Ole Miss took care of business against Presbyterian, winning a 48-0 game and staying healthy in the process, all the while healing a bit from the devastating loss to Auburn a week earlier. Up next: A much-needed open date before a final stretch with major bowl ramifications. My thoughts on Ole Miss football, the start of college basketball, the NFL, NBA and more follow here, thanks to Oxford-based RE/MAX Legacy Realty agent Harry Alexander.
1. There's not much to say from 48-0. The Rebels, ranked No. 10 on Sunday, showed up, took care of business and got to the open date without much effort, which is a good thing. The Rebels are now idle until Nov. 22, when they will face Arkansas in Fayetteville. The Rebels close the regular season at home against No. 1 Mississippi State on Nov. 29 in Oxford.
Here are a few observations from Saturday's win:
A. I was fairly impressed with both Ryan Buchanan and DeVante Kincade, who played a good bit in relief of Bo Wallace. Both young quarterbacks were limited in terms of the playbook due to the score and such, and both were playing with makeshift offensive lines. Still, both appeared poised, confident and in control. Both were very charismatic with media afterwards. It should make for an interesting spring.
B. Presbyterian's defense isn't Arkansas' or Mississippi State's, obviously, but it's hard to believe Jordan Wilkins and Mark Dodson haven't earned a chance at a few carries in the final couple of weeks of the season. Both players, especially Wilkins, give Ole Miss a bit of a physical, downhill threat in the running game.
C. Christian Morris got some extended snaps at tackle. He looked good. He'll get a long look in the spring.
D. Herbert Moore recorded a tackle in the second half. He was greeted enthusiastically by C.J. Johnson and Issac Gross. Moore is a team favorite of sorts, and it was good to see him have a moment.
E. Keith Lewis left due to a concussion. With Denzel Nkemdiche already lost for the season due to a broken leg, the Rebels can't afford to lose Lewis for any length of time.
F. My thanks to both coaching staffs. A game being completed in less than three hours is a treat for media types in a hurry to get out of a press box.
2. The SEC is crazy. Seriously, it's nuts. With three weeks left, almost anything is possible. Mississippi State travels to Alabama Saturday while Auburn heads to Georgia. Here are my weekly SEC rankings as we head down the back stretch:
1. Mississippi State --- The Bulldogs can put a stranglehold on the SEC West with a win in Tuscaloosa.
2. Alabama --- The Tide isn't as powerful as it used to be, but it finds ways to win. It was fortunate to escape Baton Rouge.
3. Auburn --- Nick Marshall and Co. are terrific on offense, but the Tigers' defense is abysmal. The horseshoe fell out late Saturday afternoon. Losses, at least in my opinion are coming.
4. Ole Miss --- Freeze had to feel sick watching Alabama beat LSU on Saturday night. He has to know that's one that got away. The Rebels could be --- and maybe should be --- undefeated right now. Amazing.
5. Georgia --- The Bulldogs pounded Kentucky and will be looking for revenge Saturday against Auburn. Mark Richt's club is as Jeckyl and Hyde as the rest of the league.
6. LSU --- The Tigers have found an identity, but for whatever reason, Les Miles got away from it late. Anthony Jennings isn't an SEC-caliber quarterback. Leonard Fournette, on the other hand, is a monster.
7. Missouri --- The Tigers are in line for a return trip to Atlanta. Remind me again how a team from Missouri belongs in the East while I team from eastern Alabama belongs in the West.
8. Florida --- The Gators are going to be bowl-eligible.
9. Texas A&M --- Kyle Allen was terrific Saturday at Auburn. He didn't fumble at the 1 or miscommunicate with his center or anything.
10. Kentucky --- The Wildcats need to beat Tennessee or Vanderbilt to go bowling. Surely they'll get that done.
11. Tennessee --- The Volunteers are also in the bowl picture, but they'll need wins over Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
12. Arkansas --- At some point, the Hogs have to win games. Ole Miss needs to be laser focused in Fayetteville in 13 days to avoid being a victim.
13. South Carolina --- I can't believe I picked the Gamecocks to be a playoff contender. I'm an idiot.
14. Vanderbilt --- On the other hand, I predicted Vanderbilt to fall on its face again. I'm a genius.
3. Auburn fell out of the playoff projections with its loss against Texas A&M Saturday. Mississippi State and Alabama face off Saturday in what is essentially a national quarterfinal game. So there's a lot of guesswork still to be done as it pertains to bowl projections.
Rose Bowl --- Alabama
Cotton Bowl --- Ole Miss
Peach Bowl --- Mississippi State
Birmingham Bowl --- Tennessee
Outback Bowl --- Auburn
Citrus Bowl --- LSU
Belk Bowl --- Missouri
Music City Bowl --- Georgia
Texas Bowl --- Texas A&M
Liberty Bowl --- Kentucky
Independence Bowl --- Florida
4. Ole Miss' path to Atlanta and the SEC Championship Game --- and presumably, back into the College Football Playoff mix --- is a bit complicated and quite unlikely, but it's possible. The Rebels, as you might expect, must win out. Also, Alabama must beat Mississippi State Saturday in Tuscaloosa while Georgia defeats Auburn in Athens. Then, just when you get good at cheering against Auburn, Ole Miss fans must cheer for the Tigers in the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa. That scenario --- and nothing short of it --- would send Ole Miss to the SEC Championship Game against Missouri/Georgia/Florida.
Other thoughts from around the college football world:
A. Call me crazy, but I think Florida State could fall to one of its in-state rivals this month. The Seminoles must defeat Miami and Florida to stay unbeaten going into the ACC Championship Game next month. Jameis Winston is turning the ball over, and one can't help but think the Seminoles are playing on borrowed time.
B. TCU destroyed Kansas State and now appears poised to make the playoff, though the Horned Frogs' loss to Baylor earlier this season has Bears fans screaming about head-to-head importance. Again, go to eight teams. Kill the stupidity.
C. Arizona State knocked Notre Dame out of the mix on Saturday in Tempe. Could the Sun Devils be a surprise team in the playoff? It's possible. Their resume, should they win the Pac-12 Championship Game, would be impressive.
D. Ohio State shouldn't make the playoff, just because of Urban Meyer? Am I right? I thought so. Seriously, there's nothing impressive on the Buckeyes' resume.
5. Ole Miss opens its basketball season Friday at 6 p.m. against Charleston Southern. The Rebels had a final tune-up this past Friday against Delta State. You can watch Andy Kennedy's post-game press conference on the site as well as read a rather rudimentary game story. Here are a few other very early observations from Friday:
A. The Rebels are going to be a much better defensive team. Stefan Moody and Terence Smith are strong on-ball perimeter defenders. That will help Ole Miss tremendously.
B. The frontcourt isn't full of All-Americans, but it's much deeper than a year before. Prior to turning an ankle, Dwight Coleby seemed much more versatile on the offensive end and more assertive on the defensive end. Sebastian Saiz is a strong rebounder. M.J. Rhett provides a veteran presence. Terry Brutus will help, and if Aaron Jones pulls himself together, he'll provide depth.
C. Rod Lawrence can really shoot it. Smith and Moody are scoring threats as well.
D. Martavious Newby seems to have figured out his role --- play tenacious defense and smart offense. He gives the Rebels a very athletic presence who can bang and play on the perimeter.
E. Ladarius White is a wildcard of sorts. He played well Friday. When he does, he can help this team. When he's absent mentally, Kennedy can sit him. Minutes will be earned this season, especially if this team can remain healthy.
F. Anthony Perez is also a wildcard. He's very skilled on offense and his defensive game appears to have improved a bit. He's got the skill set to be a quality SEC player. It's all about his mentality. He seemed focused Friday.
6. The NFL, as you know, is wildly popular --- with men and women alike. Women, in case you were wondering (and you know you were), buy NFL jerseys. Dick's Sporting Goods has compiled a list of the leading jersey sales among women, and they've broken it down by state. Yahoo's Eric Edholm has dissected the data and found some interesting tidbits.
For example:
A. Three quarterbacks are the leading jersey men in four different states apiece: Russell Wilson (Washington, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho), Tom Brady (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Wyoming) and Drew Brees (Alabama, Lousiana, Mississippi, Vermont).
B. The top-selling female jersey overall? That of the Indianapolis Colts' Andrew Luck.
C. It appears that the ladies are not as hot for Johnny Manziel as men are. Manziel is still tops in Ohio among women, but he's only 13th nationally at around 2 percent of jersey sales. Among men, Manziel is No. 2 overall with nearly 6 percent of jerseys sold.
D. Alaskan ladies love Tony Romo.
E. Hawaiian females adore Jamaal Charles.
F. Cam Newton didn't even win either of the Carolinas --- that honor goes to Panthers teammate Luke Kuechly, who is No. 2 overall --- but is runner-up in three states and one district: Alabama, North and South Carolina, plus Washington D.C.
G. Heath Miller leads the way in North Dakota and Arkansas. Miller falls behind teammate Troy Polamalu closer to Steelers country, in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Other thoughts from the weekend that was in the NFL:
A. San Francisco defeated New Orleans in overtime Sunday, turning a Drew Brees fumble into the Saints' death knell. The Saints are still in great shape to win the NFC South and host a playoff game, but losses like Sunday's have to be so frustrating for Sean Payton and Co., especially considering the fact that they wasted a strong rushing effort by Mark Ingram. It was a tough weekend for Louisiana football fans.
B. The Cleveland Browns are 6-3 following a Thursday night win over Cincinnati. Repeat: The Cleveland Browns are 6-3 nine games into the season. Who saw that coming? Brian Hoyer has been tremendous, and the Browns' defense has been salty. A playoff appearance is a real possibility.
C. The Bengals' Andy Dalton was 10-for-33 passing for 86 yards and three interceptions. I'm shocked Chase Parham and Jeffrey Wright didn't give me hell about Dalton on Friday's podcast. An NFL quarterback can't post those numbers.
D. A week after looking so good in a win over the Colts, Pittsburgh lost in East Rutherford, N.J., to Michael Vick and the Jets. Rex Ryan's club improved to 2-8, while Pittsburgh fell to 6-4. It's a crazy league.
E. Tony Romo, playing with broken bones in his back, threw for three touchdowns in a win over Jacksonville in London. Dallas improved to 7-3, keeping its playoff hopes strong. Say what you will about Romo, but the guys is tough as nails. He's not the reason Dallas has had this long of a playoff drought.
F. The New York Giants are going nowhere fast, but man, one can't help but think former LSU star Odell Beckham Jr., is going to be a star in the league. He had his way with Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman at times Sunday.
G. Arizona beat St. Louis Sunday, but the Cardinals have to be worried about Carson Palmer's knee. Palmer, who signed an extension earlier in the week, was injured in the second half and carted off. Drew Stanton is a nice backup, but the Cardinals' hopes aren't as legitimate if Palmer is out any length of time.
7. A year ago, had you polled 100 NBA executives and had them choose a player to start their franchise, all 100 would have chosen LeBron James or Kevin Durant.
A year later, that's likely not the case. New Orleans' Anthony Davis would get some of those votes now, and the former Kentucky star is just now getting comfortable in the NBA. Davis has led the Pelicans to a 3-2 start and his game has developed rapidly on both ends of the floor. Davis is averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game early this season, and he has the Pelicans thinking playoffs.
Other thoughts from the week that was in the NBA:
A. The Thunder continue to search for wins. After a two-point loss to Memphis Friday night, one that saw Serge Ibaka miss an open 3-pointer at the buzzer, Thunder coach Scott Brooks said injured stars Durant and Russell Westbrook are "incredible encouragers during games. They are cheering every possession and they get on guys during huddles when needed. They're involved, they're engaged, they want to make an impact while they're not playing, and that's good to see." Without them, however, the Thunder aren't winning, and they're digging a hole they might not be able to overcome in time to make the playoffs. A win Sunday over Sacramento improved Oklahoma City's early mark to 2-5.
B. Toronto beat Philadelphia Sunday to improve to 6-1. The Raptors made a playoff run last season and have again emerged as a sleeper to shake up the Eastern Conference this season. DeMar Derozan is one of the league's most underrated players, and he has clearly benefited from playing on the U.S. basketball team this summer.
C. Memphis and Houston are each 6-1 early, both looking like legitimate threats to win the Western Conference. James Harden is playing like an MVP candidate, and Memphis guard Mike Conley is playing elite-caliber basketball. How good is the West? If the playoffs began tonight, San Antonio and Oklahoma City would both fail to make the field. So would Phoenix. All three of those teams will make noise before it's over; that's a certainty.
D. The Los Angeles Lakers are 0-5 early. The Lakers won't trade Kobe Bryant, but they should. He deserves better, and there's no way in Hades the Lakers are making the playoffs.
8. I can prepare for another embarrassing day at the theater. Luckily, I have almost three years to steel myself. According to US Magazine, Toy Story 4 is in the works. Pixar confirmed this past Thursday that John Lasseter will be returning for the film. Lasseter previously wrote and directed Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.
"We love these characters so much; they are like family to us," Lasseter said in a statement. "We don't want to do anything with them unless it lives up to or surpasses what's gone before.
"Toy Story 3 ended Woody and Buzz's story with Andy so perfectly that for a long time, we never even talked about doing another Toy Story movie. But when Andrew (Stanto)], Pete (Docter), Lee (Unkrich) and I came up with this new idea, I just could not stop thinking about it. It was so exciting to me, I knew we had to make this movie-and I wanted to direct it myself."
I made it through the first two Toy Story films with (relatively) dry eyes. Toy Story 3, however, brought out the water works. I'm man enough to admit it. Andy giving his beloved toys to little Bonnie and then driving away while his toys watched Damn.
US Magazine reported Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the voices of Woody and Buzz Lightyear, respectively, have yet to confirm their involvement, though Hanks has publicly said he would be interested in continuing the series.
The film is tentatively scheduled to hit theaters in June 2017.
9. Speaking of movies, I recently ran to the movie "Sex Tape," starring Cameron Diaz and Jason Segal. The movie was good for about 11 miles or so, and while it had its moments even though the plot was absurd, I'll remember it mostly for the scenes involving Diaz sans clothing.
Anyway, with Diaz --- and parts of Diaz --- on my mind, I stumbled across a story about one of her earlier films, There's Something About Mary. It turns out Brett Favre's memorable cameo in the film wouldn't have happened if the movies directors, Bobby and Peter Farrelly, had gotten their first choices.
The Farrelly brothers wanted Drew Bledsoe and Steve Young before eventually turning to Favre.
"Our first choice was Drew Bledsoe," Bobby Farrelly said in an interview on NFL Network. "He was the stud at the time for the Patriots but he had just gotten into a little ---"
They had the mosh incident," Peter Farrelly interjected. "He was a single guy, went out with his pals, they went to a club, he dove into a mosh pit and someone kind of tweaked their neck, nothing serious, but it was in the news. So he called us up and said 'I can't come do your movie in Miami because if they find out I did a movie after that they're going to run me out of town.'
"Then we went to Steve Young. And Steve Young called one day and said 'That's the funniest script I've ever read. But I cannot do it, because if I do it, it's R-rated, and I know all the Mormon kids will be sneaking in and I wouldn't feel good about that.'"
Bledsoe even called into the show, and declared that missing out on the role was "one of my great regrets in life."
Now you know. See? You learn all sorts of trivia here on 10 Thoughts.
10. Temperatures have finally fallen, and the holidays are approaching. In other words, it's time for some late-fall/winter cocktails. Further dissected, that means it's time for whiskey.
Esquire.com compiled a strong list of whiskey drinks, complete with recipes, and me being the great guy that I strive to be, I've included the link for you.
Some basic but dependable recipes for drinks such as the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Suburban, Irish coffee, Emerald, Millionaire, Harvard and more are included in Esquire's compilation. Enjoy.
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/best-whiskey-cocktails?src=spr_TWITTER&spr_id=1456_107851379#slide-1
Whiskey drinks
