The stakes couldn’t be much higher for the Cincinnati Bengals in final two games

Random notes:

▪ All that’s at stake for the Cincinnati Bengals’ final two regular season games is the possibility of home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Monday night, Zac Taylor’s team welcomes the Buffalo Bills to Paycor Stadium. The Bills are 12-3 and currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Bengals are 11-4, so a win would give Cincinnati the head-to-head advantage over the AFC East champions.

Kansas City is also 12-3, but the Bills own the tiebreaker over the Chiefs thanks to a 24-20 victory in October. Kansas City closes out the regular season with a home game against hapless Denver on Jan. 1 and a road game at Las Vegas on Jan. 8. If the Chiefs slip up, the Bengals own the tiebreaker over Kansas City thanks to a 27-24 win in Cincinnati on Dec. 4.

Last but not least, the Bengals close out the regular season against the Baltimore Ravens, who are currently a game back of Cincinnati at 10-5. Baltimore plays host to Pittsburgh on Sunday night.

If both teams win this weekend, then the Bengals and Ravens will play for the AFC North title in Cincinnati on Jan. 8. A Bengals win clinches the division and possibly the No. 1 seed. A Baltimore win gives the Ravens the division title thanks to a sweep of the Bengals. A loss and Cincinnati would drop to the No. 4 seed and possibly play at a surging Jacksonville in the first round of the playoffs.

▪ By the way, the Bengals have won seven straight games. Their last loss was Halloween night at Cleveland.

▪ Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense is certainly deserving of praise, but this year’s Cincinnati star is defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. The Bengals are ninth in the NFL in points per game allowed at 20.4.

▪ ESPN projects that the Cincinnati Reds will win 60 games in 2023. Wide-eyed optimists, those guys.

▪ Don’t look now but Richard Pitino had No. 22-ranked New Mexico off to a 12-0 start heading into Wednesday night’s game against Colorado State. Son defeated father 82-74 when Richard and New Mexico defeated Rick and Iona in Albuquerque on Dec. 18.

▪ Not to get ahead of ourselves, but Kentucky basketball’s biggest win over Louisville by margin in the John Calipari era was 90-61 on Dec. 29, 2017. That was the same day that Kentucky football lost 24-23 to Northwestern in the Music City Bowl.

▪ Not to get ahead of ourselves, but Louisville basketball’s worst season since 1935 by winning percentage was 12-20 (.375) by the 1997-98 Cardinals. U of L is currently 2-11 for a winning percentage of .154.

▪ It’s easy to forget that last year’s UK-U of L basketball game was canceled because of a COVID outbreak within the Louisville program.

▪ The over/under on this year’s Music City Bowl between Kentucky and Iowa is just a combined 31 points. Don’t ask me why, but I’d bet the over.

▪ With Texas having not yet fired Chris Beard over his domestic abuse charge — his fiancee has since recanted her story — you know the Longhorns are looking for a reason to keep their basketball coach.

▪ Heading into Wednesday’s SEC openers, the league was still hanging tough as the No. 3-ranked men’s basketball conference, according to Ken Pomeroy. The Big 12 was first, followed by the Big Ten.

▪ I want to be JT Daniels’ realtor. In his soon-to-be six-year college career, Daniels has gone from USC to Georgia to West Virginia to now Rice, where he will play in 2023. Thanks to the transfer portal, oh the places you will go.

▪ My College Football Playoff picks: Georgia will rout Ohio State in the Peach Bowl and Michigan will squeak past TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.

▪ Eastern Kentucky basketball starts Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday against Queens University of Charlotte in Richmond. Tip-off is 4 p.m. A.W. Hamilton’s team is currently 7-6. Queens is 10-3.

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