Thanksgiving Football Gives Us Nothing

I don’t know about you but I didn’t watch a single football game in its entirety on Thursday. Why? There wasn’t one worth watching. The NFL threw us a bunch of junk match-ups that ended in an average score of 43-13. Then ESPN blesses us with 40 point decision between Texas and Texas A&M. We really couldn’t have had worse football match-ups on Thanksgiving.

I don’t know how but there has to be a better way to decide who plays on Thanksgiving. I realize that the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions are the traditional players on Thanksgiving but it wasn’t working for me this year and it didn’t work for the NFL either. This is the day when the National Football League stands alone to market their product. They have a slate of three games with no other competition from other markets and what they gave us on Thursday was boring!

CBS Sports Blog Poll - Week 13

BlogPoll Week 13: The Great Big 12 South Debate

Rank	Team	PPB	StdDev	Delta
1	Alabama (55)	24.4	1.2	1
2	Florida (8)	23.2	1.1	1
3	Oklahoma (2)	23.0	1.1	2
4	Texas (8)	23.0	1.2	--
5	Southern Cal	20.4	1.1	1
6	Penn State	19.3	1.5	1
7	Texas Tech	19.0	1.6	6
8	Utah	18.3	2.5	--
9	Ohio State	15.6	1.8	2
10	Oklahoma State	15.6	1.6	--
11	Boise State	15.4	3.4	2
12	Missouri	14.1	1.9	--
13	Georgia	13.5	1.9	--
14	TCU	10.8	3.1	2
15	Cincinnati	10.2	1.9	4
16	Oregon State	10.0	1.8	2
17	Ball State	9.9	4.2	2
18	Georgia Tech	6.2	3.1	8
19	Boston College	5.4	2.2	7
20	Michigan State	5.1	2.8	6
21	Oregon	4.5	3.0	4
22	Florida State	4.4	3.1	4
23	Brigham Young	4.2	3.5	6
24	Northwestern	2.6	2.1	2
25	Mississippi	2.1	2.5	1

Also Receiving Votes: Iowa(1.3), Pittsburgh(1.3), West Virginia(0.9), California(0.4), Virginia Tech(0.2), Western Michigan(0.2), LSU(0.1), North Carolina(0.1), Miami (Florida)(0.1), Tulsa(0.1), South Carolina(0.1), Maryland(0.1), Nebraska(0.0), Rice(0.0), Connecticut(0.0),

Total Ballots: 73

Votes by blog here, votes by team here.

Prepare For Holiday Guest

With the Holiday Season now upon us most of us will either be traveling somewhere or having guest to our homes. If you are anything like me then giving up your bed isn’t an option so that means if the guest room is already full then the couch or futon are the next best options. That is unless you consider air beds. They are comfortable, easy to inflate and easy to store. Its your perfect solution for the holiday sleep over.

NCAAF Pretend Playoff Scenarios

A BCS Playoff Would Keep 11-1 Texas Tech's Title Hopes Alive!

As the bowl predictions are being published on what seems to be a daily basis I can’t help but wonder how cool it would be if we were talking playoff scenarios instead. The BCS is a foolishly flawed system but I believe that the majority of the problem is that it is designed to select only two schools to compete for the national title. There isn’t a system around that can do that without drawing criticism.

The AP poll selected the national champion for years and many times it fell under criticism. Since its inception the BCS has drawn criticism and each step of its evolution seems to alienate more and more college football fans. However, what if the BCS system was used to select the top 8 teams for a playoff? There would still be criticism (as long as we have football we’ll have criticism) but I think a lot less. There are currently five BCS football games and you could use those sites to host the playoffs. The top 4 teams would be the “home” team and would host the first round of the playoffs. The four losers would then be sent to two of the BCS bowls with the winners being sent to two others. The BCS bowls would keep the current rotation so that each site has equal opportunity to host both advancing rounds and consolation games in alternating years.

Yes, I do understand that two BCS bowl games wouldn’t really count for much every year but if you stop and thing about it, under the current system you have four BCS bowls that don’t really count for much every year. This system raises the stakes and makes the BCS bowls even better than before.

Here’s a sneak peek at what it would look like based upon the most recent BCS standings.

8. Penn State (Rose Bowl) at 1 Alabama (Sugar Bowl)
Loser faces the loser of the Texas Tech/Texas game in the Fiesta Bowl.

Winner faces the winner of the Texas Tech/Texas game in the Orange Bowl.

7. Texas Tech (Cotton Bowl) at 2. Texas (Fiesta Bowl)
Loser faces the loser of the Penn State/Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl.

Winner faces the winner of the Penn State/Alabama game in the Orange Bowl.

6. Utah (Sugar Bowl) at 3. Oklahoma (BCS Championship Game)
Loser faces the loser of USC/Florida game in the Rose Bowl.

Winner faces the winner of the USC/Florida Game in the Sugar Bowl

5. USC (Fiesta Bowl) at 4. Florida (BCS Championship Game)
Loser faces the loser of the Utah/Florida game in the Rose Bowl.

Winner faces the winner of the Utah/Oklahoma game in the Sugar Bowl

(Indicates predicted bowl game)

BCS Championship Game – Orange Bowl Winner vs. Sugar Bowl Winner – Played at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, FL

What logical college football fan wouldn’t want to see these match-ups? Logistically it isn’t impossible for the teams and financially the BCS bowl sites, the schools and the NCAA would make a killing. Before you throw out the, “too much travel for the fans argument” keep in mind that NCAA basketball fans travel for almost a month to watch their teams make their way through conference and then the NCAA tournaments.

CBS Sports Blog Poll Ballot: 11-24-08

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama	--
2	Florida	1
3	Texas	1
4	Oklahoma	1
5	Utah	3
6	Southern Cal	--
7	Boise State	--
8	Penn State	1
9	Texas Tech	7
10	Oklahoma State	--
11	Georgia	--
12	Ohio State	--
13	Ball State	--
14	Missouri	--
15	TCU	2
16	Cincinnati	3
17	Oregon State	3
18	Brigham Young	3
19	Michigan State	3
20	Georgia Tech	6
21	Boston College	5
22	Florida State	4
23	Mississippi	3
24	Northwestern	2
25	Nebraska	--

Dropped Out: LSU (#18), Pittsburgh (#21), Miami (Florida) (#22), Maryland (#23), Central Michigan (#24).

Some Thoughts

1. Alabama – IDLE

2. Florida – Why the Gators were playing Citadel at this point of the season I have no idea.

3. Texas – Despite what they may think the Longhorns are not in control of their own destiny.

4. Oklahoma – No one in the Big 12 is playing better football than the Sooners right now but they are still behind the Longhorns, for now.

5. Utah – The Utes are BCS Bound!

6. USC – IDLE

7. Boise State – The Broncos are still undefeated but this team is not as good as the 2006 team.

8. Penn State – The Nittany Lions routed Michigan State to clinch the Big 10 title.

9. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders walked into an ambush in Norman but I believe that they are still the third best team in the Big 12.

10. Oklahoma State – IDLE

11. Georgia – IDLE

12. Ohio State – Five in a row!

13. Ball State – A seven point win at Central Michigan has the Cardinals one step away from a perfect regular season.

14. Missouri – IDLE

15. TCU – The Frogs finished off their season as a 44-10 win over Air Force.

16. Cincinnati – Barring a miracle upset by Syracuse the Bearcats are the 2008 Big East Champions.

17. Oregon State – Only in-state rival Oregon stands in the Beavers’ way of the Rose Bowl.

18. BYU – The Cougars didn’t put up much of a fight and became the final victim of Utah.

19. Michigan State – The Spartans suffered a bad loss but at least it was at the hands of the Big 10 champions.

20. Georgia Tech – The Yellow Jackets are the only ACC team to be locked in to the conference championship game at this point.

21. Boston College – The Eagles are on a three game winning streak and currently own the tie breaker over Florida State with Maryland waiting next.

22. Florida State – Saturday’s 37-3 win over Maryland may have been the Seminoles most impressive of the year.

23. Mississippi – Houston Nutt gets my vote for coach of the year!

24. Northwestern – The Wildcats ended the season with consecutive wins over Michigan and Illinois.

25. Nebraska – IDLE

Hornets Return To OKC

The New Orleans Hornets return to the city that gave them shelter for two seasons in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Now the Ford Center crowd faces the decision of cheering for the team that drew the NBA to Oklahoma City or for the team that has made the Sooner state their new home.

Points	Team	Total
Chris Paul	N.O.	20.7
Kevin Durant	OKC	21.5
Rebounds	Team	Total
Tyson Chandler	N.O.	8.9
Robert Swift	OKC	6.3
Assists	Team	Total
Chris Paul	N.O.	11.9
Earl Watson	OKC	5.6

There hasn’t been a lot to cheer for in the way of wins this season for the Thunder but there really were no expectations either. The Hornets can’t say the same! They bear the weight of the expectation of making a deep playoff run but have only produced a .500 record to this point. I could make the argument that New Orleans has been more of a disappointment this season than the Thunder have.

Oklahoma City could be the remedy to right the New Orleans ship. After playing in the Ford Center on Friday night they travel back to the Big Easy to host the Thunder on Saturday night. They could be two games above .500 by the end of the weekend.

Thunder Hit Season’s Low Point

The 2008-09 NBA season is only 12 games old but you have to believe that the Oklahoma City Thunder have already reached rock bottom. After going 0-2 on a weekend road trip to New York and Philadelphia when they had a legitimate chance to go 2-0 or 1-1 at the worst they came home and dropped an 11 point decision to the Houston Rockets. Then came Wednesday night’s game against the 1-9 LA Clippers. It wasn’t just a game that the Thunder could have won it is a game that they should have won when you consider that they were playing on their home floor.

Oklahoma City jumped out on the Clippers and enjoyed a 15 point lead in the second quarter and then some how the switch got turned off. LA went on a 14-2 run to end the half and then a 23-4 run in the third quarter to take a 15 point lead of their own and never looked back on their way to a 108-88. I did mention that the Clippers had only one win coming into the game, right?

Basically it was a two horse race for the worst team in the Western Conference and not only did the Thunder win it hands down they also staked their claim as the worst team in the entire NBA. I know that the Washington Wizards have their say about that but right now I would take them to win over the Thunder by double digits.

Westminster Auto Body Shops

Have you had an auto accident and need some auto body work? Perhaps your vehicle is simply showing the signs of age and could use a fresh coat of paint or just some minor repair work due to wear and tear. If you find yourself in the Santa Anna area then you’ll certainly want to check out auto body shops westminster to save some time.

CBS Sports Blog Poll Ballot: 11-17-08

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama	--
2	Texas Tech	--
3	Florida	--
4	Texas	--
5	Oklahoma	--
6	Southern Cal	--
7	Boise State	--
8	Utah	--
9	Penn State	--
10	Oklahoma State	--
11	Georgia	--
12	Ohio State	--
13	Ball State	--
14	Missouri	--
15	Brigham Young	--
16	Michigan State	--
17	TCU	--
18	LSU	--
19	Cincinnati	3
20	Oregon State	6
21	Pittsburgh	--
22	Miami (Florida)	4
23	Maryland	3
24	Central Michigan	2
25	Nebraska	1

Dropped Out: North Carolina (#19), Tulsa (#20), South Carolina (#23), Wake Forest (#24), Florida State (#25).

Some Thoughts

1. Alabama – The Tide slept walked through the first half against Mississippi State but came alive in the second to seal a victory and keep their top ranking.
2. Texas Tech – Idle
3. Florida – Alabama may still be undefeated but the Florida Gators are playing the best football in the SEC right now.
4. Texas – The Longhorns routed Kansas 35-7.
5. Oklahoma – Idle
6. USC – The Trojans struggled early but regained the same dominant form over the Pac 10 that we saw from the Mountain West earlier this season…err…I mean over the past few years.
7. Boise State – Another week in the WAC is another win for the Broncos
8. Utah – The Utes cruised to an easy 63-14 win over San Diego State.
9. Penn State – The Nittany Lions bounced back from last week’s disappointing loss with a 34-7 win over Indiana.
10. Oklahoma State – Winning in Boulder isn’t as easy as it sounds but the Cowboys won 30-17 despite having some sloppy play mixed in.
11. Georgia – The Bulldogs struggled immensely against Auburn but survived 17-13.
12. Ohio State – A 10 point win on the road over Illinois is…well a 10 point win on the road over Illinois.
13. Ball State – Perfection is only two games away for the Cardinals.
14. Missouri – The Tigers will have one more shot at taking on one of the top south teams in the Big 12 Championship Game.
15. BYU – Air Force gave the Cougars a run but in the end BYU was just too explosive on offense.
16. Michigan State – Idle
17. TCU – Idle
18. LSU – The Tigers only needed to play one quarter to beat Troy but that isn’t the kind of performance that is going to move you up in the polls.
19. Cincinnati – After sneaking past Louisville Friday night the Bearcats have only one more test before claiming the Big East Conference championship. That will be when the Pitt Panthers come to play this weekend.
20. Oregon State – Can the Beavers truly be Rose Bowl bound?
21. Pittsburgh – Idle
22. Miami (FL) – Thursday night’s game at Georgia Tech could determine who represents the coastal division in the ACC championship game.
23. Maryland – Their 17-15 win over North Carolina put them in the driver’s seat to the ACC championship game.
24. Central Michigan – The Chippewas have won six in a row and have a huge game coming up Wednesday night when Ball State rolls in.
25. Nebraska – The Huskers have won four of their last five games and face Colorado in their season finale on the 28th.

Inconsistency Drops Thunder To 1-9

I’m glad that I’m not P.J. Carlesimo because I would have no idea of how to motivate a group of underachievers to play four quarters of basketball. Apparently Carlesimo doesn’t either because the Thunder have yet to do it this season. The fans, and the NBA for that matter, have no idea what the true potential of this team is because they consistently play inconsistently. You can almost take it to the bank that they are either going to lay down in the first half and then become competitive in the second or be competitive in the first and then lay down in the second half. We saw examples of both this weekend on the Thunder’s road trip to New York and Philadelphia.

Against the Knicks on Friday night Oklahoma City was outscored 68-44 in the first half before becoming competitive in the second before losing 116-106. Then on Saturday evening in Philadelphia the Thunder were outscored 64-43 after a competitive first half in a 11-85 loss to the 76ers. Ultimately a team’s success or failure is based on expectations and no one realistically expected the Thunder to compete for a championship but we did expect them to compete. Maybe we should have just expected them to be consistent!