BCS Bowl Projections

The BCS Standings were updated this evening, and there were many changes at the top. Here is the top 10 in the most recently released BCS Standings:

1. Auburn
2. Oregon
3. TCU
4. Stanford
5. Wisconsin
6. Ohio State
7. Arkansas
8. Michigan State
9. Oklahoma
10. LSU

Here is the BCS Bowl Game setup:
BCS National Championship: #1 vs. #2 BCS teams
Sugar Bowl: SEC Champion vs. At-Large
Orange Bowl: ACC Champion vs. At-Large
Fiesta Bowl: Big 12 Champion vs. At-Large
Rose Bowl: Big 10 Champion vs. Pac 10 Champion

-The Big East also earns an automatic BCS Game spot, but does not have any tie-ins with a specific BCS Bowl game. In essence, the Big East is filled in as an at-large team.

Here is our projections for how the 5 major BCS will be:

BCS National Championship: #2 Oregon vs. #1 Auburn
Sugar Bowl: #7 Arkansas vs. #6 Ohio State
Orange Bowl: (#15) Virginia Tech vs. (#24) West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl: #9 Oklahoma vs. #4 Stanford
Rose Bowl: #5 Wisconsin vs. #3 TCU


-TCU will earn an at-large BCS Spot by virtue of finishing in the Top 12 of the BCS Standings, being from a non-BCS conference, and finishing the highest in the BCS of non-BCS teams

-The Pac-10 forfeits it Rose Bowl BCS Spot by sending Oregon to the National Championship game, but Stanford still makes a BCS Game because of finishing in the Top 4 of the BCS Standings

-Ohio State will receive an at-large BCS spot, and won't be matched up with Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl because they each reign from the Big 10.

-Arkansas receives an at-large BCS Spot, because the SEC forfeits its BCS tie-in when Auburn plays in the BCS National Championship game.

College Football; What a Weekend

The college football season took another incredible turn this weekend, with two top five teams losing and seven Top 25 teams losing altogether. (Boise State, LSU, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Arizona, North Carolina State, Iowa)

The nation's top two teams, Oregon and Auburn, were both victorious this weekend. That means if each wins in their final games next weekend, they will meet for the BCS National Championship in January. If either loses, the top teams behind them are likely to be TCU, Stanford and Wisconsin.

Boise State, previously #4 in the BCS Standings, was beaten by #19 Nevada in Reno. The Broncos season will now not finish in a BCS Bowl, as they had dreamed all season long. 

LSU, previously #5 in the BCS Standings, was beating by #12 Arkansas on the road. The Tigers were hoping to represent the SEC as a secondary BCS team, but now will not. Arkansas may have an outside shot at a BCS game depending on how games finish out next weekend. 

Here's what we anticipate for the upcoming BCS Standings, which will be released tomorrow:

1. Auburn (12-0)

2. Oregon (11-0)

3. TCU (12-0)

4. Stanford (11-1)

5. Wisconsin (11-1)

6. Ohio State (11-1)

7. Arkansas (10-2)

8. Michigan State (11-1)

9. Oklahoma (10-2)

10. Boise State (11-1)

11. LSU (10-2)

12. Missouri (10-2)

13. Nebraska (10-2)

14. Nevada (11-1)

15. Virginia Tech (10-2)

16. Oklahoma State (10-2)

17. Alabama (9-3)

18. Texas A&M (9-3)

19. South Carolina (9-3)

20. Utah (10-2)

21. Florida State (9-3)

22. Mississippi State (8-4)

23. West Virginia (8-3)

24. Northern Illinois (10-2)

25. Arizona (8-3)

Projected (BCS) Conference Champions:

ACC: Virginia Tech 

          (Virginia Tech will face Florida State on December 4 for ACC Title)

Big East: West Virginia

         (West Virginia, Connecticut and Pittsburgh are currently tied atop the Big East. If Connecticut    wins next weekend at South Florida, then Connecticut will represent the Big East in a BCS game. We project South Florida will defeat Connecticut. We project West Virginia and Pittsburgh will both win their respective games, ending the season tied atop the conference. West Virginia holds the advantage through the head-to-head tiebreaker)

Big 10: Wisconsin

        (Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan are tied atop the Big 10 Standings. We project that Wisconsin will be the highest team of these three in the final BCS Standings, which is the tiebreaker when more than a two-team tie is present. Wisconsin will represent the Big 10 in a BCS Game.)

Big 12: Oklahoma

       (Nebraska will represent the Big 12 North in the Big 12 Championship Game, set to take place next weekend. The representative from the Big 12 South will be either Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Texas A&M. We anticipate that Oklahoma will be the highest ranked team of these three in the BCS Standings that are released tomorrow, and will therefore face Nebraska for the Big 12 Championship. 

Pac-10: Oregon

      (The Ducks have clinched the Pac-10 Championship. If they beat Oregon State on December 4, they    will almost certainly be in the BCS National Championship game.)

SEC: Auburn

      (Auburn will face South Carolina for the SEC Championship on December 4.)

Check back tomorrow for the first edition of our BCS Bowl Projections.

I've finally mustered up the strength to get up off the couch, refasten my belt and continue with my life after the greatest buffet of all time AKA Thanksgiving. And with that I've also finally gotten past my 48 hour distaste with the sport of football after the dreaded Cowboys/Saints game which punched me right in the stomach. So, despite a wicked stomach ache and extra pounds gained, its time to pump out the NFC South of the Midseason NFL Report.

NFC South

Falcons
Current Record: 8-2
Final Record: 13-3

The Falcons have had a weird last 5 years. Vick leaves the team...Bobby Petrino leaves the team midway through the season....They draft Matt Ryan 2nd overall and he brings the team back into contention....Down year last year and after an opening loss to Pittsburgh, they've gone 7-1 and are probably the best team in the NFC right now. On a 4 game win streak, Matt Ryan has only lost once at home in his career and I would say they would lose this Sunday to the Packers, but that record tells me otherwise. Their schedule from here on out is pretty easy: Carolina twice, Tampa Bay, and Seattle. I see them winning all those games, but the questionable games are this week vs. Green Bay, and a Week 16 matchup on Monday Night with the Saints that could decide the NFC South. Statistic to look out for, 24th in the league in Pass D, and I'm sure Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees love to hear that. They're half a game up for first now, and Matt Ryan has had a great career so far. These last 6 games will really decide whether Matt Ryan is truly an elite QB in this league or not.

Saints
Current Record: 8-3
Final Record: 11-5

It seems like we see this every year recently. The defending Super Bowl champion comes into the season inconsistent and can barely put together a winning season. The Steelers were .500 both years after Big Ben and Co. won, and the Saints were 4-3 after a loss to Cleveland a month ago. Since that game they haven't lost, and are looking more and more like last years team on this win streak. Despite a close call on Turkey Day that I'd rather not talk about, this Saints team is still looking like a top team in the NFC. Top 3 in Passing, Top 5 in defending the pass, the only achilles heel has been involved with the running game. 25th in rushing, and 16th in defending the rush, they have not had a consistent running back all year. Drew Brees stats aren't all that impressive either: 23 TD's and 15 INT's. They have Baltimore and Atlanta back to back, which I see them losing. But trips to Cincy, St. Louis and Tampa Bay equals a 3-2 end to the season and a wild card spot in the playoffs.

Buccaneers
Current Record: 7-3
Final Record: 10-6

Looking at the team statistics for this Bucs team and its a wonder how they're as good as they are. 22nd in Passing, 12th in Rushing, 6th in Pass D, and an abysmal 29th in Rush D and this team could be tied for 1st after this week if they play their cards right. Bad news is they have Baltimore and Atlanta back to back these next two weeks. At Washington, then home for Detroit and Seattle before finishing against New Orleans in the Superdome, Raheem Morris has his plate full with good opponents. Josh Freeman is the comeback king, and I believe Raheem Morris is a strong candidate for Coach of the Year. They might not be the best team in the NFC like Morris thinks, but a 10-6 record to end is pretty solid considering this team was one of the worst teams a year ago.

Panthers
Current Record: 1-9
Final Record: 2-14

Better luck next year Carolina. Since going far in the playoffs 2 years ago, Delhomme completely fell off and was let go, and this team doesn't have a QB unless you can kinda count Brian St. Pierre. Their easiest opponent left on the schedule, Arizona in Week 15 but other than that I just keep seeing loss after loss after loss. Look out San Fran fans, don't be surprised if come draft day the Panthers are eyeing either Luck or Locker because Claussen might not be the answer. Either way their Pass D is surprisingly a valiant 7th in the league, so they got that going for them.

UCD Men Win; Causeway Classic Standings

The UC Davis men's basketball team defeated Sacramento State 61-54 on Tuesday night in Hornet Gym. Ryan Sypkens came off the bench to spark the Aggies with 16 points, including four second-half three-pointers. UC Davis trailed 26-25 at halftime, but built an early lead in the second half and never looked back. Joe Harden added 13 points for the Aggies and Eddie Miller had 12 points.

The Aggies (2-4) next game is this Saturday (11/27) at home against Seattle University (2-5), with tip-off scheduled for 1:00pm at the Pavilion.
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Let's take a look at how the Causeway Classic matchup is going so far in all UC Davis vs. Sacramento State athletics for the 2010-2011 season. Let's go ahead and award one point for every victory in each sport:

Men's cross country: UC Davis*
Women's cross country: UC Davis*
Men's soccer: Sacramento State
Women's soccer: UC Davis
Women's golf: UC Davis
Women's volleyball: Sacramento State
Football: UC Davis
Men's Basketball: UC Davis


* = Teams competed several times, 1 point awarded to majority winner


Currently, UC Davis leads the Causeway Classic 6-2

Before the 2010-2011 sports year ends, the teams will meet several more times:
Women's basketball
Men's baseball*
Women's softball
Women's golf
Men's tennis
Women's tennis
Women's gymnastics
Men's track and field*
Women's track and field*

* = Teams will compete several times, 1 point will be awarded to majority winner

NFL Rewind + Weekend Preview

A look back on Week 11 in the NFL, before we get to the upcoming weekends preview:

Cheers: The Chicago Bears defensive effort last Thursday night against Miami. The Bears and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli took full advantage of the Dolphins quarterback injury woes, burying Tyler Thigpen with six sacks and an interception. Jay Cutler was mostly bad as quarterback again for Chicago, which didn't matter, because the Bears scored and the Dolphins didn't.

Jeers: The Cincinnati Bengals. As a fan of the team, it's hard for me to comment at all, but the Bengals blew a 31-14 halftime lead to the Buffalo Bills and eventually lost 49-31. The implosion led wide receiver Terrell Owens to comment after the game that the Bengals are clearly playing horrible football...."What's crazy is the fact that we're just terrible. That's just plain and simple. When I say we, that's me included," said Owens following the loss. Owens concluded his comments with ,"We may go 2-14 at the rate we're playing."

Cheers: Jason Garrett and the Dallas Cowboys, who beat the Detroit Lions 35-19 on Sunday to move to 2-0 under their new coach. For the 'Boys, it was a much needed win at home versus an inferior opponent. Dallas' chances to make the postseason are still slim, but at this point it's hard to consider them a pushover in any game, as we might have prior to Garrett's promotion to head coach.

Jeers: Vince Young. And sort of Jeff Fisher. I'm not going to read you the whole story, so instead check it out through Will Robinson's post on the SACK Lunch Blog. One of both of these guys will not be in Tennessee in 2011.

Cheers: The NY Jets game-winning touchdown drive to beat the Houston Texans. The Jets blew a 23-7 lead at home against the Texans, but rallied for a 30-27 win courtesy a Santonio Holmes touchdown catch with ten second left in the game. Houston scored twice within three minutes to cut the lead to 23-17, then scored again with 2:18 left to go ahead 24-23. Mark Sanchez promptly threw an interception, but Houston did not run out the clock and settled for a field goal. Down 27-23, Sanchez took the Jets 68 yards in 5 plays elapsing 45 seconds for the home win. The Jets last three wins have included two overtime victories and this late game score.

Jeers: Richard Seymour punching Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in Sunday's game. The video will appear below. Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass in the second quarter to add to Pittsburgh's lead (eventual 35-3 victory), and Big Ben felt inclined to go say something to Raiders' defensive lineman Seymour, or just get in his face. Seymour said after the game that "it was a lot of ongoing stuff, and you're out there to protect yourself.....I just turned around, and he just ran up on me quick. It was just natural reaction." I don't even like it when guys get in each other's faces talking smack like Roethlisberger may or may not have done, but it's even worse to actually hit a guy like Seymour did.



Cheers: Seymour punching Roethlisberger. Now, hear me out on this one for just a second. It may not be ethical, logical, nice or any other synonym, but I personally admired Seymour for hitting Roethlisberger. Personally I am a Bengals fan and hate Pittsburgh and Big Ben, so I gloated in seeing him get knocked down. He is a punk for being on Pittsburgh, and a punk for getting in legal trouble multiple times and getting suspended.

Jeers: The two Bay Area football teams losing a combined 56-3. The aforementioned Raiders were stomped on the road, and the San Francisco 49ers were beating 21-0 at home. Troy Smith struggled in a game where he actually was asked to do a bit more than simply manage the game. In recent wins over St. Louis and Denver, Smith only had to do so much in order to get the 49ers a win. This game, the team fell behind because Tampa Bay stuffed the box with 8-9 guys to stop Frank Gore from rushing. Smith threw an interception and was sacked six times.

Cheers: Having 16 NFL games over the weekend. For the first time since Week 3, nobody had a "bye" which packed the weekend with games and gave no excuses for bad fantasy football performances because star players had the week off.
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Alright, onto the preview for this upcoming weekend:

Thanksgiving football is always a pleasure to watch. These year's games don't necessarily feature marquee matchups in the sense of even or close records, but nonetheless there are some good games. In the morning game, the New England Patriots (8-2) travel to Detroit to take on the Lions (2-8), who are a staple of Turkey Day football. In the midday, the Dallas Cowboys (3-7) host the New Orleans Saints (7-3). The Saints might have running/receiving/special teams threat Reggie Bush back in uniform for the first time since Week 2. Dallas is playing much better, and is at home, so my best is this could be a close game. The evening game (on that darn NFL Network) features a rematch of an opening round playoff game from this past January. The struggling Cincinnati Bengals (2-8) head to New York (technically, New Jersey) to take on the Jets (8-2). The Bengals have lost six straight, including what I mentioned about the disaster last weekend against Buffalo. The Jets have won three straight games that came down to the wire. Terrell Owens is already fueling the fire, probably something he shouldn't do. Despite being a Bengals fan, I hope Owens winds up with one catch for seven yards.

As for Sunday's slate, there are 3-4 terrific matchups, depending on what your definition of that is. In the morning, the red hot Green Bay Packers (7-3) take to the road to play the Atlanta Falcons (8-2) who are a nearly-impossible team to beat inside the Georgia Dome. Michael Vick at the Philadelphia Eagles (7-3) take on the Chicago Bears (7-3) at Soldier Field, a team who's quietly tied for first atop the NFC North. One of this season surprise teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3), will be in Baltimore to take on the Ravens (7-3). It's taken all year to convince me, but at this point I am 93.7% convinced that the Buccaneers are for real. If they win this game, or even make it close on the road against the gritty Ravens, I'll move that number towards 100%. In the night cap, the San Diego Chargers (5-5) play at the Indianapolis Colts (6-4). The San Diego Chargers are heating up, as they always do this time of year. In 2008, the Chargers entered November with a 3-5 record, and wound up 8-8 in the playoffs. In 2009, San Diego entered November 3-3, and won out, finishing 13-3. San Diego entered November this season 3-5, and has won both of their November contests. Classic Chargers football. The Chargers get wide receiver Vincent Jackson back this week, which will be a great boost to their already top ranked pass offense.

Here's how we guarantee that Week 12 will go down:
Thursday-
New England over Detroit
Dallas over New Orleans
NY Jets over Cincinnati

Sunday-
Atlanta over Green Bay
Pittsburgh over Buffalo
Cleveland over Carolina
NY Giants over Jacksonville
Minnesota over Washington
Houston over Tennessee
Oakland over Miami
Seattle over Kansas City
Philadelphia over Chicago
Denver over St. Louis
Baltimore over Tampa Bay
San Diego over Indianapolis

Monday-
San Francisco over Arizona (3-7 team versus 3-7 team, worst MNF matchup ever)

Joey Votto Takes MVP Award

Congrats to Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds for winning the MLB 2010 National League MVP Award. It is the first time this honor has been given to Votto, who beat our St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols and Colorado Rockies rising star Carlos Gonzalez.

Votto claimed 31 of a possible 32 first place votes, with the only other vote going to Albert Pujols, who finished second in the voting.

MLB National League MVP Award

The MLB National League MVP Award will be announced at 2:00pm ET today (in approximately 15 minutes). The candidates are:

Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies

Our predicted order of finish in the voting:

1. Albert Pujols
2. Joey Votto
3. Carlos Gonzalez