Notes from the Sports Desk by Tyler Julson

 

I’m know I’ve said this a few weeks in a row now, but once again, the Albert Lea football team is so close. Last Friday, the team had a lead for much of the game, but gave up 10 points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead field goal with under a minute left in the game.

The Tigers have two regular season games left and one guaranteed section game. Friday they take on the two-win Tigers in Worthington, then Wednesday they host a winless Belle-Plaine team. A game against a winless Red Wing team also seems likely in the first round of sections, so these next three games could prove to be just what the Tigers need to end the season.

The Albert Lea tennis team ended its team season this past week. That team is full of young talent and by only losing one senior heading into next year, they are going to be a team on the rise next season.

As of writing this column, they still haven’t come out with the individual tennis section brackets, which is something I look forward to for every sport each season. It’s like I get to live the March Madness selection show each time a new bracket is released. I love to look at potential matchups and work through different scenarios that could play out.

The Gophers got beat by the Hawkeyes, putting them at 0-2 in the Big Ten, and now they have to travel to Columbus to take on the No. 3-ranked Buckeyes. At this point, it’s going to be a question of whether or not they can make it to a bowl game. The good news is they have seven games to get three more wins; the bad news is the schedule looks rough to get there.

The Gophers are in a better spot than the Cyclones, however, who need four wins in their final seven games and have two top 10 opponents left.

At the top of the college football rankings, I really like Notre Dame. I used to hate Notre Dame, but I think the fact that I’m sick of seeing the same old-same old in the playoffs has turned the tide for me.

What the NCAA should do is expand the playoffs to an eight-team bracket — each power-five champion automatically qualifies and three at-large bids are given out. That way they could avoid teams like UCF going undefeated and missing out on the playoffs. At least that way we could see some new teams get their shot instead of another Alabama vs. Clemson matchup.

The Vikings got their revenge against the Eagles on Sunday with a 23-21 win. The good news for them is the NFC North is still wide open, but the Bears are making a case to take it themselves.

Look who the final two undefeated teams are: the Chiefs and the Rams, my preseason Super Bowl matchup. I’m going to ride that fact for as long as I can, because my performance in the Prognosticators this year has little to be desired.

Tyler Julson is the Tribune’s sports reporter. Contact him at tyler.julson@albertleatribune.com.