Sorry Charlie!

Notre Dame has been obliterated in their two marquee match-ups this year. First, Michigan came into South Bend and erased any legitimate thoughts of Notre Dame as a national contender. Recently, Notre Dame travelled to LA and was sent packing back to Indiana by the USC Trojans. Ten and two might not sound bad, but it hasn't been a good year for Weis' boys and it's not going to get any better if they play in a BCS bowl.

Unfortunately for Notre Dame, their reputation as a big-time college football program is going to get them in over their heads one more time this year. Notre Dame can fight it out with the Georgia Tech's and 2nd tier teams from major conferences (Penn State, UCLA, Michigan State, etc.). The Irish won some games handily that they were supposed to win (Stanford, Navy, Army, Air Force, etc.). They had two shots at top teams and didn't show that they can compete. Does anyone think the third time is actually going to be the charm? ESPN's Ivan Maisel is predicting a Notre Dame v. Michigan rematch in the Rose Bowl. People don't want to see Michigan v. Ohio State but they do want to see Notre Dame v. Michigan? Right.

Shifting gears a bit, I'm all for Notre Dame playing the nation's elite. I'd like to see it more. But, if they want a shot at a BCS bowl, make them earn it on the field. Boise State is undefeated. Give them a shot at somebody. LSU hasn't been blown out like Notre Dame has. In the years to come, Notre Dame should give themselves more chances to beat top teams during the regular season. Yeah, you read that right, Notre Dame should play a murderous schedule.

Notre Dame, Navy, Army, Temple. What do those four teams have in common? They're all independents. Navy is 8-3 so far, but their big wins are over Air Force and UConn. Notre Dame is the only nationally relevant independent and they should take advantage of that. The Fighting Irish have 12 chances during the regular season to play in huge match-ups like Michigan v. Notre Dame and Notre Dame v. USC. They should use it to their advantage and use it to change the way people look at college football.

What if, in the not too distant future, Notre Dame scheduled Ohio State, Michigan, USC, Texas, Florida, Louisville, Oklahoma, LSU, Miami, Penn State, MIchigan State, and Virginia Tech? What if they lost to Ohio State, USC, Texas and Oklahoma (they'd have to lose to my Sooners)? They'd be 8-4 with wins over Michigan, Florida, Louisville, LSU, Miami, Penn State, Michigan State, and Va Tech. Maybe Miami and Michigan State would be down, like this year. Or, maybe a couple different teams would be having down years. When you schedule games, you don't know how good your opponent is going to be. You don't know how good you will be. Miami and Florida State were top 15 teams early this year ... they both finished 6-6. However, you have a pretty good idea, especially if you schedule marquee teams.

I'll touch on why this would help college football, especially if there aren't any other changes to the system in the near future. However, I'll try to give Notre Dame some incentive here. What games get the most publicity? Is it Notre Dame v. Air Force or Notre Dame v. USC? It's the latter. A loaded schedule would have to be good for recruiting. If you don't think players want to be in the spotlight every Saturday there is something wrong with you. Notre Dame gets credit if they produce and by adding more spotlight games they'd have more chances to score big wins. Plus, Weis could defer some of the focus off a few individual games (this year's big games being Michigan and USC) because all the games would be "big" match-ups.

College football benefits because voters would have to look at more than records. A 6-6 Irish team might merit a higher ranking than a 10-2 Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia or Wisconsin. Maybe they wouldn't, but the voters would have to dig a little deeper than I think they do now if they want to get it right. Hopefully, it would spill over to other teams and we'd have more Texas v. Ohio State, Oklahoma v. Oregon, USC v. Arkansas, etc. and less Texas v. North Texas, Texas v. Sam Houston State, Texas v. Rice, etc. Because, if Notre Dame can still be in the national title picture with 3 losses, maybe USC, Florida, and Boston College could lose a couple games and still be in the running as long as they had enough high-quality wins (and high-quality losses). Additionally, if Notre Dame played top teams from across the nation, they could help serve as a measuring stick for comparisons of top teams and major conferences. This would help the computers and voters figure out how to rank the teams, right?

NFL Week 12 Power Rankings

		Record	Best	Worst	Comment
1	Dal	7-4	1	30	From consistently mediocre to totally unpredictable settling into NFC East front-runners with only a flip of the QB switch.
2	Mia	5-6	2	32	Four straight weeks at #2. This is the Dolphin team we expected ... it's not the starting QB we expected, though.
3	NE	8-3	3	26	Two clear in an improving division. Maybe next year the Pats will be dethroned.
4	Bal	9-2	4	20	Five weeks in a row at number 4 and three clear in the AFC North. Think Jim Fassel's beating away suitors with a stick?
5	NYJ	6-5	5	29	They've scored fewer points than they've allowed — only team in the AFC with a winning record that can claim that distinction — but they're right in the thick of the playoff hunt, especially with the QB situation in Denver.
6	StL	5-6	4	27	The Rams are in the hunt ... their remaining games are against Arizona, Oakland, Minnesota, Washington and Chicago. With the struggles of the Eagles and Giants, it's hard to think 9-7 wouldn't earn the Rams a post-season berth (that would be 4-1 the rest of the way for those of you who are math impaired).
7	Min	5-6	7	29	From 29th to 7th with a win over the Cardinals. The Vikes have Chicago, Detroit, GB and the NY Jets before a week 17 showdown against the Rams. Might the Rams-Vikings game determine the final NFC wildcard team?
8	Buf	5-6	8	29	Still irrelevant at 5-6 and #8 in the rankings.
9	KC	7-4	9	22	Six weeks in a row standing firm at #9. They took two steps forward on Turkey Day. First, they beat the Broncos. Second, they convinced Shanahan to go with a rookie (Jay Cutler) in place of Jake the Snake.
10	SD	9-2	9	19	Just give LT the MVP right now. Sorry Peyton, Tomlinson has kept the Chargers moving ahead without key defensive components and with a first-year starting QB.
11	Den	7-4	4	22	Speaking of consistency, since knocking off the Chiefs week 2 to move up in the rankings, Denver has been between 10th and 13th the rest of the season.
12	Pit	4-7	1	27	The Steelers' season is in worse condition than Michael Richards' (Kramer) career. It's over for the defending champs. Big Ben is leading QB's in a couple categories ... INT (19) and INT % (5.5). He's almost a full percentage point above the next worst current starter (Charlie Frye: 4.6%). Who's the best QB from that draft class now?
13	Was	4-7	3	30	The 'Skins knocked off the Panthers thanks in large part to some hideous tackling on Cooley's 66-yard TD. Other than that pass, Jason Campbell had 52 yards on 10-22. That's mind-bogglingly bad. Should fans in the nation's capital be encouraged or discouraged?
14	Cin	6-5	5	20	The Bengals are the new Cowboys. They're hovering around .500 and have been holding down the 14th spot the last five weeks.
15	Ten	4-7	8	30	Titan fans had to be thrilled by the 4th quarter comeback from a 21-0 deficit. Titans fans should be equally dismayed that the win will cost them come draft day.
16	Jax	6-5	1	25	This marks Jacksonville's 2nd three-week run at #16. Hard to feel bad for a team with four bad losses out of five total: Houston (2), Washington and Buffalo.
17	Cle	3-8	11	31	If I told Cleveland fans before the season that they'd be 1 back of the Steelers 12 weeks in, they'd probably take it. Well, Browns fans, you've got it!
18	Ind	10-1	1	30	The three QB's who have a lower INT % than #18 Peyton Manning ... you guessed it: Huard, Bulger and Brunell. Two of them have been benched. Think Peyton is next?
19	NO	7-4	4	31	Week 17 match-up with Carolina could be interesting. Maybe by then, Reggie Bush will have more rushing and receiving TD's than fumbles lost (he's currently at 2 and 1, respectively).
20	TB	3-8	10	20	The Bucs have 8 weeks in this spot in two stints. They also have the 19th leading rusher in the NFL in Cadillac Williams.
21	Sea	7-4	2	28	In his 2nd game back after being sidelined with a foot injury, Shaun Alexander carried the ball 40 times. Who's running the asylum in Seattle?
22	Chi	9-2	2	32	Why isn't there serious talk of benching Rex Grossman? He's 21st in QB rating and horribly inconsistent. And, NEWSFLASH!, the Bears struggle when Grossman doesn't play well. They have 6 wins by 18 points or more (his passer rating in those games ranges from 98.6 - 148.0). They beat the Jets 10-0 and he posted a rating of 81.4. They are 2-2 in the other four games, with losses to NE and Miami and squeakers against Minnesota and Arizona. His ratings in those games are: 23.6 , 36.8, 64.9 and 10.2, respectively. He's not struggling against just the top teams, he is, as I said previously, inconsistent. And inconsistency is a good way to get bounced from the playoffs early.
23	SF	5-6	4	27	Frank Gore is 2nd in the league in rushing yards and Alex Smith is doing a respectable job at QB. The 49ers are mediocre, but that's light years ahead of their cross bay rivals.
24	Hou	3-8	8	32	I'm not sure what's more surprising, that Houston's leading rusher in their loss to the Jets was Wali Lundy with 11 yards on 8 carries or that the leading rusher in the game, Leon Washington, ran for only 17 yards. It must be rare, too, that a game doesn't include a run of 10 or more yards.
25	Car	6-5	6	25	Just when you think Carolina is poised for a late-season run, they go and choke one away to Washington. As bad as Jason Campbell was, Jake Delhomme managed just 4.4 yards per attempt and Steve Smith had only 34 yards.
26	GB	4-7	22	29	Favre isn't getting a lot of help, but he had to recognize when to take chances. You can't just write off his two INTs late. He made bad decisions — not bad throws — that cost his team any chance of coming back in the game. If Favre isn't committed to doing things the right way for his team, and perhaps modifying his game a little bit until they get more weapons, maybe he should hang it up. That being said, the officials didn't do them any favors prolonging the drive that put the Seahawks up 10 in the 4th quarter. They should have had to punt, but a GB player had his arm come in contact with Matt Hasselbeck's helmet. That was one of the worst calls I've seen all year ... and I've seen a lot of bad calls.
27	Atl	5-6	6	27	Maybe the Falcons should take a look at how Arkansas is using Darren McFadden and implement something similar with Vick. Let him run and throw while still allowing a conventional QB (Schaub would fill the role for the Falcons) to split time taking snaps.
28	Oak	2-9	21	31	Oakland tops the 2-win teams fighting for the 1st draft pick.
29	Ari	2-9	7	31	They're followed closely by the Cardinals, who couldn't win despite 400+ yards passing from Matt Leinart. Actually, Leinart probably threw for 400+ because they were losing, but why think about the stats intelligently (a lot of the "experts" don't)?
30	Phi	5-6	4	30	The Eagles belong down here. It's interesting that the Eagles are considering replacing Jeff Garcia at QB to give A.J. Feeley a chance. This must be a move for next season, but don't you want to keep both of them around if you don't know what McNabb will be able to contribute?
31	Det	2-9	6	31	Detroit scared me a little on Thanksgiving Day. I'd just finished bashing them in last week's rankings and they jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Fortunately, they reverted to the form that has earned them the 31st place in the rankings and allowed Joey Harrington to dominate the rest of the way in a 27-10 Dolphins win.
32	NYG	6-5	3	32	Three weeks in a row at #32. It's a Giant mess in NY right now. Shockey gets hurt during warm-ups, Mathias Kiwanuka lets go of Titans QB Vince Young on a crucial 4th and 10, and they blow a 21-0 4th quarter lead to Tennessee. What are the odds on Coughlin being back next year?

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Week 11

A Case for a Playoff?

Ohio State, USC, Michigan, Florida. They are the consensus top 4 teams in the country. LSU is sitting at #5 in the BCS with a fairly soft non-conference schedule with all home games, losses at Auburn and Florida, and a lucky win against Tennessee without a healthy Erik Ainge. Everyone knows the Vols aren't any good without Ainge and are dangerous with him.

Florida may lose next weekend to Arkansas in the SEC title game. That will just reduce the top tier from 4 to 3. It doesn't solve any problems. The BCS is clearly not a good system. I heard an argument recently that the BCS was good for college football because it generated so much discussion. The BCS system doesn't generate any more talk than a poll does, or at least it shouldn't. The BCS didn't fix the problems with college football, it just changed the flavor a little bit. The BCS does create a match-up of 1 vs. 2 ... but it's the BCS 1 vs. 2, not necessarily the two best teams. With the polls, you were wondering who the best team was. With the BCS, you're wondering who is number one and who is number 2. It's time for a change, but I'm not going to get into it here.

I want to know why Michigan is ranked below USC. I saw something from one of the voters who said he was going to keep Michigan at #2, even if USC beat Notre Dame, until he saw USC play. That was enlightening. Did he forget that Michigan went to South Bend and dismantled the Golden Domers 47-21 earlier this year? USC beat Notre Dame 44-24. Seems like maybe Notre Dame was overrated and their record was propped up by a soft schedule. But, it also seems like if the voters went back and watched Michigan v. Notre Dame, maybe they wouldn't think so highly of USC. Or, at least they'd think as highly of Michigan.

Maybe the key lies not in "style points" but in the results (channeling Urban Meyer a little here). USC beat Oregon, Cal, Notre Dame, Nebraska and Arkansas. Those are all solid wins. Michigan knocked off Notre Dame, Wisconsin and all the usual suspects. They beat the teams they were supposed to beat, right? But wait ... USC lost at Oregon State. This is an Oregon State team that lost to Boise State 42-14. Cal throttled the Beavers 41-13. OSU also lost to Washington State and UCLA. Michigan just happened to have to play against the #1 team in the nation on the road. They lost to Ohio State in Columbus, but they got jobbed a little bit. Does anyone remember the roughing the passer or unnecessary roughness that turned a 4th and long into a first down (and subsequent TD to put the Buckeyes up 10 late)? Troy Smith was hit just after releasing the ball. They aren't playing Chinese checkers, they're playing football! I just don't see how you can put the Trojans ahead of the Wolverines. It doesn't make sense.

If, after this next weekend, you still have the final four (Fla, USC, Mich, and Ohio State), why not play a little 4-team playoff? If Florida losses to Arkansas, you could have USC play Michigan for the right to play Ohio State? If you had three top tier undefeated teams, why can't you play a round-robin and see if someone emerges undefeated? If you're going to keep the regular season as is, why not make the post-season a little bit flexible so you can accomodate different scenarios that are bound to arise. You could even come up with regulations to govern many different scenarios and have a clause that another rule be made if need be. It's obvious, from USC jumping Michigan, that the current system is useless if you are actually trying to find the best team in college football.

Saints v. Falcons

Late in the first half, Michael Vick took a sack on 3rd and goal from the 3. This dropped the Falcons back a few yards and they brought on the kicking unit for an easy FG, cutting the lead from 14-3 to 14-6. Former Dallas Cowboys FB Darryl "Moose" Johnston had this to say about Vick:

That's the second week in a row I've seen Michael Vick make a poor decision in a situation like this. Last week against Baltimore, he took a sack that took 'em out of FG range. Right now you have to know you're really, pretty much in four down territory. If you have a positive play that doesn't make it to the end zone, Jim Mora's gonna give you another shot. The last thing you can do in that situation was to take the sack.

This sack didn't take the Falcons out of Morten Andersen's FG range. They put three more points on the board. That's not the point I'm out to make, though.

Vick didn't make a poor decision. He didn't have anyone open. Thus, there wasn't really a chance for a positive play that didn't make it in the end zone. When you call a pass play on 3rd and goal from the 3, you're pretty much saying I want a TD on this play and if I don't get it, I'll take the FG. You aren't planning on having a positive play that doesn't result in a TD. Vick had no where to go with the ball, so his options were limited to forcing a throw or to trying to evade the rush and scramble for a TD. I think he made a good decision not trying to force a throw. The Saints made a good defensive play and forced an Atlanta FG.

The blame shouldn't be on Vick for this play. Either don't blame anyone or focus on the play calling that confined Vick to the pocket down near the goal line and called for him to drop back in the first place. Personally, I'm not going to place blame on anyone. The play just didn't happen to work. It happens in football sometimes. Vick actually made a mature decision to not try to do too much and make a bad mistake. If they had been on the edge of FG range, Vick would be at fault for taking the sack. In this case, it's not a big deal.

NFL Week 11 Power Rankings

		Record	Best	Worst	Comment
1	Dal	6-4	1	30	Romo's in the driver's seat and has Dallas headed for a post-season berth.
2	Mia	4-6	2	32	Miami isn't going to challenge for a playoff berth, but they should be able to stay here another week ... they're playing the Lions!
3	Chi	9-1	2	32	The Bears could clinch the division title this weekend!
4	Bal	8-2	4	20	Ravens have 4 division games in their last 6.
5	NYJ	5-5	5	29	Jets are one of five AFC teams with 4 or 5 wins. Unfortunately for J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets! fans, there are seven teams with 6+ thus far.
6	SF	5-5	4	27	Think Matt Leinart is kicking himself for being in Arizona, rather than piloting the 5-5 (and one game out of a playoff berth) SF 49ers?
7	Ari	2-8	7	31	Speaking of Leinart, his Cards pulled into a tie for the worst record with the Raiders and Lions. But, they do hold the highest ranking (in this list) of any of the 2-win teams. Go Cards!
8	Buf	4-6	8	29	What happened to Lee Evans in quarters 2-4?
9	KC	6-4	9	22	Welcome back Trent ... go out and face Denver on Thursday night in the first game on the NFL network. It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs can pull out a playoff spot. If they don't, think people will wonder why they didn't stick with Huard?
10	SD	8-2	9	19	LT for MVP?
11	Den	7-3	4	22	Broncos could fall into a tie for 2nd place in AFC with a second division loss in 5 days. Lots of time to get Cutler ready before game 12, though.
12	Pit	4-6	1	27	The Steelers have eeked out a couple the last two weeks to start climbing out of their hole. It's a deep hole, though, and they're running out of time.
13	Car	6-4	6	20	They've caught the Saints and I expect them to pull away.
14	Cin	5-5	5	20	Still time for the Bengals to salvage the season. I think they're finally recovering from the hangover they had from being overhyped late last year.
15	Ten	3-7	8	30	Bashing of Philly was a welcome sight.
16	Jax	6-4	1	25	Leftwich's surgery removes the drama from the QB situation, for now.
17	Cle	3-7	11	31	The Browns were close to being in front of the Steelers 10 games in. That's not saying a whole lot this year, but it's something.
18	Phi	5-5	4	25	Too bad TO isn't wearing green any more ... we could have a Garcia to Owens reunion.
19	Atl	5-5	6	21	Is anyone better at going in the tank than Vick and the Falcons? Why not give Schaub a chance?
20	TB	3-7	10	20	They're 3-2 against teams that aren't in their division. That's pretty good. 0-5 in the division isn't so hot. Only one such game left, though.
21	Sea	6-4	2	28	I'll defer judgement until they have their QB back.
22	NE	7-3	5	26	Why wasn't Bruschi penalized for his vicious sack of Brett Favre? Just kidding, but it was at least as bad as the penalty on Justin Smith that cost the Bengals a win earlier this year.
23	StL	4-6	4	27	Rams are sandwiched between the 49ers and the Cardinals. The NFC West was there for the taking this season and, apparently, the Rams decided not to offer at it.
24	Hou	3-7	8	32	I think they made a good choice sticking with Carr.
25	Was	3-7	3	30	Portis for Bailey. What's the verdict?
26	GB	4-6	22	29	Cruel twist of fate for Aaron Rodgers. Eventually, Favre will retire ... better to get the injuries out of the way while he's still kicking.
27	NO	6-4	4	31	Two losses in a row, but they've got winnable games vs. former NFC West foes Atlanta and SF the next two weeks.
28	Oak	2-8	21	31	Randy Moss must be loving the anti-TO publicity. He's just sulking in Oakland avoiding criticism he probably should be receiving.
29	Min	4-6	7	29	Four straight losses after a 4-2 start. The NFC North is pretty sorry.
30	Ind	9-1	1	30	A one-loss team ranked 30th? Is this college football? Just happened. Manning will have the Colts climbing back up in no time.
31	Det	2-8	6	31	The Lions are bad. Again. End of story. Maybe they should send out feelers to Tom Izzo for the job!
32	NYG	6-4	3	32	Are the injuries catching up to the G-men? Maybe. McNabb's injury and Dallas' inconsistency may give them a shot to eek this one out, though.

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Week 10

NFL Week 10 Power Rankings

		Record	Best	Worst	Comment
1	Ind	9-0	1	3	Indy's still undefeated and still on top. Are squeakers promising or concerning, though?
2	Mia	3-6	2	32	Zach Thomas is 3rd in the league in tackles ... and the Dolphins have 3 wins.
3	Chi	8-1	2	32	Bears pull off a stunning rise after a shocking fall, but Rex Grossman is still a concern, as he's tied for third in the league with 11 INT's.
4	Bal	7-2	4	20	Despite the lead in the AFC North, Ravens won't fly high for long with Jamal Lewis averaging 3.4 ypc. His highest per carry average for a game is 4.6. Don't let the big names (or occasional big score) fool you ... this is a team built on D.
5	NYJ	5-4	5	29	If the Jets hadn't been robbed of a game earlier this year they'd be tied with the Pats ... who had that one pre-season? Pennington for CPY?
6	SF	4-5	4	27	SF stole Detroit's spot and Frank Gore is 5th in the league in rushing ... tons of surprises.
7	Det	2-7	6	29	Detroit falls one spot because of a loss to 49ers. Roy Williams is talking the talk and walking the walk with 800 yards receiving (3rd in the league) so far.
8	Hou	3-6	8	32	Which is the bigger surprise, the Texans beating the Jags again or DeMeco Ryans being 5th in the league in tackles?
9	KC	5-4	9	22	Huard is efficient (5th in the league in passer rating) and LJ is a workhorse and it definitely isn't broken (so don't go trying to fix it).
10	Den	7-2	4	22	Champ Bailey has 5 INT's? Who are the idiots throwing his way when the receiver isn't open? Bailey actually catches the ball, which most defenders struggle with.
11	SD	7-2	9	19	Tied with Denver for the AFC West lead. The Chargers are also the highest scoring team in the league ... anyone questioning letting Brees go (no offense to Brees, who has played well in NO)?
12	Pit	3-6	1	27	Move up looks nice, but they're still tied for last in the AFC North (4 back of Baltimore) and their QB leads the league in picks even though he missed some time.
13	Car	5-4	6	20	Peppers leads the league in sacks and Smith is, according to many, the best receiver in the league. Watch out in the second half.
14	Cin	4-5	5	20	Cincy is 9th in the AFC, but only 1 game back of a tie for 6th. Too bad they got the shaft against the Bucs. But, they've also allowed more points than every team in the AFC except the Titans.
15	Phi	5-4	4	25	Another so-so game for McNabb. But, they top the NFC East teams in the rankings. Go Eagles!
16	Jax	5-4	1	25	Will two losses to Houston come back to haunt the Jags? What does it do to the Garrard-Leftwich situation? Either way, Sunday was not a banner day for the franchise!
17	Cle	3-6	11	31	Winslow may not be a soldier, but he does have the second most receiving yards of any TE in the league.
18	Ten	2-7	8	30	Not only have the Titans allowed the most points in the league, they also have the largest negative difference between points scored and points allowed. They don't have the fewest wins in the league, at least.
19	Atl	5-4	6	21	Vick is 14th in the league in rushing, that's crazy! There are 32 teams in the league and a QB is 14th!
20	TB	2-7	10	20	Ronde Barber may be thinking of petitioning the league to get more games against the Eagles and McNabb.
21	Sea	6-3	2	28	Two games clear despite missing two key cogs for a big chunk. So much for a Super Bowl hangover for Holmgren's crew.
22	GB	4-5	22	29	Favre's a solid QB again. But, please, stop with the retirement talk. Let him retire if he wants but don't speculate and help him draw it on ... and on ... and on.
23	StL	4-5	4	27	The Rams may regret letting Seattle take a two game lead. Oh well. It's the Rams, they weren't going anywhere anyway.
24	Buf	3-6	11	29	Sabres have played 17 games and have 31 points. Is that more or less impressive than their 10-0-0 record in road games?
25	Was	3-6	3	30	Finally, Jason Campbell is getting on the field. Unfortunately, Clinton Portis won't be carrying the rock for a while.
26	NE	6-3	5	26	Vinny T.? Maybe the Jets have a chance at the division crown after all.
27	NO	6-3	4	31	Reggie Bush has just over 250 yards rushing and is averaging 2.8 per carry. He hasn't averaged 5+ per carry in any single game this year. Deuce is doing it, why can't 25?
28	Oak	2-7	21	31	Tampa Bay (112 points) and Oakland (105 points) are the only teams in the league with less than 140. At least Gruden can take solace in his dominance of the Raiders!
29	Min	4-5	7	29	Chester Taylor's been strong, but the Vikings are revealing their true colors with 3 losses in a row. They're a mediocre team in a bad division that is dominated by the Bears.
30	Dal	5-4	15	30	Romo to Owens helped the Cowboys get over .500. It didn't help them in the rankings because they beat ...
31	Ari	1-8	23	31	Dennis Green and Co. should have more than one win, but they don't. They have the worst record in the NFL and that should mean something to someone.
32	NYG	6-3	3	32	Tiki leads the league in rushing. The Giants lead the NFC East at 6-3. Yet, they're last in the rankings, partly due to the injuries. However, it has more to do with Miami's stunning beatdown of Chicago in the Windy City the previous week.

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Week 9

Take another look, voters!

Sure, I'd like to see OU higher in the rankings. However, I am resigned to the fact that this year isn't the Sooners year. But, I'd like to put it out there that OU should be ranked much, much higher than they are currently. The problem is that people have forgotten (or don't care) about the travesty in Eugene earlier this year. OU should have one-loss. They got beat by Texas in a game they lost because of turnovers - with a little officiating help (if you need proof, take a look at the play that results in a penalty against OU TE Joe Jon Finley).

Texas lost to a strong Ohio State team, at least in part because Billy Pittman didn't take care of the ball near the goalline and redshirt freshman QB Colt McCoy was still growing up. Actually, his appearance makes you think he has a lot of growing up to do. But, then they went to Manhattan and lost to Kansas State.

Auburn got a gift win against Florida and just got drubbed by Georgia. They also got plastered by a quality Arkansas team earlier in the year. Against the Bulldogs, QB Brandon Cox spread the ball around, hitting his guys four times, hitting Georgia players four times and having the ball hit the turf four times. Great job!

Then, there are the Cal Golden Bears. I hope they pummel USC and take the Pac-10 crown, but an embarrassing early season loss at Tennessee and last week's loss at Arizona should have them below the Sooners. It's quite obvious. Cal doesn't have a big non-conference win. They took care of Minnesota at home ... whoopdeedoo. They got Oregon and Arizona State at home. They could recover from the loss to the Vols. That shouldn't be the case for the loss to the Wildcats.

Oh, and the Badgers. The Big 10 is definitely top heavy this year, with Michigan and Ohio State. Unfortunately, the Badgers only had to play the Wolverines. They lost. Match that with a non-conference schedule of Bowling Green, Western Illinois, San Diego State, and Buffalo and you get a fabulous record, devoid of any real quality wins. While some conferences started weak and came on strong, the Big 10 was overhyped and fizzled. Penn State and Iowa have disappointed and haven't been able to push the big boys who meet this weekend with #1 on the line.

There is also a question of where Wake Forest belongs with one loss. They lost to Clemson, but have taken care of everyone else so far, including B.C. At least they have a couple more games against relatively high-level opponents Virginia Tech and Maryland. Another loss will send the Demon Deacons plummeting, as it should.

And, recapping the BCS jumble at the top, there are 12 teams either undefeated or with one loss. The Ohio State v. Michigan game won't change that. We can discard West Virginia and Louisville at national title contenders, dropping the pool to 10. USC v. Notre Dame will remove another, with the number, potentially, dropping to 8 if Cal beats USC and the Trojans beat Notre Dame. Rutgers will, probably, lose to WVU and I expect Wake Forest to lose again before the season is out. So, we're down to seven. Dropping Wisconsin for having no real high-level wins whittles the field to six. Boise State is in the running for a BCS game, but not THE game ... 5. The SEC and/or SEC championship game will prevent both Florida and Arkansas from finishing with one loss. It might blemish both again. So, we're down to four or less.

So, we're actually down to Ohio State, Michigan, USC or Notre Dame, and Arkansas or Florida. With one loss, all of those teams seem worthy of a shot. But, it's not unrealistic that both teams in the "or" pairings will have losses. That would set up a rematch of the Ohio State v. Michigan game for the national title at a neutral site. The BCS sucks, but I think it might work out for them again this year. But, just because it "works out" doesn't mean it's the best, or even a good, system.

NFL Week 9 Power Rankings

		Record	Best	Worst	Comment
1	Ind	8-0	1	3	Marvin Harrison is smart to get down early to avoid big hits. Why is he praised while others have their toughness questioned?
2	Mia	2-6	2	32	Dolphins won't challenge NE for AFC East crown, but they've jumped them in the rankings thanks to more careless play from Rex Grossman.
3	NYG	6-2	3	8	Comeback home win against the Texans is still a win.
4	Bal	6-2	4	20	Two clear in the AFC North at the halfway point. Even better, Cincy and Pittsburgh are struggling.
5	NE	6-2	5	13	Was Vinatieri in cahoots with the Pats on Sunday night? Pats aren't a story ... they aren't great (losses at home to Indy and Denver), but they're the class of the AFC East.
6	Det	2-6	6	29	Another two-win team in the top 6. We might have to tinker with our ranking system before next year.
7	SF	3-5	4	27	NFC West isn't strong with injuries to the Seahawks. Might SF make a run?
8	Jax	5-3	1	25	Good backups are a luxury in the NFL. It's a problem when your starter isn't clearly better than the backup. Garrard-Leftwich might get interesting in the second half of the season.
9	KC	5-3	9	22	KC is one of three quality teams in the AFC West. The division (and conference) may be too deep to get all three into the playoffs.
10	Den	6-2	4	22	Nice to see Walker making plays after being hurt last year. Also, can we get that picture of Plummer with just a mustache destroyed? Was that a joke?
11	SD	6-2	9	19	Another AFC West squad. Second half division match-ups will be fun. It's possible all three will make the playoffs if Cincy doesn't get it in gear and they beat the teams they are supposed to beat.
12	NO	6-2	4	31	Saints could send Steelers to 2-7 if they get to 7-2 next Sunday. Brees: 314 and 3 TD's. Catch him in Hawaii in February.
13	TB	2-6	10	20	The bad news: they lost to the Saints, again. The good news: no more games on the schedule against the Saints. Plus, it's still warm in Florida.
14	Cin	4-4	5	20	Are off and on-field problems related?
15	Was	3-5	3	30	The game against Dallas was a gift. Will it turn the season around for the 'Skins? Now, they have a chance if they get their act together.
16	Hou	2-6	16	32	Do Texans' fans want wins or high draft picks? OU RB Adrian Peterson would be a nice addition to the offense.
17	Atl	5-3	6	21	Just when you think the Falcons have turned the corner, they get smacked around by the Lions.
18	Ten	2-6	8	30	Jags showed there are two good teams in the AFC South and the Titans are still rebuilding.
19	Cle	2-6	11	31	Winslow had 11 catches and Cleveland has as many wins as the defending Super Bowl champs. Unfortunately, they're 2-6.
20	Car	4-4	6	20	Panthers need another late-season run and the offense needs to step up.
21	Sea	5-3	2	28	Two questions: (1) why don't they have a roof in Seattle? and (2) can Seattle's D stop anyone not wearing a Raider uni?
22	Min	4-4	7	29	The Vikings had a chance to put a little pressure on the Bears ... then they put up 3 points against the 49ers. Hard to see the Vikes doing anything more than squeaking into the playoffs as a W.C. by beating up on the bottom feeders of the NFC. Oh wait, they lost to the '9ers!
23	StL	4-4	4	27	Rams didn't "Show me" much in the battle of Missouri.
24	Buf	3-5	11	29	Does anyone know how the Sabres are doing these days? The Bills are still irrelevant.
25	Phi	4-4	4	25	Eagles could get back into it against the 'Skins and the Titans.
26	NYJ	4-4	11	29	Match-up with NE is do or die for the Jets' hopes of an AFC East crown.
27	Pit	2-6	1	27	Joe Theismann said he thinks Pittsburgh might be able to make the playoffs. Yeah right. If they win out, they'll be 10-6. That might get them in. Will they beat NO, Baltimore twice, Carolina and Cincy? Joe T. is out of his mind.
28	Oak	2-6	21	31	The Raiders are pathetic. Andrew Walter looked like he wished Aaron Brooks was still playing. Either that or he wished his OL would start playing.
29	GB	3-5	24	29	At least Aaron Rogers got some tv time on an ESPN spot.
30	Dal	4-4	15	30	Has lack of pre-season practice time hurt TO's ball-catching?
31	Ari	1-7	23	31	Worst record in the league doesn't earn Arizona the bottom spot.
32	Chi	7-1	2	32	Taking your first loss, at home no less, to a one-win team moves Da Bears to the bottom spot. Grossman needs a lesson in ball security. Maybe holding onto a football on the sidelines next week watching Griese play would be a good learning experience for him. Either that or some video of Trent Dilfer as a Raven.

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Week 8

Heisman? Not Troy Smith.

OSU QB Troy Smith had another subpar game. Smith had 108 yards and a pick against the Illini and they only put up 17 points. If the Buckeyes don't want to run up the score by throwing all over the field, that's fine. But 17 points, even if in the form of a 17-0 lead, isn't running up the score. Putting up just 14 points of offense against Penn State and relying on 2 late defensive TD's to bolster the margin isn't impressive. People ahve been saying that Smith is leader unless he slips up. Penn State was a slip up. Illinois was a slip up.

The Heisman Trophy is NOT a team award. It's an individual award. Or, did something change? Troy Smith doesn't have the highest rating. He doesn't have the most yards or the highest completion percentage. He doesn't have the most TD's. His 3 INT's and 22 TD's are the same as Houston's Kevin Kolb, who is ahead of Smith in yards, completion percentage and yards per attempt.

Ohio State was supposed to have a suspect defense this year. It's been anything but. They've held every opponent to 17 or less. That's impressive. Troy Smith has been solid, but not spectacular. He has great receivers and solid backs. Maybe, in some games, he hasn't needed to be spectacular. The problem is that he has laid some eggs. Adrian Peterson had over 100 yards against Texas, a team with a very stout run defense. People said Peterson didn't play well enough to win the Heisman because of that performance. Sure, he had a fumble. But, I'll take 109 yards, 1 TD and a fumble for a RB against Texas over 108 yards and 1 INT for a QB against Illinois any day! Who wouldn't?

I'm not arguing for Adrian Peterson for Heisman. That would be ridiculous because he broke his collarbone. I'm using it as an example of the hypocrisy of sportscasters. If they like someone, they spin things for them. If they don't like someone, they spin it the other way. McNabb yelling at people is motivating them. Owens yelling at people is berating them. More often, the spin is by omission. Commentators praise Colt McCoy but don't say anything when he pitches the ball late on an option when he should just eat it or when he makes ill-advised throws. The option pitch was behind the RB who saved the redshirt frosh QB's butt. They praised McCoy on a TD throw to TE Jermichael Finley. The throw wasn't particularly good. It was high and on the wrong side of Finley, who made a spectacular catch. The safety over the top could have blown Finley up except that he didn't think Finley would make a play on it and was going for the interception. McCoy got lucky on that one because his TE made an unbelievable play ... but there wasn't any mention of that. I'm not lobbying for Peterson ... I'm trying to draw attention to the fact that Troy Smith is not a clear-cut Heisman leader, or he shouldn't be. Maybe he's in the running if he comes up big against Big Blue, maybe not. People need to do their homework and look at other people instead of listening to all the early-season buzz created by OSU beating Texas in Austin.

College Football's Running Clock

I think this came up at the end of the Ohio State v. Illinois game yesterday. The commentators wanted a rule change so that the clock didn't start on change of possession late in games. They said it prevented teams from making late-game comebacks. I disagree. You just have to shift your thinking by 25 seconds. If a team can run off 25 seconds before they have to run a play, you better factor that in to figuring out when you need to get things done. You don't want to change the rules just because it would be nice for one team to have a couple more plays. I'd have loved if Illinois could have gotten the ball back and scored, but they needed to start putting up points earlier in the game.

Personally, I don't think games need to be shorter. I thought college football was fine the way it was. But, this is the way it is now. I don't see any reason they need to put some time limitation on when they start the clock on change of possession. Sure, it will give teams a little more time to come back, but does it really matter? As long as the rules are followed correctly, teams know the rules and need to react accordingly. Texas A&M knew when they kicked off down 17-16 that they needed to keep OU from getting a first down. They didn't. Game over. Illinois had a shot at recovering the onsides kick ... they didn't ... game over. The rules don't prevent teams from coming back. They don't hurt teams trying to come back. They are the rules. Teams must adapt. Sure, teams that are behind would love if the clock stopped after every play, but that's not the way it works.

Loosen up on roughing the QB

In tonight's overhyped mid-season match-up between the Colts and the Pats, Dwight Freeney almost sacked Tom Brady. The play was just before halftime, right before the interception that allowed the Colts to drain the clock and head to the locker room. Thus, it had no effect on the outcome. But, it says a lot about how roughing the passer has changed over the years and why they need to loosen the reins.

Freeney beat his man and was nearing Brady as Brady moved his arm forward. Brady didn't let go of the ball, possibly because Freeney was approaching. Freeney held up so that he wouldn't be penalized for hitting Brady late, even though he was getting there right after the ball would have been thrown. After the pump fake and a slight collision, Brady backpedaled ... Freeney realized he should have laid the wood to him the first time and chased him ... but Brady threw a complete pass before Freeney could get to him again.

The referees, and league officials and rules committees, etc, are forcing the players to think too much on the field. If they don't want people leading with their helmets, cover the helmets in a little bit of padding so they aren't a weapon. If they don't want QB's getting hurt, but flags on them for the defenders to grab. You can't have it both ways. It can't be football and be totally safe. I vote for football ... although Tiki might stick around for a couple more years if it's two-hand touch.

Non-Conference Wins

Not all non-conference wins are created equal. Today on PTI, Michael Wilbon applauded the Big East for 6 non-conference road wins against BCS conference teams, while the Big 12 doesn't have any and the SEC has one.

I don't know what Wilbon is thinking. Maybe he wants to defend the Big East and that is his way of doing it. However, as I've documented, the Big East hasn't beaten any big-time BCS conference teams in non-conference play, much less on the road (although I didn't separate home and away in my post). Would Texas going to North Carolina and stomping on the Tar Heels impress you, Wilbon?

Nebraska played at USC. They lost. Would you rather they play at Stanford and kick the crap out of the tree? Oklahoma got jobbed at Oregon. Maybe OU should have gone on the road to Mississippi State to pick up a road win against a BCS team from another conference. And, those SEC teams need to be knocking down the door to get games at Duke, Illinois, and Baylor.

Records are important, but you have to consider who you play against. What's more impressive, a 4.0 for a communications major or a 4.0 for a physics major? Two lifters can each do a set of 10 reps on the bench press, but I'm saying the guy putting up 315 lbs. is doing a little better than the guy struggling with 135 lbs. What's 2 - 2? What's the derivative of (sin(x))^2+(cos(x))^2? The answer is the same ... I'll let you convince yourself of that.

Teams, even in the power conferences, need to play tougher non-conference schedules. The Big East didn't play a tough non-conference schedule, despite Wilbon's stupid, irrelevant stat. I'd like to think I could expect more from a contributor to PTI. Give me some worthwhile information, not stupid, contrived crap to try to trick people into believing that road non-conference wins against BCS schools mean anything at all.

King of the Big East Mountain

The Louisville Cardinals whipped out the huge pizza cutter and carved up the West Virginia defense tonight. Louisville defeated the Mountaineers 44-34, thanks in part to a fumble by Steve Slaton that they returned for a TD and a horrible punt and even worse coverage that resulted in a return for a TD. Oh, and there was the pathetic WVU defense.

Honestly, the game reminded me of the Pac-10. The defenses were non-existent. I'll admit both teams have potent offenses, but did you see the play in the 4th quarter where Slaton caught a pass after both defenders went with the other guy? Slaton is the guy on WVU that you worry about, so maybe someone should cover him. Just an idea. Or, there was the fade route to the corner of the end zone for Louisville when the defender had no clue the ball was coming.

I still have doubts about the legitimacy of a Big East champ playing for the national title. Louisville's big non-conference game was against Miami. Well, the Canes couldn't score on a pinball machine, so the Cardinals' defensive shortcomings weren't exposed.

At this point, I'm left to wonder how good Rutgers is and whether or not the state university of New Jersey will be able to knock off Louisville when the Cardinals invade the Scarlet Knights. As bad a situation as it would be for the BCS with Louisville, Boise State, and Ohio State as the only undefeated teams, it would be worse if it was just Boise State and Ohio State. The Broncos aren't getting into the BCS title game. I'd love to have Notre Dame, Michigan, California, Texas, Louisville, West Virginia, Rutgers, B.C., Florida, Auburn and Tennessee all have one loss. How do you decide that one?

NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

		Record	Best	Worst	Comment
1	Ind	7-0	1	3	Peyton's Place? Invesco ... check.
2	Chi	7-0	2	7	41-0 at half is impressive, even against SF.
3	NYG	5-2	3	8	Giants not so friendly on friends of the Giants day.
4	Bal	5-2	4	20	What's Billick doing picking on Mother Teresa?
5	NE	6-1	5	13	TK's "Golden Boy" man-crush is getting ridiculous. Doesn't anyone remember the Denver debacle?
6	Atl	5-2	6	21	I wish I was in the Atlanta tv market.
7	Min	4-3	7	29	I have a perfect plan to restore spirits after a tough loss: Sex Boat!
8	Ten	2-5	8	30	Vince Young is the new freak for the Titans.
9	KC	4-3	9	22	Herman Edwards needs to try harder to spell LJ ... with Michael Bennett.
10	Den	5-2	4	22	Indy: 0 TO, 1 Punt; Denver: 1 TO, 2 Punts ... I thought there was a D in Denver.
11	Cle	2-5	11	31	Winslow had 7 of the 15 Browns receptions.
12	NO	5-2	4	31	Tied with ATL, 1.5 clear of the Panthers ... but maybe Brees should be throwing the passes.
13	TB	2-5	10	20	Too bad Donovan McNabb wasn't at Giant Stadium to throw TD's to Ronde Barber.
14	Cin	4-3	5	20	Cinco Ocho had a TD, but Vick is loving those AFC North D's.
15	Dal	4-3	15	15	Dallas is still here. I was worried early, but they remain in the thick of things and Romo looked promising.
16	Hou	2-5	16	32	Mario Williams got a sack ... but they lost to the Titans. Think draft picks!
17	Det	1-6	11	29	Maybe Roy Williams is thinking he's still in Austin when he's talking about racking up 40 points and going undefeated? Oh wait, his UT teams never won the national title. He really is just delusional.
18	Jax	4-3	1	25	Big win reminded me of the MNF'er against the other PA team ... stiffling defense. Garrard looked good scrambling, too.
19	SD	5-2	9	19	Home-and-home with Denver will be fun.
20	Car	4-4	6	20	Panthers are digging a hole in a tough division.
21	Oak	2-5	21	31	Chris Carr had a 100-yard INT return for a TD. The Raiders had 98 yards of total offense from scrimmage. I bet that's the only time that has happened and the team has won. Maybe there is reason to watch Oakland? Nah.
22	SF	2-5	4	27	Frank Gore had 12 carries for 111 yards. But, -5 in TO's at Chicago is a recipe for being demolished. At least they didn't screw up the recipe.
23	StL	4-3	4	27	The road is getting tougher for St. Louis. Will they step up or fade away?
24	GB	3-4	24	28	Javon Walker should have given Brett Favre Lambeau leap lessons before heading to Denver. Too bad he had a torn up knee.
25	Phi	4-4	4	25	McNabb's worst day of the year, by far. Is he still in the MVP talk? Nope!
26	NYJ	4-4	11	29	Will someone in the AFC East at least pretend to challenge New England?
27	Pit	2-5	1	27	Batch would have led Steelers to victory. Big Ben is part of the problem now, but long-term, he's probably the solution. The Steelers may fall to 2-7 before their next win.
28	Sea	4-3	2	28	Deion Branch's strip of Jared Allen was a thing of beauty.
29	Buf	2-5	11	29	There is no joy in Buffalo, the Sabres' win streak was snapped in a shootout against the Thrashers and B.C. QB Chris Crane ran for a TD after dropping the ball when he was trying to throw it against the Buffalo Bulls.
30	Was	2-5	3	30	I thought they were high on Jason Campbell.
31	Ari	1-7	23	31	First Oakland, then Green Bay. Who's next? Anyone shitty looking for a win, I guess.
32	Mia	1-6	17	32	It's impossible to move up if you don't play. It's hard to move up playing like the Dolphins, but at least there's a chance!

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Week 7