Chase: The college football season is upon us and it’s getting into full swing with the SEC starting up this past weekend. However, many games seemed to disappoint this weekend as top tier teams fell to average or unranked teams. LSU and Oklahoma saw the brunt of this as both teams fell to unranked teams this weekend while being led by preseason Hesiman candidates. LSU lost to Mississippi State 44-34 while being led by Joe Burrow’s replacement in Myles Brennan who looked somewhat decent but could not pull off the win against the Bulldogs. The Oklahoma Sooners were upset as well by the Kansas State Wildcats who came into this game with a loss on their record already from Arkansas State. A game that no one saw the Wildcats winning, proved to be unreal as Kansas State mounted a 21-point comeback to stun the Sooners and another preseason Heisman candidate in Spencer Rattler. The Wildcat defense forced three interceptions from the quarterback and kicked a game winning field goal with under five minutes left in the game. These games were atrocious to watch but showed that every team has a chance to win during this COVID-19 football season. What do you make of how this season and this past weekend went?

Quin: It is crucial to understand the context around these two massive upsets here in week four. Primarily that both underdogs went on the road to minimal capacity stadiums that are normally much harder to win in, however the atmosphere was almost non existent. The other major take away I had from this game is the same one I have had for almost every single season of college football. Can we please quit pitching unproven young quarterbacks into the spotlight of winning a Heisman trophy. I feel like we are so caught up in the augh of Cam Newton, Johnny Manzel, and Jameis Winston breaking onto the scene in their first seasons as starting quarterbacks that we just assume that it will happen every season. This is not the case though as many Heisman winners have had some kind of starting role in their offensive systems from years before. That is why looking at Trevor Lawerence, Justin Fields, Kyle Trask or Mac Jones is a more proven group to keep an eye on than young players like Brennan and Rattler. The results of this weekend in the SEC also have me looking forward to the rest of the year as it appears no team will be safe this season due to limited practices and lack of home field advantages.

Chase: The NBA Finals are set as the LA Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets in five games while the Miami Heat get rid of the Boston Celtics in a six game stretch. The Lakers are back in the Finals for the first time since 2010 while the Heat are back for the first time since Lebron’s departure in 2014. The last time both of these teams were led by perennial players at the time in Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, respectively. Now the Lakers are being led by Lebron James and the Heat are led by Jimmy Butler, however these players are not leading the teams in the statistical categories as one might presume. These players are leading through their veteran experience and their outspoken personalities to win. The series could come down to the wire as the Heat do have the two best statistical defenders against Lebron James in Jimmy Butler and Andre Iguodala. This could prove to be a tough series for Lebron as he returns to the Finals since last leaving Cleveland. What could be the biggest matchups or concerns you have for the Lakers during this Finals stretch?

Quin: It is crucial to me that Miami slow down Lebron and force Anthony Davis to beat them. I feel that taking this approach will help the Heat stay competitive and even win a couple games in the series. However, none of that really matters because the star-power for the Lakers is off the charts. I think the Heat will find success in slowing down Lebron, but I believe that Anthony Davis will step up to the pressure and earn a Finals MVP for his performance helping the Lakers secure another championship for their illustrious trophy room. I feel another aspect of this matchup that will have a massive impact on the result is Kobe Bryant. I expect the Lakers to come out and win this championship in honor of Kobe.

Chase: I did hear speculation that if Lebron James wins the Finals but the Finals MVP, it will hurt his legacy more than it helps him. Experts have said that it will hurt Lebron more because every time Kobe or Michael Jordan played in the finals they won the FMVP. I do not necessarily believe that it will tarnish Lebron’s legacy because he has played more of a role as a facilitator and veteran leader than the statistical champion for his team. I believe this will be Anthony Davis’ year to shine and perform in his first ever Finals appearance. However, like Quin mentions if the Heat put all the pressure on Davis to perform it could cause trouble as Davis is known to take some games off putting pressure on the role players and Lebron to perform more. If Davis does take those nights off, we could see a swing in games for the Heat to where they push the series all the way to seven games. This series should not go past six games but if Lebron and Davis do not dominate like they are predicted to do, it could prove to be troubling for this Los Angeles Lakers team.

Quin: Regardless of how this series turns out I am just looking forward to having the storyline of Lebron v Heat in the Finals. It truly is a great story for the sports world to follow. The final story of today’s discussion centers around the NFL MVP race. With three weeks down for the season how do you see the MVP race going?

Chase: My big three so far for the MVP race is Russell Wilson, Josh Allen and Josh Jacobs. All of these players have come out of the gates quick with Russell Wilson leading the league in passing touchdowns, tied at sixth for interceptions with one, and Top-5 in passing yards. Josh Allen is second in passing touchdowns, tied with Wilson for interceptions, but is second overall in passing yards so far this season. Lastly, Josh Jacobs might seem like a long shot to some people however he is on pace to destroy his rookie year in which he should have won Offensive Rookie of the Year. In 2019, Jacobs had 242 attempts for 1,150 yards with seven rushing touchdowns and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. This season through the first three games, he already has 68 attempts for 252 yards, three touchdowns, and averaging 3.7 yards per carry. He also has amassed 75 receiving yards on 13 targets compared to 166 yards on 27 targets in 2019. He only played 13 games in 2019, and if he stays healthy to play all 16 games this season, he could be a monster for Las Vegas. He is getting more attempts and receptions than he did last year and could easily eclipse a double-digit touchdown marker this year while potentially notching a 1,500 yard season on the ground for the Raiders. Wilson is my front runner, while Allen comes in right behind him, and then Jacobs falls into third but I believe Jacobs has the most potential as long as his play keeps up.

Quin: I wholeheartedly agree with you over both Russell Wilson and Josh Allen because the years they have had up to this point have been unbelievably good. Both of these teams have leaned heavily on these quarterbacks and they are returning the good faith with crazy good performances. However, while I love the play of Josh Jacobs up to this point I feel like he is a bit behind the curve when it comes to running backs so far this year. By far to me the best running back this season and my number three choice for MVP is Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints. He has been the lynchpin in this Saints offense so far this season and will continue to do so as long as he stays healthy. Two other players I would like to shout out for their performance up to this point would have to be Aaron Rogers and Nick Chubb as both players have served the role of carrying their offenses on their backs.

Quin: If you want to share your opinions with us feel free to email [email protected] and check out The Talking Heads Podcast for even more sports news from both Chase and me. New episodes come out every Friday on Apple Music, Spotify, and Soundcloud.