twist: this week in sports talk december 3rd, 2017

You don’t love professional sports, but your livelihood and/or personal happiness depends upon your being able to converse intelligently about it. It’s a common dilemma with a simple solution: you need to learn a new language. You need to learn how to talk sports. And we’re here to help! The TWIST is our weekly Dandelion Chandelier guide to what’s happened on the field, on the court and on the ice. Every weekend you’ll find the three (and only three) things you need to know this coming week to speak cogently about professional sports with the boss, the gang at the office, your barber, your barista, your secret crush, or your in-laws. Do the TWIST every week and we promise you’ll know how to talk about sports like a champion.

This week’s edition of TWIST: This Week in Sports Talk is dedicated to true love. We know, many people (including us) would much rather spend this weekend dishing about the Royal Engagement, that gorgeous ring, and the adorable Prince Harry and Meghan. But despair not: even in the world of sports, there’s romance and a power couple in the news. That’s right: J-Lo and A-Rod are an item — surely you’ve seen the cover of the December issue of Vanity Fair. This week, Jenny from the Block asserted that her bae should replace the departed Joe Girardi as the new Head Coach of the New York Yankees. We’re not sure how the fans or Yankee management felt about that idea. But here at Dandelion Chandelier, we thought it was kind of sweet.

Now, back to business. For Those Who Do Not Follow Professional Sports, here’s what you need to know this week (and not a single thing more).

3 for the week of December 3, 2017:

1.  It’s College Football Conference Title Weekend + Selection Sunday. Must know: It’s a huge weekend for college football fans, as six conferences play their respective championship games. At the end of the weekend, the Selection Committee will announce the 4 teams who will compete in the College Football Playoffs later this month and in early January. Nice to know: The College Football Playoff selection committee has 13 members, and they have a great deal of flexibility in determining the final 4 teams. However, they are charged with considering four criteria when evaluating comparable teams: conference championships, strength of schedule, head-to-head results, and outcomes against common opponents. Extra credit: Last weekend, the seemingly invincible Alabama Crimson Tide was upset by Auburn, scrambling the calculus for the playoffs. Alabama’s chances of making the playoffs depend in large part upon who wins the Big 10 Championship game.

2. Tiger Woods and the Cleveland Cavaliers are both back. Must know: Tiger Woods made his first start in 10 months at the Hero World Challenge, and is playing better than some expected; as of this posting he’s currently only five behind the leader and could still win the tournament. Nice to know: Meanwhile, in the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers are on a roll after a disappointing start to the season. They’ve won 10 in a row, quieting the doubters (at least temporarily). Extra credit: It’s not really a comeback, but this week Sports Illustrated announced that Colin Kaepernick will be given the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award, which is given annually to sports figures who have used their platform to initiate change.

3. The New York Giants bench QB Eli Manning. Must know: The NFL regular season has only a few more weeks to go, and teams continue to scramble to try to rescue their seasons (or at least some of their dignity). This week, the Giants head coach Ben McAdoo sent a shock throughout the team’s fan base by announcing that Eli Manning would not be the starting quarterback in this Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders. Nice to know: Manning had been the starting QB for 210 consecutive games – the second-longest run in league history. Fans are in an uproar over the fact that it was it done, and also the way in which it was done. Manning was a franchise QB, loyal to his team, well-loved by fans and respected by team members. His family is NFL royalty (his brother Peyton was most recently the starting QB for the Denver Broncos). The consensus is that it could have been handled better, if it needed to happen at all. Extra credit: The Giants are 2-9 for the season, and have already been eliminated from the playoffs. Geno Smith, lately of the New York Jets, will start for the Giants. It will be the first time the Giants have a starter at quarterback other than Manning since Nov. 21, 2004.

For those aiming to show off a bit, the word on the street is that the Yankees will name Aaron Boone its new manager; he’s a former Yankee currently broadcasting for ESPN. Boone, 44, hit one of the most famous home runs in Yankees history, winning Game 7 of the 2003 AL Championship Series against Boston.

For the remainder of the college football and NFL seasons, we’ll highlight the key weekend games you need to know about, and if we go to press before they’re over, it will be up to you to find out the final scores before hitting the office on Monday morning. Remember: you always need to know how “your” team did. Here are the key match-ups that the sports-minded will want to discuss this week:

College Football Games:

• Pac 12 Championship Game – USC vs. Stanford at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA
• Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championship Game – Georgia vs. Auburn at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium
• American Athletic Conference (AAC) Championship Game – Memphis vs. UCF at Spectrum Stadium in Orlando, FL
• Big 12 Championship Game – Oklahoma vs. TCU at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX
• Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Game: Clemson vs. Miami at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC
• Big Ten Championship Game – Ohio State vs. Wisconsin at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN 

NFL Games:

• Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense face the number one defense in the NFL and their fiercest rivals in the NFC South (when the two met earlier in the season, the Saints won 34-13, so this is a grudge match)
• Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons – The Vikings have won seven in a row, but the Falcons will be playing at home, and they’re currently on a three-game winning streak
• New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills – The Bills have to win this one to gain a real shot at the playoffs; they’re facing long odds, as Pats’ QB Tom Brady is undefeated playing in Buffalo since 2011
• On Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys finally snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Washington Redskins 38-14; still playing without star running back Zeke Elliott, the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott threw two touchdowns

Holiday shopping season is officially here! Don’t forget to check out our roundup of perfect holiday gifts for sports fans. That’s it. You’re good to go. See you next week.

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