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Marshall’s Bennett Scissons (23) peeled off after setting up Kyle Black for the Toppers second goal in a 3-1 victory against Superior. Photos by John Gilbert.

A good friend sent me a message from the East Coast, asking: “Why do the Vikings seem to still be looking for a quarterback when Sam Darnold is playing so well?” 

My friend has retained his youthful provincial sports interest while following every sport, and he sent this to me before Sunday’s Vikings game against Atlanta.

If it wasn’t for the Vikings’ incredible game, we could devote this week to scrutinizing the NCAA’s first attempt at a 12-team football playoff, with the pairings announced Sunday.

But the game in Minneapolis Sunday noon took precedence, just because even a Hollywood scriptwriter couldn’t have concocted a more perfect story. Here came Atlanta, led by quarterback Kirk Cousins, the highly paid but often criticized guy who left the Vikings after last season to sign an even bigger contract with Atlanta. 

The Vikings drafted JJ McCarthy from Michigan with their first pick last summer, and also signed a little-known back-up named Sam Darnold as a veteran security blanket.

Cousins has had some impressive games with Atlanta, and the Falcons were leading their fairly weak division when he got the chance to show the Vikings and their fans what they were missing by letting him walk.  

The Vikings, of course, since McCarthy got a season-ending injury before the season started, have turned things over to Darnold, and he has been outstanding while leading the Vikings to a strong second-place standing in the NFL’s surprisingly toughest division.

Cousins led the Falcons to an opening-drive touchdown, and played pretty well for a while, amid the quite-hostile Vikings fans who remembered how Captain Kirk let his immobility and inconsistency ruin their hopes as recently as one year ago, and how could this career back-up guy, Sam, have a chance against him?

When the game ended, and the Vikings had erupted from a 21-21 deadlock to beat Atlanta 42-21, here were the hard, cold facts:  Cousins 23 of 37 for 344 yards passing, with no touchdowns and two interceptions; Sam Darnold 22 of 28 for 347 yards, with 5 touchdowns and no interceptions.

If the Vikings have a clue, they will offer Darnold a substantial raise and a new contract, even though we have a long way to go yet in this season. But I couldn’t help thinking of my friend’s message, my answer to which was only reinforced when I sent him the game’s QB stats afterward.

Meanwhile, the NCAA selection committee did itself proud by not knuckling under to the prevailing national opinion that any Southeast Conference team is better that teams with better records at any other conference. They left out Alabama, which had the arrogance to suggest they deserved to make the 12-team playoff even with three losses. 

Brody Goldsworthy (4) had East's first goal, but Eden Prairie raced from a 2-1 deficit to an 8-2 win at Heritage Center.

The committee stuck by its rules, which call for conference playoff champions to get the nod over traditional powers. Because of that, Southern Methodist, which rallied from three touchdowns behind to tie Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference playoff, only to lose 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal as the clock ran out, were put into the field. 

Also, Arizona State, which had been predicted for last place in the shaken up Big 12, won its title and playoff with an 11-2 season, and made it.

Here’s the first round, starting next week, with their season rating: 12. Clemson at 5. Texas (winner faces 4. Arizona State in Peach Bowl); 9. Tennessee at 8. Ohio State (winner faces 1. Oregon in Rose Bowl);  11. Southern Methodist at 6. Penn State (winner faces 3. Boise State in Fiesta Bowl);  10. Indiana at 7. Notre Dame (winner faces 2. Georgia in Sugar Bowl). In the semifinals, the Rose Bowl and Peach Bowl winners collide, in the Cotton Bowl, and the Fiesta and Sugar Bowl winners meet in the Orange Bowl. The championship will be in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

If you watched any of last weekend’s conference playoff finals, maybe you were as enthralled as I was when Oregon fought off Penn State’s rally to win 45-37, while Arizona State thumped Iowa State 45-19, and Boise State beat UNLV 21-7 for the Mountain West title, but the climax to the day came when Southern Methodist found its explosive rhythm and made up a 17-point deficit against powerful Clemson, but Clemson broke the 31-31 tie with that 56-yard field goal as time ran out. 

I switched over to the Georgia at Texas SEC playoff final in time to see a valiant Texas rally for a lead that seemed destined to last through the final minute, but a closing tie sent the game to overtime, and Georgia won 22-19 on a field goal.

The excitement of those finishes only whetted my appetite for the playoffs. Clemson-Texas? A toss-up, for sure, but wouldn’t it be great if that winner lost to Arizona State? 

Tennessee has the weapons but Ohio State has the winning tradition — although it seems unfair even if fitting that the winner could create an Ohio State-Oregon Rose Bowl. 

I would love to see Southern Methodist upset Penn State, but even more, I would love to see either of them beaten by Boise State. Indiana will be a big underdog at Notre Dame, but in a Cinderella season for the Hoosiers, who knows? I would like to see either one take out Georgia, though.

High school hockey always hits its stride leading up to the Christmas break, and some interesting games already have been played. 

For one, Marshall may prove to be a valid threat for everybody, just because the Toppers are playing a team-oriented unselfish style that came to the surface when they defeated a solid Superior outfit 3-1 last week, needing an empty-net goal to get it done.

Also, the common scene of Duluth East proving to be the city’s main power may be over, at least for now. 

The Greyhounds are still sticking to the suffocating schedule former coach Mike Randolph always sought, which included Eden Prairie on Saturday. 

Eden Prairie doesn’t have the guns that have made the Eagles a traditional state tournament threat in recent years, and East gave them a run, getting a goal from Brody Goldsworthy for a 1-1 tie after one period. Then defenseman Henrik Spenningsby moved in from the point and scored on a power play for a 2-1 East lead. 

That, however, was it as Eden Prairie came back for four unanswered goals, then added three more in the third. Chase Klute scored three of those goals, and the Greyhounds have some heavy-duty work to do — starting with defensive zone coverage.

East's Henrik Spenningsby defended goalie Nolan Nygaard against Eden Prairie attackers Chase Klute (15), who had a hat trick, and John Kleis (10) in the 8-2 Eagles victory.