The new UEFA is very different, but probably better

Asia’s continental tournament is severely bifurcated, with smaller countries left with no avenue for making it to the Champions League. North America is similar, in that it mostly excludes the Caribbean. Europe has started a move in that direction, making it difficult for the smaller countries of Europe, or those with a shorter history to get into the Champions League group stages.

This isn’t as terrible or elitist as it sounds though. There truly are only a handful of Associations in Europe that just outclass the rest of the world, let alone the continent. Getting another team from Germany in there over getting BATE from Belarus year after year, only to stumble in the group stage just makes for a more compelling tournament.

Not only does this make for a compelling Champions League, but it also sweetens the pot in the Europa League, the little brother to the Champions League. There are more chances for smaller nations to get teams deeper into that tournament, and it’s not assured that the groups will be won by English, German and Spanish sides, like in the Champions League, with Turkey, Austria, Greece and Belgium all having teams charting among the top 12 in the group stage, eligible for a top seed in the Group Stage draw.

Having the best teams in Europe playing all year long, and promoting competition at the middle tier of European football (rather than simply demolition) is going to be more entertaining, and more indicative of the overall health of the game. Also, from UEFA’s standpoint, this encourages the clubs still involved to be invested, rather than feeling like they are in the loser’s bracket, as the 4^th place team from Italy, or something.

As it stands, Rosenborg is one of two teams from Norway that finds itself in the group stage of the Europa Leage, which seems about given the current talent level now in the Europa League. There was room for Dudelange to become the first Luxembourgian team to qualify for a group stage of any European tournament. They will get a murderer's row, however, of down on their luck European powerhouses, with Real Betis, AC Milan and Olympiakos all scheduled to visit the tiny enclave.

As for the Norwegian sides, the outlook is less daunting. Rosenborg will get a pair of Red Bull affiliated teams from Salzburg and Leipzig, as well as frequent European opponent Celtic, who they have played well against in the past. Sapsborg will contend with Malmo, Besiktas and Genk, surely a manageable group. 

And that's the whole point. Everyone stands to be competetive this year, regardless of the tournaments they find themselves in. Sure, you can be upset that not as many small associations get a crack at the Champions League, but this is going to make for better, more engaging soccer all the way around. 

We get it. The SEC is good

Here, after 2 weeks of college football, is a comprehensive list of the entire conference's non-conference losses.
Tennessee: Lost to #17 West Virginia
Arkansas: Lost at Colorado State
Texas AM: Lost to #2 Clemson

Now, here is a list of the major conference opponents felled by SEC teams:
Kansas State
Louisville
Washington
Miami
Texas Tech

And then, of course, there are all the mid majors that were felled by the SEC. We get it, the SEC is good.

Banging the same drum

I harp on this all the time. It’s stupid that Minnesota only has one D1 college. I’ve heard people talk about their reasons, but the simple fact is that there aren’t any good ones. There are two local events that bring this to my attention this weekend, one on the field, and one at home.

Down in Iowa, the Iowa State Cyclones are playing the Hawkeyes for the annual Cy-Hawk trophy. The game will get national attention because of the heated rivalry between the two in state schools. In Minnesota, the only in D-1 rivalries in the state are in hockey. There are no multi-sport rivalries, and hockey doesn’t have the national attention necessary to attract attention, cash and interest from lucrative out of state students.

So that irked me. Iowa has a big rivalry game, and Minnesota doesn't. And then this morning, my wife and I were discussing out children's college, when it comes time for that (only 18 years to go!), and my wife and I each reflected on our personal journey towards picking a college. 

For me, I had two goals. One, I wanted to go somewhere with meteorology program, and I wanted to go somewhere where the athletics could be a major part of the student life (AKA, I wanted D-1). In Minnesota, the only school available was St. Cloud, and the next door options (with reciprocity) were North Dakota (not D-1 at the time, and in North Dakota) and Wisconsin. So I broadened my horizons and ended up at Purdue. 

My wife had an educational that was more broadly available, and a charge from her parents that she keep it affordable by staying in state. The breadth of opportunity with her major allowed her some options in state, which was different from me, but also, if she had the desire to go to a school with division one athletics, she was in Wisconsin, and had choices like Wisconsin, Green Bay, Milwaukee and Marquette. 

The fact that the there is only one D-1 option in state, with it's finite selection of educational programs, has to force some kids to look elsewhere. It did me. Maybe it will my kids too. In conclusion, it remains profoundly stupid that the state of Minnesota can't muster a second D-1 college.

Veteran rappers just hate everyone

I think that over the past year or so, particularly with a credit to Black Panther, modern hip hop has really received a big boost. Kendrick Lamar might end up with an Oscar for the sound track to the movie, while Donald Glover/Childish Gambino also made waves thanks to This is America, which was released concurrently with an appearance on Saturday Night Live.
It is at the height of popularity as well. J. Cole and Travis Scott sold best selling albums this year, not to mention the continuing efforts of a wide variety of artists like Pusha T, Rae Sremmurd and Big Sean, and the new to the scene Cardi B is featuring on nearly every song that she isn't the main artist. Hell, Migos became only the second group in Billboard history to place 14 songs songs in the Hot 100 at the same time. The other group? The Beatles.
That's all well and good, but just know that Eminem and Nikki Minaj hate you. Here are a couple of videos that break down exactly which people Eminem and Nikki Minaj have problems with.