November 2007 Archives

Who wants to play for the national title?

1. West Virginia (10-1): Playing like a team that can sense a national title bid is just around the corner.

2. Missouri (11-1): I really hope they beat Oklahoma because it would be a fun championship game and it means both they and Kansas would get a BCS game.

3. Kansas (11-1): The fact they hadn't been in a big game all year showed early, then they showed what they are capable of in the second half.

4. Ohio State (11-1): I hope they don't sneak into the title game.

5. Georgia (10-2): Georgia is probably the best two-loss team in college football.

6. USC (9-2): USC is starting to look like an elite team again and now they are in line for the Rose Bowl.

7. Oklahoma (10-2): The Sooners still have a chance to get a BCS berth, and they beat Missouri once before.

8. LSU (10-2): They almost pulled off a patented LSU win, where they don't deserve to win, but somehow find a way.

9. Florida (9-3): There aren't too many years where a three-loss team winds up in the top ten with more games still to be played.

10. Hawaii (11-0): One more win, and then there won't be a reason to keep them out of a BCS game.

11. Virginia Tech (10-2): Payback has to be on the Hokies mind with the rematch against BC coming up.

12. Boston College (10-2): Can Matt Ryan pull off a miracle against VT again? Will a BCS berth equal a Heisman invite? We shall see.

13. Illinois (9-3): They had a bye and don't play for a while, but I can't go a week without at least mentioning Juice Williams.

14. Tennessee (9-3): This team actually has some backbone and has not been folding in close games down the stretch. That could come in handy against LSU.

15. Arizona State (9-2): A win against Arizona and there is no reason the Sun Devils shouldn't get a BCS game.

16. Clemson (9-3): The Tigers were poised to be upset against South Carolina, but pulled it out and assured themselves a pretty good bowl.

17. Cincinnati (9-3): If Arizona State slips, would the Bearcats get an invite as the second best team in the Big East? Will they get slighted for a three-loss team from the ACC?

18. Texas (9-3): Don't have to hear about them in a major bowl, and now they suck even worse because Texas A&M beat them.

19. Oregon (8-3): Without Dennis Dixon (and the plethora of other players that are hurt) the Ducks are a shell of the team they once were.

20. Virginia (9-3): The Cavs showed some heart against VT, but they just weren't good enough.

21. Wisconsin (9-3): Badger, badger, badger. England, England, England. Football, football, football. Ohh, it's a snake!

22. South Florida (9-3): Nice end to the season for the Bulls who bounced back nicely from a rough stretch in the middle of the year.

23. Arkansas (8-4): I hope I get to play Madden next year so I can have Darren McFadden on my team.

24. Boise State (10-2): I kept them ranked because I think they are better than BYU and Auburn wasn't too impressive against Bama.

25. Texas Tech (8-4): A big win over Texas followed by a bye, means a long time before playing in their next game.

AL East

Red Sox: The Red Sox probably don't need to make another move, after bringing back Mike Lowell. Sure they'd love a better shortstop than Julio Lugo, but they have his ridiculous contract for three more years. J.D. Drew is pretty much worthless, but because he and Lugo are in the lineup they are in, they get chances to do what they did in the playoffs. They would have been in the market to replace Coco Crisp in center, but Jacoby Ellsbury showed he is a star in the making. With Mike Timlin getting older and Eric Gagne gone (like it matters) the Sox will count on Manny Delcarmen and perhaps Craig Hansen. If they don't feel that can work, a late reliever is someone they might be in the market for, someone like Ron Mahay.

Yankees: They are very lucky A-Rod turned out to be so sentimental, because had he left you are looking at a lineup with aging players like Jorge Posada (who is still good), Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon (who are shells of their former selves). Lineup-wise, they are probably fine if they can continue to get solid contributions from Wilson Betemit and Melky Cabrera. The Yankees need pitching....badly. They need at least one starter considering that Mike Mussina is nearly ready to go out to pasture. This is assuming that Phillip Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain are all ready to contribute 150-180 innings at the Major League level. Rumor is they are pushing hard to get Johan Santana from the Twins, but that would involve trading ast least two of those three youngsters I just mentioned. Expect them to overpay for someone like Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Carlos Silva or Kyle Lohse.

Blue Jays: The Jays have a solid nucleus, but could probably use a shortstop and an arm or two. A mid-level guy like Josh Fogg could be a possibility and a guy like Cesar Izturis or a David Eckstein would make sense.

Orioles: Where to begin? They need to stop overpaying guys, for one. They should not sign another position player until the contracts of Miguel Tejada and Aubrey Huff expire. They need pitching in a bad way, especially bullpen help with Danys Baez and Chris Ray out for next season. They might go after Eric Gagne or Octavio Dotel to close or a guy like Scott Linebrink, Doug Brocail, David Riske or Troy Percival to stabilize the pen.

Rays: Disaster. They need starting pitching but aren't in the market to pay 10 mil per for a guy like Silva or Lohse. Matt Clement, Joe Kennedy or Eric Milton are guys I could see them going after.

AL Central

Indians: They are pretty well set with plenty of youngsters to choose from for the fifth starter spot and the infield situation is settled with the emergence of Azdrubal Cabrera. With Kenny Lofton gone, they might consider bringing in a guy in that same mold (if not re-signing Lofton himself).

Tigers: They filled a big void by trading for Edgar Renteria, because Carlos Guillen is at first base which gives them a great infield. They were very instable in left field but picked up Jacque Jones. It looks right now like the Tigers might be happy re-signing Kenny Rogers and going with who they have.

Twins: They badly need a third baseman, and if they don't want to pay the big money for a guy they should consider Pedro Feliz or maybe bringing back Corey Koskie. They obviously have a huge hole in centerfield but won't be able to afford Torii Hunter, Andrew Jones and the likes, so they could go for a short term solution with somebody like Kenny Lofton.

White Sox: Well, they pillaged the Angels for a very good shortstop and it cost them a pretty quality arm. So now, obviously, they will look for a fourth or fifth starter. The usual suspects (Lohse, Silva, Garcia, etc...) might get looks from the Sox, but they really need to sure up their second base spot. They got rid of Tad Iguchi, but with him now a free agent I could see him coming back. They suddenly got in the market for an outfielder by cutting Scott Podsednik. Will they spend the big cash to reverse this losing trend since the 2005 World Series?

Royals: Slowly but surely they are getting better as they continue to add pieces. They desperately need pitching. They figured out Odalis Perez wasn't good and cut him so they are in the market for two decent starters. They have shown some interest in Jose Guillen, which would give them a solid outfield. They just need to sign some people that can stop the other team from scoring runs.

AL West
Angels: Not sure what they were thinking in trading Cabrera for Garland. I can see the logic behind trading Cabrera, because he was in the last year of his deal and his value wasn't going to get any higher. Garland does solidify their staff, but what will they do on the left side of the infield? They will probably give Maicer Izturis a chance to play shortstop everyday, or perhaps give Brandon Wood the job there or at third base. My feeling is they are going to make a serious push at Miguel Cabrera which means they would end up with Garland and Cabrera, and at the same time giving Maicer Izturis a chance to play every day. Assuming Cabrera costs the Angels Wood and Howie Kendrick, Chone Figgins would probably play second.

Mariners: The Mariners are awfully quiet right now, but they need to address some needs. They need an outfielder to replace Jose Guillen, they need a starter because they will not bring back Weaver and they need to figure out what to do with Richie Sexson. They would probaby like to play Broussard at first more. One time top prospect Jeremy Reed might get a chance to play with Guillen being gone, they might try and bring back someone like Freddy Garcia or bring in Carlos Silva or they might trade Sexson to fill one of these needs if they can shed much of his salary.

A's: The problem with the A's is that they have a bunch of decent players and are happy with all of them for now. They do not have a true leadoff man, and it's unlikey they bring back the closest thing they had to one in Shannon Stewart. If they bring Stewart back, Daric Barton could provide as a nice bargaining chip to get the big right handed bat they need. Questions surrounding the health and the consistency of Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby were made even bigger with the trade of Marco Scutaro and rumors that Billy Beane is shopping Dan Haren and Joe Blanton make no sense unless he gets a king's ransom in return, which (knowing him) he would. So in a nutshell, it's hard to say what the A's will do because they could stand almost completely pat, or they could make a lot of moves.

Rangers: Texas would fill a big need if they brought Torii Hunter in. They will always be in the market for pitching, but signing one arm and a guy like Hunter would be a great start.

NL East

Phillies: Another off-season another winter filled with Pat Burrell rumors that end up unfulfilled. The Phillies could use a third baseman, but with very little options out there they might concentrate on a closer. By signing someone like Gagne or Dotel, they could move Brett Myers back to the rotation and that would be like making two moves. If Rowand leaves, Victorino probably shifts to center and Jose Guillen would probably fit in very nicely in that ballpark. I know I have mentioned him a lot, but teams are probably going to shy away because of his name being thrown around in the steroid talks (but who's hasn't?).

Mets: They solved the need at catcher by acquiring Johnny Estrada from the Brewers for Guillermo Mota. Now if they could find others to replace all the other aging and underachieving players (Delgado, Beltran, Alou, Green). Bringing Luis Castillo back wasn't a bad move, and it didn't cost too much, but they really need pitching. Omar Minaya is willing to part with his big prospects (Lastings Millege, Carlos Gomez, Mike Pelfrey) to acquire someone like Dan Haren, but they will likely go after two starters because their staff is in shambles.

Braves: They will find someone from within to replace Andruw Jones and that person will perform just fine. They will also be okay with Escobar at short in place of the traded Renteria. The Braves will not sign any big name or mid-level free agents, and will be an above average team as usual.

Nationals: Being the only team serious about Andruw Jones right now makes you think they want to get better. They better make a push for a pitcher or two and then keep slowly adding pieces, such as some infielders not named Ryan Zimmerman.

Marlins: They are officially trying to blow it up, which means they will probably stock up so much talent in trading Cabrera and Willis that they will win the world series in five or six years.

NL Central

Cubs: God forbid they spend anymore money. They will try and find a catcher, probably Paul Lo Duca or Michael Barrett, but that will be about it. Perhaps a middle reliever or a closer to displace Ryan Dempster.

Brewers: In trading Estrada for Mota they are still trying to address a bullpen that gave away the division crown last season. It also means they are going to sign a catcher and all signs indicate it will be Jason Kendall. Geoff Jenkins tenure is over, but that means Cory Hart will play more and that's just fine for them. They might want to consider a pitcher after trading several prospects for Linebrink to go along with the fact that Ben Sheets is an injury waiting to happen and Chris Capuano stopped winning.

Cardinals: Who knows what they'll do, but whatever they decide it better consist of some middle infielders. The pickings are slim, so bringing back Eckstein and signing Iguchi would be very good moves. But they shouldn't stop there, they need outfielders to replace Jim Edmonds (who might actually die on the field), Preston Wilson (free agent) and Juan Encarnacion (who's blind). The Cards also have pitching problems. They have too many needs to address.

Astros: Houston is going after everyone right now and has heard back from no one. They are in need of a second baseman (Iguchi) or any able bodied outfielder, perhaps Mike Cameron.

Reds: The Reds need pitching. Plain and simple. They should trade Ken Griffey Jr. to the American League and get an arm or two in return and let Josh Hamilton, Adam Dunn and a couple of the youngsters platoon in the outfield.

Pirates: They need an outfielder and a shortstop that don't suck and they need to replace Matt Morris with anyone. This team hasn't figured it out, so it's not worth wasting my time in talking about who they should get, because they won't do it.

NL West

Diamondbacks: Arizona will probably make a couple small moves, like bringing back Livan Hernandez, as the young kids get better and better. They don't really need to make too many moves.

Rockies: Replacing Matsui won't be easy, but they might just roll with Jamey Carroll. Yorvit Torrealba apparently wants to come back, so that is one less concern. With a healthy Aaron Cook to go with emerging stars Ubaldo Jiminez and Franklin Morales, they won't have to worry about losing Josh Fogg and might not have a hard time replacing him.

Padres: With Mike Cameron likely leaving and Milton Bradley on the shelf, the Pads are going to need some help in the outfield. They will probably try and trade for a mid-level guy like Coco Crisp or lure away a prospect like Matt Kemp. The Marcus Giles expirement didn't work at second base, so maybe a reunion with Mark Loretta.

Dodgers: They will probably sign one decent bat, likely to be an outfielder like Rowand, Hunter or Jones. They are rumored to be the frontrunner for Miguel Cabrera, but probably won't sell the farm for him. Adding a pitcher like Garcia is a possibility.

Giants: They have many needs, but starting pitching isn't one of them. Don't be surprised if they go after Gagne, Dotel or Linebrink to sure up the bullpen. Also, they could try and make a big splash by landing Miguel Cabrera and trying to sign Hunter or Jones, but I think they will bring in another aging veteran like Jenkins. Feliz probably isn't coming back, so whether or not they play Kevin Frandsen at third for a year remains to be seen. They probably go with Rich Aurilia and wait for his and Ray Durham's contracts to expire, making Frandsen the second baseman and then evaluating the third base market. They are really stuck in the outfield with aging vets Dave Roberts and Randy Winn under contract and guys like Nate Schierholtz, Fred Lewis and Raj Davis waiting to play every day. Dumping Durham and Aurilia would make the most sense, allowing Frandsen to play and then going after a third baseman while letting the kids develop. All you Giants fans know that this will not happen.

I'm not even sure how to explain what is going on.

1. LSU (10-1): Nothing is a certainty this year, but it appears that LSU is going to end up where everyone thought it would.

2. West Virginia (9-1): The Mountaineers are probably in the best shape of any team not called LSU. They have two winnable games and just need Missouri or Kansas to lose in the Big 12 championship game. Both of those things are probable.

3. Kansas (11-0): The Jayhawks keep winning, and are now in complete control to play for the national title.

4. Ohio State (11-1): The Buckeyes are at least going to the Rose Bowl. Must be nice knowing that's the worst case scenario.

5. Missouri (10-1): If they beat Kansas, they will not only move up a couple of spots in this poll, but could be playing for a national title.

6. Georgia (9-2): Even if Tennessee wins the SEC East, the Bulldogs are still looking pretty to reach a BCS game as long as they beat Georgia Tech (which they will) and the Vols lose to LSU (which they will).

7. Oregon (8-2): Do you think Dennis Dixon means much to this team? Gotta feel bad for such a competitive and hardworking kid. They can still win out and reach the Rose Bowl, but I got a feeling they are going to lose one of their last two with Leaf at the helm.

8. Arizona State (9-1): The Sun Devils are sitting in good shape again, but they have two tough games coming up.

9. USC (8-2): Thanksgiving game against Arizona State could be a game to decide who goes to the Rose Bowl or at least which of the two will get a BCS berth.

10. Oklahoma (9-2): If they can get by Oklahoma State, they should still get a BCS berth.

11. Florida (8-3): Tim Tebow's nickname is runthrow. It's gonna be weird not seeing Florida in a BCS game.

12. Hawaii (10-0): Survive and advance...just another week in the chase for a BCS game.

13. Texas (9-2): They had a bye, so I've got nothing for them.

14. Virginia Tech (9-2): If they get by West Virginia, a rematch with BC for a BCS game could be a fun game to watch.

15. Boston College (9-2): Never, ever, ever bet against Matt Ryan when the Eagles are within striking distance in the fourth quarter.

16. Illinois (9-3): The Juice just scores touchdowns and now the Illini are heading to a New Year's day bowl.

17. Virginia (9-2): The rivalry game with VT actually means something this year, and that something is a trip to the ACC title game.

18. Tennessee (8-3): One more win and the Vols turn what could have been a horrible season into a pretty good one.

19. Boise State (10-1): Is a second straight BCS game in order? We'll see if they can beat Hawaii this weekend.

20. Connecticut (9-2): The Huskies still have BCS hopes if they can take down West Virginia this weekend..

21. Clemson (8-3): Why does Tommy Bowden keep getting blue chip recruits and being expected to be a BCS contender every year? Don't get me wrong, they are good, but certainly haven't taken that next step.

22. Cincinnati (8-3): So they are out of the Big East picture, but expect them to get to nine wins and to play in a solid bowl game.

23. Wisconsin (9-3): The Badgers might benefit bowl-wise from Michigan's loss.

24. South Florida (8-3): Creeping back into the rankings after demolishing Louisville.

25. Texas Tech (8-4): The Red Raiders finally got that landmark win that has been avoiding them the last few years.

Brian Fantana: "Panda Watch. The mood is tense; I have been on some serious, serious reports but nothing quite like this. I uh... Ching... King is inside right now. I tried to get an interview with him, but they said no, you can't do that he's a live bear, he will literally rip your face off."Brian Fantana: "Hey, you're making me look stupid. Get out of here, Panda Jerk." Ron Burgundy: "Great story. Compelling, and rich."

In honor of the media hype that Ling Ling received when she was about to give birth at the San Diego zoo, I am going to use lines from Anchorman to talk about the ongoing, over-hyped media saga that Is Barry Bonds. To quote Luke Wilson's character Frank Vitchard from Anchorman,

"This is getting to be ri-God Damn-diculous!"

We are way past ridiculous. The only difference is that I'm not talking about getting my arm ripped off. I am talking about Barry Bonds. Now, before you roll your eyes and go check your myspace account, hear me out for a minute. I am a huge Giants fan. I know that, as fans, we are sometimes biased and irrational about our team and our team's players. Well let me be the first to say, by paraphrasing Wes Mantooth......

"I hate you Ron Burgundy, but damn it do I respect you."

I hate Barry Bonds. He is an absolutely unredeemable jerk, but damn it I respect him. I realize that he brings most of the scrutiny and hardship on himself. Still, he is able to tune out all of the swirling issues in his life and concentrate on a 9oz. spheroid flying 85-100 mph toward him and, more often than not, he ends up on base if not trotting around the bases as the ball arcs into the now oil filled bay.

"You pooped in the refrigerator?! And you ate the whole wheel of cheese?! Actually I'm not even mad; that's amazing."

Ron's admiration for Baxter is not unlike my admiration for Barry. He's done things time and time again that should piss me off. It's hard to be mad at a guy who is the greatest baseball player of my generation and plays for my favorite team. He is amazing. During the 2001-2004 years when Bonds was at his absolute apex of ability even Matt begrudgingly agreed that he was the best player in baseball and top 5 all time. There really shouldn't be an argument here, but Skip Bayless has different ideas.

"I don't know how to put this, but I'm kind of a big deal."

Mark Ecko apparently needs people to know that he is so rich that he can blow hundreds of thousands of dollars on a baseball to brand it with an asterisk and send it to the hall of fame. No one cares about your leather-bound books Mark. Why single out Barry? Hasn't it been proven that we should take this era with a grain of salt? Why doesn't he buy every piece of memorabilia that has gone to the hall in the last 30 years and put asterisks on them? I'm not sure what's worse, that Ecko bought the ball and let fans decide what he should do with the ball, that fans actually decided that or that the hall of fame will accept the ball and display it with an asterisk on it. It's ludicrous. Can we asterisk every piece in the hall before 1947? None of those players had to play against black players. It seems unfair to me. Someone is going to get punched in the baby maker.

"It's called Sex Panther by Odeon. It's illegal in nine countries..."

Guys will try anything when it comes to attracting women as evidenced by Brian Fantana. In that same vein, athletes will try anything to gain glory and attract a lucrative contract. Of course the substance athletes use has bits of horse, not panther, in it.

"Don't act like you're not impressed."

This is a shout out to all of the other HGH users in baseball who are acting like they have done nothing wrong. Most of them are getting a free pass right now because so much attention is being paid to Bonds. Should we be impressed that Roger Clemens is defying logic by still being able to throw mid 90's at such an advanced age? Or should we be concerned that he's not breaking down like every other power pitcher in the history of baseball has once they hit their late 30's (except maybe Nolan Ryan, but his fastball steadily declined in velocity the last few years of his career)? How's Brady Anderson doing? Is he still roller blading without a shirt on in Men's Health magazines? What do we think of Luis Gonzalez hitting 57 HRs out of nowhere? Has anyone heard from Bret Boone lately? He probably needs a job. The list goes on. Even if every baseball player took steroids, what they do and how well they do it is impressive. Even if they are slowly evolving into centaurs.

"You dirtbags have been in third place for five years."

For all of the Giants fans out there. Our team of dirtbags has pretty much been in a tailspin since the ill-fated game six of the 2002 World Series. The sad part is that third place in the West would be an improvement. We've had to deal with an incompetent front office, the worst bullpen in baseball, the oldest team in baseball and, on top of all of that, having our best player raked over the coals at every turn. Yeah, Bonds took HGH or some form of performance enhancing drugs. Of course he did. We aren't retarded like Brick. Can't we just move on? This is not an isolated incident! Many baseball players and athletes in general have taken performance enhancing drugs over the last 30 years! It's true! I am outraged! I am flabbergasted! I am in a state of flabbergast. Let's change the subject before I stab someone with a trident.

"Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego...which of course in German means a whale's vagina."

To the Padres fans that think Barry is the root of all evil. Let me be clear (not like the clear and the cream, just clear...like flaxseed oil), there are crazies in every fan base. The Padres fan base has the record for most hatred of Barry Bonds. Dodger fans hate Barry Bonds because he is a Giant first, which is fine. Padres fans hate him because he is really good...OK, and because he blew up like Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon after the 1998 season. Dodger fans are grounded by the fact that their best player in recent years also took PEDs. If you want to deny that Eric Gagne took PEDs, then you probably think Tupac is still alive, the world is flat, global warming isn't real, water boarding isn't torture and Britney is a good parent.
The Padres announcer went so far as to say that he didn't want Barry to break the record in San Diego because he didn't want his call to be associated with the record. Well guess what happened? Barry tied the record in the Whale's Vagina. The best part? Clay Hensley (not to be confused with Cla or Clae. Why do the Padres have 11 guys named Clay on their team?), the pitcher who gave up No. 755 has been suspended for using steroids more times than Bonds. Don't forget about pop singer Seal (read: Mike Cameron) getting suspended for using banned substances. And of course, Ken Caminiti. He won the MVP in 1995 and admitted that he used steroids throughout his career. Everyone needs to take a look at their own team before they start acting outraged about Bonds.

"Bob Dylan once wrote, 'The times, they are a changing'. Ron Burgundy had never heard that song."

So Padres fans...actually all sports fans...times have changed. Steroids have been prevalent throughout the sporting world for at least 30 years. The odds that your favorite team has had no one using illegal substances in your lifetime is somewhere between zero and none. So let's just sit back and watch sports for what they are, entertainment.

"Take it easy, Champ. Why don't you sit this next one out, stop talking for a while."

This one is for me. I get worked up about this topic because I think people are focused on all the wrong details and that people are all over Bonds because he was so good. Why should players that aren't as good as Bonds get off easy for cheating just like he did?! I mean it's-...there I go again.

You stay classy Planet Earth.

I sat in on a College Sports class taught by journalist and author John Bacon. Bacon wrote a book on coaching and leadership with Bo Schembechler that was published recently. He's young, and fired up. Bacon knows the names of nearly every one of the 100+ students in the lecture hall. They also all have nicknames, it's a big show. He tries to run the class like he is Bo and we are the team, my friend Byron tells me. No hats are allowed, no slouching, and of course no cell phones.

This week we are talking about Ohio St. 1787: the Northwest Ordinance draws out borders for the states. 1833: the Toledo War, a bloodless war fought over a strip of land between Michigan and Ohio. 1897: they play their first game. 1918: OSU joins the Big 10. 1922: OSU opens the Horseshoe. 1933: Michigan and Ohio St play at the end of the season for the first time. 1950: the famous Snow Bowl game in Columbus where there were a total of 45 punts, many of them on first down. Michigan wins 9-3. 1968: Woody Hayes goes for two late in the game ahead 44-14. Asked why he went for two he tells the media it was because he couldn't go for three. 1969-1978: the Ten Year War. Woody vs. Bo. Bo went 5-4-1 during this stretch, brought to an end when Hayes was fired after punching a Clemson player during the Gator Bowl.

The Ten Year War is what revived the rivalry. Bo, who had been an assistant under Hayes at OSU brought the winning tradition back to Michigan. In Spring Practice the year he took over more than 140 players were on the team, dropping out by the day to the excruciating practices. By fall he had 80 players. "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions" is the sign he placed in the Michigan locker room that year, where it stays to this day.

Jim Betts (Michigan great of the 1970s) and Jamie Morris (Michigan running back of the 1980s who Mike Hart is usually compared to because of his size or lackthereof) speak to the class. Being a part of this football team, a part of this tradition is like a fraternity, Betts says. The greatest fraternity you can ever be a part of. But you get the sense as he and Morris speak, that if this crop of senior UM players doesn't beat Ohio St, they won't really belong. "I talked to Mike Hart at the beginning of the season," Morris says. "You're going to break a lot of records, you're going to win a lot of games, but are you going to beat Ohio St? You need to beat Ohio St. If you don't, you're just not that high on my list."

When I landed in Detroit 36 hours ago I didn't think Michigan had much of a chance. Today I'm thinking they have to win. WE need to win. I guess that's what happens when you are put into a situation where everything seems so life and death. That's the way they frame this game. And if Michigan doesn't stand a chance, where does that leave us? Why are we going down to Michigan stadium to scream our lungs out in 30 degree, more than likely snowy weather? If I can't convince myself they can do it, it's all a waste of energy. Senior day. Mike Hart's last game. Chad Henne's last game. My friend Byron Lau's last game. We have to win. And I'm honored to be a part of it.

As Ben Malley reported, it's pretty much life or death this year (any year for that matter) for the Michigan Wolverines.
They haven't beaten Ohio State since 2003, which means that great players such as Mike Hart, Chad Henne, Mario Manningham and Jake Long have never beaten Ohio State.
They must if they want to belong.
They also must so there can be at least some semblance of order in the BCS.
If Michigan does not win that game, thus claiming the Big Ten crown and smelling the roses, chaos will ensue. And by chaos, I mean the winner of the Boise State v. Hawaii game is probably going to get a berth into a BCS game.
Normally, I am all for the little guy getting a chance to play in the BCS games, like Utah in 2004 and Boise last year. But I am only all for it when that team is good enough to compete with the teams from the bigger conferences.
This year, I don't think the Rainbows (wait, now they're just the Warriors) or the Broncos are at a caliber where they could stay in a game with West Virginia, Oklahoma or Georgia. I think a team like Kansas Virginia Tech or Boston College would flatten them.
So why is it possible for the winner of that game to get a BCS nod?
That's a great question and it's because of the overall competitive balance (that, or teams sucking) in the Big East and the ACC. In the Big East, I think it's the former and the ACC it's more of the latter.
With the rule that screwed Wisconsin last year, that each conference can have a maximum of two teams play in a BCS game, there could be a door open if West Virginia wins the Big East outright.
The Big East has some very good teams, but if WV wins it without a tie, Cincy and Connecticut (which are quality teams) are not going to get a berth with three losses. If one of those two teams can beat WV and tie for the Big East title, I think two teams will come out of the Big East. But for now, let's just assume the Mountaineers are going to win the conference (because they are).
The ACC has no chance of getting two teams. The winner of the Boston College/Clemson game will get a crack at Virginia Tech (or Virginia) for the ACC crown. The loser of that game will have three losses. The loser of the ACC championship game will have three losses as well. No three-loss ACC team is getting a BCS bid this year.
The Pac-10 is going to have Oregon and the winner of the Arizona State/USC game. Let's just assume Oregon reaches the BCS title game and that USC goes to the Rose Bowl, because Arizona State is still Arizona State.
The Big 12 is going to get two teams, and it will be Oklahoma and probably the winner of the Kansas/Missouri game. If the Tigers win and lose to the Sooners for a second time while Kansas has one loss, then it could get ugly. I am going to assume Mizzou beats Kansas (because I think it will) and so for now let's assume that OU and Mizzou get BCS berths.
Now comes the SEC where Georgia has a lot to lose by Tennessee losing. If the Vols win out, they will win the SEC East and face LSU in the SEC title game. They will lose that game and be 9-4. Despite pummeling Georgia earlier in the year, four losses will keep them from BCS consideration. Georgia will probably finish the year 10-2 and if they don't have to play LSU in the SEC title game, they will not earn a third loss and will be ranked in the top six or so and therefore be an easy selection as the second team (to go with LSU) out of the SEC to earn a BCS game.
If the Vols lose one of their next two games, Georgia will likely win the SEC East and a third loss could do them damage, maybe even give the committee an excuse to select a three-loss Florida team that Georgia beat. I think when it's all said and done, a two-loss Georgia team is going to get picked and even if the Dawgs do lose in the SEC title game, I think 10-3 will be good enough. The SEC will get two teams regardless, but let's assume LSU and Georgia get the BCS berths.
So, that gives us WV, LSU, Georgia, the ACC champ, Oregon, USC, Oklahoma and Missouri (or Kansas) as eight teams likely to get into the big bowl games.
This is why the Michigan/Ohio State game is so big. If Michigan loses, there is no way a four-loss Wolverine team gets a BCS game which means the Big Ten gets one team. That leaves a spot open for the WAC winner.
I know Michigan is not outstanding, but I will take a three-loss Michigan team and a two-loss Buckeye team over the winner of the Hawaii/Boise State game this year.
As Ben is undoubtedly saying numerous times this week while in Ann Arbor: Go Blue!!

Another one bites the dust.

1. Oregon (8-1): A week off and they are jumping into position to reach the BCS title game and they have moved to the top in these rankings.

2. LSU (9-1): Upset loss to Kentucky and getting breaks in a lot of close games is not important now because LSU is right back in the title game picture.

3. Oklahoma (9-1): The Sooners are quietly going about their business, pounding opponents and waiting for another one-loss team to slip.

4. West Virginia (8-1): The Mountaineers are back in control of the Big East and are still very much in the national title hunt.

5. Kansas (10-0): Are the Jayhawks really still undefeated? You can count on them getting to that Missouri game with the perfect record intact.

6. Ohio State (10-1): Ding, dong the wicked witch is dead. I think everyone was sick of seeing Ohio State at number one.

7. Missouri (9-1): As long as they don't slip up in Manhattan, the Tigers have a chance to make BCS statement.

8. Georgia (8-2): Georgia is the second best team in the SEC? Could they beat LSU? We may never know.

9. Arizona State (9-1): Arizona State got back to its ways of winning close games as they held off UCLA for a Pac-10 win.

10. USC (8-2): They are not a dominating team, but they are doing what they need to in order to get back to the Rose Bowl.

11. Florida (7-3): The Gators would love for some SEC East teams to slip up so they could get another shot at LSU.

12. Hawaii (9-0): Held on to beat Fresno State, keeping that possible showdown with Boise State in order.

13. Texas (9-2): They own Texas Tech.

14. Virginia Tech (8-2): Frank Beamer beat Bobby Bowden for the first time ever. That's hard to believe.

15. Kentucky (7-3): It's so hard to rank the SEC teams because they just keep beating up on each other every week. This week, Kentucky is a top 15 team.

16. Boston College (8-2): They appear to have given up and Matt Ryan's Heisman chances may have gone poof.

17. Michigan (8-3): They looked like garbage on both sides of the ball against Wisconsin. They hardly played Henne and Hart and may have been looking forward to the Ohio State game.

18. Illinois (8-3): For some people it was a shock that the Illini beat the Buckeyes, but when your QBs name is Juice, anything can happen.

19. Penn State (8-3): Anthony Morelli plays fantastic against teams that aren't even good.

20. Clemson (8-2): The Tigers are now in prime position to reach the ACC championship game.

21. Cincinnati (8-2): They crashed UCONN's party and showed that the Big East has some pretty good teams.

22. Virginia (9-2): The Cavs finally destroyed someone. I guess it had to be a horrible Miami team.

23. Boise State (9-1): They treated Utah State like everyone else has.....like a red-headed stepchild.

24. Connecticut (8-2): The dream run in the Big East is over, but they have a chance to make it all come back again against WV.

25. Tennessee (7-3): Back in the rankings for at least a week, until they lose to Kentucky which is bound to happen.

Michigan (-2.5) v Wisconsin 9.00am ESPN

Michigan won't be faulted for looking ahead to next weekend going into the game at Camp Randall. A loss won't hurt their Rose Bowl hopes at all, they simply need to beat Ohio State. This game will be all about getting Mike Hart back into game shape for OSU. Hart only carried the ball 15 times at East Lansing, but still managed to rush for 110 yards. He hasn't rushed for less than 100 yards all season, unless you count the two times he didn't play.

Illinois v Ohio St (-15) 12.30 ESPN

Larry Salomon is taking Ohio St. the -15 here. And one thing I've learned at San Francisco State University is you don't bet against Larry Salomon. Other than the 17 unanswered points against Michigan State Ohio State was only briefly challenged by a horrible Washington team, where they trailed 7-3 at the half.

As much as we all want Ohio State to slip up, they won't. The Big 10 championship game is next weekend.

Arizona St (-7) v UCLA 12.30 ABC

Expect UCLA to win this game. Seriously, you know what I'm talking about. If they beat you, then that means you don't suck. (I guess that doesn't work for the Stanford game though) They only lose to crap teams. Wazzu, Arizona, Utah and in what may be the answer to a trivia question one day... In their 1-11 season, which team did Notre Dame beat? On the road no less! (At least we have Kevin Love, see below.)

Osaar Rasshan. He used to be a quarterback, then they turned him into a receiver. Now he is a quarterback again. I will henceforth refer to him as Athlete #156. He's starting this weekend because everyone else is terrible or hurt or in Ben Olsen's case, both.

Why is this game even on TV again? So I can get pissed off a lot and throw shit. That's why.

Auburn v Georgia (-1) 12.30 CBS

If Georgia and Tennessee win out, the Vols get to lose in the SEC Championship game. But Georgia would be ranked in the top 10 with 2 losses, and probably get a BCS at-large bid. If Tennessee does slip up and hands Georgia the SEC East, when they lose to LSU do they lose that BCS at-large bid along with it?

S. Carolina v Florida (-6.5) 4.45 ESPN

Spurrier vs. his old school. Who cares. I know, a lot of rednecks.

I kid. I'll be watching when Cal is on commercials. Florida is still in the hunt for that SEC East. Georgia could very easily slip up to Kentucky and Auburn, while one Tennessee loss between Arkansas and Kentucky is not out of the realm of possibility. Queue Tebow v. LSU: The White Knight's Quest for Revenge.

USC (-4) v Cal 5.00 ABC

One minute and twenty four seconds into the second half against Tennessee, Nate Longshore caught the Vols defense napping and snapped off a quick two yard throw to Lavelle Hawkins to extend the lead to 17 points. "There may be a better offense out there," said Brent Musburger, "but they're gonna have to show me."

"Can you imagine," Herbstreit chimes in. "When USC comes in here in a couple of months, this offense against that team. I'll make you a bet. Both of those teams come in here undefeated, with all the chips on the table, national title hopes at stake."

Congratulations Brent, you win the bet.

To give you an idea of how far this game has fallen in esteem: Tickets have dropped in value by about 66 percent. Only the western half of the country will see the game. Musburger and Herbstreit aren't even going to be at the game. They'll be in Stillwater, hanging out with the Cowboys' 40-year-old coach and one of my favorite professors from my days at Ottawa's Carleton University, Mark Wolfogram.

On that fateful day at the beginning of September, Forsett looked good. Nobody was prepared for Jahvid Best who ran up 66 yards on his first three carries. The receiving corps was all over the field, and of course DeSean Jackson ensured nobody would ever punt to him again. Longshore managed the offense well enough and didn't make any huge screw-ups, except that drive where he fumbled the snap, twice. I even got to give future NFL center Alex Mack a big pat on the back as we walked off the field.

Okay, that's enough of that. What have you done for me lately? If your name is Nate Longshore, the answer is nothing.

Meanwhile USC seemed to get back on their horse with Booty in the QB spot. Sure, they weren't playing so well when he was the starter, but it seems to have gotten kind of lost in the shuffle that Booty was hurt for both of USC's losses.

Longshore has probably one more chance to prove himself in a big game. His performance in this game should go a long way in determining whether or not he gets the starting job next year. We know he couldn't throw the deep ball with any accuracy last week. If he still can't, long night.

Good evening members of the blog, members of our readership, my fellow Bay Area Sports Fans.

I stand before you tonight and say that the State of our Sports Nation is ...dire. I would like to site two recent examples of the current Bay Area Sports climate that I ran across before I tackle each issue head on and explain how we can get our Nation headed in the right direction.

#1) I hail from the little community of Chico, CA. A quick glance around a sports bar Sunday morning here revealed this: 30% dejected Niner fans, 20% Raider fans looking like they got declined for parole, 10% Bandwagon Cowboys fans (no southern drawl and the cowboys jersey looks very new), 10% bandwagon Packer fans (they weren't morbidly obese) and 30% random fans cheering their teams on. Why should some schmuck in a Tony Gonzalez jersey seem happier than me after 67 year old Brett Favre just stuck a dagger in the Chiefs hearts? Because he doesn't root for Bay Area Sports teams. There were no expectations for the Chiefs this season, expect maybe the expectation that Larry Johnson might face the first 11-men in the box scheme for an entire game.
#2) After fending off the barrage of Sacramento Kings bandwagon fans over the last eights years, the sports bars are back to being diverse as only the true Kings fans are left to lament the current state of mediocrity that Reggie Theus will not be able to change. At least, not with that roster. So, like every other Warriors fan in Chico, I headed down to a sports bar with satellite to watch the Warriors (since the Maloof's took over Chico became "Kings Country", so every Warriors game not on TNT or ESPN is blacked out, no matter what. I hope the Kings move to Vegas, soon). Our table of five is easily the loudest and, unfortunately the most knowledgeable. At one point in the third quarter a guy (who had been rooting for the Warriors, no less) leans in on our table and asks, "Who is #15?" Without skipping a beat I answer, "Matt Harpring. Why are you asking? He hasn't even played yet." Then he brings the thunder with, "no, who's #15 on the Warriors?" I grumble that it's Biedrins, finish my beer and quickly order another one. As the game wore on all of the Warriors fans carried the look like they knew the Warriors weren't going to win. It was like last year never happened. Is this what its come to already? Bandwagon fans and the real fans looking catatonic every third quarter when the W's come out of the locker room flat?

If it's like this 180 miles from San Francisco, what's it like there? I will be in the bay next weekend to find out. I will unleash my Marco Belinelli Italian League jersey and my pasty white arms on an unsuspecting sports bar in the San Francisco/Oakland area. Until then, here are my thoughts on the Bay Area's issues (read: teams) and how they might be fixed (in some cases, there are no feasible solutions, save for riding out the storm) to get our Nation headed in the right direction.

Raiders- With vulgarity laden t-shirts admonishing the tuck rule still in circulation it's clear that Raider fans are still traumatized by their playoff push that culminated in Chucky treating the Raiders like a hung up ex-girlfriend, leaving and then coming back just to have his way with them. The Super Bowl against the Bucs seems like a long time ago in Oakland.
It seems the NFL has a surplus of teams with good defenses and terrible offenses. The Raiders did what needed to be done by getting rid of Randy Moss, who refused to try in Oakland. Then they shot themselves in the foot by trying to play hardball with JaMarcus Russell and his No. 1 pick contract, thus culminating in the panicked Daunte Culpepper signing. I actually thought Daunte would be a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately Daunte doesn't look hungry to compete and prove all his doubters wrong. He just looks hungry. It doesn't help that Jerry Porter is the #1 wide out in Oakland still. The only thing Porter has over-achieved at is under-achieving. That and the fact that the Raiders have former No. 1 draft picks on their roster that include: a drug-addict kicker and a bust on the offensive line reminiscent of Kwame Harris across the bay all adds up to a bad Raiders team that decided to start Josh McCown instead of their 60 million dollar No. 1 pick on Sunday.
Lane Kiffin needs to play Russell now to take stock and figure out where to go from here. Lamont Jordan is serviceable and Fargas offers a nice 'Thunder & Lightning" option. Unfortunately the line still needs work and with little threat of a passing attack Jordan and Fargas will not be successful against any good defenses. Until Russell plays the Raiders have no direction.

49ers- Joe Montana is not walking through that door! Jerry Rice is not walking through that door! Steve Young is not walking through that door!
For fans my age and up, this was the most spoiled fan base in the NFL. Then, Young got concussed (because Lawrence Phillips didn't pick up the blitz), Kurt Warner sold his soul to Satan for a few years in the spot light and then the front office hired Dennis Erickson. The current coach admitted in a public interview that he doesn't know what is wrong and is open to suggestions.
Yikes. I remember trying to argue that the Niners would finish 10-6 this season with Matt. He said they would finish 8-8 or 7-9. Now? 7-9 would be nothing short of a miracle. I would hope for them to lose out, but all that would mean is that the Patriots would get a better pick. And I don't need anymore more Boston bandwagon fans to brag about "their team." In year three of the Alex Smith era we know three things: he is tough, he is well respected by the Niners organization and he is woefully inaccurate. Apparently running the crazy wing-T Urban Meyer offense doesn't translate to NFL success (buyer beware: Tim Tebow). Now is a good time to mention that they could have had Aaron Rodgers, a fellow Chicoan and Cal alum, for one-third the price. For anyone who watched Cal, Aaron ran Tedford's pro style offense very well, he has a cannon and he is very, VERY accurate (see: USC game, 23 straight completions). The O-line isn't doing what it did last year. Gore hates the play calling. Darrell Jackson and Ashley Lelie are terrible route runners with alligator arms. The Niners are another team with a solid defense that gets no support from the offense.
So what can they do? For this season they need to apply the "why not?" attitude. They should let Smith air it out, preferably to Vernon Davis (why not?). They should blitz more and move Willis all over the field to see how many different ways he can wreak havoc (why not?). They should also offer Willis an extension right now and give him as much money as he wants. They need to really see who they can count on when the chips are down. Then ship Jackson and Lelie away as fast as possible when the season is over. You think Washington needs more insane, disgruntled wide receivers?

Warriors- My memories of the Warriors in the playoffs pre-2006 include the Sonics beating the Warriors senseless with a young, pre-paternity suit, pre-buffet king Shawn Kemp and a young Gary Payton leading the way. That's it. Run TMC never got to hit its stride because Richmond was exiled to Sacramento for Billy Owens, who was supposed to be the post threat we were looking for. 16 years later the Warriors are still looking for a post threat.
It doesn't matter which combination of Bay Area baseball, football and college teams you back, by the time October came around you weren't excited about the World Series, you weren't talking about the NFL playoffs much and by Halloween you weren't talking about any BCS hopes either. You were talking about one thing: the Warriors. After an amazing run that took the Warriors to the second round of the playoffs after vanquishing the evil German Giant, what did we find out about the Warriors? They can't rebound, they take bad shots and they don't play a lot of defense. Mullin's answer? Sign Troy Hudson, a bad defender who takes horrible shots and Austin Croshere. Yes, the same slow, pasty-white, balding Croshere that was a spark plug for Indiana in 2000. The Warriors opened the season against the filthy, cheating Jazz. So what happened? They got shoved around, out rebounded and out executed. Then they went to LA and let Chris Kaman go for 26 and 18 on them. Then...THEN...they go to Utah and get hammered again. Tuesday night? They lose to the Fighting Lebrons at home. So far this season has been a traveshammockery after starting 0-5 with a loss to the Mavs on Thursday night.

Cal- With no history of success and no tradition to fall back on, rooting for the Bears has been a strange life experience. The basketball team used to at least be able to attract some talent such as: Jason Kidd, Abdur-Rahim, Ed Gray and Lamont Murray. These days I can't name their starters and Matt is having nightmares because of the add campaign on BART. As recently as four years ago Chico State went down and played Cal. They hung around, Cal eventually pulling away for a 20 point victory. Shouldn't a PAC-10 school beat a crappy division II school by 40 to 50 points? I mean I could have played for Chico State and I'm not even good. The sad part is, that isn't hyperbole. I could have played for Chico State, which means I could have played against Cal. Once again, I'm not that good at basketball.
The football team has been slowly rising to prominence. Finally this year they had earned national respect, they beat Oregon in Eugene. It was looking like this was their year. Then, after an LSU loss, all they had to do was beat Oregon St. at home to slide into the National Poll Position. Of course, they lost. Then, they lost the next week. Then, they lost the following week. There's always the Axe game, I guess.

Stanford- The football team beat USC. Too bad Stanford fans don't exist anymore. 3-5 overall, 2-4 in conference. When was the last time people were excited about this football team? When they had Troy Walters? The basketball team shows flashes from time to time, but is not consistent. Aside a predilection for recruiting smart, 7 foot tall twins, the hoops team hasn't been good since the Mad Dog was on campus acting like Tyler Hansbrough 1.0 (that may be a slap in the face to Hansbrough, given that his offensive game is more polished. The point is that Madsen and Hansbrough are/were good college players with none chance of being good in the NBA). Bad times for smart kids.

Giants- Where do I even begin? 1989-Giants get swept by the Bash (read: steroid) Brothers. 1993-Giants win 103 games and do not make the playoffs because the Braves are aligned in the National League "West" and win 104. 2002-Up 3 games to 2 the Giants, lead by Russ Ortiz take a 5-0 lead into the 7th inning...*deep breathe*...only to blow the leads thanks to Scott f-ing Spiezio. 2003-JT Snow thrown out at home to end the playoff series against the Marlins. 2004-present. No lead is safe as the Giants pitching staff comes up with new ways to blow games at every turn. With no World Series championship ever for San Francisco and none for the franchise sine the New York Giants swept the Indians in 1954, Giants fans are spiraling towards Cubs fan status. And that's not good for anyone, except Dodger fans. Shut up, Matt.
As a diehard Giants fan it pains me to say that the Giants were the worst team in baseball last year, but well, they were. The asinine signing of Barry Zito (which I tried to defend until month 3 of the Barry Zito era) looms as the biggest road block to any chance of recovery in the near future. All Sabean can hope for is a Yankee team in the hunt in 2008 or 2009 that is desperate for pitching and trades for him (author's note: if there is a God, this will happen). The team needs to sign one or two big bats and play all of their young kids and keep their young pitchers. For the love of Pete, keep the young arms.
Knowing that I could do a better job as GM makes me mad. I'm not bragging, I'm saying that GMs are that incompetent.

A's- For a while, if you were an A's fan, you knew your team would make a second half surge and make the playoffs. Billy Bean orchestrated a great run and evaluated talent very well for a team that couldn't afford to throw money at big names. Of course, they haven't made it to the World Series during this run. heir pitching is still their strength. Some guy name Lenny DiNardo is good even though Matt's boy Thompson can throw as hard as DiNardo. Their lineup is made up of players that aren't even real. So that's not helping matters. What can be done? The window of opportunity is short for a team that can't lock up its best players long-term. They have to rely on the perfect storm of good young pitching, some call-ups who produce and a crop of players who are making the leap at the same time while still affordable to the A's (Giambi, Tejada, Chavez, Hudson, Mulder and Zito all at the same time!). Without profit sharing and a hard salary cap (which will never happen in baseball) the A's chances of winning a title are pretty terrible. Maybe their mojo will improve in Fremont. Although if the Marlins can do it...

Sharks- After starting out as the cool expansion team and new sport in Northern California recent high expectations have left fans disappointed. They have fizzled out in the playoffs for a number of years now amid high expectations and they are floundering their way to a second place tie in the sub-par Pacific Division this year.

My fellow Bay Area sports fans...the situation looks seems grim. We can't look to the future with any certainty of prosperity. We must come together as a collective unit and remain in support of those who give their blood, sweat and tears for us night in and night out. Sports, like the economy, is cyclical. We know that if we stick by our values as loyal fans that eventually our teams will rise to prominence. It is during that time that our dreams are realized or crushed. So stay the course, hope for smart decisions from the front office, hope for 100% effort and dedication from the players, but most important of all is for us to keep going out and supporting our teams in their times of crisis.

At the beginning of September I sat down around the square table at the Pizza Palace in preparation for my fantasy football draft. This league is no joke. It costs $150 per team, and is a keeper league where you can keep four players from year to year (five by paying an extra 10 bucks and forfeiting your first round pick).
One of the first players taken was a rookie running back for the Minnesota Vikings by the name of Adrian Peterson and I thought the guy that took him was on crazy pills. For one, the Vikings had a good running back in Chester Taylor, for two rookie RB's rarely come into the league and dominate and lastly the guy is injury prone.
Many rounds later, with Taylor still available, I said "I'll take Chester Taylor, the starting running back for the Minnesota Vikings." Turns out I am an idiot.
Peterson is phenomenal.
Vikings coach Brad Childress has been trying to keep the reins on this kid since the season started, but he isn't going to be able to much longer. Twice this year he has been given just 12 carries in Childress' run first scheme, but it wouldn't be smart to not give him the ball.
I know they don't want to wear him out or get him hurt, but Peterson is treating NFL defenses like I do when I am playing Madden.
He is fresh off a 296-yard game, breaking Jamal Lewis' record of 295 yards set in 2003. Peterson is the only running back with over 1,000 yards so far (1,036) and he leads the NFL in rushing with more than 250 yards than the second leading rusher (Willie Parker, 768 yards).
What's amazing is that he has been held under 100 yards three times and still has video game like numbers. He is gone over 200 yards twice, rushing for 224 against Chicago in week 6 and has scored three touchdowns in a game two times.
Not only is he nearly as big as a linebacker, he's faster than just about anyone else on the field. He is a mix of size and speed that we have not seen since Eric Dickerson.
Dickerson is a couple inches taller and had three pounds on Peterson, but they both have these gallant, long strides and it's no wonder this amazing rookie is being compared to the former NFL great.
Speaking of the former Ram and Colt, his records are under siege. Peterson is through eight games which means he is on pace to rush for 2,072 yards which would put him just 33 yards behind Dickerson's NFL mark as he had 2,105 in 1984. That record is certainly reachable, but the one you can count on falling (if he stays healthy) is Dickerson's rookie rushing mark of 1,808 yards sent in 1983.
Peterson could also reach Dickerson's rookie record of 2,212 yards from scrimmage as he has 1,242 putting him on pace for 2,484. This would also break Marshall Faulk's all-time record of 2,429.
Peterson also became the 16th running back with a pair of 200 yard games in a season and could join O.J. Simpson and Tiki Barber as the third back to have three such games. Two more of these big rushing performances would place him with Earl Campbell as the only runners with four in a season.
The young man certainly has a long way to go and still has to prove he can do it over the course of the season, but he is definitely off to a good start.
"I set my bar high, because I know anything is possible when you continue to work hard," Peterson told the AP after his record-setting performance against San Diego.
LaDanian Tomlinson is likely to break Emmitt Smith's career marks for yards and touchdowns, but those records might not last long if Peterson's career follows the path it is on now. You can't set the bar much higher than that.

1. UCLA - Final four team + practically everyone returning + Kevin Love + my own personal biases = number one ranking. I'm looking forward to their game in Anaheim against solid mid-major Davidson in the Wooden Classic.

2. North Carolina - Just reading Tyler Hansbrough's name is annoying. Hopefully he will leave after this season. Brandon Wright is their big loss, but only one player that will actually contribute is a senior. They have the depth and talent to be the next Florida going back-to-back.

3. Memphis - They will probably be ranked number 1 for some part of the season, because they shouldn't lose a conference game. They'll have plenty of tests before the tournament though, playing some tasty OOC games. Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Tennessee will all be going to the FedEx Forum this year. Plus USC in the Jimmy V Classic.

4. Kansas - Hopefully Brandon Rush can be back from his ACL injury sooner rather than later. Everyone is back from last year's team except Julian Wright. Noticing a trend? Who says nobody is staying in college anymore?

5. Georgetown - Green is gone, Hibbert is back. It will be up to Ewing Jr. to replace Green. Dujan Summers, at 6-8, will start at the 3 spot. Talk about a nightmare matchup.

6. Louisville - The Cardinals are a deep team without a lot of standouts. Their highest scorer last season averaged on 12.4 points. Four of the starters are back, including Padgett, Sosa and leading scorer Terrance Williams. Somebody is going to have to step up and be a star if they're going to be the elite team that everyone thinks they will be.

7. Michigan St. - They have a weaker schedule, playing a lot of OOC tournaments on neutral sites, only one good road game, at Bradley. Good thing the Grand Valley St. game didn't count.

8. Tennessee - The eventual SEC champion and the most fun team to watch in college basketball. Their game at Columbus last season stands out as one of the best of the year in my mind. They'll get a chance for revenge in Knoxville this season, and as my colleague Matt Smith accurately predicts, Lofton will shoot a lot.

9. Marquette - They have their top seven players coming back including Dominic James who many thought was going pro. Marquette plays a three guard system, with mobile 6-10, 235-pound Ousmane Barro down low. They should make it out of the first round this year.

10. Gonzaga - Mark Few decided to let Josh Heytvelt back onto the team provided he regularly provides shrooms to the players and coaching staff. The Bulldogs always have a strong backcourt and losing Raivio will not be a huge issue. Jeremy Pargo will take his place and Pendergraft, Micah Downs and Matt Bouldin will chip in. A bunch of great OOC games for the Zags this season including the rejuvenated rivalry with Washington St.

11. Indiana - They'll go into the season with question marks around program infractions. This may not be a factor, but these are pre-season rankings so what else do we have to judge them on?

12. Duke - Another young Blue Devils team this year with DeMarcus Nelson being the only senior. Their core is a year older and of course another top recruiting class. Number one rated SF Kyle Singler was stolen out from under Oregon's nose.

13. USC - I hope they aren't this good, but they will be. It's more than O.J. Mayo. Five-star Davon Jefferson has arrived and another Dunleavy!

14. Oregon - High expectations, really tough conference. Four starters are back, but a weak recruiting class. Imagine if Ernie Kent had Oregon-bred kids Kevin Love and Kyle Singler coming in. Got to focus on reality I guess.

15. Texas - D.J. Augustin is going to step it up. The PF spot is certainly set for a few years. They brought in three four-star players including Gary Johnson who unfortunately is having some heart-related health issues right now.

16. Arizona - Just another stellar recruiting class for the Wildcats. Former Loara High School coach Lute Olsen is taking a leave of absence. As long as it is short and at the beginning of the season I don't think it will affect them much. At UNLV, at Kansas, at Illinois, at Memphis. I love it.

17. Kentucky - They got Patrick Patterson who chose Billy Gillespie's new team over Virginia and hometown West Virginia. I remember hearing about how Gillespie stood up on a table in a dining area at College Station and implored students to come out to the basketball games. He won't have to worry about that in Lexington.

18. Pittsburgh - Did you know one of the Pitt assistants went to San Francisco State? His name is Pat Sandle and neither did I. There are a couple of instant impact recruits at Pitt. Local five-star recruit Dejuan Blair "The space-eater," will start down low and hope to pick up some of the slack for Aaron Gray's departure.

19. Texas A&M - A new coach and some new impact players. With Acie Law IV gone, Mark Turgeon says they are going to be "pounding it inside more," as they should with instant impact recruit DeAndre Jordan in the mix.

20. Washington St. - Yes Cougs fans you had to scroll four fifths of the way through the poll to find your team. Essentially everyone is back and maybe I think they overachieved last year, that and playing in the strongest conference in college basketball. Maybe I am just upset because I picked them for the final four last season and they flamed out in a two overtime, second round game against Vandy, that both teams repeatedly tried to lose.

21. Ohio St. - A weaker conference, and the arrival of Greg Oden replacement Kosta Koufos. Lighty is still here as is the guy who had Conley's job before Conley took it from him, Jamar Butler. I think they will surprise people who are overlooking them this season, much like their football team has.

22. Florida - Lose everyone so Donovan decides he is just going to recruit another championship winning class. A couple of five stars, three four stars and you have the best recruiting class in the country. If they aren't in the mix this year, they certainly will be next season.

23. Syracuse - This makes five Big East teams in the top 25. They lost their entire front-court, but this is one of those situations where you don't bet against a successful coach. Boheim always makes the Orange winners (he's won at least 20 games in all but two of his 31 seasons at the helm). And the fourth rated recruiting class will also help. Five-star PG Johnny Flynn will step right into the ball handling role freeing up shooters like Devendorf and Paul Harris. One key will be to keep up their impressive defensive play which led the Big East in field goal defense at 37.4 percent a game.

24. Southern Illinois - The Salukis get Indiana at home this year due to a football scheduling agreement. That worked out great. They will also play USC in Anaheim. Last year, there was talk of Coach Lowry leaving to go to a big program, but he was paid big money this off-season to stay. Combined with the fact that he is an alum, he should be around for a few more years at least, to provide the stability that is needed.

25. Kansas St. - Michael Beasley decided to stay after Bob Huggins left, that's the good news. If Bill Walker can rebound from a knee injury that kept him out of most of last season, the team will compete even with the coaching transition.

One of the few weeks where most things went as they should for the most part.

1. Ohio State (10-0): Jim Tressel said that before the season he circled the Wisconsin game as a big game. Wrong. The Buckeyes have only one big game this year and it's in two weeks.

2. Oregon (8-1): Oregon is looking more and more impressive and it will be a shame if they win out and don't reach the title game.

3. LSU (8-1): They are very talented, but they are the luckiest team in major college football. A lot of breaks go their way and they win close games.

4. Oklahoma (8-1): Pounded the Aggies and now the Sooners path to the Big 12 title game has been paved.

5. West Virginia (7-1): The Mountaineers are just lurking under the radar. Nobody is talking about them and they are ready to pounce if anyone slips up.

6. Michigan (8-2): All of a sudden they are 8-2. Take into account what Oregon has done, they look like a team that was upset once and then beaten by a better team.

7. Kansas (9-0): I am becoming more and more convinced that this is a very good team. They still have a lot to prove.

8. Missouri (8-1): The Tigers and Kansas for the right to go to the Big 12 title game? Right now it's looking like that and nobody would have predicted it.

9. Georgia (7-2): This could have been a trap game for Georgia, coming off a big win against Florida and playing a very good Troy team. The Dawgs didn't look great, but they got it done.

10. Boston College (8-1): I predicted that the Florida State game was trouble, playing a more athletic team that had a lot to prove.

11. Arizona State (8-1): They are still a very good team, but just not worthy of being in the top ten.

12. Hawaii (8-0): Showdown with Boise State is building.

13. Texas (8-2): Somehow they keep digging deep holes against below average teams and then keep coming back.

14. Florida (6-3): The Gators took their fat aggression out on Vandy.

15. USC (7-2): Good bounce back win against the Beavers as they avenged last year's loss.

16. Virginia Tech (7-2): They demoralized the Georgia Tech offense.

17. Alabama (6-3): They probably should have won that game with LSU, but the breaks late in the game went LSU's way.

18. Auburn (7-3): Auburn keeps grinding out wins as the Tigers bounced back nicely from a tough loss to LSU.

19. Connecticut (8-1): The more wins they pile up, the more confident they get and the more dangerous they are.

20. Kentucky (6-3): Can they bounce back against Vandy? Probably.

21. Illinois (7-3): The Illini did what everyone else in the Big Ten has done to Minnesota; pounded the crap out of them.

22. Penn State (7-3): Got by Purdue as the Big Ten teams not named Ohio State and Michigan keep slugging it out for position.

23. Cal (6-3): Nice to see the yellow jersey's and it's nice to see the Bears stop the three-game skid.

24. Clemson (7-2): The Tigers have quietly won three straight, after losing two in a row.

25. Boise State (8-1): They deserved to be ranked, losing only to a Pac-10 team. The game against Hawaii is going to be the biggest game the WAC has seen in a while if things stay as they are.

ACC

North Carolina: With Tyler Hansbrough opting to return for his ninth year (so it seems) the Tar Heels will be the best of this very tough conference. Hansborough has plenty of talent around him with returning sophomores Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Deon Thompson.

Duke: The Blue Devils should shoot back near the top of the conference, despite the loss of Josh McRoberts to the NBA Draft. Greg Paulus, Gerald Henderson and John Scheyer are a year older and DeMarcus Nelson will provide the senior leadership. They have a very, very good trio of freshman coming in with Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Taylor King.

Maryland: The Terps are going to be very young, with James Gist as their only established force, but I never count out Gary Williams' squad so I am not about to start right now.

NC State: This is a team a lot of experts are high on after last year's run to the ACC Tournament final despite a 5-11 conference record during the regular season. Guards Gavin Grant and Courtney Fells will lead the way, but I am not sold on them just yet.

Clemson: Is this the year they finally reach the Big Dance? Probably not. But they have enough returning talent to make you think they should. James Mays and K.C. Rivers should give them an inside/outside tandem that will keep them competitive in most games.

Georgia Tech: I think the 'Jackets are a team to watch out for, despite the departure of Javaris Crittenden. Anthony Morrow, Jeremis Smith and Ra'Sean Dickey make a solid trio of upper classmen and they have some young talent in McDonald's All-American Gani Lawal, to go with it.

Virginia: Sean Singletary is really good. The rest of the team, not so much. He is going to have to score 40 a game for them to repeat last year's performance.

BC: I hate picking an Al Skinner team so low, because of their grind it out style, but looking at their roster I was still expecting to see players like Troy Bell and Craig Smith. Upon further review, it was pretty much just Tyrese Rice and then a bunch of guys nobody has ever heard of.

Florida State: They always have very athletic players, sort of make a case for the NCAA Tournament and then lose to Dayton or someone like that in the NIT.

Virginia Tech: Last year was a real feel good year for the Hokies, but then all the other good players graduated and left Deron Washington all alone. Welcome back to mediocrity Seth Greenberg.

Wake Forest: Can't imagine the team being exactly prepared nor excited for this season after their coach dies.

Miami: Bad.

A10

Rhode Island: The Rhody's return all five starters including Will Daniels and his 17.4 points per game. Jimmy Baron (14.6) and Kahiem Seawright (11.3) also return with double-digit scoring averages.

Xavier: Hard to go against a team with the track record that the Muskateers have, but they lost quite a bit to graduation. Drew Lavender is a gamer at the point guard spot and freshman Dante Jackson is a highly thought of recruit at shooting guard.

GW: Carl Elliot is gone, but Maureece Rice and Travis King are back along with a strong recruiting class led by Miles Beatty.

Fordham: Another team returning five starters, coming off an 18-win season and they will be led by seniors Marcus Stout (15.3 ppg) and Bryant Dunston (14.5 ppg).

Massachussets: The Minutemen will probably finish much higher because they have enough talent at most positions, but the loss of Stephane Lasme is going to hurt.

St. Joe's: They have a lot of people returning, but they went 9-7 in conference last year. I don't see them jumping any of the big dogs above.

Dayton: Outside of Brian Roberts (18.5 ppg) and Charles Little (10.5 ppg) the Flyers have very, very little offensive firepower returning.

Saint Louis: The Billikans lost just two seniors and return some talented players, meaning they could make life tough on some top A-10 teams, or become a top A-10 team themselves.

Charlotte: The 49ers have just five returning upper classmen and only one, Leemire Goldwire (14.5 ppg) that made any impact last year.

Temple: In their first year without John Cheany they went 12-18 and nobody was sent in to break another players arm. Look for some improvement this year, but probably nobody breaking another players arm on purpose.

Duquesne: The Dukes have five starters returning. That doesn't necessarily mean anything. Plus they need to keep their players from getting shot.

Richmond: Despite four starters coming back, the Spiders should be pretty much horrible.

St. Bonaventure: Four wins in conference is a start for the Bonnies. The crazy thing about this season is that they actually have room to go down.

La Salle: They let St. Bonaventure finish in front of them last year.....ouch.

Big East

Louisville: Somehow David Padgett and Juan Palacios are still at Louisville. There must be a special rule for Rick Petino because his players either leave after a year or two or play for seven or eight. With those two bigs, coupled with a very talented sophomore in Edgar Sosa I think the Cards are going to be a serious contender all season.

Georgetown: I do like this team, not as much as the pollsters do with them in the top five. I think Jeff Green meant so much to them. They pretty much have everyone else back including Gigantor, AKA Roy Hibbert along with gaining a pair of McDonald's All-Americans in Austin Freeman and Chris Wright.

Pitt: We just got done dealing with Aaron Gray for four years, so now here come to more hug freshman in Gary McGee and Austin Wallace. It will be the same type of Pitt team that has been successful for years, grind it out, play solid defense and finish in the top three in the Big East.

Syracuse: Never count out the Cuse!! They have the second coming of Gerry McNamara coming back in Eric Devendorf along with six other upperclassmen and two stellar freshmen in Donte Green and Johnny Flynn.

Marquette: Dominic James and Jerel McNeal are enough to convince me the Golden Eagles are going to compete.

Villanova: Scotty Reynolds will be a legit player despite his inconsistencies as a freshman. He will be joined by another McD's All-American in Corey Stokes.

Connecticut: I don't foresee the Huskies going 6-10 in conference again. Maybe like 8-8 this year. They were so young last year and this year they actually have a senior and four juniors.

Notre Dame: We'll see if Luke Harongody can stay healthy and if Kyle McAlarney can stop smoking pot long enough for them to win some games.

West Virginia: It's hard to pick a Bob Huggins coached team this low, but the Big East is going to be tough. I think they will compete, but probably not jump over that hump quite yet.

St. John's: The Johnnies are slowly, but surely, getting better. Anthony Mason Jr. is the closest thing they have to a star, but they have a lot of talented freshman.

Providence: They always seem to give teams a hard time and they always seem to be led by some guy whose name I can't pronounce.

DePaul: Off the top of my head, I can't name a single starter. I know they have some really tall dude from Nigeria.

Cincinnati: Always loaded with good players, never loaded with discipline. They are really young this year, give them a few years.

Seton Hall: Is Danny Hurley still playing for the Hall? If not, it's going to be a long year. Remember when Duke scored the first 83 points of the game against them?

South Florida: I got nothin. Look for them to win two to four games in conference.

Rutgers: Now if Greg Schiano could only take over the basketball program.......

Big Ten

Michigan State: I'm not going to hit the panic button because of an overtime loss in an exhibition game. A lot of big time teams lose early in the year to small schools, so the Spartans got theirs out of the way before it even matters.

Indiana: McDonald's All-American Eric Gordon leads a strong group of freshmen into Bloomington, a group that includes a Richmond kid in Eli Holman. Let's not forget they have that D.J. White guy back. He's pretty good.

Ohio State: Don't count them out just because some of the young studs left. They have a new 7-footer, and though he is no Greg Oden, Kosta Koufos could be a good Big-Ten player.

Wisconsin: The Badgers lose some athleticism but still have the big slow guys coming back with the return of Brian Butch and three other players 6-10 or taller.

Illinois: I really hope Jeffrey Jordan gets some playing time. Awesome.

Purdue: They turned a corner last year and I think they can continue to be competitive.

Iowa: How many points a game do you think Luke Recker is gonna score? If not him, it will be some other goofy looking white guy.

Michigan: Wolverine basketball hasn't been the same since the Fab Five came in and took all the programs money and left them high and dry.

Minnesota: Tubby Smith is an idiot.

Northwestern: Their football team has more wins heading into November than this team will win in conference.

Penn State: See Northwestern.

Big 12

Kansas: They are going to be f&@*ng good. Julian Wright left, but Sherron Collins and Brandon Rush stayed and they still have Mario Chalmers and Sasha Kaun.

Texas: I think the conference will be down as a whole, that's why the Horns can lose a guy like Kevin Durant and still be picked to finish second. D.J. Augustin better be ready to score 40 a game.

Texas A&M: It'll take at least a year for them to undo all the good that Billy Gillespie did, so they should be fine for this season.

Texas Tech: Is this the year Bobby Knight gets the Red Raiders over the hump and makes them a very good team? I think so.

Oklahoma: They were young last year, but still talented. I think they will bounce back and could be led by 6-10 freshman Blake Griffin.

Kansas State: Bob Huggins left enough in place for them to be competitive in the conference and they have a McDonald's All-American named Michael Beasley from Washington, DC coming in.

Missouri: I think they are going to be in just about every ball game because they have enough talent, but in the end they will go 8-8 in conference and 18-12 overall. Same old story.

Oklahoma State: Very young, not enough star power. Probably won't be a huge threat in the conference for a couple of years.

Iowa State: Remember when they were good? I do. Then Larry Eustachy had to ruin everything by getting drunk with the college kids and groping all the young girls.

Baylor: I like that Scott Drew has them playing hard and they have come a long way since the Dave Bliss thing.

Nebraska: Now they can't even use the excuse, "Well, we're better than you in football."

Colorado: Can't name one guy. They'll be bad, so who cares?

Big West

Long Beach: New coach, lost some kids to graduation but should still have enough talent to win the conference again.

Poly: They have a lot of kids returning, and will definitely pose the biggest threat to the 49ers.

Fullerton: Gotta like a team with just one underclassmen and the rest juniors and seniors. I have a hunch about them, but I am too scared to go against the defending champs.

Santa Barbara: Chris Devine, Big West second teamer last year, has to lead the way.

Pacific: Anthony Brown is a solid player and they should be much better than last year.

Irvine: Do they still throw toilet paper on the court if they score the first bucket of the game?

Northridge: Jonathan Heard leads an otherwise pedestrian group of players.

Riverside: Looking to build on that one conference win from last season!!

Conference USA

Memphis: So good for this conference. They are going to roll through it, get a high seed because of it and then lose in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8. I can't wait to see what stud freshman Derrick Rose can do.

Houston: This is like D.J. Qualls being a runner up to George Clooney in People magazine's 50 most beautiful people. It will be Memphis, then everyone else battling for second place.

UCF: Six seniors return to a team that won 22 games last year. Could they be the team that Memphis destroys in the conference final?

UAB: I really miss the days of Squeaky Johnson and the crew running up and down the court like bunch of Tasmanian Devils.

UTEP: They killed me in my NCAA Tournament pool in 2005, but I am going to keep rooting for the Miners to do well. That's why I have them rated probably too highly.

Southern Miss: They won a bunch of games last year, but with just four upperclassmen this year should be more of a struggle.

Tulane: They are very young, fairly talented but it won't stop Memphis from beating the living crap out of them.

Tulsa: They lack any real returning scoring threat.

Marshall: We are....horrible. Can't wait to see how bad Memphis pummels them.

Rice: What kind of a name is Rice for a school anyway?

SMU: Memphis = murder. At least Eric Dickerson went to school here.

East Carolina: Memphis is going to kill them even worse than all the others.

Missouri Valley

Southern Illinois: Of course the Salukis are going to win this incredibly competitive conference, be ranked all year and then be a thorn in everybody's side during the tournament.

Creighton: They are pretty young, but I still feel like they will be in the running for a conference title and an NCAA berth.

Wichita State: They were a flop last year after having high expectations, but I expect them to play better this year with no expectations.

Bradley: Jeremy Crouch and Daniel Ruffin combined to score over 27 points a game last year and I would expect them to improve on that this year.

Northern Iowa: Eric Coleman returns with his 13.1 ppg and 9.1 rpg as he looks to get the Panthers back into the tourney picture.

Missouri State: They return nobody that was in the conference's top 15 in scoring last season.

Illinois State: Levi Dyer was one of the top three-point shooters in the conference last year and will need to be so again for ISU to have any chance.

Drake: The Bulldogs lost their top two scorers and the outlook for this season is bleak.

Evansville: Matt Webster's production is going to be hard to replace.

Indiana State: They better hope Larry Bird comes back.

Mountain West

UNLV: Lon Kruger has a very talented team and he got them to believe in themselves during last year's tournament run. We'll see how the team adjusts with the loss of his son, Kevin Kruger, to graduation. Kevin was basically an extension of the coach on the floor last year.

Air Force: Will last year's collapse haunt them? Instead of being highly ranked and then crashing, I expect them to fly under the radar most of the year, finish with basically the same record and make the tourney because there won't be an ugly collapse involved.

BYU: Last year's champs really lost a lot as Trent Plaisted is their returning leading scorer at 12.5 ppg.

Wyoming: I really like their backcourt of Brad Jones and Brandon Ewing who combined to score 38 points a game last year. Plus, I was Wyoming in NCAA basketball on Playstation once and I dominated, so maybe that will carry over.

Utah: Are there no good Mormon basketball players anymore or are they all going to BYU now? The Utes used to be so good. I expect them to be a bit better this year.

New Mexico: Nine upperclassmen and just three underclassmen. I would expect the Lobos to get back to competing in the MWC.

San Diego State: Graduation really hit hard. They only have one player returning (Lorrenzo Wade) who averaged double figures last year (10.5 ppg).

Colorado State: Expecting a drop off with a young team this year. I guess they can't drop far, since they went 6-10 in conference last year.

TCU: They have a guy on their roster named Alvarado Parker who doesn't even have a home town listed. I guess you can't be good if you don't even know where your players are from.

Pac-10

UCLA: So they return nearly everyone and then add Kevin Love!?!? This team is going to be scary good.

Oregon: Aaron Brooks will be hard to replace, but nearly everyone else is back.

Arizona: Another great recruiting class and plenty of talent coming back.

USC: Everyone is holding their breath as they wait to see how good O.J. Mayo is.

Washington State: I think they are a quality team that plays a style conducive to their roster, but I think that last year they played a bit over their heads.

Stanford: How is Brook Lopez be at Stanford and be ineligible? Isn't that an oxymoron?

Washington: They should be able to score a lot of points, as usual.

Cal: I keep seeing DeVon Hardin advertised all over BART on my commute, so I am being tricked into believing he is good.

Arizona State: Herb Sendek will get the program turned around eventually and he has already brought in a McDonald's All-American in James Harden.

Oregon State: Barf.

SEC
East Division

Tennessee: Chris Lofton is going to shoot a lot. The Vols are going to score a lot. This is supposed to be Bruce Pearl's year, and I think he really has something going.

Kentucky: Billy Gillispie jumped ship, he got himself an extremely talented freshman in Patrick Patterson and he inherited a quality roster which included a great shooter in Jodie Meeks.

Florida: Don't count them out at all. They are very young, but they recruited two McDonald's All-Americans in Nick Calethes and Jai Lucas. I think they'll be just fine.

Vandy: From year to year I can never figure out who their best players will be, but they find a way to win 20 games most of the time.

Georgia: Rough times have fallen upon them ever since their players couldn't take classes where all they had to do was answer what a three-pointer is.

South Carolina: Not even good. Not even a little bit good.

West Division

Arkansas: People are high on the Hogs, but I would like Stan Heath and his team to actually do something. I think they are good enough to win the West, but that doesn't mean I think they are a top 25 team.

Alabama: Will they continue to be a disappointment? Well, this conference is fairly week so it only takes a slightly above average team to do well. Ronald Steele and Alonzo Gee make them a dangerous team.

Mississippi State: They were 8-8 in the conference last year and I expect nothing more than that this year.

Ole Miss: Why do they get to be Ole? What's wrong with just Miss? What is a Running Rebel anyway? Do most Rebels run?

LSU: They still have some good players hanging on from the Final Four run (Tasmin Mitchell, Garrett Temple) but it won't be enough.

Auburn: It's just not a basketball school, plain and simple.

WCC

Gonzaga: Josh Heytvelt isn't on shrooms anymore and the Professor isn't there to shoot them out of games any longer. They will win the conference again, and won't do it with three losses.

Saint Mary's: Only a couple of seniors, but a lot of returners. The Gaels will be the bridesmaid.

Santa Clara: They had their chance last year, but didn't take advantage and now graduation has crippled them a bit. It's all up to Brody Angley now, who I covered in high school. Am I cool, or what?

USF: Had some problems with recruits this year including a very good player out of Richmond, Wendell McKines. They were poised to have a very good team, now they will be just okay.

San Diego: Seven freshmen means they are a year or two away.

Pepperdine: Weren't they good just a couple of years ago? I like their recruiting class, I think they could be a surprise this year.

Loyola-Marymount: Young team. And not good.

Portland: The Professor's little brother, Nik Raivio, choose Portland. Not gonna matter, they are horrible.

Feliz dia de los Muertos! It's the end of October and that can only mean one thing...that it's time to take a look at the NFL at it's mid-way point and try to figure out what is going on. Or, more accurately, it's time for me to write down random thoughts from across the league to try to piece together some semblance of a hierarchy in the NFL.
Here's what we know:

The NFC West is horrible. Sean Alexander should have dressed up like Eddie George for Halloween. Since Alexander adopted Eddie George's 'jog lightly into the back of the offensive line and fall down at first contact' style of running it's been hard to tell them apart anyway. No word on whether Ray Lewis took Alexander's soul the way he did with George. We do know that Ray murdered two people. Good times.
Santana Moss is AWOL. Can someone check Rae Carruth's trunk? He might break the fantasy WR record for most times added and dropped in one season.

The Bears are awful. Their two-year window of opportunity was smothered by an overwhelmed Sexy Rex Grossman and their decision to go with a running back who cried on draft day and on his first day of training camp as a rookie instead of the back with the biggest biceps this side of Napoleon Kaufman. Not to mention Mike Brown's luck ran out and Urlacher having an arthritic back. Ouch.
The Falcons can't decide between The Pianist and the star of Super Size Me II, Byron Leftwich. And, if Cat Fancy didn't ruin Warrick Dunn's career, playing with no threat of a passing attack has.
The Vikings should just direct snap to Adrian Peterson every down instead of letting Tavaris Jackson get in the way. By the way, can you name the Vikings starting receivers? Me neither.
The Panthers are choosing between Testaverde and Carr, which is like choosing the way you want to die while on death row. Either way, it's gonna get ugly.
Daunte is decidedly NOT on a roll. How long can it take JaMarcus to learn the offense? They seem to only run three pass plays, throw it up for grabs deep, try to thread the needle over the middle or just drop back until you get sacked. I think he's ready. The Raiders defense needs to know that the head coach is actually trying to score points.
Chad Pennington might never start an NFL game again with that noodle arm.
Derek Anderson?
The Dolphins look like they will be the first franchise to have a 16-0 season and an 0-16 season. Congratulations!

So what are we left with? Who are the teams with a chance to get to/win the Super Bowl?

San Diego- I know I know, they looked awful to start the season. But Rivers found a go to target with Gates, who learned how to play football by playing Madden. They are starting to click on offense. Sadly, Norv Turner is prominently involved, which means they have no chance to actually win.

Green Bay- Great young defense. Brett Favre has tricked himself into thinking he doesn't suck...for now. There will come a time when he thinks it is 1997 instead of 2007 and he will try to wing the ball between three defenders one too many times and cripple the Pack. Plus they can't run the ball, so their defense will get tired if they try to protect a lead.

Jaguars- If Garrard comes back healthy and Stroud comes back pissed they will be tough. Although we saw what Indy did to them this season already.

Giants- Eli is still inconsistent and is in danger of becoming the Dom DiMaggio to Peyton's Joe. He could have a nice career, but he'll never stack up to his brother. There defense is ferocious and will keep them in games when Eli is being Eli.

Dallas- Well, we saw what New England did to them. And Tony Romo might not be ready for primetime. That said they are probably the best all around representative for the NFC.

Pittsburgh- They don't have dynamic receivers. I don't trust Big Ben either. They just don't stack up against...

Colts- They've won 12 straight going back to last year. Peyton is controlling games beautifully on offense and their defense is stepping up big time. I still don't understand the commercial with Marvin Harrison floating in a tank of Dolphins, but whatever. They do everything well, they don't have any blaring holes and they have the confidence to beat anyone, including...

Patriots- Going through the 2007 schedule like they are playing Madden on all-pro instead of all-madden. They don't let up and they take the other team's will and squash it. 've never seen anything quite like it. Maybe the 1989 Niners...maybe.

And there's the rub. The best three football teams play in the same conference, which means that at least one of the three won't even make it to the AFC championship game. Barring something catastrophic, the Colts and Pats will do battle in the AFC championship game and the winner will steamroll some under-qualified team from the NFC.

So what do we know? We know that the Super Bowl will be played two weeks earlier than usual this year because the AFC Championship will, for all intents and purposes, be the Super Bowl.