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The third installment of Water Cooler Talk is upon us, and I for one am excited for this edition because I get to talk World Series! The New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals will undoubtedly give us one hell of a treat which will hopefully go the distance. Then there’s the headlines of the NFL we’ll get you ready for as Week 8 officially begins. If you’re an NBA fan you’re excited for the season opener, and if you’re not, then Water Cooler Talk is there with you. Sit back, hide the monitor from the bosses view, and let Water Cooler Talk help you to be this week’s office sports guru.

MLB:

The Mets have had six days off after their sweep against the Cubs, which is a lifetime for baseball players, especially after being as hot as they were. Yoenis Cespedes has said he’s not 100% healthy for the series after a shoulder injury in the NLCS, but he assures us that he’ll be in the Mets outfield and will most likely wreak havoc on the Royals pitching staff. Can Daniel Murphy continue the hot streak and extend his postseason homerun streak, which currently stands at six and is already a MLB record? Then there’s the starting rotation for the Mets, which doesn’t need to be questioned. The Dark Knight gets the start tonight, followed by Jacob DeGrom for game two, Thor starts game three, and Steven Matz takes the hill for game four. Before this series is over, maybe we’ll get DeGrom and Matz nicknames as well.

The Royals have had three days of rest after their six-game defeat of the Blue Jays in the ALCS, which ended Friday night. This team has depth and without a doubt the best bullpen in baseball. The starters for the Royals only need to go five innings a game to get to that bullpen, and they may need that for games 1, 3, and 4 when Edinson Volquez, Yordano Ventura, and Chris Young take the hill respectively. Johnny Cueto gets the game two start, a game in which he should be able to go 6+ innings if he’s on his game. The home field advantage belongs to the Royals, with the first two games at Kaufmann Stadium, and games six and seven as well if needed.

I do think this series goes the distance, and the bullpens of both squads will be the deciding factor for at least four of those games. Royals closer Wade Davis will shut down any possibilities for the Mets in the 9th inning. The Royals will win this series 4-3, and I predict Lorenzo Cain will be the World Series MVP.

NFL:

Is Sexy Rexy the right guy in Buffalo? I think not, and I haven’t since he was announced as the head coach in January. The Bills have lost two straight and are now 3-4 on the season heading into their bye. Questionable coaching decisions against the Bengals raised one eyebrow, and a bad loss versus the Jaguars in London should raise both. He says the right things and gets fan bases excited, but that hasn’t resulted in the kind of season Bills Mafia was expecting. The same thing happened in New York, and look how that ended. “Lookie lookie, here comes Cookie,” that’s what got the fans excited about Rex, a reference that’s 50 years old. Way to hold on to the past.

We know one undefeated will lose this week, because the Packers travel to Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday Night Football. Both will enter the game 6-0, but only one leaves 7-0 (duh)! The Bengals, Panthers, and Patriots will look to go 7-0 this week as well and the action begins with the Patriots as they host the rejuvenated Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. If I was a gambling man (and I am), I’d say every team except the Broncos stay undefeated after this week.

The Detroit Lions are a mess, there’s no other way to put it. They’re 1-6 and are in last place in the NFC North. It was confirmed yesterday that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was fired, along with two offensive line coaches. If anything, we can all get a chuckle when Jim Bob Cooter’s name comes up on the screen as the new offensive coordinator (c’mon Jason, let’s be mature about this). The Lions have a bad offensive line, a bad defense, and with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson taking a lot of salary cap space, it may take a while for this team to turn things around. The Lions face the Chiefs this week in London.

I have another gripe against officiating this week…can you believe it?  I was going to go on a rant about spotting the ball this week, but Chris Johnson’s 62-yard run last night took that away from me.  Just like last week I will again say that officiating is harder these days because of the pace of play, but everyone in attendance of that game and all the fans watching at home knew that Johnson’s forward momentum was stopped.  Heck, even Johnson knew it because he squatted on the play.  Now he did the right thing because the whistle hadn’t blown, but WHY WASN’T THE WHISTLE BLOWN?  If you faced Chris Johnson in fantasy and lost by six points…I’m sorry for your loss.

NBA:

The season starts today.  Will Bron Bron take the Cavs to promise land?  Is this the last shootout for “Old Man Duncan” in San Antonio?  Can Golden State and Steph Curry find the magic…again?

NCAAF:

I am not shocked that Utah lost on Saturday to USC. That was a trap game and the Utes fell into it.

I am surprised however that Clemson clobbered Miami 58-0, which led to the firing of Al Golden as the Hurricanes head coach. Not that I didn’t think Clemson was going to win, it was just the way they won. The Miami locker room quit on Golden, there’s no question about it. The program can come back, but like Penn State, I don’t think it’ll happen for a long time. There’s not enough money to get a big name coach, so they’ll have to look for someone who can recruit like no other. Perhaps Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham gets the first call?

#2 ranked Baylor suffered a huge loss, as Junior QB Seth Russell will miss the remainder of the season after requiring neck surgery. This may ultimately open the door for TCU to win the Big 12.

Florida State went from #9 to #17 this week after losing to Georgia Tech in the final seconds. The Seminoles had this coming, as they seemingly won every close game last season. The ACC has some tough teams this season with Clemson, Florida State, UNC, Pitt, and Duke. Not an easy road to climb for the Noles, but there’s plenty of time to gain ground.

Two games stand out for me this week. UNC travels to #23 Pitt and #9 Notre Dame takes on #21 Temple. A good matchup should be had between the Tar Heels and Panthers, and I think the Heels eke out a win. Temple is a good team that no one has seen, and I am calling for the upset, Temple wins 23-21 to stay undefeated.

I need to get away from the national spectrum and congratulate the Port Allegany Gators on being the 2015 AML North champions. The Gators started the season 1-3 and have ripped off four straight wins, with last week’s win at Smethport being the most impressive. They finish the regular season on Friday at home versus a winless Sheffield team, then face the AML South champion Kane Wolves for the AML title. I’ve broadcast this team the last three seasons and I’ve seen improvement each and every year. I’m happy to have watched this team accomplish what they have this season, in what is my last season covering the team. Keep it going boys!

Share your comments on this week’s edition of Water Cooler Talk by following @jasonsaulter on Twitter.

Water Cooler Talk, like most in America and around the world, used sports over the weekend to escape reality from the events that occurred in Paris on Friday night.  Stunned, sad, and scared are some of the emotions that are being felt, but as always, sports was there to pick up our spirits, if just for a few hours.  I appreciate that reading this column is another “escape” that can be used, and that’s exactly what I intend to do for not only you, by myself as well.  Share your favorite sports memory over the weekend by contacting me on Twitter.  Now, let’s get Water Cooler Talk rolling so you can be the sports guru of the office.

UFC 193:

We’ve all learned about the “shot heard round the world,” but now we can add a new saying…”the kick heard round the world.”  Holly Holm not only beat Ronda Rousey on Saturday night, she dominated her.  It may just be me, but I think Ronda had no strategy going into the fight.  She tried to box a boxer…which is a huge no-no.  Cockiness undoubtedly got into the way, and Ronda now has missing gold to show for it.  However, give credit where credit is due.  Holly Holm kept her cool throughout the entire process leading up to the fight, and didn’t try to outdo herself.

Fight fans started making noise about a rematch about five minutes after the conclusion of the event, and I’m absolutely in favor of that.  Holm and Rousey are the best female fighters in the world right now, so what other direction is there to take?  UFC President Dana White will try to get this done as soon as possible, because he’s already smelling the pay-per-view buy rates.  Though we’re only 15 years into this 21^st century, this will arguably be the most anticipated rematch of the century.

NFL:

So Peyton Manning broke Brett Favre’s record for passing yards, and then got benched.  No that’s not a typo…Peyton Manning got benched!  Of 20 pass attempts, he completed five and got picked four times.  Injuries are keeping him from his usual elite status, I don’t think there’s any question about that, but he’s also declined over the past two years from wear and tear.  Brock Osweiler will take over the starting role for the short-term, but if he gets hot and wins, it may not be a guarantee Manning gets his job back so easily.

New England remains perfect, but the Patriots suffered a big loss on Sunday.  Julian Edelman will most likely be out until the playoffs, which changes the dynamic of the Pats offense for the remainder of the regular season.  Gronk will be Gronk, but Brandon LaFell and Danny Amendola will have to step up in a big way for the Patriots to ride the undefeated roller coaster.  Let’s also not forget that Dion Lewis was lost last week, so injuries to key players is something the Pats will need to avoid moving forward to have a chance at a repeat.

Then we have the Carolina Panthers who won quite easily on Sunday by defeating the Tennessee Titans 27-10.  Next up are the suddenly white-hot Redskins, then the Cowboys on Thanksgiving who will have Romo back.  Two games in which could be lost, and could potentially shift the landscape of the NFC South if the Falcons can rebound after their Week 10 bye.

Houston beat Cincinnati?  No, Cincinnati beat Cincinnati.  The crooked number will now take some pressure off that team.  They’ll rebound and still win the AFC North with ease.

Home teams were 3-11 this past week…home-field advantage my (you know what)!

What happened to Green Bay?  No really, can someone explain to me what happened?  I picked this team to win the Super Bowl, but now they’ll be lucky to get into the playoffs unless they can regain their form from the first six weeks of the season.

Not a sexy week for picking games in the NFL this week, but here it goes:

Green Bay at Minnesota, the Vikings ride the hot hand and get an ugly win, 23-21.

Cincinnati at Arizona, the Bengals will be out for blood while the Cardinals may not be recovered from their dog fight against Seattle, the Bengals eke out a win, 26-20.

I guess I’ll take Buffalo at New England, injuries or no injuries, Belichick beats Ryan 27-14.

NCAAF:

Clemson escaped Syracuse, Bama held off Mississippi State easily, and Ohio State won another easy game against another easy opponent.  Two weeks remain in the regular season and the Buckeyes have a tough road as they face two ranked teams (finally), Michigan State and Michigan.  If they win both of those games, I will be amazed.  On the other hand, Clemson and Bama finish the season relatively easy, though they do have their big rivalry games after Thanksgiving before moving onto conference championship week.  I don’t see a loss coming for either squad, which secures them as the #1 and #2 seeds heading into the College Football Playoff.

Derrick Henry may have won the Heisman after this week, as he ran for 200+ yards against Mississippi State.  Henry has similar stats to when Mark Ingram won the Heisman in 2009, so unless he gets injured or lays goose eggs the next three weeks, we may be watching this year’s Heisman winner.  Sorry Leonard Fournette, it was fun while it lasted.

The top four teams in the College Playoff Rankings will be announced tonight at 9:30 p.m.  The way I see it, here are those four teams:  1) Clemson 2)Alabama 3) Ohio State 4) Oklahoma State.  OK State is finally getting some respect.  With Notre Dame idle last week, I think the Cowboys finally jump in.

NCAAF picks for Week 12:

Michigan at Penn State:  possibly a trap-game for the Wolverines.  No, no it’s not.  Michigan gets the win with a score of 21-10.

Michigan State at Ohio State:  This game is in Columbus, but that ridiculous Dot The i doesn’t scare Sparty.  Michigan State with the “upset”, 30-27 in OT.

Baylor at Oklahoma State:  This game would’ve been hyped to the extreme if it was played a month ago, but now it’s just another Big 12 game.  OK State stays unbeaten with a 34-23 win.

NCAAM:

We’re three days into the season and we already have an upset!  #6 UVA was defeated last night by George Washington, 73-68.  One vote was given to the Cavaliers for the #1 ranking to start the year, that voter is now hiding in a deep, dark hole.  Once the schedule gets meatier there will be much more coming on college basketball, so stay tuned.

MLB:

The Red Sox have already made an offseason splash as they acquired closer Craig Kimbrel from the Padres.  The Red Sox gave the Padres four prospects for Kimbrel’s services.  This should be step one of a multiple step process to get the Sox back into contention for the 2016 season.  Expect a top-tier ace to be acquired via free agency or trade by Christmas along with more bullpen help.

Houston Astros SS Carlos Correa and Chicago Cubs 3B Kris Bryant are the 2015 Rookie of the Year recipients.  Both of these young stars were valuable assets to their respective clubs last season, both of which made the postseason when everyone thought both clubs were a year or two away.  Two great young players who will only get better, it’s a very bright future for baseball.

After a week hiatus, Water Cooler Talk is refreshed and ready to tackle the final two weeks of the NFL’s regular season. Before we move on to Week 16 however, there will be some talk about what transpired during Sunday’s game between the Panthers and Giants.  Should some of the best college basketball teams start to worry?  Water Cooler Talk breaks down the intriguing bowl games in college football this week and what games you should watch (sarcasm).  Sit back, relax, hide the monitors from the boss, and let Water Cooler Talk help you to be the Christmas sports guru in the office and around the relatives for the holiday.

NFL:

We can’t move on to this week’s action without first discussing the game which has been dubbed, ‘NFL Game of the Year.’ We’ll first start with the gameplay itself.  Cam Newton and the Panthers offense are legit, and any doubt of their prowess before Week 15 should go out the window.  Cam himself threw for 340 yards and ran for 100 yards.  Ted Ginn still drops passes, but seems to immediately make up for those mistakes with big-time catches as he hauled in two more TDs.  Greg Olsen continues to be the safety-net for Cam, and he has proven to be the second-best Tight End in the league after surpassing the 1,000 yard mark.  Devin Funchess and Philly Brown step up when needed, two young receivers that have a pretty high ceiling, each had a TD reception.  The defense speaks for itself, though they’ve had two rough outings in the last three weeks.  The last 20 minutes on Sunday are not what that defense stand for.  Give credit to Eli Manning and the Giants, they scared another undefeated team which seems to be there calling card in recent years.  Had it not been for bad losses in which they’ve blown 4th quarter leads, we’d be discussing the G-Men on a regular basis.  If they can shore up the defense over the offseason and add some offensive line help, this team could be dangerous next year.

On the season, Cam has 3,402 yards passing with 33 TDs and just 10 INTs, his passer rating is 98.9, and had it not been for a few drops he’d be right around 100. Let’s also not forget about the rushing yards, where he has 580 with another 7 TDs. All of this work has come without the top receiver for Carolina, Kelvin Benjamin.  With these numbers, and a 14-0 record, Cam is the MVP…he’s the CAMVP.

Now, let’s get to the sideshow. Odell Beckham Jr. versus Josh Norman, this was hyped for seven days.  In the technological and social media world that we live in, everyone heard about this unless living under a rock.  Two rising stars at their respective positions should’ve been a treat for all fans, instead it turned into Dana White’s wet dream.

I won’t go into all of the specifics and breakdown every instance because the action is being looped on every sports channel, talk show, blog, podcast…whatever is out there is showing and talking about it. Also, because I could write a short-novel.

It’s no secret that I’m a Carolina Panthers fan, but unlike the rest of the die-hards out there, I find fault with both players, not just Odell. After Josh tried to get his head taken off by Beckham, I admittedly cheered for Josh when he went after Odell on the next play, but I realize that was wrong on my part.  Speaking of that head shot by Beckham, that should’ve gotten him an ejection from the game.  Would the outcome have been different if that happened?  We’ll never know.  That’s not the point.

OBJ has been suspended by the league and an appeal has been made. The outcome of that decision should be known either tomorrow or Thursday, which puts the Giants in a tough spot as they prepare to game plan for their Sunday Night Football matchup with the Vikings.   The league made the right call, as they have told the fans that head-hunting is unacceptable, no matter who you are.

Let’s move on and discuss briefly the other ‘Game of the Year’ candidate, the Broncos and the Steelers. Pittsburgh kept their playoff hopes alive by scoring 24-unanswered points in the second half to win 34-27.  The days of the Steel Curtain may be over for now, but it doesn’t matter with the combination of Big Ben and Antonio Brown.  The Steelers have two cupcakes to finish the season with Baltimore and Cleveland, though both are on the road.  31^st ranked pass defense or not, this team has potential to upset the top seeds in the AFC if they make the playoffs.

Looking forward to Week 16 now, there are intriguing games because of the playoff implications. Let’s take a look:

Redskins at Eagles – It’s simple for the Redskins, win and you’re in as the 4-seed and NFC East champs. The Eagles need to win out and have help to capture the division.

Colts at Dolphins – The Colts sit one-game back of the Texans for the AFC South lead. Indy needs to win-out or hope for a Texans loss either this week or next to have any chance of reclaiming the top spot in the division.

Browns at Chiefs – Kansas City has quietly gone on an eight-game winning streak. At 9-5 and holding onto the 5-seed in the AFC, KC all but needs to win their last ten to secure a playoff spot with Pittsburgh and the Jets holding 9-5 records as well.  Believe it or not, they could still win the AFC West.

Steelers at Ravens – Pittsburgh currently holds the 6-seed in the AFC and cannot afford a collapse to end the regular season. The Ravens won’t have a chance to pull off an upset.

Panthers at Falcons – The Falcons are still alive in the playoff hunt but need to win their remaining two games and have help to have a chance. For the Panthers, a win means the undefeated record is still intact and home-field advantage will be clinched.

Patriots at Jets – The Patriots have secured a first-round bye and hope to get healthy heading into the playoffs. The Jets look to keep their momentum going and absolutely need to win to stay alive in the playoff hunt.  With the Jets on the outside looking in, they cannot afford a loss.

Texans at Titans – It seems for now that the Texans will be on their fourth starting QB for this game, seems amazing they’re in the position they’re in.  The defense will need to step up, which seems reasonable as Marcus Mariota will be out for the Titans.  It’s easy for Houston…win.

Packers at Cardinals – The Cardinals suffered a huge loss on Sunday night with Tyrann Mathieu going down with a torn ACL, but they’re loaded so that should soften the blow. The Packers need to click on offense to have a chance.  Despite clinching a playoff berth, Green Bay needs at least one playoff home game to make a run, which means they win the division.

Giants at Vikings – The Giants season will either be over or barely hanging on depending on the Saturday game between the Redskins and Eagles. The Vikings are still fighting for the NFC North and/or a 5 or 6 seed.  Without OBJ, the Vikings chances seem very good.  Minnesota needs to win for a showdown with the Packers Week 17, a potential division winning game.

Bengals at Broncos – Both look to clinch the division this week, but both are riding second-string QBs. The Bengals will look to ground the passing attack with their extraordinary secondary, while the Broncos look to recapture their defensive dominance from the first 10 weeks of the season.  Denver is in danger of possibly losing the division and missing out on the playoffs.

NCAAB:

Michigan State holds onto the #1 ranking with a 12-0 record, but will be without Denzel Valentine for the next 2-3 weeks.  Despite this, the schedule favors the Spartans to remain undefeated during this time.

Duke suffered a bad loss on Saturday to Utah in overtime. The team will have to find a way to win without Amile Jefferson, who suffered a foot fracture in practice on December 12 and will miss about a month.  But it’s Duke we’re talking about, and Coach K will have his boys rebound.

UNC is also without a starter for a couple of weeks as Kennedy Meeks will miss probably another two weeks of action due to a bone bruise in his knee. The Tar Heels won easily on Saturday over UCLA and cruised past App State last night.

Despite these injuries, all teams shall have no trouble on their way to March, when the games really matter.

NCAAF:

40 games is just too many.  As big of a college football fan as I am, I just don’t care to watch teams who barely went .500 or didn’t even win half of their games playing for a bowl.  Next week we’ll talk college football as the better games begin after the holiday weekend leading to New Year’s.

MLB:

We’re still waiting for a majority of position players to find a new home for the 2016 season.  Jason Hayward signed last week with the Cubs, which should heat up the conversations between club and players.  Chris ‘Crush’ Davis, Yoenis Cespedes, Alex Gordon, Justin Upton, Ian Desmond, Daniel Murphy and Dexter Fowler are all still available.  The only remaining intriguing SP is Mike Leake, who should get a fairly nice contract.  Once January hits, the competitive juices within all 30 front offices will heat up, meaning free agents will come off the board and trades will spark the baseball world once again.

Have a good week everyone and a Merry Christmas.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter to share your thoughts on this week’s edition of Water Cooler Talk.