NFL Preview: Week 11

Week 11 TV coverage maps


Before we begin, a moment of silence for Dick Jauron's coaching career with the Bills, which abruptly ended earlier this week (and based on the results, a good move). Now the only reason to watch Buffalo the rest of the year is to see if TO goes Berkowitz on anyone or not.



Byes are officially over. Fantasy owners everywhere yell out a collective "F*** yeah!" With seven weeks to go in the season, it's not too early to begin thinking about that "p" word. Especially the teams that are currently in a precarious position, specifically those that are 4-5 or 5-4. And there are 11 of them rolling along in mediocrity. Eight of those eleven go head-to-head this weekend, starting with tonight's Miami-Carolina game, followed by three NFC duels on Sunday.


Speaking of the Dolphins, even if you hate Marc Anthony, Ricky Williams, Bill Parcells, and the city of Miami for one reason or another, I think I found a reason for you to like this team: cheerleader Lilly Robbins. Sure, there are a plethora of hot cheerleaders in the NFL, but I think Miss Robbins takes the cake as the hottest. Her picture was in Maxim this week (the shoot linked above is from last year), and damn. Too bad I cannot find it on the internets yet.



Back to football, because that is what we do best (or at least I think so). The other three games between 4-5/5-4 teams: Philadelphia-Chicago on Sunday night, Atlanta-New York Giants, and San Francisco-Green Bay. That covers basically everyone from 5th-11th in the current NFC standings, so these are huge games at this juncture of the season. For the heck of it, I am going with Carolina tonight, and Philadelphia, Green Bay, and the Giants on Sunday. New York needs a win badly.




As for the other top games this weekend, we also have:

San Diego-Denver: The Chargers are on fire, and have caught the struggling Broncos in the AFC West. The second matchup between these two decided the division in Week 17 last year, but even if this is just Week 11, the winner will have an advantage for the balance of the season. A Denver win gives them a one-game lead and the tiebreaker. A San Diego win may just be a dagger for a Denver team that a month ago was the talk of the league. Invesco Field at Mile High is a tough environment for the visiting team, but I am going to take the team with the momentum. It also doesn't help that the Broncos may be without Kyle Orton. Oh yeah, thanks for not making this a national game. No one wants to see Jets-Patriots again. The only reason this matchup gets widespread coverage over and over again (no matter how mediocre the Jets are) is because it draws in both the Boston and New York markets.

Indianapolis-Baltimore: Indy is a prime upset target in this game. After Sunday night's heroics that may have temporarily drained this team, they have to go on the road to face a hungry Ravens team that needs to win each week considering their precarious positioning at 5-4. They were not overly impressive against Cleveland on MNF, but anytime the former city residents come to town (even if the Colts left a quarter century ago), everyone is going to get fired up.

Washington-Dallas: Like Ohio State-Michigan on Saturday, one team may be struggling, but you can throw out the records in this game.


Cleveland-Detroit: So yeah, not a top exactly a top game. If you thought the Rams-Lions game was a failure fest, this one may be even worse. The loser gets the inside track to the #1 pick in next year's draft (Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Oakland may all have a say in this, however), although judging by recent history, it still probably won't matter for these two moribund franchises.

College football preview: Week 12

One of my favorite college football traditions, and I am not even an Ohio State fan. It sends chills down my spine every time.



With this being the twelth week of the college football season, you'd expect the docket to be filled with big games. But that is not the case. Florida and Alabama are on a collision course for Atlanta in two weeks, but take this weekend to snack on cupcakes. Texas is pretty much assured of joining one of them in the title game, assuming they don't slip up with an easier-than-expected schedule. Half the ACC title game picture is complete (and Clemson will clinch their berth to take on Georgia Tech with a win over lowly Virginia), the Big 10 is settled, and the Big East will likely be decided when Cincinnati visits Pittsburgh on December 5. So there's not a whole lot on the line for a weekend of games in late November.

One exception: the Pac 10. With USC's defense falling apart, bringing the dynasty back to the pack in 2009, this race is wide open. Ohio State may have to wait a couple weeks to learn who they will be playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day. Oregon is in the driver's seat with one loss, but Oregon State, Stanford, and Arizona loom a game back in the loss column. The Ducks still have to face a quietly dangerous Beavers team in the Civil War on Thursday night, December 3, and I'm sure that Mike Riley's team will be out for revenge after Oregon denied them their own Rose Bowl berth last year.

But first up for Oregon, a trip to Tucson, Arizona in what has to be the biggest game at Arizona in over a decade. The Wildcats suffered a disappointing defeat in Berkeley last weekend, and a win here would keep their Pac 10 title hopes alive, but they will still need some help to qualify for their first Rose Bowl. Plus, they have their intense rivalry with Arizona State next week, followed by a trip to USC, making matters even more difficult.

I don't know what it is about Tucson that makes it so difficult on Pac 10 opponents. I have a few theories: the temperatures, even in November, rival the hottest seen all year long up in the northwest or northern California. Tucson is not that far from the Mexican border (part of the Gadsden Purchase for you history buffs out there), so travel for most of the Pac 10 schools is quite long. The student body gets into the games. Maybe the hot co-eds (who were ranked a respectable #21 in the most recent survey I found, which still pales in comparison to the top rating of their rivals upstate in Tempe) distract the opposition. I don't know. What I do know is Oregon better not overlook this game, because last time they came to Tucson, in 2007, star QB Dennis Dixon was hurt, effectively ending the Ducks' shot at a national title. An Oregon loss here throws the Pac 10 title race into disarray.

I think we've all become familiar with the Ducks this season, but not too many people know much about the 6-3 Wildcats, enjoying their best season since 1998. On offense, Arizona has a solid pass/run balance, led by sophomore QB Nick Foles, who usurped the role prior to the season. They feature a solid set of backs, led by Nic Grigsby, although the stud RB has missed much of the year with a bum shoulder. Their defense has been a strength the past couple years, but in true Pac 10 fashion, is inconsistent thus far in 2009. Against the Ducks high-powered attack, that could be an issue. Oregon will have to work for this win, but I look for them to pull it out in a 41-31 thriller. I don't think Arizona wants to, or can, get in a shootout with Oregon and expect the upset, but that may be their only hope.

The one saving grace to Week 12: two of the nation's most revered rivalries. Ohio State visits Michigan with a stand-alone Big 10 title and bragging rights to play for, while the Wolverines have to win just to go to a bowl. Amazing considering this team was 4-0 back in September, but their defense has been atrocious in league play. Their only league win came after much effort against a poor Indiana team. Throw out the records in this game, but Ohio State should roll. Not exactly Game of the Century material, a la 2006, but this is still my favorite college game to watch every year (although I may skip out this weekend to go see some playoff high school football).

Cal also visits Stanford in The Big Game, 27 years and one day after The Play, with Rose Bowl implications on the line for the Cardinal. I cannot recall a more crucial game in this rivalry, at least from Stanford's standpoint, in many years. The rivalries really kick into gear next weekend, with great intrastate battles and inter/intra-conference matchups dotting the landscape. Just be thankful the Big 10 is not moving their traditional final weekend, which includes the Ohio State-Michigan game, to Thanksgiving weekend until next year (a long awaited move from my perspective), or this Saturday would be extremely barren. There may not be any true marquee matchups, but I can enjoy a good rivalry game any day of the year.


This week's TV schedule:

THURSDAY 11/19:

Colorado at #12 Oklahoma State, 7:30 (ESPN)

FRIDAY 11/20:

Akron at Bowling Green, 5:30 (ESPNU)

#6 Boise State at Utah State, 9:30 (ESPN2)

SATURDAY 11/21:

#9 Ohio State at Michigan, 12 (ABC)

Minnesota at #15 Iowa, 12 (ESPN)

North Carolina at Boston College, 12 (ESPN2)

Duke at #21 Miami (FL), 12 (ESPNU)

Oklahoma at Texas Tech, 12:30 (FSN)

#4 TCU at Wyoming, 2 (The Mtn)

Connecticut at Notre Dame, 2:30 (NBC)

#10 LSU at Ole Miss, 3:30 (CBS)

#13 Penn State at Michigan State, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN)

Virginia at #18 Clemson, 3:30 (ESPN/ABC)

North Carolina State at #16 Virginia Tech, 3:30 (ESPNU)

Purdue at Indiana, 3:30 (BTN)

#17 Wisconsin at Northwestern, 3:30 (BTN)

Air Force at #19 BYU, 3:30 (CBS College)

Arizona State at UCLA, 4 (FSN)

San Diego State at #23 Utah, 4 (Versus)

Colorado State at New Mexico, 6 (The Mtn)

Vanderbilt at Tennessee, 7 (ESPNU)

California at #14 Stanford, 7:30 (Versus)

Tulsa at Southern Mississippi, 7:30 (CBS College)

Kansas State at Nebraska, 7:45 (ESPN)

Kentucky at Georgia, 7:45 (ESPN2)

#11 Oregon at Arizona, 8 (ABC)

Kansas at #3 Texas, 8 (ABC)

Nevada at New Mexico State, 10:30 (ESPNU)

Off: #5 Cincinnati, #7 Georgia Tech, #8 Pittsburgh, #22 USC

Rest of the top 25: #1 Florida vs. Florida International; #2 Alabama vs. Chattanooga; #20 Oregon State at Washington State; #24 Houston vs. Memphis; #25 Rutgers at Syracuse

Bow down to your Chase overlords

Disclaimer: This entry will be extremely long, although not quite as long as a Bill Simmons' piece. Plus, you won't have to sort through 3,000 obscure pop culture references in here. We haven't had a lengthy NASCAR discussion in some time, so enjoy it.


Championship Weekend will soon be upon us, although it is setting up to be anticlimatic. Kyle Busch just has to make sure he doesn't eat any bad guacamole on Friday night that would prevent him from starting Saturday's Nationwide finale in order to win the championship. Ron Hornaday has already clinched the Truck title. And Jimmie Johnson needs to just stay out of trouble on Sunday. A 25th place finish would be enough to win the title by one point should Mark
Martin take the race and lead the most laps.

Granted, Johnson will be at the mercy of his fellow competitors and Hendrick engines on Sunday, but that rarely has ever been a problem for this team during the Chase races. I think we can safely assume the 48 team will win their unprecedented fourth straight Sprint Cup. To prepare for this, I plan on hiding all sharp objects and anything that could possibly impale my HDTV in a fit of rage (i.e. the remote). Maybe by me prematurely crowning them champion, it will curse them, and Mark will come through to finallly win that elusive Sprint Cup title.

You know, the last couple years, I have become indifferent to NASCAR during the final weeks of the season. I never used to have those feelings. Maybe it's ESPN, maybe it's one of my least favorite drivers stinking up the show/taking advantage of the format, or a combination of the two. But I just really don't care what happens on Sunday. I need a break from this sport. Yet I guarantee you that when the calendar turns over to 2010 in a few weeks, I will be counting down the days until Speedweeks.

Hamlin and Keselowski vs. common sense


In other news this week, Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin continued their feud in the Nationwide Series at Phoenix. This goes back to at least Dover, and I think there was some history between these two in 2008 as well. On Saturday, Hamlin got into Keselowski and washed him up the track on a restart, so Special K retaliated one turn later and took out Denny (although it took two tries to try and spin him). Hamlin, stupidly I might add, laid out plans for revenge this Saturday at Homestead. Um Denny, you never tell anyone when you plan on retaliating when NASCAR is breathing down everyone's necks.

I'm sure NASCAR has, or will, have a talk with him to remind him that any funny business could result in a penalty or being parked. I am not seeing a conclusion to this whole mess until some time next year, when we least expect it. It may even end over on the Cup side. And in a turn that has to be considered ironic, Denny's car will be sponsored by GodSpeaks.com on Saturday. After all, Hamlin thinks he is God out on the race track at times. He has also moved over to the CJM Racing #11 car from the #20 JGR machine. Trying to confuse Brad or hide yourself?

This "rivalry" really does not have much juice to it, say to the tune of the Earnhardt vs. an assortment of characters, Petty vs. Allison, or Petty vs. Pearson. Frankly, it is quite childish. But at a time where many fans are complaining that the drivers are too vanilla, to see a couple guys go toe-to-toe while showing emotion is wonderful for the sport. Just don't put yourself or some other driver in jeopardy by doing something dumb.

I used to like Brad when he first achieived success last year, but I have grown to dislike him this season. Sure, I admire his talent, but sometimes he goes over the fine line between driving aggressive and driving stupid. He achieved the latter by using his car as a weapon on Saturday. And then I feel as if he has a sense of entitlement. How many times have we seen an athlete or other famous person let success get to their head? Hopefully, what will likely be a trying first full Cup season at Penske in 2010 will humble this guy. Show some modesty once in a while, and don't be afraid to admit it when you screwed up.

That's not to say Denny Hamlin is an angel either, because he has a history of being ignorant (see: garage confrontation with Kyle Petty). But Denny has grown up immensely this season. Don't get me wrong, I want to see the lid pop off this boiling rivalry. Let's just hope both guys use their heads. Both are aggressive drivers, but have a history of taking it too far on the track. The last thing that needs to happen is a heated rivalry turning into a situation where someone gets injured.

Sterling Marlin hangs it up

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Sterling Marlin's career will end with a whimper on Sunday. The marble-mouthed Tennessean will drive a second car for TRG as a teammate to Bobby Labonte this weekend, although I have no idea if he will actually race should he qualify. After that, he is planning on hanging up the helmet. It wasn't that long ago, seven years to be exact, that Sterling had rejuvenated a stagnant career and was in position to challenge for a championship until being injured at Kansas. And now, he is being spit out from the bottom, start and parking much of the past two seasons. How quickly things change.


I'm looking forward to 2010

While I cannot wait for 2009 to be over, I am excited about some of the developments for next season. And not on the Cup side, where it appears as if the start and park epidemic may get worse before it improves. Sure, Nationwide and Trucks have the issue as well, but at least both series seem to have an influx of new teams and drivers for 2010. In Trucks, ARCA champion Justin Lofton will compete full-time for Red Horse Racing, RCR is apparently restarting their team for Austin Dillon, and the new Turner Motorsports will house Ricky Carmichael and James Buescher. At the very least, truck counts should be up to the point where there are only a handful of start and parkers, instead of a dozen. Kyle Busch's plans to start his own team will apparently be put off for at least one year.

Nationwide shapes up even better. Kelly Bires will return to full-time competition with JR Motorsports (although the boss man apparently just realized he didn't have sponsorship for the full season yet, and may only run Bires for a partial schedule). In addition, Buescher, Brian Scott, Trevor Bayne, Colin Braun, and Ricky Stenhouse all will move up to full-time status. This collection of young talent, in addition to some of the guys added this year, will make the series even more exciting next season, even if Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch win two-thirds of the events. Right now, it appears as if Brad and Carl are the only two Cuppers who will be running for the title, but I expect one of them to still win it. Sponsorships remain a tough sell in the cheaper support series, but at least the number of competitive teams appears to be on the upswing entering the new season.

Oh and one other note, the CJM ride, which has housed various drivers since Scott Lagasse left in late summer, is still open for 2010. May I suggest hiring Mike Bliss for the full 2010 campaign, seeing how he gave the car its best performance to date? The combination of Bliss and the 11 team, which receives support from JGR, might be enough to put a dent in the Cup domination.


And finally, is RCR back?

Far from it, but it is encouraging to see Jeff Burton put forth his characteristic quiet top five on Sunday at a track where he has enjoyed much success. Clint Bowyer was also strong (although he usually is at flat short tracks), but Kevin Harvick was absolute junk. This followed top tens for all three at Texas the week before, so they are building some positive momentum heading into the offseason.

In the fast-paced, busy world of NASCAR, it is extremely challenging to make gains on the competition, especially when a team has fallen behind in the middle of the season. RCR, like Roush-Fenway, came out of the gate stumbling in February, and has not had a chance to rectify their COT ills until now. I'm sure it takes a lot of pressure off of Richard Childress entering the offseason knowing that his teams are making progress, but they cannot rest now, or Hendrick and Gibbs will be have their number in 2010 once again. As for Roush, they continue to struggle as an organization, but I expect us to see the new, sleeker four-car unit come out firing in February. Jack Roush won't rest until that team is back as a consistent winner. Two of the Big Four were not so big in 2009, but watch out in 2010.

NFL Preview: Week 10

Week 10 TV Coverage Maps

The second half of the regular season is officially upon us, as everyone with the exception of the off Giants and Texans (the last of the teams to have their bye week) plays their ninth game over the next five days. That also means the return of the Thursday/Saturday night games on the NFL Network, which kick off tonight with the struggling Bears visiting the struggling 49ers. It looks like the league is only going to be lucky enough to have two of those eight games involve two teams with winning records: Giants-Broncos on Thanksgiving night, and Cowboys-Saints in a Saturday night tilt the week before Christmas.

On the topic of scheduling, sometimes I wonder what the NFL is thinking. Take this Sunday's doubleheader on FOX for example. Of their seven games, I would call two of them worthy of receiving widespread coverage. Obviously, Dallas-Green Bay is attractive because of the history involved, and due to the fact the two large fan bases will bring good ratings. But Philadelphia-San Diego is arguably a better matchup. So the league scheduled both games in the prime 4:15 spot. They really did not have a choice with the Eagles-Chargers game, seeing how it is out west, but they could have moved Dallas-Green Bay to 1.

I know FOX is salivating at the ratings from that Cowboys-Packers game in their doubleheader spot, but remember two years ago when the league had the two play on NFL Network as they battled for home-field advantage? This game is not as important as that one, and will receive national coverage outside of Philadelphia, San Diego, Arizona, and Seattle. Moving it to 1:00 as the primary game may have even helped their ratings. Here's why: Detroit-Minnesota, blowout. New Orleans-St. Louis: blowout. Tampa Bay-Miami: teams are a combined 4-12. No thanks. Atlanta-Carolina: an intriguing division rivalry, but with the Panthers' struggles, not worthy of national attention.

So, the league's shortsightedness has left Falcons-Panthers as the only remotely interesting 1:00 game on FOX this Sunday, which will probably force a lot of people over to CBS for Cincinnati-Pittsburgh. And then, they have two good 4:15 games that only people with NFL Ticket will be able to watch in their entirety. Maybe I'm just bitter that I will be missing the Cowboys game thanks to living in the Philadelphia market. But I'm probably not the only one who gets frustrated often with the league's television guidelines and decisions.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Obviously, the big one is Sunday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, as the Colts put their 8-0 record on the line against the 6-2 Patriots. This has been the league's best rivalry over the past several years, and the departure of Tony Dungy has not changed that fact. The Pats and Colts are 6th and 7th, respectively, in the league on defense, but that may not matter in this contest. Both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are playing as well as ever, and still provide all kinds of issues for whomever they are facing off against.

Indy may be 8-0, but their schedule has been kind of easy. And the Pats have not faced a playoff caliber team in over a month. So both teams will be out to make a statement. We know they are for real, but I think each would like to show they are the AFC's best at this juncture in the season. If the Pats can win, it would open the door for themselves, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Denver to make a run at home-field advantage. But if the Colts move to 9-0, everyone stays at least two games back. I'll take the Pats on the road 24-20. I'm under the opinion people are not giving them the respect they deserve.


Other top games:

-Bengals at Steelers: First place in the AFC North is on the line, and Pittsburgh can ill afford to lose after blowing the game in Cincinnati seven weeks ago. That would hand the tiebreaker to the Bengals should they finish in a tie at the conclusion of the regular season. The Steelers dominated the second half on Monday night, and even coming off the short week, I like them to continue building on that momentum.

-Eagles at Chargers: San Diego may be smelling blood with three straight wins on their part and back-to-back Broncos losses. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has to recover following the latest Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb stinker by traveling cross-country. The Chargers haven't really been challenged lately outside of last week against a reeling Giants team, so this is a huge test.

-Cowboys at Packers: Dallas has an excellent shot at entering December 9-2 if they can win at Lambeau on Sunday, considering how visits from the 2-6 Redskins and 2-6 Raiders follow. Can the Packers step up and beat a team with a pulse for the first time since opening night? DeMarcus Ware and the Dallas pass rush could tee off on the Packers' suspect offensive line, making a long day for Aaron Rodgers.

-Ravens at Browns: How the hell did this game get scheduled for MNF? I'll give the league credit: most of the MNF games thus far this season have been intriguing matchups. Not this one. At least the Browns fans are going to make things interesting by staging some kind of protest, a la the Millen Man March in Detroit a couple years ago. If that taught us anything, it is that fan protests usually do not produce the desired results. Either the majority of fans have given up on the team and don't care enough to try to make a point, or the organization covers their ears and pretends not to hear the attacks.

College Football: Week 11

The Big 10's dream came true last Saturday when Ohio State handily defeated Penn State, setting up an unofficial conference championship game for the league's Rose Bowl berth in the Horseshoe against Iowa this Saturday. The Hawkeyes had their eyes on much more, specifically the BCS title game, a week ago. But oh how things change in a hurry. Starting QB Ricky Stanzi hurt his ankle on Saturday, will miss the rest of the regular season, and Northwestern pulled off an upset, dropping Iowa from the rank of the unbeatens. Regardless of the turn of fortune in Iowa City over the past few days, this game will still decide the Big 10, and is my game of the week.



For the Hawkeyes to have any chance of winning this game, they are going to need true freshman James Vandenberg to play a heck of a lot better in relief of Stanzi than he did against the Wildcats. They are also going to need solid production out of the running game, something that has not happened since Adam Robinson went down for the season with an injury a couple weeks back. This will be a tall task against a strong defense in a hostile environment.


Ohio State clearly has their chests out after playing a complete game in Happy Valley, but they cannot get too confident against an Iowa team that may be down, but is not out. Terrelle Pryor, as usual, holds the key. If he doesn't turn it over, the Buckeyes should win. If he does, Iowa may go back home with an upset. This will be a defensive game, but I think based on what transpired this past weekend, I have to go with Ohio State 24-10. Momentum is on their side.


Oh by the way, this will be another important Big 10 game relegated to regional 3:30 coverage against an SEC game on CBS. I complained about the Ohio State-Penn State game being at 3:30 last week, and apparently there is a reason. The Big 10 does not allow night games in November. What the hell? Is this 1959? Are they afraid the town troublemakers are going to go around pillaging while everyone is in the stadium under the dark of night? No wonder a lot of people think this league is antiquated: slow white guys at skill positions, vanilla offenses, and no night games at the pinnacle of the season.




Elsewhere this week, I would keep my eyes on these other games:



-Utah at TCU: The Horned Frogs are currently in a position for their first BCS at-large bid, but they still face one major hurdle: a vistit from the only other undefeated team in MWC play. The Utes would also be in a position for the chance of a second consecutive BCS berth had they not lost at Oregon early in the year, but a win here would put them in the driver's seat to at least win the league crown. Boise State is probably about the biggest fan of Utah right now, considering how I don't believe the BCS is going to select two mid-majors, even if their rankings warrant doing so. I like TCU's defense, and I think they make a final push for that BCS bid in a 21-17 win.



-West Virginia at Cinncinnati: These next three games are interesting contests that could turn into upsets for the remaining unbeatens. The Mountaineers are no pushover, and can score in a hurry with guys at the skill positions like Noel Devine and Jock Sanders. And the Bearcats are coming off what had to be a draining 47-45 win over UConn on a slightly short week. This game is on Friday the 13th, so anything can happen.



-Florida at South Carolina: The Gators' offense has struggled this year without Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, especially in the red zone. Who is Superman now, Tebow? And the Gamecocks have a pretty good defense. If they can find a way to score some points against Florida's own tough D, this one could be an upset in the making.


-Alabama at Mississippi State: MSU is probably not going to go to a bowl in Dan Mullen's first
season, but they have been competitive. I see them giving Bama some trouble, much like they did against Florida. And the Tide may be still recovering from the big win over LSU, while looking ahead to the Iron Bowl in two weeks (they play Chattanooga next week, but I don't foresee any issues there).


-Stanford at USC: With Oregon losing to the Cardinal last week, it has opened the door back up for these two teams in the Pac 10 race, although the Oregon-Arizona game next week will still likely be the one that determines who goes to the Rose Bowl and who does not. Stanford proved themselves as legit last week, but could still use a big road win. They are 1-3 away from home this season (6-3 overall), and that win came against a Washington State team that would probably lose to a few high school squads out there. And SC is obviously looking for revenge after the embarrassing loss to the Cardinal at home two years ago, when Stanford was one of FBS' worst teams, and the Trojans one of the best (USC did win in Stanford 45-23 in 2008).


-Georgia Tech at Duke: Tech clinches the ACC Coastal's berth in the conference title game with a victory, but this is not your older brother's creampuff Duke team. They are 5-4, 3-2 in ACC play, and have earned a game on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 for the first time I recall in the roughly 15 years I have followed the ACC. The bad news: thanks to scheduling two FCS opponents, they have to win seven to be bowl eligible, and Miami is also on the remaining schedule. Surely the world is going to end in 2012: Duke currently has a better record than Florida State.




THURSDAY 11/12:
Ball State at Northern Illinois, 6 (ESPNU)
#23 South Florida at Rutgers, 7:30 (ESPN)


FRIDAY 11/13:
West Virginia at #5 Cincinnati, 8 (ESPN2)
Temple at Akron, 8:30 (ESPNU)


SATURDAY 11/14:
Tennessee at Ole Miss, 12 (CBS)
Michigan State at Purdue, 12 (ESPN)
#7 Georgia Tech at Duke, 12 (ESPN2)
Florida State at Wake Forest, 12 (ESPNU)
Northwestern at Illinois, 12 (ESPN Classic)
#13 Houston at UCF, 12 (CBS College)
#2 Texas at Baylor, 12 (FSN)
Indiana at #19 Penn State, 12 (BTN)
Michigan at #21 Wisconsin, 12 (BTN)
South Dakota State at Minnesota, 12 (BTN)
Missouri at Kansas State, 12:30 (Versus)
#22 BYU at New Mexico, 2 (The Mtn)
#1 Florida at South Carolina, 3:30 (CBS)
#15 Iowa at #10 Ohio State, 3:30 (ABC/ESPN)
#12 Miami (FL) at North Carolina, 3:30 (ESPN/ABC)
Nebraska at Kansas, 3:30 (ABC)
#25 Stanford at #11 USC, 3:30 (FSN)
Idaho at #6 Boise State, 3:30 (ESPNU)
Delaware at Navy, 3:30 (CBS College)
UNLV at Air Force, 6 (The Mtn)
#3 Alabama at Mississippi State, 7 (ESPN)
Auburn at Georgia, 7 (ESPN2)
Texas A&M at Oklahoma, 7 (FSN)
#18 Arizona at California, 7 (Versus)
Louisiana Tech at #9 LSU, 7 (ESPNU)
#16 Utah at #4 TCU, 7:30 (CBS College)
Notre Dame at #8 Pittsburgh, 8 (ABC)
Texas Tech at #17 Oklahoma State, 8 (ABC)
Wyoming at San Diego State, 10 (The Mtn)
Arizona State at #14 Oregon, 10:15 (ESPN)


Rest of the top 25: #20 Virginia Tech at Maryland; #24 Clemson at NC State

God bless Sam Hornish's problems with keeping a stock car headed in the right direction

Just when we thought it was over, the championship race got interesting again after Sam Hornish took out Jimmie Johnson on the third lap at Texas yesterday. Mark Martin is now within a very workable 73 points, and Jeff Gordon is just 112 back. The only problem: they have to find a way to make up those points in two races on a team that rarely has two poor races in a row. Johnson is probably going to still win his fourth straight Sprint Cup, but at least I now have a reason to watch intently the next two Sundays. Just Sprint Cup racing on ABC was not enough to keep my attention (now if it was on FOX or TNT, I would watch regardless). Jimmie is now just one more run-in with a Hornish, Robby Gordon, or Michael Waltrip from being out of the points lead.

Normally, Sideways Sam would probably be viewed as a pariah for taking out the points leader, but I think in this case, a lot of fans are hailing him. Most people are tired of the 48 team stinking up the show. Hornish made a lot of progress in 2009, but still is prone to the quite frequent accident. The lap 3 incident did not do him in on Sunday, but one about 80 laps later put him in the garage for good. Roger Penske is probably not going to have much more patience for the accidents entering next season, especially considering the fact that teammate David Stremme was a 180 MPH bumper car in 2009, and his replacement, Brad "Special K" Keselowski (or Krashalotski) sometimes gets over his head and either wrecks others or himself. Poor Kurt Busch. They might just have to start calling his teammates the Bash Brothers in 2010.

NFL Preview: Week 9

Week 9 TV Coverage Maps


This has been a year of the haves and have nots in the NFL. There is certainly an abundance of really good teams, and an equal amount of teams that, frankly, suck. In turn, we've seen our fair share of blowouts in the first eight weeks of the season. Week 7, which I thankfully missed most of, had 9 of 13 games finish where the margin of victory was more than 10 points. Some of the barnburners included the Colts ripping the Rams 42-6 and Packers beating the Browns 31-3.

Thankfully for fans who may be disappointed by the competition thus far in 2009, Week 9 sets up quite nicely with an extensive list of games that should be close. It also helps that the Raiders, Browns, and Rams are all bye this week, joining the more competitive Bills, Jets, and Vikings on the sidelines. Even the winless Buccaneers, who are embracing their terrible start to the season by breaking out the creamsicle orange jerseys that they stunk with for much of their first two decades in the league, stand somewhat of a chance this week at home against the Packers. Six of the 13 games pit two teams with winning records, while three games feature two teams below .500 (Kansas City-Jacksonville, Tennessee-San Francisco, and Detroit-Seattle). I had trouble picking just one game of the week, so I'll give a quick thought on each of the six games featuring two teams above .500.

Cardinals-Bears: Arizona didn't exactly play their best game against Carolina a week ago, but thankfully for the Cardinals, you get a bunch of second chances during the journey we call a season in the pitiful NFC West. Chicago has been underwhelming this season, and could use a win heading into a short week that takes them out to San Francisco on Thursday night for a Mike Singletary reunion. Games with Philadelphia and Minnesota follow.

Ravens-Bengals: I'm sure the Ravens still have a bitter taste in their mouth from the last-minute loss at the hands of the Bengals a few weeks back. But they are riding high off a rousing 30-7 win over the previously undefeated Broncos. At 4-3 and a game behind Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, they sure could use a road win on Sunday. As for Cincinnati, the next two weeks, with a visit from Baltimore and a trip to Pittsburgh, will play a huge role in determining the fate of their season.

Texans-Colts: Houston was a chic pick to be the surprise of the league in 2009, and after a
slow start, they have rebounded to sit at 5-3. That certainly puts them in position to challenge for a playoff berth, but as far as catching the undefeated Colts in the AFC South? Good luck. The only impressive team they've beaten is Cincinnati, so this a huge test for a franchise still looking for their first ever winning season, let alone playoff berth. And they'll have to do it without TE Owen Daniels, who tore his ACL against Buffalo.

Chargers-Giants: New York's secondary has been gutted by three quality opponents in a row, and Phillip Rivers certainly can distribute the ball to his receivers. The last thing the Giants needed right now was facing a fourth straight strong offense in a row, so there will likely be little recovery this week for the maligned secondary. But San Diego is known for their inconsistency, struggling to close out the Raiders a week ago.

Cowboys-Eagles (SNF): Philly fans are probably going to still be mad at losing the World Series, so I am sure they will give their most hated rival all the heckling they can handle. Especially after last year's Week 17 44-6 debacle, which sent the Eagles to the playoffs and the Cowboys to the golf course. This is always a great rivalry, and that only intensifies when a lot is on the line. It may be only Week 9, but snatching first place in the NFC East could set the tone for the second half of the season for Dallas or Philadelphia. As for those critics of Tony Romo's big-game ability, I am not too worried on that front. He usually doesn't start stumbling in important scenarios until December.

Steelers-Broncos (MNF): Eight weeks ago, this did not look like one of the more attractive Monday night games of the season, but the frog has turned into a prince and what we have is a battle between two of the AFC's top teams. I believe Kyle Orton has been overacheiving, and is due to return to mediocrity at some point. No better candidate than against the Steelers' defense. Denver still has their doubters, so this is another chance to convert them to believers.