Tully Tuesday's Volume 19, The Sports Blackout looms

What’s going on, We are officially in the slog of summer with the least amount of sports available on a nightly basis. I’m not fully committed to it but I may actually try to set up the NESN app and watch the Red Sox every now and then. They finally look like a real time with a chance to improve at the deadline. Golf is only on during the day, so the nights need to be filled with something action packed as we creep towards the NFL Preseason. EA College Football coming out in mid july should be the bridge, and if you would like to join the Tully Tuesday’s Dynasty league, we are looking for about 10-15 more teams to fill the calendar, let me know.

I love football, and find myself at this time of year wishing away the days to make it to the NFL and College seasons. Obviously, this is a dangerous game as the days of golf and the beach and nice weather dwindle in anticipation of the football season. You have to be careful to not skip a day in the nice weather particularly in the miserable corner of America referred to as New England, where May-September are usually the only tolerable months throughout the year.

With that in mind I think it’s a reasonable time to announce that Ohio State has to win the National Championship this season. There is no excuse with a team as talented as they are touted to be to not play in the season’s final game. There are two “Competitors” in the Big 10 in Oregon and Michigan that look to be tough games on the schedule, both have to be wins. It has been 10 years since the last time Ohio State has lifted the ultimate prize, and based on their history they are due for one in the coming seasons.

This sounds very arrogant and maybe it is but at this point you have to be able to get it done. Ryan Day has had a very impressive tenure at Ohio State with just 3 losses in the Big 10, however they were the wrong 3 losses. You have to beat Michigan and honestly you have to beat the hell out of them this year. History is quick to forget Ohio State has won 10 out of the last 13 meetings, 11 out of 14 if you count Michigan’s cowardly forfeit in 2020 where they conveniently were unable to “field a team” before the game in a season where their Coach’s job was on the line and they were .500 heading into Columbus.

Michigan is the defending National Champion and deserve the respect that comes with that title. Which is why after they lose to Texas and Oregon in the regular season, Ohio State will have to be the hammer that nails the coffin into their playoff hopes with a third loss to eliminate them from the newly stupid 12 team playoff.

The 12 team playoff is cool when you get to have a home game in the first round, it’s really dumb when you’re one of the schools who will get a bye and have to play a team that won’t beat you at a neutral site to get into the final four. However, as a football junkie, the schedule around Christmas time is a dream.

Best case scenario for the Buckeyes is a trip to Pasadena to eliminate the dreams of a 2 loss Penn State or Ole Miss and gear up for a real game in Dallas or Miami. That gives you the Sugar Bowl to chill out and enjoy the game without the stress of having your team still waiting to play, which is why I always envy the lazy Saturday ESPN Wild Card game as a Cowboys fan. You win that first game and you have 5 playoff games in the next 2 days to watch stress free and see who your next opponent is. The Sunday and Monday night matchups are torture because every winning team looks good and you don’t have the win in your back pocket, it’s just stress, and given the Cowboys history it’s more doom than even stress at that point.

Hockey is over, basketball is over, baseball is background noise, the Olympics will provide some excitement towards the end of next month but enjoy the weather, the drinks, the sun, the beach, but know the Stadium lights at the end of the tunnel await you and soon you will hear the bands playing their fight songs, and you will have a first round fantasy pick tear the ACL in practice, and it will be time for the greatest part of the American Culture, Football.

Til Next Week

TT