By William Hathaway
In the NFL, one local team lost, while the other won, but still lost. Regarding the second, the good news is that the New York Jets will not be the third team in league history to finish 0-16. They notched an upset win at the Los Angeles Rams 23-20. Now for the bad news. While the team avoided a huge embarrassment, they likely cost themselves huge prize, as the win now gives them the same record as the Jacksonville Jaguars, and thanks to strength of schedule, the Jags would get the 1st overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, likely to be Clemson star QB Trevor Lawrence. Ouch.
Meanwhile, the New York Giants just flat out lost in their primetime home game against the Cleveland Browns. The crew from Ohio beat Big Blue 20-6. While NY QB Colt McCoy was a respectable 19-31 for 223 yards, he was no match for Baker Mayfield, who went 27-32 for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In college basketball, the surprise team in New Jersey is the Rutgers men’s program who improved to 6-0 and earned the #13 ranking in the nation. They beat Illinois at home 91-88 in some Big Ten Conference action. On the other hand, the Seton Hall Pirates suffered a controversial overtime loss to Providence 80-77. The Friars got a game winning three-pointer off of an uncalled traveling violation. Speaking of Seton Hall, former SHU star Myles Powell will be heading to the Westchester Knicks after he was unable to make the NY squad.
Finally, the College Football Playoff is set. The rankings are as follows: #1 Alabama, #2 Clemson, #3 Ohio State, #4 Notre Dame. Just missing out was #5 Texas A&M. Also, in something that seems disrespectful to the tradition of the game, the Rose Bowl will not be played in Pasadena due to COVID-19 regulations in California. It will be played at AT&T Stadium in Dallas instead.
