That’s what analyst and former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman had to say about the game, and it’s exactly what the Bears did. Manhandle them. Like moms on Black Friday trying to get Christmas presents.

This year, the Chicago Bears gifted their fans a statement win over the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, 24-15. This marks the Bears’ fifth straight win and guarantees a winning season for them for the first time since 2018. The vibes are so up.

A big shot of adrenaline for the Bears came from the return of defensive backs Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon from injury. Even with the linebacking core decimated, it was nice to see the secondary getting back up to speed once again. 

The game started with an omen of things to come as the two-headed monster of running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai powered Chicago deep into Philadelphia territory, but ultimately came up short on a fourth down. 

Next drive, they finished what they started as Swift galloped into the endzone to give the Bears the first points of the day. 

Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift (4) celebrates a touchdown in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, November 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)

The Eagles began to build some momentum of their own by driving down the field, but quarterback Jalen Hurts missed wide-open receiver Devonta Smith over the middle, forcing them to settle for three. 

The Bears responded with a field goal of their own after some bad misses from their quarterback, Caleb Williams, and that was all she wrote for the first half. 

“The score’s only 10-3, but it feels like it’s 21-3”, commentator Kirk Herbstreit remarked about the half. He likely felt this way because, despite the fact that Philadelphia was 8-3, down by seven at home, and had won the Super Bowl nine months ago, their offense was thunderously booed after nearly every play. The defense was also being routinely pushed around by the Bears’ offensive line, creating rushing lanes so big a school bus could drive through them. 

The other side of the coin, though, is that while the Chicago felt like they were dominating, they weren’t dominating on the scoreboard, which is very dangerous against a team as talented as Philly. 

The second half initially gave credence to this feeling, as after Hurts threw just his second interception of the season to Bears safety Kevin Byard, the offense got no points to show for it. 

The Eagles punished the Bears for this mistake as receiver A.J. Brown snatched a pass out of the air for a touchdown. Kicker Jake Elliott’s missed extra point kept the score at 10-9, but the Bears needed to keep their foot on the gas if they wanted to get out with a win. 

Williams didn’t seem to get this memo, as he threw an interception to Eagles defensive end Jalyx Hunt. Off the takeaway, they moved the ball effectively and prepared to use their “unstoppable” tush push to get another first down. 

Somehow, though, Chicago defensive back Nahshon Wright discovered a way to stop this tush push. Just force a fumble. It worked to perfection and gave his team the ball back. 

The offense managed to take advantage of this takeaway as Monangai got his touchdown to make it 17-9 in the fourth quarter. A touch pass from Williams to tight end Cole Kmet made it 24-9. 

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai (25) carries the ball for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, November 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)

Woah. With 6:19 left, the Bears had a fifteen-point lead on the road in a game that many expected them to be blown out in and exposed as “frauds”. Through 54 minutes, it looked like they weren’t.

The time limit is the important part there, as once again, the Eagles remembered they have a surplus of talent on offense, and A.J. Brown scored another touchdown. They attempted a two-point conversion to make it a seven-point game, but came up empty. Still a two-possession game. 

Chicago grinded out the clock and forced Philadelphia to use all their timeouts, but couldn’t extend the lead, giving Philadelphia the ball with 1:12 to go.

They got into field goal range to give Elliott a chance to make it a one-possession game, but his kick was wide. The Bears’ victory was sealed. Even away from the Windy City, wind is still Chicago’s best friend. 

The Bears had done it, their biggest win in years. It wasn’t like many of their other wins this season either. No last-second comebacks, no game-winning kicks, no fluky plays. Just total control from start to finish. 

The Chicago Bears just might be a legitimate team in Ben Johnson’s first season as head coach. A year ago, on Black Friday, the Bears fired their head coach, Matt Eberflus, after his awful game management embarrassed the team on Thanksgiving. 

This year, their head coach took his shirt off to give Chicagoans free hot dogs from the Weiner Circle. This is the most optimistic Bears fans have been about the team in a long time, but as Johnson said in his locker room speech, “they’re hungry for more.”

Next week, the Bears face an even bigger test. Their hated rival, the Green Bay Packers, at Lambeau Field. Whoever takes that game takes the division lead. It’s going to be nothing short of mayhem. All. Out. War.

The post Making a Statement: Bears run over Eagles, 24-15 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Enter: Her New Knife, the Philadelphia by way of Tallahassee shoegaze outfit. chrome is lullaby is their latest EP released under Julia’s War. They’ve been active for a while lumbering onto the scene with 2021’s Destroza, a four track effort only just breaking 15 minutes. It would lay the groundwork for the sound that they’d become known for. Destroza was generally regarded positively upon its release, and for good reason, playing into the more alternative rock influenced side of shoegaze, the EP is a vast, brooding, and impactful effort for the quick runtime. Listeners get exactly what they want from buried melodies, and eyes of the storms whipped together in a haze of malaise and morose fuzz. Already, the band’s knack for patient builds, explosive climaxes, and roiling sonic palettes is evident, as is their tendency to deliver the goods in bite-sized chunks.

chrome is lullaby is the fourth EP they’ve put out, with no album, which is a refreshing change of pace in an era where the biggest artists in the industry are putting out entire second deluxe albums for each release. Her New Knife does not saturate the listener. From here, the band appears to shift from their roots in subsequent singles and EPs from the heavy, chugging pacing of prior projects to a new emphasis on dynamism and tempo, all with the same blissed-out staticky halo, of course.

This is all to preface chrome is lullaby. At six songs and just over 20 minutes, this marks Her New Knife’s most significant project to date, and for good reason. They lean further into their aforementioned trajectory of dynamism, occasionally favoring a more stripped back sound entirely. Such is the case on opener “kittyriff”, featuring gloomy Spanish vocals over driving guitar lines that begin quite bare but gain weight as they continue. The lead single “purepurepure” continues this formula, this time with grinding bass, and clattering instrumentals creating the impression of a heavier, less whimsical feeble little horse, circa Girl with Fish. The back half of this track, with its screamed vocals in particular, are sure to be a pit pleaser.

“vitamin beauty” marks a shift to a more jangly sound, reminiscent of earlier acts, most prominently Majesty Crush. Her New Knife ensures though that the sound remains thoroughly their own, with jagged riffs and high, murmured vocals. “12r” is without a doubt the most outright riotous of the EP, with aggressive, industrial tinged riffs akin to Model/Actriz, backed with clanging metallic sounds and dark yet cloying vocals. The track then ignites towards its end.

Following it, “skinny/baby” marks another swerve, this time into a sweeter, lighter acoustic approach, while falling into a feeling of disgrace in the middle. It shows the diversity of the tones the band can put into any space, giving an emotional richness. “vesselera” serves as a vivid closer to a quality EP, leaving the listener enticed by its slightly dinged, pacifying sheen before ringing out at the very end. chrome is lullaby is perhaps the most developed of anything the band has put out thus far. It’s undoubtedly worth checking out for anyone remotely interested in contemporary shoegaze.

The post Controlled Demolition on Her New Knife’s “chrome is lullaby” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

This feeling was incredibly significant when I discovered They Are Gutting a Body of Water for myself. I can’t possibly claim that I was there as a fan starting from the band’s offset. I was a 15-year-old high school sophomore living in Dubuque, Iowa when the album dropped in 2019 with no logical way of knowing what was going on in the underground Philadelphia rock scene at the time. I had first heard the song “eightball” off their album Destiny XL when I was driving to see one of my friends who lived 30 minutes north right along the Mississippi in the late summer of 2022 before I left for college. The noisiness and discordant arpeggio melodies were much to my liking, but the tracks punctual switch-ups were what was so captivating.  

College’s initial great change must’ve made everything too crazy to find time to sit down and listen to things, because the album sat in the back of my mind until I heard “eightball” fade in over some breakbeats in a DJ set. I gave Destiny XL a full listen the next morning and was enraptured by its searing, discordant distortion and blown out, battering riffs with interludes of drum and bass in-between. I saw they were playing a show in Davenport in October but wasn’t able to find anyone with a car or time to go in those early isolated times. I just had to view the photos taken from somebody’s backyard in the following days. 

Not too long after that time I had also been entranced by feeble little horse’s Hayday and all its sparkling energy. It was very healing listening to the buzzing noisy tracks. The record was originally release #008 on the Julia’s War label. Being obsessed with Hayday led me to discover more that revolved around the label, like the Wednesday monthly vlogs and music videos, the Hotline TNT Audio Tree performance in a ski shop, and the “I THINK IT’S OVER” video that followed TAGABOW on tour.  

After the first semester of college in December of 2022, I visited Chicago with my friend who was going to a national composer conference. One night, I didn’t really have much to do, so I just walked around the frozen dark streets in Armour Square and put on Destiny XL. The semi-sprawled grids, highway overpasses towering over otherwise normal city blocks, fluorescent streetlamps staining the cracked concrete white, and dirty tiny snowbanks defined the winter urban environment. It accentuated the atmosphere while walking around with the album’s dark grittiness and sheathing frostiness, fully enveloped in place and time.  

When the cold was too numbing to further bare, and I returned to the place we were staying, I laid in front of my laptop. Its blue glow and the orange lights from outside were the only things that lit up the dark room. I just searched They Are Gutting A Body Of Water and looked through their old webpages and accounts, most of them stylized with appropriated mashed up early 2000s imagery. I came across the band’s SoundCloud which had the recently released lucky styles and FC GORIS EP, along with a bunch of unreleased drum and bass tracks, and somewhat fleshed out riffs. I spent that night just listening through as much as I could, enticed by the treasure trove of music that I found. 

Only a couple months later, this bubble of east coast shoegaze burst to where everyone was rightfully appreciating it. At the time, I felt like I had come across something incredible that was new and unknown since no one else I really knew at the time was talking about it. It was that enthralling feeling of discovery that made the world around me feel exciting and optimistic despite the surrounding chaos at the time. 

In June, TAGABOW released swanlike a collection of loosies from 2020-2023. Most of the tracks on this compilation album come from the band’s SoundCloud page on playlists titled “sc bp excl” and “finger top digital good”. On the first listen through, most of the songs were recognizable. “killfraiser” and the opener “solo gay bowser” stood out as iconic. It still gave this frontier feeling having these songs in a new lens.

swanlike is a very different vibe from Destiny XL or any other TAGABOW release. Some of the tracks do come off like they were just thrown on there, such as “lu tamé” or “voicememmo” but it makes sense since they are all demos in a way. It’s not inherently cohesive, but that’s what you would expect from something referred to as “loosies”. The essence of each track though matches, and that probably comes from their shared origin on a SoundCloud page just made by a guy trying to see what he could get to sound cool. Experimentations out of boredom and making something not boring, making it feel earnest. Maybe it comes from the overall lo-fi fuzzy sound in the instrumentals, the strange ideas that shine through in parts like the middle of “elysian fields”, or the constant switch-ups.  

Of course, along 22 tracks there is a wide range of tones and emotions reflected in swanlike. A song like “clit eastwood” is an all-out rager with a bouncy blasting ending, impossible to quell any excitement. This is along with a plethora of other blistering drum and bass tracks. “beautysleep” and “day of the dead” feels in a way like signature TAGABOW with dragging, chorused acoustic parts and dejected vocals found in gestures been mixed with the drum machine loops and digital sound flairs in the band’s newer material. A lot of these tracks generate a very poignant yearning.

The first listen to swanlike was in a similar situation to the night walk with Destiny XL, just a different time, setting, and context. It was in Berlin just after I had recovered from jet lag and didn’t know what to do yet, so I just walked. I went through different areas in Friedrichshain and Kreuzburg in the early evening golden summer sun that seemed to linger on forever. The aimless drift dragged me along an urban fabric of faux-old ornamental stone buildings, on bridges over worn out metro tracks with vegetation sprouting through, and through ribbons of green space with occasional ruins.  

Again, the environment was accented by the varying sounds in the songs playing. Drudging acoustics often bit crushed in a processor, spacey reverberating drums, windy or pitched up vocals, quick switching samples, digital audio artifacts, and rapid drum brakes define the record. They all wove in with the scenery itself. All of it felt very vibrant and spirited. Even the more exhausted, low-energy moments like on “pacey” felt very grounded, as if there were just an overall acceptance of the way things would be. It has an air of defeatism, but without overbearing anguish.  

This feeling was ever more pervasive when “heavy vegetable” switched on near the end of the record’s runtime. A plucked, saccharine guitar plays throughout most of the track, and the ghostly phases that oscillate throughout the track give a very tender and longing feeling. A lightly hustling drum loop plays underneath in contrast. Everything around was so in touch with me, like it was whirring by my body. In that vivid moment, with that mix of feelings, it was all very lucid. There was a sharp resignation, but with the urge to continue to move along in hope the next thing would be better. On the path of discovery I found in that new place, in that new moment, it was better. 

The post Rediscovery in “swanlike” by They Are Gutting a Body of Water appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Formed out of Philadelphia, this trio (sometimes quartet) of punks could never have expected the fanfare they were going to receive in this small college town trapped in the Midwest. Touring to promote their 2022 album Diaspora Problems, they hardly have the following to justify this turnout, having only 65,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. The lead single off this album, “Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmyass?),” however, has over a million plays on the site, indicating their potential for a wider appeal to audiences in the future. Soul Glo has been moving away from their lowkey acts these past few months, playing at Coachella and accumulating prestige along with riches. So, riding the wave of hype following their performance at one of the most famous music festivals in the world, it wouldn’t be unfair of them to assume that this gig at a dive bar in Iowa City would matter very little in the grand scheme of their careers. 

Image via Jayce Bertrand

But the band, as well as most of the audience, would soon realize how wrong this sentiment was. Between Bootcamp stepping off the stage and Soul Glo setting up their equipment, more and more people began pushing into that upper room. They crowded the bar, the sides of the stage, and the stairs leading up from the downstairs entrance. While the two opening performances were attended mainly by die-hard local hardcore punks who make the scene their religion, the more average audience member with a taste for hardcore music began making their way towards the stage. Before, you could stand in the front row and avoid the mosh pit altogether. Now bodies crammed together and mixed sweat. There was no choice but to move with the rest of the crowd. This was all before sound check even began. By the time lead vocalist Pierce Jordan stepped onto that stage, the excitement in the air was palpable. People of all walks of life, all types of style, had come to watch this band with no more than 65,000 monthly listeners perform. 

A brief reprieve before I detail that performance. Just as guitarist GG Gueverra and drummer TJ Stevenson began to tune and check their instruments, Jordan stepped off the stage, right into the crowd in order to grab some drinks. As he moved towards the bar, a young fan stepped in his way, eagerly holding out their hand and gushing about how excited they were for Soul Glo to play. Jordan shook their hand and thanked them, and to my surprise, he stayed in his position, talking to them for more than five minutes before carrying on towards the bar. I can’t begin to imagine how touching of a moment this must have been for Jordan: a fan absolutely exhilarated to be just talking to him. It was at that moment that I was totally sold on Soul Glo.

Pierce Jordan scowling into the camera. Image via Jayce Bertrand

I had frequently played their songs “Driponomics” and “We Wants Revenge” (a personal favorite of mine) on my show with KRUI, but you can never be sure about an artist until you encounter them live. Jordan embodies that authentic excitement of an up-and-coming artist that is so rarely seen in this age of industry plants and one-hit-wonder TikTok stars. There’s a poster framed at the entrance of Gabe’s, showcasing the moody faces of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Chad Channing, Nirvana’s drummer before Dave Grohl joined around 1990. Nirvana performed at Gabe’s a year earlier in 1989, before Nevermind ever released and before the band skyrocketed into international fame. At that time it was just three twenty-somethings who wanted to share their music, never knowing how famous they would ever become. One must imagine if Soul Glo could follow a similar trajectory. 

Now the performance. Jordan offered few words to introduce the band before erupting into an opening jam, causing the crowd to immediately begin a frantic and chaotic surge of moshing and pushing and head-banging. The front row was no longer a safe zone, a fact which I can personally attest to, as the people behind me shoved forward, not out of aggression, but out of a hardcore love of the music. Jordan attempted to walk across the edge of the stage, only to fall right on top of me before joining in the moshing for a few seconds. Throughout the performance he played to my camera, making faces and posing for uber-punk photos. Meanwhile, GG Gueverra shredded his guitar like a maniac, throwing himself into the music as the audience members closest to him gestured, no, begged for him to keep going. After that initial jam, Stevenson took off his shirt, already sweating from the sweltering heat that was filling the packed room. 

Image via Jayce Bertrand

After a few of their lesser-known songs, Soul Glo exploded into “We Wants Revenge,” one of their more popular tracks. The audience responded accordingly; it was at this point that stage diving began, something the band gleefully encouraged in typical punk-fashion. Not a single person was staying still during this song, either due to their own love of the performance, or from the overwhelming wave of bodies pushing towards the stage. Jordan’s mic consistently struggled to carry his voice over the crashing drums and shrieking guitar, but this was a song that needed no vocal support; everyone in the crowd recognized Gueverra’s hectic riffs, and they sang right along with Jordan. 

As “We Wants Revenge” died down, a moment of levity took the stage, and if Soul Glo ever finds itself having a biopic made about them, this moment would be the end of the first act, right as the fun began. Panting and sweating, Jordan just barely managed to gasp out a single sentence: “We had no idea so many people were going to be here.” The crowd erupted into applause and municipal pride, but his sentence continued to ring throughout the room; this band had performed at Coachella, they were embarking on a tour of Japan in the coming months, but the fervent people in Iowa City are what surprised them. This turnout could prove to be the climax of their early career, when they realize just how popular they are becoming. 

Image via Sammond Hamuel

There’s no telling where Soul Glo is bound to take off in the near future. Perhaps the industry will never be ready, or willing, to return to the alternative scene that brought that other Gabe’s headliner fame in 1991. Or, there’s a chance that people want new music and new sounds by new people who previously had no connection to the industry; the latter is most certainly proven by the turnout for this performance. Wherever Soul Glo heads off to, though, I am certain Iowa City will remain a turning point for the band, marking the moment they realized just how much of a draw they were for venues, and how special their sound really is.

The post Iowa City Proves to Be a Turning Point for Soul Glo appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: TJ Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

Younger brother of future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt. Same college, Wisconsin, as elder brother J.J. Watt. Similar draft hype as J.J. Watt coming into 2017, as we see at midseason, the hype was not misplaced. 7 games into the season, T.J. Watt has put up tremendous numbers. 21 solo tackles, 5 additional assisted tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 interception. Very strong start from his first outings as a professional, looking forward to seeing this young man grow into the monster that T.J. Watt can become.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

This may be a controversial pick for some, but a tough decision for me nonetheless. Running back Kareem Hunt and Quarterback Deshaun Watson will battle to the end of the season for the award.

However, Deshaun Watson appears to be more elite. Starting merely 5 games, Watson has still thrown for 1,297 yards, 15 touchdown, 5 interceptions, completing passes at a 61.5 percent clip. Deshaun has even rushed for an additional 202 yards with two touchdowns on the ground to compliment. Despite all this, an even more impressive stat is Watson’s total QBR at 80.8. This rating leads league, higher than the likes of household names such as Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and even defending MVP Matt Ryan. This earns him the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Comeback Player of the Year: Rob Gronkowski, New England

Playing a mere 8 games last year, Rob Gronkowski had yet another injury riddled season. Despite playing only half the season, in two of the eight games, Gronkowski was nowhere to be seen with no receptions. His season ended with back surgery, putting Rob on the shelf for good. Entering the 2017 regular season, Gronkowski’s health and durability had become a large question mark for the New England offense. Nonetheless, the Gronk has bounced back in a way few experts projected. With 452 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns on 29 receptions, Rob Gronkowski has nearly surpassed the entirety of last season’s output. 25 receptions, 540 yards, and only 3 touchdowns was the 2016 statline among his eight outings. Barring another injury, *knock on wood* Rob Gronkowski should own this year’s Comeback Player of the Year award.

Coach of the Year: Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams

The Rams may just be the surprise of the year. Following a miserable 4-12 record, the 2017 offseason did not show many roster changes, expecting to repeat the previous season’s failures.

Despite only notably adding wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, the Los Angeles Rams has made unbelievable changes moving forward. Their 5-2 record can be accounted due to the mindset of Head Coach Sean McVay. Following up the abomination of a coaching job completed by Jeff Fisher, McVay continues the dominant march of the defense. Additionally, Sean McVay has made the necessary changes to turn around the offense from a piddling 14.0 points per game in the 2016 to an astonishing 30.3 points per game, the highest scoring offense in the league. Coach Sean McVay is the difference moving this Rams football team past its previous mediocrity, earning McVay the 2017 Coach of the Year award.

Defensive Player of the Year: Melvin Ingram, Los Angeles Chargers

Bringing in a mighty 8 and a half sacks and 25 solo tackles, the LA Chargers have a beast at linebacker. The six-season veteran has made strides from an already elite level. Melvin Ingram has also forced two fumbles, recovering one. Ingram seemingly steps up his game daily, with the best of his outings coming within the last three games. Incoming offenses must be wary when moving the ball in his direction, giving space for other elite defenders to make plays. Defensive ends Joey Bosa and Chris McCain, cornerbacks Casey Hayward and Desmond King, and the entirety of the Charger defense benefit from his mere presence on the field.

Offensive Player of the Year: Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Prior to this week, Alex Smith was the frontrunner for this season’s MVP award. Despite this, Smith is being thwarted by a younger, more mobile quarterback. However, do not dare take anything away from Alex Smith. Twelve years into the league, Smith is seemingly putting up his best numbers yet. Passing for 1,979 yards, 15 touchdowns, and zero turnovers. All of this coming on a 72.4 completion percentage, enabling the Chiefs a hot 5-2 start. This record not only leads the the AFC West, but also leads the entire AFC. Their record matched only by the Patriots and Steelers. Capping off his impressive numbers, Alex Smith leads the entire league in passer rating at 120.5, solidifying him as the Offensive Player of the Year.

MVP: Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles

Quite possibly the most difficult move was the decision to give the MVP nod to Carson Wentz. Despite having overall worse numbers by a slight margin, Wentz tops Alex Smith in a much more important category: Wins. The Eagles have soared high to grab the best record in the NFL, winning six of their first seven. Aided by the struggles of their NFC East rivals, as well as key injuries to top NFC contenders, such as Aaron Rodgers, Dalvin Cook, and Josh Norman, the Eagles seem to have a smooth ride to a first-round playoff bye. Wentz is passing for a remarkable 1,852 yards and 17 touchdowns, and completing 61.6 percent of his passes, with only 4 interceptions to rebut. Maintaining a total QBR of 72.7, a league wide third best, the impressive numbers by Wentz will be the determining factor for deep postseason success.

The post NFL Midseason Honors 2017 Edition appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“Dynasty” is term loosely tossed around to describe successful teams after championship runs. In most modern sports, the talent pool has proven too deep to have a classic, 20^th-century, dynasty such as the 50s Yankees, 60s Celtics or 90s Cowboys. Those squads dominated and left little question as to which team was the best in their respective eras. While that same scenario may not exist in all major United States sports, we can garner at least a debate.

In this piece we will dive into the top dynasties since the first season post-2000 started of each major sport between the college and professional levels and decide which recent squad has had dominated its respective sport the most. There are rules that will be followed.

1. There will be a qualified team picked out of each individual sport before jumping to a final debate on who is the king of kings.
2. One team must be chosen out of each major sport – college football, men’s/women’s basketball, baseball, wrestling, volleyball, MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL.
3. Seasons that are currently in progress (2014-15 college hoops, NBA, NHL) are not included. For example, Kentucky’s current undefeated record in college hoops cannot be applied to their opportunity to be considered college basketball’s top dynasty on the men’s side.
4. Dynasty is a term used far too often. Are the Seahawks a dynasty because of how great their defense is in the past two years? No, because Seattle struggled through a lot of down seasons beforehand. In this piece, a dynasty will be defined as “Dominating a respective sport, while simultaneously competing for championships to the tune of being the greatest team in the discussed era.”
5. A team must consistently be in championship contention, but in order to be a dynasty in this span – a team must have won at least a single title.
6. I cannot compare teams between sports, as that will happen in the follow up article, where I will rank the selections from each league.

Let the games begin.

NBA

The NBA has always had a lack of parity.  We may no longer be limited to just the Lakers and Celtics, but the situation is still heavily lopsided.

Starting in the 2000-01 season, just three out of 14 Western Conference champions haven’t been named either the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs. The Dallas Mavericks made two Finals appearances, and the Oklahoma City Thunder briefly showed up before being ousted in five by the LeBron James-led Miami Heat.

The Eastern Conference has been more diverse, but less successful. Seven teams (Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Detroit, Miami, Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando) have won the conference, but just three (Detroit, Miami, Boston) have managed to end the postseason with a victory.

The Heat have an impressive five title appearances and three championships to make a case for a potential top-NBA dynasty in the last 14 seasons. However, they fall well short of the Western Conference rivals from California and Texas.

The Spurs have a cumulative regular season record of 804-328 (.710), a postseason tally of 129-80 (.617), and four championships in five appearances since 2000. Their worst record in that span is 50-32 in 2009, and yet they still made it to the Western Conference Semifinals. Gregg Popovich has led this team to being easily the most consistent of all NBA squads in this era.

Los Angeles, albeit currently in its lowest moment in franchise history, also has an argument to be the representative for professional hoops. While their 690-442 (.610) overall regular season mark is well below San Antonio’s, their post season record of 108-66 trumps the Spurs. In six Finals appearances, the Lakers have taken home four titles – equal to the Spurs. If the 1999-2000 season and the first third of the Shaq-Kobe three-peat were included, my final decision may not have been…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, led by a long-time coach and familiar players, have (somehow quietly) been one of the most consistent teams in all of American athletics. Their YMCA-style of play may not captivate casual audiences with oohs and awes, but their record says all that is needed. The Lakers have missed the playoffs as many times (two) as the Spurs have missed the second round. The ability to avoid down years is what makes the difference. San Antonio and Los Angeles have the same highs, but the Spurs have yet to hit a low this century.

Honorable mention: Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat

NFL

Baltimore, New England, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants have all won multiple titles since Super Bowl XXXV, thus obviously deserving of recognition in this analysis. Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Green Bay and Seattle will also be included as to compare all Super Bowl victors.

Looking based simply off of this, the answer is penciled in. Let’s engrave it in stone with this next chart. I gave every team a point total for each category – the top team receiving nine points and the bottom receiving one – (regular season win percentage, total postseason wins, postseason win percentage, division titles and Super Bowls). The point total depended on where a team finished in each respective section.

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: New England Patriots. New England swept the board in each measurable category. It’s hard to tell if they’re farther ahead of the pack than Tampa Bay is behind. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have created a dynasty and are two absurd catches from having six Super Bowls in this span, including the Brady-Randy Moss 2007 combination that was the best team in NFL history to not win it all.

NHL

The NHL has experienced more parity than its professional counterparts this century. Ten teams have won a Stanley Cup in the last 13 occurrences (plus the 2005 lockout season). The Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche have all taken home one championship, while the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings all have a pair of titles. To avoid confusion in the following chart, the NHL did away with ties during this span and therefore the records will be Win-Loss-Overtime Losses-Ties.

  We have seven categories (Stanley Cups, playoff appearances, playoff series victories, postseason wins, postseason win percentage and regular season win percentage and points). The best team in each category will receive 10 points and the worst will pick up just one. In order to put a stronger emphasis on advancing in the postseason, playoff series victories will count as a point for each accumulated. This should counteract disciplining teams for advancing on to tougher rounds just to be swept.

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Detroit Red Wings. Outside of postseason win percentage, Detroit swept the board since 2000. Its 17 postseason series victories is even more impressive when factoring in the lockout season and the fact that no other franchise has more than a dozen. Despite parity among Stanley Cup victors, Detroit has easily been the most consistently dominant in all of professional hockey. Not much of an argument can be made for any other squad from this chart, and therefore none are honorable mention worthy.

Men’s college basketball:

After a relatively easy start, we reach what might be the most complicated of all sports we list. College basketball is about as random as they come (see odds of making a perfect bracket). Of course, Kentucky seems like an obvious choice after winning a national title in 2013-14 and going undefeated so far in 2014-15 (void). Don’t let fresh tastes discount distant memories.

Recent impressions can’t influence this decision, but the Wildcats have enough beyond that to make a pretty decisive statement. A 369-124 overall record is tough to argue with. What’s even harder? Twelve NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Sweet Sixteens, three Final Fours and a 1-1 record in the championship. Take away the two seasons Billy Gillispie coached Kentucky to a 40-27 overall record with zero NCAA Tournament victories and an NIT berth, and the Wildcats may blow the competition out of the water.

One team has been so remarkably consistent in its conference that it’s impossible to leave off this list: The Kansas Jayhawks.

After transitioning from a Hall of Fame coach, Kansas found a fate much simpler than Kentucky. Bill Self took over Roy Williams’ squad and didn’t miss a beat.

Williams’ last three seasons resulted in a 42-6 conference record that was overshadowed by a Sweet Sixteen, Final Four and a championship appearance. Since? Self has given the Jayhawks a 325-69 mark with a 151-31 stretch in the Big 12.

Self’s initial tournament resume left much to be desired with two first round exits sandwiched between a pair of Elite Eight showings. That turned around quickly with Kansas’ lone national title during this span in 2008.

Kansas boasts similar marks to Kentucky, with one extra championship loss thrown in, and its down years were first round exits over being completely left out.

So how about ex-Jayhawk coach Williams’ new squad – North Carolina? The Tar Heels have two national titles and another Final Four on their record and they may not even be the best dynasty in their own state.

Recent 1,000 game winner Mike Kryzewski’s Duke Blue Devils are.

Duke has a pair of national titles, has appeared in the tournament in each covered year, and has lost in their opening matchup just three times. Their conference dominance may not be as high as a team such as Kansas, but the competition is relatively stellar each season.

The Blue Devils hold an absurd 412-87 (.826) record in this span. So it has to be them, right?111

Let’s head over to Big Ten country where Tom Izzo is standing by for a quick lecture on postseason play. Michigan State, although missing its 1999-2000 national championship by just one season, has made nine Sweet Sixteens, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and has won one title. They haven’t missed the tournament a single time, and have been eliminated before the Round of 32 just four times.

What about UConn’s three title runs? Florida’s star-studded squads? Kentucky’s heated-rival Louisville? We need a way to rank these teams accordingly as to put all bias aside and assign an overall score. Postseason play in college basketball has always taken precedence over any other measurement of success. Here is the scoring chart to decide the top NCAA Tournament team since 2001’s tournament when solely considering those whom have a title to their name in this span:

Round of 64 loss: 0 points
Round of 32 loss: 1 point
Sweet 16 loss: 2 points
Elite Eight loss: 4 points
Final Four Loss: 8 points
Championship loss: 12 points
Championship: 16 points

NCAA Tournament champions results since 2000-01 March Madness: Kansas 68, UConn 67, Duke 59, North Carolina 56, Florida 55, Kentucky 55, Michigan State 51, Louisville 44, Syracuse 37, Maryland 30.

Shockingly, outside of its three titles runs, UConn only scored 19 points on this scale. The Huskies fell just a point shy of claiming this all important statistic in pushing forward to choosing men’s college hoops’ most dominant dynasty of the 21^st century. Despite just one title, consistency overcame roller coaster levels of postseason success and your winner is…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Kansas Jayhawks. Not only has Kansas (almost surprisingly) performed as the top overall team in March Madness, but it also has the most eye-popping accomplishment. I’m going to type this out to make it even more drastic: Kansas has won at least a share of (ahem) back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back regular season Big 12 championships. That’s 10. Read that out loud and you’re likely to need to catch your breath. This isn’t Kansas playing in the Summit League or intramural athletics – this is a major conference with a tough road to the top every season. Ten?! In a row? And just for the record, it’s also 12 of 13, but who’s counting? The Huskies have a legitimate argument when it comes to this discussion due to three incredible runs to the championship, but Kansas has been a more consistently feared team. Welcome to a new postseason tournament, Jayhawks. Let’s see who else is joining you.

Honorable mention: Duke, UConn

Women’s College Basketball

I went from one of the more difficult sports to choose to what might be the easiest. UConn women’s hoops is out of this world. Seven championships since the turn of the century. Average margin of victory in those title-winning contests? 15.4 points. That’s 15 points better than the second best team in the country. Talk about a talent gap. I can’t put into words how unbelievably incredible the Huskies’ overall record has been, so I’ll leave two simple numbers on its own.

486-38.

That’s a .927 winning percentage.

I could play myself in checkers and not win 93 percent of the time.

Connecticut has missed out on the Sweet Sixteen in this span only…well, they haven’t. And just once were they limited to that. On top of the Sweet Sixteen and seven titles, the Huskies have made two Elite Eight appearances along with four Final Fours. Therefore, your clear cut winner without any hesitation is…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Connecticut Huskies.

College Wrestling

If the 70s, 80s and 90s were included, this wouldn’t even be a competition. The Iowa Hawkeyes took home 20 titles from 1975-2000. Despite those all being out of the picture, Iowa is still in contention for the 21^st century title post-Dan Gable. The Hawkeyes have three titles to their name, which comes shy of Penn State and Oklahoma State, who put together four each. With the overall team title competition so close, our answer comes from individual championships. The Nittany Lions have nine, Hawkeyes 13 and Cowboys 18.

Oklahoma State’s 2005 season was the best of the era, fielding five individual champions in 10 weight classes, and scoring 153 points – best since the 1997 Hawkeyes scored 170. Therefore the winner is…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Cowboys are tied for the lead in titles, have the best overall team of the era and can claim having the most individual titles. They may be fortunate to wrestle outside the Big Ten, but national titles don’t lie.

Honorable Mention: Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions

MLB

Four teams have won multiple titles since 2000 – the Red Sox (three), Giants (three), Yankees (two) and Cardinals (two) – to give a clear starting point when trying to declare the top 21^st century dynasty of professional baseball.

It’s clearly visible that this is a dead heat. You know the drill. In order to decide, I assigned a point total to each stat category. The top finisher in each category – World Series victories, division titles, regular season winning percentage, playoff appearances, total playoff wins and postseason playoff winning percentage – receives four points, followed by three for second place and so on. I also gave teams an extra point for each playoff series they won. The final tally came out as followed:

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: St. Louis Cardinals. Any fan of one the final four teams can state a statistic on how their team deserved to be the one represented. New York dominated the AL East. Boston and San Francisco won a third World Series and were more efficient in the postseason when they did make it. None of that jumped out the way this did:

The Cardinals took the cake with 16 postseason series victories.

That’s out of this world consistent. The Yankees came close, carried by consistently owning the division crown, whereas the two teams that take advantage of playoff appearances the most, Boston and San Francisco, found themselves looking up.

Honorable Mention: Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants

College Volleyball

Some of these don’t take much time. Penn State has six championships, including two 38-0 seasons. USC, Stanford, Nebraska, Texas and UCLA have had strong programs, but none have approached the dominance by the Nittany Lions. Let’s just get to the point. Without a hint of doubt, your winner is…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Penn State Nittany Lions.

College Baseball

Unlike most of the other sports in the discussion, the full 2000 season is included since it began post-millennium. Texas, South Carolina and Oregon State all have a pair of titles, with nobody else claiming more than one. Naturally, only those three are in consideration. However, the Beavers have only made four CWS appearances compared to six for South Carolina and eight for Texas. Typically that would lead one to believe that the answer is obviously the Longhorns.

Take a look at overall winning percentage: Texas is 661-294 (.664) in this millennium, lagging considerably behind the Gamecocks at 713-289 (.712). So what do we value? Winning more regular season games against what is typically stronger competition, or taking overall postseason play? The latter carries more weight. Here is how each team fared in NCAA Tournament play with its overall statistics tallied at the bottom.

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Texas Longhorns. In what ended up being the closest contest of any sport so far, Texas prevailed because of one statistic: CWS appearances. South Carolina may hold a relatively significant advantage in regular season record and have a slim lead in postseason record, but they couldn’t get the job done in enough Super Regionals. One could argue that Texas’ lows were below South Carolina’s, but they consistently made the trip to Omaha and that familiarity with getting to the final eight put them over the edge.

College Football

Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, and Florida all have multiple FBS championships to their names, while Appalachian State and North Dakota State have dominated the FCS level well enough to be included in the discussion. USC vacated one of its two national championships and will not be considered. As we’ve come to find out, tables can be really useful when measuring statistics of multiple teams. Unfortunately, college football has more variables than most so let’s compare like it is 2000 (and we’re using WordPad).

Alabama: The Crimson Tide are the only team in this span with three FBS national title victories. Their overall record takes a hit because of 21 vacated wins, but stands at 116-57, including a 6-5 bowl mark – which is also hindered by one vacated victory and two seasons in which ‘Bama was ineligible for the postseason. They have garnered three SEC titles and five SEC West crowns – most of which have come under Nick Saban. The pre-Saban era was somewhat dark for Alabama, which had a (now shocking) 3-8 season in 2000. The loss of 21 victories could really come back to bite the team that is likely the first one on everybody’s college football power shortlist.

Florida: Florida boasts two national titles (thanks, Tebow) complemented by a 137-56 overall record. If Alabama had kept its wins, Florida would be one game ahead in the loss column and tied with the Tide for overall victories. In bowl play, Florida has a lackadaisical 7-6 mark. They have picked up three SEC Titles and have headed the SEC East four times.

LSU: Consistency in a more than tough conference is what could separate LSU from the group. Like every team on this list besides Alabama, the Tigers have a pair of national championships. Their overall record of 151-45 is only topped by Ohio State. They’ve won nine bowl games compared to six losses and have not missed out on the postseason. They’ve picked up four conference titles and five SEC West titles along the way to top both Florida and Alabama in those areas.

Ohio State: Surprised to see a Big Ten team here? You shouldn’t be. Despite a negative stigma built around the conference in recent years, Ohio State has been among the most dominant teams lately. The Buckeyes’ 157-36 overall record is hard to argue with. An 8-7 bowl record with a few postseason embarrassments could be improved on. What really couldn’t be is a sensational seven conference titles – which reasonably would be eight if not for a postseason ban on a 12-0 squad in 2012. The Buckeyes may not have the numbers to claim best of this century now, but with Urban Meyer pulling the strings, it might not be too long until they do.

North Dakota State: If we were only talking about the last four years, the Bison would breeze through the competition. Their 63-3 record with four national titles is, well, absurd. Before that? North Dakota State swiftly comes back to Earth with a more reasonable, but still strong, 74-40 mark. Did you already do the math? That’s an overall record of 137-43

…and I should probably mention they have a 20-2 postseason record.

20 wins. Two losses.

The Bison made the move from Division II to FCS in this time period and were ineligible for postseason play in multiple 10-1 seasons, otherwise they very well could have added to that title total. Which, quite frankly, is a little scary. One thing that isn’t as scary is this game. And this one in the same season. Sometimes you find things while researching that you wish you never did. Those qualify.

Appalachian State: While the Bison were fiddling around with moving up from Division II, another squad was busy winning national championships and knocking off the winningest-program in FBS history. That was the Mountaineers of Appalachian State. Their record of 131-52 is a modest amount below North Dakota State’s. It isn’t the regular season that separates these two FCS programs. The Mountaineers postseason mark, despite a three-peat from 2005-2007, is 19-8, considerably worse than the Bison’s…let me say it again…20-2.

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: North Dakota State Bison. I get it. Strength of schedule for the Bison isn’t anywhere near what Ohio State, let alone Alabama, Florida and LSU, face on a week-to-week basis. Their national titles are much less publicized and viewed. They don’t have NFL prospects filling up the first round. They weren’t even in the FCS for part of this era. There are a lot of reasons not to pick them.

Go ahead, write an article on why LSU’s consistency in the SEC makes them the best dynasty of this century, or why Alabama’s three titles set it apart, or how Ohio State’s conference dominance make them the frontrunner. They all have strong cases to disprove my choice.

To me, these issues have to be made relative, not directly compared. Of course North Dakota State doesn’t have to play the LSU defense, the Tim Tebow offense or Nick Saban’s game plan on an annual basis, but they ought to be held to the standards of their competition, not of a league above them. North Dakota State has simply dominated about as much as a modern college football team can in this span. 137-43 in the regular season? Incredible – just as incredible as the others on this list, especially considering transition seasons. That doesn’t set them apart.

A .909 winning percentage in the postseason will. When the Bison play the best competition, they don’t just compete – they absolutely own everyone. Alabama doesn’t. Florida doesn’t. LSU and Ohio State don’t. They’re all tremendous teams, but have not set themselves apart at any part this century the way the Bison have.

Conclusion

The aforementioned follow-up article will now include the St. Louis Cardinals, San Antonio Spurs, New England Patriots, Detroit Red Wings, Kansas Jayhawks men’s hoops, UConn Huskies women’s basketball, Oklahoma State wrestling, Penn State volleyball, Texas baseball and North Dakota State football. Those ten dominant teams will be ranked to determine an ultimate “dynasty of the 21^st century.”

Be sure to check out Night Stuff on KRUI at the stroke of midnight Wednesday mornings as we discuss topics such as this, other sporting news and a few outrageous topics mixed in with a phone always ready to hear your takes. Did you like the article or happen to disagree with some of the choices? Tweet @TheMainStevent or @KRUISports to share your opinion.

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