Ohio State

Will NBA free agents flee Western Conference for easy road in East?

With the NBA Draft in our rearview mirrors the focus for basketball fans throughout the remainder of the summer turns to the dealings of free agency.

Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders joined Carnahan Chronicles on AM 740 The Game to discuss a handful of topics from around the National Basketball Association.

Among those is a story he wrote about marque players choosing to leave the Wester Conference in favor of teams in the East in hopes of an easier path to the NBA Finals.

“I think it’s very possible that we’ll see players that are out West coming to the Eastern Conference, or free agents that are in the Eastern Conference staying out East, because players understand that the Western Conference is brutal right now. It’s hard to make a Finals run. You can be on a loaded team in the West and still miss the playoffs,” Kennedy said.

( – Click here for J.C.’s interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders – )

Kennedy touches on a handful of NBA topics throughout the segment with a focus on players and teams from both central Florida and northeast Ohio.

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Carnahan Chronicles Radio: Super Bowl Sunday trouble, new football league, angry high school soccer dad and National Signing Day hype

I found myself caught up in a couple of crazy circumstances a week ago and decided to share those stories on the show this past Saturday.

For starters, my carelessness while running late to a Super Bowl party resulted in banging up the car of Mike Bianchi, columnist at the Orlando Sentinel and host of AM 740 The Game’s “Open Mike,” while in the parking lot at Ker’s WingHouse. We capped the opening segment by also talking about a new football league forming in 2016 that’s looking to bring yet another minor league team to Orlando next spring.

Then on Friday, while on assignment to cover a prep soccer game at West Orange High School in Winter Garden, I was nearly attacked by an angry Warriors dad in the press box. We finished the show talking about that wild encounter while giving props to the local high school state tournament teams and touching on the disturbing hype that surrounds National Signing Day on a yearly basis.

Enjoy.

Carnahan Chronicles Radio: Orlando Magic, Doc & Austin Rivers, Jameer Nelson, Orlando City Soccer Club, Cardale Jones, Pacquiao-Mayweather

The Orlando Magic beat a team with a winning record for just the fifth time this season when they knocked off Dwight Howard and the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. On Saturday’s show we talked about where the Magic currently stand while also touching on the recent L.A. reunion of Doc and Austin Rivers, who won two state basketball titles at Winter Park High School. Speaking of reunions, former Magic player Jameer Nelson has been making the rounds as of late in a bit of an unusual way as he’s now with his third team this season.

( – Click here to listen to more on Orlando Magic, Doc & Austin and Jameer Nelson – )

The Orlando City Soccer Club made it’s first-ever MLS SuperDraft selection Thursday when the Lions selected Connecticut forward Cyle Larin while UCF forward Romario Williams was taken third overall by the Montreal Impact. We opened the final segment of the show Saturday talking about Major League Soccer before touching on the decision of quarterback Cardale Jones to return to Ohio State. We also shared some thoughts on boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally meeting in the ring.

( – Click here for more about MLS SuperDraft, Cardale Jones & Mayweather-Pacquiao – )

Future looking bright for Urban Meyer and Ohio State Buckeyes

It’s not exactly a rags to riches story, but what Ohio State’s football team accomplished down the stretch this season is worthy of its “us against the world” tagline.

Hailing from the under-appreciated Big 10, the Buckeyes not only navigated the negative perceptions of its conference affiliation unbuttered, but did so after being embarrassed at home against Virginia Tech in their second game of the year.

By the end of the season Ohio State was forced to turn to the third quarterback on their roster in the conference title game against Wisconsin, a game in which they needed to win in order to be considered for the inaugural four-team College Football Playoff. The same story played out in the semifinals against Alabama, and finally in the National Championship against Oregon.

( – Click here to watch every touchdown scored Monday between Ohio State and Oregon – )

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Carnahan Chronicles Radio: Notre Dame alum and NFL first-round pick Jeff Faine talks about football past and helping foster kids

Jeff Faine was one of the fortunate ones.

Just seven days after being born Faine was adopted by parents who provided stability for a lifetime, ensuring he’d never be shuffled between foster homes throughout his childhood.

After a four-year career as a student-athlete at Notre Dame, the 2003 NFL Draft pick (21st overall) embarked on a 10-year professional playing career. Today he helps kids aging out of the foster care system by giving them a chance to transition positively into adulthood at The Faine House, which opened its doors a little more than a year ago.

Faine joined the show Saturday morning to talk about The Faine House and his playing days at Seminole High School in Sanford, Fla., with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and in the National Football League while with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals.

( – Click here to listen to J.C.’s interview with Jeff Faine on AM 740 The Game – )

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Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings (Week 14)

Injuries to quarterbacks at Baylor and Ohio State have finally moved TCU into the No. 4 spot in this week’s Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings. But how the power conferences are eventually decided this weekend will play a role in whether TCU can maintain their position. There’s just one more round of games left before the final four spots are officially wrapped up.

#1 (1) Florida State (12-0) – Won 24-19 vs Florida
#2 (2) Alabama (11-1) – Won 55-44 vs No. 15 Auburn
#3 (3) Oregon (11-1) – Won 47-19 at Oregon State
#4 (6) TCU (10-1) – Won 48-10 at Texas
#5 (4) Baylor (10-1) – Won 48-46 at Texas Tech
#6 (5) Ohio State (11-1) – Won 42-28 vs Michigan
#7 (–) Arizona (10-2) – Won 42-35 vs No. 13 Arizona State
#8 (–) Georgia Tech (10-2) – Won 30-24 at No. 16 Georgia
#9 (10) Wisconsin (10-2) – Won 34-24 vs No. 18 Minnesota
#10 (7) Mississippi State (10-2) – Lost 31-17 at No. 19 Mississippi

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Carnahan Chronicles Radio: Cowboys Stadium engagement, speeding ticket, Thanksgiving shame, NBA news, and more

I took a road trip to the Fort Worth-Dallas area this past week. A few days before starting the journey I decided to buy an engagement ring and plan a proper way to propose to my girlfriend of many, many years.

That proposal took place in an end zone at Cowboys Stadium on the final day of our trip as our 2-year old son ran wild on the field. Our final day in the area proved much more rewarding than my first night in east Texas, which resulted in a hefty speeding ticket.

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Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings (Week 13)

Not much has changed from a week ago in the Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings. FSU is still the only unbeaten from a power conference at this point in the season. The other unbeaten team barely hung on to win Saturday as Conference USA’s Marshall improved to 11-0 with a 23-18 win over UAB. Maybe one day we’ll see a team such as this get a shot at making the playoffs. Colorado State (10-1) of the Mountain West is the last remaining team left with one loss not listed below after winning 58-20 over New Mexico behind running back Dee Hart, an Alabama transfer. Would be interested in seeing Hart get a chance to run against Bama at the end of the season.

Here’s the rankings for this week:

#1 (1) Florida State (11-0) – Won 20-17 vs Boston College
#2 (2) Alabama (10-1) – Won 48-14 vs Western Carolina
#3 (3) Oregon (10-1) – Won 44-10 vs Colorado
#4 (4) Baylor (9-1) – Won 49-28 vs Oklahoma State
#5 (5) Ohio State (10-1) – Won 42-27 vs Indiana
#6 (6) TCU (9-1) – Did not play
#7 (7) Mississippi State (10-1) – Won 51-0 vs Vanderbilt
#8 (10) UCLA (9-2) – Won 38-20 vs No. 19 USC
#9 (–) Georgia (9-2) – Won 55-9 vs Charleston Southern
#10 (9) Wisconsin (9-2) – Won 26-24 at Iowa

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Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings (Week 12)

Just one college football team remains unbeaten from a power conference at this point in the season as the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles strengthened their hold on a postseason bid Saturday night. The other three spots are up for grabs between six teams with only one loss. Aside from FSU, Marshall (10-0) of Conference USA is the lone remaining unbeaten while the only other team with one loss not listed below is Colorado State (9-1) of the Mountain West.

This week’s Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings:

#1 (1) Florida State (10-0) – Won 30-26 at Miami
#2 (4) Alabama (9-1) – Won 25-20 vs No. 1 Mississippi State
#3 (3) Oregon (9-1) – Did not play
#4 (5) Baylor (8-1) – Did not play
#5 (8) Ohio State (9-1) – Won 31-24 at No. 25 Minnesota
#6 (6) TCU (9-1) – Won 34-30 at Kansas
#7 (2) Mississippi State (9-1) – Lost 25-20 at No. 5 Alabama
#8 (–) Mississippi (8-2) – Did not play
#9 (–) Wisconsin (8-2) – Won 59-24 vs No. 16 Nebraska
#10 (10) UCLA (8-2) – Did not play

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Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings (Week 11)

Did you see the College Football Playoff rankings that were released Tuesday? Looks like there’ll be plenty to complain about by the time this whole thing concludes at the end of the regular season. Quick question: Will Nebraska (8-1) or Duke (8-1) ever crack the Top 10? They’ll likely need to win their conferences for that to happen. Here’s the updated Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings…

#1 (1) Florida State (9-0) – Won 34-20 vs Virginia
#2 (2) Mississippi State (9-0) – Won 45-16 vs Tennessee-Martin
#3 (4) Oregon (9-1) – Won 51-27 at No. 17 Utah
#4 (5) Alabama (8-1) – Won 20-13 at No. 16 LSU
#5 (10) Baylor (8-1) – Won 48-14 at No. 15 Oklahoma
#6 (6) TCU (8-1) – Won 41-20 vs No. 7 Kansas State
#7 (–) Arizona State (8-1) – Won 55-31 vs No. 10 Notre Dame
#8 (–) Ohio State (8-1) – Won 49-37 at No. 8 Michigan State
#9 (3) Auburn (7-2) – Lost 41-38 vs Texas A&M
#10 (–) UCLA (8-2) – Won 44-30 at Washington

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Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings (Week 10)

The top four teams this week in the College Football Playoff, in order, are Mississippi State, Florida State, Auburn and Oregon, just as the top four teams in this week’s version of the Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings.

#1 (1) Florida State (8-0) – Won 42-31 at Louisville
#2 (2) Mississippi State (8-0) – Won 17-10 vs Arkansas
#3 (4) Auburn (7-1) – Won 35-31 at No. 4 Mississippi
#4 (3) Oregon (8-1) – Won 45-16 vs Stanford
#5 (6) Alabama (7-1) – Did not play
#6 (8) TCU (7-1) – Won 31-30 at No. 20 West Virginia
#7 (7) Notre Dame (7-1) – Won 49-39 at Navy
#8 (9) Michigan State (7-1) – Did not play
#9 (10) Kansas State (7-1) – Won 48-14 vs Oklahoma State
#10 (–) Baylor (7-1) – Won 60-14 vs Kansas

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Carnahan Chronicles Radio: College Football, Fantasy Football, Orlando Magic & Orlando City Soccer Club

On Saturday I was joined by producer Chris Vazquez to talk about Florida State vs. North Carolina State and Ohio State vs. Cincinnati before debating the Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings.

( – Click here to listen to J.C. and Chris talk college football on Saturday – )

Chris also broke down his top fantasy football options for this week.

We closed the show by talking about the Orlando Magic and upcoming NBA season and recognizing Orlando City Soccer Club’s Kevin Molino for being named most valuable player in USL Pro this season.

( – Click here to listen to J.C. and Chris talk fantasy football, Orlando Magic & Orlando City – )

CARNAHAN CHRONICLES COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKINGS (WEEK 2)

Two weeks into the season, below is the new installment of the Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings. Two teams dropped out after suffering losses:

#1 (1) Florida State (2-0) – Defending champs won 37-12 vs Citadel
#2 (2) Auburn (2-0) – Last year’s runner-up won 59-13 vs San Jose State
#3 (7) Oregon (2-0) – Won 46-27 vs No. 7 Michigan State
#4 (3) Texas A&M (2-0) – Won 73-3 vs Lamar
#5 (–) Virginia Tech (2-0) – Won 35-21 at No. 8 Ohio State
#6 (–) USC (2-0) – Won 13-10 at No. 13 Stanford
#7 (5) LSU (2-0) – Won 56-0 vs Sam Houston State
#8 (4) Georgia (1-0) – Did not play
#9 (6) Oklahoma (2-0) – Won 52-7 at Tulsa
#10 (9) Alabama (2-0) – Won 41-0 vs Florida Atlantic

Dropped out – #8 Michigan State (46-27 loss at Oregon), #10 Ohio State (35-21 loss vs Virginia Tech)

NOTES: Because FSU & Auburn played for the title last season, they remain atop these rankings… Texas A&M, Georgia & LSU won Top 25 matchups in Week 1 against teams in the Associated Press poll, but A&M drops from 3 to 4, Georgia drops from 4 to 8 and LSU drops from 5 to 7… Oklahoma (from 6 to 9) and Alabama (9 to 10) also drop after Oregon’s win over No. 7 Michigan State moves the Ducks up from 7 to 3… The moves make way for Virginia Tech (35-21 win at No. 8 Ohio State) and USC (13-10 win at No. 13 Stanford) to claim spots in the Top 10… The biggest matchup this weekend involving teams in the AP Top 25 is No. 6 Georgia (2-2) at No. 24 South Carolina.

Carnahan Chronicles Radio: Previewing Week 2 of College Football Season

On Saturday we broke down the Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings entering Week 2 and talked about big matchups this weekend involving Michigan State-Oregon, USC-Stanford, Virginia Tech-Ohio State, and Michigan-Notre Dame.

( – Click here to listen to J.C. and Chris talk about Week 2 of college football season – )

Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings (Week 1)

Since Week 2 of the college football season is rapidly approaching, we’ll keep this short and sweet. After one week of action here’s the debut of the Carnahan Chronicles College Football Rankings:

1) Florida State (defending champs won 37-31 vs Oklahoma State)
2) Auburn (last year’s runner-up won 45-21 vs Arkansas)
3) Texas A&M (won 52-28 on road at No. 9 South Carolina)
4) Georgia (won 45-21 vs No. 16 Clemson)
5) LSU (won 28-24 vs No. 14 Wisconsin)
6) Oklahoma (won 48-16 vs Louisiana Tech)
7) Oregon (won 62-13 vs South Dakota)
8) Michigan State (won 45-7 vs Jacksonville State)
9) Alabama (won 33-23 vs West Virginia)
10) Ohio State (won 34-17 vs Navy)

NOTES: Because FSU & Auburn played for the title last season, they start atop these rankings. Texas A&M, Georgia & LSU won Top 25 matchups against teams in the Associated Press poll and because of that move into the Top 5 right off the bat. The benefit of the doubt was given to Oklahoma, Alabama & Ohio State due to their respective rankings in the AP poll this week, as was the case with Oregon & Michigan State, the winner of which will likely move up following Week 2. Ohio State is the only other team on this list playing a decent opponent this weekend (Virginia Tech). Also, expect the winner of Stanford & USC to climb into the Top 10 next week.