Vanderbilt shocked many college football observers last Saturday by holding off the No.-1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide 40-35 in Nashville. The Commodores came into the game 0-10 against AP No. 1-ranked teams and 0-60 versus top-five teams, and the Tide was installed as 22.5-point favorites after its impressive 41-34 win against Georgia the previous week. Conversely, Vandy was seen as a struggling team, after consecutive losses to Georgia State and Missouri. FirstBank Stadium, which is still undergoing a facelift, limiting its capacity to less than 30,000, and the large majority of seats were filled with Bama fans. Even former Alabama coach Nick Saban commented that Vanderbilt was the only place in the SEC that wasn’t a difficult place to play.

It appeared that everything was pointing to a rousing victory for the visitors, but Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia had other ideas. The New Mexico State transfer completed 16-of-20 passes to seven different receivers for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and picked up 56 more yards on the ground. Pavia, who looks even shorter than his listed 6-foot height, is sometimes compared to former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel due to his build, toughness and scrambling ability.

An opportunistic defense helped Vanderbilt bolt to an early 23-6 lead, and the offense did its part by holding the ball for 42 minutes, effectively keeping it away from Alabama QB Jalen Milroe and the explosive Crimson Tide offense just long enough to get a win that will never be forgotten by Vandy supporters.

One big question has been asked repeatedly since the huge upset victory. Does this mean that there is truly parity in college football?

That is still debatable, but if so, that can’t be bad for the sport and for fans of the game. You may get a different take from the traditional powerhouse programs, who have been at the forefront of college football for decades.

Saban said more than a year ago that NIL would lead to less parity, and the rich would just get richer, but with upsets occurring more and more often, the opposite is currently taking place. This year could become one of the most memorable in the history of college football, with the 12-team playoff capping it off, and if there is more parity in the game, my take is that ain’t a bad thing.

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CATS FAVORED BY TOO MANY? – Vanderbilt will be riding high when they roll into Lexington Saturday night, but will there be a major letdown for men in black and gold?

Surprisingly, to this guy anyway, is the oddsmakers installing Kentucky as 11.5-point favorites over the ‘Dores. It may fluctuate later in the week, but that point differential just seems a tad high. Perhaps Vegas is counting on the UK defense to perform at a much higher level than the Alabama defense did last week.

We will have more to say about the intriguing matchup between a pair of teams coming off big wins in Saturday’s column.

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ENTHRALLING MLB POSTSEASON – Baseball in October is nothing like the regular season. The overall atmosphere and intensity of postseason baseball is unmatched by any other sport. Screaming fans, waving towels and never sitting down as they focus in on every single pitch is just part of the attraction that makes these games must-see TV. The intensity and drama being played out by the teams in pressure-packed situations always makes for some great baseball, and crucial errors are only magnified on the big stage.

For the first time in history, there are four separate best-of-five series tied at one game apiece.

Key third games of each series began after this was written in both NLDS Series on Tuesday evening, with the favored Phillies heading to New York to face the red-hot Mets, followed by the hated rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres, getting underway in San Diego.

The ALDS Series will resume Wednesday afternoon when Cleveland visits surprising Detroit, and the New York Yankees venture to Kansas City in the early evening.

It’s anyone’s guess how it will play out as we see who will advance to the AL and NL Championship Series, but one thing we can count on is the games will feature more than a few surprises along the way.

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IS THE BENGALS’ SEASON OVER? – My quick answer to my own question is no, not yet. But it is on life support, especially considering just how awful the defensive unit is performing.

After Sunday’s crushing loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Cincinnati Bengals are 1-4, meaning that to even suggest they

will win at least eight or nine of their remaining 12 games and make a playoff run, is far-fetched at best. It is not completely impossible, but unless the defense makes a complete turnaround, it will once again be wait until next year.

The front office has done an abysmal job of keeping top-flight defensive talent in Cincinnati, and their draft selections in recent years have given them very little production. Those decisions are coming back to bite the Bengals in a big way. Stopping the run and big plays appear to be impossible tasks for this group, meaning the opponent controls the clock, which keeps the vaunted Orange and Black offense off the field.

Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Chase Brown and the rest of the offense is fun to watch and playing well. But they can only do so much. Burrow, who usually shows a calm and cool presence, even after tough defeats, expressed his frustration after the loss to the Ravens, admitting the Bengals are currently not a championship level team.

Without even an average defense, Burrow and company cannot be expected to score 40 or more points week after week. If the defense doesn’t get markedly better in a hurry, the Bengals are likely looking at a 7-10 record, or at best, 8-9.

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GOOD PLAYER WHO BECAME A GREAT MANAGER — Don’t let the newly-named Cincinnati Reds manager fool you with his self-deprecating words in regards to his playing career. Terry Francona may not have torn up the league when he played for the Reds in 1987, but the left-handed hitting first baseman-outfielder was a pretty fair ballplayer back in the day.

He led the University of Arizona to the 1980 College World Series championship and won the prestigious Golden Spikes Award, which is given annually to the best amateur baseball player in the nation. Francona hit .401 with 84 runs batted in for the Wildcats, and was selected in the first round of the MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos.

If not for significant injuries to both knees, Francona would have enjoyed an even more productive MLB career. He still hit .274 as a part-time player with 474 hits. His claim to fame as a Red came on April 6, 1987, when he hit a two-run home run on Opening Day at Riverfront Stadium. It was part of a nine-run fourth inning in the Reds’ 11-5 win over the Expos.

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PADRES ROOKIE WAS NEARLY A BAT CAT — San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill was the first rookie in Padres history to be named to the All-Star Game. Merrill hit .292 with 24 home runs and 90 runs batted in and the 21-year-old continues to impress.

His excellent play has continued into the postseason. The lefthanded-hitting Merrill hit a triple that proved to be the difference as the Padres won Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series against Atlanta, and he became the youngest Padre to homer in a playoff game in their Game 2 win over the Dodgers in the NLDS with an opposite-field bomb on Sunday.

Merrill is one of the brightest young stars in the game, which comes as no surprise to University of Kentucky baseball coach Nick Mingione. After earning Maryland Player of the Year honors in high school, Merrill committed to play baseball at UK. Those plans were quickly changed when the Padres selected

him in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, and he received a $1.8 million signing bonus.