Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
I find myself in quite the predicament today.
As is the case most of the time when the sports calendar flips to October, there’s just so much going on right now, and there has been for the past week. I want to talk about the Indiana Hoosiers making a massive statement on Saturday. I want to talk about the Missouri Tigers failing to do the same. I want to talk about how the Bears have won three straight games, as well as how awesome the MLB playoffs have been.
To put it simply: I’m overstimulated.
Because of this, I’m going to dive back into the well of discussing three distinct topics. We’ll start with college football, move to the pros, and wrap up with baseball. I know this is incredibly similar to last week’s format, and I promise I’m not copping out on you all. My scattered brain literally does not know any other way to get to everything. If you all like this style more than me diving deep into one topic, please let me know. If not, I promise to return to my previous style. Either way, I hope you all enjoy!
WINDIANA
If you were to look at the scoreboard from this past weekend in college football as a whole, you would see that a majority of ranked teams won, especially towards the top. There were three games that featured two top 20 teams facing off against each other, and in two of those, the higher ranked team won. For the most part, it was a chalky weekend.
But let’s not forget about what happened in Eugene.
A few weeks ago, after the Indiana Hoosiers thumped Illinois to the tune of a 63-10 victory, I wrote about how this is a legit football team with a chance to make some serious noise at the national level. Even still, I admit I had my doubts about Indiana heading to Autzen Stadium and getting a win over the Oregon Ducks.
Those doubts, as well as any other ones I had about this team, are gone.
To be blunt about it: this team is National Championship good. This is a team that went to one of the toughest places to play in the country and flat out bullied their opponent. When you look at their schedule the rest of the way, there’s no reason that come December, the Hoosiers aren’t making the short drive up to Indianapolis for the Big 10 championship game. But their aspirations shouldn’t stop there.
Last week, I was telling anyone who would listen to me that the trio of Ohio State, Oregon and Miami were a cut above the rest in comparison to the other teams in the country. Obviously, I was wrong. You can kick out the Ducks and put Indiana in there no problem and I think that statement still rings true. I never thought I’d see the day where Indiana University could field a football team that could win a national championship, but here we are. Curt Cignetti should have a statue on campus already.
I won’t touch on the big wins by Ohio State and Alabama here because I want the Hoosiers to get their well-deserved moment. However, I have to mention the fact that James Franklin was fired at Penn State on Sunday. This was probably the second biggest story of the weekend, and there were quite a few other coaches fired too. We are headed for the craziest coaching carousel in the history of the sport, but that’s a discussion for another column.
BEARS BACK?
After a nightmare start to the season saw my beloved Chicago Bears start 0-2 with a pair of losses to division rivals, things have suddenly turned around in Chicago. The Bears got revenge for last year’s Hail Mary loss to the Washington Commanders on Monday, winning at the last second themselves on a field goal by Jake Moody.
While things haven’t been perfect in these three wins, it's a stark improvement to what fans have been treated to in recent years. To me, the biggest difference seems to be the fact that these players actually want to play for Ben Johnson. Under previous regimes, it was quite clear that some guys just flat out didn’t care, and whenever things started to go wrong, they instantly quit.
But now, it feels different. Monday night’s game featured a ton of ups and downs, and as Johnson said in his postgame speech to his team, the Bears “never blinked.” Not only that, but the raw emotion that overcame some players after the kick went in showed me that these guys really care. I think Ben Johnson is the guy that can turn this ship around. There’s still a long way to go, but steps in the right direction are being taken.
As Bears fans, all we can do is hope that this one ends differently. That’s all we’ve been doing our entire lives, so what’s one more time, right?
DODGERS VS. EVERYBODY
We are now in the league championship rounds of the baseball playoffs and four teams remain. One of them is not like the others. In the American League you have the Seattle Mariners, who have never been to the World Series once, facing off against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays won the World Series in 1994 but have not been back since. Representing one half of the National League is the Milwaukee Brewers, another team that has never won the Fall Classic.
And then there’s the Dodgers.
Los Angeles’ success is no secret to the average baseball fan. The team has won the World Series twice this decade, including last season. The team boasts the second highest payroll in baseball, with a lineup featuring superstar after superstar and a rotation featuring ace after ace. Quite simply, they’re what the Yankees used to be.
Now they hold a 2-0 lead over the Brewers in the NLCS and are six wins away from yet another championship. The way they’ve looked this postseason, I’d be surprised if anyone can stop them. I would prefer any of the other three teams to win it all, but I’m not holding my breath.
I think it sucks, and I’m not the only one.
Before the series started, ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote an article detailing how the winner of this series could determine if the league faces a lockout before the 2027 season. It sounds crazy, but the main issue leading up to that bargaining date is whether or not to implement a salary cap in the sport. The Dodgers winning yet again with a payroll that equals the bottom six teams in the league combined would only add fuel to that fire.
Personally, I think a salary floor is much more important, but that’s a tangent that would double the length of this article. Either way, it’s a scary thought to think of. I think it’s a bit of an overreaction. The only team with a payroll higher than LA’s belonged to the Mets, and they missed the playoffs entirely. While they were the only team in the top five to do so, four of the top 10 didn’t make it either.
Spending has always been a part of baseball, so is the fact that every once in a while, a team with a ton of talent has a long championship window. I get wanting to give teams an even playing field, but just because there’s a cap doesn’t mean every team is going to try to reach it.
Anyways, let’s get into this week's picks. I finished below .500 last week so the desire to bounce back is real.
FAVORITE FAVORITE
Carolina Panthers (-1.5) at New York Jets
This is a pretty big turnaround for me, as I picked the Panthers to get blown out by the Cowboys last week. I’ve clearly been wrong about this team. They are not a bad football team by any means. The Jets on the other hand, are. Not only are they winless, but they have the hangover of coming back from London to play this game. Not a recipe for success. I like what Carolina is building on. They pick up another W.
The Pick: Panthers -1.5
BIG DAWG GOTTA EAT
Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns (-2.5)
I’ll be honest, this was probably my third choice for this pick but I had to use my first two later on. The main reason I’m going with Miami here is because of offense. I just trust theirs a lot more than I trust Cleveland’s, which has failed to score more than 18 points in every game this season. The defense of the Browns is definitely better, but I don’t think they have the firepower to stick around if Miami finds the end zone more than twice.
The Pick: Dolphins +2.5
BEAR DOWN
New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears (-5.5)
I talked about the Bears plenty already so I’ll keep this brief. I think this team really is figuring some stuff out and they’re going against a bad team this week. It’s the perfect opportunity to keep improving and I think they do so.
The Pick: Bears -5.5
THIS IS OUR COLTS
Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Chargers (-1.5)
The Colts have officially played well enough for long enough for me to believe they are the real deal. The Chargers picked up a much needed win last week, but almost blew it against the lowly Dolphins before stealing it back at the end of the game. Los Angeles has not looked right since losing some offensive linemen to injury earlier this year, and I think this Colts team is really really good. Give me Indiana Jones and the boys in blue and white.
The Pick: Colts +1.5
GAME OF THE WEEK
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions (-5.5)
Whenever these two teams play, it's always a good time. The injuries keep stacking up for Tampa, but the way Baker Mayfield is playing, it hasn’t seemed to matter. If the season ended today, he’d be the unanimous MVP. The Lions suffered a tough loss to the Chiefs on Sunday night that sent them back down to earth a tad. I’m not sure how much better it gets here. The Bucs have been rolling and I think this game is close until the end.
The Pick: Buccaneers +5.5
Let’s get back on track this week. Enjoy your weekend and Bear Down.’
Cheers.
Last Week’s Record: 2-3
Season Record: 17-13
