Sports are unique and exhilarating and enthralling. It’s why I’m writing. It’s why you’re reading.
Sports must be incredible because they are also infuriating, repeatedly testing your patience and sanity.
The final 30 seconds of an NBA game can last 30 minutes. A four-hour baseball game might showcase 10 minutes of action. The Stanley Cup playoffs are a crapshoot. The NFL has made defense impossible. Soccer never promises scoring. Boxing relies on untrustworthy judges. Replay reviews are never going away.
College football’s greatest flaw is the lack of competitiveness in the first part of the season. Most games have no impact on the playoff. The ones that do consistently feature spreads of more than 30 points, convincing you to change the channel before halftime.
With top-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Clemson off last week, No. 3 Georgia won by 29 points, No. 4 Ohio State won by 24, No. 5 LSU won by 36, No. 6 Oklahoma won by 25, No. 8 Wisconsin won by 48, No. 9 Notre Dame won by 52 and No. 12 Penn State won by 28.
This week showcases the best regular season in American sports near its peak, with four games placing ranked foes in each other’s way. None means more than the Red River Shootout between Oklahoma and Texas. While the SEC boasts five of the nation’s top 12 teams, and the Big Ten has five of the top 17, Oklahoma and Texas are the only Big 12 teams that are ranked in the top 20.
For the past five years, the Cotton Bowl battle has never been decided by more than a touchdown. Last year, Texas won, 48-45, on a last-second field goal. Oklahoma got revenge — and a playoff spot — with a victory in the Big 12 title game.
This year, Jalen Hurts and the Sooners are averaging more than 49 points per game. Sam Ehlinger and the Longhorns are averaging nearly 42 points.
Once again, neither defense stands a chance, and separation won’t come until the final minute. Take Texas (+11).
South Carolina Gamecocks (+24½) over GEORGIA BULLDOGS: Beware the back door, which Ryan Hilsinki busted through against Alabama, while throwing for 324 yards and two touchdowns.
Michigan Wolverines (-22½) over ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI: The Wolverines might seem incapable of scoring three touchdowns after being held scoreless in the final three quarters against Iowa, but Michigan is just two weeks removed from embarrassing the Big Ten’s other perennial bottom-feeder, Rutgers, by 52. The Illini have given up at least 40 points in both conference games this season.
Alabama Crimson Tide (-16½) over TEXAS A&M AGGIES: The Aggies are ranked 24th in the nation though their only FBS wins have come against Texas State and Arkansas (1-5). Now comes the nation’s top-ranked team, which has won each of Tua Tagovailoa’s 17 regular-season starts by at least 22 points.
Florida State Seminoles (+27) over CLEMSON TIGERS: Remember when Trevor Lawrence was the Heisman front-runner? Much has changed in a month, and more underwhelming performances remain ahead in the Tigers’ uninspired title defense, a la Florida State in 2013 and Ohio State in 2015.
Michigan State Spartans (+10½) over WISCONSIN BADGERS: Even after getting torched for 323 yards on the ground against Ohio State, the Spartans still sport the 15th-ranked rush defense. Unlike the Buckeyes’ Heisman contender and dual-threat Justin Fields, Badgers quarterback Jack Coan won’t steal focus from his star running back.
ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (PK) over Washington State Cougars: I was stunned when I heard Tracy Claeys resigned as Cougars defensive coordinator last week. I already assumed the position was vacant.
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH (-11) over Usc Trojans: In Brian Kelly’s first nine seasons, the Fighting Irish never won a game by more than 45 points. This year, Notre Dame has a pair of 52-point wins. The blowouts must continue in order for Notre Dame to have a shot at a second straight playoff berth, and the Trojans should cooperate. They are 0-2 on the road while ranking seventh-worst in the nation in giveaways per game.
Penn State Nittany Lions (-3½) over IOWA HAWKEYES: Penn State is not as good as it looked in blowouts of weak competition. Iowa is not as pathetic as it looked in last week’s 3-point effort at Michigan. But Nittany Lions coach James Franklin has won all three games against the Hawkeyes, whose struggling running game will look even sadder against a defense allowing a nation-best 1.7 yards per carry.
Louisville Cardinals (+6½) over WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS: Wake Forest earned a top-20 ranking for the first time in more than a decade by beating five teams with a combined record of 11-18. Reality could return Saturday. Coach Dave Clawson is 0-6 following a week off.
Florida Gators (+13½) over LSU TIGERS: The Tigers’ offensive renaissance has come against the teams ranked 105th, 57th, 112th and 78th in scoring defense. Coming off a win over previously unbeaten Auburn, Florida’s eighth-ranked unit will provide a true test for Joe Burrow, who completed 19 of 34 passes, with two interceptions in last year’s loss to the Gators.
BOISE STATE BULLDOGS (-12) over Hawaii Rainbow Warriors: Hawaii has averaged 371 passing yards per game, but quarterback Cole McDonald has been intercepted eight times against three Pac-12 teams that are less threatening than the No. 14 Broncos, who boast one of the nation’s top pass defenses.
Best Bets: Texas, Notre Dame, Florida.
This season (best bets): 43-50-2 (9-9)
2014-18 record: 641-612-10
