Remember when ...

... your Houston Astros were toast, flambe, chauvinist-pigs-on-a-spit (thanks for that, Brandon Taubman!) in this man's World Series?

Yeah, well, they whupped the Washington Nationals 8-1 last night to tie the Fall Classic at two wins apiece. They've outscored the Nats 12-2 so far in the Nats' home yard. And tonight they again send to the bump Gerrit Cole, who's no doubt aching to prove his Game 1 loss was a gargantuan fluke.

So who's in trouble now?

* Remember when ...

... Notre Dame was going to go up to the Big House and drive a stake through the Jim Harbaugh Era at Michigan? When it still held out a glimmer of hope of pole-vaulting into the College Football Playoff? When coming in at No. 8 in the polls did not seem weird at all?

Yeah, well, Harbaugh's Wolverines crushed the Irish 45-14 last night in a driving rainstorm, and there went the latest Domer delusion. Michigan pushed the Irish all over the field, ran on their defense at will, and gave the Notre Dames not a sniff on the other side of the ball. The Irish even made Shea Patterson look like an actual quarterback, a not inconsiderable feat.

This from a Michigan team that got embarrassed a few weeks back by Wisconsin, which itself got embarrassed Saturday by Ohio State a week after jacking around and losing to Illinois.

See ya in the Chicken Sandwich Bowl, Irish.

* Remember when ...

... Alabama and Clemson were the best college football teams in the country, by, like, nautical miles, and everyone wished someone could at least give the Crimson Tide and Tigers a game?

Yeah, well, anybody looked at Ohio State these days?

The Buckeyes laminated Wisconsin 38-7 yesterday, looking like a football team that has no intention of losing anytime soon. Their defense held Jonathan Taylor, maybe the best running back in America this year, to 52 yards on 20 carries. Wisconsin scratched out just nine first downs, 191 total yards and 83 rushing yards. The Badgers averaged just 2.4 yards per rush, despite fielding one of the best offensive lines in the country.

Meanwhile, 'Bama and Clemson stayed unbeaten by rolling over two more overmatched opponents. Which does not mean either one would relish facing the Buckeyes anytime soon.

Not if they're paying attention, anyway.