Sarni's Scrolls: CFB Not Upsetting
By Jim Sarni
Where are the big college football upsets?
It's been a tame autumn. Sure, the leaves have fallen and there's been some good games, but no major shockers.
The AP Top 5 has stayed the same since Oct. 15. Easy work for the voters.
But now it's crunch time. The big finish to the season.
The top 8 teams have separated themselves as national
title contenders. Let's see how they finish the race.
Nov. 18
■ 3:30: Georgia at Tennessee, CBS
■ 7:30: Washington at Oregon St., ABC
■ 8: Texas at Iowa St., Fox
Nov. 24
■ 8:30: Oregon at Oregon St., Fox
Nov. 25
■ 3:30: Alabama at Auburn, CBS
■ 4: Washington at Washington St., Fox
■ 7: FSU at Florida, ESPN
■ 7:30: Georgia at Georgia Tech, ABC
Dec. 1
■ 8: Pac-12 Championship, ABC,
Dec. 2
■ 12: Big 12 Championship, ABC
■ 4: SEC Championship -- Georgia vs. Alabama, CBS
■ 8: ACC Championship -- FSU vs. TBD
■ 8: Big Ten Championship -- Ohio St/Michigan vs. TBD, Fox
***
The first highly-anticipated NBA regular-season matchup of San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama (19) and Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren (21) on Tuesday night...
A dud.■ The 7-4 Wemby (eight points, 14 rebounds, four turnovers, 4-of-15 from the field).■ The 7-1 Holmgren (nine points, seven rebounds, 3-of-10 from the field).The Thunder throttled the Spurs, 123-87, during In-Season Tournament action in West Group C.***
NBA In-Season Tournament refresher
Group Stage (Nov. 3-28)
Each team plays four games vs Group opponents. Games scheduled on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Quarterfinals (Dec. 4-5)
On home courts
Eliminated teams play games TBD (Dec. 6 and 8)
Final Four (Dec 7 and 9)
Las Vegas
All games count toward regular-season record except final.
***
The MLS playoffs have reached the Conference semifinals. Matches resume after an International break.
East (Nov. 25):
■ Orlando at Columbus, 5:30
■ Cincinnati at Philadelphia, 8.
West (Nov. 26):
■ Houston at Kansas City, 7
■ Seattle at LAFC, 9:30
Conference finals
■ Dec. 2 and 3.
MLS Cup
■ Dec. 9, 4 p.m.
All matches on Apple.
***
in Group play at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.
A 4 p.m. match means a 4 a.m. FS1 telecast in the East. Who needs sleep?
Nimfasha Berchimas -- the USA’s youngest player at this tournament in 20 years -- who scored a brace against Korea, then added his third goal on Tuesday.
***
ETC.
■ Feature of the Week: Lesley Visser's report on the historical South Carolina-Notre Dame women's college basketball game in Paris on the November edition of "We Need To Talk" on CBSSN.
■ The first episode of "Hard Knocks In Season With The Miami Dolphins" debuts on Nov. 21 on HBO.
■ Patrick Mahomes superstition revealed on the ManningCast: On Game Day, he wears the same red underwear, a pair purchased by his wife Brittany.
■ Broncos QB Russell Wilson celebrated his wife Ciara's 38th birthday by renting out a Waffle House.
■ Six schools are ranked in football and men's basketball -- Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Arizona, North Carolina, James Madison.
■ Goalkeeper and TNT analyst Henrik Lundqvist was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this week. Others in the Class of 2023: Mike Vernon, Tom Barrasso, Pierre Turgeon, Caroline Ouelette, Ken Hitchcock.
***
■ Haley Cavinder is transferring to TCU.
■ Rafael Nadal is featured on a 3D billboard in Times Square.
■ Michael and Nicole Phelps are expecting their fourth child. They have three sons.
■ Skip Bayless/Lil Wayne bromance: the "Undisputed" host has the rapper on his talk show on Fridays.
■ Sail GP scored its largest American broadcast audience in league history with 1.784M viewers for the U.S. team victory on CBS Sunday. It was the most-watched sailing race in the U.S. since 1992.
***
■ Perfect game: Xochitl Garcia and Val Chmerkovskiy scored four 10s for their tango on 'Dancing With The Stars" on Tuesday.
■ After 35 seasons of "The Simpsons," Homer will no longer be shown squeezing Bart's neck until his eyes bulge. "Times have changed," Homer said during the third episode of the season.
■ "People's" Sexiest Man Alive issue includes Jason and Travis Kelce, Lionel Messi, Aaron Rodgers, Brooklyn Beckham.
■ Thanksgiving ice cream: Gourmet chain Salt and Straw new flavors include Turkey Stuffing and Cranberry, Cheesy Potato Casserole.
■ Snoop Dogg's recipe for cognac mashed potatoes is in "People."
■ "T+L's" Best Christmas Towns: 1. Aspen, 2. Ogunquit, Maine, 3. Vail, 4. Nantucket, 5. Orlando, 6. Breckenridge, 7. Lewisburg, W. Virginia, 8. Beaufort, N.C., 9. Carmel-By-The-Sea, Calif., 10. Park City, Utah.
■ Mark Harmon, actor turned author. The "NCIS" star and the shows technical advisor Leon Carroll, Jr. have teamed up on the historical nonfiction book "Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor." And, somehow, the title fits on the cover.
:■ Joni Mitchell turned 80 this month.
■ "Moonlighting," one of the best series from the '80s, is on Hulu. Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis.
■ "The Marvels," opened with a paltry $47M at the domestic box office, Marvel's worst ever. Superhero fatigue?
***
THEY SAID IT
■ "I'm going to put on the greatest live combat sports show anybody ever seen." -- UFC president Dana White, who's planning an event at The Sphere in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence Day.
■ "He's like Sinatra.... People are talking college basketball in November. The city is alive." -- College basketball analyst Bill Rafferty on Rick Pitino returning to coach St. John's.
■ "This is a huge honor to be given the opportunity to coach the most incredible team in world football history. The feelings and connection I have for this team and for this country run deep. I've dreamed about coaching the USA for a long time so to get this opportunity is a dream come true." -- Emma Hayes, new USWNT coach.
***
Jim Sarni, BC Class of '69, is a former sportswriter for The Boston Globe and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He resides in Fort Lauderdale and watches a lot of television. If you have a comment or an opinion, we'd love to hear from you Jksarni@aol.com