Upset of the Week: For a while, it looked like we wouldn't have many of these, but Saturday afternoon opened it up. Leading into Saturday, Ohio had engineered the only upset, beating Temple to reach the MAC Championship Game. Auburn almost did it, but they couldn't sustain it in the fourth quarter. Saturday, though, opened the doors. It started with the Battle of South Carolina, as the Gamecocks demolished Clemson. The Mississipi State Bulldogs followed, knocking off Ole Miss. That night, Georgia dominated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However, the biggest surprise was the Oklahoma state rivalry. Not only did the Sooners completely destroy the Cowboys, but they shut down the most potent offense in the conference.
We still have six unbeatens, but four of them play this week. Two play each other, so we'll lose one. Could we lose more than one? My picks column will determine that. Alabama's close call against Auburn cost them the top spot, but a victory over Florida in the SEC Championship Game should regain it.
This week's ranking [Last week's position]
1. Texas Longhorns (12-0) [2]
2. Florida Gators (12-0) [3]
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0) [1]
4. TCU Horned Frogs (12-0) [5]
5. Boise State Broncos (12-0) [4]
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (11-0) [6]
7. Oregon Ducks (9-2) [9]
8. Ohio State Buckeyes (12-0) [10] : Up two spots on a bye thanks to losses above them
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2) [11]
10. BYU Cougars (10-2) [14]
11. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [12]
12. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-2) [8]
13. Pittsburgh Panthers (9-2) [7]
14. Central Michigan Chippewas (10-2) [15]
15. Houston Cougars (10-2) [17]
16. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3) [18]
17. Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3) [20]
18. Utah Utes (9-3) [16]
19. LSU Tigers (9-3) [23]
20. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3) [13]
21. USC Trojans (8-3) [25]
22. Miami Hurricanes (9-3) [NP]
23. Clemson Tigers (8-4) [19]
24. Wisconsin Badgers (8-3) [24]
25. West Virginia Mountaineers (8-3) [NP]
Dropped: Temple Owls [#21], Ole Miss Rebels [#22]
Division and Conference Races: Everything is set except for the Pac-10 and Big East. Both will be resolved this week. The Big East will go to the winner of the Cincinnati and Pittsburgh battle, and the champion of Oregon will win the Pac-10.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
NFL Week 12 picks
Welcome to Thanksgiving weekend! That usually denotes the start of the final leg of the regular season, and a couple of divisional races can be sealed (or close to it) this weekend.
Thanksgiving Day
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions: The Thanksgiving Day games have become indigestible for the Lions fans over the past couple of decades, and this one won't be an exception. Green Bay comes in with momentum and smooth communication between Rodgers and his receivers. Detroit gained their second win of the season last week, but it was a close game against pathetic Cleveland. This one won't be pretty. PACK, 34-13
Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys: With the Giants halting their decline and the Eagles always dangerous, the Cowboys know they need this game to maintain their divisional lead. The Raiders are having problems, and the Cowboys seem to have worked out their early season kinks, so I think Dallas will gain this victory. COWBOYS, 23-16
New York Giants at Denver Broncos: These teams have followed similar paths, starting unbeaten then hitting sudden skids. The Giants pulled out of their freefall last week. Can Denver do it this week? The Bronocos have the right tools, and they could, but with the Giants breathing life back into their team, they seem poised to win again. This one could come down to a late fourth quarter field goal, though. GIANTS, 27-24
Sunday early games:
Carolina Panthers at New York Jets: Whoa, could both New York (New Jersey) teams win in the same week? That seems possible, as the Panthers are certainly a team in disarray right now. Sanchez has experienced rookie bumps after a great start, but he's got a good head on his shoulders, and he's been learning from everything. With Rex Ryan's defense still hungry, I think the Jets will get this one, though it'll be a squeaker. JETS, 19-16
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals: The Browns have serious offensive problems, and the Bengals have the best defense in the division. Throw in the Bengals push to go unbeaten in the division, and I smell a shutout possibility. BENGALS, 17-0
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: The Colts come in with a four-game lead in the division. A win here, and a Jacksonville loss later in the day, practically gives them the division. Houston wants to erase a tough loss on Monday night, but Indy has been able to pull out games in the fourth quarter this year. I think they'll do it again here, and win yet another close one. COLTS, 24-20
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills: The wildcard is working, and the Bills offense is struggling immensely. I like the Fish stay in the division hunt while simultaneously putting Buffalo's postseason hopes in jeopardy. DOLPHINS, 20-13
Seattle Seahawks at St Louis Rams: I'm not sure how many people are still interested in these two teams, but someone will attend (Free Beer promo, maybe?). The Rams have the most ineffective offense in the league, even worse than Cleveland, and have scored TDs on less than 15% of their trips into the red zone. Seattle isn't having a good year, but they're more reliable to score in the red zone. If the Seahawks can prevent turning over the ball, they should beat the Rams. SEAHAWKS, 23-13
Tampa Bay Bucs at Atlanta Falcons: QB Josh Freeman has the Bucs looking better, but this young team still doesn't have the knowledge or experience to consistently do well. Atlanta has experienced some bumps, but their offense is still a major threat, and that offense will be on display in this game. FALCONS, 27-10
Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: Washington's defense came alive last week, but can they do it for a second week? I don't think so. The Eagles offense will be alive and moving, and that will break the back of the Redskins. EAGLES, 27-13
Sunday late games:
Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans: The Cards lead their division, but Vince Young has kept Tennessee on a winning streak. The Cards have more tools on offense than Tennessee, but the Titans aren't without talent. This game will see plenty of lead changes, and the last team inside the 30 yard line will win the game. I like the Cards chances to do that, but without a capable running game to maintain drives, the Titans may have the last possession. CARDS, 24-23
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings offense is too powerful for the Bears to stop, only to slow. The Vikings secondary will confuse Cutler, so he'll produce at least two interceptions. Those will kill the Bears. VIKINGS, 31-17
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are certainly capable of winning this game, and practically handing the AFC South title to the Colts, but I think the Jags will pull this one out. It'll be a hard-fought defensive battle, I can guarantee that. JAGS, 20-17
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers: The Chargers are taking advantage of the Broncos' losing streak. They captured the division lead last week, and now look to stretch their lead to two games. Unless the Broncos get back to their winning ways, San Diego will capture this crown. CHARGERS, 30-17
Sunday night - Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens: The Steelers need to get back to winning football games. The Ravens are inconsistent, but they are strong enough to beat the Steelers. Pittsburgh seems to play better when they are nationally televised, so I'll pick them, but the Ravens could pull off the upset and knock Pitt to third place in the division. STEELERS, 17-13
Monday Night Football - New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints: If there is an opponent who could hand the Saints their first loss, it's New England. Despite a 7-3 record, the Pats are a powerful team, and they have one of the best defenses in the league. However, they've allowed teams late scores in each of their losses, and the Saints can score quickly. I think the Saints will win on a late touchdown. SAINTS, 30-26
Thanksgiving Day
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions: The Thanksgiving Day games have become indigestible for the Lions fans over the past couple of decades, and this one won't be an exception. Green Bay comes in with momentum and smooth communication between Rodgers and his receivers. Detroit gained their second win of the season last week, but it was a close game against pathetic Cleveland. This one won't be pretty. PACK, 34-13
Oakland Raiders at Dallas Cowboys: With the Giants halting their decline and the Eagles always dangerous, the Cowboys know they need this game to maintain their divisional lead. The Raiders are having problems, and the Cowboys seem to have worked out their early season kinks, so I think Dallas will gain this victory. COWBOYS, 23-16
New York Giants at Denver Broncos: These teams have followed similar paths, starting unbeaten then hitting sudden skids. The Giants pulled out of their freefall last week. Can Denver do it this week? The Bronocos have the right tools, and they could, but with the Giants breathing life back into their team, they seem poised to win again. This one could come down to a late fourth quarter field goal, though. GIANTS, 27-24
Sunday early games:
Carolina Panthers at New York Jets: Whoa, could both New York (New Jersey) teams win in the same week? That seems possible, as the Panthers are certainly a team in disarray right now. Sanchez has experienced rookie bumps after a great start, but he's got a good head on his shoulders, and he's been learning from everything. With Rex Ryan's defense still hungry, I think the Jets will get this one, though it'll be a squeaker. JETS, 19-16
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals: The Browns have serious offensive problems, and the Bengals have the best defense in the division. Throw in the Bengals push to go unbeaten in the division, and I smell a shutout possibility. BENGALS, 17-0
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: The Colts come in with a four-game lead in the division. A win here, and a Jacksonville loss later in the day, practically gives them the division. Houston wants to erase a tough loss on Monday night, but Indy has been able to pull out games in the fourth quarter this year. I think they'll do it again here, and win yet another close one. COLTS, 24-20
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills: The wildcard is working, and the Bills offense is struggling immensely. I like the Fish stay in the division hunt while simultaneously putting Buffalo's postseason hopes in jeopardy. DOLPHINS, 20-13
Seattle Seahawks at St Louis Rams: I'm not sure how many people are still interested in these two teams, but someone will attend (Free Beer promo, maybe?). The Rams have the most ineffective offense in the league, even worse than Cleveland, and have scored TDs on less than 15% of their trips into the red zone. Seattle isn't having a good year, but they're more reliable to score in the red zone. If the Seahawks can prevent turning over the ball, they should beat the Rams. SEAHAWKS, 23-13
Tampa Bay Bucs at Atlanta Falcons: QB Josh Freeman has the Bucs looking better, but this young team still doesn't have the knowledge or experience to consistently do well. Atlanta has experienced some bumps, but their offense is still a major threat, and that offense will be on display in this game. FALCONS, 27-10
Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles: Washington's defense came alive last week, but can they do it for a second week? I don't think so. The Eagles offense will be alive and moving, and that will break the back of the Redskins. EAGLES, 27-13
Sunday late games:
Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans: The Cards lead their division, but Vince Young has kept Tennessee on a winning streak. The Cards have more tools on offense than Tennessee, but the Titans aren't without talent. This game will see plenty of lead changes, and the last team inside the 30 yard line will win the game. I like the Cards chances to do that, but without a capable running game to maintain drives, the Titans may have the last possession. CARDS, 24-23
Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings offense is too powerful for the Bears to stop, only to slow. The Vikings secondary will confuse Cutler, so he'll produce at least two interceptions. Those will kill the Bears. VIKINGS, 31-17
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are certainly capable of winning this game, and practically handing the AFC South title to the Colts, but I think the Jags will pull this one out. It'll be a hard-fought defensive battle, I can guarantee that. JAGS, 20-17
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers: The Chargers are taking advantage of the Broncos' losing streak. They captured the division lead last week, and now look to stretch their lead to two games. Unless the Broncos get back to their winning ways, San Diego will capture this crown. CHARGERS, 30-17
Sunday night - Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens: The Steelers need to get back to winning football games. The Ravens are inconsistent, but they are strong enough to beat the Steelers. Pittsburgh seems to play better when they are nationally televised, so I'll pick them, but the Ravens could pull off the upset and knock Pitt to third place in the division. STEELERS, 17-13
Monday Night Football - New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints: If there is an opponent who could hand the Saints their first loss, it's New England. Despite a 7-3 record, the Pats are a powerful team, and they have one of the best defenses in the league. However, they've allowed teams late scores in each of their losses, and the Saints can score quickly. I think the Saints will win on a late touchdown. SAINTS, 30-26
NFL Power Rankings - Week 11
Indy survived another close one, while New Orleans continues to trounce opponents. Many of the weak teams won this week, but they were so bad previously they didn't move up much. Still, the margin between the poor and mediocre teams is shrinking, and the gap between the top of the league and the rest is growing. There should be a few playoff teams with great records, and the rest will only be mediocre this year.
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. New Orleans Saints (10-0) [1] : Are we ready to call this the consensus best team in the league? Their offense is outstanding, and their defense continues to improve.
2. Indianapolis Colts (10-0) [2] : They don't win pretty, but Peyton has the best stats of his career, and winning is the name of the game in this league.
3. Minnesota Vikings (9-1) [3] : Brett Favre is the consensus Comeback Player of the Year
4. New England Patriots (7-3) [4] : This team is much better than their record indicates. Their three losses have all been close
5. Dallas Cowboys (7-3) [6] : Ugly win; looked like a baseball score. They should do better for Thanksgiving
6. San Diego Chargers (7-3) [11] : They destroyed Denver!
7. Green Bay Packers (6-4) [8] : They need to work on their defense, but they should still do well on Thanksgiving
8. Arizona Cardinals (7-3) [9] : Tremendous win!
9. Philadelphia Eagles (6-4) [12] : My Bears made it tough, but McNabb engineered two excellent second half drives
10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-3) [5] : Complete meltdown after their win over Pittsburgh last week!
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) [7] : Speaking of a team in meltdown mode, they should never have let this game go to overtime
12. Baltimore Ravens (5-5) [10] : The AFC North had trouble this week
13. New York Giants (6-4) [17] : They stopped the downwards slide, and they have the declining Broncos Thursday night
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) [15] : It ain't always pretty, but they get the job done
15. Atlanta Falcons (5-5) [13] : Tough overtime loss
16. Houston Texans (5-5) [14]
17. San Francisco 49ers (4-6) [16] : Played Green Bay tough, although defense was not up to what we've expected from their coach
18. New York Jets (4-6) [18]
19. Miami Dolphins (5-5) [21] : The wildcard DID fool Carolina!
20. Chicago Bears (4-6) [20]
21. Denver Broncos (6-4) [19] : The slide continues
22. Tennessee Titans (4-6) [24] : Vince Young is in control; he even got a ref to high five him!
23. Seattle Seahawks (3-7) [22] : This team is in disarray
24. Carolina Panthers (4-6) [23]
25. Kansas City Chiefs (3-7) [27] : Nice upset of the Super Bowl Champs
26. Oakland Raiders (3-7) [28] : They upset of the hottest teams in the AFC in preparation to face Dallas
27. Washington Redskins (3-7) [26] : Whoa, where'd that DEFENSE come from?
28. Detroit Lions (2-8) [30]
29. Buffalo Bills (3-7) [25] : Time to wrap up this season
30. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-9) [29]
31. Cleveland Browns (2-8) [31]
32. St Louis Rams (1-9) [32]
Biggest gain: San Diego Chargers
Biggest sack: Cincinnati Bengals
Division rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC East [2] : Nice improvement by the Giants, and the others played well (even Washington)
2. AFC South [3] : Except for Houston, this division did well
3. NFC North [4] : Even Chicago's loss couldn't hurt them, since they hung in against Philly
4. AFC North [1] : Terrible collapse for all of the teams
5. AFC East [5] : The Pats and Miami are the cream
6. NFC South [6]
7. AFC West [8] : Great wins for San Diego, KC, and Oakland
8. NFC West [7]
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. New Orleans Saints (10-0) [1] : Are we ready to call this the consensus best team in the league? Their offense is outstanding, and their defense continues to improve.
2. Indianapolis Colts (10-0) [2] : They don't win pretty, but Peyton has the best stats of his career, and winning is the name of the game in this league.
3. Minnesota Vikings (9-1) [3] : Brett Favre is the consensus Comeback Player of the Year
4. New England Patriots (7-3) [4] : This team is much better than their record indicates. Their three losses have all been close
5. Dallas Cowboys (7-3) [6] : Ugly win; looked like a baseball score. They should do better for Thanksgiving
6. San Diego Chargers (7-3) [11] : They destroyed Denver!
7. Green Bay Packers (6-4) [8] : They need to work on their defense, but they should still do well on Thanksgiving
8. Arizona Cardinals (7-3) [9] : Tremendous win!
9. Philadelphia Eagles (6-4) [12] : My Bears made it tough, but McNabb engineered two excellent second half drives
10. Cincinnati Bengals (7-3) [5] : Complete meltdown after their win over Pittsburgh last week!
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) [7] : Speaking of a team in meltdown mode, they should never have let this game go to overtime
12. Baltimore Ravens (5-5) [10] : The AFC North had trouble this week
13. New York Giants (6-4) [17] : They stopped the downwards slide, and they have the declining Broncos Thursday night
14. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4) [15] : It ain't always pretty, but they get the job done
15. Atlanta Falcons (5-5) [13] : Tough overtime loss
16. Houston Texans (5-5) [14]
17. San Francisco 49ers (4-6) [16] : Played Green Bay tough, although defense was not up to what we've expected from their coach
18. New York Jets (4-6) [18]
19. Miami Dolphins (5-5) [21] : The wildcard DID fool Carolina!
20. Chicago Bears (4-6) [20]
21. Denver Broncos (6-4) [19] : The slide continues
22. Tennessee Titans (4-6) [24] : Vince Young is in control; he even got a ref to high five him!
23. Seattle Seahawks (3-7) [22] : This team is in disarray
24. Carolina Panthers (4-6) [23]
25. Kansas City Chiefs (3-7) [27] : Nice upset of the Super Bowl Champs
26. Oakland Raiders (3-7) [28] : They upset of the hottest teams in the AFC in preparation to face Dallas
27. Washington Redskins (3-7) [26] : Whoa, where'd that DEFENSE come from?
28. Detroit Lions (2-8) [30]
29. Buffalo Bills (3-7) [25] : Time to wrap up this season
30. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-9) [29]
31. Cleveland Browns (2-8) [31]
32. St Louis Rams (1-9) [32]
Biggest gain: San Diego Chargers
Biggest sack: Cincinnati Bengals
Division rankings [Last week's position]
1. NFC East [2] : Nice improvement by the Giants, and the others played well (even Washington)
2. AFC South [3] : Except for Houston, this division did well
3. NFC North [4] : Even Chicago's loss couldn't hurt them, since they hung in against Philly
4. AFC North [1] : Terrible collapse for all of the teams
5. AFC East [5] : The Pats and Miami are the cream
6. NFC South [6]
7. AFC West [8] : Great wins for San Diego, KC, and Oakland
8. NFC West [7]
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
NCAA Week 13 picks
Welcome to Thanksgiving weekend, the last week of the season for most teams, although most of the Big Ten has already finished. The Big East and Pac-10 still have games next week, as do Army and Navy, but this is the last week for most conferences. It kicks off Thanksgiving night with a major Texas rivalry...
Thurs
#2 Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies always play hard when Texas comes to town, but I don't think they have the stuff this year to pull off an upset. It looks like Texas will be unbeaten going into the Big XII Championship Game. TEXAS
Fri
#21 Temple Owls at Ohio Bobcats: Temple is ranked and bowl eligible for the first time in thirty years, and have a chance to play in their first FBS championship game! The Owls have too much incentive to let Ohio screw this up. Temple's offense has been lighting up scoreboards all over the heartland, and the Bobcats' defense doesn't seem capable of slowing them enough. TEMPLE
Illinois Fighting Illini at #6 Cincinnati Bearcats: I'd love to see the Illini knock off Cincy, but I don't think it'll happen. With dangerous Tony Pike coming back under center, I just think the Illini will be skinned. That leaves an unbeaten Bearcats team to travel to Pittsburgh next week. CINCY
Northern Illinois Huskies at #15 Central Michigan Chippewas: The Chippewas are enjoying their highest ranking ever, and they'll be playing for the MAC title and a New Years Day bowl. They won't let the Huskies stop it, no matter how much the Huskies want to avoid consecutive losses. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Auburn Tigers: The Tide have to travel to Auburn, but this Tigers team doesn't have the bite of previous seasons. Alabama clearly has the better defense, and the better offense, too. ALABAMA
#20 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Colorado Buffaloes: It has not been a good year for the Buffaloes, and closing it against Nebraska, a team going to the Big XII Championship Game, is definitely the lowpoint. NEBRASKA
#7 Pittsburgh Panthers at West Virginia Mountaineers: Pitt doesn't NEED this victory to get the Big East, but they DO need it if they want to get into a BCS bowl. That's a goal Dave Wannstedt stated when he came to Pittsburgh, and he might get it. PITT
Top 25
Florida State Seminoles at #3 Florida Gators: Do you think the Gators will let the Seminoles screw up the matchup of unbeatens in the SEC Championship Game? Not a chance. FLORIDA
New Mexico Lobos at #5 TCU Horned Frogs: TCU shouldn't have any problem remaining unbeaten. TCU
Georgia Bulldogs at #8 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: This bitter state rivalry will go to the home team, as Georgia just lacks the power this year. GEORGIA TECH
#13 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Oklahoma Sooners: Here's a potential upset. The Cowboys have a high-powered offense, but so does Oklahoma, and the Sooners have gotten up for strong opponents this season. I'll pick the Cowboys, but watch out for the Sooner Schooner! OKLAHOMA STATE
#16 Utah Utes at #14 BYU Cougars: Runner-up for my Game of the Week, these two teams are fairly evenly matched. It's really anyone's game to win or lose. I think the team who makes the fewer mistakes will win, and with the home crowd to distract the Utes, they might make a crucial mistake. BYU
Rice Owls at #17 Houston Cougars: Rice won't even make the Cougars sweat, awarding the Conference USA West title to Houston. HOUSTON
#18 Virginia Tech Hokies at Virginia Cavaliers: Tech has owned their instate rivals over the past several years, and that dominance will continue. VIRGINIA TECH
#19 Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks: Another in-state rivalry that can be tough, the Tigers would seem to have the upper hand in this game. However, Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks have surprised some teams this year, and they could do the same to Clemson. This is by no means an assured victory for the Tigers, as this one could go down to the wire. CLEMSON
#22 Ole Miss Rebels at Mississippi State Bulldogs: This in-state rivalry won't end nicely for the home team, as the Rebs have a much stronger team this year. OLE MISS
Arkansas Razorbacks at #23 LSU Tigers: The Tigers are hoping to bounce back from their close loss last week, but the Razorbacks won't make it easy. The Tigers defense might force a late fourth quarter turnover, stopping a comeback attempting by Arkansas and preserving a very close win for LSU. LSU
UCLA Bruins at #25 USC Trojans: The final game in Rivalry Weekend, these crosstown rivals always battle tough. With USC showing rare weaknesses this season, the Bruins might think they have a chance. While they might, I don't think the Trojans are THAT bad, as UCLA hasn't been showing much this season. Unless the Trojans completely collapse with a BCS bowl out of reach, the Bruins should still lose. USC
Game of the Week -- Nevada Wolf Pack at #4 Boise State Broncos: Both teams are unbeaten in the WAC and the conference title is on the line. You can't get much more exciting than this! While Boise would seem to have the obvious upper hand, including home field advantage, the Wolf Pack have a strong defense and they've successfully forced turnovers from their opponents. If they can keep the Broncos from getting off to a fast start, and stall a couple of drives with turnovers, they might stand a chance. I'll still pick the Broncos, though. BOISE STATE
Other Games of Interest:
North Carolina Tar Heels at NC State Wolfpack: North Carolina has not had as great a year as they expected, but they can redeem themselves in their fans' eyes by smashing their rival. NORTH CAROLINA
Syracuse Orangemen at UConn Huskies: Syracuse pulled off an upset last week, but I don't think they can do two in a row. Paulus may be getting the hang of being QB, but there are still too many other positions that need work on that team. UCONN
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Baylor Bears: Baylor can surprise, but they can't generate enough offense to outpace the Raiders. TEXAS TECH
Navy Midshipmen at Hawaii Warriors: The Warriors are tough at home, but even "tough" by this year's standards isn't much of a threat to the Navy team. Hawaii's defensive line isn't strong enough to stop the powerful running attack of the Midshipmen, and Navy can slow down Hawaii's offense enough to stay ahead. NAVY
Thurs
#2 Texas Longhorns at Texas A&M Aggies: The Aggies always play hard when Texas comes to town, but I don't think they have the stuff this year to pull off an upset. It looks like Texas will be unbeaten going into the Big XII Championship Game. TEXAS
Fri
#21 Temple Owls at Ohio Bobcats: Temple is ranked and bowl eligible for the first time in thirty years, and have a chance to play in their first FBS championship game! The Owls have too much incentive to let Ohio screw this up. Temple's offense has been lighting up scoreboards all over the heartland, and the Bobcats' defense doesn't seem capable of slowing them enough. TEMPLE
Illinois Fighting Illini at #6 Cincinnati Bearcats: I'd love to see the Illini knock off Cincy, but I don't think it'll happen. With dangerous Tony Pike coming back under center, I just think the Illini will be skinned. That leaves an unbeaten Bearcats team to travel to Pittsburgh next week. CINCY
Northern Illinois Huskies at #15 Central Michigan Chippewas: The Chippewas are enjoying their highest ranking ever, and they'll be playing for the MAC title and a New Years Day bowl. They won't let the Huskies stop it, no matter how much the Huskies want to avoid consecutive losses. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Auburn Tigers: The Tide have to travel to Auburn, but this Tigers team doesn't have the bite of previous seasons. Alabama clearly has the better defense, and the better offense, too. ALABAMA
#20 Nebraska Cornhuskers at Colorado Buffaloes: It has not been a good year for the Buffaloes, and closing it against Nebraska, a team going to the Big XII Championship Game, is definitely the lowpoint. NEBRASKA
#7 Pittsburgh Panthers at West Virginia Mountaineers: Pitt doesn't NEED this victory to get the Big East, but they DO need it if they want to get into a BCS bowl. That's a goal Dave Wannstedt stated when he came to Pittsburgh, and he might get it. PITT
Top 25
Florida State Seminoles at #3 Florida Gators: Do you think the Gators will let the Seminoles screw up the matchup of unbeatens in the SEC Championship Game? Not a chance. FLORIDA
New Mexico Lobos at #5 TCU Horned Frogs: TCU shouldn't have any problem remaining unbeaten. TCU
Georgia Bulldogs at #8 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: This bitter state rivalry will go to the home team, as Georgia just lacks the power this year. GEORGIA TECH
#13 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Oklahoma Sooners: Here's a potential upset. The Cowboys have a high-powered offense, but so does Oklahoma, and the Sooners have gotten up for strong opponents this season. I'll pick the Cowboys, but watch out for the Sooner Schooner! OKLAHOMA STATE
#16 Utah Utes at #14 BYU Cougars: Runner-up for my Game of the Week, these two teams are fairly evenly matched. It's really anyone's game to win or lose. I think the team who makes the fewer mistakes will win, and with the home crowd to distract the Utes, they might make a crucial mistake. BYU
Rice Owls at #17 Houston Cougars: Rice won't even make the Cougars sweat, awarding the Conference USA West title to Houston. HOUSTON
#18 Virginia Tech Hokies at Virginia Cavaliers: Tech has owned their instate rivals over the past several years, and that dominance will continue. VIRGINIA TECH
#19 Clemson Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks: Another in-state rivalry that can be tough, the Tigers would seem to have the upper hand in this game. However, Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks have surprised some teams this year, and they could do the same to Clemson. This is by no means an assured victory for the Tigers, as this one could go down to the wire. CLEMSON
#22 Ole Miss Rebels at Mississippi State Bulldogs: This in-state rivalry won't end nicely for the home team, as the Rebs have a much stronger team this year. OLE MISS
Arkansas Razorbacks at #23 LSU Tigers: The Tigers are hoping to bounce back from their close loss last week, but the Razorbacks won't make it easy. The Tigers defense might force a late fourth quarter turnover, stopping a comeback attempting by Arkansas and preserving a very close win for LSU. LSU
UCLA Bruins at #25 USC Trojans: The final game in Rivalry Weekend, these crosstown rivals always battle tough. With USC showing rare weaknesses this season, the Bruins might think they have a chance. While they might, I don't think the Trojans are THAT bad, as UCLA hasn't been showing much this season. Unless the Trojans completely collapse with a BCS bowl out of reach, the Bruins should still lose. USC
Game of the Week -- Nevada Wolf Pack at #4 Boise State Broncos: Both teams are unbeaten in the WAC and the conference title is on the line. You can't get much more exciting than this! While Boise would seem to have the obvious upper hand, including home field advantage, the Wolf Pack have a strong defense and they've successfully forced turnovers from their opponents. If they can keep the Broncos from getting off to a fast start, and stall a couple of drives with turnovers, they might stand a chance. I'll still pick the Broncos, though. BOISE STATE
Other Games of Interest:
North Carolina Tar Heels at NC State Wolfpack: North Carolina has not had as great a year as they expected, but they can redeem themselves in their fans' eyes by smashing their rival. NORTH CAROLINA
Syracuse Orangemen at UConn Huskies: Syracuse pulled off an upset last week, but I don't think they can do two in a row. Paulus may be getting the hang of being QB, but there are still too many other positions that need work on that team. UCONN
Texas Tech Red Raiders at Baylor Bears: Baylor can surprise, but they can't generate enough offense to outpace the Raiders. TEXAS TECH
Navy Midshipmen at Hawaii Warriors: The Warriors are tough at home, but even "tough" by this year's standards isn't much of a threat to the Navy team. Hawaii's defensive line isn't strong enough to stop the powerful running attack of the Midshipmen, and Navy can slow down Hawaii's offense enough to stay ahead. NAVY
NCAA Top 25 - Week 12
Upset of the Week: There were no catastrophic upsets, but there were enough to make this title a battle. Some of the upsets were actually close games, like Ole Miss' defeat of LSU and Northwestern's shocker over Wisconsin. That was Northwestern's second victory over a ranked Big Ten team in three weeks, as they previously beat Iowa. Texas Tech blew away Oklahoma, which surprised me, but perhaps the biggest shocker was in my home state, as struggling Syracuse found life under QB (and former basketball standout) Greg Paulus and pounded Rutgers 31-13.
You know, I can't remember the last time we had this many unbeaten teams going into Thanksgiving. We have six of them, and only two are playing each other before postseason (Alabama and Florida). Could we have SIX unbeaten teams going into the bowls? Maybe.
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) [1]
2. Texas Longhorns (11-0) [2]
3. Florida Gators (11-0) [3]
4. Boise State Broncos (11-0) [4]
5. TCU Horned Frogs (11-0) [5]
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0) [6]
7. Pittsburgh Panthers (9-1) [7]
8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-1) [8]
9. Oregon Ducks (9-2) [10]
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) [9]
11. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2) [11]
12. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [13]
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-2) [12]
14. BYU Cougars (9-2) [14]
15. Central Michigan Chippewas (9-2) [15]
16. Utah Utes (9-2) [16]
17. Houston Cougars (9-2) [20]
18. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-3) [21]
19. Clemson Tigers (8-3) [22]
20. Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-3) [NP]
21. Temple Owls (9-2) [23]
22. Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) [24]
23. LSU Tigers (8-3) [17]
24. Wisconsin Badgers (8-3) [19]
25. USC Trojans (7-3) [25]
On the Edge:
+1 Oregon State Beavers (8-3)
+2 Navy Midshipmen (8-3)
+3 Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-4)
+4 Arkansas Razorbacks (7-4)
+5 West Virginia Mountaineers (7-3)
+6 North Carolina Tar Heels (8-3)
Dropped: Stanford Cardinal [#18]
Title races: This past weekend sealed many of them, including:
ACC Atlantic: Clemson will face Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game next week
Big XII North was won by Nebraska, so they face Texas in the Championship Game
MAC West: Won by Central Michigan
Mountain West was won by unbeaten TCU
Sun Belt title is in the hands of Troy
There are a few still up for grabs:
MAC East: The winner of the Ohio/Temple battle will face Central Michigan in the Championship Game
Conference USA East: The division will be won by the winner of the Southern Miss - East Carolina battle
Conference USA West: If Houston wins, they capture the title. If Houston loses and SMU wins, it belongs to the Mustangs
Big East: This one will be decided by the winner of Pittsburgh v Cincinnati
Pac-10: Thanks to Cal, Oregon captures the title with a win. However, their opponent, Oregon State, can capture the title if they upset the Ducks
WAC: This title goes to the winner of the game between Nevada and Boise State
You know, I can't remember the last time we had this many unbeaten teams going into Thanksgiving. We have six of them, and only two are playing each other before postseason (Alabama and Florida). Could we have SIX unbeaten teams going into the bowls? Maybe.
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) [1]
2. Texas Longhorns (11-0) [2]
3. Florida Gators (11-0) [3]
4. Boise State Broncos (11-0) [4]
5. TCU Horned Frogs (11-0) [5]
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0) [6]
7. Pittsburgh Panthers (9-1) [7]
8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-1) [8]
9. Oregon Ducks (9-2) [10]
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (10-2) [9]
11. Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2) [11]
12. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2) [13]
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-2) [12]
14. BYU Cougars (9-2) [14]
15. Central Michigan Chippewas (9-2) [15]
16. Utah Utes (9-2) [16]
17. Houston Cougars (9-2) [20]
18. Virginia Tech Hokies (8-3) [21]
19. Clemson Tigers (8-3) [22]
20. Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-3) [NP]
21. Temple Owls (9-2) [23]
22. Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) [24]
23. LSU Tigers (8-3) [17]
24. Wisconsin Badgers (8-3) [19]
25. USC Trojans (7-3) [25]
On the Edge:
+1 Oregon State Beavers (8-3)
+2 Navy Midshipmen (8-3)
+3 Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-4)
+4 Arkansas Razorbacks (7-4)
+5 West Virginia Mountaineers (7-3)
+6 North Carolina Tar Heels (8-3)
Dropped: Stanford Cardinal [#18]
Title races: This past weekend sealed many of them, including:
ACC Atlantic: Clemson will face Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game next week
Big XII North was won by Nebraska, so they face Texas in the Championship Game
MAC West: Won by Central Michigan
Mountain West was won by unbeaten TCU
Sun Belt title is in the hands of Troy
There are a few still up for grabs:
MAC East: The winner of the Ohio/Temple battle will face Central Michigan in the Championship Game
Conference USA East: The division will be won by the winner of the Southern Miss - East Carolina battle
Conference USA West: If Houston wins, they capture the title. If Houston loses and SMU wins, it belongs to the Mustangs
Big East: This one will be decided by the winner of Pittsburgh v Cincinnati
Pac-10: Thanks to Cal, Oregon captures the title with a win. However, their opponent, Oregon State, can capture the title if they upset the Ducks
WAC: This title goes to the winner of the game between Nevada and Boise State
Thursday, November 19, 2009
NFL Week 11 picks
Some interesting matchups this week, but this week's slate looks pretty easy to pick. Of course, I've barely broken .500 the past two weeks, so that might not be saying much :-)
Thursday - Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers: I don't think the Panthers will be puzzled too much by the Dolphins wildcat offense. Considering that they don't have much else that's effective in their arsenal, that gives the edge to the Panthers. PANTHERS, 23-13
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants: It's possible that the Giants pulled things together during the bye week. I mean, injuries haven't really been their problem - they just seemed to lose focus. Team meetings and intense practices might have corrected that. However, I haven't heard about a strict refocusing during the off-week, so I have pick the Falcons, who are picking up their intensity. FALCONS, 24-20
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags are on the way up and the Bills are floundering. This one doesn't seem too difficult. JAGS, 20-16
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions: Brady Quinn is no better than Derek Anderson, while Matthew Stafford seems to have worked out some of his rookie anxieties. While postseason is all but mathematically removed for these two teams, pride is on the line here. I actually like Detroit's chances to get their second win of the season. LIONS, 16-13
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens defense will make things touch for Manning and company, but this team has shown an excellent propensity for halftime corrections. They'll turn things around in the second half and snatch another victory from the jaws of defeat. COLTS, 24-16
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Saints are track to beat the Vikings' all-time regular season scoring record, and Tampa's defense won't slow that trend this week. SAINTS, 45-10
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs: Pittsburgh needs a strong victory to help remove the sting of last week's defeat to the Bengals. The Chiefs should be a great punching bag. STEELERS, 24-9
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers: Mike Singeltary wants his team to crush the NFC North, but I think the Pack might be a bit too much. This is late November in Wisconsin - those cushy southern California guys can't take the cold. PACK, 26-20
Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings: Brett Favre is throwing better than he has in years - that off-season surgery really seems to have made a difference! With better protection than he had in three previous seasons and a slate of talented hands, the Vikings are a tough team to stop. The Seahawks' defense isn't up to it. VIKINGS, 34-17
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys: Washington may have beaten Denver last week, but that was probably a fluke, or an indication of the Broncos' decline. Until last week, the Redskins hadn't been impressive all season, even in their two previous victories. Dallas should prevail. COWBOYS, 27-16
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at St Louis Rams: Pity the hapless Rams; they really don't have much going for them this season. CARDS, 31-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders: JaMarcus Russell has been benched, but don't expect Bruce Gradkowski to turn things around immediately. He has sputtered in relief roles this season, and his one start last season as a Brown had a QB rating of 1.0. BENGALS, 17-0
New York Jets at New England Patriots: These games are frequently close, and I think it'll be that way again, but don't expect the same kind of late game plays that Belichick used last week against the Colts. This time, the Patriots will protect their lead. PATS, 24-17
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos: The Broncos are hoping to reverse their slide, but they may have to wait a week. The Chargers are high-powered and looking to take control in the AFC West. That incentive, and a fiercely physical attitude, should derail the Broncos once more. CHARGERS, 27-23
Sunday night - Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears: Until Jay Cutler starts making smarter decisions, the Bears will be destroyed by any team with a decent secondary, like the Eagles. EAGLES, 23-13
Monday - Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans: Look at this! Vince Young has led the Titans to three consecutive victories. It looks like he's straightened himself out after his emotional meltdown two seasons ago. He's looking for four in a row, but he has to get past the Texans. This is a balanced team that is finally doing something with their talent. This will be a close battle, and I usually pick the better defense in those -- that's Houston. TEXANS, 27-23
Thursday - Miami Dolphins at Carolina Panthers: I don't think the Panthers will be puzzled too much by the Dolphins wildcat offense. Considering that they don't have much else that's effective in their arsenal, that gives the edge to the Panthers. PANTHERS, 23-13
Sunday early games
Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants: It's possible that the Giants pulled things together during the bye week. I mean, injuries haven't really been their problem - they just seemed to lose focus. Team meetings and intense practices might have corrected that. However, I haven't heard about a strict refocusing during the off-week, so I have pick the Falcons, who are picking up their intensity. FALCONS, 24-20
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags are on the way up and the Bills are floundering. This one doesn't seem too difficult. JAGS, 20-16
Cleveland Browns at Detroit Lions: Brady Quinn is no better than Derek Anderson, while Matthew Stafford seems to have worked out some of his rookie anxieties. While postseason is all but mathematically removed for these two teams, pride is on the line here. I actually like Detroit's chances to get their second win of the season. LIONS, 16-13
Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens defense will make things touch for Manning and company, but this team has shown an excellent propensity for halftime corrections. They'll turn things around in the second half and snatch another victory from the jaws of defeat. COLTS, 24-16
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Bucs: The Saints are track to beat the Vikings' all-time regular season scoring record, and Tampa's defense won't slow that trend this week. SAINTS, 45-10
Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs: Pittsburgh needs a strong victory to help remove the sting of last week's defeat to the Bengals. The Chiefs should be a great punching bag. STEELERS, 24-9
San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers: Mike Singeltary wants his team to crush the NFC North, but I think the Pack might be a bit too much. This is late November in Wisconsin - those cushy southern California guys can't take the cold. PACK, 26-20
Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings: Brett Favre is throwing better than he has in years - that off-season surgery really seems to have made a difference! With better protection than he had in three previous seasons and a slate of talented hands, the Vikings are a tough team to stop. The Seahawks' defense isn't up to it. VIKINGS, 34-17
Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys: Washington may have beaten Denver last week, but that was probably a fluke, or an indication of the Broncos' decline. Until last week, the Redskins hadn't been impressive all season, even in their two previous victories. Dallas should prevail. COWBOYS, 27-16
Sunday late games
Arizona Cardinals at St Louis Rams: Pity the hapless Rams; they really don't have much going for them this season. CARDS, 31-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders: JaMarcus Russell has been benched, but don't expect Bruce Gradkowski to turn things around immediately. He has sputtered in relief roles this season, and his one start last season as a Brown had a QB rating of 1.0. BENGALS, 17-0
New York Jets at New England Patriots: These games are frequently close, and I think it'll be that way again, but don't expect the same kind of late game plays that Belichick used last week against the Colts. This time, the Patriots will protect their lead. PATS, 24-17
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos: The Broncos are hoping to reverse their slide, but they may have to wait a week. The Chargers are high-powered and looking to take control in the AFC West. That incentive, and a fiercely physical attitude, should derail the Broncos once more. CHARGERS, 27-23
Sunday night - Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears: Until Jay Cutler starts making smarter decisions, the Bears will be destroyed by any team with a decent secondary, like the Eagles. EAGLES, 23-13
Monday - Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans: Look at this! Vince Young has led the Titans to three consecutive victories. It looks like he's straightened himself out after his emotional meltdown two seasons ago. He's looking for four in a row, but he has to get past the Texans. This is a balanced team that is finally doing something with their talent. This will be a close battle, and I usually pick the better defense in those -- that's Houston. TEXANS, 27-23
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
NFL Power Rankings - Week 10
Still two unbeaten teams, although the Colts got lucky. If Bill Belichick had more faith in his defense when the Colts had momentum in the fourth quarter, he never would have gone for it on fourth and two, and the Colts may not have scored that final touchdown. It cost New England this week.
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. New Orleans Saints (9-0) [1] : The only unbeaten who looked like it this week
2. Indianapolis Colts (9-0) [2] : Should be 8-1
3. Minnesota Vikings (8-1) [4]
4. New England Patriots (6-3) [3]
5. Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) [8] : Unbeaten in the division, they just need to beat Cleveland once more to sweep!
6. Dallas Cowboys (6-3) [5]
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) [7] : They played Cincy tough, but couldn't prevail
8. Green Bay Packers (5-4) [13] : Impressive win against Dallas
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-3) [11]
10. Baltimore Ravens (5-4) [12] : Great shutout of the Browns
11. San Diego Chargers (6-3) [15] : They found ways around Philly's defense
12. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) [6] : Bad stumble this week, although offense still performed
13. Atlanta Falcons (5-4) [9]
14. Houston Texans (5-4) [16]
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4) [22] : Great game against the Jets - they made Rex Ryan cry!
16. San Francisco 49ers (4-5) [18] : Mike Singletary's defense beat his old team
17. New York Giants (5-4) [17]
18. New York Jets (4-5) [14] : Not a good year for the Metropolis
19. Denver Broncos (6-3) [10] : Catching the Giants' disease, they'll in a losing streak
20. Chicago Bears (4-5) [19] : Defense came back, but the offense didn't help them
21. Miami Dolphins (4-5) [21]
22. Seattle Seahawks (3-6) [20]
23. Carolina Panthers (4-5) [23] : This team needs to find consistency
24. Tennessee Titans (3-6) [25] : Moving up as they continue to win
25. Buffalo Bills (3-6) [24] : Dick Jauron is out, but I think the Bills will continue to fall
26. Washington Redskins (3-6) [27] : They pulled out their first win against a team with wins by continuing Denver's slide
27. Kansas City Chiefs (2-7) [26]
28. Oakland Raiders (2-7) [28]
29. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-8) [29]
30. Detroit Lions (1-8) [31]
31. Cleveland Browns (2-7) [30] : Brady Quinn returned under center, but he didn't help them much
32. St Louis Rams (1-8) [32]
Biggest gainer: Jacksonville Jaguars - they're proving that they still have life left in them
Biggest sack: Denver Broncos - going downhill fast after starting 6-0
Divisional rankings [Last week's position]
1. AFC North [1] : They dominate, with three teams in the Top Ten
2. NFC East [2] : Well behind the AFC North, they remain competitive
3. AFC South [5] : All of the teams showed improvement this week
4. NFC North [6] : Minnesota and Green Bay are carrying this division
5. AFC East [3] : With only one team with a winning record, this division is looking poor
6. NFC South [4] : With slight improvement by Atlanta, this division can jump over the AFC East and NFC North
7. NFC West [8] : Another division with only one team with a winning record
8. AFC West [7]
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. New Orleans Saints (9-0) [1] : The only unbeaten who looked like it this week
2. Indianapolis Colts (9-0) [2] : Should be 8-1
3. Minnesota Vikings (8-1) [4]
4. New England Patriots (6-3) [3]
5. Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) [8] : Unbeaten in the division, they just need to beat Cleveland once more to sweep!
6. Dallas Cowboys (6-3) [5]
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) [7] : They played Cincy tough, but couldn't prevail
8. Green Bay Packers (5-4) [13] : Impressive win against Dallas
9. Arizona Cardinals (6-3) [11]
10. Baltimore Ravens (5-4) [12] : Great shutout of the Browns
11. San Diego Chargers (6-3) [15] : They found ways around Philly's defense
12. Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) [6] : Bad stumble this week, although offense still performed
13. Atlanta Falcons (5-4) [9]
14. Houston Texans (5-4) [16]
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4) [22] : Great game against the Jets - they made Rex Ryan cry!
16. San Francisco 49ers (4-5) [18] : Mike Singletary's defense beat his old team
17. New York Giants (5-4) [17]
18. New York Jets (4-5) [14] : Not a good year for the Metropolis
19. Denver Broncos (6-3) [10] : Catching the Giants' disease, they'll in a losing streak
20. Chicago Bears (4-5) [19] : Defense came back, but the offense didn't help them
21. Miami Dolphins (4-5) [21]
22. Seattle Seahawks (3-6) [20]
23. Carolina Panthers (4-5) [23] : This team needs to find consistency
24. Tennessee Titans (3-6) [25] : Moving up as they continue to win
25. Buffalo Bills (3-6) [24] : Dick Jauron is out, but I think the Bills will continue to fall
26. Washington Redskins (3-6) [27] : They pulled out their first win against a team with wins by continuing Denver's slide
27. Kansas City Chiefs (2-7) [26]
28. Oakland Raiders (2-7) [28]
29. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-8) [29]
30. Detroit Lions (1-8) [31]
31. Cleveland Browns (2-7) [30] : Brady Quinn returned under center, but he didn't help them much
32. St Louis Rams (1-8) [32]
Biggest gainer: Jacksonville Jaguars - they're proving that they still have life left in them
Biggest sack: Denver Broncos - going downhill fast after starting 6-0
Divisional rankings [Last week's position]
1. AFC North [1] : They dominate, with three teams in the Top Ten
2. NFC East [2] : Well behind the AFC North, they remain competitive
3. AFC South [5] : All of the teams showed improvement this week
4. NFC North [6] : Minnesota and Green Bay are carrying this division
5. AFC East [3] : With only one team with a winning record, this division is looking poor
6. NFC South [4] : With slight improvement by Atlanta, this division can jump over the AFC East and NFC North
7. NFC West [8] : Another division with only one team with a winning record
8. AFC West [7]
Monday, November 16, 2009
NCAA Week 12 picks
I'm nervous about this week - too many games featuring Top 25 teams where the result seems obvious. There will be upsets, but I can't figure where.
Wed Nov 18
#15 Central Michigan Chippewas at Ball State Broncos: The Chippewas win their division with a win here. QB Dan LeFevour is too powerful a threat for Ball State to stop. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Thurs Nov 19
Colorado Buffaloes at #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys know what they need - a Texas loss and to keep winning. At least part of that will happen here. OKLAHOMA STATE
Fri Nov 20
#4 Boise State Broncos at Utah State Aggies: The Broncos know that they need an impressive win to compete with TCU in BCS busting power. They should get it here, but how will TCU respond? BOISE STATE
Top 25
Chattanooga at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: The Tide will breeze over this FCS team. ALABAMA
Kansas Jayhawks at #2 Texas Longhorns: The Longhorns are itching to face the SEC Champion in the BCS title game. Kansas might give them some trouble early, but the strength of the Longhorns will ensure the win. TEXAS
Florida International Golden Panthers at #3 Florida Gators: Easy in-state victory over the struggling Sun Belt team. FLORIDA
#5 TCU Horned Frogs at Wyoming Cowboys: The Horned Frogs should continue their winning ways, clinching the Mountain West title in the process. TCU
#9 Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Wolverines: Playing in the Big House is no longer a challenge for the Buckeyes, and Rich Rodriquez's guys are falling apart again. A loss here knocks Michigan out of bowl contention for the second straight year and ensures at best 10th place in the conference. Is Rodriguez worm food in Ann Arbor? OHIO STATE
#10 Oregon Ducks at Arizona Wildcats: Potential upset here. The Wildcats can be a tough team, but they can also be a bad team. Depending upon which team shows up, the Ducks might have their hands full. Still, with RB LaGarrette Blount back from his suspension after the Boise State game, this team seems poised to run all over Arizona (pun intended). OREGON
Minnesota Golden Gophers at #11 Iowa Hawkeyes: I don't think Iowa will need a fourth quarter comeback to win this one, as they should overpower Minnesota early. IOWA
#13 Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans defense is good, but Penn State's is better. This will be a defensive showdown, but Lions QB Darryl Clark will find a way to pull it out. PENN STATE
Air Force Falcons at #14 BYU Cougars: By halftime, BYU will know if the Mountain West title is still within reach. Even if it isn't, the Cougars are playing for a New Years Day bowl, so they won't let up against the Falcons. BYU
San Diego State Aztecs at #16 Utah Utes: Like BYU, the Utes will know at halftime whether the conference is still within their grasp, but a New Years Day bowl will be, so the Aztecs will be abused. UTAH
#17 LSU Tigers at #24 Ole Miss Rebels: A Game of the Week candidate, the LSU defense will wear down Ole Miss. What begins as a close game will start to separate late in the third. LSU
Cal Golden Bears at #18 Stanford Cardinal: Let's face it, this is the first time the Cardinal have serious competed for the conference title in over a decade. They need to hope for a Ducks loss, but the Cardinal are bowl bound and ranked for the first time in eight years. Cal might give some problems, but the Cardinal have shaken one monkey from their back - they beat two ranked conference opponents in two consecutive weeks, meaning they've eliminated the "on again, off again" rotation of previous seasons. I like Stanford's chances to continue to roll. STANFORD
#19 Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats: Northwestern has gotten up for tough opponents this season, but Wisconsin has found ways to win this year. They may need to come back in the fourth quarter, but they've done that nearly as many times as Iowa this year. WISCONSIN
Memphis Tigers at #20 Houston Cougars: The Cougars need to win to have a chance to get back to the Conference USA Championship Game, so they'll mangle Memphis. They won't allow another game like that against Central Florida. HOUSTON
NC State Wolfpack at #21 Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies are playing for pride now, as they can't win the division. NC State has missed their chances for a bowl, so they've only got the role of spoiler remaining. They won't spoil this team's season. VIRGINIA TECH
Virginia Cavaliers at #22 Clemson Tigers: Clemson clinches the ACC Atlantic division with a win here. Clemson has been hot lately, so I think they'll do it. CLEMSON
Kent State Golden Flashes at #23 Temple Owls: Temple is ranked for the first time in a lifetime, and a win here clinches a berth in the MAC Championship Game. Kent State is a good team, but the Owls are on a mission, and I think they'll reach their objective. TEMPLE
Big Ten
Purdue Boilermakers at Indiana Hoosiers: The Boilermakers could put Indiana in the cellar of the Big Ten. For both teams, the outcome is simply a matter of pride, and bragging rights in the state of Indiana, since both have failed to be bowl eligible. Purdue seems the stronger team, although Indiana can be sneaky. PURDUE
Game of the Week
Kansas State Wildcats at Nebraska Cornhuskers: For the first time, I pick a contest between teams outside the Top 25, but Big XII games this late in the season can always be exciting. This game pits the two teams in contention for the Big XII North title, and the winner gets the prize. I think Nebraska is the stronger team, both offensively and defensively, so I like their chances to advance to the Big XII Championship. NEBRASKA
Other Games of Interest
Oregon State Beavers at Washington State Cougars: The Beavers are still in Pac-10 contention, but they know two things: they need to win, and they need some help. I don't know about the help, but they can at least seal the win. OREGON STATE
Mississippi State Bulldogs at Arkansas Razorbacks: After last week, I don't think anybody will be thinking upset around a Bulldogs game this week. ARKANSAS
Oklahoma Sooners at Texas Tech Red Raiders: Another candidate for Game of the Week, it lost since a division title is not on the line. These two will play tough, and they are fairly evenly matched. I'm tempted to pick the home team, but I think Oklahoma will pull off a late game surprise. OKLAHOMA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Syracuse Orangemen: Syracuse is not having a good year, so the Knights get to build their bowl status. RUTGERS
Wed Nov 18
#15 Central Michigan Chippewas at Ball State Broncos: The Chippewas win their division with a win here. QB Dan LeFevour is too powerful a threat for Ball State to stop. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Thurs Nov 19
Colorado Buffaloes at #12 Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys know what they need - a Texas loss and to keep winning. At least part of that will happen here. OKLAHOMA STATE
Fri Nov 20
#4 Boise State Broncos at Utah State Aggies: The Broncos know that they need an impressive win to compete with TCU in BCS busting power. They should get it here, but how will TCU respond? BOISE STATE
Top 25
Chattanooga at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: The Tide will breeze over this FCS team. ALABAMA
Kansas Jayhawks at #2 Texas Longhorns: The Longhorns are itching to face the SEC Champion in the BCS title game. Kansas might give them some trouble early, but the strength of the Longhorns will ensure the win. TEXAS
Florida International Golden Panthers at #3 Florida Gators: Easy in-state victory over the struggling Sun Belt team. FLORIDA
#5 TCU Horned Frogs at Wyoming Cowboys: The Horned Frogs should continue their winning ways, clinching the Mountain West title in the process. TCU
#9 Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Wolverines: Playing in the Big House is no longer a challenge for the Buckeyes, and Rich Rodriquez's guys are falling apart again. A loss here knocks Michigan out of bowl contention for the second straight year and ensures at best 10th place in the conference. Is Rodriguez worm food in Ann Arbor? OHIO STATE
#10 Oregon Ducks at Arizona Wildcats: Potential upset here. The Wildcats can be a tough team, but they can also be a bad team. Depending upon which team shows up, the Ducks might have their hands full. Still, with RB LaGarrette Blount back from his suspension after the Boise State game, this team seems poised to run all over Arizona (pun intended). OREGON
Minnesota Golden Gophers at #11 Iowa Hawkeyes: I don't think Iowa will need a fourth quarter comeback to win this one, as they should overpower Minnesota early. IOWA
#13 Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans defense is good, but Penn State's is better. This will be a defensive showdown, but Lions QB Darryl Clark will find a way to pull it out. PENN STATE
Air Force Falcons at #14 BYU Cougars: By halftime, BYU will know if the Mountain West title is still within reach. Even if it isn't, the Cougars are playing for a New Years Day bowl, so they won't let up against the Falcons. BYU
San Diego State Aztecs at #16 Utah Utes: Like BYU, the Utes will know at halftime whether the conference is still within their grasp, but a New Years Day bowl will be, so the Aztecs will be abused. UTAH
#17 LSU Tigers at #24 Ole Miss Rebels: A Game of the Week candidate, the LSU defense will wear down Ole Miss. What begins as a close game will start to separate late in the third. LSU
Cal Golden Bears at #18 Stanford Cardinal: Let's face it, this is the first time the Cardinal have serious competed for the conference title in over a decade. They need to hope for a Ducks loss, but the Cardinal are bowl bound and ranked for the first time in eight years. Cal might give some problems, but the Cardinal have shaken one monkey from their back - they beat two ranked conference opponents in two consecutive weeks, meaning they've eliminated the "on again, off again" rotation of previous seasons. I like Stanford's chances to continue to roll. STANFORD
#19 Wisconsin Badgers at Northwestern Wildcats: Northwestern has gotten up for tough opponents this season, but Wisconsin has found ways to win this year. They may need to come back in the fourth quarter, but they've done that nearly as many times as Iowa this year. WISCONSIN
Memphis Tigers at #20 Houston Cougars: The Cougars need to win to have a chance to get back to the Conference USA Championship Game, so they'll mangle Memphis. They won't allow another game like that against Central Florida. HOUSTON
NC State Wolfpack at #21 Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies are playing for pride now, as they can't win the division. NC State has missed their chances for a bowl, so they've only got the role of spoiler remaining. They won't spoil this team's season. VIRGINIA TECH
Virginia Cavaliers at #22 Clemson Tigers: Clemson clinches the ACC Atlantic division with a win here. Clemson has been hot lately, so I think they'll do it. CLEMSON
Kent State Golden Flashes at #23 Temple Owls: Temple is ranked for the first time in a lifetime, and a win here clinches a berth in the MAC Championship Game. Kent State is a good team, but the Owls are on a mission, and I think they'll reach their objective. TEMPLE
Big Ten
Purdue Boilermakers at Indiana Hoosiers: The Boilermakers could put Indiana in the cellar of the Big Ten. For both teams, the outcome is simply a matter of pride, and bragging rights in the state of Indiana, since both have failed to be bowl eligible. Purdue seems the stronger team, although Indiana can be sneaky. PURDUE
Game of the Week
Kansas State Wildcats at Nebraska Cornhuskers: For the first time, I pick a contest between teams outside the Top 25, but Big XII games this late in the season can always be exciting. This game pits the two teams in contention for the Big XII North title, and the winner gets the prize. I think Nebraska is the stronger team, both offensively and defensively, so I like their chances to advance to the Big XII Championship. NEBRASKA
Other Games of Interest
Oregon State Beavers at Washington State Cougars: The Beavers are still in Pac-10 contention, but they know two things: they need to win, and they need some help. I don't know about the help, but they can at least seal the win. OREGON STATE
Mississippi State Bulldogs at Arkansas Razorbacks: After last week, I don't think anybody will be thinking upset around a Bulldogs game this week. ARKANSAS
Oklahoma Sooners at Texas Tech Red Raiders: Another candidate for Game of the Week, it lost since a division title is not on the line. These two will play tough, and they are fairly evenly matched. I'm tempted to pick the home team, but I think Oklahoma will pull off a late game surprise. OKLAHOMA
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Syracuse Orangemen: Syracuse is not having a good year, so the Knights get to build their bowl status. RUTGERS
NCAA Top 25 - Week 11
Upset of the Week : There were fewer candidates for the title this week. I thought the Rutgers v South Florida game would be close - a 31-point shutout wasn't even in my consideration! Houston's defense couldn't seem to stop Central Florida, making it harder for them to clinch their division. The biggest surprise, though, wasn't entirely an upset. I thought Stanford might give USC trouble. What I didn't expect was such a large difference. Two weeks ago, Oregon scored more against USC at home than any team had done during Pete Carroll's tenure. That record didn't last long, as Stanford broke it this week! Not only isn't USC's offense as good this year as it has been, but clearly something has happened to their defense.
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0) [1] : easy roll over Mississippi State
2. Texas Longhorns (10-0) [2] : easy roll over Baylor
3. Florida Gators (10-0) [3] : Not so easy time against South Carolina
4. Boise State Broncos (10-0) [4]
5. TCU Horned Frogs (10-0) [5] : They destroyed Utah to prove that they deserve their Top 5 ranking.
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0) [6] : They struggled, but they prevailed against West Virginia. Toughest fight is yet to happen, though
7. Pittsburgh Panthers (9-1) [7] : After dispatching Notre Dame, they are eagerly awaiting their showdown against Cincy in two weeks
8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-1) [11] : No doubt about it, this is the top team in the ACC, and the winner of the Coastal division
9. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2) [10] : It took overtime, but the Buckeyes capture the Big Ten title again.
10. Oregon Ducks (8-2) [12]
11. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2) [9] : Couldn't quite get past Ohio State, but they made an interesting game of it
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-2) [13]
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-2) [15]
14. BYU Cougars (8-2) [14] : The only team standing in TCU's way
15. Central Michigan Chippewas (8-2) [17] : Continuing their dominance in the MAC
16. Utah Utes (8-2) [8] : They failed their chance to capture the Mountain West title
17. LSU Tigers (8-2) [19]
18. Stanford Cardinal (7-3) [25] : Their victory over USC places them in contention for the Pac-10 title!
19. Wisconsin Badgers (8-2) [26] : This year we have four strong teams in the conference, even if Wisconsin's victories aren't usually as impressive as the others'
20. Houston Cougars (8-2) [18] : They fell to second place in the Conference USA West division
21. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-3) [23]
22. Clemson Tigers (7-3) [NP] : Clemson's recent roll starts making the ACC Championship Game interesting
23. Temple Owls (8-2) [NP] : Believe it or not, the MAC has TWO teams that are unbeaten in conference play, and they won't meet until the MAC Championship Game
24. Ole Miss Rebels (7-3) [NP] : The Rebs return to the Top 25 with an impressive victory
25. USC Trojans (7-3) [16] : After two blowout losses in the conference, the Trojans are teetering to fall from the Top 25 for the first time in five years
On the Edge:
+1 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-2)
+2 Navy Midshipmen (8-3)
+3 Oregon State Beavers (7-3) : Pac-10 title contender
+4 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-3)
+5 West Virginia Mountaineers (7-3)
+6 Oklahoma Sooners (6-4)
+7 Arkansas Razorbacks (6-4)
Dropped: Miami Hurricanes [#20], Texas Tech Red Raiders [#21], West Virginia Mountaineers [#22], Arizona Wildcats [#24]
Title races:
Big Ten title is now set - Ohio State Buckeyes
ACC Atlantic : Clemson holds the tiebreaker on this one. If Clemson wins out, or BC loses one more time than Clemson, they clinch the title. BC needs Clemson to lose and the Eagles must also win out.
ACC Coastal : Georgia Tech has won the division
Big XII North : The winner of this week's K State - Nebraska battle will win the division
Big XII South : Since they already beat Okie St, Texas simply needs to win one more of their two remaining games. The Cowboys would need to win out and hope Texas loses BOTH of their remaining games. That doesn't seem too likely
MAC East : Unless Ohio loses this weekend, this one won't be decided until Temple and Ohio meet on Nov 27th
MAC West : Same scenario, different teams. Unless Northern Illinois loses this weekend, their game against dangerous Central Michigan on Nov 27th decides this division
Conference USA East : Several contenders. For Central Florida to capture it, they'd need East Carolina to lose both of their remaining games, and the Golden Knights would have to win out. If East Carolina beats UAB this weekend, the Blazers AND Golden Knights are out of contention. That would leave Southern Miss and their battle with East Carolina, unless Southern Miss loses this weekend. If the Golden Eagles lose and the Pirates win, then East Carolina already captures the title
Conference USA West : SMU currently leads, but Houston is tight on their heels. Since Houston beat SMU, they hold the tiebreaker. SMU would have to win out. If they lose one, and Houston wins out, then the division goes to the Cougars.
Big East : Cincy and Pitt are the only contenders, and both are unbeaten in the conference. Their matchup on Dec 5th decides the conference title. This one and the Pac-10 title will be the last two decided, aside from the conference championship games.
Pac-10 : Speaking of the opposite coast, Stanford defeat of USC makes this conference interesting. USC is now out of it, removed from contention earlier than any year in Pete Carroll's tenure as head coach. Oregon leads, but Stanford holds the tiebreaker over them (believe it or not, the Cardinal beat BOTH Oregon and USC this year!). The Ducks would need to win out against Arizona and Oregon State, both strong teams and both title contenders. Stanford has the easiest time, as they have only one more conference game, a home game against Cal. Stanford lost to both Oregon State and Arizona, two teams who also have a shot. Both of them would need to win out, which would kill Oregon and put those two in a tie for the conference title. Since Arizona beat the Beavers, that would give the conference title to the Wildcats.
Mountain West : TCU has beaten both Utah and BYU. If they win just one more conference game, they win the conference. If they lose them both, the winner of the BYU-Utah battle on Nov 28th wins. Somehow, I think TCU will win.
WAC : The winner of the Nevada v Boise State clash wins this conference
Sun Belt : Troy has beaten both Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe, so if they win one more game, the Trojans capture the title. They'd have to lose BOTH of their remaining games to open the door for either contender. Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe play each other on Nov 28th, but the conference title may already be decided by then.
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (10-0) [1] : easy roll over Mississippi State
2. Texas Longhorns (10-0) [2] : easy roll over Baylor
3. Florida Gators (10-0) [3] : Not so easy time against South Carolina
4. Boise State Broncos (10-0) [4]
5. TCU Horned Frogs (10-0) [5] : They destroyed Utah to prove that they deserve their Top 5 ranking.
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (10-0) [6] : They struggled, but they prevailed against West Virginia. Toughest fight is yet to happen, though
7. Pittsburgh Panthers (9-1) [7] : After dispatching Notre Dame, they are eagerly awaiting their showdown against Cincy in two weeks
8. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-1) [11] : No doubt about it, this is the top team in the ACC, and the winner of the Coastal division
9. Ohio State Buckeyes (9-2) [10] : It took overtime, but the Buckeyes capture the Big Ten title again.
10. Oregon Ducks (8-2) [12]
11. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-2) [9] : Couldn't quite get past Ohio State, but they made an interesting game of it
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys (8-2) [13]
13. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-2) [15]
14. BYU Cougars (8-2) [14] : The only team standing in TCU's way
15. Central Michigan Chippewas (8-2) [17] : Continuing their dominance in the MAC
16. Utah Utes (8-2) [8] : They failed their chance to capture the Mountain West title
17. LSU Tigers (8-2) [19]
18. Stanford Cardinal (7-3) [25] : Their victory over USC places them in contention for the Pac-10 title!
19. Wisconsin Badgers (8-2) [26] : This year we have four strong teams in the conference, even if Wisconsin's victories aren't usually as impressive as the others'
20. Houston Cougars (8-2) [18] : They fell to second place in the Conference USA West division
21. Virginia Tech Hokies (7-3) [23]
22. Clemson Tigers (7-3) [NP] : Clemson's recent roll starts making the ACC Championship Game interesting
23. Temple Owls (8-2) [NP] : Believe it or not, the MAC has TWO teams that are unbeaten in conference play, and they won't meet until the MAC Championship Game
24. Ole Miss Rebels (7-3) [NP] : The Rebs return to the Top 25 with an impressive victory
25. USC Trojans (7-3) [16] : After two blowout losses in the conference, the Trojans are teetering to fall from the Top 25 for the first time in five years
On the Edge:
+1 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (7-2)
+2 Navy Midshipmen (8-3)
+3 Oregon State Beavers (7-3) : Pac-10 title contender
+4 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-3)
+5 West Virginia Mountaineers (7-3)
+6 Oklahoma Sooners (6-4)
+7 Arkansas Razorbacks (6-4)
Dropped: Miami Hurricanes [#20], Texas Tech Red Raiders [#21], West Virginia Mountaineers [#22], Arizona Wildcats [#24]
Title races:
Big Ten title is now set - Ohio State Buckeyes
ACC Atlantic : Clemson holds the tiebreaker on this one. If Clemson wins out, or BC loses one more time than Clemson, they clinch the title. BC needs Clemson to lose and the Eagles must also win out.
ACC Coastal : Georgia Tech has won the division
Big XII North : The winner of this week's K State - Nebraska battle will win the division
Big XII South : Since they already beat Okie St, Texas simply needs to win one more of their two remaining games. The Cowboys would need to win out and hope Texas loses BOTH of their remaining games. That doesn't seem too likely
MAC East : Unless Ohio loses this weekend, this one won't be decided until Temple and Ohio meet on Nov 27th
MAC West : Same scenario, different teams. Unless Northern Illinois loses this weekend, their game against dangerous Central Michigan on Nov 27th decides this division
Conference USA East : Several contenders. For Central Florida to capture it, they'd need East Carolina to lose both of their remaining games, and the Golden Knights would have to win out. If East Carolina beats UAB this weekend, the Blazers AND Golden Knights are out of contention. That would leave Southern Miss and their battle with East Carolina, unless Southern Miss loses this weekend. If the Golden Eagles lose and the Pirates win, then East Carolina already captures the title
Conference USA West : SMU currently leads, but Houston is tight on their heels. Since Houston beat SMU, they hold the tiebreaker. SMU would have to win out. If they lose one, and Houston wins out, then the division goes to the Cougars.
Big East : Cincy and Pitt are the only contenders, and both are unbeaten in the conference. Their matchup on Dec 5th decides the conference title. This one and the Pac-10 title will be the last two decided, aside from the conference championship games.
Pac-10 : Speaking of the opposite coast, Stanford defeat of USC makes this conference interesting. USC is now out of it, removed from contention earlier than any year in Pete Carroll's tenure as head coach. Oregon leads, but Stanford holds the tiebreaker over them (believe it or not, the Cardinal beat BOTH Oregon and USC this year!). The Ducks would need to win out against Arizona and Oregon State, both strong teams and both title contenders. Stanford has the easiest time, as they have only one more conference game, a home game against Cal. Stanford lost to both Oregon State and Arizona, two teams who also have a shot. Both of them would need to win out, which would kill Oregon and put those two in a tie for the conference title. Since Arizona beat the Beavers, that would give the conference title to the Wildcats.
Mountain West : TCU has beaten both Utah and BYU. If they win just one more conference game, they win the conference. If they lose them both, the winner of the BYU-Utah battle on Nov 28th wins. Somehow, I think TCU will win.
WAC : The winner of the Nevada v Boise State clash wins this conference
Sun Belt : Troy has beaten both Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe, so if they win one more game, the Trojans capture the title. They'd have to lose BOTH of their remaining games to open the door for either contender. Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe play each other on Nov 28th, but the conference title may already be decided by then.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
NFL Week 10 picks
Well, I felt real confident about last week's picks, and had my worst week of the season! Just goes to show ya...
The Thursday night games start this week. I hate them, as I refuse to pay the $19.95 monthly fee for NFL Network, when I'd probably only use it to watch ten games (eight NFL and two college bowl games) all year long. There are enough analysis shows on ESPN and other networks, I don't need it for that. I know, I'm a lousy American - I'm too practical to waste money.
Thursday: Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers - The Bears defense is looking bad again. The 49ers have trouble moving the ball, but the offensive line is not protecting. Given the 49ers propensity to rush the QB, that will cause turnovers. I think the 49ers will score a touchdown or two off interceptions, and that'll be the difference in the game. 49ERS, 24-17
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers are struggling. They were able to score against the Saints defense, but their own defense is somewhat lacking. That should open things up for Matt Ryan and company. FALCONS, 31-23
Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans: Both teams are struggling this season, but Tennessee seems to be moving in the right direction. Their upset of San Francisco last week could be the harbinger of good times ahead. TITANS, 17-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: Ooh, this should be a goodie! Big Ben is having his best season in his pro career, and the Steelers are keeping things grounded. Carson Palmer and Ochocinco finally seem in synch, though, and the Bengals' D is tough, too. The Bengals have swept the division so far, and they're looking to stay perfect in that regard. The Steelers are bearing the burden of defending their Super Bowl title, and with the exception of a hard-fought game against Chicago, have done a good job of that. This game could really go either way, and may depend on who holds the ball last and which defense still has gas late in the fourth. STEELERS, 20-17
Denver Broncos at Washington Redskins: This has been a season to forget in Washington. The Broncos are hoping to throw off the Giants' disease and prevent a three-game slide after starting perfect. I think, against this opponent, the Broncos regain their winning ways. With a shattered secondary, this could be a career day for Kyle Orton. BRONCOS, 31-13
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings offense will romp over the overmatched Lions defense. VIKES, 34-10
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets: The Jags really don't have the stats to support a 4-4 record, and the 4-4 Jets will prove that. The Jets are struggling since the bubble burst over Mark Sanchez, but their defense continues to keep them contenders. JETS, 20-13
New Orleans Saints at St Louis Rams: The Saints defense is tough, but I just can't pick a shutout here. I'll be close to one, though. SAINTS, 38-6
Tampa Bay Bucs at Miami Dolphins: The Bucs over-extended themselves to be Green Bay last week. They'll come back to earth this time, as the Dolphins' wildcat confuses their defense and the Dolphins' quick defense shreds the Bucs' line. DOLPHINS, 24-9
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers: Losing two in a row won't be good for the Pack, but they showed too many holes in the secondary for Dallas to ignore. COWBOYS, 34-23
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders: Pah, do we even care about these two teams at this point? Well, I suppose somebody does. At this point, KC is simply trying to get through the season and see how they compare to Tampa, Detroit, and the Rams in the race for the top draft pick. Oakland isn't doing much better, and they'll definitely be shopping for a new QB after this season. Their running game is good enough to pull them through this one, especially with Larry Johnson gone from KC. RAIDERS, 23-16
Philadelphia Eagles at San Diego Chargers: A bit of a challenge for the Eagles defense, but I think they're up to the task. San Diego has been streaky this year, and I think Philly will put them into a bad streak. EAGLES, 27-17
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: The Cards offense has too much power for the undermanned Seahawks to control. The Cards defense isn't great, but the Seahawks offense just hasn't been able to muster much momentum this season. CARDS, 31-16
Evening - New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts: Despite the fact that these two are not in the same division, they continue to play each other annually in the regular season. This is the seventh straight year. The Patriots used to own Indy, but the Colts have triumphed in the past two years. I'll pick the Colts, but this might be the source of Indy's first loss of the season. COLTS, 26-23
Monday - Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns: New Browns versus old Browns, and the Ravens have owned this rivalry since it began. That should continue this year, as the Browns are in disarray. Neither QB is working, they released their best WR due to complaints by King James, and the coach is on the hot seat. Fans are starting to revolt, and management has promised to change things. Sounds like rough times in Cleveland. RAVENS, 16-6
The Thursday night games start this week. I hate them, as I refuse to pay the $19.95 monthly fee for NFL Network, when I'd probably only use it to watch ten games (eight NFL and two college bowl games) all year long. There are enough analysis shows on ESPN and other networks, I don't need it for that. I know, I'm a lousy American - I'm too practical to waste money.
Thursday: Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers - The Bears defense is looking bad again. The 49ers have trouble moving the ball, but the offensive line is not protecting. Given the 49ers propensity to rush the QB, that will cause turnovers. I think the 49ers will score a touchdown or two off interceptions, and that'll be the difference in the game. 49ERS, 24-17
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers: The Panthers are struggling. They were able to score against the Saints defense, but their own defense is somewhat lacking. That should open things up for Matt Ryan and company. FALCONS, 31-23
Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans: Both teams are struggling this season, but Tennessee seems to be moving in the right direction. Their upset of San Francisco last week could be the harbinger of good times ahead. TITANS, 17-13
Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers: Ooh, this should be a goodie! Big Ben is having his best season in his pro career, and the Steelers are keeping things grounded. Carson Palmer and Ochocinco finally seem in synch, though, and the Bengals' D is tough, too. The Bengals have swept the division so far, and they're looking to stay perfect in that regard. The Steelers are bearing the burden of defending their Super Bowl title, and with the exception of a hard-fought game against Chicago, have done a good job of that. This game could really go either way, and may depend on who holds the ball last and which defense still has gas late in the fourth. STEELERS, 20-17
Denver Broncos at Washington Redskins: This has been a season to forget in Washington. The Broncos are hoping to throw off the Giants' disease and prevent a three-game slide after starting perfect. I think, against this opponent, the Broncos regain their winning ways. With a shattered secondary, this could be a career day for Kyle Orton. BRONCOS, 31-13
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings offense will romp over the overmatched Lions defense. VIKES, 34-10
Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets: The Jags really don't have the stats to support a 4-4 record, and the 4-4 Jets will prove that. The Jets are struggling since the bubble burst over Mark Sanchez, but their defense continues to keep them contenders. JETS, 20-13
New Orleans Saints at St Louis Rams: The Saints defense is tough, but I just can't pick a shutout here. I'll be close to one, though. SAINTS, 38-6
Tampa Bay Bucs at Miami Dolphins: The Bucs over-extended themselves to be Green Bay last week. They'll come back to earth this time, as the Dolphins' wildcat confuses their defense and the Dolphins' quick defense shreds the Bucs' line. DOLPHINS, 24-9
Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers: Losing two in a row won't be good for the Pack, but they showed too many holes in the secondary for Dallas to ignore. COWBOYS, 34-23
Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders: Pah, do we even care about these two teams at this point? Well, I suppose somebody does. At this point, KC is simply trying to get through the season and see how they compare to Tampa, Detroit, and the Rams in the race for the top draft pick. Oakland isn't doing much better, and they'll definitely be shopping for a new QB after this season. Their running game is good enough to pull them through this one, especially with Larry Johnson gone from KC. RAIDERS, 23-16
Philadelphia Eagles at San Diego Chargers: A bit of a challenge for the Eagles defense, but I think they're up to the task. San Diego has been streaky this year, and I think Philly will put them into a bad streak. EAGLES, 27-17
Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals: The Cards offense has too much power for the undermanned Seahawks to control. The Cards defense isn't great, but the Seahawks offense just hasn't been able to muster much momentum this season. CARDS, 31-16
Evening - New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts: Despite the fact that these two are not in the same division, they continue to play each other annually in the regular season. This is the seventh straight year. The Patriots used to own Indy, but the Colts have triumphed in the past two years. I'll pick the Colts, but this might be the source of Indy's first loss of the season. COLTS, 26-23
Monday - Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns: New Browns versus old Browns, and the Ravens have owned this rivalry since it began. That should continue this year, as the Browns are in disarray. Neither QB is working, they released their best WR due to complaints by King James, and the coach is on the hot seat. Fans are starting to revolt, and management has promised to change things. Sounds like rough times in Cleveland. RAVENS, 16-6
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
NFL Power Rankings - Week 9
We no longer have any winless teams, as St. Louis gained their first win against Detroit and Tampa Bay won the battle of the Bays! We still have two unbeaten teams, though, so it still gets interesting.
This week's ranking [Last week's position]
1. New Orleans Saints (8-0) [1] : They reached the top of ESPN's Power Rankings this week, too!
2. Indianapolis Colts (8-0) [2]
3. New England Patriots (6-2) [3]
4. Minnesota Vikings (7-1) [5] : Philly's loss is Minnesota's gain
5. Dallas Cowboys (6-2) [6] : Their win over Philly gives them the lead in the NFC East
6. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) [4] : They may have lost a close one to Dallas, but this team is still one of the strongest around
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) [8] : Big Ben is having his best year as a professional
8. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) [10] : Unbeaten in division play
9. Atlanta Falcons (5-3) [13]
10. Denver Broncos (6-2) [9] : Two losses in a row. Could they be catching the Giants' disease?
11. Arizona Cardinals (5-3) [18] : Big win over the Bears
12. Baltimore Ravens (4-4) [11] : This doesn't look like the Ravens we expected after their hot start
13. Green Bay Packers (4-4) [7] : Big drop after allowing Tampa more points than they've scored in the previous year and a half
14. New York Jets (4-4) [14]
15. San Diego Chargers (5-3) [16]
16. Houston Texans (5-4) [12] : They played Indy close, but couldn't close it out
17. New York Giants (5-4) [15] : After four losses in a row, the Giants get a break -- a bye week
18. San Francisco 49ers (3-5) [19]
19. Chicago Bears (4-4) [17] : The defensive reprieve was obviously good for only one week, as they collapsed against Arizona
20. Seattle Seahawks (3-5) [22] : A rare win for the Seahawks, it came against hapless Detroit
21. Miami Dolphins (3-5) [20]
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4) [25] : They barely beat KC? That shows why their power rating is so low, despite an even record
23. Carolina Panthers (3-5) [21]
24. Buffalo Bills (3-5) [23]
25. Tennessee Titans (2-6) [24] : A win over San Francisco gets them going in the right direction
26. Oakland Raiders (2-6) [26]
27. Washington Redskins (2-6) [27]
28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-7) [28]
29. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-7) [32] : It must be nice to get that first win
30. Cleveland Browns (2-6) [30]
31. Detroit Lions (1-7) [29] : Two consecutive losses to worse teams drops them back down
32. St Louis Rams (1-7) [31] : With Tampa's win, the Rams return where they've been most of the season -- the cellar
Biggest gainer: Arizona Cardinals - they crushed Chicago with one of their most impressive offensive performances of the season
Biggest Sack: Green Bay Packers - they stumbled against former rival Tampa Bay
Divisional rankings:
1. AFC North [1]
2. NFC East [2]
3. AFC East [3] : Not as closely ranked as last week, but still competitive
4. NFC South [6]
5. AFC South [5]
6. NFC North [4] : the Bears, Pack, and Lions all fell this week
7. AFC West [7]
8. NFC West [8]
This week's ranking [Last week's position]
1. New Orleans Saints (8-0) [1] : They reached the top of ESPN's Power Rankings this week, too!
2. Indianapolis Colts (8-0) [2]
3. New England Patriots (6-2) [3]
4. Minnesota Vikings (7-1) [5] : Philly's loss is Minnesota's gain
5. Dallas Cowboys (6-2) [6] : Their win over Philly gives them the lead in the NFC East
6. Philadelphia Eagles (5-3) [4] : They may have lost a close one to Dallas, but this team is still one of the strongest around
7. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) [8] : Big Ben is having his best year as a professional
8. Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) [10] : Unbeaten in division play
9. Atlanta Falcons (5-3) [13]
10. Denver Broncos (6-2) [9] : Two losses in a row. Could they be catching the Giants' disease?
11. Arizona Cardinals (5-3) [18] : Big win over the Bears
12. Baltimore Ravens (4-4) [11] : This doesn't look like the Ravens we expected after their hot start
13. Green Bay Packers (4-4) [7] : Big drop after allowing Tampa more points than they've scored in the previous year and a half
14. New York Jets (4-4) [14]
15. San Diego Chargers (5-3) [16]
16. Houston Texans (5-4) [12] : They played Indy close, but couldn't close it out
17. New York Giants (5-4) [15] : After four losses in a row, the Giants get a break -- a bye week
18. San Francisco 49ers (3-5) [19]
19. Chicago Bears (4-4) [17] : The defensive reprieve was obviously good for only one week, as they collapsed against Arizona
20. Seattle Seahawks (3-5) [22] : A rare win for the Seahawks, it came against hapless Detroit
21. Miami Dolphins (3-5) [20]
22. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4) [25] : They barely beat KC? That shows why their power rating is so low, despite an even record
23. Carolina Panthers (3-5) [21]
24. Buffalo Bills (3-5) [23]
25. Tennessee Titans (2-6) [24] : A win over San Francisco gets them going in the right direction
26. Oakland Raiders (2-6) [26]
27. Washington Redskins (2-6) [27]
28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-7) [28]
29. Tampa Bay Bucs (1-7) [32] : It must be nice to get that first win
30. Cleveland Browns (2-6) [30]
31. Detroit Lions (1-7) [29] : Two consecutive losses to worse teams drops them back down
32. St Louis Rams (1-7) [31] : With Tampa's win, the Rams return where they've been most of the season -- the cellar
Biggest gainer: Arizona Cardinals - they crushed Chicago with one of their most impressive offensive performances of the season
Biggest Sack: Green Bay Packers - they stumbled against former rival Tampa Bay
Divisional rankings:
1. AFC North [1]
2. NFC East [2]
3. AFC East [3] : Not as closely ranked as last week, but still competitive
4. NFC South [6]
5. AFC South [5]
6. NFC North [4] : the Bears, Pack, and Lions all fell this week
7. AFC West [7]
8. NFC West [8]
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
NCAA Week 11 picks
We're in the final stretch of the season, and games get crucial for plenty of teams. Division and conference titles are on the line, and we have a couple of games like that this week.
Tues Nov 10
Ohio Bobcats at Buffalo Bulls: We start off with a key game, as Ohio needs to keep pace with Temple for the MAC East title. Buffalo had a great season last year, but they haven't been able to match it. They'll fight hard, but the edge has to go to the team with more at stake -- OHIO
Wed Nov 11
Toledo Rockets at #17 Central Michigan Chippewas: A win here won't clinch it for Toledo, but will maintain their one-game lead over Northern Illinois for the MAC West title. Besides, the Chippewas want to maintain their Top 25 ranking. There are too many good teams knocking on the door for Central Michigan to risk a loss. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Thurs Nov 12
Ball State Broncos at Northern Illinois Huskies: The Huskies should keep pace with Central Michigan, setting up for an exciting showdown between those two in two weeks. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
South Florida Bulls at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Ooh, this should be an exciting game! These two are fairly evenly matched. South Florida has shown tremendous heart since losing their starting quarterback earlier this season, while Rutgers has shown that they can exceed preseason expectations. This should be a close game, and those often benefit the team with the best defense and special teams. SOUTH FLORIDA
Fri Nov 13
#22 West Virginia Mountaineers at #6 Cincinnati Bearcats: Cincy has two good reasons to win this game - impress voters (like myself) who raised TCU above them, and eliminate a competitor for the Big East title. That should be enough to win this game, once you factor in the amazing job backup QB Zach Collaros has done. CINCY
Top 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Mississippi State Bulldogs: Alabama has clinched the SEC West, but they won't slack off. They want to remain unbeaten going into the SEC Championship Game, knowing that a victory over Florida will give them the top spot on EVERYONE's poll. With this defense, I wouldn't bet against them. ALABAMA
#2 Texas Longhorns at Baylor Bears: Baylor's had a good year, but now they have to face the awesome might of the Longhorns. Getting bowl eligible may have just become an unreachable goal for the Bears. TEXAS
#3 Florida Gators at South Carolina Gamecocks: This could be an upset! The Gamecocks often have some tricks up their sleeves, and Coach Spurrier is quick to identify weaknesses in his opponents. The Gators have not looked as good as they have in recent years, despite their unbeaten record, and now might be the perfect time for a letdown. I'll go with Florida, but I'm looking forward to the battle of unbeatens in the SEC Championship Game, but don't underestimate the Gamecocks. FLORIDA
Idaho Vandals at #4 Boise State Broncos: You have to feel for the Vandals. They were off to their best start in years, but a blowout loss to Nevada scorched their conference title hopes. Now they hope to salvage their season. They are already bowl eligible, but I'm afraid this game against Boise State could take them out of contention for a good bowl game. BOISE STATE
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #7 Pittsburgh Panthers: The Irish are hoping to regain their Top 25 position, but the Panthers stand in their way. Pitt wants to keep pace with Cincy. Since the Bearcats play earlier in the week, Pitt will know what they need to do, and that's win. This is the best squad that Coach Wannstedt has had while at Pitt, so he's going to make the most of them. PITT
#9 Iowa Hawkeyes at #10 Ohio State Buckeyes: Man, this one was almost my Game of the Week! Two Top 10 teams square off with the Big Ten title at stake! Nothing gets better than that. Usually the Ohio State v Michigan game determines the conference title, but this year the winner of this game will capture it. Iowa has a strong offense, but their tendency to come from behind might hurt them against the defense of Ohio State. Yes, Iowa got past Penn State's defense, but Ohio State proved last week that they can overcome that, so I think they'll overcome Iowa, too. OHIO STATE
#11 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Duke Blue Devils: Believe it or not, Duke can be bowl eligible with one more win! That's reason for them to play for the upset, but Tech's defense is too good to allow that. Still, Duke might make it interesting, until they get exhausted by the Tech pressure and fold in the fourth. GEORGIA TECH
Arizona State Sun Devils at #12 Oregon Ducks: Oregon is looking to clean the stink of the Stanford game from their mouths. Arizona State can be a tough opponent, but they are arriving in Eugene at precisely the wrong time. OREGON
#21 Texas Tech Red Raiders at #13 Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys had better hope #13 is lucky for them, as they host the Red Raiders. Tech has a potent offense, but the best offense in the conference lives there in Stillwater. Losing only to Texas, the Cowboys have dominated their previous opponents. While Tech is capable of staying close in score, the difference will be what the Cowboys do when Tech has the ball - attack. OKLAHOMA STATE
#14 BYU Cougars at New Mexico Lobos: An easy victory for the Cougars over the hapless Lobos. BYU
Indiana Hoosiers at #15 Penn State Nittany Lions: The Lions have had enough! Two conference losses, to Iowa and Ohio State, are all that JoePa and the team will tolerate. They want to close out the season with wins to help ensure a New Years Day bowl. That means Indy can't count on an upset. PENN STATE
#25 Stanford Cardinal at #16 USC Trojans: The Cardinal beat the Ducks, who slaughtered the Trojans. It seems like Stanford should beat USC, right? Well, the Cardinal have rarely mustered two consecutive Top 25 upsets in Jim Harbaugh's tenure, and I'm not sure they'll do it now. Still, this USC team is not as strong as teams in the past, and Stanford has beaten Pete Carroll twice in the past four years. The Cardinal will keep it close, and an upset is possible, but I'll have to give the edge to USC. USC
#18 Houston Cougars at Central Florida Golden Knights: UCF can be dangerous, but Houston sees a Conference USA title in their future, and they're remaining true to that vision. The Cougars have a potent defense, and their offense is no slouch, either. HOUSTON
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at #19 LSU Tigers: It hasn't been going well for LSU lately, so this game should be a good chance to turn things around. LSU
#20 Miami Hurricanes at North Carolina Tar Heels: North Carolina has suffered since starting conference play, and Miami will show no mercy. They need all the wins they can capture to keep pace with Georgia Tech. MIAMI
#23 Virginia Tech Hokies at Maryland Terrapins: Not a challenge for Beamer and company. VIRGINIA TECH
#24 Arizona Wildcats at California Golden Bears: This will be a hard-fought battle. Arizona has the offense, but Cal is tricky and determined to redeem themselves in the conference. Arizona is chasing Oregon for the conference title, though, and a trip to Pasadena will be too tempting to let slip away. ARIZONA
Big Ten
Michigan State Spartans at Purdue Boilermakers: These two teams are pretty evenly matched. Purdue is peaking now, though, while the Spartans' best games were earlier in the season. For that reason, I like Purdue to win this one. PURDUE
Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini: The Illini have won two in a row and need to run the table to be bowl eligible. I'd love to see them beat Northwestern, but the Wildcats seem to have too much power to expect the win. NORTHWESTERN
Michigan Wolverines at Wisconsin Badgers: Michigan needs this game to become bowl eligible, but the Badgers are a tough opponent, and the Wolverines are collapsing. WISCONSIN
Game of the Week: #8 Utah Utes at #5 TCU Horned Frogs: The game that could, in all likelihood, decide the Mountain West title and which of these two teams gain entrance to a BCS bowl game, surpasses the Big Ten title game in excitement. Utah and TCU are both unbeaten in conference play, TCU unbeaten overall, so you know that neither of these two will give up. This will be a battle from kickoff to final whistle. TCU has been more impressive in their victories this season, but they've had a slightly easier schedule than Utah. Utah wants to gain the upper hand for the conference title and show they are still the power in the conference, but I think this could be TCU's year. TCU
Other Games of Interest:
Temple Owls at Akron Zips: Temple will continue their dominance in the MAC East, awaiting their showdown with Ohio for the division title. TEMPLE
Clemson Tigers at NC State Wolfpack: Clemson leads the Atlantic division in the ACC, and they need every victory to maintain their lead over Boston College. NC State isn't much of a threat this year, and Clemson's defense will finish this game early in the third. CLEMSON
Delaware at Navy Midshipmen: Navy plays a strong FCS team in a breather from their hard-fought victory over Notre Dame last week. NAVY
Auburn Tigers at Georgia Bulldogs: Auburn's out of the title chase, but they can still trouble other SEC teams, including delaying Georgia's hopes of becoming bowl eligible. AUBURN
Tues Nov 10
Ohio Bobcats at Buffalo Bulls: We start off with a key game, as Ohio needs to keep pace with Temple for the MAC East title. Buffalo had a great season last year, but they haven't been able to match it. They'll fight hard, but the edge has to go to the team with more at stake -- OHIO
Wed Nov 11
Toledo Rockets at #17 Central Michigan Chippewas: A win here won't clinch it for Toledo, but will maintain their one-game lead over Northern Illinois for the MAC West title. Besides, the Chippewas want to maintain their Top 25 ranking. There are too many good teams knocking on the door for Central Michigan to risk a loss. CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Thurs Nov 12
Ball State Broncos at Northern Illinois Huskies: The Huskies should keep pace with Central Michigan, setting up for an exciting showdown between those two in two weeks. NORTHERN ILLINOIS
South Florida Bulls at Rutgers Scarlet Knights: Ooh, this should be an exciting game! These two are fairly evenly matched. South Florida has shown tremendous heart since losing their starting quarterback earlier this season, while Rutgers has shown that they can exceed preseason expectations. This should be a close game, and those often benefit the team with the best defense and special teams. SOUTH FLORIDA
Fri Nov 13
#22 West Virginia Mountaineers at #6 Cincinnati Bearcats: Cincy has two good reasons to win this game - impress voters (like myself) who raised TCU above them, and eliminate a competitor for the Big East title. That should be enough to win this game, once you factor in the amazing job backup QB Zach Collaros has done. CINCY
Top 25
#1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Mississippi State Bulldogs: Alabama has clinched the SEC West, but they won't slack off. They want to remain unbeaten going into the SEC Championship Game, knowing that a victory over Florida will give them the top spot on EVERYONE's poll. With this defense, I wouldn't bet against them. ALABAMA
#2 Texas Longhorns at Baylor Bears: Baylor's had a good year, but now they have to face the awesome might of the Longhorns. Getting bowl eligible may have just become an unreachable goal for the Bears. TEXAS
#3 Florida Gators at South Carolina Gamecocks: This could be an upset! The Gamecocks often have some tricks up their sleeves, and Coach Spurrier is quick to identify weaknesses in his opponents. The Gators have not looked as good as they have in recent years, despite their unbeaten record, and now might be the perfect time for a letdown. I'll go with Florida, but I'm looking forward to the battle of unbeatens in the SEC Championship Game, but don't underestimate the Gamecocks. FLORIDA
Idaho Vandals at #4 Boise State Broncos: You have to feel for the Vandals. They were off to their best start in years, but a blowout loss to Nevada scorched their conference title hopes. Now they hope to salvage their season. They are already bowl eligible, but I'm afraid this game against Boise State could take them out of contention for a good bowl game. BOISE STATE
Notre Dame Fighting Irish at #7 Pittsburgh Panthers: The Irish are hoping to regain their Top 25 position, but the Panthers stand in their way. Pitt wants to keep pace with Cincy. Since the Bearcats play earlier in the week, Pitt will know what they need to do, and that's win. This is the best squad that Coach Wannstedt has had while at Pitt, so he's going to make the most of them. PITT
#9 Iowa Hawkeyes at #10 Ohio State Buckeyes: Man, this one was almost my Game of the Week! Two Top 10 teams square off with the Big Ten title at stake! Nothing gets better than that. Usually the Ohio State v Michigan game determines the conference title, but this year the winner of this game will capture it. Iowa has a strong offense, but their tendency to come from behind might hurt them against the defense of Ohio State. Yes, Iowa got past Penn State's defense, but Ohio State proved last week that they can overcome that, so I think they'll overcome Iowa, too. OHIO STATE
#11 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Duke Blue Devils: Believe it or not, Duke can be bowl eligible with one more win! That's reason for them to play for the upset, but Tech's defense is too good to allow that. Still, Duke might make it interesting, until they get exhausted by the Tech pressure and fold in the fourth. GEORGIA TECH
Arizona State Sun Devils at #12 Oregon Ducks: Oregon is looking to clean the stink of the Stanford game from their mouths. Arizona State can be a tough opponent, but they are arriving in Eugene at precisely the wrong time. OREGON
#21 Texas Tech Red Raiders at #13 Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Cowboys had better hope #13 is lucky for them, as they host the Red Raiders. Tech has a potent offense, but the best offense in the conference lives there in Stillwater. Losing only to Texas, the Cowboys have dominated their previous opponents. While Tech is capable of staying close in score, the difference will be what the Cowboys do when Tech has the ball - attack. OKLAHOMA STATE
#14 BYU Cougars at New Mexico Lobos: An easy victory for the Cougars over the hapless Lobos. BYU
Indiana Hoosiers at #15 Penn State Nittany Lions: The Lions have had enough! Two conference losses, to Iowa and Ohio State, are all that JoePa and the team will tolerate. They want to close out the season with wins to help ensure a New Years Day bowl. That means Indy can't count on an upset. PENN STATE
#25 Stanford Cardinal at #16 USC Trojans: The Cardinal beat the Ducks, who slaughtered the Trojans. It seems like Stanford should beat USC, right? Well, the Cardinal have rarely mustered two consecutive Top 25 upsets in Jim Harbaugh's tenure, and I'm not sure they'll do it now. Still, this USC team is not as strong as teams in the past, and Stanford has beaten Pete Carroll twice in the past four years. The Cardinal will keep it close, and an upset is possible, but I'll have to give the edge to USC. USC
#18 Houston Cougars at Central Florida Golden Knights: UCF can be dangerous, but Houston sees a Conference USA title in their future, and they're remaining true to that vision. The Cougars have a potent defense, and their offense is no slouch, either. HOUSTON
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at #19 LSU Tigers: It hasn't been going well for LSU lately, so this game should be a good chance to turn things around. LSU
#20 Miami Hurricanes at North Carolina Tar Heels: North Carolina has suffered since starting conference play, and Miami will show no mercy. They need all the wins they can capture to keep pace with Georgia Tech. MIAMI
#23 Virginia Tech Hokies at Maryland Terrapins: Not a challenge for Beamer and company. VIRGINIA TECH
#24 Arizona Wildcats at California Golden Bears: This will be a hard-fought battle. Arizona has the offense, but Cal is tricky and determined to redeem themselves in the conference. Arizona is chasing Oregon for the conference title, though, and a trip to Pasadena will be too tempting to let slip away. ARIZONA
Big Ten
Michigan State Spartans at Purdue Boilermakers: These two teams are pretty evenly matched. Purdue is peaking now, though, while the Spartans' best games were earlier in the season. For that reason, I like Purdue to win this one. PURDUE
Northwestern Wildcats at Illinois Fighting Illini: The Illini have won two in a row and need to run the table to be bowl eligible. I'd love to see them beat Northwestern, but the Wildcats seem to have too much power to expect the win. NORTHWESTERN
Michigan Wolverines at Wisconsin Badgers: Michigan needs this game to become bowl eligible, but the Badgers are a tough opponent, and the Wolverines are collapsing. WISCONSIN
Game of the Week: #8 Utah Utes at #5 TCU Horned Frogs: The game that could, in all likelihood, decide the Mountain West title and which of these two teams gain entrance to a BCS bowl game, surpasses the Big Ten title game in excitement. Utah and TCU are both unbeaten in conference play, TCU unbeaten overall, so you know that neither of these two will give up. This will be a battle from kickoff to final whistle. TCU has been more impressive in their victories this season, but they've had a slightly easier schedule than Utah. Utah wants to gain the upper hand for the conference title and show they are still the power in the conference, but I think this could be TCU's year. TCU
Other Games of Interest:
Temple Owls at Akron Zips: Temple will continue their dominance in the MAC East, awaiting their showdown with Ohio for the division title. TEMPLE
Clemson Tigers at NC State Wolfpack: Clemson leads the Atlantic division in the ACC, and they need every victory to maintain their lead over Boston College. NC State isn't much of a threat this year, and Clemson's defense will finish this game early in the third. CLEMSON
Delaware at Navy Midshipmen: Navy plays a strong FCS team in a breather from their hard-fought victory over Notre Dame last week. NAVY
Auburn Tigers at Georgia Bulldogs: Auburn's out of the title chase, but they can still trouble other SEC teams, including delaying Georgia's hopes of becoming bowl eligible. AUBURN
Sunday, November 8, 2009
NCAA Top 25 - Week 10
I start a new section this week, as I analyze what teams need in order to win conferences or divisions. This will be different from just listing the standings, as I'll look at their upcoming opponents and gauge who has the best chance.
Upset of the Week: We had some interesting Top 25 upsets this week. I thought the Ohio State and Penn State game would be challenging. A Buckeye victory was possible, but a blowout was not expected. Navy knocked off Notre Dame for the second time in Charlie Weiss' tenure. I feared Oregon might suffer a letdown after their emotional victory over USC, and Stanford has been tricky since Jim Harbaugh took over. However, the most shocking upset was Northwestern's over Iowa. The Wildcats had played a couple of tough games this season, but they were even considered a challenging opponent for Iowa. However, their defense knocked out Iowa's Rick Stanzi, and the backup QB couldn't produce.
This week's ranking [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) [1] : The Tide knocked off LSU to clinch their division and guarantee a trip to the SEC Championship Game.
2. Texas Longhorns (9-0) [2]
3. Florida Gators (9-0) [3] : The Gators are one step closer to a showdown with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game
4. Boise State Broncos (9-0) [4]
5. TCU Horned Frogs (9-0) [9] : The Frogs put two non-BCS unbeatens in the Top 5
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0) [5] : A close call against UConn knocked down the Bearcats
7. Pittsburgh Panthers (8-1) [11] : The season closer against Cincy should decide the Big East
8. Utah Utes (8-1) [12]
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-1) [6]
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2) [13] : The Buckeyes gain a chance to capture the Big Ten title if they beat Iowa
11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-1) [14] : Clearly the strength of the ACC
12. Oregon Ducks (7-2) [7]
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2) [13]
14. BYU Cougars (7-2) [19]
15. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2) [8]
16. USC Trojans (7-2) [16]
17. Central Michigan Chippewas (7-2) [17]
18. Houston Cougars (8-1) [18]
19. LSU Tigers (7-2) [10]
20. Miami Hurricanes (7-2) [NP] : The Hurricanes are finally showing some muscle
21. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-3) [21]
22. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) [23]
23. Virginia Tech Hokies (6-3) [24]
24. Arizona Wildcats (6-2) [NP] : The Wildcats are in the Pac-10 hunt
25. Stanford Cardinal (6-3) [NP] : Harbaugh's team created chaos at the top of the conference
On the Edge
+1 Wisconsin Badgers (7-2)
+2 Clemson Tigers (6-3)
+3 South Florida Bulls (6-2)
+4 Auburn Tigers (7-3)
+5 Temple Owls (7-2)
+6 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-2)
+7 Navy Midshipmen (7-3)
Dropped: Notre Dame Fighting Irish [#20], Oklahoma Sooners [#22], California Golden Bears [#25]
Race for the Titles
We'll start with division titles, then look to BCS conferences before concluding with the minor conferences.
ACC Atlantic: Clemson leads the division. They've already beaten Boston College and Florida State, their closest competition. With conference games at NC State and Virginia remaining, they should win easily. BC is the only other team with a chance. They need to win out and hope NC State or Virginia beats Clemson.
ACC Coastal: If Georgia Tech beats Duke, they win it. Miami gave them their only conference loss, so Miami has a chance holding the tiebreaker. Miami needs to win both of their remaining conference games and hope Duke upsets Georgia Tech.
SEC East has already been won by Florida and SEC West has already been won by Alabama
Big XII North: Believe it or not, Kansas State leads this division. They capture the title if they win out, as they still must play the second-place Nebraska Cornhuskers. That game essentially determines the division, unless Nebraska loses twice.
Big XII South: Texas commands this division, and they have beaten the only other contenders. If the Longhorns win one more game, Oklahoma State is the only team who could contend for this title, and they'd need Texas to lose their last two games. Somehow, it's same to assume that Texas will capture the division.
Conference USA East: East Carolina leads this highly competitive and close division. There's too many contenders to analyze this one succinctly.
Conference USA West: Houston has the same conference record as SMU, despite a huge disparagy in their overall record, so this has some competition. Houston already beat the Mustangs, so two more victories clinch the division for the Cougars. With Rice and Memphis two of the remaining opponents for Houston, they seem primed to win this division.
MAC East: Temple has the edge, and is yet to play the two teams who can also compete for the title: Ohio and Kent State. I like Temple's chances, but a win by Ohio gives them the edge. Kent State would need a lot of help.
MAC West: Central Michigan leads this division, and they win it if they win out. However, they close the season against the other contender - Northern Illinois. If both win their next two games, the winner of that game wins the division.
Big East: Three teams lead this conference, and they remain to face each other. West Virginia, Cincy, and Pitt haven't played each other yet, so whomever wins both games against their opponents win the conference. If each loses one, the winner of the Cincy v. Pitt battle gains the title.
Big Ten: Iowa and Ohio State have both beaten both Penn State and Wisconsin, so the former are the only two teams competing for the title. Next week's battle between these two will determine the conference winner.
Mountain West: This one is fun. TCU, Utah, and BYU all have a shot; even Air Force has an outside chance. TCU has beaten both BYU and Air Force. If they beat Utah next week, Air Force is out of the running. If Utah wins, they would win the conference by beating BYU in their closer. BYU would need to beat Utah and hope TCU loses twice.
Pac-10: Stanford opened the floodgates this weekend. Half of the conference is still in consideration, so this one needs at least a week before I can do a succinct analysis.
WAC: Idaho has an outside chance, but a loss to Fresno State, and a game remaining against Boise State, pretty much removes them from contention. Boise has already beaten Fresno State, so the Bulldogs need Boise to lose twice. The Boise State v Nevada game might determine the winner.
Sun Belt: Troy has the advantage, as they are unbeaten in conference and have been their two nearest competitors. Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe must hope that Troy loses to both of its remaining conference opponents, or the Trojans are winners.
Upset of the Week: We had some interesting Top 25 upsets this week. I thought the Ohio State and Penn State game would be challenging. A Buckeye victory was possible, but a blowout was not expected. Navy knocked off Notre Dame for the second time in Charlie Weiss' tenure. I feared Oregon might suffer a letdown after their emotional victory over USC, and Stanford has been tricky since Jim Harbaugh took over. However, the most shocking upset was Northwestern's over Iowa. The Wildcats had played a couple of tough games this season, but they were even considered a challenging opponent for Iowa. However, their defense knocked out Iowa's Rick Stanzi, and the backup QB couldn't produce.
This week's ranking [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-0) [1] : The Tide knocked off LSU to clinch their division and guarantee a trip to the SEC Championship Game.
2. Texas Longhorns (9-0) [2]
3. Florida Gators (9-0) [3] : The Gators are one step closer to a showdown with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game
4. Boise State Broncos (9-0) [4]
5. TCU Horned Frogs (9-0) [9] : The Frogs put two non-BCS unbeatens in the Top 5
6. Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0) [5] : A close call against UConn knocked down the Bearcats
7. Pittsburgh Panthers (8-1) [11] : The season closer against Cincy should decide the Big East
8. Utah Utes (8-1) [12]
9. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-1) [6]
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-2) [13] : The Buckeyes gain a chance to capture the Big Ten title if they beat Iowa
11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-1) [14] : Clearly the strength of the ACC
12. Oregon Ducks (7-2) [7]
13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-2) [13]
14. BYU Cougars (7-2) [19]
15. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2) [8]
16. USC Trojans (7-2) [16]
17. Central Michigan Chippewas (7-2) [17]
18. Houston Cougars (8-1) [18]
19. LSU Tigers (7-2) [10]
20. Miami Hurricanes (7-2) [NP] : The Hurricanes are finally showing some muscle
21. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-3) [21]
22. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-2) [23]
23. Virginia Tech Hokies (6-3) [24]
24. Arizona Wildcats (6-2) [NP] : The Wildcats are in the Pac-10 hunt
25. Stanford Cardinal (6-3) [NP] : Harbaugh's team created chaos at the top of the conference
On the Edge
+1 Wisconsin Badgers (7-2)
+2 Clemson Tigers (6-3)
+3 South Florida Bulls (6-2)
+4 Auburn Tigers (7-3)
+5 Temple Owls (7-2)
+6 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-2)
+7 Navy Midshipmen (7-3)
Dropped: Notre Dame Fighting Irish [#20], Oklahoma Sooners [#22], California Golden Bears [#25]
Race for the Titles
We'll start with division titles, then look to BCS conferences before concluding with the minor conferences.
ACC Atlantic: Clemson leads the division. They've already beaten Boston College and Florida State, their closest competition. With conference games at NC State and Virginia remaining, they should win easily. BC is the only other team with a chance. They need to win out and hope NC State or Virginia beats Clemson.
ACC Coastal: If Georgia Tech beats Duke, they win it. Miami gave them their only conference loss, so Miami has a chance holding the tiebreaker. Miami needs to win both of their remaining conference games and hope Duke upsets Georgia Tech.
SEC East has already been won by Florida and SEC West has already been won by Alabama
Big XII North: Believe it or not, Kansas State leads this division. They capture the title if they win out, as they still must play the second-place Nebraska Cornhuskers. That game essentially determines the division, unless Nebraska loses twice.
Big XII South: Texas commands this division, and they have beaten the only other contenders. If the Longhorns win one more game, Oklahoma State is the only team who could contend for this title, and they'd need Texas to lose their last two games. Somehow, it's same to assume that Texas will capture the division.
Conference USA East: East Carolina leads this highly competitive and close division. There's too many contenders to analyze this one succinctly.
Conference USA West: Houston has the same conference record as SMU, despite a huge disparagy in their overall record, so this has some competition. Houston already beat the Mustangs, so two more victories clinch the division for the Cougars. With Rice and Memphis two of the remaining opponents for Houston, they seem primed to win this division.
MAC East: Temple has the edge, and is yet to play the two teams who can also compete for the title: Ohio and Kent State. I like Temple's chances, but a win by Ohio gives them the edge. Kent State would need a lot of help.
MAC West: Central Michigan leads this division, and they win it if they win out. However, they close the season against the other contender - Northern Illinois. If both win their next two games, the winner of that game wins the division.
Big East: Three teams lead this conference, and they remain to face each other. West Virginia, Cincy, and Pitt haven't played each other yet, so whomever wins both games against their opponents win the conference. If each loses one, the winner of the Cincy v. Pitt battle gains the title.
Big Ten: Iowa and Ohio State have both beaten both Penn State and Wisconsin, so the former are the only two teams competing for the title. Next week's battle between these two will determine the conference winner.
Mountain West: This one is fun. TCU, Utah, and BYU all have a shot; even Air Force has an outside chance. TCU has beaten both BYU and Air Force. If they beat Utah next week, Air Force is out of the running. If Utah wins, they would win the conference by beating BYU in their closer. BYU would need to beat Utah and hope TCU loses twice.
Pac-10: Stanford opened the floodgates this weekend. Half of the conference is still in consideration, so this one needs at least a week before I can do a succinct analysis.
WAC: Idaho has an outside chance, but a loss to Fresno State, and a game remaining against Boise State, pretty much removes them from contention. Boise has already beaten Fresno State, so the Bulldogs need Boise to lose twice. The Boise State v Nevada game might determine the winner.
Sun Belt: Troy has the advantage, as they are unbeaten in conference and have been their two nearest competitors. Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Monroe must hope that Troy loses to both of its remaining conference opponents, or the Trojans are winners.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
NFL Week 9 picks
Once again, I'm picking a large number of home teams, but I like most of picks this time. We just happen to have a week where strong teams are at home. There are some potential upsets, and I'll note those as we go along.
Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears: The Cards might win this one, but I like my Bears. The defense found life again last week, and that means they'll be coming after the ball. The Cards can be turnover-prone, especially under pressure, so I like Chicago to keep stopping drives. BEARS, 23-17
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals: Here's a rare visitor I'm picking, although the Bengals are equally capable of winning this one. You'd think these two would produce a defensive battle, which means we'll see more offense than expected. I think the Ravens have more talent on the offensive side, which gives them the edge, but the unpredictable Bengals offense might play above themselves this week. RAVENS, 24-23
Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Bucs: These "Battle of the Bays" used to be exciting, but given the anemic Bucs offense this year, it won't be so this year. The Pack will roll easily. PACKERS, 33-16
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts: The Texans will make this one a defensive battle, but the Colts like those this year. Manning and company always find ways to win, and the Colts defense is stifling this season. COLTS, 21-16
Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags will bounce back from their loss to Tennessee last week, even if they weren't playing the hapless Chiefs. Their opponent simply makes the bounce back much more likely. JAGS, 13-10
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots: I think this game will be closer than people might expect, as these two frequently play close games. However, the Patriots are starting to look like their 2007 selves, so I have to pick the home team. PATRIOTS, 28-23
Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons: Washington is in a state of chaos this season. Atlanta will take advantage of that situation and engineer an strong victory. FALCONS, 26-17
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: The Saints offense is practically unstoppable this season. The Panthers defense hasn't been impressive enough, so the Saints will move. The Panthers could be capable of moving the ball themselves, but they have not been consistently successful at that this season. SAINTS, 34-20
Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks: This will be a battle of two weak teams. The Lions have struggled for years, while the Seahawks still have some talent available to them. That should help them win this one. SEAHAWKS, 23-17
San Diego Chargers at New York Giants: The Giants need a victory to reverse their free fall. This might be the excellent chance to do that. However, the Chargers are capable of some powerful plays, and the Giants defense hasn't been as good at stopping them as they were when the season began. I'll pick the Giants, but the Chargers might continue their fall. GIANTS, 27-24
Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers: The Titans finally got into the win column last week, but I'm not sure they can build on that. The 49ers began the season strongly, but their defense has stumbled recently. However, speed and pressure is their perview, and that causes the Titans problems. The Titans might pull this one out, but I think this be a low-scoring defensive battle, and that gives the edge to San Francisco. 49ERS, 16-13
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles: This is the battle for the NFC East lead. Philadelphia has been flying recently, and Dallas seems to have ironed out their earlier problems. Either team could win this game, but I like the way Philly has shown up. Too, the town is still abuzz because of the Phillies, so the emotional level will be intense. EAGLES, 28-24
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos: Can Denver follow the footsteps of the Giants? They suffered their first loss last week, and now it appears that they will suffer a second loss. The Steelers defense is intense, and that can fluster Denver. The Steelers offense has struggled at times this season, and the Broncos defense started the season on top. This will be a tough battle, and Pittsburgh tends to come through those. STEELERS, 27-23
Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears: The Cards might win this one, but I like my Bears. The defense found life again last week, and that means they'll be coming after the ball. The Cards can be turnover-prone, especially under pressure, so I like Chicago to keep stopping drives. BEARS, 23-17
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals: Here's a rare visitor I'm picking, although the Bengals are equally capable of winning this one. You'd think these two would produce a defensive battle, which means we'll see more offense than expected. I think the Ravens have more talent on the offensive side, which gives them the edge, but the unpredictable Bengals offense might play above themselves this week. RAVENS, 24-23
Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Bucs: These "Battle of the Bays" used to be exciting, but given the anemic Bucs offense this year, it won't be so this year. The Pack will roll easily. PACKERS, 33-16
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts: The Texans will make this one a defensive battle, but the Colts like those this year. Manning and company always find ways to win, and the Colts defense is stifling this season. COLTS, 21-16
Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags will bounce back from their loss to Tennessee last week, even if they weren't playing the hapless Chiefs. Their opponent simply makes the bounce back much more likely. JAGS, 13-10
Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots: I think this game will be closer than people might expect, as these two frequently play close games. However, the Patriots are starting to look like their 2007 selves, so I have to pick the home team. PATRIOTS, 28-23
Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons: Washington is in a state of chaos this season. Atlanta will take advantage of that situation and engineer an strong victory. FALCONS, 26-17
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: The Saints offense is practically unstoppable this season. The Panthers defense hasn't been impressive enough, so the Saints will move. The Panthers could be capable of moving the ball themselves, but they have not been consistently successful at that this season. SAINTS, 34-20
Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks: This will be a battle of two weak teams. The Lions have struggled for years, while the Seahawks still have some talent available to them. That should help them win this one. SEAHAWKS, 23-17
San Diego Chargers at New York Giants: The Giants need a victory to reverse their free fall. This might be the excellent chance to do that. However, the Chargers are capable of some powerful plays, and the Giants defense hasn't been as good at stopping them as they were when the season began. I'll pick the Giants, but the Chargers might continue their fall. GIANTS, 27-24
Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers: The Titans finally got into the win column last week, but I'm not sure they can build on that. The 49ers began the season strongly, but their defense has stumbled recently. However, speed and pressure is their perview, and that causes the Titans problems. The Titans might pull this one out, but I think this be a low-scoring defensive battle, and that gives the edge to San Francisco. 49ERS, 16-13
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles: This is the battle for the NFC East lead. Philadelphia has been flying recently, and Dallas seems to have ironed out their earlier problems. Either team could win this game, but I like the way Philly has shown up. Too, the town is still abuzz because of the Phillies, so the emotional level will be intense. EAGLES, 28-24
Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos: Can Denver follow the footsteps of the Giants? They suffered their first loss last week, and now it appears that they will suffer a second loss. The Steelers defense is intense, and that can fluster Denver. The Steelers offense has struggled at times this season, and the Broncos defense started the season on top. This will be a tough battle, and Pittsburgh tends to come through those. STEELERS, 27-23
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
NFL Power Rankings - Week 8
The league has only two unbeaten teams remaining, and only one winless team. St Louis and Tennessee BOTH won their first game this week, and Denver lost BIG against Baltimore.
I've added a new section to the bottom - the biggest gainer and the biggest sack. The biggest gainer is the team that improved the best this week, and the biggest sack is the team that declined the most. I've also brought back the divisional rankings.
This week's ranking [Last week's position]
1. New Orleans Saints (7-0) [1] : It was tough, but they won again
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0) [2] : Their defense came through again!
3. New England Patriots (5-2) [3]
4. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) [9] : HUGE win over the now decrepit Giants
5. Minnesota Vikings (7-1) [6] : Brett Favre gained some justification as he led his team to victory over his old team in Green Bay
6. Dallas Cowboys (5-2) [11]
7. Green Bay Packers (4-3) [5] : Hard-fought NFC North game didn't quite go their way
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) [8]
9. Denver Broncos (6-1) [4] : Not only did they lose their first game, they lost BIG! They have Pittsburgh coming up; can they lose two in a row?
10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) [10]
11. Baltimore Ravens (4-3) [15] : Three teams in the Top 11? The top division is the AFC North!
12. Houston Texans (5-3) [17]
13. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) [13]
14. New York Jets (4-4) [14]
15. New York Giants (5-3) [7] : Three losses in a row? The Giants have lost their way.
16. San Diego Chargers (4-3) [16]
17. Chicago Bears (4-3) [20] : Their dominating victory shows that the defense is back!
18. Arizona Cardinals (4-3) [12] : Devastating loss for the Cards
19. San Francisco 49ers (3-4) [18] : That great start seems so long away!
20. Miami Dolphins (3-4) [19] : So much for that excellent start
21. Carolina Panthers (3-4) [24] : Nice win against the Cards
22. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) [21]
23. Buffalo Bills (3-5) [23]
24. Tennessee Titans (1-6) [26] : Jeff Fisher gets the monkey off his back!
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) [22] : ... and maybe gives it to Jack Del Rio
26. Oakland Raiders (2-6) [25]
27. Washington Redskins (2-5) [27] : The best thing happened to Washington this week - a bye week
28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) [29]
29. Detroit Lions (1-6) [28]
30. Cleveland Browns (2-6) [30] : The fans want some change
31. St Louis Rams (1-7) [32] : Damn! I bet that first win feels good!
32. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-7) [31]
Divisional rankings:
1. AFC North
2. NFC East
3. AFC East : most evenly-spaced (and thereby most competitive) of them all!
4. NFC North
5. AFC South
6. NFC South
7. AFC West
8. NFC West
Biggest Gainer: Dallas Cowboys. They definitely showed that their offense is back and moving well
Biggest Sack: New York Giants. Three consecutive losses after starting 5-0? This team is going in the wrong direction.
I've added a new section to the bottom - the biggest gainer and the biggest sack. The biggest gainer is the team that improved the best this week, and the biggest sack is the team that declined the most. I've also brought back the divisional rankings.
This week's ranking [Last week's position]
1. New Orleans Saints (7-0) [1] : It was tough, but they won again
2. Indianapolis Colts (7-0) [2] : Their defense came through again!
3. New England Patriots (5-2) [3]
4. Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) [9] : HUGE win over the now decrepit Giants
5. Minnesota Vikings (7-1) [6] : Brett Favre gained some justification as he led his team to victory over his old team in Green Bay
6. Dallas Cowboys (5-2) [11]
7. Green Bay Packers (4-3) [5] : Hard-fought NFC North game didn't quite go their way
8. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) [8]
9. Denver Broncos (6-1) [4] : Not only did they lose their first game, they lost BIG! They have Pittsburgh coming up; can they lose two in a row?
10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) [10]
11. Baltimore Ravens (4-3) [15] : Three teams in the Top 11? The top division is the AFC North!
12. Houston Texans (5-3) [17]
13. Atlanta Falcons (4-3) [13]
14. New York Jets (4-4) [14]
15. New York Giants (5-3) [7] : Three losses in a row? The Giants have lost their way.
16. San Diego Chargers (4-3) [16]
17. Chicago Bears (4-3) [20] : Their dominating victory shows that the defense is back!
18. Arizona Cardinals (4-3) [12] : Devastating loss for the Cards
19. San Francisco 49ers (3-4) [18] : That great start seems so long away!
20. Miami Dolphins (3-4) [19] : So much for that excellent start
21. Carolina Panthers (3-4) [24] : Nice win against the Cards
22. Seattle Seahawks (2-5) [21]
23. Buffalo Bills (3-5) [23]
24. Tennessee Titans (1-6) [26] : Jeff Fisher gets the monkey off his back!
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) [22] : ... and maybe gives it to Jack Del Rio
26. Oakland Raiders (2-6) [25]
27. Washington Redskins (2-5) [27] : The best thing happened to Washington this week - a bye week
28. Kansas City Chiefs (1-6) [29]
29. Detroit Lions (1-6) [28]
30. Cleveland Browns (2-6) [30] : The fans want some change
31. St Louis Rams (1-7) [32] : Damn! I bet that first win feels good!
32. Tampa Bay Bucs (0-7) [31]
Divisional rankings:
1. AFC North
2. NFC East
3. AFC East : most evenly-spaced (and thereby most competitive) of them all!
4. NFC North
5. AFC South
6. NFC South
7. AFC West
8. NFC West
Biggest Gainer: Dallas Cowboys. They definitely showed that their offense is back and moving well
Biggest Sack: New York Giants. Three consecutive losses after starting 5-0? This team is going in the wrong direction.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
NCAA Week 10 picks
Whew! I can tell the season is wearing down, and my enthusiasm is starting to transform into the mundane routine that these posts can become. Ah well, commitment is never easy.
Tues Nov 3rd
Bowling Green Falcons at Buffalo Bulls: Both teams started the season hopeful for a bowl game, but that seems unlikely now. Both teams are mired at 3-5, and a loss here will pretty much sink their bowl chances. Bowling Green is more used to these situations, but I actually like the Bulls' chances. They've been good at home, losing only to ranked opponents Pittsburgh and Central Michigan. I'm going to give Buffalo a boost, although this should be a tough and hard-fought match. BUFFALO
Thurs Nov 5th
#24 Virginia Tech Hokies at East Carolina Pirates: The Hokies are finding their Top 25 existence tenuous. The Pirates' defense might give them some problems, as their offense has sputtered on occassion, but the Hokies defense and special teams will more than make up for it. VIRGINIA TECH
Miami Ohio Redhawks at Temple Owls: Temple is already bowl eligible and leads the MAC East. Miami Ohio has been pitiful, and seeking their first conference win. Keep looking, boys. TEMPLE
Friday Nov 6th
#4 Boise State Broncos at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: The Broncos should keep on rolling, as La Tech's victories have come against FCS Nicholls State, hapless New Mexico State, and a struggling Hawaii team. BOISE STATE
Top 25
#10 LSU Tigers at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: A runner-up for Game of the Week, this battle will determine if Alabama can go unbeaten to the SEC Championship Game, as their remaining games are fairly easy. If Alabama wins, they clinch the SEC West. If LSU wins, they knock Alabama off the top spot, which they have enjoyed since the start of the season, and place themselves in contention to slide into the SEC Championship Game. This will be a defensive battle, but I give Alabama the edge. They have played a bit more consistently than LSU, and their defense has been a bit tougher. ALABAMA
Central Florida Golden Knights at #2 Texas Longhorns: Texas gets a non-conference break in the middle of tough Big XII games as the Knights are looking to become bowl eligible. That won't happen this game. TEXAS
Vanderbilt Commodores at #3 Florida Gators: It's been a while since the top three teams all had home games on the same day. Nice bit of scheduling, that. Florida shouldn't have any problem against the Commodores. FLORIDA
UConn Huskies at #5 Cincinnati Bearcats: The Bearcats hope to continue their best season in school history by beating UConn and maintaining their lead over Pittsburgh. The Bearcats should achieve that. CINCY
Northwestern Wildcats at #6 Iowa Hawkeyes: Northwestern gave Penn State a scare last year, but Iowa scared them more earlier this season. Iowa shouldn't need to come back in the fourth quarter in this one. IOWA
#7 Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal: Stanford is capable of surprising, and Oregon may experience a letdown after their tremendous victory over USC. The Ducks are determined to erase the memory of their disappointing opener, though, so if they trail at halftime, they'll come back stronger in the second half. OREGON
#9 TCU Horned Frogs at San Diego State Aztecs: TCU continues to march through the Mountain West as they push the troubled Aztecs under .500. TCU
Syracuse Orangemen at #11 Pitt Panthers: You have to pity 'Cuse. They were pummelled by Cincy last week, and now have to travel to Pitt. Tough schedule, and they'll have a rough time. Pitt is chasing Cincy, and they know they can't let up, no matter who the opponent is. PITT
New Mexico Lobos at #12 Utah Utes: The Lobos are looking for their first win of the season. Keep looking, guys, as Utah needs this victory to remain unbeaten in the conference and compete with TCU for the title. UTAH
Wake Forest Demon Deacons at #14 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Wake Forest can be tough, but nobody is tougher in the ACC this season than Georgia Tech. Their defense has been potent, and the offense is finding its rhythm. GEORGIA TECH
#15 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones: Oklahoma State needs to redeem themselves after their utter disaster against Texas. This will be a good start, although losing WR Dez Bryant for the rest of the season won't help their offense. OKLAHOMA STATE
#16 USC Trojans at Arizona State Sun Devils: The Trojans haven't lost two in a row in years, but the Sun Devils would love to end that streak. They can surprise, and their offense is capable of a good game, but I think the Trojans will be determined to get back to the win column. Still, this one might be closer than Pete Carroll would like. USC
#18 Houston Cougars at Tulsa Golden Hurricane: Tulsa has collapsed recently, but if they get their act together, they can threaten the Cougars. HOUSTON
#19 BYU Cougars at Wyoming Cowboys: BYU is a game and a half behind TCU, but they still see the conference title in their grasp. They won't let up. BYU
Navy Midshipmen at #20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Irish still have some consistency issues to work out, but Jimmy Clausen is looking much better than this time last year. NOTRE DAME
#22 Oklahoma Sooners at Nebraska Cornhuskers: this one can be a barnburner, despite their respective records. Neither are having terrible seasons, and the Nebraska offense is working great. With Sam Bradford out, the Cornhuskers see an opening. I'm going for the upset here, and picking NEBRASKA.
Louisville Cardinals at #23 West Virginia Mountaineers: The Mountaineers see the Big East title slipping away with each Cincinnati victory, but they know they still have to face the Bearcats, so they want to remain close. WEST VIRGINIA
Oregon State Beavers at #25 California Golden Bears: The Beavers can run the ball, but their passing game has lost some zip. The Bears are looking good, despite less than stellar performances from former Heismann candidate Jahvid Best. I think Cal will pull this one out, although it might be tough. CAL
Big Ten
Wisconsin Badgers at Indiana Hoosiers: Wisconsin is rolling again, and they feel capable of challenging the top three in the conference. They'll need a good performance here to do it. WISCONSIN
Purdue Boilermakers at Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines season has tanked ever since they lost to in-state rival Michigan State. Their only victory in that five-game stretch was to FCS Delaware State. They were blown away by Illinois, and I think Purdue will be able to put up similar offensive numbers. PURDUE
Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan State Spartans: Sparty has no chance for the Big Ten title, but they know a victory here makes them bowl eligible, so they'll fight for this win. The MAC has done a good job against the Big Ten this season, but they won't chalk up this one. MICHIGAN STATE
Illinois Fighting Illini at Minnesota Golden Gophers: The Gophers are a strong team, despite big losses to Penn State and Ohio State. Illinois may have found their offense again after last week's amazing performance against Michigan, but I'll need more than one successful week before I'll believe that. MINNESOTA
Game of the Week: #13 Ohio State Buckeyes at #8 Penn State Nittany Lions: Ohio State has posted three shutouts this season, won all of their games since Navy by large margins, and their two losses were by a total of 12 points. Penn State has only one shutout, but held opponents to less than ten points five times and blown away all opponents except Iowa. It has helped that they had a home-heavy schedule this season. I like Penn State's chances here, especially since their offense has been better this season, but if Terrell Pryor can get it together for this game, Ohio State could pull off the upset. PENN STATE
Other Games of Interest
Florida State Seminoles at Clemson Tigers: Bobby Bowden is still refusing to step down, but a loss to Clemson would give the Seminoles a 2-4 conference record and risk another losing season. They'll fight to prevent that, but Clemson has some power. CLEMSON
Virginia Cavaliers at Miami Hurricanes: On the other hand, Virginia's offense lacks power, and the Miami defense will rule this game. MIAMI
Tues Nov 3rd
Bowling Green Falcons at Buffalo Bulls: Both teams started the season hopeful for a bowl game, but that seems unlikely now. Both teams are mired at 3-5, and a loss here will pretty much sink their bowl chances. Bowling Green is more used to these situations, but I actually like the Bulls' chances. They've been good at home, losing only to ranked opponents Pittsburgh and Central Michigan. I'm going to give Buffalo a boost, although this should be a tough and hard-fought match. BUFFALO
Thurs Nov 5th
#24 Virginia Tech Hokies at East Carolina Pirates: The Hokies are finding their Top 25 existence tenuous. The Pirates' defense might give them some problems, as their offense has sputtered on occassion, but the Hokies defense and special teams will more than make up for it. VIRGINIA TECH
Miami Ohio Redhawks at Temple Owls: Temple is already bowl eligible and leads the MAC East. Miami Ohio has been pitiful, and seeking their first conference win. Keep looking, boys. TEMPLE
Friday Nov 6th
#4 Boise State Broncos at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: The Broncos should keep on rolling, as La Tech's victories have come against FCS Nicholls State, hapless New Mexico State, and a struggling Hawaii team. BOISE STATE
Top 25
#10 LSU Tigers at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: A runner-up for Game of the Week, this battle will determine if Alabama can go unbeaten to the SEC Championship Game, as their remaining games are fairly easy. If Alabama wins, they clinch the SEC West. If LSU wins, they knock Alabama off the top spot, which they have enjoyed since the start of the season, and place themselves in contention to slide into the SEC Championship Game. This will be a defensive battle, but I give Alabama the edge. They have played a bit more consistently than LSU, and their defense has been a bit tougher. ALABAMA
Central Florida Golden Knights at #2 Texas Longhorns: Texas gets a non-conference break in the middle of tough Big XII games as the Knights are looking to become bowl eligible. That won't happen this game. TEXAS
Vanderbilt Commodores at #3 Florida Gators: It's been a while since the top three teams all had home games on the same day. Nice bit of scheduling, that. Florida shouldn't have any problem against the Commodores. FLORIDA
UConn Huskies at #5 Cincinnati Bearcats: The Bearcats hope to continue their best season in school history by beating UConn and maintaining their lead over Pittsburgh. The Bearcats should achieve that. CINCY
Northwestern Wildcats at #6 Iowa Hawkeyes: Northwestern gave Penn State a scare last year, but Iowa scared them more earlier this season. Iowa shouldn't need to come back in the fourth quarter in this one. IOWA
#7 Oregon Ducks at Stanford Cardinal: Stanford is capable of surprising, and Oregon may experience a letdown after their tremendous victory over USC. The Ducks are determined to erase the memory of their disappointing opener, though, so if they trail at halftime, they'll come back stronger in the second half. OREGON
#9 TCU Horned Frogs at San Diego State Aztecs: TCU continues to march through the Mountain West as they push the troubled Aztecs under .500. TCU
Syracuse Orangemen at #11 Pitt Panthers: You have to pity 'Cuse. They were pummelled by Cincy last week, and now have to travel to Pitt. Tough schedule, and they'll have a rough time. Pitt is chasing Cincy, and they know they can't let up, no matter who the opponent is. PITT
New Mexico Lobos at #12 Utah Utes: The Lobos are looking for their first win of the season. Keep looking, guys, as Utah needs this victory to remain unbeaten in the conference and compete with TCU for the title. UTAH
Wake Forest Demon Deacons at #14 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Wake Forest can be tough, but nobody is tougher in the ACC this season than Georgia Tech. Their defense has been potent, and the offense is finding its rhythm. GEORGIA TECH
#15 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Iowa State Cyclones: Oklahoma State needs to redeem themselves after their utter disaster against Texas. This will be a good start, although losing WR Dez Bryant for the rest of the season won't help their offense. OKLAHOMA STATE
#16 USC Trojans at Arizona State Sun Devils: The Trojans haven't lost two in a row in years, but the Sun Devils would love to end that streak. They can surprise, and their offense is capable of a good game, but I think the Trojans will be determined to get back to the win column. Still, this one might be closer than Pete Carroll would like. USC
#18 Houston Cougars at Tulsa Golden Hurricane: Tulsa has collapsed recently, but if they get their act together, they can threaten the Cougars. HOUSTON
#19 BYU Cougars at Wyoming Cowboys: BYU is a game and a half behind TCU, but they still see the conference title in their grasp. They won't let up. BYU
Navy Midshipmen at #20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Irish still have some consistency issues to work out, but Jimmy Clausen is looking much better than this time last year. NOTRE DAME
#22 Oklahoma Sooners at Nebraska Cornhuskers: this one can be a barnburner, despite their respective records. Neither are having terrible seasons, and the Nebraska offense is working great. With Sam Bradford out, the Cornhuskers see an opening. I'm going for the upset here, and picking NEBRASKA.
Louisville Cardinals at #23 West Virginia Mountaineers: The Mountaineers see the Big East title slipping away with each Cincinnati victory, but they know they still have to face the Bearcats, so they want to remain close. WEST VIRGINIA
Oregon State Beavers at #25 California Golden Bears: The Beavers can run the ball, but their passing game has lost some zip. The Bears are looking good, despite less than stellar performances from former Heismann candidate Jahvid Best. I think Cal will pull this one out, although it might be tough. CAL
Big Ten
Wisconsin Badgers at Indiana Hoosiers: Wisconsin is rolling again, and they feel capable of challenging the top three in the conference. They'll need a good performance here to do it. WISCONSIN
Purdue Boilermakers at Michigan Wolverines: The Wolverines season has tanked ever since they lost to in-state rival Michigan State. Their only victory in that five-game stretch was to FCS Delaware State. They were blown away by Illinois, and I think Purdue will be able to put up similar offensive numbers. PURDUE
Western Michigan Broncos at Michigan State Spartans: Sparty has no chance for the Big Ten title, but they know a victory here makes them bowl eligible, so they'll fight for this win. The MAC has done a good job against the Big Ten this season, but they won't chalk up this one. MICHIGAN STATE
Illinois Fighting Illini at Minnesota Golden Gophers: The Gophers are a strong team, despite big losses to Penn State and Ohio State. Illinois may have found their offense again after last week's amazing performance against Michigan, but I'll need more than one successful week before I'll believe that. MINNESOTA
Game of the Week: #13 Ohio State Buckeyes at #8 Penn State Nittany Lions: Ohio State has posted three shutouts this season, won all of their games since Navy by large margins, and their two losses were by a total of 12 points. Penn State has only one shutout, but held opponents to less than ten points five times and blown away all opponents except Iowa. It has helped that they had a home-heavy schedule this season. I like Penn State's chances here, especially since their offense has been better this season, but if Terrell Pryor can get it together for this game, Ohio State could pull off the upset. PENN STATE
Other Games of Interest
Florida State Seminoles at Clemson Tigers: Bobby Bowden is still refusing to step down, but a loss to Clemson would give the Seminoles a 2-4 conference record and risk another losing season. They'll fight to prevent that, but Clemson has some power. CLEMSON
Virginia Cavaliers at Miami Hurricanes: On the other hand, Virginia's offense lacks power, and the Miami defense will rule this game. MIAMI
Monday, November 2, 2009
NCAA Top 25 - Week 9
Upset of the week: We had a few more candidates this week. Tulsa confirmed their downward spiral with a two-touchdown loss at home against SMU. Kansas fell from the Top 25 after being humbled by Texas Tech. South Carolina stumbled against Tennessee in a loss that nearly wiped out their point spread for the season. However, the biggest upset (and I have national analysts agreeing with me on this) came from my own Alma Mater, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Winless in the conference, the Illini thoroughly humbled their arch-rivals from the University of Michigan, smashing them as badly as they did in last year's 45-20 battle, although the score was smaller this year (38-13). Rich Rodriquez no goes 0-2 against the Illini; the only team that would be worse for him to go winless against would be Ohio State. That game comes up in two weeks - watch for it!
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) [1]
2. Texas Longhorns (8-0) [2] : Another stellar performance for this offense, and the defense showed plenty of power, too
3. Florida Gators (8-0) [3]
4. Boise State Broncos (8-0) [4] : BCS busting seems likely this year
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0) [5] : Best season ever for the Bearcats!
6. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-0) [6] : 2009's Cardiac Kids, this was their fourth come-from-behind fourth quarter victory
7. Oregon Ducks (7-1) [10] : No doubt who the power in the Pac-10 is THIS year
8. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) [8]
9. TCU Horned Frogs (8-0) [9] : A shutout clears give them potential BCS busting power
10. LSU Tigers (7-1) [12] : This was one of FOUR FBS shutouts on the same day - tied for the all-time record!
11. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-1) [13] : We're all eagerly awaiting the Cincy v Pitt battle on Dec 5th
12. Utah Utes (7-1) [14] : Slowly and steadily moving up
13. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) [15] : They achieved their third shutout of the season (tied for school history record) and accounted for one of TWO shutouts in the same conference (Wisconsin, of all teams, scoring the other one), only the second time in NCAA history THAT has happened!
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1) [18] : Clearly the strong team in a weakened ACC
15. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2) [11] : Getting thoroughly trounced by Texas may destroy their season
16. USC Trojans (6-2) [7]
17. Central Michigan Chippewas (7-2) [16]
18. Houston Cougars (7-1) [19]
19. BYU Cougars (6-2) [20]
20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2) [24]
21. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-3) [NP]
22. Oklahoma Sooners (5-3) [25]
23. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-2) [17] : Lacking some offense
24. Virginia Tech Hokies (5-3) [23]
25. California Golden Bears (6-2) [NP]
On the Edge
+1 Temple Owls (6-2) - you read that right! Temple's best year in school history!
+2 Miami Hurricanes (6-2) - a one-point win does little to help their point spread
+3 South Florida Bulls (6-2)
+4 Stanford Cardinal (5-3)
+5 Clemson Tigers (5-3)
+6 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-2)
+7 Wisconsin Badgers (6-2)
+8 Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3)
Dropped: Kansas Jayhawks [#21], Ole Miss Rebels [#22]
This week's rankings [Last week's position]
1. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) [1]
2. Texas Longhorns (8-0) [2] : Another stellar performance for this offense, and the defense showed plenty of power, too
3. Florida Gators (8-0) [3]
4. Boise State Broncos (8-0) [4] : BCS busting seems likely this year
5. Cincinnati Bearcats (8-0) [5] : Best season ever for the Bearcats!
6. Iowa Hawkeyes (9-0) [6] : 2009's Cardiac Kids, this was their fourth come-from-behind fourth quarter victory
7. Oregon Ducks (7-1) [10] : No doubt who the power in the Pac-10 is THIS year
8. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-1) [8]
9. TCU Horned Frogs (8-0) [9] : A shutout clears give them potential BCS busting power
10. LSU Tigers (7-1) [12] : This was one of FOUR FBS shutouts on the same day - tied for the all-time record!
11. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-1) [13] : We're all eagerly awaiting the Cincy v Pitt battle on Dec 5th
12. Utah Utes (7-1) [14] : Slowly and steadily moving up
13. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-2) [15] : They achieved their third shutout of the season (tied for school history record) and accounted for one of TWO shutouts in the same conference (Wisconsin, of all teams, scoring the other one), only the second time in NCAA history THAT has happened!
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1) [18] : Clearly the strong team in a weakened ACC
15. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2) [11] : Getting thoroughly trounced by Texas may destroy their season
16. USC Trojans (6-2) [7]
17. Central Michigan Chippewas (7-2) [16]
18. Houston Cougars (7-1) [19]
19. BYU Cougars (6-2) [20]
20. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2) [24]
21. Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-3) [NP]
22. Oklahoma Sooners (5-3) [25]
23. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-2) [17] : Lacking some offense
24. Virginia Tech Hokies (5-3) [23]
25. California Golden Bears (6-2) [NP]
On the Edge
+1 Temple Owls (6-2) - you read that right! Temple's best year in school history!
+2 Miami Hurricanes (6-2) - a one-point win does little to help their point spread
+3 South Florida Bulls (6-2)
+4 Stanford Cardinal (5-3)
+5 Clemson Tigers (5-3)
+6 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-2)
+7 Wisconsin Badgers (6-2)
+8 Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-3)
Dropped: Kansas Jayhawks [#21], Ole Miss Rebels [#22]
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