Fear The Chorizo

Yep - guessing that officiating crew won't be doing the Super Bowl this year - it was keystone cops on that last possession.

Other than Mich, OSU, and Penn state, the big ten is a bunch of nobodies. Other than UGA and Bama, the SEC is pretty much a bunch of nobodies, too. FSU and Clemson have both won national titles in the last 10 years - they are far, far better than Iowa and Wisconsin in terms of football programs no matter what conference they play in. I agree with what reps from FSU and the ACC conference have stated, that leaving an undefeated power 5 conference champion out of the CFP when there isn't 5 of them in a given year should not happen, no matter what.

Dude was trying to run for a 1st down and was still in bounds....terrible flag call

Yeah, but Watson has shown he can be a difference-maker if he could just stay healthy

Gosh darn it...you hope it's a cramp. Seemed to be grabbing up pretty high towards his knee from where a hammy would normally be injured

I really, really like Wicks...he knows what to do in the slot and gets upfield once he catches the ball

Great play!

They are playing the team that won the super bowl last season, too...

That TE misdirection screen to Kraft was a walk-in TD if the chiefs' defender doesn't make a great play redirecting that route. Feels like they should let them score a td quickly so they at least have a shot with the last possession...maybe the defense will come up with something again

Hey...a stop

Would be nice if the team and conference that gets hosed is the SEC one time...particularly after what has proven to be a down year for that conference based on the limited out of conference games they actually allow their best programs to schedule - especially when it's not a reach for 5 teams from other power conferences to be worthy of a CFP spot. I still think OSU is better than several of the teams that got in this year, too - but understand why they werent going to make it based on the other teams' resumes still playing on championship saturday. FSU had two non-home game wins against SEC schools, one while playing without their starting qb. Finishing undefeated should absolutely be a deciding factor that makes Alabama’s resume this season not quite good enough to jump the Noles - especially after it took a miracle play the week prior to avoid them sitting with 2 losses before playing UGA. Had that happened, I guarantee you if Bama beat the bulldogs it would've been UGA in that #4 spot instead of FSU despite them having several key guys injured or shells of themselves, too. That's what stinks about the current format. It's not a 4 team playoff when 1-2 spots are SEC autobids every season no matter what the rest of the country does.

So, apparently the CFP formula every early December Sunday pretty much is: - Alabama, unless they have 2+ losses and there are 3 other undefeated power 5 conference teams....if there aren't, then a 2-loss Alabama can most likely make it in, too - 2nd SEC team, unless there are three other undefeated power 5 conference teams, or it there's a 1 loss non-SEC team that beat Bama head to head + at least 2 other undefeated power 5 conference teams. - Undefeated Big ten team, if there is one - if not take a long look at what resume of the best SEC team that didn't play its conference title game to see if they can squeeze a 3rd SEC team in the CFP. - Undefeated Big 12 or Pac 12 team or undefeated ACC team....or in the event of a 1-loss Big 12 champ who beat Bama needing to be in the CFP with them, pick them + whichever undefeated Pac 12 or ACC team has the healthier starting quarterback. Conference TV contract$, offseason recruiting class rankings, and preseason rankings continue to all hold more sway than onfield results in today's college football landscape do, and it really has soured me on watching the product.

Such a shame...Bama does not deserve to be in this season's CFP, and I don't even care if they wind up winning it all. FSU got hosed - an undefeated power 5 conference champ should always make the playoff over any other conference's 1 loss champ, no matter who it is. TX beat Bama head to head, so they deserve to be in over Bama. That should have left Bama out no matter what if there's four spots to fill.

I believe Ohio states 3 losses over the past two years were to undefeated MI twice and UGA in last year's semifinal - which was a game they were going to win until Harrison JR got knocked out. They absolutely have the resume to be ahead of Bama and Georgia, but it's definitely a close call. The SEC teams at the top of that conference aren't as dominant as they were in previous seasons, largely due to great players leaving for the NFL. Between Bama and uga, they played one decent out of conference team on their schedules - and that was TX beating Bama in Tuscaloosa. At some point the schedule manipulation the SEC does to prop up their best programs has to come back and bite them when there are other deserving teams. All that being said, that's a discussion they shouldn't even need to have with TX and FSU also deserving to be in the top 4. FSU's defense is what can carry that team, and at least their primary backup qb should be healthy for the playoff.

Honestly, OSU should have a better case for making the CFP than either of UGA or Bama. 1 close road loss in the last game of their season to what will be the top ranked team? Also, I get that their qb is out with an injury, but FSU dominated LSU early in the season too. An undefeated power conference champ has never been left out of the playoff, and that shouldnt start this year just because the SEC would be on the outside looking in.

My dream Championship Saturday includes TX and Mich rolling to wins, FSU finding a way to win and stay unbeaten, and then Bama finding a way to eke out a win against UGA in an ugly game. Then, hope the committee has some stones and leaves the SEC out of the CFP altogether based on the fact Bama got beat at home by Texas and having 3 other undefeated and deserving power 5 conference Champs. UGA's 2023 resume does not look like a deserving 1 loss CFP team compared to undefeated FSU or 1 loss TX. The realist in me is if these scenarios happen the committee will put both Bama and UGA in the playoff and shaft both FSU and Texas.

Just read the names of the players listed in this post...I'd be just fine with chourio replicating any of their careers, to be honest!

Can see the points in all of this, but then what happens if Chourio instead got stashed in AAA for at least part of this season or any sort of extension doesn't get signed in his 1st season or two in MLB with more of a "wait and see" approach? Suddenly that contract approaches the Mariner's Rodriguez territory or something the Brewers aren't able to afford, or Chourio opts to go the Soto route and take things through arbitration - and then the Brewers are already trying to weigh if/when the right time to try and deal Chourio away is to maximize return on a player they won't be able to even sign to a longterm extension before he reaches his prime years of production? By year 9 in this deal, $30 AAV could easily be the going rate for an above average veteran outfielder, so those options will look friendlier the closer the Brewers get to deciding whether or not to exercise them. Same goes for comparing arby salaries/contract extension amounts to players like Soto/Franco/Acuna that will have occurred 5-8 years earlier than when Chourio's increasing salaries start hitting - I think the $80M 8-yr base contract actually has a chance to save the Brewers quite a bit with Chourio in what would've been hypothetical arbitration salaries years down the road, plus that initial free agent year.

Still seems as though it's LAD or Toronto for Ohtani based on the rumor mill, despite the Cubs making an offer. If LAD makes an offer in the same realm as whatever the Cubs gave, tough to see him leaving LA since he's already established roots in that market with the Angels on the west coast. I don't know why anyone would want to play in Toronto and have such a huge chunk of their salary go to Toronto/provincial income taxes, either - which are much higher than either CA or IL. Who knows? Maybe the Cubs' offer is as insane as the one they gave Counsell to manage them. Ohtani is, at this stage in his career (29 yrs old), a generational talent deserving of a mountain of $$ - but I don't think he's going to be a pitcher/DH longterm, he'll need to pick one of those options as he ages and stick with it to prolong his career. That will wind up looking bad on whatever team's payroll he's on in his mid 30s making $50M a season to be their DH in a couple years

Those are the type of position moves to keep impact bats in the lineup who struggle at their primary defensive positions...Wiemer's best value at present is elite OF defense, so moving him to a corner IF position that requires no arm strength and can be played by the least athletic person on a roster isn't doing him any favors when his sole focus should be improving his hitting approach and not having to learn to play a new position. From what I can tell, Wiemer has zero IF experience dating back to his college days at Cincy. I think a guy like Wilken moving to 1B in the next season or two could make some sense if he doesn't stick at 3rd (or if Black actually does stick at 3rd). With the volume of prospects working their way up through the Brewers' system that actually profile as MLB-caliber players, we are going to need to get used to seeing a good number of them traded away to improve the MLB roster at thinner positions - to me that's a better approach than trying to move prospects/young talent from a deep position group to a hole on the MLB roster.

Didn't mention Frelick in my previous thread post, because I like his hit tool in the lineup and think the Brewers value him more than Wiemer at present....but IF the Brewers feel like Wiemer can sort himself out offensively he'd carry a much higher ceiling as a RF with that defense/power toolset than Frelick longterm and I'd be ok with dealing Frelick at a time when it very much wouldn't be selling low on him, either.

If reports are correct that Chourio is slated to be their CF starter, then I really do think one of Mitchell or Wiemer is getting dealt this offseason as part of a trade to improve the roster elsewhere (or package with Burnes to land other impact prospect talent at positions that don't have multiple pre-arby big leaguers already in MLB like they do with OF). It's not like either Mitchell or Wiemer couldn't play a corner OF position if Yelich is moved to the team's primary DH role - but they carry more value as CFs. Both of them aren't going to stick around Milwaukee longterm if the Brewers plan to insert Chourio in centerfield and not have to worry about that position for the next 8-10 seasons. They could easily wait another season or so to see how things shake out further, but every year they wait is one less year of team control and/or one less minor league options these guys would have to the team trading for them - that's why despite Wiemer struggling offensively and Mitchell struggling to stay healthy, I don't know if a trade now would be considered "selling low" for either of those players. That extra year of pre-arbitration control carries alot of value with players talented enough to be everyday outfielders in the right situation if they're healthy, and both of them have enough warts (Wiemer - hitting approach, Mitchell - health) to question just how good they can be on a consistent basis as a MLB player. Don't get me wrong - trading either of them before they have more of a chance to establish themselves in the majors risks sending off a guy who could become a stud outfielder...but they've already rolled the dice banking on Chourio as their longterm CF option across what will likely be the full careers of both these mid-20's guys. I'd argue that standing pat too long also carries risk of not getting value for one of them before they could flame out due to their above-mentioned warts.

Yeah, but based on scouting reports and onfield results for a guy who hadn't yet turned 20 playing in his 2nd minor league season I'd say it's more like a pretty well-informed roll of 2 dice with 12 outcomes. only rolling snake eyes is the outcome of Chourio being a bust, 2 outcomes being disappointing, 4-5 outcomes being decent to good, and 4-5 outcomes being Chourio developing into a guy who plays in all star games routinely.

So, Brewers lock up who is likely their best prospect ever before he sets foot in Milwaukee through what could be his age 30 season at what appears to be a pretty team friendly deal even if Chourio just becomes an average MLB OFer, and the thread talking specifically about that deal devolves into someone complaining their primary owner (not sole, far from sole owner, actually) shouldn't be so cheap with his illiquid assets and instead throw that $80m at a veteran 3B for a handful of seasons who goes long stretches of a season not being able to hit even before the deal is formally announced? Or somehow bashing others for saying they'll do so even though the really haven't? What are we yelling about again??? That's normally page 35ish or so territory on a thread like this, 😆

Turang sure did seem to wither in September, but he had a decent stretch from July - August after he spent a few weeks in AAA where he was able to maintain an OBP over 100 points higher than his batting average. And he still managed to be a 1.6 WAR player as a rookie in just over 400 plate appearances - primarily due to defense, but he was replacement level offensively at 2B. He's never going to hit 30 HR a season, but if he bumps his BA into that 0.230-240 range and get on base at a 0.340-350 clip, that's really valuable at the bottom of the order with his base stealing abilities even if he will struggle to reach a 0.725 OPS due to limited slugging. I think he'll continue to develop into a decent offensive player and be a valuable everyday starter with add gold glove-caliber MIF defense.