RSM Poll 11/13

1. LSU

2. Bama

3. Oklahoma St

4. Oregon

5. Oklahoma

6. Arkansas

7. Michigan St

8. Stanford

9. Kansas St

10. Virginia Tech

11. Clemson

12. Houston

13. Boise St

14. South Carolina

15. Georgia

16. USC

17. Wisconsin

18. Nebraska

19. Penn St

20. Michigan

21. Notre Dame

22. Florida St

23. Southern Miss

24. Tulsa

25. TCU

College Football notes...

One theme of the 2011 college football season remained strong this week, no conference champion is a clear favorite (outside of LSU now), and who will appear in conference championships is totally up in the air in most conferences.

Big 12

Oklahoma State is the favorite here, and with no championship game, just has road games against Texas Tech and Iowa State before bedlam. Oklahoma still might be favored on the road, even without Ryan Broyles, but this game will be the biggest in the series history. K-State almost made this race a big-time mess late last night...

Favorite: Oklahoma
Sleeper: None

ACC

Clemson controls its destiny in the Atlantic division, just having to beat Wake at home and win at NC State. The Coastal has a big match-up this Thursday, where the winner will have an inside track at winning the division.

Favorite: Clemson
Sleeper: Wake Forest

Big 10

Now for the real mess...Michigan State leads the Leaders division, but they look far from safe up top after struggling against Minnesota yesterday. With road trips to Iowa and Northwestern still on the schedule, they control their destiny, but if they slip up, Michigan/Nebraska/Iowa can all jump up and take the division.

The Legends division has Penn State on top at 5-0, but still has to play OSU/Wisconsin/Nebraska. The Nittany Lions need to win 2 of 3 to clinch, but if they lose 2 or more, Ohio State and Wisconsin move back into the mix.

Favorite: Michigan State
Sleeper: Ohio State

Pac-12

The Stanford-Oregon winner will take the North Division, and be favored in the championship game, but who will they face? USC/ASU/UCLA are all tied at 4-2 right now, but USC is not eligible for the division title. ASU has the easier schedule, with Wazzu, Cal, and Arizona (2 at home) while UCLA has road trips to Utah and USC and hosts Colorado. Needless to say, the UCLA upset of ASU yesterday has thrown another wrench in the title chase.

Favorite: Stanford
Sleeper: UCLA

SEC

LSU has the inside track, but must win at home against Arkansas. The Hogs have struggles on the road this year, but this game always seems to be close. In the East, UGA has home games against Auburn and Kentucky that can win them their side, but if they lose one, USC can win the East by beating Florida at home.

Favorite: LSU
Sleeper: UGA

Big East

As usual, we have no idea who will represent the Big East in the BCS at this point. Cincy has the lead at 3-0, and L'Ville has been a surprise and sits in . If Cincy can win 3 of their last 4, they will be in, but even with 2 of 4, they can still win the conference.

Favorite: Cincinnati
Sleeper: Rutgers

Conference USA

Southern Miss has their last true test next week at home vs UCF, and should have no problems on their way to winning the East. The West will be won the day after Thanksgiving, when Houston and Case Keenum travel to Tulsa to take on GJ Kinne and a very good 6-3 Tulsa team (losses are to Boise, Oklahoma, Ok St)

Favorite: Houston
Sleeper: Tulsa

MAC

The MAC is a complete mess at this point after NIU's win at Toledo Tuesday night. The East may come down to Ohio-Miami (OH) on 11/22, but Temple and Bowling Green still have a fighters chance. The West is now NIU's to lose, and if they win at BG next week, they should win their side.

Favorite: Northern Illinois
Sleeper: Ohio

MWC

This one is the easiest...whoever wins the TCU @ Boise game next week wins the league.

Favorite: Boise State
Sleeper: TCU


Sun Belt

Just when you think you have this conference figured out, something happens...The Arkansas St-L-Lafayette winner next week will be the favorite, but it is hard to bet against Western Kentucky right now. The Hilltoppers are 5-1 now, winning 5 in a row including 2 OT games and their last second FG yesterday to beat FIU 10-9.

Favorite: Arkansas St
Sleeper: Western Kentucky

WAC

Another conference that is wide-open, even without unbeaten Nevada sitting on top at 3-0. Even Utah State at 1-2, still has a shot at winning the league. Tons of big games are left before any true prediction can be made.

Favorite: Nevada
Sleeper: Louisiana Tech

As for the big game last night, LSU winning puts them in a great position to reach the national title game. The fact that this game was so well-played and went to OT gives Bama more of an argument to get a re-match if the cards fall right. Oregon is also in good shape, because if they win out and Oklahoma State loses, they will be in the same boat at Bama with 1 loss to LSU, but they will be a conference champion...

RSM Poll for 11/6

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma St
4. Stanford
5. Boise State
6. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
8. Arkansas
9. Michigan St
10. Penn St
11. Clemson
12. Kansas St
13. Virginia Tech
14. Houston
15. South Carolina
16. Houston
17. Georgia
18. Auburn
19. USC
20. Wisconsin
21. Texas
22. Georgia Tech
23. Nebraska
24. Michigan
25. Cincinnati

College Football notes...

Another wild Saturday produced 2 fewer un-beaten teams, but the BCS picture still is a little foggy...

Assuming the LSU-Bama winner wins the SECCG, their opponent will be one of the following:

1) Oklahoma State if they win out (Oklahoma still left, No Big 12 CG this year)
2) If OK St loses, Stanford would be in if they win out (Oregon/ASU in CG)

That is it for the undefeated teams, except Boise...Would Boise get a shot if OSU/Stanford both lose and they are the only other undefeated team? Would LSU-Boise be a game that would get you excited to watch?

So, our controversy will be through the roof if OSU and Stanford win out and the arguments begin for who gets the SEC Champion, or which 1 loss team should move past Boise.

Here are the candidates to possibly move past Boise into the Title Game.

1) The LSU-Bama loser - We've heard all sorts of debate about whether a team that didn't win its division should play for the title. In fact, just 4 seasons ago, Les Miles was very adamant about his stance that a non-conference champion should not be considered. It will be interesting what his comments will be if they lose at Bama and end up in this situation.

2) Oregon - Duck fans will likely support a re-match with LSU if they are the SEC Champion, but will have a tougher argument if Bama wins the game next week.

3) Oklahoma - OU will win the Big 12 title if they win out and knock off OSU. If a 1 loss team has a shot at getting in, the Sooners would have quite a bit of momentum coming off a road win against the possible #2 team in the country.

Lots of computer numbers to run and human poll factors to consider, but if we have a 1-loss team, look for the debate to be through the roof this year. Coaches lobbying for human votes and trying to get to the #2 spot...

As for some of the other teams from yesterday...

Speaking of BCS games, no conference is as wide open as the Big East. Cincy is currently the leader, but could still finish last. The only team that is really out of it is USF, and they beat Notre Dame. I'd pick a winner here, but I have no clue.

You have to give Auburn credit this year, they have a bye week before UGA on 11/12, and if they win are looking at an 8-4 season. With the schedule they faced and the starters they lost, that would be an incredible season, especially considering most experts picked them to win 5 or 6 games.

Also in the SEC, some credit to South Carolina as well. Since getting torched by the UGA offense in Week 2, the Gamecock defense has given up 34 total points in their next 5 SEC games. While the Spurrier offense has been horrendous, the D has kept them in the SEC East race.

Penn State moved to 8-1 with their only loss being to Bama, but look for PSU to struggle to get to 9 wins. They get Nebraska at home next week, then travel to OSU and Wisconsin to close out the schedule.

In that Big 10 Leaders division, look for OSU to beat IU and Purdue the next 2 weeks, setting up that showdown with PSU. That game will play a big role in who wins that division as 5-0 PSU currently has a nice lead over 2-2 Wisconsin and OSU.

A pretty cool story is going on in the Sun-Belt in case you are watching, and I'm guessing you aren't. Western Kentucky joined the conference in 2008 after being an FCS and Independent FBS team and really struggled. They went 0-fer in the Sun Belt in 08 and 09, finally picking up 2 conference wins last year. The Hilltoppers went 2-10 in 2008 (both wins over FCS teams), 0-12 in 2009, and 2-10 in 2010. The 2011 edition of WKU started off 0-4, including a 4 touchdown blowout loss to FCS Indiana State.

But since losing a close game to 1st place Arkansas St on 10/1, the Hilltoppers are on a 4 game win streak, including 2 OT wins and 3 road wins. While they will probably get trounced by 40+ by LSU in a few weeks, if they can win 2 more conference games it could be bowl time for Western Kentucky.

RSM Top 25 for 10/30

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Oklahoma St
4. Stanford
5. Boise St
6. Oregon
7. Oklahoma
8. Nebraska
9. Arkansas
10. South Carolina
11. Kansas St
12. Clemson
13. Michigan St
14. Virginia Tech
15. Houston
16. Penn State
17. Auburn
18. Michigan
19. Georgia
20. Arizona St
21. USC
22. Wisconsin
23. Washington
24. Georgia Tech
25. Texas

RSM Top 25 (10/9)

1. Alabama

2. LSU

3. Wisconsin

4. Oklahoma

5. Boise St

6. Oklahoma St

7. Stanford

8. Clemson

9. Oregon

10. Michigan

11. Arkansas

12. Illinois

13. Kansas St

14. Nebraska

15. Georgia Tech

16. Arizona St

17. Florida

18. Texas A&M

19. Auburn

20. Texas

21. South Carolina

22. Virginia Tech

23. Notre Dame

24. Michigan St

25. West Virginia

College Football and Braves Meltdown

Braves outlook:

Looking back now at the awful September the Braves had, moving forward there are going to be several big decisions to be made by Frank Wren. Sure, the JJ/Hanson injuries set the team back a bit, but St Louis didn't have Wainwright all year. This offense needs some stability with another bat as it appeared to be too easy for Fredi to juggle the lineup from day to day.

Wren has said that Heyward and Lowe are not guaranteed their jobs, but neither should Prado. I want no part of Jose Reyes, but if the money is there, I would be interested in Prince Fielder (Freeman to RF?). The guy I would look to deal is Beachy...Go with Huddy/Hanson/JJ/Minor/Teheran to start, knowing Delgado/Medlen will have to make plenty of starts with injury concerns for JJ/Hanson and inning limits for Minor/Teheran.

I think Heyward needs to go back to RF to start next season. He is too promising of a talent to demote him to a 4th outfielder at age 22 and I believe he will improve. The guy I would move, as you may have figured out above, is Beachy. He should have good value on the trade market and Wren would be dealing from the team's strength. Maybe a corner outfielder that is an OPS guy? I'd call our trading pals in KC and see what it would take to get Alex Gordon.

College football notes:

What is the deal with Texas A&M? Another week, another 17+ point lead at halftime vanishes. The Aggies were a pre-season top 10 pick by most, now they may struggle to get to 8 wins.

Apparently Bob Griffin is human...The Heisman front-runner threw a late pick that led to a Baylor loss, hurting his Heisman hopes, but adding 5 TD passes to his season stats.

South Carolina's SEC East hopes took a big hit with their slip up at home against Auburn yesterday. After hosting Kentucky next week, the Cocks have 3 straight road tests that will determine their fate this season (MSU, UT, Ark). They need to win at least 2 to stay in the race.

What about Clemson? The high-powered offense was held to 23 on the road, but the D stepped up and got the Tigers to 5-0. Now, 3 weeks against the horrid likes of BC, MD, and UNC before the next test, in Atlanta vs GT.

Speaking of the Jackets, they should be unbeaten as well for the 10/29 game against Clemson as they have MD (crushed by Temple at home), UVA (squeaked by Idaho in OT yesterday), and the U (it's all about them) before the showdown in Atlanta.

The RSM pre-season top 3 teams have all passed their initial tests with flying colors as Oklahoma took out FSU on the road, Bama crushed Florida again, and Wisconsin beat down Nebraska in Madison...Look out for 11/5 in Tuscaloosa when LSU comes in town.

Top 25 for 10/2

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Wisconsin
4. Oklahoma
5. Boise St
6. Oklahoma St
7. Stanford
8. Clemson
9. Oregon
10. Michigan
11. Texas
12. Arkansas
13. Illinois
14. Florida
15. Auburn
16. Florida St
17. Nebraska
18. Texas A&M
19. Kansas St
20. Georgia Tech
21. South Carolina
22. Virginia Tech
23. Arizona St
24. Texas Tech
25. Michigan St

College Football thoughts...

Thoughts after an action-packed Saturday where I don't think I could have watched more college football...

1) Notre Dame just isn't very good. They had some momentum after finishing strong in 2010 and winning a New Years Day Bowl game, but they have a lot of issues. Pitt's D had given up 25 ppg against Buffalo, Maine, and Iowa and the Irish could only manage 15 (8 of them were late in the 4th quarter). The schedule isn't as tough as it has been in the past, so they could still win 8-9, but they are not a BCS team this year.

2) Oregon State may not win a game this year. Losing at home to UCLA in a game they never led, the rest of the Pac-12 schedule has no gimmies, including at Wazzu. If the Beavers don't win that one, or win their other non-conference game against BYU, it could be a goose egg in 2010.

3) Clemson is really good on offense. Not since the Rich-Rod days has Clemson had this much fire-power on O, and I give a lot of credit to hiring Chad Morris and giving him free reign to run his offense. Their season will be defined by how they play on the road against VT, GT, and USC.

4) If the Heisman Trophy goes to the best player on the best team, Trent Richardson, Landry Jones, Andrew Luck and Kellen Moore will battle it out like most people expected. But if the award goes to the most outstanding collegiate player, right now Robert Griffin III is winning in a runaway. The freakiest of freak-athletes, Griffin is 70-82 for 962, 13 TD's and 0 INTs along with 167 rushing yards and another score. The schedule heats up in a couple weeks with OK St and A&M, but if you haven't seen Bob Griffin yet, make plans.

5) Speaking of Okie St, they finally have a legit defense to go along with their NFL talent on offense. After another comeback win over A&M yesterday, it is possible they are favored in every game on their schedule until their trip to Norman on December 3rd. That could be quite a match-up of rivals for what could be the final Big 12 game ever.

6) The place to be next Saturday is Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI. The Badgers get their 1st true test at home against Nebraska and can gain some real momentum nationally as a contender if they put up a number against the blackshirts.

7) As much hype as LSU has gotten (and rightfully so) about their defense, the best defense in the country was on display yesterday afternoon in Tuscaloosa. The Tide have 10+ NFL players they run out on defense and you just simply can not run on them. When Arkansas was forced to pass on every down, Bama just rolls out 4-5 stud DB's in their nickel/dime packages and covers everybody. Can't wait to see them play in the Swamp next weekend.

Top 25 for the last Saturday in September:

1. Alabama
2. LSU
3. Wisconsin
4. Oklahoma
5. Boise St
6. Oklahoma St
7. Stanford
8. Clemson
9. Virginia Tech
10. Oregon
11. South Carolina
12. Nebraska
13. Florida
14. Michigan
15. Baylor
16. Texas A&M
17. Texas
18. South Florida
19. Arkansas
20. Illinois
21. Georgia Tech
22. Florida St
23. WVU
24. Auburn
25. Arizona St

Baseball and Football thoughts...

Can anyone in the NL knock off Philly? That is the question as the NL playoffs are fast-approaching and the playoff teams are all but sEt (This late Cardinals push is nothing but a too little-too late 4 game win streak). They look dang good at 94-48 and beating up on the Braves and Brewers this week, but Atlanta fans have seen teams like this 2011 Phillies team not come through in the post-season.

The 1998 Braves had Maddux, Glavine, Millwood, Neagle, and Smoltz along with big-boppers in Chipper, Galarraga, Lopez, Klesko, and Andruw before losing in 6 in the NLCS. The 2003 team was 92-54 on their way to 101 wins and lost in the NLDS.

The Giants last year showed us that if you can get to the Philly bullpen and limit big innings, they are beatable. The Braves recipe should be to get to the 6th-7th innings while holding the Philly offense to less than 4 runs and try and win the bullpen battle.

And for the record, if JJ and Hanson are unavailable for the playoffs, I would break up the sinker-ballers and go with a rotation of Hudson, Beachy, and Lowe.

NFL Predictions

Season starts today, so lets get the NFL predictions going:

NFC South

Falcons
Saints
Bucs
Panthers

NFC North

Packers
Lions
Bears
Vikings

NFC West

Cardinals
Rams
49ers
Seahawks

NFC East

Cowboys
Eagles
Redskins
Giants

AFC East

Pats
Jets
Bills
Dolphins

AFC North

Ravens
Steelers
Browns
Bengals

AFC South

Texans
Colts
Jags
Titans

AFC West

Chargers
Chiefs
Broncos
Raiders

Playoffs

NFC

Eagles over Cardinals, Saints over Cowboys
Packers over Saints
Falcons over Eagles
Packers over Falcons

AFC

Ravens over Jets
Steelers over Texans
Chargers over Ravens
Steelers over Pats
Chargers over Steelers

Super Bowl

Chargers over Packers

As for the college game...

Two weeks of games in, and I will go ahead and put in my poll for the week. The ND-Michigan finish was unreal last night, glad I tuned in...

1. Alabama
2. Wisconsin
3. Oklahoma
4. LSU
5. Florida State
6. Arkansas
7. Stanford
8. Boise State
9. Oregon
10. Texas A&M
11. Oklahoma State
12. Virginia Tech
13. Arizona State
14. South Carolina
15. Florida
16. South Florida
17. Michigan
18. Nebraska
19. UCF
20. Auburn
21. Michigan State
22. Texas
23. Ohio State
24. Tennessee
25. Houston