STARTING FIVE

1. Myles Jacked

Second quarter of the Sun Bowl. Virginia Tech QB Logan Thomas takes off around right end and UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, the most celebrated freshman in the country and deservedly so, sprints left to meet him. And Thomas pulls a Will Ferrell at last year’s Golden Globes and says, “You get outta here!” The collision sends the six-foot-one Jack ass-over-teakettle and Twitter tumbles over itself in shock.

However….

On the very next play, Thomas rolls left to pass and Jack’s teammate, linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, a six-foot-four, 235-pound feral nightmare, uncorks on Thomas just as he releases the pass. It’s a train wreck to the previous play’s fender bender. Thomas is knocked out of the game.

UCLA wins 42-12. Jack will wind up scoring a pick-six later on to seal it. And I am left wondering whether Anthony Barr really is the best linebacker on UCLA’s defense.

By the way, Gary Danielson was extra enjoyable yesterday. Loved when he noted that when you’re younger (high school/college age), everyone thinks they’re good at basketball. So true.

2. Inside Llewyn Davis

The one film that Grierson and Leitch agree belongs in their top two from 2013 is about a single man in New York City who has a cat. I never even noticed the cameras rolling in my home…

3. Johnny Be Goodone

Down 38-17 at halftime to an inspired Duke squad, Texas A&M roars back thanks to Johnny Manziel’s leadership and the fact that the defense was finally able to stop Duke. An ideal way to exit for JFF, who completes 30 of 38 (78.9%) for 382 yards, four TDs and zero picks. For the game’s first 56 minutes, Duke’s Aaron Boone was right with him — 29 of 45 for 427 yards and three TDs –but a pick-six late gave the Aggies their first lead with less than four minutes to play.

Notice that Manziel’s first post-game tweet was to congratulate Boone and Duke on how well they played. His Twitter game has elevated even more than his football prowess in the past nine months. Manziel’s a total gamer. A winner.  “He’s magic,” Rece Davis declared after that TD play, and what a perfect choice to call Manziel’s final college game.

And every QB in the nation should watch him just to pay attention to how he rocks on his feet when standing in the pocket. There’s a rhythm to it, like watching Muhammad Ali in the ring. You never see JFF throw off his back foot.

My lone fear for Manziel is that, like the Texas-groomed Heisman Trophy winner who preceded him, that he’ll get injured due to his style of play in the NFL. Outside of that –and it’s no minor concern — you want him on your team. Lou Holtz called him the most exciting player he’d seen in college football since Roger Staubach. Don’t know about that, but like Staubach, Manziel improves under pressure.

4. Bruuuuuuce (Not Dern)

So Rolling Stone rolls out “15 Insanely Great Bruce Springsteen Songs You’ve Never Heard.” You just know that decades after Springsteen ascends into The Promised Land that we’ll still be unearthing entire catalogues of his tunes dealing with cars and boardwalks and Crazy Janie and calliopes, right?

Not coincidentally, Springsteen has an album out on January 14, “High Hopes”, which is a blend of songs he’s performed in concert but never put on an album and covers.

5. Michael Schumacher

The greatest Formula One driver in history, Michael Schumacher, was in critical condition after a skiing accident three days ago in France. Schumacher, who won seven F-1 world titles and turns 45 on Friday, has been updated to stable condition after suffering severe head injuries. Details of the injury, recounted here, are bizarre. Not a typical high-speed skiing, Sonny Bono-style accident.

The Bank

So, here’s the concept. One wager a day for as long as I  can remember to include this segment. Let’s begin with a fictitious total of $1,000.

Today’s bet: $50 on Stanford minus-7 in the Rose Bowl versus Michigan State.

Remote Patrol

Rose Bowl

No. 5 Stanford vs No. 4 Michigan State

ESPN 5 p.m.

The undisputed king of bowl games, a.k.a. The Granddaddy of ’em all. Many have said, and I concur, you could stage the national title game here every single year. Today’s game is all about MSU coach Mark Dantonio: Can he rally the Spartans after suspending the team’s most valuable defensive player, Max Bullough, on a team whose forte is its defense?