Sunday's Divisional Round Picks

2-0 yesterday thanks to the Ravens wide receivers & a dominating performance by the Packers, let’s see if I can keep the magic going for a perfect weekend! (Home team in caps)

Seahawks (+10) over BEARS

This matchup pits two teams that I still scarcely believe won their divisions over teams (the Packers & Rams) I’d swear were better. Maybe I don’t respect either one because my Giants manhandled both (beating them by a combined 58-10) or it could be they have the two worst offenses in the playoffs (Seattle’s 28^th & the Bears are 30^th). Regardless one of them has to move on here to lose to the Packers & despite last week’s brilliant performance & their victory in Chicago in week 6 (23-20) I like the Bears. Da Bears actually have a solid defense, especially against the run (2^nd in the NFL), & by making the Seahawks one dimensional they should force them into enough turnovers to win the game (Seattle has the worst turnover differential of any playoff team -9). However I hardly expect Jay Cutler & Lovie Smith to cover such a generous spread.

Chicago 27, Seattle 20

PATRIOTS (-9) over Jets

In week 2 the Jets beat the Patriots 28-14, in week 13 the Pats took out revenge with a 45-3 massacre. So how the hell did that happen? First the Patriots played at home where they’re unbeaten this season (& where today’s game will be played), secondly Randy Moss & his baggage were gone in favor of Brady’s old favorite Deion Branch & everyman running back/Jets castoff Danny Woodhead, & Tom Brady had returned to his peak form. However the most important difference between the two games is hardly shocking at all, the turnover differential. In the first game the Pats turned it over three times to the Jets zero, in the rematch those results were reversed. In fact, despite the Patriots 30^th ranked pass defense, turnovers have proven to be essentially the sole key in beating them. The Patriots shattered the NFL record this season for fewest turnovers with nine, but they had three in each of their losses & two in their one overtime win (in those three games their opponents had only one turnover). So if the Jets plan on winning today they’ll need to win the turnover battle by at least two. Problem is the Jets are quarterbacked by Mark Sanchez & the Patriots by Tom Brady, so that ain’t happening. As for the spread Bill & Tom are going to want to lay the beat down & I’ll take my chance with them.

Patriots 34, Jets 24

Saturday's Divisional Picks

Last week we were blessed with three fantastic games, including one of the biggest upsets in playoff history (Marshawn Lynch!), & one stinker (thanks a lot Charlie Weiss. No seriously, thanks, that’s the only game I predicted correctly. ). This week we have the odd phenomenon of every matchup having already happened this season with both division rivalries in the AFC having split, the Falcons having defeated the Packers 20-17 in Atlanta back in week 12, & the Seahawks going on the road to beat the Bears 23-20 in week 6. With every team being familiar with the other this becomes an even more intriguing weekend. Now on to the picks! (Home team in caps & I’m only picking today’s games because I’ve got to get to the UA/ASU showdown)

BCS "National Championship" Pick

Tonight we get to watch the most hyped “national championship” (the quotations get removed when we get a playoff so that an undefeated team with the best defense in the country, TCU, actually gets a chance) since the epic Texas/USC game that saw Vince Young almost singlehandedly beat the defending champion Trojans lead by Matt Leinart & Reggie Bush before they all went on to fantastically successful NFL careers. One team has an explosive offense that plays at a breakneck pace; the other features the best professional quarterback in college football. Of course you already know all of this so the question is who will win?

Why Football Still Matters

Today I was going to write up and post my picks for the NFL’s wild card round, but with today’s tragic events it is difficult to look at the NFL Playoffs and view them with any kind of importance. A nine-year-old girl and as many as five others have been shot down in cold blood and a U.S. Congresswoman and at least ten others are currently in the hospital fighting for their lives. All of their family members, and indeed the entire country, are just hoping, praying, and waiting for good news to come. On such a day how can we be expected to care, or even should we care, about the results of a couple of football games? Are they not meaningless when lives hang in the balance? Would it even be right to enjoy watching a game of football today?

If your answers to the above questions are that football doesn’t matter in the wake of today’s events and we should all be focusing on praying for the victims of this heinous crime and not watching a meaningless game that’s fair enough, but I disagree with you.

Now I’m not saying that what has happened isn’t terrible (indeed terrible, or any other word, falls far short as a description), and we should all pray for the victims, their families, and the shooter. What I am saying though is that, if anything, today was a reminder that life is fleeting. Thus we should not spend all day glued to the news as the pundits recycle the same information for hours on end. Gabby and the rest of the victims will not recover any faster if you are watching CNN. Do not spend your whole day in mourning; continue to live your life as best you can. Most importantly make sure to still have fun. Take advantage of another miraculous day you have been granted on this earth and do what makes you happy, whatever it is that fulfills you. For millions of people, including myself, that will mean watching football for a few hours.

Alamo Bowl Preview

“Leaving the game plan is a sign of panic, and panic is not in our game plan.”-Chuck Noll (four time Super Bowl winning coach)

Some sage advise from the coach with more Super Bowls than any other, however there’s one problem for the Wildcats-their game plans (especially on offense) tend to be pretty crap.

Now this isn’t to say that I think Stoops is a bad coach or that a loss today means we should start scouting for his replacement. In fact, as I stated here, Stoops has ushered in the most successful period in Arizona Football history. & for an example of the results of overreacting to a disappointing season one need only look to Dick Tomey being fired in 2000 after two six loss seasons (a mere two years after leading Arizona to a 12-1 record & a #4 ranking) in favor of John Mackovic who would be fired after going 10-18 over two and a half seasons. Fact is, Stoops is good but he’s not great.

This Week In College Football!

This Week: 0-1 (To quote Tommy Stoessor, “Sigh…”)

Season Total: 48-13

Championship Games:

· ACC: #15 Virginia Tech vs. #21 Florida State-Props to Mark Stoops. He took over a defense ranked at the bottom of the ACC & turned them into the 11^th best defense in points allowed. In fact they’ve allowed over 20 points only three times this season, which just so happens to be the three games they lost. It also so happens that Tyrod Taylor & the rest of the Hokies offense has only scored under 20 once this season, a 19-0 victory over Boston College. I’ll take VT to win its 11^th straight.

Virginia Tech 27, Florida State 20

Alex Zendejas & the State of Wildcat Football

Last night we all had the privilege to watch a classic episode of the Duel in the Desert, though I understand most Wildcat fans wouldn’t quite put it that way. Fact is, however, that last night was the first overtime game in the history of the rivalry (the pre-OT 1987 game ended in a 24-24 tie) and for all the heartbreak there were an equal number of thrills. Of course all anyone is talking about is Alex Zedejas & his blocked extra points, & it’s understandable why (even if I don’t think that’s entirely fair). So let’s go ahead & break down each of Zendejas’s last three kicks, both the quality of the kicks & the decisions that went into them, & what it all means for Arizona Football.

ARIZONA vs. ASU

It's once again time for the Wildcats & Sun Devils to battle it out for the oldest of all the rivalry trophies in college football, the Territorial Cup. Now this year feels a bit like last, as we have two decent teams that have disappointed their fan bases.

Arizona once again blew away hopes of a Rose Bowl, though with the quality of Oregon & Stanford this year (& playing both on the road) such hopes were never quite reasonable. However it is hardly unreasonable to be upset about the two home losses to mediocre Oregon State & USC teams (each of which has lost to a Washington school). In both games the vaunted Arizona defense looked, well… defenseless for much of the game & the offense seemed to forget they were even in a game until late in the fourth quarter.

Today In College Football!

Normally I do my entire look at the week’s major college football games on Friday night & thus I’m forced to ignore any games played on Thursday or Friday, obviously that wouldn’t do this week (Though I’m only previewing Friday’s games here, the rest I will preview at my normal time). This year not only is the day after Thanksgiving Black Friday, but it is quite possibly the defining day in deciding who will play for the BCS National Championship (It’s important to always try & remember to include the BCS part of that because to do otherwise would suggest D-1A college football has a legitimate championship game).

#1 Oregon faces its last ranked opponent in a 21^st ranked Arizona team that’s fought it tooth & nail nearly every year regardless of the final outcome. #2 Auburn face its greatest challenge yet in the defending “National Champions” #11 Alabama (Remember, Boise State finished last year undefeated too). While #4 Boise State goes up against a one loss Nevada team ranked 19^th, giving them a chance to prove the remaining doubters that they truly do deserve a chance at college football’s mythical title.

That’s the three biggest contenders for this year’s title (So long as Boise wins their last two I fully expect them to jump TCU in the rankings) going up against three ranked teams, & two of them must do so on the road (Oregon’s the lone home team). College football just doesn’t get any better than this. At least until they have a playoff…

"Office" Watch-"WUPHF.com"

Before I get to this week’s episode I’d like to do a quick recap of the last two episodes that I’ve thus far neglected.

“Christening”:

My brother watched this episode before I did & told me it was terrible. When I started it I was wondering why he had such a negative opinion, then I finished the episode and felt the same way.

The main storyline deserved credit for keeping Michael’s character arc reasonable. It makes sense that he would get caught up in the church group’s enthusiasm (especially when the other member of the office were being so insufferable, not surprisingly with Ryan leading the way) & volunteer to join them on their trip to Mexico. The problem was that the payoff of Andy & him throwing a tantrum to get off the bus to Mexico wasn’t overly rewarding in either laughs or character development.

This Week In College Football!

Last Week: 11-3 (Gah! Two UA games missed in a row.)

Season Total: 40-7

I have to be up in less than 5 hours so once again I will try to keep this short (& with no Arizona game I might actually succeed!).

Top 10

· Mississippi at #5 LSU-LSU has quite possibly the best defense in college football. Ole Miss has… a terrible defense & Jeremiah Masoli (Hah! I knew he was an overrated product of Oregon’s system).

LSU 34, Ole Miss 14

· #7 Wisconsin at Michigan-A win here would guarantee Rich Rodriguez another year in Ann Arbor & one can only hope karma will come back to bite the Badgers for running up the score on an outmatched Indiana team last week. Now if only Michigan didn’t have the 93^rd ranked defense in point allowed & Wisconsin wasn’t the 8^th ranked scoring offense.

Wisconsin 41, Michigan 30

· #8 Nebraska at #19 Texas A&M-A&M’s offense has been on a roll since Ryan Tannehill took over the quarterbacking duties & they’re riding a 4 game win streak. However I’ve been on the Cornhusker bandwagon all year & I’ll be damned if I jump off now.

This Week In College Football

Last Week: 10-4 (Damn me for switching my Arizona pick)

Season Total: 29-6 (What’s up “experts” on ESPN?)

The first set of games is about to start so I’ll try and make this quick.

Top 10

· Georgia at #2 Auburn-Let’s get this out of the way, Cam Newton is ineligible. No, he hasn’t been ruled ineligible yet but any reasonable person knows that he is. However that doesn’t mean he won’t play. Interestingly Georgia’s best player, wide receiver A.J. Green, missed the first 4 games of the season due to problems with the NCAA. In those games Georgia went 1-3 while averaging 24.3 points-per-game. Since his return they’ve averaged 40.3 points-per-game & gone 4-2. While Auburn has the 55^th ranked scoring defense & has won 3 home games this year by 8 points or less. Make no mistake; even with Newton Auburn could lose this game. Could…

Auburn 41, Georgia 34 (If Auburn does the right thing & benches Newton: Georgia 37, Auburn 27)

· San Diego State at #3 TCU-San Diego State’s actually pretty good, they’re a solid 7-2 & one of those losses was by only 3 points to Missouri. Problem is TCU is awesome.

TCU 34, SD St. 10

· Louisiana-Monroe at #5 LSU-Expect LSU to comfortably win this bye week.

LSU 41, LM 3