By KEVIN HASKIN
TopSports.news
Musings with seasonal cheer:
• Thoroughly enjoy claims that the Chiefs get all the calls from NFL crews.
• Never mind the number of people who would have to be in on such an elaborate conspiracy.
• I say if you’re a Chiefs fan, accept it. Heck, run with it.
• For whatever reason, a professional sports league based in New York, with an enormous following, decided that the Kansas City market and the dynamics of the Chiefs franchise best suit advertisers, casual fans and the vitality of the NFL.
• That’s National Football League if you’re a broadcaster wanting to sound dramatic.
• I do think the AFC West is far more interesting with Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton as coaches, though both have had run-ins with rules enforcers.
• Pass coverage should be the Chiefs’ primary concern. It rarely thrives, except when KC brings pressure.
• I’ve seen Patrick Mahomes and this offense in enough playoff games to trust them.
• What if the Chiefs rested all starters Wednesday at Pittsburgh? (Borrowing from Jim Mora: “Wednesday?!?!)”
• Using the middle finger to flip Christmas coal at the NFL might be the appropriate message to protest a schedule with three games in 11 days.
• What’s that? Right, the NFL favors the Chiefs.
• Josh Allen is the popular choice for MVP, and the Bills seem to be the trendy choice to win the AFC.
• Still, I like the Chiefs. Their flair for winning narrow outcomes would dazzle the Amazing Kreskin (RIP, by the way), but hey, they win. Repeatedly.
• I like them to host, and beat, the Bills for another Super Bowl berth.
• Hoping Jerome Tang can elaborate on how to schedule nonconference games now that we’ve learned the Wichita State series doesn’t “help” K-State.
• If playing an annual game against an in-state rival is off the table (umm, after losing by 19), then what is suitable?
• Judging by the Wildcats’ record, and dysfunction from Tang’s struggling acquisitions, answers seem to rest with – how do we put it? -- finding dudes.
• But how about developing dudes? You can break in a deck of cards over multiple years rather than longing for a new deck each year.
• Besides, brand-new decks often play stiff.
• As Hunter Dickinson goes, so goes KU.
• Oh, the Jayhawks are loaded with different weapons and all must contribute to slay the mighty Big 12.
• Yet it’s Dickinson’s production, and how the Jayhawks respond to the attention he commands (from opponents, refs, fans, critics, supporters, basketball gods) that will steer KU’s fortunes.
• Kansas State gets a lot of mentions whenever the cameras focus on Will Howard.
• Didn’t surprise me that Howard bounced back nicely from Ohio State’s loss to Michigan.
• He’ll face a tough test against Oregon in the CFP quarterfinals, but I’m pulling for him. My challenge is pulling for the Buckeyes.
• If the first round of playoff games indicated anything, it was that expansion was unnecessary.
• Still, I like the added representation and hope we see a day when first-round games are thrillers.
• I can’t figure out the royal treatment of conference champs obtaining first-round byes.
• Just seed them normally. Had Arizona State and Boise State faced any of the first-round losers, those could have been competitive games.
• Anyone else wish the SEC would secede from the CFP and conduct its own postseason invitational?
• Amazing the SEC pops off after its membership spent November cowering from a ninth conference game to save storied rivalries with the likes of Wofford, Furman and Murray State.
• Nice work, Tennessee. The flag it wanted to plant at Ohio State’s mid-field was wrapped around glued popsicle sticks.
• Do we really know all the flaws inherent to the new playoff structure after one round?
• Or in the case of the SEC, before the first round?
• Really respect the unexpected turnaround Arizona State fashioned as Big 12 champs.
• While the Sun Devils face a Texas squad loaded with uber talent, speed and size, the Longhorns had plenty of that when they rarely dominated the Big 12.
• Ever notice that when anyone speaks about the ills of college sports, they carefully preface their thoughts by expressing their support for paying athletes?
• Even Nick Saban does so. Something tells me he might have stayed in coaching if his leverage over players had not diminished with NIL deals.
• Knowing what to expect from bowl participants is never easy. Today’s college football structure makes it even more difficult.
• Did I write the word, structure? Silly. No structure exists with pricing, pandering and procurement of recruits going on at the same time as postseason practices and games.
• Happy to see Avery Johnson get some more snaps for K-State in the Rate Bowl.
• Frankly, I thought the Cats performed pretty much as I expected in 2024 while led by a first-year starter at QB.
• Life comes at you fast. Even in high school. Washburn Rural hoops standout Maddie Vickery committing to K-State as a sophomore is the latest example.
• The biggest life question I had to resolve in high school was whether my Rambler would start.
• Sure loved it back then when Christmas break rolled around.
• I hope it’s jolly for everyone this year. Take time to smell the sugar cookies.
