Bengals Bounce Back
The Key for the week of December 9
Ball finally bounces Bengals’ way
In a season where last minute miscues and bad breaks have defined the Bengals’ fate, Monday night showed that sometimes, the ball bounces your way. In a “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” moment for the Cowboys, an almost-blocked punt by former Bengal Nick Vigil should have led to great field position in the last minute for Dallas—until the Cowboys’ Amani Oruwariye touched the ball, allowing the Bengals to re-take possession and set up a 40-yard Burrow-to-Chase score. And yes, the Bengals are still mathematically in the wild card playoff hunt as they head to Nash-vegas next weekend to face the Titans.
Speaking of Burrow…
The more he gets sacked, the higher the chances are that he gets hurt. We’ve seen this season what a healthy Joe Burrow can do, but when he has to go to the bench and get a sleeve over his knee after a particularly nasty sack, you have to worry about his long-term health. Is it worth it for JoeyB to play the rest of the season? Although the Bengals are saying it’s no big deal, you still hold your breath every time he’s tackled.
How did the CFP committee do?
Conventional wisdom said that once the college football playoffs were expanded to 12 teams, that would take the controversy out of the selections. Au contraire, as one of Ben’s French friends might say. If anything else, it’s caused more chatter about changes that should be made by next season. The biggest talking point is SMU in the field over Alabama, even though the Tide has a win over title favorite Georgia, causing Alabama’s AD to say he’ll re-evaluate future schedules—meaning taking cupcakes out, putting more Power 4 schools in. Also in question is the seeding setup—Boise State gets a bye with the best record of the Group of 5, leaving Notre Dame, Penn State and Ohio State, all ranked above Boise State, to play in the first round. Let the games begin, starting December 20 with the Irish playing host to Indiana.
Ben’s best bet…
It’s been a pretty quiet leadup so far, but Saturday is the annual Crosstown Shootout between Xavier and UC, at Fifth Third Arena this Saturday at 2 p.m. It used to be a prime-time network TV spectacle, now relegated to one of the plus networks. However, it’s still a big deal to the two schools, as UC has been ranked most of the season and Xavier has been in and out of the Top 25. On paper the Bearcats are favored at home, but everyone knows this game has no rules, no favorites. If you’re a graduate of either of these schools, that’s who you’ll bet on. If you’re not a graduate, stay away from this one—because it truly is anyone’s game.