Wed, 12/27/2017

NFL Power Poll – Eagles & Patriots Rule Conferences
NFC South Bids for Three Playoff Berths

Team of the Week – New Orleans Saints

Players of the Week
Offense – RB Todd Gurley – Rams
Defense – DE Marquis Flowers – Patriots

Rookie of Week – RB Kareem Hunt – Chiefs

Photo – RB Kareem Hunt – Chiefs
`
Game of Week #17 – Carolina Panthers (11-4) at Atlanta Falcons (9-6)
NFC South Matchup with Divisional Title and NFC Home Field Advantage on the line

NFL Ranking /Record /Team
#1- 13-2 Eagles
Eagles won despite a subpar performance by QB Nick Foles. Earned home field advantage thru NFC postseason.
#2 – 12-3 Patriots
Pats just do not beat themselves. Hold home field advantage thru AFC playoffs.
#3 – 12-3 Steelers
Steelers’ get a bye week, but will have to go through New England to win the AFC title.
#4 – 11-4 Rams
Rams’ edged out the Titans last week to clinch their first NFC West division title since 2003.
#5 – 12-3 Vikings
Vikings shutout the Rodgersless Packers. They earned NFC North title with win.
#6 – 11-4 Saints
Saints’ have met every challenge and play for NFC South title with trip to Tampa.
#7 – 11-4 Panthers
Panthers travel to Atlanta that will decide NFC South title and wild card clubs.
#8 – 9-6 Chiefs
Chiefs jumped on the Dolphins to win the AFC West title. It earned them back to back divisional titles for the first time in franchise history.
#9 – 9-6 Falcons
Falcons failed vs the Saints. Host the Panthers this week in a must win situation for a wild card berth.
#10 – 10-5 Jaguars
Jaguars’ failed to stop the 49ers in big situations. Clinched AFC South title nevertheless. Close with matchup with Titans.
#11 – 9-6 Ravens
Ravens win the final wild card berth with a win or tie vs the Bengals or a loss or tie by Bills or Titans.
#12 – 9-6 Seahawks
Seahawks beat the Cowboys to stay alive for final wild card, though they need help with a Falcons loss or tie.
#13 – 8-7 Chargers
Chargers host the Raiders in a must win situation, though they need help to extend their season.
#14 – 8-7 Titans
Titans lost another heartbreaker in the last minutes to the Rams. They can still earn wild card with a win at home vs the Jaguars.
#15 – 8-7 Cowboys
The overrated Cowboys lost to the Seahawks to get eliminated from the playoffs.
#16 – 8-7 Lions
Lions lost to the lowly Bengals which eliminated them from the playoffs in an erratic disappointing performance.
#17 – 8-7 Bills
Bills came up short vs the Patriots, but still alive to end their 17 year playoff drought vs the Dolphins.
#18 – 7-8 Redskins
Redskins beat the hapless Broncos behind a strong effort by QB Kirk Cousins.
#19 – 7-8 Packers
Packers were shut out without QB Aaron Rodgers and face key offseason decisions on personnel.
#20 – 7-8 Cardinals
Cardinals shut out the pathetic Giants in a meaningless game for both clubs.
#21 – 6-9 Dolphins
Dolphins did not show up in key game vs the Chiefs. Look for big turnover this offseason.
#22 – 6-9 Raiders
Raiders failed to play with urgency again vs the Eagles. Many veterans playing their last Raider game this week.
#23 – 6-9 Bengals
Bengals win their last home game under HC Marvin Lewis who never won a postseason game with Cinny.
#24 – 5-10 49ers
The 49ers bombed the tough Jaguars behind hot new veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo. San Fran is in place for a big run in 2018.
#25 – 5-10 Jets
Jets offense continues their disappointing performance with games on the line. In search for playmakers to become a contender.
#26 – 5-10 Broncos
Broncos will play young QB Paxton Lynch this week with Chiefs coming to Mile High.
#27 – 5-10 Bears
The Bears beat the Browns behind emerging rookie QB Mitchell Trubisky. May be last home game for HC John Fox.
#28 – 4-11 Texans
Texans were slammed by Pittsburgh. Club never recovered from losses of JJ Watt and Deshaun Watson.
#29 – 4-11 Bucs
Bucs pushed the Panthers to the limit but failed late to hold a slim lead. Top 5-8 pick can give this club a boost.
#30 – 3-12 Colts
Colts need a major overhaul to get into contention. Future health of QB Andrew Luck remains a mystery.
#31 – 2-13 Giants
Giants finishing their worst season in decades with key questions related to QB Eli Manning this offseason.
#32 – 0-15 Browns
Browns travel to Pittsburgh with a perfect 0-16 season in the balance. Two picks in top 5 selections this April.

Jan. 8 – College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T
#2 Alabama (12-1) vs #1 Georgia (13-1) – 8 p.m. ESPN – Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta

It’s an all SEC national title final after the two conference powerhouses Alabama and Georgia took care of Clemson and Oklahoma. Alabama avenged losing the national title last year to Clemson and shutdown the Tigers offense consistently to enter the national title game again. The Tide methodically followed their game plan of sound field position, good ball security and tough defense. They controlled the line of scrimmage throughout and played flawlessly to stay in command from their opening score. It’s the same formula that the Crimson Tide has historically used to consistently win, especially in big game situations. It worked again and they are back in the national championship despite not playing in the SEC title game.

College Football Semi Final Playoffs
#3 Georgia 54 #2 Oklahoma 48
#4 Alabama 23 #1 Clemson 6

Photo – QB Baker Mayfield – Oklahoma

Georgia made an amazing comeback vs Oklahoma to overcome a game long deficit. Freshman QB Jake Fromm had a super clutch performance to makeup for another incredible effort by Heisman Trophy winner QB Baker Mayfield to win in double OT. The Bulldogs’ ground game was once again a dominant factor with seniors Nick Chubb and Sony Michele both pounding the ball, in addition to big plays. They kept Mayfield and the potent Sooner offense on the sidelines nicely through the second half of the game. Mayfield was unstoppable with laser like accuracy and keen decision making. This game can go instant classic off numerous clutch big plays. The Sooner defense must take the blame here as they failed to play sound defense in any respect. Poor tackling allowed Georgia to keep every drive alive and cut the margin to a one score game.

Both clubs, Alabama and Georgia enter the national title game with one loss. The only undefeated team in the nation is Central Florida who beat Auburn on New Years’ day. Ironically, Auburn beat both Alabama and Georgia during the regular season. They lost to Georgia in the SEC title game, which knocked them out of the top four clubs and semi-finals. Central Florida is one of the great stories of the year. HC Scott Frost remained with the club through the bowl season, despite signing as the new Nebraska coach in December. Frost was a star QB and safety there in the ‘90s and an ideal fit for the Cornhuskers who hopes to rebuild their program under Frost’s direction. The UCF perfect performance will bring shouts of a new 8 team playoff system, similar to when TCU was excluded a few years ago despite an unblemished record.

[pms-restrict subscription_plans=”58″]

January All-Star Games 2017 Postseason Schedule
Jan. 15 – Tropical Bowl – FBS All-star Game – Daytona Beach, Florida
http://www.tropicalbowl.com/
Jan. 21 – NFLPA Collegiate Game– StubHub Center @ Cal St Univ, Dominguez Hills, Ca.- 1 pm – FS1
Jan. 21 – East-West Shrine – St. Petersburg, Florida – 3 pm est – NFL Networkhttp://www.shrinegame.com

*** Senior Bowl Game – Jan 28, 2017

Mobile, Alabama – 1:30 pm CT- NFL Network ***
Weigh-in- Practices – Monday Jan 23rd thru Thursday Jan 26th
http://www.seniorbowl.com

CBS Radio Show – Frank Coyle with host Andy Gresh
Radio Broadcast with NFL scout Frank Coyle and CBS host Andy Gresh
NFL Draft 2017 discussed. NFL Prospects – Mock Draft

CBS NFL Draft Radio Show below Pro Prospects for the Upcoming NFL Draft

College Football Playoff schedule
Final Regular Season Top 25 Teams

Here is the 2017-18 college playoff lineup and College football playoff rankings

Jan. 1 – Semi-final Matchups

College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl Game
#3 Georgia vs. #2 Oklahoma
5 p.m., ESPN
Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California

College Football Playoff at the Sugar Bowl
#4 Alabama vs. #1 Clemson
8:45 p.m., ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome – New Orleans

Photo – QB J.T. Barrett – Ohio St

Jan. 8
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T
Semi Final Winners
8 p.m. ESPN – Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta

College Football Playoff Rankings
Rank / Team / Record
1 Clemson 12-1
2 Oklahoma 12-1
3 Georgia 12-1
4 Alabama 11-1
5 Ohio State 11-2
6 Wisconsin 12-1
7 Auburn 10-3
8 USC 11-2
9 Penn State 10-2
10 Miami 10-2
11 Washington 10-2
12 UCF 12-0
13 Stanford 9-4
14 Notre Dame 9-3
15 TCU 10-3
16 Michigan State 9-3
17 LSU 9-3
18 Washington State 9-3
19 Oklahoma State 9-3
20 Memphis 10-2
21 Northwestern 9-3
22 Virginia Tech 9-3
23 Mississippi State 8-4
24 NC State 8-4
25 Boise State 10-3

Dropped from rankings: Fresno State 25

Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a long-time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year-round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites