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Crime
In DA Case, Former Mayor Danks Challenges AG's Right to Empanel Grand Jury
Former Jackson Mayor Dale Danks Jr., the attorney for Assistant District Attorney Jamie McBride, is challenging the attorney general's authority to ask a Hinds County grand jury to indict him …
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Politics
Bryant on State Flag: 'I'm Sorry We Don't Have It on the Ballot'
Talk of changing the Mississippi flag was non-existent on the Neshoba County Fair stage last week, but speaking to reporters afterward, Gov. Phil Bryant said Mississippians missed "a really good …
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Education
Scholarship Luncheon and Endowed Scholarship at JSU, MSU Reveille 25 Awards Program
Jackson State University's 2021 Mary E. Peoples Scholarship Luncheon will take place on Friday, Oct. 11, at 11 a.m. in the Jackson Convention Complex. The university plans to raise $150,000 …
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Education
JSU/WCC Partnership, MSU Trick or Trot Event and USM Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition
Jackson State University is partnering with Washtenaw Community College in Michigan to create a program allowing students to transfer their associate degrees, with benefits such as guaranteed admission and access …
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Health Care
MSDH Reports 17,000 COVID-19 Cases Over New Year’s Weekend
Both nationwide and across Mississippi, the COVID-19 omicron variant has continued to spread through New Year’s weekend.
Entry
Fixing the College Football Playoff
By bryanflynnFans have hope that the national championship game on Monday, Jan. 9, lives up to last year’s game, when Clemson University and the University of Alabama played an instant classic in the Crimson Tide’s 45-40 victory.
A thrilling championship game for two years in a row can mask the problems with the college-football playoffs. In the three years since the games started, just two have been close. That excludes Monday’s title game, of course.
In year one, the University of Oregon pounded Florida State University 59-20 in one semifinal. Ohio State University outlasted Alabama 42-35 in the other semifinal, and that was the only close game that year.
The first championship game under the new playoffs produced a stinker when Ohio State blasted Oregon 42-20 and took the title. Two blowouts in the first three games didn’t produce the drama everyone hoped for with the playoffs.
A first-year misstep or two wouldn’t be shocking in the first year of a new playoff. That is, until year two. Both semifinal games then ended in a rout, as Clemson spanked the University of Oklahoma 37-17, and Alabama smoked Michigan State 38-0.
So the national title game between the Tide and Tigers was one for the ages, but in the first two years, four of the six playoff games ended in blowouts.
This year saw both semifinals end with little drama, as they were over before the fourth quarter. Alabama took care of the University of Washington 24-7, and Clemson destroyed Ohio State 31-0.
That means six of the eight playoff games have produced little or no drama in the second half. The playoff committee’s job is to pick the four best teams for the playoffs and not produce drama on the field. That is the job of the four teams.
Even so, with six of the eight games being blowouts, is there a problem with the playoffs? And if there is a problem, how can it be fixed for future playoffs?
One fix would be adding more teams. That might not fix the blowouts but would produce more chances for drama.
A six-team playoff in year one would have added Baylor University as the fifth seed and Texas Christian University as the sixth seed. Baylor blew a huge fourth quarter lead to Michigan State in a 42-41 loss, but TCU blew out No. 9 University of Mississippi 42-3.
If the playoff doubled, Mississippi State University would have been a seventh seed, and Michigan State would have been the eighth seed. MSU ended up losing 49-34 to No. 12 Georgia Institute of Technology.
In year two of the playoff, No.6 Stanford University upset No. 5 University of Iowa 45-16, but No. 7 Ohio State took down No. 8 University of Notre Dame 44-28.
Again, even adding teams to the playoff might not produce more drama if the scores above are any indication. Except for Michigan State’s …
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Drink
Be My Valentine: Sweet Events and Attractions in Jackson
Many Jackson area restaurants, hotels and attractions are offering sweetheart treats in honor of Valentine's Day.
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Oxford's Changeand the McCain Slaves
NPR has one of the requisite stories about how far Oxford has come since 1962. (Doh.) This one has some good stuff from Boston Globe reporter Curtis Wilkie, who was …
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Culture, Closings and Comics
Start your weekend off by attending Cross-Pollinate Vol. 2 tonight. Speaker Larisa Mann who is a scholar, journalist and deejay in San Francisco, will be discussing her research on the …
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It's the Weekend
This weekend is one to spend with the family, attending events that everybody can enjoy. To start the weekend off, check out the second annual Fais Do-Do tonight, Oct. 15, …
Story
"Vote for Me, I'm White"
Watch this TV ad for U.S. Senate candidate Bob Corker very carefully. The pattern is very simple--each of the actors says something about Corker's (black) opponent, Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN), …
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Education
Grrrl Justice at JSU, Virtual Learning at USM and Suicide Prevention Symposium at MSU
The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University and JSU’s student organization Gathering Information Related to Ladies are partnering to host a screening and panel discussion of the short narrative …
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Food
2021 Easter Brunch Offerings
Jackson's local restaurants have all you could ever want when it comes to Easter brunch. Here is some of what's on offer for this year's holiday season.
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Education
MSU Genealogy and History Fair, JSU Fulbright Distinction and USM Scholarship Awards
Mississippi State University Libraries is hosting the E.O. and Betty Templeton Genealogy and History Fair, a virtual event featuring guest speakers specializing in African American genealogy and Southern photography, on …
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It's the Weekend!
Take time to help out a good cause this Veterans Day weekend by participating in one of the many fundraisers being held in the area. Today at the Jackson Zoo …
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Police Officers Strike Again ... and Again
On April 27, several officers from the Jackson Police Department participated in an online "terrorism course." Presumably, the course taught officers how to prevent terrorism, but these days it's hard …
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Politics
Gov. Tate Reeves Touts 'Loving Culture,' Need for Unity in Mississippi
Republican Tate Reeves is now the governor of Mississippi, presiding over a deeply red government and a legion of interests looking for pieces of the state government's full coffers.
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State
April 4 Update: COVID-19 Deaths in Mississippi Rise to 35, Could Reach 1,000
Confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 1,455 today, with the Mississippi State Department of Health adding 97 more infected people to its official tally. It also added six more deaths since …
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City & County
Azia’s Virtual Picks 5-15-20
If you're staying home like me and still need some interesting events to take part in from home, check out my virtual picks for this coming week.
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Politics
McDaniel Embraces Trump's Trade Agenda, Criticizes 'Free Trade' 'Capitalists'
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel endorsed President Donald Trump's trade agenda Wednesday, taking aim at opponent Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and "the capitalists who've been championing so-called 'free …
