Coming down to the BCS wire!

#4 Boise State, and #5 LSU were the only programs to play this week with 1,2 and 3's Oregon, Auburn, and TCU all sitting idle. LSU escaped a close one vs. Ole Miss while Boise State blasted Fresno State 51-0, holding the bulldogs to 200+ yards below their average. With TCU's last game being close to SDSU who lost today to a Utah team that TCU beat 47-7, one would think Boise State's chances of passing TCU just got THAT much better. Boise State plays #18 Nevada next week who just squashed New Mexico State 52-6! A win vs. Nevada and Boise could be the new #3. Oregon looks like they will be a clinch for the BCS title as the Pac-10 does not have a conference title game. Their only remaining opponent is in-state rival Oregon State. Auburn on the other hand has to play against Alabama. A team that has 2 loses this year, and wants to show the country that they are still a top-dog! Win or lose, Auburn is still going to the SEC championship against Soth Carolina. The ol' ball coach may be able to beat Auburn as well. If you ask me, I think Oregon could be seeing Boise State for the final, but watch out for #6 Stanford who were impressive today against a California team that held Oregon to just 15 points. Stanford could leap LSU, but would the NCAA REALLY allow an ALL Pac-10 BCS final? Let's hope not, or else bye bye BCS and HELLO playoffs! (I hope)

The Colin Campbell Argument

Thanks to Paul for requesting I post on the following article:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/Campbell+corner/3841044/story.html

After reading the article, I as well sit behind Colin Campbell. Though Campbell seemed to have made poor judgement in his e-mail's, and was wrong to point fingers at Savard, it is equally as wrong for the fans to point fingers at a man who is just trying to do his job. In my opinion, the NHL DOES need to impose a stricter punishment on players who act out against the physical part of the game. Headshots SHOULD NOT BE PERMITTED! and the NHL would be wise to take a book out of Roger Goodell's page. However, I do feel that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even Campbell, and I dont believe he was biased in the slightest. Let me hear your thoughts!

Ian's Week 11 Power Rankings (my first)

1. New York Jets 7-2

The Jets may be slightly under the radar with the recent Eagles outburst last Monday Night, but believe me Rex Ryan and "his boys" are quite poised to make a deep, deep run in this years playoffs. Wins over New England (7-2), Miami (5-5), a Randy Moss'ed Vikings, and a serging Browns team has shown that the Jets are able to deal with adversity. Oh! did I mention that Revis was out for a time being too? Could Rex have been right? Maybe the Jets are indeed Super Bowl bound!

2. Philadelphia Eagles 6-3

Wow! thats all i can say about Michael Vick's resurgence and its impact on Andy Reid's team. Rick Jeannerett may be a Sabre's announcer, but "These guys are GOOD, SCARY GOOD," sure obtains to the Philadelphia Eagles! Did I mention that the past two weeks they beat the Indianapolis Colts and absolutely slaughtered the Washington Redskins on National Television? Dont be surprised if the Eagles come away with yet ANOTHER impressive victory this week vs. the New York Giants. Oh yeah! and Not only does Vick run a 4.2 40, but HELLO DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek, and LeSean McCoy! This team is unbelievably fast! and with the reciever threats and Vick's recent "Veteran-esque" play, how can you stop them?

3. Atlanta Falcons 7-2
Sure, the Falcons may be the current number 1 on the real power rankings, and yeah they beat Baltimore, and New Orleans. But think about it? Who else have they REALLY beaten? ok so I'll give them the 41-7 win vs Arizona, impressive. But 16-14 W vs the 9ers? 31-17 L to the Eagles? 27-21 W vs Tampa? ok so Tampa may be 6-3 but I am NOT sold on them, and as a result NOT sold on Atlanta. They will make the playoffs, and i only have them this high because they are 7-2... but they dont deserve the number 1 ranking, and need to improve defensively if they are going to make a run deep into the playoffs.
4. New England Patriots 7-2
Well would you look at that! What a surprise! The Patriots sit 4th this week on my power rankings. Their ability to overcome all odds is admirable to say the least. Rookie Corner Devin McCourtey will be a STAR on this defense which has gone from old to young in the past 5 years. Brandon Merriweather, Brandon Spikes, and Jerod Mayo are just a few of the Patriot's young talents on the defensive side of the ball. And who can forget Tom Brady! Even without Randy Moss, the Patriots are once again finding new ways to win! This team is unbelievable and its all orchestrated by one of the best, if not THE best coaches of all time, Bill Belicheck! I know one thing, at the end of the day, Tom Brady and the Patriots will be in the discussion!
5. Chicago Bears 7-3
Now many of you may be thinking huh? But face it! The Bears are 7-3! and as long as Cutler limits his mistakes and learns to "manage the game," the Bears' number 1 scoring defense will win them a plethora of ball games! Chicago is 3-0 in the NFC North. Sure they havent traveled yet, but one would be hard-pressed to tell me Detroit or Minnesota can beat these guys! However, Chicago will be under the gun with a remaining schedule that pits them against both New England AND the New York Jets. Even 1-1 in those games would be impressive. Chicago! YOU HAVE YOURSELVES A WINNER!

Thursday Night's Dolphin Debacle

In a game that was never close, nor out of reach, the Chicago Bears triumphed to a 16-0 victory over the happless Miami Dolphins. With the win the Bears have now improved to 7-3 on the season, and are finally beginning to earn some much appreciated respect, while the Dolphins season seems to be heading in the wrong direction. Just one week ago, the Dolphins were plagued with injuries as both franchise-caller, Chad Henne, and Veteran QB, Chad Pennington, went down with serious injuries. Tyler Thigpen became the new starter and despite a fairly good showing during his time in Kansas City, Thigpen is not what one would call a viable option if the team is poised to make the playoffs. Not only is the Quarterback situation out of wack, but the play-calling was absolutely atrocious!!! The Dolphins, known for their heavy run game and strong defensive play, not to mention the re-inventors of the Wildcat formation, ran the ball just 13 times!!! While the defense seemed it couldnt get off the field allowing the Bears to run 70+ plays to Miami's 48. Ricky Williams, and Ronnie Brown combined for just 6 carries and 13 yards, Tyler Thigpen accumulated the remaining 7 carries, mainly broken plays. To make matters worse, Brandon Marshall, their star off-season acquisition went down with what seemed like a hamstring injury after just recieving 3 balls for 41 yards. On the other side of the ball, the Chicago defense was relentless, sacking Thigpen 6 times! Julius Peppers recording 3 sacks and the Bears held the Dolphins to just 1 third down conversion, and a total of just 187 yards!!! So my question to you is, are the Dolphins done? or are the Bears just that good? or a mixture of both, give me your thoughts!!!

Early NHL overview

The NHL is about 20 games into the regular season now. The champion, Chicago Blackhawks have come out struggling since their offseason roster re-arrangement, while the Philadelphia Flyers have added what seems like a potent offense to an already stout defense, and a young goaltender, Bobrovsky. The Flyers currently sit 2nd in the Eastern Conference just 1 point behind the Ovechkin-lead Capitals, who are off to a souring 13-4-1 start! Teams like Buffalo, and New Jersey are struggling with injuries early in the year and have dug themselves to the bottom of the east, while Atlanta, and Tampa Bay have made strong early season impressions. But you can't forget about Crosby and the Penguins! Currently sitting 5th in the East at 9-8-2, the Penguins seem to always have that late season magic to propel them deep into the playoffs. To round out the East, Montreal and the Rangers have come out strong earning themselves the 3rd and 4th seeds respectively.

As for the Western Conference, The Los Angeles Kings, though losing 2-time 30 goal scorer Alexander Frolov to the Rangers, and Drew Doughty to some early season injuries, have found themselves a top the Western Conference at 12-4. However, none other than the Detroit Red Wings are right on their tail in 2nd place with 23 points! If the Wings keep this pace they are destined for yet another playoff appearance, and odds on favorites for their 12th Stanley Cup championship! Besides these two teams, surprises this year have come from all over the WIDE OPEN western conference. St Louis and new acquistion Jaroslav Halak are impressive to say the least! While Phoenix and Anaheim seem to be hitting their stride. The Sharks, like the Penguins are fairly quietly sticking around in the hunt, but we all know that at the end of the day they will be there!

So, what is your early outlook on the NHL this year? who are your sleepers? winners? and losers? of the first quarter of action and who is your early MVP? Thanks for Posting!!!

NFL lockout?

With the recent news of a possible lockout, lets look at how the NHL's lockout in 2004-2005 effected the game of hockey! After the lockout, the NHL implemented new rules to increase scoring hoping to attract a broader fan-base. Teams in big markets like Chicago, Detriot, Washington, Philadelpia.. etc. have flourished, but many teams Nashville, Atlanta, Phoenix, Florida, and for a time Pittsburgh, struggle to keep their organization a float. Do you feel if the NFL were to lockout that some teams like Buffalo or Jacksonville would lose their franchises?

Thoughts on the NFL implementing an 18 game schedule?

Recently, the NFL has contemplated on implementing an 18 game season in place of the current 16 game season. This would reduce preseason play by 2 games. Many players seem to not be in favor of this new "improvement." Let me know your thoughts on a potential 18 game season and what consequences may come from this! Thanks for posting!