Merry Christmas!

The Inside Track will be on a short hiatus this week for the Christmas holiday. But a few quick notes before we get back to egg nogging and present wrapping.

First, a heartfelt thanks to all of my readers and subscribers for your interest and support this year. Here's wishing you all peace, love and joy during this holiday season and throughout 2019.

Record-setters: Two former Stanford players set new NFL records yesterday. Carolina's Christian McCaffrey became the league's all-time leader in season pass receptions by a running back. He now has 106 catches, breaking the old mark of 102 set by Chicago's Matt Forte in 2014, and still has a game to go. McCaffrey has silenced all the doubters who didn't think he could be an every down back in the NFL. The only question is, why wasn't he selected for the Pro Bowl? He's rushed for 1080 yards, caught 106 passes and scored 14 touchdowns this year.

Philadelphia's Zach Ertz broke the record for receptions by a tight end. Zach now has 113 for the season, surpassing the old mark of 110 set by Dallas' Jason Witten in 2012. (Ertz did make the Pro Bowl).

CFP Playoff Picks: I'll be rooting for underdogs Oklahoma and Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Semi-finals on Saturday, but expect both of them to come up a little short. Let's call it Alabama 49, Oklahoma 31 and Clemson 28, Notre Dame 24.

The winners meet for the national championship Jan. 7 at Levi's Stadium.

That's it for 2018. I'll be back on Jan. 2.

Merry Christmas!