Donovan Mitchell on the Move

NBA star heading to Cleveland, Big Time College Football news, and a review of the Gophers first football game.

Hi all and welcome back to this week’s edition of Three Up, Three Down.  As I begin my sophomore year of college, these might start coming out at some more random times.  Not to worry, I’ll still be here every Friday for you guys.  Without wasting any more time, let’s hop into it.

1. Donovan Mitchell Shipped to Cavs

In a trade that happened on September 1, Utah Jazz star player Donovan Mitchell was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a combination of players and draft picks.  Sent back to the Jazz in return are forward Lauri Markannen, guard Ochai Agbaji, and guard Collin Sexton, who will sign a 4 year, $72 million dollar extension with the Jazz upon his arrival.  Also headed to Utah are 3 future unprotected first round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029, with pick swaps in 2026 and 2028 as toppers.  To start, I think it’s a rare occasion where both teams win this trade on paper.  The Jazz got young players and future assets that they can use to rebuild their team or make trades down the line; the Cavs got a star ball handler who can put the ball in the hoop at will and create offense for other people.

Mitchell looks to add some of his playoff experience to a young Cavs’ team.

The one question that I propose to the Cleveland Cavaliers: who is your backcourt going to guard?  It’s been no secret that Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell have been below average on the perimeter and that’s partly due to the fact that they’re both 6’1” or shorter.  With the way the league works now with all of its offensive talent, it’s hard to hide 2 guys off of the ball, so either Garland or Mitchell are going to have to step up and defend a solid backcourt player.  

Here’s what it does open up: the basket.  Donovan Mitchell has showed an excellent capability to get to and finish at the rim, throw lobs to his now threatening teammates Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, and even kick it out to shooters.  Last year, especially in the play-in game versus Brooklyn, it was obvious that Cleveland struggled with being one dimensional.  Caris LeVert was able to self-create a little bit, but it was mostly the Darius Garland show.  With the addition of an all-star guard, a 4 all-star player starting lineup isn’t out of the question next year for the team in The Land.

2. College Football Playoff Expanded to 12 Teams

In news that just came out, the College Football Playoff’s board of managers has voted to expand the playoffs to 12 teams by 2026, but is trying to pressure the action to be set for 2024.  What will not change in this format is the ranking of the teams, as the CFP selection committee will continue to rank the teams as they see fit.  As far as the details, the 4 highest seeded conference champions will be awarded a first-round bye for their performances, and teams seeded 5 to 12 will play each other on either the second or third weekend of December.  

I believe this is a great step forward for college football; it creates a ‘March Madness’ type environment, which is something that everybody is able to fall in love with.  It gives the 12 seed a chance to make a ‘Cinderella run’ to the championship, which would help funding and recruiting towards the school.  One thing this new format removes is automatic 1-loss write offs.  For example, last year: if Cincinnati lost any game throughout their season, they would’ve been, without question, out of the playoff.  However, a 1-loss Michigan (to Ohio State) or a 1-loss Ohio State (to Michigan) won’t automatically be eliminated from playoff contention. 

This new format gives more ‘small-time’ teams a chance to showcase their talent.'

As far as the negatives of this move go, I don’t really see one.  One part of the new format that makes me a little shaky is the timing of the games.  If they play the second weekend of December, that’s 1 week to prepare from possible conference championship games for the game of the year for these teams.  Is that enough?  Also, bowl games aren’t going away with this new format; therefore, how will the NCAA schedule bowl games so people can watch them but also not interfere with their playoff games?  These are questions that I can’t wait to have answered, but in principle, more teams means more games, and I’m all for more college football.

3. Minnesota Football off to a Great Start

Coming in as 36 point favorites versus a severely lackluster football team, the Golden Gophers showed out on Thursday night.  They covered the spread as they beat the New Mexico State Aggies 38-0 with little resistance.  As many of you may have heard on the podcast Noah and I did a while back, we both attend the University of Minnesota, so I was at the game, taking notes.  

Ibrahim (24) looks to give the Gophers a propel forward to a Big Ten West Division win.

Mohamed Ibrahim, one of the nation’s top running backs was finally back last night after a season ending injury last year in the first game against a talented Ohio State squad.  Ibrahim didn’t seem to miss a beat as he averaged 6.3 yards per carry on 21 of them, giving him 132 yards while he tacked on 2 touchdowns.  Mo’s performance was extremely indicative of the game for the Gophers, as they ran the ball 57 times for 297 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The offensive line was able to push the Aggies defensive line multiple yards off the ball right when the ball was snapped, giving Ibrahim, Potts, and even quarterback Tanner Morgan touchdowns for the night.  Tanner Morgan only completed 13 passes last night (of 19) for 174 yards in what looked like a pretty good performance.  One of the bigger complaints about Morgan last year was his inability to look off his first read, or create plays off schedule.  He didn’t explicitly display either of these last night, but there seemed to be some progress for the super-senior.  

On the other side of the ball, the Gophers gave up 0 points.  That’s all that needs to be said.  Now, New Mexico State isn’t exactly an offensive juggernaut, but the Gophers still stifled the Aggie offense, allowing only 91 total yards and 6 first downs.  Not ideal numbers for Jerry Kill, who used to be the head coach at Minnesota.  NMSU only turned the ball over one time, as quarterback Gavin Frakes threw an interception near the end of the game to Terell Smith close to the red zone.  Again, it’s not like Minnesota beat Alabama 38-0, but it appeared like the Gophers made some major improvements in the offseason.

Well, that does it for this Friday’s edition of Three Up, Three Down. Thanks for checking in and I hope you all have a safe and healthy weekend. Take it easy, my friends.