by Patrick Zier | Oct 3, 2025 |
Mario Cristobal can tell you about Florida State-Miami, can take you back to a time when this was more than an inter-state rivalry, when this was a game of national significance, a game that impacted all of college football almost every year. He can tell you about it because he was there.
Cristobal, now the ‘Canes coach, was on the 1989 Miami team that won the national championship with an 11-1 record. That year, the No.2 ranked ‘Canes lost to the No.9 ranked ‘Noles, 24-10, their only defeat of the season. FSU would go on to finish with 10 straight wins, but two losses at the beginning of the year cost it any chance at a national title.
And Cristobal also played for the ’91 Canes in what was not only one of the biggest games in the history of the series, but arguably one of the biggest games in the history of the sport.
In that one, FSU went in ranked No.1 and Miami No.2, with the ‘Canes winning, 17-16, after FSU missed a 34-yard field goal wide right with time running out.
That was the first of three straight games which FSU lost because it missed field goals wide right, with the victory propelling Miami to a 12-0 record and another national title. FSU would finish 10-2 and win the Cotton Bowl.
In recent years though, the game has fallen out of the national limelight, lost its luster as one or both teams struggled to remain relevant. But there are signs of a revival.
Cristobal bleeds orange and green, is old school with a modern approach and determined to bring Miami back to prominence. He currently has the ‘Canes undefeated and riding high, ranked No. 3 in the nation and, with Clemson’s collapse, the new favorite to win the ACC championship and a berth in the College Football Playoffs.
If he can get by Florida State. The ‘Noles, after a gruesome 2024 season in which they went 2-10 following their 13-1 record in 2023, are showing new signs of life.
They stunned Alabama 31-17 to open the season and ripped up inferior competition in their next two games, but lost to Virginia, 48-36, in double overtime their last time out. That dropped them to No. 18 in the AP rankings.
“This week we have a great opportunity in one of the best rivalry games in all of sports, not just college football, all of sports,” FSU Coach Mike Norvell commented this week according to FSU’s football website.
“We’re coming off a disappointing result, one of those games that, you know, you can take 20, 30 plays and if anything goes different, your final result is going to be changed,” Norvell said.
“It wouldn’t have changed the areas of improvement we’re going to have to correct, though, because obviously, there’s some things that showed up that are unacceptable to what we expect out of ourselves and how we want to play and how we want to finish,” Norvell commented.
“I’ve seen this team perform at a very high level and I know what we’re capable of,” Norvell continued, “and I have full expectations that’s what we’ll see this Saturday (against Miami),” Norvell declared.
“We’re getting ready for a very talented, physical, well-coached football team that’s playing at a high level,” Miami’s Cristobal remarked according to Miami’s athletic website. “Statistically, they’re in the top 10 (nationally) in just about every meaningful category,” Cristobal added.
There is no doubt FSU has put up some impressive stats, especially on offense. The ‘Noles lead the nation in scoring, averaging 53 points per game, and also in total offense with a 600 yards per game average.
There is some doubt, though, about how meaningful the stats are since FSU ran up big numbers in its games against East Texas A&M, a 77-3 win, and Kent State, a 66-10 victory.
Kent State didn’t win a game last year and was picked to finish last this year in the Mid-America Conference, which is a notch below FSU in the Group of Five, and East Texas A&M is a struggling member of the Southland Conference, a notch below Kent State in the Football Championship Series (FCS).
Still, FSU’s rebound and Miami’s continued resurgence have made the Miami-FSU series respectable again and once more, people are talking about the game.
Cristobal is aware of that and understands the pressures that are building up around it. It may not be like 1989 or 1991, but there is a new feeling of anticipation as these two teams get ready to meet.
Which means both Cristobal and Norvell have to keep their players grounded. “There’s not a single bit of noise, not a single bit of hype, not a single member of the audience on TV or in the stands that’s going to be able to make a play one way or the other,” Cristobal declared.
“The outcome will be determined by those who are on the field, and we’re focused on making sure we do our job to the best of our ability,” he added. So is Norvell. This is big, and they know it. FSU-Miami is back.
PAT’S PICKS
Miami over FSU: It’s in Tallahassee, and Tommy Castellanos has ignited the Seminoles. They have a good chance to grab this one. But Miami has some solid wins and the ‘Canes are more consistent.
Florida over Texas: It’s save your season time for the Gators. Thought here is that they haven’t given up and see this as a great opportunity to right the ship. Texas has a few cupcake wins and Arch Manning hasn’t settled in at quarterback.
USF over Charlotte: USF isn’t invincible but the Bulls won’t lose to Charlotte. Maybe at North Texas next week, but not to Charlotte.
Kansas over UCF: You’re not in the American anymore.
Last week, 1-1, for the season, 12-6, .667.
by Patrick Zier | Oct 2, 2025 |
It’s the last race of the season, in the days before NASCAR had a playoff. You’re leading, but you have no chance at a championship. Behind you is a teammate who, if he can get by you, can win it all, but he’s not good enough to pass. Do you ease up and let him by?
“That’s a stupid question,” a slightly irritated Bobby Labonte, then driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, replied. Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon was more practical. “You do what’s best for the team,” Gordon said. “Winning the championship is more important than you winning the race.”
Robert Yates, owner of Robert Yates Racing and one of the greatest engine builders and nicest guys in NASCAR history, smiled mischievously. “I hope my driver would make the right decision,” he said coyly.
There is a lot to digest here. From a team standpoint, what Gordon suggests is the most practical route to go. Obviously, refusing to give ground and denying your team a title that you have no chance of winning seems somewhat selfish.
On the other hand, what about the integrity of the sport? Back in the day, when Labonte, Gordon and Yates were expressing their opinions, multi-car teams were just starting to emerge. Hendrick was the only three-car team. JGR had two cars, as did Yates. Team Penske had only one.
But as the teams continued to grow; at one point, NASCAR allowed as many as five cars to run for a single organization, taking one for the team and how those drivers raced each other became a bigger problem.
That came to the fore again this week after competitive situations on the track threw JGR into complete turmoil during the last two playoff races at New Hampshire and Kansas.
At New Hampshire, JGR’s Ty Gibbs, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell were battling for 11th place. Hamlin and Gibbs were both trying to pick up extra playoff points while Gibbs is not in the playoffs. Yet Gibbs refused to let Hamlin and Bell make an easy pass.
Eventually, Hamlin slipped trying to get around Gibbs and knocked him into the wall and out of the race. Hamlin said he hadn’t meant to hit Gibbs, but felt Gibbs should have moved over to let the JGR playoff cars by.
While this was for 11th place, what if Gibbs has the fastest car in the final race at Phoenix With Hamlin, who could win the championship with a victory, right behind him and Chase Elliott, another contender, right behind Hamlin?
Should Gibbs give up his chance to win and let Hamlin, a team car, by and then block Elliott? It’s a little different then the Labonte-Gordon-Yates scenario, but not much. And again, what does that say about the integrity of NASCAR racing?
The incident at Kansas is even worse. Hamlin lost the back of his car and slid into Wallace, who was about to win the race. That allowed Chase Elliott to slip by underneath them and punch his ticket to the round of eight.
What makes this so egregious is the fact that Hamlin drives for JGR and is a part owner, along with Michael Jordan, of Wallace’s Toyota. No one should be allowed to drive for one team and own part of another.
It would be like allowing Jordan Love to play for the Green Bay Packers while being a part owner of the Minnesota Vikings. No other sport would tolerate this, and NASCAR shouldn’t either. If you want to own a team and continue competing, then you should drive for the team you own.
NASCAR could clean all this up with a few rule changes, eliminating the playoffs and rewarding drivers who race to win instead of giving them points for simply finishing, but it doesn’t seem inclined to make sweeping changes. That’s too bad, because sweeping changes are what’s needed if it wants to have real integrity.
NASCAR NOTES
Three most likely winners at Charlotte Roval: 1-Shane van Gisbergen, 2-Christopher Bell, 3-Chase Briscoe. Last year’s winner at the Roval: Kyle Larson. Top five at the Roval last year: 1-Larson, 2-Bell, 3-William Byron, 4-Austin Cindric, 5-Chase Elliott.
Last week’s Kansas picks: 1-Denny Hamlin, 2-Briscoe, 3-Larson. Kansas winner: Elliott. Old Guy Sport season record after 26 races (no Pocono pick): 11-14, .440.
OGS competition index top 10 after 26 races: 1-Denny Hamlin 600 points, 2-Briscoe 478, 3-Bell 413, 4-Ryan Blaney 408, 5-Larson 376, 6-Byron 356, 7-van Gisbergen 295, 8-Elliott 244, 9-Joey Logano 185, Bubba Wallace 185.
OGS competition index top 10 on road courses (tracks similar to Charlotte Roval) after five races: 1-van Gisbergen 295 points, 2-Bell 145, 3-Elliott 80, 4-Tyler Reddick 65, 5-Byron 60, 6-Briscoe 59, 7-Ty Gibbs 51, 8-Michael McDowell 48, 9-Kyle Busch 38, 10-Chris Buescher 32.
.
by Patrick Zier | Sep 26, 2025 |
The face of Ford racing is not Joey Logano, although he’s out front a lot. And it’s not Brand Keselowski either, although he often has insightful comments about Ford and racing in general.
The face of Ford racing is Ryan Blaney, the first driver to advance to the round of eight in NASCAR’s Cup playoffs with his victory last Sunday at New Hampshire. The generally laid back Blaney has been, almost unnoticed, carrying Ford on his back for the last three years. And he could well be the most underrated driver in the sport.
Oh, he gets some props. After all, he did win the NASCAR Cup championship in 2023. In fact, with Logano bookending him in 2022 and 2024 Ford’s Team Penske has won three straight championships, which shows just how meaningless that trophy is.
Because outside of 2022 when the Nest Gen car was introduced and it was pretty much hit and miss as to how to get the most out of it, Ford has struggled to compete in the new model, and it’s certainly not at the level of Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs racing, NASCAR’s two elite teams and top rivals.
The three championships and a number of race wins kind of mask Ford’s struggles. From the start, the car’s nose was aerodynamically inferior to Chevy and Toyota, especially on the intermediate tracks that are NASCAR’s bread and butter.
So NASCAR allowed Ford to redesign the nose, bumper and front fenders this year in an effort to improve performance. And there are signs Ford has gotten better.
This is particularly true of the Wood Brothers, who have a close technical alliance with Ford and Penske and have gotten a big boost from Josh Berry, who replaced Harrison Burton in their car this season.
Still, if you use the Old Guy Sport competition index as a measuring stick, Ford has a ways to go to get competitive with Hendrick and particularly Gibbs, although this isn’t necessarily reflected in the NASCAR standings.
But the OGS competition index is a better measure of competitiveness than the NASCAR point system because it’s based on who’s leading laps and scoring top five finishes, whereas NASCAR awards points based on finishing races. And where you finish gives very little indication of how you ran.
Looking at Penske’s performance over the past three years, you see how big a part Blaney has played in whatever success Penske and Ford have have had. Discounting super speedway races, which depend on avoiding the big wreck and being in the right place at the right time on the last lap to get a good finish, and are therefore no measure of how well a driver or team run, Blaney’s performance is outstanding by almost any valid statistical measure.
Over the last three years, the four Penske cars (including the Wood Brothers entry) have scored 2,269 points according to the OGS competition index. Blaney has 1,111, or almost half, by himself. He is the only Penske driver to finish in the OGS top 10 all three years and the only Penske driver to improve his point totals every season.
Going into Sunday’s race at Kansas, Blaney stands third in OGS points with 408, just behind Chase Briscoe’s 455 in second. And again, going into Kansas, Blaney has seven wins and 27 top fives over the past three years per OGS scoring, more than the rest of the Penske team combined.
Logano has four wins and 19 top fives, Austin Cindric one win and four top fives and the Wood Brothers entry has one win and three top fives. Combined, that gives them a total of six wins and 26 top fives.
Speaking recently on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Blaney talked about his success. “These guys (his team) are great, I’ve said it for years,” Blaney commented. “All the guys on the 12 team are awesome.
“Jonathan (crew chief Jonathan Hassler) is unbelievable. It’s been a pleasure to work with them for as long as I have and continue to get better. These guys continue to refine their craft and become closely bonded and trust each other,” Blaney said. “You have 100 percent trust already but it continues to build with time.
“It’s fun to go to work with these guys every week and just have a good time with it and understand when you’re in the trenches, you’re in it together,” Blaney continued.
“We lift each other up when things aren’t going good and support each other, and when things are going great, you’re having a fun time. It’s just a huge testament to them,” Blaney declared.
“It makes me look good. I get to drive a really fast race car; that’s where it starts, giving me fast race cars, I appreciate that.
“Penske has done a bang-up job of it and hopefully we can continue building on some of the momentum through these next couple of races and then the rounds to come, the races to come,” Blaney said.
In the past, the legitimacy of some of Penske’s championships have been questioned because they don’t do much during the season and then come alive for the playoffs.
But if Blaney wins it all, there can be no question. Put him in a fast car and he runs fast, from the very first race to the very last. He can be as good as anybody. He’s proven that.
NASCAR NOTES
Three most likely winners at Kansas: 1-Denny Hamlin, 2-Chase Briscoe, 3-Kyle Larson. First race winner at Kansas: Larson. Top five at Kansas in first race: 1-Larson, 2-Christopher Bell, 3-Ryan Blaney, 4-Chase Briscoe, 5-Alex Bowman.
Last week’s Old Guy Sport New Hampshire picks: 1-Hamlin, 2-Bell, 3-Larson. Last week’s New Hampshire winner: Blaney. OGS competition index record after 25 races: 11-13, .458, (No Pocono pick).
OGS competition index top 10: 1-Hamlin 536 points, 2-Briscoe 455, 3-Blaney 408, 4-Bell 377, 5-Larson 376, 6-William Byron 356, 7-Shane van Gisbergen 295, 8-Chase Elliott 190, 9-Joey Logano 185, 10-Bubba Wallace 174.
OGS competition index top 10 on intermediate tracks (tracks similar to Kansas): 1-Hamlin 305, 2-Briscoe 274, 3-Larson 238, 4-Blaney 220, 5-Byron 186, 6-Wallace 130, 7-Ross Chastain 102, 8-Logano 89, 9-Tyler Reddick 73, 10-Bowman 64, Chris Buescher 64.
