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Best rivalry in all of sports shows itself at Big House

By Ira Kauffman For the Mirror Last Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I had an epic football weekend: Friday night in Detroit at Ford Field for Penn State-Michigan State, Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor for Ohio State-Michigan, and Sunday afternoon in Cincinnati for the Steelers-Bengals. I was in the stands of Michigan Stadium, when the Wolverine players ran out onto the field on the waves of the thundering ovation from the fans. Just at that moment, the person standing next to me said, “It’s better to watch the game at home, I see more of the game on my big screen.” Yes, ...

Georgia has chance to join rarified air in college football world

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press ATLANTA — The Georgia Bulldogs are already in rarified territory. With three more victories, they’ll have every right to call themselves the greatest team in college football history. The top-ranked Bulldogs haven’t lost a game in 727 days. On Saturday, they’ll go for their 30th win in a row against Nick Saban and No. 8 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game. While coach Kirby Smart insists that his two-time reigning national champs keep their feet planted very firmly in the present, it’s impossible not to ...

College football playoff will be ‘glorious’

For decades, the condition commonly referred to as March Madness has been exasperated by one uncontrollable factor. The upsets. The unpredictability inherent in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments attracts audiences across all demographics which fosters a television ratings bonanza, which in turn, showers the sport in multiple forms of revenue. This same cause-and-effect relationship will apply to next season’s expanded College Football Playoff which holds the promise that a lower seed will string together a series of upsets and capture the championship. ...

Trip to Series brings back fond memories

By Bill Contz For the Mirror Last week I crossed off a bucket list item by attending my very first World Series game, evidently succumbing to a severe case of rattlesnake fever in the desert. Now you may ask yourself, what’s a former offensive lineman doing writing about baseball during football season? Good question. Please join me on a little sentimental journey, won’t you? My visit to Chase Field in Phoenix occurred nearly 52 years to the day my father sat in the center-field bleachers of Three Rivers Stadium for Game 4 of the 1971 fall classic to watch Danny ...

Suddenly Dabo under fire at Clemson

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press Dabo Swinney is a bit testy these days, which is certainly understandable. He was once the hottest college football coach in all the land, the guy who seemed poised to supplant Nick Saban as the G.O.A.T. of the sideline. Now, after struggling to adapt to the rapidly changing times, ol’ Dabo is suddenly leading a Clemson program that looks downright ordinary. So, when a bold fan called in to challenge the deteriorating state of the Tigers on Swinney’s radio show this week, the coach showed just how thin his skin has become. Let the ...

Numbers simply don’t lie

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror During a six-week stretch that spanned late August to mid-October, three significant attendance records were set at sports events in this country. That’s interesting news, but there is an inspirational aspect to it. Women were competing in all three events — a college volleyball match in Lincoln, Nebraska, professional soccer game in Seattle, and college basketball game in Des Moines, Iowa. Integral to the feats were three phenomena — the University of Nebraska volleyball team, Megan Rapinoe and Caitlin Clark. The Huskers have won ...