he is 32, which is old for a "superstar" in the NBA today. Milsap is going to get paid by someone this offseason, and just like with Korver, I think Atlanta wants to get something for him before he walks. I have heard many, many people say that Milsap being traded is basically a done deal. The 2 teams that come up most are Toronto and Boston. I think either spot would be a great destination for him, and I think it would push both of those teams to the second seed in the East.

Tim Hardaway Jr is another player who's name has started to pop up as a possible trade asset. He won't yield much of a return, but he hasn't really put it together in the NBA like many thought, and he too is in the final year of a contract, so get something while you can. At best, I think the Hawks could get a second rounder for him.

A lot of people have brought up a possible Dwight Howard trade. I think this would be insane, but that is what Dwight Howard brings with him everywhere he goes. I do not think he will be traded, but with all the possible moves, and the Korver move being official, I'm not sure Howard will want to stay on a team that is not going to get far in the playoffs, or even make the playoffs. He is nearing the end of his career, and I think he'd rather be on a contender, than a team going nowhere, even if it's his hometown.

With all this being said, I think the Hawks are going into a youth movement. I do not think they are tanking, where we sit right now, they are 20-16, so it is too late to tank. I also think the young guys could be decent. After Korver being traded, and the inevitable Milsap trade coming, I do not think they will make the playoffs this year, but they have some good young guys on their roster. I love Dennis Schroder. He may be inconsistent, but he is talented and has great confidence in himself. I think Kent Bazemore is a good role player. Mike Scott is a tough defender and a decent three point shooter. Their 2 rookies, Tauren Prince and DeAndre Bembry, have a ton of upside. So, I think, in a year or two, they could be a middling Eastern Conference team, and definitely a playoff team. The Hawks are going to unload their big name players, but I do not think it is as bleak as some have predicted after the Korver trade.

This leads me to my Cavs takes. A lot of people really like this trade. I do not think it changes much at all. This is still the Warriors title to lose. Sure, they blew a lead to Memphis recently and that the Cavs beat them on Christmas day, but the Warriors are still the best team in the NBA. Yes, the Cavs beat the Warriors, as I said, but the Warriors dominated that game almost the whole way. And, it was a midseason game, on the road. Who really cares, or even remembers who won these games. I have no clue who won any Christmas day game in 2015, and I am a humongous NBA fan. What I took away from that Cavs game, and I am getting back to the Korver deal, I promise, was that the Cavs tried really, really hard, and only KD and Draymond gave full effort for the Warriors. I feel like Klay and Steph took that game off. They let KD shoot as much as he wanted. They are still trying to figure things out with this impressive starting 5, and Christmas day was another "practice" of sorts for them. But, the Cavs really put forth full effort. LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin Love went at them hard. The rest of the Cavs were giving it their all, as they should. And, they still needed a miracle win on a crazy lucky shot from Irving.

What I gleaned most from that game was that the Cavs needed even more space. Korver brings them this. He is a great 3 point shooter, but the Cavs already have a younger, and a much, much better defender version of Kyle Korver in JR Smith. Smith is ten thousand times better than Korver. This is no disrespect to Korver, but he is old, his shooting is not what it once was, he plays no defense and JR Smith blends with this squad so much better. I'm sure they will play him off the bench, but who will he play with? Will it be him, LeBron, Kyrie, Love and Smith? Then they have no rebounding with Tristan Thompson on the bench. Put Thompson in for say Kevin Love, they do not have as much floor spacing as they would like. Put Thompson in and take out Smith, you have the liability of Korver playing defense. I see a lot of holes in what many seem to think is a "homerun" trade.

Give me the Warriors no matter what. The Warriors are still the much better team, in my opinion. The Cavs will roll through the East, unless Milsap gets dealt to Toronto, and I still think the Cavs would win, but when they get to the finals, they will have to face a much, much better and younger Warriors team. So, while some seem to think this trade makes the Cavs the new favorite to repeat, I do not see it that way. I just see an aging 3 point shooter, that thinks defense is optional, being added to a team that has the look of being afraid of what the Warriors may do to them when they inevitably meet for a third time this June. This is what I think of the newest member of the Cavs. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks it would be fitting for Dwight Howard to end up back in LA with another overrated team. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Minnesota Football Keeps Making Bad Choices with the Hiring of PJ Fleck

The Golden Gophers Football Plan

Yesterday I chastised Minnesota for letting Tracy Claeys go for, basically, standing up for his law abiding players. I thought when it happened it was wrong, and I still think it is wrong. Today, I am going to double down on crapping all over the University of Minnesota because I do not think that the hiring of PJ Fleck is all that big a deal, for many reasons.

First off, he is a coach from the MAC, that has an overall record of 30-22 in 4 years. That isn't awful, but it is not that great either. Thirteen of those wins came this season, so before that, his overall record in 3 years was 17-21, 4 games below .500. That doesn't scream national power to me.

Sure, Western Michigan had a great, wonderful season, but it was not that impressive if you really break it down. Their schedule was not that hard. The MAC is not a very good conference. There seems to be one team from the MAC every year that explodes like this, but, the very next season, they come crashing back to Earth. I remember a few years ago, Ball State was the talk of college football. They were riding an 11-0 record, but they blew a late conference game, then got crushed by a power 5 team in their bowl game. Same with Northern Illinois. A few years back they made a BCS bowl, then proceeded to get their heads smashed in by a pissed off Florida State team. The MAC does not have a team like Boise State. Boise State takes on all comers, crushes every opponent in their conference, and deserves to be in big time bowl games. That is why Chris Petersen got a big time job at Washington, and has that team in very good shape for years to come. PJ Fleck did not have the resume that Petersen had when he got his first big time job. And Washington football is a much bigger deal than Minnesota football.

Also, Western Michigan's 2 best wins during the regular season came against 6-6 Northwestern and 3-9 Illinois. They pounded Illinois, as did every other decent college football team. But they needed a miracle to beat Northwestern, who I need to remind you, Northwestern lost to a FCS school the week before on a last minute field goal. Had that player from Northwestern just went down, instead of stretching for the goal line, then fumbling, Western Michigan and PJ Fleck would not have been talked about as much as they were all season. But, he did, and WMU won.

Other than those 2 "power" 5 teams, WMU feasted on much lesser opponents all season long. Is it any wonder as to why this team never reached any higher than 15 in the playoff polls? I know these polls are totally arbitrary, and I usually disagree with them, but I feel like they got WMU just right. And, being the one non power 5 team to be undefeated, they did deserve the invite to the Cotton Bowl, but they got a reeling Wisconsin team, that played 2 QB's that whole game. Wisconsin has a great defense, but their offense leaves A LOT to be desired. But, for the most part, they completely controlled WMU all game. I know the final score made it seem closer than it was, but remember, WMU scored a very late TD to pull within 7, and that TD was incredibly lucky. When WMU had to play a real team, you saw how good they really were. They were fine, Corey Davis is a great receiver, but if they were in the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, ACC or Pac 12, they are, at the very best, an eight win team.

My final reason as to why I do not think Fleck is a great hire, no other big time school, that had a head coaching vacancy, brought him in so much so for an interview. Texas did not call. Oregon blatantly made it known that they had no intentions of bringing him in. Houston chose to just promote an assistant, instead of bringing Fleck in. LSU all but laughed off the assumption that he was a candidate. No major college football program ever really gave Fleck a second thought.

In fact, this hiring made me think of Michigan, 5 years ago, when they hired Brady Hoke. When I heard that Hoke was getting the job, I tried to convince myself that they were doing the right thing. They were giving a guy that paid his dues the chance to coach a major team, to bring them back to prominence. And, he looked like the right hire in his first season, but things went to shit after that. When he had to recruit his guys, which he did a good job of getting good players, and coach them up, which he was atrocious at doing, he failed tremendously. Michigan got worse every year under Hoke.

I think the same thing is going to happen with Minnesota and Fleck. His name is hot right now, but what has he really accomplished, against good opponents? Like I said earlier, props to you for going 13-0 in the regular season, but when you had to play a real team, you were immobilized and outcoached by a million miles. You have great enthusiasm, but that will only take you so far. You have to recruit against the likes of the University of Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, Nebraska and Michigan, just to name a few. You also have to play these teams every year. You do not have the luxury of being the underdog from the underdog conference anymore. You have to face 9 Big Ten teams a year, and they all aren't Northwestern and Illinois. This job is going to be very, very tough.

Sure, the hiring seems great now, but so did the hiring of Hoke, or when Helfrich took over at Oregon, or when Lane Kiffin took the job at USC. How did all those end up? Not so great. Claeys getting canned was bad, but I feel like this hiring of Fleck is just another misstep in a program that I once respected, but makes me lose respect everyday with each decision they make. Good luck Minnesota, but honestly, I hope this all ends very bad for you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His father is a Minnesota alum, and has refused to share any Golden Gopher gear until Ty gets off his soapbox on the football program. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Being Loyal to His Unpaid Players Cost Tracy Claeys His Job At Minnesota

How will Coach Claeys live without the Minnesota Spring

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team just recently fired their head coach, Tracy Claeys. They fired him for standing by his players after they threatened to sit out the Holiday Bowl after 10 players were suspended for alleged sexual assault.

First things first, those players that got suspended one hundred percent deserved to be suspended, if they were proven to have done the heinous acts they were accused of doing. There is no place for these type of actions to continue to happen in football. It is disturbing and disgusting, as I wrote yesterday, and have touched on many times on the site. The players that were accused, deserve their punishments, and they should not be allowed on the football team.

With that being said, I understand why Claeys stood by the other players that threatened a boycott. The rest of the team was going to sit out their bowl game, until the suspended players were reinstated, or they got the full story on why they were suspended. These kids had little to no idea why their teammates were suspended. That is on the university and the AD, not the coaches, to explain to these kids why these players got in trouble. But, in typical NCAA fashion, the players were left in the dark, and when they threatened to sit out, they were roasted on social media, by former players and by all the major sports networks. They were called childish and were deemed as spoiled jocks. And Tracy Claeys was not immune to the disrespect. Now, as I said before, the suspended players deserve the punishments, but the current players, and the head coach, do not deserve the blame.

Imagine if this same situation happened at Florida State when Jameis Winston was accused of the same thing. If the players and Jimbo Fisher threatened a boycott, I guarantee that outlets like ESPN and Fox Sports 1 would be calling them brave, and say how proud they are of them for standing up for one of their teammates. But, this happened at Minnesota, and they are not a blue blood in the college football world.

This situation actually reminds me a lot of what happened at the University of Missouri a few years back. Now, the thing at Missouri was much worse. I mean, racial insensitivity in this day and age is very, very scary. But, people roasted the kids that boycotted, again calling them names and calling them spoiled. I was one hundred percent on the side of the players at Missouri when they boycotted, and their coach at time, Gary Pinkel, joined the boycott. But, no one called him names and raked him over the coals. They praised him for standing with his kids. Like I said, the situation at Missouri was worse, but it still reminds me a lot of what happened at Minnesota this year.

After the Golden Gophers inexplicably beat Washington State in the bowl game, after they ended the boycott by finally get a fully explained response as to why the kids were suspended, Minnesota decided a few days later that Tracy Claeys time as the head coach there was done. This is completely baffling to me. He is clearly a players coach. The kids there loved him when he was the defensive coordinator, and they seemed to like him even more when he was the head coach. After Jerry Kill had to step away, due to all the seizures, he hand picked Claeys to take over. He was one of Kill's guys all along, and he seemed like the perfect fit for Minnesota. The team was also competitive with him at the helm. They were a 7 win team his first full season as head coach, and they won 9 games this year. For Minnesota football, that is quite impressive. But, the AD decided that he needed to get rid of a guy that stands by his players. They figured that he had enough time as a head coach, and they let him go.

I ask, what exactly did he do that was so wrong and bad enough for him to lose his job? He stood by his non suspended players. He won enough games to be in bowl games. The non suspended players loved him. The rest of the coaching staff loved him. Jerry Kill picked him to take over. None of this sounds like he deserved to be fired. And if Minnesota is expecting someone like Chip Kelly or Mark Helfrich to come there and coach, they are out of their god damn minds. I would bet all the money I had, if I were a betting man, those guys would rather take a job as an assistant at a big time program, than come into Minnesota as the head man. Kevin Wilson, who seems like a miserable human being, took a job at the University of Ohio State rather than another head coaching gig. Mike Debord took a different coordinator job, rather than a head coaching job. Same thing for Matt Canada. There is no one, at least not a big name person, that aches for that Minnesota job. So, if they are expecting a big name, they have another thing coming. They'd be lucky to get a guy like Brady Hoke right now. Hell, maybe Glen Mason will take over, but those are their best options.

I have read today that some former players and coaches, mainly Jerry Kill, are crushing the AD right now, and I love that. I also love the shots that Claeys fired while being interviewed after he was fired by a local TV station, saying, "at least I won't be freezing my ass off in Minnesota anymore". He was clearly upset, and angry, as he should be. This firing was unjust, and I personally hope it sets Minnesota football back. Claeys did not deserve this. This is ridiculous.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has also taken his name out of the Minnesota coaching search and has opted to keep coaching his 4 year olds team. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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All Hail the ACC, Kings of the College Football Bowl Season

The crown is not that heavy

After yesterday's 2 bowl games, I am quite disgusted in how my conference, the Big Ten, has performed, but it is not just the Big Ten, most other power 5 conferences, except for the ACC, have been pretty mediocre.

Let's get the Big Ten out of the way.

First off, the top three teams in the conference all lost their bowl games. Michigan, my team, played piss poor defense all game, didn't wake up until the fourth quarter, and they lost the lead as quickly as they took it from Florida State. Michigan was clearly the better team, but 4 or 5 plays were the difference in that game. I'm still so angry at how they performed and how unprepared the coaching staff had them at the start of that game. It was brutal.

But, not as brutal as Penn State blowing the Rose Bowl yesterday. They blew 14 point leads twice in the second half. In fact, they had those leads in the fourth quarter, and still found some way to lose the game. They looked overmatched in the first half, but came out guns blazing in the third quarter. But, none of that mattered because of poor play calling and terrible defense, by both teams, for them to blow it. Also, Penn State should not even have a program after what happened there, but I have talked and talked about that whole situation enough. But, with a 7 point lead late in the fourth, they could not get a first down after running all over USC all game and gave them the ball back with 2 plus minutes. They then proceeded to get 2 pass interference calls against them, and then give up a 27 yard TD pass. So, I figured overtime, but Trace McSorley, who is not nearly as good as he thinks, chucks the ball in the air with 40 seconds left, and naturally, the ball was picked and returned to put USC in field goal range. Of course USC made the kick, and of course people said it was a "moral" victory for Penn State, but all in all, it was a terrible game, with no defense played and piss poor play calling, but hey, it was a "moral" victory. What a crock.

Then, there was the abomination that was the University of Ohio State(you all know what I'm doing by now). They had no business in the playoff, and I'm more than thrilled that Clemson absolutely crushed this team. They looked over-matched in every area of the game. Clemson is ten thousand times better, and they proved that tenfold.

In fact, the only Big Ten teams to win their bowl games were 6-6 Northwestern, 8-4 Minnesota and Wisconsin. Wisconsin's win was forgettable, but they won. That almost hurts more than anything else. The Big Ten laid a big, big egg this bowl season, going 3-7.

But, the Pac 12, SEC and the Big 12 have not fared much better. The SEC does have Alabama, and Florida and Tennessee and LSU had good wins, especially LSU, but other than that, they have been ho hum. Alabama will probably win it all, but other "blue bloods", like Auburn, Arkansas and Texas A&M looked rough. Auburn played good for one half last night, then proceeded to get crushed by Oklahoma(more on Brent Musberger's ridiculous Joe Mixon stuff tomorrow). Arkansas looked great in the first half, racing out to a 24-0 lead, but then got outscored 35-0 in the second half to Virginia Tech. I do love watching Brett Bielema lose though. And A&M got housed by a not so good Kansas State team. A&M was in the top 10 at various points this year, climbing all the way up to 4 in the initial playoff poll, but they looked awful against Kansas State. Overall, the SEC is 6-6 in bowl games.

The Big 12 was a bit better, at 4-2, but they only sent 6 teams to bowl games. Oklahoma roughed up an outmatched and very injured plagued Auburn team last night. K State crushed A&M like I said, and Oklahoma State cruised over Colorado. Baylor somehow won, but screw that team and everything that team should get punished for, Baylor is a bunch of slime bags and they do not deserve to have an athletic program, much like Penn State. But TCU got out played by Georgia. They made it close, but in the end, they did what they have done all year, and could not close it out. And West Virginia looked terrible. People thought this was when WVU would announced that they'd be a force next year, but instead, they got crushed. Sure, the Big 12 has a winning bowl record, but Baylor should not be playing, Oklahoma's star last night, I will write all about this tomorrow, should not be playing and Oklahoma State played an overrated Colorado team. Kansas State's victory is the only decent thing from the Big 12.

The Pac 12 has been up and down. USC won, but they gave up 49 points and needed a miracle last night, and they gave up a million rush yards. Utah barely beat a very mediocre Indiana team that fired its head coach before the bowl game and Stanford let UNC back into the game and needed a big stop on a 2 point conversion to win. Colorado, as I have mentioned, got hammered by Oklahoma State. That wasn't even a game. Washington State inexcusably lost to Minnesota, only scoring 12 points. This was the same Minnesota team that needed a late TD to beat Rutgers, Rutgers people. And then there was the unfortunate "playoff team", Washington. They do not belong on the same field, or even a field within 50 miles, of Alabama. That game was atrocious and boring. Terrible performance by them, but every team lays an egg when they play Alabama, especially when they have over a month to prepare for you. Washington was a paper tiger.

The ACC, the conference I am usually hardest on, has had a wonderful bowl season. I need to say, I picked an ACC team to win the title this year, Clemson, and that is still in the air, but the rest of the conference has had the best bowl season, by far, of the power 5 conferences. Where we sit now, they are 8-3 during bowl season. Clemson crushed the University of Ohio State, as I have mentioned, and they had a legit shot at Alabama next Monday. Florida State made the necessary plays and beat Michigan, who was much better than them. FSU just made the plays at the right time. Miami hammered what was supposed to be the coming out party for West Virginia. Virginia Tech dominated the second half and pulled away from Arkansas. Georgia Tech won their game fairly convincingly. Wake Forest, now that teams did not know what was coming, beat a much better Temple team. I mean, even the teams that lost played well. UNC fought all the way to the end with Stanford and Pittsburgh blew it against Northwestern, but they had just lost their offensive coordinator, and they still kept it close. Louisville was the only ACC to look really bad, but they had to play a swarming LSU defense and that defense absolutely shut down Heisman winner Lamar Jackson. Look, Clemson still has a shot to win it all, and that would be really, really big for the conference that everyone, including me, craps all over all the time. The ACC has been far and away the best conference during bowl season, and I can't believe it.

Good for you ACC, and I will be rooting for Clemson on Monday night to knock off the juggernaut that is Alabama football. Go Tigers.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Michigan losing by one was tough, Ohio State getting destroyed and embarrassed was glorious. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty's 2016 NFL Playoff Predictions

Ready to tee up with the playoffs

The NFL playoffs are set, and I'm here to tell you who I think will walk away as Super Bowl 51 champs. I was obviously wrong in my preseason predictions. The Panthers, and Cam Newton, had an atrocious season. They looked pretty bad all year long. I was way, way off on that one. I was right about the Patriots though. I did not think Brady's suspension was going to affect them that much, and it didn't. They went 3-1 without him and 11-1 with him, giving the Patriots the best overall record in the league at, 14-2. I was off on the Cowboys though. I thought they would not be good, no matter who the starting QB was, but they have a tremendous offensive line, and Ezekial Elliot and Dak Prescott played like seasoned vets all year. Will it happen in the playoffs? We will have to wait and see. With all that being said, lets get to how I see this playoff playing out.

I'll start with the AFC. From 6 to 1, we have Miami, Oakland, Houston, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and New England. Only 2 of these teams, in my opinion, have a legit shot to go to the Super Bowl. The Wild Card matchups in the AFC will be Miami vs Pittsburgh and Oakland vs Houston.

Miami has had an okay season, but they have not beaten anybody all that decent this season. They might have the shadiest 10 wins in all the NFL. They have a good defense, but not great. Their offense, especially with Ryan Tannehill out, who I do not think is that much better than Blake Bortles anyway, is not very good. They have excellent receivers, but with Matt Moore leading the offense, it doesn't matter. Jay Ajayi exploded in the middle of the year, but since then, he has been average. The Steelers, on the other hand, have a lethal offense. Even though he is a horrible, god awful human being, Ben Roesthelisberger can still sling it, and he always gets help from the refs. He has his whole career. LeVeon Bell is one of the best running backs in the league. Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers in the league. The Steelers have a decent offensive line. Where they struggle is defense. They get gashed a lot. But, with Matt Moore being the QB, and Ajayi coming down to Earth, I do not see the Steelers short comings on defense giving the Dolphins a shot in this game. Steelers win this game fairly easily, 28-14.

The other game would have been a blowout, had Derek Carr not broken his leg 2 weeks ago. I still think the Raiders are better, but that was a crushing loss to this team. The Raiders now have to rely on either Connor Cook or Matt McGloin. Yeesh. They still have Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and Latavius Murray, but no Derek Carr is brutal. Their defense, while Swiss cheese at times, has played better lately. They did not look great yesterday, but they have stepped up since earlier this season. Houston is a laughingstock. They do not belong in the playoffs at all. They are more bogus than the Dolphins, but since they are in such a crappy division, they get to go to the playoffs with only 9 wins. They have no offense, except DeAndre Hopkins. But, he barely sees the ball since both Osweiler and Tom Savage are mediocre. They also have no running game and their defense is a joke. As I said, the Raiders will win, but this game will be ugly. Final score of 13-3.

So that would pit the Steelers vs the Chiefs and the Raiders vs the Patriots. These should be good matchups. I think the Steelers-Chiefs game could be great. I think the Chiefs will pull out the win, but it will be tough. The Chiefs have a better overall team, and their defense is much better than Pittsburgh's. I also think that the Chiefs will be able to hold onto the ball and run at will against the Steelers, thus making the Steelers strength, their offense, moot. Andy Reid will not blow this chance, and he will pull out a hard fought victory, 21-17.

The other game is going to be a bloodbath. The Patriots, after Brady's suspension, are out for blood. They want to destroy anyone in their way so that Roger Goodell has to hand them the Lombardi trophy. Unfortunately for the Raiders, without Derek Carr, they will be the Patriots first victim. Sure, the Patriots do not have the best defense, but it is serviceable, especially against a team without their star QB. And this Patriots offense is surgical. Brady picks apart secondary's. He has made guys like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola household names. He's doing the same with Chris Hogan and Malcom Mitchell this year. They also seem to have limitless options at running back. They can go with Legarette Blount for power, James White for speed and Dion Lewis for a bit of everything. And even though they lost Gronk to injury, they have Martellus Bennett, and he is awesome, and very tall. The Patriots are ready to beat the shit out of some people. I have the Patriots winning big, 34-10.

That would give us a Chiefs-Patriots AFC Championship. This will be a good game. The Chiefs are the one team in the AFC that can compete with this Patriots team. They have guys that can shut down the Patriots skill players, but they do not have any real game changers, except maybe Tyreek Hill, on offense to score with the Patriots. I think it will be a very good game, maybe even come down to the wire like last year, but Andy Reid will rear his ugly head at some point, and Belichek will capitalize, as he always does. This will be a low scoring, hard fought Patriots win, 20-13. The Patriots will represent the AFC in Super Bowl 51.

As far as the NFC goes, the seeding from 6 to 1 goes, Detroit, New York, Green Bay, Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas. I legitimately feel like almost any one of these teams can make a run to the Super Bowl, and yes, I am including the Lions in the discussion.

The Wild Card matchups will feature the Lions vs the Seahawks and the Giants vs the Packers. The Lions are an enigma. This team had no business even being competitive this season, especially after Calvin Johnson retired. They had no running game. Stafford had never put it all together. The defense is good, but spends too much time on the field. But, somehow they managed to get 9 wins and make the playoffs. The Seahawks have been incredibly inconsistent all year. At times they look like the clear cut favorites, at other times, they look mediocre at best. They have a good defense, but they are not what they were 2 years ago, and they are missing some key pieces. They also do not get pressure like they used to. The offense is very average. Russell Wilson has not taken that next step towards the upper echelon of starting QB's. He may be hurt, but he just does not look like the guy that many thought he would turn out to be after the Seahawks won 2 years ago. I think he is a better version of Colin Kaepernick, but not by much. Their offensive line stinks. They cannot protect the QB, and they do not open up running lanes. They have good receivers, like Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, but they lost Tyler Lockett to a broken leg, and now they have no deep threat. They have also never really figured out how to use Jimmy Graham. He has become a mid tier tight end since the trade. With that being said, the game is in Seattle, so I do think the Seahawks will win, but it will be a very ugly game, much like the majority of the NFL this year. It will also be very low scoring, with a final of 10-6.

The other matchup, being a Packers fan, is my nightmare. I hate the Giants, and it is because they always seem to pull out some miraculous win, no matter how bad Eli Manning plays, or where the game is played. My only hope this season though, Tom Coughlin is gone, and Bob McAdoo is the coach, and he is as predictable as they come. Green Bay is also on a roll right now. Aaron Rodgers, after his selfish calling out of his teammates, has played lights out. So has Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. Ty Montgomery has been a revelation. The offensive line is clicking. Hell, even the defense is playing better during their 6 game win streak. I'm always nervous when the Packers have to play the Giants though. I bad mouthed McAdoo, but Mike McCarthy is just as bad, possibly worse at times, but I do think the Packers will pull out the win. They have a better team, with much better skill players(yes, I think the duo of Nelson/Adams is better than Cruz/Beckham Jr), and I think Eli will make a big mistake. I have the Packers winning 28-23.

So that would give us second round matchups of Seattle-Atlanta and Green Bay-Dallas. Atlanta should easily beat the Seahawks. They have a better QB, better receivers, a better line and a better running game. They also do not have the injuries that Seattle has. I think Matt Ryan should be the regular season MVP. He's been great. So has Julio Jones. He has been un guardable at times. He is so tall and so fast and has great hands and runs great routes. The revolving door at running back works for them, and Devonta Freeman is coming on at the right time. Atlanta is a serious threat in the NFC. I have them beating Seattle fairly easily, 24-10. It will be close for a half, but Atlanta will pull away in the second half.

The other side has Green Bay-Dallas. This is supposed to be Dallas' year, right? They have everything going for them. They have home field throughout the playoffs. They have had a dominating year on the offensive side of the ball. They have the best offensive line in all of football. Ezekial Elliot and Dak Prescott are the future. Dez Bryant is playing better without Romo. This is supposed to be the year for them Cowboys, right? I do not know if it is my blind love for the Packers, or what, but I think the Packers will beat them, and I do not think it will even be close. The Cowboys will come out hot, but this is a team led by rookies, and I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have vets like Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers, Davante Adams, Clay Matthews, some of which have won a Super Bowl, than rookies leading my team in the playoffs. This is not meant to take away from Dallas' great season, but I think the moment will be a bit too big for them. They have won a lot of games, 13, but some have been very ugly, and I just think their luck is going to run out. Maybe it is my blind love, it totally is, and my hatred for the Cowboys, it is that as well, but I think the Packers will go to Jerry World and win this game. I also think they will win by 2 scores, with a final of 28-17.

So that would give us Atlanta and Green Bay in the NFC Championship. this is where the Packers win streak ends. They have no one that can guard Julio Jones, and Matt Ryan is playing so god damn great right now. This will be a very high scoring game, close to the end, but Atlanta will win, 38-35. This game is going to be filled with offensive fireworks, and Atlanta has the better weapons on offense to do just that.

Super Bowl 51 will pit Atlanta and New England. This is a pretty good matchup, or at least I think so. Both teams have so so defenses, but they each have explosive offenses. The Super Bowl will be very high scoring, but in the end, I think New England puts it away, and Goodell has to hand that trophy over to Belichek and Brady. Atlanta will keep it close for three and a half quarters, but New England, behind Legarette Blount, not Tom Brady, will put this game away in the fourth quarter. I think the Falcons will be so keyed up to stop the Patriots pass game that it will open up the run game for New England. Blount is going to have a big game. He is the best of the three running backs the Patriots use, and they will ride him to a win in the Super Bowl. I expect him to go for over 100 yards and, at least, 2 touchdowns, and win the Super Bowl MVP. Like I said, it will be close for awhile, but New England will put it away early in the fourth, and win 38-28.

There you have it, my 2017 NFL playoff preview and picks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. With the Packers and Wolverines, 2016 saw a lot of sports heartbreak. 2017 will not be a repeat for Ty's teams. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

The SeedSing 2016 Year in Pop Culture: The Best, and Worst, in Sports

Continuing my best of lists of 2016 today, I'm going to count down the top 5 sports moments of the year. This has been a year of some big, monumental sports moments. Lots of stuff has happened in 2016 in major professional sports. Many "curses" were broke, some big names traded teams, there was some incredible displays of athleticism and so much more. Enough chat, lets get to it.

At number 5, I have the 2016 NBA dunk contest during All Star weekend. The dunk contest had been in the toilet for over a decade plus, until this year. The last great dunk contest I remember was when Vince Carter was with the Raptors and did some of the most impressive dunks I had ever seen live. I'm a little too young to remember when Jordan dunked from the foul line, or when Dominique Wilkins should have beaten Jordan in a great dunk contest. I was not alive when Dr. J was showing the world how athletic basketball players can be at the professional level. I barely remember Spud Webb winning, but I have seen the highlight tape a thousand times. But, after the Vince Carter show, I tuned in to every dunk contest from there on out, and they were all terrible. There were too many missed dunks. It is supposed to be a "side show" of sorts, but some contests took that concept way too far. The best players, and dunkers for that matter, were not participating. I did not, and still don't, think that Blake Griffin's dunk over the front of a car was all that impressive. It was just flat out bad, and boring. Then, last year, both Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon showed up. The contest wasn't great in 2015, but Lavine and Gordon were. Then, this year, they went to a whole new level. It was a total, anything you can do, I can do better, contest. Gordon would jump over a mascot, put the ball under his legs and do a reverse jam. To top that, Lavine took off from the foul line, put the ball between his legs and jammed it with ease. It was a thing of beauty to watch in real time. I wrote about this dunk contest earlier this year, claiming that it was back, and I cannot stop thinking about how truly awesome, and athletic it was. I know that this is a total niche thing for a rabid NBA fan like myself, but there is no doubt in my mind that the 2016 dunk contest is easily one of the top 5 sports moments of the year.

At number 4, I have the epic ass whoopings that both, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps put on their opponents in the Rio Olympics. They were astounding to watch. Look, I do not care about swimming, unless Michael Phelps and the Olympics are involved. When Phelps is competing, I want to watch. I even named him my top athlete of the 21st century. He is undeniably the greatest champion in pro sports. He competes at the highest level sport, and dominates. When he wins, because he pretty much always does, it is a shock if he doesn't blow out his competition, and we are talking about Olympians here. These are the best of the best in the whole world, and Phelps dominates them all. The same can be said for Usain Bolt. He is the greatest sprinter ever. What he has/is doing in sprinting, at his age, is beyond incredible. This guy doesn't only win, but he blows away his competition, and he does it in style. This year, when he looked back at his opponents in one of his final races, with a smile on his face, shows you how truly dominant he is. He does wonders on a track. If he is not on your relay team, forget about winning gold, you are going for silver. Same thing if it is a solo race, and Bolt is there. He is going to win, and he is going to beat your ass while doing it. These are easily the 2 best Olympians of my lifetime, and maybe of all time, and they showed that ten fold in Rio this year.

At number 3, I have Kevin Durant signing with the Golden State Warriors this offseason. When he did that, it shifted the entire balance of the NBA. Before, when he was still in OKC, there were 4, possibly 5 teams, that had a realistic chance at winning the title. But, when KD decided on July 4th that he was going to Golden State, that trimmed an already small list from 5 to 2. But, honestly, if the Warriors do not win the title this year, it will be a failed season. When KD signed, the Warriors immediately had the greatest spacing ever. They can put him, Curry and Thompson on the floor, and good luck guarding that. People said, well they lost all their rebounders and rim protectors to get him. So what, they got Kevin freaking Durant! And, they still have Draymond Green, who can rebound and defend 4 and 5's with relative ease, even though he is maybe 6'8. Big deal that they lost Andrew Bogut, Harrison Barnes and Mareese Speights, they got KD. They also got Zaza Pachulia and David West, so they did not really lose all that much. Look, as I write this, the Warriors are far and away the best team in the NBA, and they haven't completely figured out how to play together. Some may say, well the Cavs just beat them on Christmas, but the Cavs gave that game their best effort, still needed help from the refs, have Steph go ice cold, and they still needed a last second shot from Irving to win. This Warriors team is the greatest collection of shooters that I have ever seen. It is cute when people say that the Clippers, Spurs and Cavs can beat this team, but if they play to their full potential, the Warriors should breeze to a title this year, and that all happened when KD signed that contract.

At number 2, I have the aforementioned Cavs coming back, down 3-1 to the Warriors, to win the NBA title. LeBron brought a championship back to Cleveland after a 60 plus year drought. Sure, they needed help from the refs, and for Curry and Thompson to play very average basketball, but what that team, and more importantly, what LeBron and Kyrie Irving did in games 5, 6 and 7, was incredible. They both played perfect basketball. Even guys like JR Smith and Kevin Love showed up in big moments. Smith hit some humongous, crucial threes. Kevin Love turned into a rebounding machine, and played some great help defense on a very important possession in a pivotal moment of game 7 against Curry. This comeback was amazing. Kyrie Irving was unconscious and unstoppable on offense and LeBron proved, that when he turns it on, he is unstoppable and the best player by a mile in the NBA. This was a big, big deal, and it only took LeBron 2 years to accomplish this lifelong goal. What a moment for the Cavs and the city of Cleveland.

But, all this stuff pales in comparison to what happened in the MLB this year. There is no sports moment, no matter what people may say, bigger than the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series. They ended a 108 year drought. It took them extra innings, a coach trying to blow the game, but a team of young guys that would not let this team lose. There was even a rain delay in that epic game 7, adding more historical meaning to one of the greatest baseball games ever played. I am not the biggest baseball fan in the world, but even I tuned in, after the 6th inning, to watch this game. But, the Cubs, much like the Cavs, had to come back from a 3-1 deficit. This was so much bigger than the Cavs deficit though for the Cubs. The Cubs were the best team, bar none, in the MLB. The Cavs were expected to lose, but the Cubs, they were the odds-on favorites all year to win the World Series. They had to have an epic comeback to fulfill their potential, and they did it. And, even though I'm a lifelong Cardinals fan, it was not that hard to root for the Cubs this year. They have a likeable team. This will change in a year or two, because this Cubs team is going to be great for a long time, but this year, they were kind of hard to root against. The Cubs ending a 108 year drought is, far and away, the biggest sports moments this year, and will be for quite some time. It was epic and it was, as much as it pains me to write this, kind of cool to see them win. Good for you Cubs.

As far as the worst moments in sports this year, all the abuse and violence that pro athletes are being accused, and convicted of, is just dreadful. These guys, and girls, are deplorable human beings that think it is okay to bully and put hands on people that are weaker and smaller than them. Be it Adrian Peterson, Richie Incognito, the Giants douchebag kicker, Hope Solo, anyone that has done it before and continues to do it now, makes me hate watching sports news because this domestic abuse is happening way too much, and it is getting scary. These people need help. They need to be suspended, or even better, kicked out of their pro leagues to teach them some kind of lesson. It is even happening at the college level. Look no further than what happened at Baylor this year. All this stuff is gross, disturbing and upsetting. It is becoming way too common, and it needs to stop now. It makes me upset, and makes me dislike people like Roger Goodell and Mark Emmert, the head of the NCAA, that let these things happen all the time with little to no punishment, more than I already do. Stop the hate and the violence.

That's it for today, come back for my final best of 2016 list tomorrow.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His number one sports moment for 2017 will be when Urban Meyer leaves Ohio State because he has a health issue named Jim Harbaugh. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Grayson Allen has Evolved Into the Most Pure Duke Basketball Player

Coach K has Grayson's binkie ready

Earlier this year, I wrote about what a petulant little brat Duke guard Grayson Allen is. I compared him with many other Duke players that seem to have the same disposition, arrogant, whiny, spoiled brats that get whatever they want from their coach and the refs. He is probably, talent wise, the worst one of the bunch, but that is besides the point.

We have had 2 instances this past week that have went above and beyond his true terrible attitude and the way he carries himself on a basketball court. He acts like he is the greatest player in college basketball, but he may not even be the sixth or seventh best player on his team. But, his arrogance has gotten out of hand.

First off, he is not playing up to the incredibly high, unachievable goals that writers and pundits put on him this preseason. People were calling him an All American, saying he was going to be the player of the year and that he would cement himself as a first round draft pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He has been average, at best this year. As I have already said, he isn't even the main man on his own team, let alone a player of the year candidate.

Then, earlier this week, he went for a layup against some very low level out of conference opponent and missed. But, on the way up, he assumed he would get fouled, so he looked for contact that wasn't there. The defender smartly pulled away, not risking grabbing a cheap foul, and decided to just let these 2 points go. But, Allen missed the shot, and when he went to the ground, he threw a fit, and since the game was at Duke, the ref blew his whistle and called a foul. This may be one of the worst calls of all time, at any level, that I have ever seen. The defender literally did not even touch him. The coach of the opposing team was beside himself, as he should have been. I mean, Duke gets so many cheap calls, but this was on a whole new level. Seriously, go find tape of this and tell me when and where he got fouled. He was not touched.

Then, the other night against another low level non conference team, Elon, Allen came back with his trademark trip. He was having another poor performance, which is becoming his norm, and when he was beaten on defense by an Elon player, Allen did what he does best and tripped the kid. He blatantly stuck his leg in the air, almost kicking the player, and the Elon kid fell to the ground. After the foul was called, and a timeout ensued, instead of looking remorseful, or anything emoting regret, Allen decided it was time for him to throw yet another tantrum. This one was one for the ages. He looked worse than my 4 year old when I tell him I'm not buying him a toy at Five Below. He was jumping up and down on the bench, seemingly trying to hold back tears and yelling at anyone within earshot. And this is the supposed player of the year? Please. 

Afterward, many people wanted to know why Coach K has never done any real punishment for all this nonsense from Allen, and he said that they deal with this stuff internally. Bull shit Coach K. You want Allen to be your next Laettener, Parks, Redick, any of those guys, but he is not. Coach K may be the biggest hypocrite of all this Grayson Allen ridiculousness. He protects the players he likes and the ones on his team, but he feels like he needs to call out Dillon Brooks for hitting a long three after Oregon had the tournament game wrapped up last year. I heard Stephen A Smith, who I almost always disagree with, say this morning that if this was a Kentucky player coached by Calipari that the media would put his feet to the fire, so why don't they do the same with Coach K? I could not agree more, as unbelievable as it is for me to agree with Stephen A Smith. If this was say, Malik Monk tripping players over and over and over again, and throwing multiple tantrums, the "good" folks at ESPN would be punishing Monk and Calipari's handling of the situation. They already chastise him for all the "one and done" recruiting, but they turn around and praise Coach K for "adapting to the new style of men's college basketball". What a crock.

Duke should be embarrassed by this. Grayson Allen did get suspended indefinitely, but I guarantee that, by the start of ACC play, he is reinstated, and ESPN will then praise Coach K for his "handling" of this situation, even though it took Allen tripping a third player before he did anything at all. And all the talk from NFL execs saying they don't want Fournette or McCaffery because they are sitting out a bowl game, if I were a NBA GM, I would not touch this tripping, tantrum throwing child with a ten foot pole. There is no way I'd draft him. He would be a pariah from the moment he meets his new teammates. I can deal with the Draymond Green stuff because he is an incredibly gifted basketball player, which Grayson Allen is not.

The person that deserves the most blame for allowing this behavior to continue on an unusually regular basis is Coach K. This stuff has been going on at Duke since he was announced as the head coach there. The player deserves a lot of the blame, but players also act like their coach. They learn all the stuff from their coach. The coach is like there parent away from home, and we all know that children, for the most part, want to be like their parents. So, while Allen deserves a good share of blame, I also think Coach K deserves just as much, if not more. He is the figurehead that kept allowing this type of activity to constantly occur. Shame on Allen, Duke, but most of all, Coach K.

Duke basketball is becoming synonymous with having privileged assholes on their team that think they are bigger than the game, and that is sad. I hope Grayson Allen never plays basketball again, and I hope Coach K gets caught in some kind of recruiting scandal and he is relieved of his duties. Until then, this nonsense will continue to occur, and most of ESPN will be there to heap praise on this joke of a university.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He never thought he would see the day that one Dike basketball player would make Christian Laettner look like a gentleman. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

NCAA Football Players Have Every Right to Sit out Unpaid Exhibition Games

Sitting here pays as much as playing out there

With the recent news that both Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffery are sitting out their team's bowl games, I want to give my take, as so many other writers, bloggers, journalists and sports anchors have done.

I was watching "PTI" yesterday, and both hosts had different thoughts on the players sitting out. Kornheiser was fine with it, because neither kid was playing in the playoff or one of the New Year's 6 bowl games. Wilbon was upset, claiming that people in the states where the games will be played, will not get to see the best players on the teams playing in that bowl game. I have heard other people defend these kids, claiming that the school makes so much money off of them, so why shouldn't they protect themselves for the NFL draft, they both declared early, and these kids see none of that money, except for their scholarship. I've also seen other people, NFL executives for example, call these kids names and say that actions like this are selfish and prove that they are not ready for the NFL. These takes are all over the place.

My take, I think these kids can do whatever the hell they want. I get what Wilbon is saying though. It would be a bummer if you lived in El Paso, were a big Stanford fan, and you did not get to see McCaffery play, but those are the brakes. This also comes from a guy that constantly defends NBA coaches when they sit star players. So, Wilbon continues to contradict himself. I get what Kornheiser is saying, but the fact of the matter is, you can get injured during any game, practice or workout. That is the game of football. It is tough and hard on your body. That is why football has the shortest career span of any professional sport. I do 100 percent agree with the people that are saying that these kids see no money, so if they want to sit out a pointless bowl game, so be it. And if their teammates are mad at them for sitting, they are being just as selfish as Fournette and McCaffery are being perceived to be by others.

Both LSU and Stanford have made millions upon millions of dollars on these 2 kids names alone. Both universities go out and sell jerseys, t shirts, bobble heads, all kinds of memorabilia with these kids names and likeness on them, and neither sees any of this money. It all goes to the school. The AD, coaches, presidents and higher ups at these schools have made money hand over fist for the last three years on these kids, especially Fournette at LSU. He was the star recruit of his class, and the moment he set foot on that campus, the people that market and sell things there put his name on anything and everything they could. If someone had anything that had to do with LSU football on their body, you can bet that it had Fournette's name on it. And he did not see one dime from that. That is really messed up.

This is one of the biggest problems with the NCAA. They have all these pointless, nonsensical rules, but damned if these kids get anything in addition to their scholarship. I also used to be one of those people that thought a scholarship was enough, but as I have grown up, I have realized how childish and stupid that was of me. As I keep saying, these universities have so much money coming in from these kids names, you'd think that they would see some kind of payback, but nope, it is against some stupid rule in the NCAA rulebook, that is about 5 million pages long. It is a crock that these kids do not get something. I know that there are other students at each university doing something more important, like trying to find cures for diseases, becoming teachers and doctors, but truth be told, those endeavors do not make any money for the school in the immediate future like athletics do. That is the cold, hard truth.

Then, for NFL execs and other people to name call and tell these kids that what they're doing is wrong, selfish and means their draft stock will fall is, quite frankly, inappropriate. For execs to call these kids names, and some no name execs have called them very hurtful names, is so childish. This is coming from multi-millionaire adults, but the way they speak, you would think it was a child. Then to say that your team won't draft these kids because of this, even if you need a running back is stupid. Fournette and McCaffery are the 2 clear cut best running backs in this draft, and if your team can get them, you better hope they draft them. I'm a Packer fan, and I'd love either one of these kids on the team. Ty Montgomery has been a revelation, but he is not the long-term answer at running back. Personally, I'd rather have Fournette because I think he will be a transcendent player, but I'd be happy with McCaffery as well.

What is all boils down to, and I said it at the top of my blog today, these kids can do whatever they want. They are adults, getting ready for their professional careers. If they want to sit, let them sit. Yeah, I'd be bummed if Jabrill Peppers decided to sit out the Orange Bowl this year to prepare for the draft, but I'd also be excited to see how the next guy up for the Wolverines plays. The fact of the matter is, if you are lucky, you get to watch these kids for 4 years and then they are gone. So, for the people calling them out, stop it. This is their choice, and their choice alone. Let them do whatever they feel is best for their professional lives.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once sat out an english test to properly prepare himself for the rough and tough world of blogging. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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There Never Was and Never Will Be Another Craig Sager

So, 2016 continues to be a real kick in the ass. We lost another long time legend last night, Craig Sager.

HEY 2016, STOP TAKING GREAT PEOPLE FROM US! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, JESUS CHRIST!

I have been an NBA fan pretty much my entire life. From childhood, to teenage years, to college life, and now adulthood, I have watched the NBA. The one constant, besides the teams, throughout all this watching of games, has been Craig Sager. As long as I can remember, he was always there, on the sideline, ready to give some great insight and do a wonderful coach interview.

I remember watching, the first time I was a T'Wolves fan, all the great interviews between Sager and Kevin Garnett. Garnett was one of the first people to give Sager a "hard time" about his clothing, which I will touch on in a moment. You could tell right off the bat that Garnett, who is a known recluse when it comes to reporters, had a great rapport with Sager. That was when I instantly became a fan of Sager's. The fact that he could get Garnett to open up like he did, meant to me, that he must be a special reporter and person. He never seemed like so many other reporters that just wanted a story, hot take or something that people would talk about in the national media the next day. He was a guy that just genuinely loved what he was doing, and he loved NBA basketball.

There is no reporter, except for Howard Cosell, that got the same kind of love and respect that Craig Sager got from pro athletes and his peers. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Chris Berman, Tim Kurkjan, Buster Olney, they all wish that they had the gift that Craig Sager had. Sager was one of a kind.

This was even true when it came to his clothes, told you I'd get to it. He, I do not know how long ago, started to wear these very loud and colorful jackets on the sideline. The first time I saw one of these it blew my mind. I thought, what in the hell is he doing, but the more he wore them, and he wore a ton of them, the more I, not only accepted, but liked them. I looked forward to seeing what kind of sport coat he would be wearing while covering a game. It became something that everyone that watched the NBA talked about. I would go over to friends houses, talk about the game, but we also talked about Sager's coat. It was always a topic of conversation. This was just another one of his ways of standing out from the crowd. He truly was one of a kind.

The more I read yesterday, after his death was announced, the more I found out that the colorful jackets had meaning. It made Sager and the person he was interviewing stand out. He wore them because he liked them, not just as a fashion statement. He continued to wear them because so many people talked about it. The colorful sport coat became just another great thing that added to his awesomeness.

His reporting didn't just start and stop with the NBA either. He covered baseball for a long time. In fact, if you look back at videos of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th home run, and I just found this out yesterday, you can see Sager on the field with a tape recorder in hand, ready to interview Aaron. He was always prepared, no matter how big the situation. He also covered the Olympics for NBC. He was the absolute best part of NBC's coverage of the Olympics. For the most part, NBC stinks with their Olympic stuff, but not Craig Sager. He was worth watching. He was always good. He was always giving out the right information. He owned the Olympic coverage.

When Craig Sager was diagnosed with leukemia over a year ago, I, amongst many other people, hoped that it could be cured. At one point, it even looked like his cancer was in remission. But, it unfortunately came back, and it was a death sentence. Even with this sentence being handed down to him, Sager handled it as only he could. He never stopped smiling. He even continued to work. He did his first NBA Finals last year, and it was one of the coolest moments in sports history to see him cover a great Finals matchup. He was extremely sick, but you would never know it from the way he handled himself. He had his sport coat, his knowledge, and his trademark smile while doing sideline interviews. Seeing this actually gave me hope that he may be getting better. I mean, my own mother overcame cancer, so I thought that Sager could too.

But, even though we all knew it was coming, the news of his death yesterday shook me to my core. I was absolutely shocked when my phone buzzed with the news that Sager had passed away at the age of 65. That is way too young for someone that was filled with, and lived his life, to its full potential. I have loved all the tributes that have been coming out since yesterday. I feel awful for Rachel Nichols, who is an excellent NBA reporter for ESPN, one of the few good people there, because she was a colleague of his, and she had to announce his death on live TV. That was a tough, heart breaking watch. The guys on TNT last night celebrated his life. That was incredible. They told stories and talked about all the good times they had with Sager. It was a celebration of his life. The pre-game warm up shirts that the Bucks and Warriors wore last night were great. I'm sure most teams will start doing the same thing. Greg Poppovich's, I do not know if it was pre-game or post game press conference, where he only talked about the greatness that was Craig Sager, was absolutely touching and phenomenal. I have been moved by what I've seen for the last 16 hours.

Craig Sager was one of a kind, and he will be missed so much. He has been in my life as long as I can remember. He is my version of Howard Cosell, only I think that Craig Sager was better at his job. I will miss him so much, and that was very prevalent when I watched some games last night, and he wasn't there. It is going to be quite strange for a long time not seeing him on the sideline. Hopefully we get someone that can be 1/4 as great as he was, but there will never, ever be another person like Craig Sager. Never. Rest In Peace.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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MLB Bans Hazing, as Should All of Society

For once, baseball is not stuck in the past

I recently read that the MLB has put into motion a rule that will ban all hazing for rookies in the majors. I cannot tell you how happy this makes me. Hazing is a mean, dirty, dehumanizing, disgusting, any other bad thing you can think of, a thing that is extremely archaic. Just the idea of hazing alone is quite upsetting. I mean, to demean someone because you are a few years older than someone is so stupid and childish. What has hazing ever proved, except that it is terrible?

There has never been a story about a hazing that was in good fun, or that guys were laughing and cheering each other on when they got hazed. Sure, the goofy hair cut thing, and small stuff like that may be funny for 5 minutes, but after that, why do they make that person continue on with the weird hairdo or clothes? I ask again, what does that accomplish?

The most regular stories we hear about hazing always seem to end terribly. People are put through horrible, horrible things, that can sometimes even lead to death. When I hear these stories, I get both upset and angry. I feel terrible for the person being hazed, for all the embarrassment they have to go through and, in the small case where someone loses their life, I feel horrible for their family. The hazing makes me upset because it is so barbaric. It is such an unnecessary practice that does not prove strength in one and weakness in another. Spoiler alert, if you are older and bigger than someone, you should not have to haze them to prove your strength. You should already be established as someone that is older and bigger. You do not need to shave someone's head or tape them to a wall or, even something as small as, filling their car with popcorn. It is just dumb.

Recently the hazing has gotten really, really awful, especially in sports. Why do athletes feel the need to degrade a fellow athlete that just happens to be younger than them? I ask for a third time, what does this prove?

The main hazing lately seems to be dressing men as women. First off, why is this a hazing tradition? Men dress as women every year for Halloween. It is almost expected. But, especially in current America, this is incredibly disrespectful to men that may identify as female, or females that identify as male. There are a lot of people out there right now that are grappling with their own sexuality and their own personal sex, and pro athletes think it is funny to make rookies dress like females? What a bunch of garbage.

No matter how far we may have come along as a society, we still act as if we live in the 50's or 60's. Just look at the recent election. I'm not going to go into great depth on it, but dumbass people, who will get totally screwed over, voted for an even bigger dumbass, with no government experience, and this monster probably thinks that hazing is hilarious. That alone should be enough for people to be disgusted by the prospect of hazing.

But, for some reason, when the country looks like it is taking a step forward, we take 2 giant steps back. We had a great 8 years of an Obama presidency, and now, we will be the biggest joke of a country in a little over a month when Voldemort takes office. But, at least the MLB is trying to take a step forward and push away from past and bring its game into the present. 

Baseball seems to be trying to get away from its checkered past with this new rule. Major league baseball does not have a solid history when it comes to being ahead of the times. They were one of the last sports to be integrated. It took the MLB forever to hire an African American manager. It also took forever for front offices to hire people that were not white. But, they are at the front of trying to ban hazing, and that is a good first step for them. I really hope this catches on in all major professional sports leagues, and trickles al the way down to high school and even lower levels than that.

Hazing needs to be banned all across everything, in my opinion. There is no place for hazing in the modern US, and yes frat boys, I'm speaking to you morons too. That is one of the main problems with hazing. When I think of it, or hear stories about hazing, I immediately think of fraternities, and that is a damn shame. Frats and sororities, and any other group of people that force you to pay, then haze you, to be in their "club" is stupid and pointless. But, that is just my opinion. 

Good for you though MLB. I love that they are taking a stand against what is the highest form of bullying. Hazing does not belong in sports, or any other form of life for that matter, and I'm glad that people are aiming to put a stop to this nonsense. Let's hope this catches on everywhere.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks the second best thing MLB has done this week is get rid of the idiotic "All Star Game" means something garbage. Looking good MLB. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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There is a Little Bit of Hope Playing for the Philadelphia 76ers

The clouds are starting to break apart over the 76ers

I have pretty much been one of the biggest haters of what the Philadelphia 76ers have become. They have, for the past 4 years, put players on an NBA floor that don't even belong on a D-League court. They have been so open with their tanking, it has become a joke. They trade away decent, young players for, as they put it, "assets". We all know it as more picks. They even draft guys that aren't ready, injured or play overseas and do not have to get out of their contracts for a few years. They also have traded some young players for younger players that have already flamed out in their very short NBA careers.

For example, they traded to get Nik Stauskas last year. He never really got a chance in Sacramento, but as much as I want him to succeed, he is a middling bench player at the absolute best. He is the poor man's JJ Redick, without the mediocre defense, or the shot, and everyone knows how I feel about JJ Redick. Then, we have guys like Nerlens Noel, a good defender, but has zero offensive game and had a torn ACL when they drafted him, Jahlil Okafor, zero defensive game, they already have multiple players that play the same position as him and he is a bit of a head case and Dario Saric, who was drafted, it seems, like 10 years ago, and is now, finally, in the NBA and looks like he still has a long, long way to go before he is a decent player. Their number pick, and first overall in the most recent draft, Ben Simmons, has yet to play in the NBA due to a foot injury as well. 

This all leads me to Joel Embiid. This is another guy that they drafted, with the third overall pick 3 years ago, that had a known foot injury and that he wouldn't be able to play right away. It seemed as if the 76ers were at it again. Taking a player that wouldn't be able to contribute anything at all for at least one year, so they could tank again, and have another shot at the number one pick in the following draft. I get it, teams want young players that they can develop, but at some point, you have to get some veterans on your roster to help out the young guys. The 76ers kept putting it off though, until they finally, and mercifully, parted ways with Sam Hinkie, AKA, Mr. "Trust the Process".

Well, all his moves seemed terrible, that is, until this most recent season started. Don't get me wrong, Hinkie was an absolute train wreck as a GM and owner, but Embiid looks like he might be the real deal. It looks like he may have gotten at least one thing right in his four years tearing down a historic franchise. But, man oh man does Embiid look like a legitimate perennial all star. I tuned in on opening night to see him play, because like everyone else, I was interested in what we would get, and he did not disappoint. This was the first time he had played a real game of basketball in about 3 years, and he looked great. Sure, he took some unnecessary shots, got some dumb fouls and only played 20 minutes, but he also did some wonderful things on the floor that night. He had an incredible spin move on Steven Adams, one of the better big men defenders in the NBA, and hit a pull up jumper on him. Embiid is 7'1 and he looked like a 6'2 shooting guard on that play. He also tracked down rebounds, loose balls, played very good, to great defense at times and looked like he had some very good footwork. He has also added some appropriate weight, and it showed when he muscled up some of the Thunder's big men that night.

So, I thought, he looked okay on opening night, but could he keep it up? Well, he has only seemed to get better. He is becoming a very good scorer in the low post. His chase down block on LeBron, whether it was goal tending or not, was an amazing feat, given his size, and the fact that it was against the best player in the game. He seems to have the desire and passion and even swagger to be one of the league's next big things. When he was still on his 20-minute limit restriction, he was so angry that he couldn't play in a double overtime game, he kicked a chair. I like to see that from young players. The 76ers have upped his minutes to 28 a game, pretty typical for a starter in the NBA, and I think it will only help him get that much better. 

Look, the 76ers still stink, I think they have 4 or 5 wins, but there is, at the very least, some hope for optimism. Joel Embiid has taken on the responsibility of being the player to build this team around. He wants to be "the guy". He has even started calling himself, "The Process". I usually do not like when people give themselves nicknames, but this one is just way too perfect to dislike. I actually find myself excited when I stumble on a 76ers game on TV, and Embiid is in there. That is about the only time I will watch them play. I just really like what I have seen from Embiid so far, and if he continues on this path, gets better and figures out the game even more, I think he will be a legitimate superstar, and the one guy that can turn the 76ers back into a relevant team. He is that good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man. On this day in SeedSing history, the greatest thing on the internets was born. Wish Ty a happy birthday by following him on instagram and twitter.

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College Football in Houston will Fall Back, While it Will Move Forward at Oregon

At least the footballs will be in good hands at Oregon

Two college football head coaching positions have been filled this week. One is a pretty big deal, the other, some will think it's a big deal, I personally do not think it really matters that much, because that team is going to become irrelevant again, very soon. In fact, let's get that one out of the way first.

There were multiple reports the other day that Houston had hired Lane Kiffin to be their next head coach. Then, throughout the day, a lot of those reports were refuted, and it was soon announced, that he was not the new head coach. I woke up this morning and read that they had hired their offensive coordinator, Major Applewhite, to be their next head coach. I remember watching Applewhite while he was a QB at Texas and thought he was okay. Then, as a coordinator, he has been sufficient. But, I do not think he is going to be that great of a head coach. Some people are more suited to be an assistant as opposed to the head man. Look at a guy like Mike Martz. He was an offensive genius, but when he was the head guy with the Rams, he was a train wreck. He did not care about defense, and that doomed him. I think he is still coaching somewhere, but he is not remembered for being the coordinator of one of the greatest offenses of all time, he is remembered as a failure as a head coach.

Unfortunately for Applewhite, I think he is destined for a similar outcome. He has an exceptional offensive mind, especially for college football. On his watch, Houston's offense has been a wonder to watch. They were fast, they scored a ton of points and gained lots and lots of yards. But, in the games they didn't win, their defense was exposed, and the offense could look stagnant and repetitive. I mean, how many times can you run the exact same read option play? You need some kind of diversity to keep teams on their toes. The only team that doesn't need to change things up is Alabama, and Houston is no Alabama. So, while I say congratulations to Applewhite on his first head coaching job, I also see lots and lots of 7-5 or 8-4 seasons on their horizon, and no more competing for big-time bowl games, or even competing against big-time teams.

The big coaching vacancy that was filled was the Oregon job. I did not know who they were going to hire. At different points, I was certain they were hiring Chip Kelly, then Lane Kiffin, then Charlie Strong, I even thought they were going to give Les Miles a shot. But, I could not be happier with their choice of Willie Taggart. Taggart is a great, up and coming head coach in the college football world. He has turned around 2 programs, Western Kentucky and South Florida. He took over 2 jobs that the teams were in the dumps, and left them in great shape. Western Kentucky was a dumpster fire, and he made them a perennial bowl contender, which is a big deal for them. Then, he took over USF, which was happy to be a 4 win team, and turned them into a very good team. They finished this year 10-2, which is one of their best records ever. Taggart is also a very player friendly type of coach. Everywhere he has been, his players say nothing but glowing things about him. They love him. He pushes them, but it is never to a boiling point. You talk to former WKU and USF players that Taggart coached, and they only say very nice things about him.

When Oregon picked him to be their next head coach, I was pleasantly surprised. I watched a bit of his press conference, and that only made me like this pick even more. He's a confident guy that wants to turn this team back into a perennial power. I think he is going to thrive with a big time program as well. He was able to recruit players to go to schools like WKU and USF, so just think of what he will be able to do at Oregon. Kids already want to go play there for the uniforms alone, but now that they have a charismatic, great head coach on board. He is going to clean up on the recruiting trail.

I also really like how he and the AD took a shot at Brady Hoke. Look, I hope Hoke catches on somewhere, it needs to be a smaller division one school, but he was a mess at Oregon and Michigan. He could not motivate players as the head man at Michigan, and Oregon's defense last year was one of the worst defenses I have ever seen. They were atrocious. They were Swiss Cheese. Anyone and everyone scored and moved the ball at will against them last year. Hoke was an awful defensive coordinator.

Anyway, let's get back to Taggart. Like I have said a few times, he seems like he is going to be the perfect hire for Oregon. The guy can recruit, motivate and win. He is confident and appears more than able to succeed at his first big time head coaching job. I expect him to turn Oregon around pretty quickly, but I think his destiny is to be an NFL head coach. He is that good of a coach. While the Houston hiring of Applewhite leaves me kind of blah, the Oregon hiring of Taggart has me very excited, and I am not an Oregon fan at all. Good job Oregon, you guys look like you have made the right choice.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He should not criticize Houston, as "The Simpsons" reminds us 7-5 seasons do not come cheap. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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The SeedSing 2016 College Football Playoffs, Important Bowls, and Heisman Predictions

The College Football Playoff is set, for better or worse. We have the four teams, counting down from 4 to 1, Washington, The University of Ohio State(I know what I wrote), Clemson and Alabama.

First off, the University of Ohio State does not belong in this field. They got beat by Penn State, who I will talk about later, needed overtime to beat Wisconsin and got a tremendous amount of help from the refs against Michigan, who I will also touch on later. They are strictly there because the playoff committee and the TV stations have a disturbing love affair with Urban Meyer. This University of Ohio State team is not as good as they have been in the past. They are still decent, but not the third best team in the country.

With all that being said, they have a shot to beat Clemson. Clemson does belong in this field. They did everything they needed to do to get in the playoff. They have been incredibly inconsistent all year long, but when they show up, they are very, very hard to beat. They have a great D line, a great defensive coordinator, Brent Venables, they have great skill guys like Wyatt Gallman and Mike Williams, and they have Deshaun Watson. This team is loaded, it is just a matter of them showing up, which they have for important games this year. If the team that showed up against Louisville and FSU shows up, they will blow the doors off the University of Ohio State. But, if the Clemson team that showed up against NC State or Pittsburgh shows up, they will be in trouble. I assume the team that played Louisville and FSU shows up, and Clemson beats the University of Ohio State in a decent game. If I had to pick a score, I'd say Clemson 38, the University of Ohio State 24.

The other matchup is going to look a lot like last year's Alabama-Michigan State game. Good for you Washington. You won the Pac 12 title game convincingly, but your butter soft out of conference schedule is going to rear its ugly head. The only time Washington faced a legit defense all year, USC, they got completely smothered. Alabama is better than USC. Hell, Alabama beat USC by 44 points in the first game of the season. If Washington had a hard time moving the ball on USC, they will not be able to move the ball at all against Alabama. Even their coach seems nervous about this matchup. There was an interview yesterday, and Petersen sounded like he was already preparing for next year. Jake Browning is good, and Washington has good skill players, but they have not faced a team nearly as good as Alabama. Alabama's defense is historically good. They are suffocating. They have stopped everyone that has come their way. Their defense and special teams are so good, they had -7 total offensive yards in the SEC title game after the first quarter, and they were still winning 16-9. Alabama is incredible, even if their offense is not great. Alabama is going to cruise over Washington to the tune of something like 35-7.

That would leave us with a rematch of last year's title game, but this time, it will not be a shootout. Alabama, and their defense, will shut Clemson down. Watson is great, but Alabama's defense is so much better. This is one of the most dominant and clinical teams that I have ever seen on a college football field. They are like a machine. If Alabama does not win the title this year, it will be a bigger upset than Cleveland beating Golden State in the NBA Finals last year. Alabama is clearly the best team in college football, and it is by a wide margin. Those are my predictions for the playoff.

As far as some other bowls go, I do not really care for anything else outside of the playoff and the New Year's 6 Bowl games. I could care less about a Nebraska-Tennessee matchup or a Navy-Louisiana Tech matchup or a Iowa-Florida matchup. None of those sound appealing to me. But, when it comes to the New Year's 6, obviously I have a huge interest in the Orange Bowl. Michigan is playing FSU. If Michigan shows up, and is not deflated by not making the playoff, they should roll. They have a great run defense, and all FSU can do is run. Dalvin Cook is incredible, but if Michigan can slow him down and hold him to below 100 yards, there is not much else FSU can do on offense. Michigan's offense should be able to control the ball as well. Michigan is a better team than FSU, and they should win the Orange Bowl.

The Rose Bowl is going to be a blood bath. Penn State is not the fifth best team in the country. But, before I go on about this game, I need to address what Gus Johnson said about Penn State winning the Big Ten title being a "milestone" in the "healing process" for what happened under Joe Paterno. This was a terrible oversight. What happened for 2 plus decades under Paterno's watch is despicable, disgusting, disturbing and Penn State's football program should have been shut down. The vile and heinous acts committed by the old staff were horrific and upsetting. The fact that the main media wants to gloss over this is troubling. No football win is any kind of "milestone", nor does it help anyone heal from what happened. Those people that were abused have to live with that everyday. Football games do not change what happened to them. Shame on Gus Johnson, Mark May, Kirk Herbstreit and any other media person that tries to shove the terrible tragedy at Penn State aside and only focus on football. Penn State should not have a football team.

With that being said, they will be exposed by a USC team that has only gotten better and better every week. They will shut down anything that Penn State will try and do, and they will move the ball on Penn State with ease. This is a very low level game for the Rose Bowl. We have a 2 and 3 loss teams playing for the Rose Bowl. That is not great. Anyway, USC will win by 10 plus.

The Cotton Bowl is going to expose Western Michigan. Good for them and PJ Fleck. You guys finished the regular season undefeated. Only you and Alabama can say that. But, when your 2 best wins are against a 6-6 Northwestern team and a 3-9 Illinois team, that speaks volumes to the level of competition they faced all year. Wisconsin is going to dismantle Western Michigan. I'd love to be proven wrong, both for my dislike to the Badgers and the fact that I would love to see Western Michigan finish the year undefeated, but it will not happen. WMU is playing a big time team now, and it will show. I would not be surprised if Wisconsin wins by 3 touchdowns or more.

The Sugar Bowl features Oklahoma and Auburn. Oklahoma should win this going away. They play super up-tempo offense and Auburn is decimated by injury. Auburn has a good defense, but Oklahoma's offense is fantastic. Oklahoma does not play defense, but they won't have to play too much defense in this game because Auburn is not nearly as lethal running the ball, due to all the injuries. I say Oklahoma by 2 touchdowns.

I have Alabama winning the title, Michigan winning the Orange Bowl, USC winning the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin winning the Cotton Bowl and Oklahoma winning the Sugar Bowl.

As far as the Heisman goes, first off, the list of players they are sending to New York is a real head scratcher. Obviously Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson belong, but Jabrill Peppers, Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook? What the hell? I love Jabrill Peppers. He was so much fun to watch this year. I literally thought he could score anytime he had his hands on the ball, but he wasn't even the best defender on his team. That goes to Jourdan Lewis, Taco Charlton and Chris Wormley. Peppers is great, just not Heisman great. Then 2 guys from Oklahoma, give me a break. If you want someone from the Big 12, send D'Onta Foreman. He rushed for over 2,000 yards this year, and that is with every team gearing up to stop him. And if you wanted another QB, send Jake Browning from Washington. He had an incredible year, and it would be a nice consolation for him since his team, and himself, are going to get hammered by Alabama. This is a very odd group of players selected to go to New York. Since it is only a 2 man race, they should have only sent Jackson and Watson.

I'm going to stick with my preseason pick, and say Deshaun Watson wins the Heisman. His last 5 games have been very impressive, and even though his numbers aren't like Jackson's numbers, the lasting impressions should count. Jackson had big time stumbles against Houston and Kentucky, where Watson showed up for the ACC title, and has been unstoppable the last 5 games.

So there you have it, my final predictions for the college football season. I will recap everything after the year is over, but this is what I see happening over the next month or so. Enjoy bowl season everyone. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial man Podcast. He aspires to go to the Rose Bowl one day. Maybe he will be the Grand Marshall. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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The Sad and Scary Death of Joe McKinght

I was going to review Childish Gambino's new record today, but that will have to wait until Monday because I need to address the horrible tragedy that happened to former NFL running back Joe McKnight.

I was watching ESPN yesterday, and I saw scrolling on the bottom of my screen, that McKnight had died at the age of 28. I could not believe it when I saw it. I thought it may have been one of those death hoax things, but as I dug deeper, I found out I was very wrong. I needed to know what happened to him.

I remember vividly watching him in college. I am not a USC fan by any means, but when he played there, I found him a joy to watch. He was on their team after the Reggie Bush/Lendale White era, in which their running game was second to none. I never thought they would be as good on the ground as they were with those guys, but Joe McKnight was damn near as good as they were. He was very fast. He burst through holes and kicked into second gear and ran away from defenders. He was patient when waiting for holes to open up. He was a good receiver out of the backfield. Hell, he could even block. He was the total package. He didn't win the Heisman like Bush did, but he was a very good college football player.

McKnight turned his college career into a halfway decent pro career. He was a fourth-round pick by the Jets, and since I followed him in college, I followed his pro career. He wasn't a great pro, but he was pretty decent. He became a key contributor right away, He was a change of pace back for the Jets. They put him in on third downs a lot, especially to run screen plays. He became a key guy on a decent Jets team. His career was cut short due to multiple injuries, but I always remembered him being a joy to watch. Like I said, he had world class speed and vision, and just did the right things on the football field. He was a much better college player, but he was still a decent pro.

So, when this news flashed yesterday, as I said before, I could not believe it. First, he was 6 years younger than me. I am at that point in my life where I am older than the college athletes that I watch, and critique, so when someone this young dies, it literally shakes me to my core. Then, I thought that it was some kind of freak thing. Maybe he had a bad fall, maybe he had an unexplained illness that none of us knew about, maybe he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I just couldn't figure it out.

But, later in the day, the news reported that the way he died was much, much more gruesome and disturbing than anything that I could ever think of. He was shot and killed by someone with road rage. What the hell? What has this world come to? Why does stuff like this happen so often now? Why are guns so readily available and easy to get? It is so, so sad. I mean, earlier in the week we had the terrible and disturbing situation at Ohio State, and now some gun loon, with a very short fuse, shot someone over something so insignificant. I get road rage, not as bad now because I have kids, but I have never, ever thought that someone that cut me off needed to be physically harmed. What in the hell is the matter with this person that felt they needed to shoot Joe McKnight? I heard that there was a confrontation, but it should never come to something as terrible as this. Why do crazy people get guns? And why do they think that they need to use them when they have any confrontation? Things can be solved so much easier by just using your words. Just talk. Calm the hell down and take a breath.

That is the problem. We have become a culture of people that act without thinking. It is sad. I mean, look at the election results, that was purely based on people not thinking at all. Then, we had the Ohio State incident, and now the tragic death of Joe McKnight. How much worse can 2016 truly get? This monster that took Joe McKnight's life, over some road rage, deserves to be put in jail for the rest of their life. This is a disturbed individual that thinks guns are a way to solve problems. That should terrify people.

This is such a sad and tragic event. Joe McKnight was so young and had a long, long life ahead of him. He seemed like he was a decent person. I do not remember him getting into trouble in college or in the pros. All the news when he was playing all seemed to be good things. He, at least on the surface, seemed to be a decent guy. I am literally scared at the readily availability of crazy people getting guns. Guns are a big, big problem in the world right now. Guns have always scared me, I have never even held one, and the fact that these gun nuts flaunt the fact that they have them is one of the scariest things in the world. Had this person been reasonable and used words instead of violence, Joe McKnight would still be alive today. This is a truly tragic, disturbing and sad thing that happened yesterday.

Stories like this make me scared for humanity, hate the NRA more than I already do and they just make me sad. Joe McKnight had so much ahead of him, but now that is all gone because of a disturbed individual. Rest In Peace Joe McKnight. You did not deserve this, and this is a sad, sad day for society.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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We Need to Be in Awe of Russell Westbrook

Watching Westbrook is like watching some awesome fireworks

Let's take a moment today to realize the greatness that is Russell Westbrook right now. I mean, he has been unleashed, and he is absolutely going off.

I know that the Thunder are 11-8, good enough for 6th in the West, and most teams have only played 20 games, at most, but he is currently averaging a triple double. Let me say that again, HE IS AVERAGING A TRIPLE DOUBLE! There is probably no way he keeps this up all season, but if there is one player that could do it in the modern NBA, it has to be Westbrook. I read a ton of stuff, listened to a lot of sports writers and media members say that Westbrook was going to put up big numbers now that KD is a Warrior, but this is just ridiculous. No one has averaged a triple double for a full season since Oscar Robertson did it in the 60's.

I definitely do not think he is going to finish the season with these same numbers, but as I already stated, he is the one guy that could. First reason, KD is gone. KD left, and now the Thunder are fully Westbrook's team. He is the alpha, the go-to guy, the man, whatever cliché you want to call him. Sure, Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson are good, but they are not Westbrook, and Billy Donovan knows this. Everything runs through Westbrook. He is the coach on the floor, he calls the plays and he ultimately decides what he wants to do with the ball. He can pull up and shoot, get to the rim, drive and kick, he can do whatever he wants to get the points and assists. He may also be the best rebounding guard in the NBA. He can jump so high, he sometimes grabs defensive rebounds away from 7 footers. He is also just as ferocious attacking the offensive glass as he is going to the basket, so he gets his rebounds.

Second reason, he wants to do this. He knows his stats every game, I would almost guarantee this. I bet he knows exactly how many rebounds he needs if he already has the points and assists. Same goes for all the other stats. He will chase this down. He will get as many triple doubles as he can, no matter what. This is a good and a bad thing. It is good because he is a wonder to watch because he puts up some great numbers, but he also hurts his teams chances at wins sometimes, chasing the stats. That is one of the main reasons they are 11-8.

Third reason, as I already kind of mentioned, Billy Donovan has no other real options. They have threats, but none are the threat that Westbrook is. Westbrook has become a super duper star in the NBA. He is one of the 5, scratch that, 3 best players in the league. He is way more athletic than Steph Curry. He plays harder than anyone, including LeBron James. He has no fear, which cannot be said for a lot of other stars in the NBA, And he is the alpha, something KD could not handle, hence his move to the Warriors. Billy Donovan knows, and hopefully, appreciates this, so Westbrook has carte blanche when he is on the floor. He will get his, come hell or high water.

And fourth, he wants to prove that the Thunder do not need KD to be a threat in the playoffs. He wants everyone to know that this team will be competitive, even though they lost a great, great player. He wants the OKC fans to know that they are in good hands for, at least, the next 2 years. He wants his teammates to know that he can do whatever they need him to do, so they can still win, most of the time. He wants to prove management right by giving him the extension he rightfully deserved. And he wants the rest of the NBA to know that he is a force to be reckoned with.

This first quarter of the season from Westbrook has been one of the best things to happen so far. I think his quest to average a triple double has been a better story than the Clippers hot start. I like Westbrook's story more than the Warriors 15-2 record because, people, myself included, expect the Warriors to be dominant. Westbrook's triple double story is better than any halfway decent start from James Harden, the baby Lakers or any other team over or underachieving. This is something that has not happened in a long, long, long time, and no one thought it would ever happen again. I still do not think he will finish the year with these crazy averages, but to average a triple double for the first quarter of the season is incredible. I think he is the clear cut favorite, and it should not even be close, that he is the undisputed MVP. He doesn't have a supporting cast like the Warriors, Clippers or Spurs, and I picked Kawhi Leonard as my preseason MVP. Westbrook is doing this without KD, and the next best player on his team is probably either Steven Adams, who is not much of a scorer, or Victor Oladipo, who is more known for his defensive ability.

I just think it is tremendous what he is doing, and I wanted to take my time today to point this out. Russell Westbrook is on pace for a historical season, and I think anyone that watches the NBA would agree with me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once had a quadruple double in his rec league, if you count 11 turnovers as part of the stats. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Let Me Respectfully Explain Why Your Team Stinks: Big Ten Football is better than SEC Football

The best button to hit on the remote when ESPN talks college football

Today I'm going to piss off ESPN, Paul Finebaum, David Pollack, the SEC on ESPN Network, basically all of ESPN, and all the commentators on CBS because, frankly, the SEC, besides Alabama, is very mediocre.

The SEC is the only conference that seems to have 24 hour news coverage from these people, and these networks. They seem to be the only game in town. When I turn on "College Football Live" on ESPN, I see David Pollack and Finebaum each yelling about how great "their" conference is. They always talk about how it is the only conference in major division 1 football that has any say in the final rankings. They talk about how it is a superior level of football compared to all the other power conferences.

Well, and I know that I am not the only one that has done this research, but besides Alabama, no other SEC team has 9 wins. In fact, the only team with a chance to get a ninth win this year is Florida, and that chance is against Alabama in the SEC title game. I do not see them winning that game.

Tell me why these commentators and ESPN and CBS never give any love to any other conference. Colorado is in the midst of a huge resurgence in the Pac 12, so is Washington, but we only hear about how bad Oregon is on these channels. And not only are Colorado and Washington very good, so is Washington State, Utah and Stanford. Each of these teams has as many, or more wins, than all the other teams not named Alabama in the SEC. The Big 12 is very top heavy, but Oklahoma and Oklahoma State is a much more intriguing matchup to me this weekend, as opposed to Alabama-Florida. The ACC is Clemson, then everyone else, but UNC has put together a very solid year, Pittsburgh is feisty, FSU will get a good bowl game and Louisville has the Heisman front runner.

That leads me to the Big Ten, the conference I think is the best, by a wide margin.

Side rant, Michigan got absolutely screwed this past Saturday. They stopped Barrett, I will go to my grave believing this, and the disparity in penalties was atrocious. That was one of the worst officiated games I have ever watched, and I have heard people that don't like either team tell me the same. Okay, got that off my chest.

But, look at the top part of the Big Ten. Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan all have either 10 or 11 wins. Ohio State doesn't get a chance for a 12th win since they blew the Penn State game, but with only one loss, and getting a cheap win this past weekend, they are all but assured a playoff spot. They also play a style of offense that the playoff committee loves, so they will find any way possible to put them in the playoff. Wisconsin and Michigan are very similar, in that both teams rely on their defense. Wisconsin's defense is very good, and I expect that to be on full display this weekend when they face Penn State in the Big Ten title game. Those kids fly all over the place and make play after play. They have no studs on offense, but they can run the ball, as they have always been able to in my lifetime. Michigan's defense is better than Wisconsin's. They have pressured every QB and running back they have played this year. Their secondary is lock down. They blitz all the time, and they shut most teams down. They are, statically, the best defense in college football. Their offense is not flashy either, but they have way more play makers than Wisconsin, and whenever Jabrill Peppers comes in, everyone holds their breath. Then there is Penn State. I really do not know what to make of this team, but they have won 8 straight games, including one against Ohio State. I fully expect them to get crushed by Wisconsin, but they have a hell of a turnaround. I think they are paper tigers, but good for them.

I'd take all four of these teams against any team not named Alabama in the SEC. Give me Michigan-LSU, I'd pick Michigan to win by 2 touchdowns. Give me Penn State-Tennessee, PSU would win by 10 points. In a game between Wisconsin-Florida, I fully believe Wisconsin would shut them out in dominant fashion. So, why do the commentators and specific networks I mentioned only talk about the SEC? I get that Alabama is the best team, and it is not even close, but other than them, they have no real threat. Florida has faltered as of late, and it was on full display against Florida State this past weekend. Tennessee just got beat by Vanderbilt, needed multiple miracle comebacks early in the year, got crushed by Florida, and now their coach is talking about "being champions of life". What a joke. Ole Miss, who was a preseason top 15 team, is below .500. Texas A&M has not been that good since Trevor Knight went down, and were they that good to begin with anyway? I do not think so. Auburn has stumbled as of late, due to injury and playing great competition. LSU fired a coach, lost to Alabama, Wisconsin and Florida already this year, and they just settled for Ed Oregeron as their full time head coach. That does not put any fear in anyone at all. Arkansas just blew a 3 touchdown lead to Missouri and finished below .500 in the conference. Kentucky beat Louisville, but they are just 7-5, and they do not look good, at least not to me. The rest of the conference is just bad. Missouri, Mississippi State and the previously mentioned Ole Miss, they are all below .500. Vanderbilt and South Carolina are right at .500, and the rest has 8 wins or less.

I am sick of the biased view that the people and networks I have mentioned show this conference that has been well below mediocre this year. There is no one, and I mean no one, that should be covered on national media from the SEC except Alabama. Every other team in the SEC is irrelevant. No one other than Alabama is going to be in the playoff, or a New Year's Six bowl.

The SEC is wildly overrated, and I just needed to get this off my chest. It was a frustrating weekend, and the fact that ESPN and Paul Finebaum wanted to act like the Iron Bowl was anywhere near as important as The Game was utterly absurd. Screw Paul Finebaum, David Pollack, ESPN and CBS. You guys all stink and are so in the bag for the SEC, it is disgusting. Why don't you cover some real college football and get off the bandwagon you bunch of hacks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has a few more opinions on teams that stink, check them out. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Charlie Strong is the Best Coach for Texas

This longhorn still stands by strong

Yesterday I wrote about a college football coach, and today, I am going to do the same. Today, I want to tackle this whole Charlie Strong and Texas situation. I have heard a lot of people, most of the national sports media, calling for Strong's head since Texas got beat by Kansas last week. In fact, people have been saying he was going to get fired as early as the middle of last year.

I am on the opposite end of everyone else. I feel like Charlie Strong is one of the few coaches that I would give the full 4 or 5 year rebuild time to. First off, Texas made Mack Brown resign so they could hire Charlie Strong three years ago. Strong did wonderful things as the defensive coordinator at Florida, and was even better as a head coach at Louisville. He turned Teddy Bridgewater into a great QB. He had that defense at, or near, the top of most defensive stats. He had them in perennial BCS contention. He did a great job at Louisville. Then, after Texas forced out Brown, I was very pleasantly surprised that they went out and hired Charlie Strong. He was the best available candidate, and he got one of the best jobs in all of college football.

When Brown left, the cupboard was kind of bare. Brown was getting into that Les Miles area, where the college game had passed him by. His last few Texas teams were not world beaters like when they had Colt McCoy and Vince Young. They were treading water, going 8-4 or 9-3. They were okay, but not as good as their fans and boosters thought. Strong was brought in to bring a new toughness and a faster and better offense and defense. But, he had to recruit his style of player. Texas was a pro style type offense, and Strong ran a spread type offense. The players there his first year did not fit what he wanted to do.

And in his first season, they struggled. It wasn't as bad as Rich Rodriguez's first year at Michigan, but it wasn't that good either. After that first year, people thought, okay, one bad year, we can handle that, but they should be better in Strong's second season. Well, they made a bowl, but barely. They did not look great, but they did look better and more disciplined. That is one thing I really like about Strong. He does not take any of these kids crap, and let's not get it twisted, these are children. If people mouthed off at him and his staff, he suspended them. If they didn't get grades, he suspended them. If they did something unlawful, he kicked them off the team. He did not care how good, or how highly rated of a recruit that kid was, if they screwed up, he held them accountable. I really appreciate and respect that.

The fans and boosters did not care for this. They did not like his no-nonsense attitude, especially when it meant losing out on big time recruits. That is the problem, fans and boosters are irrational. And, when the people making the choices for coaching jobs start to listen to fans and boosters more than the actual staff, that is when stupid decisions are made. That is when the higher ups get a bit irrational themselves.

This most recent season saw Texas start out much better. They beat Notre Dame on opening weekend. That win wasn't as big as it seemed at the time, but Texas was back on the map. They went all the way up to 11 in the rankings. Then, they rolled off 2 more wins, but eventually came back down to Earth, losing a few in a row, and it all culminated at Kansas last week.

I will say that some of Strong's recruits have been pretty good this year. Texas still does not have a viable QB. They have one QB that is a great read option guy, and another that is a better passing threat. But, both guys are not upper echelon. Texas does have one of the best running backs in college though, in D'Onta Foreman. Foreman is incredible. He has been running all over people. He has been the one guy for Texas that seems like a he is a legit division 1 college football player. He is a joy to watch. And, he is a Strong recruit. Also, since Strong has taken over the defense, which is his forte, Texas hasn't been great, but they have been a hell of a lot better. The players are tackling better, the secondary is in the right spot for the most part and they seem to understand what Strong wants to do.

Look, I think Texas needs to keep him around for, at least, one more season. He finally has his recruits and they are finally starting to buy in. I know that they got beat by Kansas, but they also played Oklahoma really well this year, beat them last year, and have, at times, looked really decent. I know they want Tom Herman, who lost to SMU people, or Jimbo Fisher, who's FSU team has been wildly disappointing, or Les Miles, who got fired once this year already, but I say stick with Strong for one more season. This team could be a legit top 25 team if he sticks around. But, if they do fire him, they will be in another rebuild, and I do not know if the fans and boosters can deal with that. I say be patient, but it is not my decision, and it looks like the people who make this decision have already decided what they want to do.

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty has won 27 championships in a row for Michigan on his old copy of NCAA Football 2011. Do you hear that Texas boosters? Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Will the Latest Trouble at Notre Dame Finally Get Brian Kelly Fired?

Kelly has wrecked the Notre Dame football train

As most of you probably know by now, Notre Dame football has been forced to vacate all their wins from 2012 and 2013 due to academic violations. This should all but assure that Brian Kelly gets fired either this week or this weekend.

First off, Notre Dame is in the midst of one of their worst seasons in about 5 years. They sit at 4-7 as I write this, and unless they somehow find a way to beat USC, they will be staying home during bowl season. You may have read that and thought that with 7 losses, they are ineligible for a bowl bid, but we did have some 5-7 teams make bowls last year because there are way too many bowl games. I don't think they have a chance to beat USC, so this whole point is basically moot, but you never know.

Kelly has thrown people under the bus all season long too, except for himself. This dreadful football year has been everyone's fault but his own. He has complained about his players, he has fired staff members, he has called out fans, as I said, it is everyone else's fault. Well, who is he going to blame now? Academic fraud starts at the top, and the top at Notre Dame is the head coach. He is the one that allowed these staffers to fudge the numbers and give, what he deemed, "important" players the grades they needed to play.

This is going to be a big, big mess for a university that has never really been in trouble like this. Sure, they have had bad seasons, right now as I already stated, but they have never been in this kind of trouble with the NCAA. The NCAA is a very flawed system, but this is one of the easier rules for the teams and players to follow. You need a certain GPA, and if you don't have the numbers, you cannot play. Simple as that. A lot of great players in multiple sports haven't gotten the grades and been forced to sit, or go to community college to get the grades. Well, Brian Kelly and his staff thought that they were above this, and this is going to hurt them very much in the long run. They are going to get sanctioned, there is no doubt in my mind.

I remember when Rich Rodriguez was at Michigan, and they got in trouble for over practicing. ESPN treated that like it was the end of the Michigan football program. They assumed it would be akin to what happened at SMU. I am very anxious to see how they treat this news. Academic fraud is way, way worse than some extra practices, but I feel like ESPN is in bed with Notre Dame, and most of the people there love Brian Kelly. I bet they will find any excuse to try and help Kelly and ND cover this up as best they can, but they won't succeed.

This is a big deal. You cannot give players fake grades. I know that it is a joke, but the student comes before the athlete. It always has, and it always will. The NCAA is definitely flawed in what they expect from "student-athletes", but they have never budged on the grades stuff. And, how hard is it really for these kids to go to class? School is easy, for most students. Hell, I did next to nothing in high school, and I graduated with a 2.6 GPA. All you really have to do is show up, study for the important tests, pass those, and you are good. But, Notre Dame felt they had the importance to not have these kids live up to that small expectation. People will blame the players and the staffers, but I blame Brian Kelly solely for this. He is the one who allowed this happen. He is the one who knew it was happening, didn't think he'd get caught, and let it continue to happen. He is the one that did not hold the accountable parties responsible for what they were doing. The kids are not to blame, and the staff is not to blame, Brian Kelly is to blame.

Notre Dame's season is going to end this Saturday after USC crushes them. Then, they will be investigated, and since they are a blue blood, they will be treated as such. They have already had to vacate the wins, but I see postseason bans possible, scholarships being taken away and a lot of mediocrity for the next 4 or 5 years. A lot of top flight recruits will stay away also because those kids want to play football well into January, and that will not be happening at ND anytime soon.

This horrible season for them just got a whole lot worse. Brian Kelly was already on the hot seat, but his previous seasons, mainly 2012, were his saving grace. Well, that is not the case anymore, since in the eyes of the NCAA, none of those games actually happened, just like the Fab five never went to the final Four, or Reggie Bush never won the Heisman, that is what Notre Dame's run to get blown out in the title game in 2012 is now, non existent. As I stated at the top, I do not see any way that Brian Kelly keeps this job, and this should be the final nail in his coffin. It is much deserved for that curmudgeon that never takes any responsibility, blames everyone else and thinks he is above the law. You are not above the law Brian Kelly, and you just got caught red handed. See you later.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The only thing that would make Ty happier right now is for a certain team that rhymes with molverines beats a team that rhymes with duck eyes. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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