2026-27 Rangers and NHL Preview

It's that time again. Opening night in the NHL. The New York Rangers open the 2026-27 season against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. After missing the playoffs two years in a row, Chris Drury made some roster changes over the summer to make sure the third time would be the charm.

Gone are Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Adam Edstrom, Will Borgen, Taylor Raddysh and Jonathan Quick.

In are Pavel Dorofeyev, Marcus Pettersson, Sean Durzi, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Joonas Korpisalo, Joe Veleno, Eeli Tolvanen and Alberts Smits. 

Dorofeyev, though not the playmaker Panarin was, is a better scorer. Pettersson, Durzi and Smits stabilize a defense corp that was one of the worst in the league last season; Korpisalo replaces Quick as Igor Shesterkin's backup; and Bjorkstrand, Valeno and Tolvanen add depth to the bottom six. The one loss that may be difficult to replace is Trocheck. He was a solid 2C / 3C who was excellent on face-offs, could kill penalties and was effective on the power play. His presence will be missed.

It's not a stretch to say that this is a make or break season for Drury. There's no telling what Quentin Dolan might do if the Rangers fail to make the postseason again, especially with the Knicks being so successful. Nothing pisses the Dolans off more than lost playoff revenues. 

Also on the hot seat is Mike Sullivan. The two-time Stanley Cup winning head coach begins his second season behind the New York bench. His fate is tied to Drury's. They sink or swim together.

I gave Drury a B+ during the offseason, which I thought was a fair grade. The moves he made have improved this roster. The sixty-four thousand dollar question is did they improve it enough to qualify for the postseason? That depends on the following:

Can the Rangers get enough production from their bottom six? Noah Laba, Will Cuylle and Tolvanen will have a lot to say about that. Cuylle has had back-to-back 20 goal seasons. The Rangers need him to do that again. Laba showed some promise last season, but he needs to take the next step. As for Tolvanen, he scored 23 goals for the Seattle Kraken two seasons ago. He needs to repeat that on Broadway.

Will Alexis Lafreniere finally deliver on his promise? Since he was drafted number one overall in 2020, the Rangers have been patiently waiting for Lafreniere to blossom into the player scouts thought he could be. From time to time he has shown signs of being elite. It's time for him to shit or get off the pot. The Rangers need to see consistent scoring from him to become a legit playoff team.

Will J.T. Miller regain his former scoring prowess? Last year, the expectation was that Miller would anchor the number one line and be one of the scoring leaders on this team. But an injury sustained in the preseason severely hampered his play, and Miller finished with just 53 points in 68 games. Without Trocheck, the Rangers need him to become the player he was in Vancouver when he averaged over a point per game.

Is Gabe Perrault the real deal? His hockey I.Q. is off the charts. There's no doubt he can play. But can he ascend to the next level? He had 27 points in 49 games last season, but 19 over his last 28. That comes out to 57 points over the course of a full season. He needs to improve on that to remain in the top six. Seeing action on the power play would help.

Can Adam Fox stay healthy? Last season, Fox appeared in 55 games for New York, scoring 53 points. The Rangers record with him in the lineup was 26-23-6; without him, it was 8-16-3. Clearly a healthy Fox is essential to whatever playoff hopes the Blueshirts have. He's one player they can't afford to be without.

Admittedly these are a lot of questions that need to be answered for the Rangers to make the playoffs. And here's the thing: even if they are all answered in the affirmative, there's still no guarantee that will be enough. That's because the Eastern Conference has gotten better and deeper over the last couple of years. If we assume the Hurricanes will finish first in the Metro, the Flyers and Devils - if they stay healthy - could easily finish second and third respectively. And the Atlantic is so deep, it's conceivable both wild cards will come from that division. That means if the Rangers are going to avoid the trifecta of missing the playoffs they are going to have to finish in the top three. A very tall order.

Prognosis: If everyone stays healthy, Lafreniere pops and the third line does its job, the Rangers will finish in third place in the Metro. If not, Rangers fans will finally have the satisfaction of seeing their nemesis get the boot. Some might say that's a win / win.

Prediction: 45-34-5, 95 points

Below are my predictions for the rest of the league. As per usual, I will pick the top three teams in each division, both wild cards for each conference, and the close, but no cigar contingent. 

Eastern Conference:

Metropolitan Division:

Carolina Hurricanes: They finally won a Cup in the Brind'Amour era. Now they intend to run roughshod over the league in the regular season.

Philadelphia Flyers: A good, young core that is fast and up and coming. 

New York Rangers: See my review above.

Atlantic Division:

Florida Panthers: They were decimated by injuries last season. With the exception of Brad Marchand, they're healthy now, and even without Sergie Bobrovsky, they are still a legitimate threat to get back to the finals.

Montreal Canadiens: The Habs made tremendous strides last season and appear on the verge of greatness. They have one of the most explosive lines in the NHL and the signing of Chris Kreider was a coup that could pay dividends.

Buffalo Sabres: They came out of nowhere to win the Atlantic last season after missing the playoffs 14 straight years. They are no fluke. No fanbase in the country has suffered more than Buffalo.

Wild Cards:

Tampa Bay Lightning: Never count out a Jon Cooper coached team.

Boston Bruins: Despite not being blessed with a ton of talent, this team always manages to make the postseason.

Close, but no cigar: 

Toronto Maple Leafs: They won the Marchenko / Knies trade, barely; it won't be enough to get them in.

New Jersey Devils: The injury bug will strike them again.

Western Conference: 

Central Division:

Dallas Stars: On paper they should have at least one Cup, that's how deep they are. This is the year they  finally break through.

Colorado Avalanche: I could literally cut and paste last season's prediction about them. Best top four players in the NHL. However, it's their depth that keeps tripping them up, and they did not address that in the offseason.

Utah Mammoth: I'm going out on a limb here but I think this may be the team to watch in the West, especially with Vinny Trocheck to help them.

Pacific Division:

Vegas Golden Knights: Even after losing Pavel Dorofeyev, the Knights are still the team to beat in the Pacific.

Edmonton Oilers: Could this be Connor McDavid's last season in Edmonton? That depends on what happens in the Spring.

Los Angeles Kings: Maybe it's the romantic in me but Artemi Panarin and Mats Zuccarello together on the same team intrigues me.

Wild Cards:

Minnesota Wild: Bill Guerin always seems to get his team into the postseason. Unfortunately that's as far as they go.

San Jose Sharks: Macklin Celebrini could be the best player in the NHL. And he's only 20.

Close, but no cigar:

Winnipeg Jets: You think Connor Hellebuyck knows something? 

Anaheim Ducks: Boy did Pat Verbeek really screw up this franchise. That's what he gets for dealing with Chris Drury.

Playoffs:

Eastern Conference Finals: Panthers over Hurricanes 4-2

Western Conference Finals: Stars over Golden Knights 4-3

Stanley Cup Finals: Stars over Panthers 4-3

Year End Awards:

Presidents' Trophy: Carolina Hurricanes

Art Ross Trophy: Connor McDavid, Oilers

Hart Trophy: Macklin Celebrini, Sharks

Norris Trophy: Quinn Hughes, Canucks

Vezina Trophy: Igor Shestrkin, Rangers

Jack Adams Award: Rod Brind'Amour, Hurricanes

Conn Smythe Trophy: Mikko Rantanen, Stars

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

So far this season, we've seen the Giants play three games: one good, one bad and one ugly. Week one, they played their most inspired game in almost a decade, beating the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium 28-20. Week two, they played arguably their worst game in a decade, getting smoked by the Rams in L.A. 28-6. And week three, they played the ugliest game I've seen them play quite possibly in my lifetime; a game in which they hung on to beat the lowly Tennessee Titans 12-7.

Let's not beat around the bush. If the Giants had played a better team out there, they'd be 1-2 instead of 2-1. The offense, without Jaxson Dart, continued to sputter. Twice the Jints had a first and goal inside the Tennessee five yard line, yet had to settle for a field goal both times. Since week one, when they put up four touchdowns against Dallas, New York's only scoring has come from their place kicker.

For the second straight game the pass rush was non-existent. Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter combined for zero sacks, zero hits, zero hurries and one tackle. The only bright spots on defense were Arvell Reese, who had 13 tackles - one for a loss - and Jevon Holland, whose interception with 24 seconds left in the game, sealed the win for the Giants. 

Special teams continued to impress. Dominic Zvada is a perfect 6-6 this season; Jordan Stout has averaged 51.1 yards per punt, including a 78 yarder; and Braxton Berrios has averaged 28 yards on kickoff returns. Harbaugh deserves a ton of credit for addressing what was a weak spot on this team last season. 

But the 600 pound gorilla in the room continues to be Jameis Winston. Coming off an abysmal performance against the Rams, he was only marginally better against the Titans, going 14 / 22 for 118 yards. The timing on his passes was still off, and his inability to run with the ball has hampered his team. On the bright side, at least he didn't throw an interception.

Before you blame the weather, remember Cam Ward had to play in the same elements and he was 23 / 36 for 181 yards. And had it not been for a great play by Holland in the end zone, Tennessee would've won this game 14-12. In his two starts, Winston's QBR is 22.9. That's 30th out of 30 starting quarterbacks.

Clearly this cannot continue. While no one believed for a moment the Giants were a legitimate playoff team, having a quarterback with a diminishing skillset playing this poorly is going to eventually take its toll in the locker room. Look what happened last year with Russell Wilson. No way in hell Harbaugh was going to let that happen again.

That might explain why he traded a fifth round pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for J.J. McCarthy today. A former 2024 first rounder, McCarthy was 6-4 as a starter last season for the Vikes. He threw for 1,632 yards with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Like Dart, he is a dual-threat QB with a good arm, who fits Matt Naggy's system more than Winston. Supposedly Harbaugh called his brother Jim before pulling the trigger.

At first, I was ambivalent about this trade. But the more I think about, the more I like it. Despite Harbaugh's insistence that Winston is his starting quarterback "for as long as I can see into the future," I seriously doubt he would've given up a fifth rounder when there were alternatives out there that would not have required draft capital to acquire unless he intended to use him. Ask yourself this question. Three weeks from now when Harbaugh finally pulls the plug on Winston, who would you rather see under center, McCarthy or Jake Haener?

With that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if we see McCarthy start against the New Orleans Saints two weeks from now. In fact, we might even see him sooner than that. Harbaugh could use him on certain third down situations the same way Brian Daboll used Dart last season before he became the starter. One thing's for certain: having Winston stand in the pocket like a statue isn't working. No one is fooled. This isn't the '80s or the '90s anymore. To win in this league, you've got to keep defenses honest. Unless your name is Jared Goff, mobility is no longer an option in an NFL quarterback; it's a requirement.

Credit Harbaugh for realizing that much.

As if things weren't bad enough. Before I posted this piece, it was reported by Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport that Brian Burns suffered a torn ACL in yesterday's game and is out for the rest of the season. He led the Giants in sacks last year with 16.5. It was yet another blow to a Giants roster that was already reeling from the loss of Dart last week.

When it rains it pours.

What's Next for Giants After Dart Injury?

The good news: Jaxson Dart did not injure his ACL in Monday night's loss against the Rams. The bad news: unfortunately, he tore his MCL and meniscus, which required season-ending surgery. And just like that, what looked like a promising year went up in smoke.

Or did it?

As I wrote in my last piece, I never thought this was a playoff team; in fact, I had them going 8-9 even with Dart. With two very winnable games coming up at MetLife Stadium over the next two weeks, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the Giants demise are greatly exaggerated.

John Mara didn't hire John Harbaugh just to coach his team; he hired him to manage it as well. And part of managing a team is to fill roster vacancies. Well brother do the Giants have a roster vacancy. 

But while losing Dart for the season is a huge hole, that doesn't mean Harbaugh is required to overpay to fill it. No sooner had the news broke about the severity of Dart's injury than every talking head had the Giants acquiring every Tom, Dick and Harry to replace him. 

Let me be as direct as I can. Under no circumstances should the Giants panic here. Yes, they need a backup for Jameis Winston. But, no, they don't need to overpay for that replacement. If they can't find someone on their own practice squad, they can always look elsewhere. There are plenty of choices. Joe Milton is currently on the Cowboys practice squad and all he would cost is cash. Sacrificing valuable draft capital for someone else's backup would be making a bad situation considerably worse.

Think about what's just happened. The guy you designed your entire offense around is out for the season. Even the most seasoned veteran is going to need time to learn that system. Despite what we saw Monday night, Winston is more than capable of stepping in. If the Giants didn't think he was up to it, they wouldn't have extended him another two years. I have every faith that Matt Naggy can make the necessary tweaks to the offense to accommodate his strengths and, hopefully, mitigate his weaknesses. And if he can't, no high-priced backup is likely to change that.

Like it or not, losing Dart for the rest of the season was a gut punch. You could see that it sucked the air right out of the Giants ballon. Even Harbaugh looked like somebody had driven over his dog. The way they played that night, the Miami Dolphins could've beaten them. In times like this, you move on and prepare for the next opponent. Injuries are a part of the game. The fact is there are still 15 games to go in the schedule. Last year's team would've folded like a cheap tent; I doubt this one will. Indeed, Harbaugh indicated in his latest presser that he believed the Giants could still make the playoffs. Bravado? Perhaps, but it does underscore the toughness this team has exhibited since training camp. 

As for what happens after this season, the Giants have no intention of drafting another quarterback, nor should they. Dart has shown he is more than capable of leading this team. Yes he's been snake bit by injuries his first two years, but so have other quarterbacks. Matthew Stafford started only 13 games his first two seasons in the NFL due to injuries. In his third year he started all 16 games, threw for over 5,000 yards and led the Detroit Lions to their first playoff appearance in over a decade. Dart can be the next Stafford if given the time to develop. 

And in the event that the season goes sideways on the Giants and they wind up with a top five pick again, the best thing they could do is to trade back and continue to fill out this roster. Throwing good money after bad is not the solution.

The bottom line? When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. Given their bad luck over the last few years, the Giants should probably open up a stand outside MetLife. 

Giants Come Crashing Down To Earth

If we're being totally honest here, last night's Rams game in L.A. was an L on the schedule. You know it and I know it. Yes, it would've been nice to start the season 2-0, but let's face it: after getting embarrassed by the 49ers on opening week in Melbourne, you had to know that Sean McVay was going to have his team ready to play the Giants. In fact, I believe I said as much in an earlier piece:

"You can bet the ranch Sean McVay will have his team ready by Monday," I wrote. Damn, I'm good.

But no way in hell I saw this coming. Eight days after playing their most inspired game in a decade, they turned in their worst performance since a 40-0 drubbing at the hands of the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium in 2023. Not only did the Rams win 28-6, they knocked Jaxson Dart (knee), Malik Nabers (shoulder), Brian Burns (ankle) and Andrew Thomas (groin) out of the game.

You can count the number of things the Jints did right in this game on one hand and still have a pinky left over. How bad was it? Punter Jordan Stout and safety Jevon Holland were the only stars for New York. Stout had six punts for an average of 52.5 yards, while Holland had an interception and a forced fumble that he recovered at the Rams 11 yard line.

In a nutshell, the Giants couldn't throw the ball; couldn't run the ball; couldn't pass block; couldn't run block; with the exception of one Rams possession couldn't generate a pass rush; and their secondary couldn't cover a kitchen table. Other than that, everything was peachy keen. In eight days they went from a prince to a frog. I could've sworn I saw Brian Daboll on the sidelines. 

And as if things weren't bad enough, the injury to Dart, which was initially thought to be an MCL sprain, appears to be far more serious. Ian Rapoport is reporting that after getting an MRI, the second-year QB may need season-ending surgery. If that's true, the Giants season may have ended. 

Unless of course you think Jameis Winston is capable of stepping in and taking over the reigns for this team. Based on what we witnessed last night, the jury is out. Winston looked totally unprepared, going 11/27 for 111 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. How inept was the offense with him on the field? Davante Adams had 195 yards for the Rams; the entire Giants team managed 182.

It's reasonable to assume Winston will improve his level of play in his next start. After all, he was exceptional against the Lions in Detroit last season that had the Giants played any kind of defense would've resulted in a win.  But he's also the same quarterback who in 2019 led the NFL in passing yards and interceptions. So anything is possible.

That means John Harbaugh and Joe Schoen will have some decisions to make. Do they shore up the QB position via trade or do they ride out the season with Winston and hope for the best? That all depends on what happens over the next two weeks. The Giants host the Tennessee Titans this coming Sunday and the Arizona Cardinals the following Sunday. Even without Dart, both are winnable games. If Winston plays well and the Giants are 3-1 going into week five, I could see Harbaugh and Schoen standing pat. But should they be 2-2 or, God forbid, 1-3, and Winston plays terrible, all options are on the table. After enduring the worst period of football since the 1970s, I don't think the fanbase can stand another lost season.

The sad thing is they may not have any choice.

Cohen and Stearns Are To Blame For Alonso's Exit

Monday night at CitiField, two things happened at once. The first involved a game in which the New York Mets lost to the Baltimore Orioles 2-1, officially eliminating them from postseason contention for the second year in a row and the fourth time in six years. The second involved an emotional tribute to a player who for seven seasons personified what it meant to be a fan of this team. 

For the record, Pete Alonso was hardly the perfect ballplayer. Despite his enormous power at the plate, he was still vulnerable to pitches out of the strike zone. And while he was a fair fielder, his throws to pitchers covering first base were adventurous to say the least. But pound for pound, he was among the best players to ever wear the uniform. His 264 home runs are the most ever by a Met. There was no doubt that had he been re-signed that number would've been north of 500 by the time he retired. 

But, alas, not only was he not re-signed, his agent didn't even get the courtesy of a return call by David Stearns, the man Steve Cohen hired three years ago as GM. Alonso is now an Oriole, and just like he's done every season since he made his major league debut in 2019, he is leading his team in homers and RBIs. Going into Monday's night's game, the Polar Bear's slash line was .269 / 35 / 100 / .859. He's played every game for Baltimore this season, just like he did the last two seasons in New York. Indeed, not counting the Covid year of 2020, Alonso has missed a total of 21 games during his career. Some players miss that many games in a single season.

And yet Stearns actually believed giving him a five-year contract was a bad risk. Meanwhile, Juan Soto, the man Cohen moved heaven and earth to sign to a 15 year, $765 million deal, has missed 51 games this season with a calf strain, while the guy Stearns signed to replace Alonso at first base has played a grand total of 37 games. In all, four players have started at first for the Mets this season. Collectively they've hit .236 with 18 HRs and 76 RBIs. You couldn't make this shit up if you tried.

But, I'll save my assessment of Dumb and Dumber until after this train wreck of a season is over. For now, I want to talk about what we witnessed last night at CitiField, because it was truly something rare, even for New York sports fans. In short, it was cathartic. 35,800 fans finally got the chance to get a few things off their chests, and to their credit, they didn't hold back. The "Fire Stearns" chants were louder than the "Pete Alonso" chants.

Well, apparently, some "fans" weren't thrilled with what happened. It's one thing, they said, to stand and cheer for a former player who was beloved by the fanbase; it's quite another to root for him to hit a home run against your team. They took to social media to lecture the rest of us on what it means to be a "true" fan. 

I have a message for all the lecturers out there:

GO FUCK YOURSELVES!

I've been rooting for my teams since the early 1970s and I'll be damned if anyone is going to lecture me on what it means to be a true fan.

In November of 1975, the New York Rangers waived Eddie Giacomin. He was subsequently claimed by the Detroit Red Wings. Rangers fans were incensed. So much so that when Detroit came to the Garden a few days later, they not only cheered Giacomin, they actually booed the Rangers whenever they scored a goal.

In June of 1977, the Mets traded Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds. Like Rangers fans two years earlier, Mets fans were grief stricken. Two months later, the Reds came to town and Seaver was on the mound. 46,000 fans showed up at Shea Stadium to not only give him a standing ovation, but to cheer whenever he struck out a Mets player. 

After the 1996-97 season, Rangers GM Neil Smith elected not to re-sign Mark Messier, the man who delivered the Cup in '94. When Messier returned as a member of the Vancouver Canucks that November and scored a goal against Mike Richter, the Garden faithful gave him a standing ovation.

Those fans were no less true than the ones who showed up at CitiField Monday night. This is New York, the city where Ed Koch used to ask, "How'm I doin'?" And people would tell him. This is the only place in America where you can be a hero on Monday and in the witness protection program on Tuesday. When we have something to say, we say it, and we don't give a rat's ass whether you like it or not. You gotta problem with that? Deal with it.

35,800 people came to the ballpark Monday night to show their love for a player they honestly feel should still be in a Mets uniform and to let those responsible for him being in an Orioles uniform know how they felt about it. It was not subtle; it wasn't meant to be.

If you're still pining for a GM who took a sledge hammer to a roster that was two wins away from its first World Series appearance since 2015, maybe you're the one that needs a lecture. And if you think 7 years, $158 million was a serious offer for a player with Alonso's abilities, you need more than a lecture; you need professional help.

Postscript: Within minutes of me posting this piece, Alonso hit a game-tying home run for the O's; his 300th in his major league career. CitiField erupted as the Polar Bear rounded the bases. Again, if you have a problem with that, fuck you and the horse you road in on.

A "Likely" Win

The night started out good and it ended even better. The New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20 at MetLife Stadium in front of 83,286 fans, most of whom were rooting for the home team. It was the most impressive win Big Blue has had in over a decade, and only the third time since they won Super Bowl 46 that they started the season 1-0; the other two times - 2016 and 2022 - they made the playoffs.

Cam Skattebo led the ground attack for the Giants with 81 yards on 18 carries, including a touchdown on New York's first drive. Jaxson Dart was brilliant all game. He was 23/29 for 230 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He finished with a passer rating of 134 and a QBR of 81.6. Going into the season, the one lingering question was how he would play under center. Based on what we saw last night, I'd say that question was answered satisfactorily. 

But it was Isaiah Likely who stole the show. The tight end had 8 receptions for 78 yards, including two touchdowns. He also had two key third-down receptions late in the game that allowed the Giants to keep possession of the ball and run out the clock. Of all the offseason signings by John Harbaugh, Likely could prove to be the most consequential.

There were so many keys to this game, but I'll concentrate on three.

One: It was obvious from the opening kickoff that the Giants were the more physical, better prepared team. The grueling practice sessions in training camp paid off. Unlike past seasons, when they would run out of gas late in games, this team looked fresh in the fourth quarter. Indeed, it was the Cowboys who looked gassed.

Two: The Giants had seven possessions in the game and they scored a touchdown on four of them. No settling for field goals; no three and outs; and only one punt. The two TD drives they had in the second half took more than 16 minutes off the clock. When the Jints got the ball back with 5:21 left in the game, they never gave it up. Dallas was limited to only two possessions over the final two quarters. Overall, New York dominated the time of possession 36:40 to 23:20. 

Three: Remember last year in Dallas when James Hudson committed four penalties on one possession, one of which cost the Giants a touchdown? Four penalties on one drive before Brian Daboll finally benched him. Well, after Tyrone Tracey fumbled the ball late in the second quarter with the Giants in field goal range, Harbaugh had seen enough. He benched Tracey the rest of the game. The message could not be clearer. Careless mistakes will not be tolerated. There's a new sheriff in town, and he means business. 

But as wonderful as the night was for New York, there were still some red flags. Even with the bad officiating, Dak Prescott had his way with the Giants secondary. Dru Phillips, in particular, was brutal. Going into the season, my main concern with this team was its secondary, especially the cornerback position. Nothing I saw last night did anything to allay that concern. If this team is going to go anywhere, it's clear the front seven will have to carry the lion's share of the load defensively. While they did an excellent job against the run - Dallas averaged just 3.8 yards per rush attempt - they did not have a single sack on Prescott the whole game, even though they managed eleven hurries.

The fact is the Giants won this game because their offense kept the Cowboys offense on the sidelines most of the night. But that won't be the case every time. Sooner or later the pass rush and the coverage will have to pull its weight. It'll be up to Dennard Wilson to make the necessary corrections and adjustments. 

In the meantime, Big Blue can enjoy the fruits of their labor. They're 1-0. They earned the win; they were the better team. Now it's on to L.A. to play a Rams team that was embarrassed by the 49ers in Melbourne Australia. You can bet the ranch Sean McVay will have his team ready by Monday. After that come two very winnable games against the Titans and Cardinals, both at MetLife. Tennessee lost to the Jets 23-10 at home. They might be the worst team in the NFL. Guess who their offensive coordinator is. Yep, that guy.

3-1 has a good ring to it, doesn't it?

A Hosing in Ann Arbor

Full disclosure, I'm not much of a college sports fan. Apart from March Madness, I can count on both hands the total number of college games I've watched over the last twelve months. And for the record, I did not have a rooting interest in this past weekend's Michigan / Western Michigan contest in Ann Arbor. But I can spot a hose job a mile away, and having watched the last nine seconds of that game at least a dozen times, I can say without reservation that Western Michigan got hosed. 

Simply put there's no way in hell Michigan should've gotten another shot at a Hail Mary pass. The clock clearly read 0.00. Western Michigan had won 12-7. The players on both teams were walking off the field; even the coaches knew it was over.

That was when one of the officials said that the play was under review. The play in question was a pass from Bryce Underwood that was intercepted by Micah Davis of Western Michigan after time had expired. The consensus by the announcers in the broadcast booth was that this was just a formality; nothing to be concerned about. 

However, to everyone's surprise, the review determined that there was one second left in the game. We all know what happened. Underwood threw a 47 yard TD pass to JJ Buchanan. Instead of losing 12-7, Michigan won 13-12. 

Forget for a moment that Michigan entered the game a 27 and a half point favorite. Forget also that Western Michigan had no business even being on the same field with Michigan, let alone winning the game. The fact is they were one second away from pulling off the upset of the season; they deserved better than what they got.

The official statement from the Big Ten - released two hours after the game - did little to allay concerns; if anything, it made matters worse. Here is the statement: 

Following video review, it was determined Western Michigan’s #18 started his jump from an established out-of-bounds position (left foot) and made contact with the ball with one second remaining on the clock. As shown in the provided video of what was viewed during the replay process, a side-by-side view of the play and the game clock, using a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium, was used to determine the final ruling.

Eighty-five minutes prior to the game, all broadcast cameras used for the replay system, including the camera on the game clock, are synced using a strobe system to ensure all cameras are aligned.

There are so many things wrong with this statement, starting with the assertion that there is a direct shot of the game clock in the stadium that was used to determine a final ruling. This direct shot was synched 85 minutes prior to the game. Meaning, according to the Big Ten's own statement, the time we see on the screen is the official game time. If that is the case, where did the extra second come from?

On two separate occasions, we see the clock on the bottom of the screen match precisely what the stadium clock is showing: once at 35 seconds and again at 8 seconds after the ball is snapped on the first Hail Mary attempt. Everything looks copacetic until the ball touches the hands of Davis out of bounds. It is at that point that one second magically appears on the replay clock that the Big Ten is using. No one else has seen this camera angle before; a system the Big Ten refers to as Hawk-Eye Innovations Synchronized Multi-Angle Replay Technology or SMART. 

So basically we played an entire game relying on a camera angle of the stadium clock that we were assured was synched prior to the game, only to find out that a mysterious camera angle would have the last word. The fact that this SMART system is utilized by a conference with a stake in the outcome of the game is a clear conflict of interest. You can see where I'm going with this.

Fox Sports rules analyst Mike Pereira said that in the NFL, whenever there is a discrepancy between the scoreboard / TV clock and the clock the replay officials use, the refs are instructed to use the clock the TV viewers are watching so they don't create in the minds of the fans a belief that the process was rigged. I see no problem with that policy. That the NCAA doesn't adhere to it is a huge red flag. 

In all the years I've been a sports fan, I've been adamant that the better team always wins. There's one exception to this rule: when the better team gets screwed. Western Michigan got screwed. How do I know this? Did you see that press conference the president and coach of Western Michigan held the day after the game? Take a good look at the coach. I've seen hostage videos that look less intense. How much you wanna bet Western Michigan was warned to toe the line and not make any waves over the loss? 

It is moments like this that embolden conspiracy nut jobs who believe that elections are rigged, 9/11 was an inside job, and JFK was assassinated by the CIA. The Big Ten could've just let the original call stand. Win or lose Michigan hardly looked like a national championship team. Prior to the game they were ranked 16th in the AP Top 25 poll. As of this writing, neither the AP nor FCS Coaches poll has them in the top 25. The only people they fooled were the idiotic fans who stormed the field after the game. You'd think Michigan won the Super Bowl, for God's sake.

The right thing to do would be for the Big Ten to reverse their mistake and award Western Michigan the win. I'm not holding my breath waiting for that to happen. There's way too much money involved here, and as Cyndi Lauper once sang, money changes everything. 

Look, I realize that bad calls happen all the time in sports. But this was more than just a bad call; it was an embarrassment, made all the worse by the lack of transparency and common decency by those in charge.

The point is, this didn't have to happen. Unfortunately it did. 

Postscript: 

Within the last hour, Mid-American Conference Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher released a statement regarding the outcome of the game between Michigan and Western Michigan. It reads,

After further study and investigation, it is now evident that replay protocol was not properly followed in determining whether time remained on the game clock at the conclusion of the Western Michigan vs. Michigan football game.

The established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed on the program feed be used in determining whether time remained. Instead, the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied upon the clock feed embedded within its replay system. As a result, one second was placed back on the game clock and an additional play was awarded.

This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. It was an error in the application of the established replay protocol governing this specific end-of-game timing situation. Had the protocol been properly followed and the program-feed clock been used, no additional play would have been awarded and Western Michigan would have won the game, 12-7.

As a result, the Mid-American Conference has submitted formal appeals to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff. The MAC is requesting that those bodies recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the game for purposes of their respective rankings, evaluations and selection deliberations and take such other corrective action as may be within their authority.

Clearly this matter isn't over. To be continued...