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Talking the business of sports
Week 1 could have been a little easier on the heart. Of the 81 games played in the first full week of the season, approximately 20% — one in five — were decided by eight points or less. That includes a hockey score in Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa 7, South Dakota State 3) and a basketball score in Boone, North Carolina (North Carolina 63, Appalachian State 61).
It also included Florida State surviving both LSU and itself. The result marked the SEC’s lone nonconference loss (14-1) since the beginning of the season. Pittsburgh beat West Virginia with a pick six. Utah had four separate leads at Florida before an emerging Heisman Trophy contending quarterback, Anthony Richardson, did his thing.
It’s a trend. Slightly more than a quarter of Week 1 games in 2021 were decided by eight points or less.
The debut of the CBS Sports Power Rankings are not that dissimilar from the last edition in 2021. Michigan and Georgia look like they’re on a bullet train to meet again in the College Football Playoff. The two defenses combined to give up 10 points against Oregon and Colorado State. Ohio State relied on defense to beat Notre Dame.
Alabama did everything against Utah State including posting its 25th shutout of the Nick Saban era, the first since 2020. OK, that’s getting away from the angle. Time to pause and recognize the 20th anniversary of the 2002 national champion Ohio State “Luckeyes.” That team won half of its 14 games by a touchdown or less.
We’re on a similar path if Week 1 is any indication. Might as well check your latest EKG. There are 13 weeks to go.
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