The month of October represents an abundance of change all around us. Leaves are falling, the days getting shorter and shorter, and the air is turning drastically cooler as the nighttime hours increase.
The month is also a time of transition in the world of sports: major league baseball is winding down, football has entered the midseason and pro and collegiate basketball are about to begin. The National Hockey League season has already begun, and the MLS is nearing the playoffs. There are also several golf events scattered around the country.
On the high school level, soccer and volleyball are either in or about to enter the postseason, football is now in district play as teams position themselves for the playoffs, and the onset of basketball season is nearing as well.
You’re already no doubt thinking, OK Chuck, that’s true, and rather obvious as well, so what’s your point? I suppose my ultimate point is that there is no shortage of sports topics to discuss in October.
I don’t intend for these missives to ramble on endlessly, but admittedly that can be a difficult task, especially for this loquacious old guy. My goal today is to touch on a few current happenings pertaining to football, baseball, and basketball without boring y’all to tears in the process.
Flacco-led Bengals face uphill battle
Since the Cincinnati Bengals have suffered three consecutive blowout defeats, the oddsmakers have installed the Green Bay Packers as 14-point favorites to continue the slide of the Orange and Black. Seems about right.
The Men in Stripes are banking on recent acquisition Joe Flacco to turn things around, but the problem remains the offensive line is still the same cast of characters. That group has seemingly regressed during the season, and they were unable to protect Joe Burrow and Jake Browning. Is that likely to improve with a mostly immobile 40-year-old in the pocket?
Embattled Cincy head coach Zac Taylor will try to implement a quick-passing attack to combat the pursuit of the Packers’ defensive line. The likely plan will be for Flacco to quickly get rid of the ball to avoid getting leveled. Perhaps the still strong-armed QB can be effective, if he can remain upright long enough. Just like his predecessors, however, Flacco will be hoping the Bengals can run the ball effectively enough to keep the Pack from teeing off on him in the pocket. That remains to be seen at this juncture of the season.
Who Dey Nation is hoping the veteran QB can do enough to right the ship, but the move looks rather desperate to this observer, but at least it’s something. The Bengals seldom make trades in the middle of a season, but Taylor apparently felt that Browning’s misfires would likely continue. In defense of QB2, the losses have not been solely his fault; Taylor’s questionable play calling and the porous O-line share the blame. No. 6 did throw for three scores late in the debacle versus the Lions, but that was the very definition of too little, too late.
My guess? Pack 34, Bengals 20.
MLB narrowing the field
As this is being written on Friday morning, a pair of teams have advanced to their respective League Championship Series with 3-1 conquests in the ALDS and NLDS. The Toronto Blue Jays ended another disappointing campaign from the New York Yankees, and the Los Angeles Dodgers eliminated the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Jays are awaiting the winner of Friday night’s Game Five, Detroit at Seattle matchup, while LA will meet the winner of the Game Five battle between the Cubs and Brewers Saturday evening. The best-of-seven ALCS will commence Sunday in Canada, and the NLCS begins Monday, with the site depending on the result of tonight’s game in Brew City.
As we all know, my picks are not always the most accurate, which is precisely why I don’t gamble, so I’m going to go with the teams I would like to see emerge victorious and move on. That would be the Mariners and the Brewers. If the Tigers and/or the Cubs win, I will more than likely switch allegiances.
Whatever happens, there’s one thing I will admit: I do not want to see the Dodgers repeat. It would be refreshing to see a new world champion, and my sentimental choice for the World Series matchup would pit the M’s taking on the Brew Crew.
UK can’t lose this week
At the risk of repeating myself, Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops is not the most popular fella among UK football fans at the present time. Stoops and the Cats will be back in action next Saturday when they host Texas at Kroger Field, or as I prefer to call it, Commonwealth Stadium.
Kentucky is enjoying a bye week this weekend, but the Longhorns will have their hands full in their annual grudge match against sixth-ranked Oklahoma this afternoon in Dallas. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is on his own rather warm seat with the UT faithful after last week’s loss at Florida, and a win over OU would be just what the doctor ordered. UK is hoping for a Texas letdown after their border war battle, and an unlikely upset win in the Bluegrass.
The Oklahoma-Texas clash is not the only intriguing college football clash in Week Seven this weekend. Others include top-ranked Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois, eighth-ranked Alabama at 14th-ranked Missouri, No. 7 Indiana at third-ranked Oregon, 10th-ranked Georgia at Auburn, Florida at No. 5 Texas A&M, and a local game of interest pitting the Cincinnati Bearcats against Central Florida.
The UC-UCF matchup will be televised at noon on FS1, and the Bearcats have been installed as a 10.5-point betting favorite. The Bearcats are seeking their fifth consecutive win in the series, and also its fifth win in a row this season.
Cincinnati will be counting on another fine performance from QB Brendan Sorsby and its superb running attack against the 3-2 Knights. Sorsby threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns in the Cats’ 38-30 win over Iowa State last week, and running backs Evan Pryor and Tawee Walker combined for 200 yards on 24 carries. Sorsby added 64 yards on the ground on nine attempts.
Central Florida has dropped two consecutive games, 34-20 at Kansas State, and 27-20 at home versus Kansas last week. Myles Montgomery leads the UCF rushing attack after gaining 110 yards and scoring a pair of TDs a week ago.
Roundball is back
The sport that the majority of Kentuckians love the most is about to ramp up in a big way. The NBA has already begun its preseason schedule, and the Kentucky Wildcats tipped off the season with Big Blue Madness last night.
UK also held its annual Pro Day on Tuesday, and rave reviews about coach Mark Pope’s Cats have been posted on several websites. The 2025-2026 squad will feature plenty of new faces once again, along with several key returnees. Pope is counting on this group to be much more athletic than last year’s team, and he and his staff are determined to significantly improve on the defensive end of the floor.
The upcoming season promises to be yet another exciting chapter in the history of UK basketball, and we will have more hoops discussion in the Wednesday column.
*****
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Change is the handmaiden Nature requires to do her miracles with. The land that has four well-defined seasons cannot lack beauty, or pall with monotony. Each season brings a world of enjoyment and interest in watching of its unfolding, its gradual, harmonious development, and its culminating graces.” — Mark Twain