Daily Dirt: Hockey is not a major sport … and what happened to my taste buds?

Daily Dirt for Oct. 1, 2021

There’s a couple of things I need to get off my chest in the first two of three thoughts in Vol. 84 of the Daily Dirt:

1. Hockey should never be referred to as a “major sport.” It’s not. It’s that simple. That’s why the TV ratings are so microscopic. It’s a regional sport. I know that’s hard to accept for a Blues fan, or fans of any other franchise in the NHL, but outside those teams’ circle of geographical influence sports fans in general don’t care. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being an NHL fan, just don’t try and sell it to others as one of the major sports. Sorry, puckheads.

2. Any local trash collector who leaves a bigger mess than what was supposed to pick up would be fined. More than once would be a suspension. The third time and it would be adios. There’s simply no excuse for this. If a trash collector does not like what he is doing, simply go find another job. There are plenty of fast-food establishments that need workers and are offering quality wages.

3. Who’s ready for another big weekend of college football? Here’s your primer — Stevie Mud’s top 10 Tier 1 (Power 5 conferences) and Tier 2 (Group of 5 conferences) rankings.

Tier 1

1. Alabama (4-0): Tide tackles Ole Miss on Saturday. Don’t sleep on the 3-0 Rebels.

2. Georgia (4-0): Game of the week could be Bulldogs vs. No. 9 Arkansas.

3. Penn State (4-0): Nitttany Lions are arguably one of the two most improved teams in the Big Ten. (Maryland, 4-0, is the other. And for those interested, you would see the Terps at No. 16 in an extended version of the Tier 1 rankings.)

4. Florida (3-1): To say the Gators are the best one-loss team in the nation would be a mighty understatement.

5. Iowa (4-0): I’m still not completely sold on the Hawkeyes.

6. Oregon (4-0): Ducks should have little trouble with Stanford.

7. Ohio State (3-1): Rutgers is greatly improved Greg Schiano, but they’re not — yet — in the same class as the Buckeyes.

8. Michigan (4-0): I used to be friends with Jim Harbaugh’s late brother, Jerry. That really has so significance as far as these rankings are concerned, but you’re welcome anyway.

9. Arkansas (4-0): Sam Pittman early leader for coach of the year.

10. Notre Dame (4-0): Irish vs. No. 1 Tier 2 Cincinnati (3-0) might be the most interesting game of the day on Saturday — at least on paper.

Tier 2

1. Cincinnati (3-0): Luke Fickell is already one of the most sought-after Division I coaches. What would an upset of Notre Dame do for resume?

2. Fresno State (4-1): Bulldogs’ only loss was a close call to Oregon.

3. San Diego State (4-0): Aztecs are idle this weekend.

4. UTSA (4-0): Jeff Traylor top Tier 2 coach of the year candidate at this point.

5. SMU (4-0): Mustangs should coast past South Florida this weekend.

6. Appalachian State (3-1): I need an App State jersey.

7. Western Michigan (3-1): P.J. Fleck taught ’em to row the boat. They’re still rowing.

8. UCF (2-1): How many realize Gus Malzahn is the coach at UCF? He rebounded quite well after leaving Auburn.

9. Nevada (2-1): Tier 2 game of the week is Nevada vs. No. 10 Boise State.

10. Boise State (2-2): After all these years, that crazy blue turf is still cool.

Steve Fact O’ The Day
I had a nasty case of COVID-19 last fall, and the one lingering effect is I no longer care for the taste of Coca-Cola. Coke was my go-to-drink for more than 50 years, and now my taste buds prefer Mountain Dew and of — all bizarre things — Squirt.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He also dislikes Canadians.