Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Didn't get to this one yesterday, which means that today's will be a monster.

I'll start with the college football results.

Miami (FL) 17, Boston College 14 - Miami's win was enough to earn them bowl eligibility, but not enough to save Larry Coker's job. I suspect his replacement will be Schiano out of Rutgers. BC's loss took them out of ACC Atlantic Championship contention and meant that the division title would go to the winner of Saturday evening's Maryland/Wake Forest game.

Texas A&M 12, Texas 7 - The Aggies' stunning upset over the Horns opened up the door for Oklahoma to win the Big 12 South with a win over Oklahoma State in Saturday.

Louisiana State 31, Arkansas 26 - LSU stepped into this game and showed that they were probably the SEC West's best team, but with the worst schedule. It sets them up for a BCS Bowl appearance (Rose?), and gives them momentum heading into next season, where the stars appear aligned for a BCS Championship run.

Oregon State 30, Oregon 28 - Well, with wins over the Pac 10 Champion and likely BCS title game participant USC AND their in-state arch-rivals, the Beavers have to feel pretty good about the season they had.

Western Michigan 17, Akron 0 - No bowling this season for the Zips. Too bad.

Florida 21, Florida State 14 - It was an important game for Florida to win, but they still needed some help from USC's remaining opponents to storm the BCS title game.

North Carolina 45, Duke 44 - Duke's 0-12 season ends fittingly with a botched PAT against their arch-rival.

South Carolina 31, Clemson 28 - Spurrier's GameCocks continue to march. And the SEC continues to look good in their big three matches with the ACC this weekend.

Virginia Tech 17, Virginia 0 - Tech locks up a spot in the Gator Bowl, and locks their in-state rivals out of the postseason.

Rutgers 38, Syracuse 7 - Don't count Rutgers out of the race to the BCS just yet - they still control their own destiny and they still look like a damn fine team.

South Florida 24, West Virginia 19 - Watching USF's coach fight back tears while he praised his team after their spectacular upset over the Mountaineers reminded me why I love watching sports. As for the Mountaineers, this loss pretty much ends their Big East title (and BCS appearance) hopes.

Mississippi 20, Mississippi State 17 - Not a classic, but it meant everything in the world to these two teams.

New Mexico 41, San Diego State 14 - New Mexico is bowl eligible.

Oklahoma 27, Oklahoma State 21 - And with the victory, the Sooners get into the Big 12 Title game though the back door. Oklahoma has not played their opponent, Nebraska, this season.

Georgia 15, Georgia Tech 12 - The SEC makes it a 3-0 sweep over the ACC, and Georgia puts a happy ending on an otherwise lackluster ragular season.

Louisville 48, Pittsburgh 24 - Who would have thought, coming into this season, that Louisville would need West Virginia to WIN their upcoming game with Rutgers in order to grab the Big East title? Well, it's come true.

Brigham Young 33, Utah 31 - BYU narrowly escapes an upset over their in-state rival.

Troy 21, Middle Tennessee State 20 - And by a single point, Troy heads into the season finale knowing a win would wrap-up a Sun Belt Conference Title.

Boise State 38, Nevada 7 - BSU sent an undeniable message that they are deserving of the BCS Bowl bid they will now receive.

Arizona State 28, Arizona 14 - The Sun Devils can continue to claim the best football program in the state for at least one more season.

Southern Mississippi 42, Marshall 7 - The Golden Eagles emphatically lay claim to the C-USA East division, and the Thundering Herd lose their bid to become bowl eligible. The Golden Eagles beat their C-USA Championship Game opponent, Houston, 31-27 earlier this season.

Wake Forest 38, Maryland 24 - The Demon Deacons are your ACC Atlantic Champions, and they will face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the title game. The two teams have not met this season.

Southern California 44, Notre Dame 24 - An emphatic victory over the Golden Domers has USC on the verge of the BCS Title Game.

Memphis 38, Texas El Paso 19 - I would have thought UTEP would play with some modicum of pride with a possible bowl berth on the line. Instead, they looked like the team with nothing to play for.

NFL Power Rankings:

1. Colts (2) - Joseph Addai finally proved that he is more than capable as the replacement for Edgerrin James.
2. Bears (1) - How do you force 5 turnovers and still lose? Giving up 4 yourself is a good start.
3. Chargers (3) - You want to be beating Oakland a little more emphatically than that.
4. Cowboys (4) - Tony Romo has the Cowboys playing the most impressive ball in the NFC over the last few weeks. I think cutting Vanderjagt was short-sighted, though.
5. Ravens (7) - If Jamal Lewis keeps running like he has been recently and the defense keeps this up, the Ravens will be a tough team for ANYBODY to beat - the 4 teams listed above included.
6. Broncos (4) - Will the Jay Cutler Era rally the team for a late run, or will it send the once-promising season spiraling out of control? We'll find out, but something had to be done.
7. Patriots (8) - That game was so ugly, it had to tie a steak around it's chest to get the dog to play with it.
8. Bengals (11) - Carson Palmer's revival is coming just in time to save my fantasy team's (and the Bengals') season. Now he has to do keep it up against a Baltimore defense that looks like they could stop anybody.
9. Jaguars (6) - The fact that a team that has lost to the Bills and Redskins once and the Texans twice is still in the top 10 says a lot about the current state of affairs in the NFL.
10. Seahawks (13) - Well, with Hasselback and Alexander back in the line-up, Seattle is still a force to be reckoned with in the NFC.
11. Chiefs (14) - Kansas City scored a big win on Thanksgiving, and they get a prep match-up against Cleveland before the big showdown against the Ravens in two weeks.
12. Panthers (9) - Steve Smith's dissapearing act against a Redskins team that has given up big play after big play this season was one of Sunday's hidden storylines.
13. Giants (10) - Just a few short weeks ago, it looked like the Giants might challenge Chicago for the top spot in the NFC. Now, they look like a team that will struggle to make the postseason....
14. Eagles (12) - ...It could be worse for the Giants, however.
15. Dolphins (16) - Joey Harrington walking into Detroit, getting mocked by the PA announcer and booed by the crowd, then trouncing the Lions on Thanksgiving is a textbook definition of Poetic Justice. Seriously, I haven't felt so happy for somebody I have never met since Juan Dixon cut down the net after the Terps National Title in '02.
16. Steelers (15) - Well, that was about as badly as a team can preform. These guys are the reigning Super Bowl Champions?
17. Saints (17) - Just when you thought they were dead and buried, the Saints find themselves alone in first place again.
18. Jets (19) - 6-5, and 4 of their next 5 games are VERY winnable. This could very well be a playoff team.
19. Redskins (23) - The offense is still not ready for primetime, but the defense - and in particular, the secondary - took a giant step forward on Sunday.
20. Rams (20) - At 5-6, they are not out of the playoff hunt - not with the schedule they have left.
21. Bills (21) - That was a nice win over Jacksonville, but I wonder if I should even notice when a bad team beats the Jags anymore.
22. Vikings (21) - Minnesota is in do-or-die mode, and the very bad news for them is this week they are headed to Chicago.
23. Falcons (18) - Apparently Michael Vick thought that he was the one paying hundreds of dollars to sit in the stadium and he had to watch the fans as they fucked everything up, instead of the other way around.
24. 49ers (24) - I want to believe in the 49ers, I really do. But when you follow up an impressive 3 game win streak with a loss to St. Louis - that damages your credibility.
25. Titans (27) - Vince Young has everyone in Tennessee believing - not necessarily n the present, but certainly in the future.
26. Buccaneers (22) - Well, that was just plain embarassing. You'd think eventually they would cover Marion Barber. Or, well, anybody.
27. Browns (26) - The Bengals are still waiting for the Browns to show up.
28. Packers (28) - Well, they played well for a half, then the Seahawks decided to show up, and that was the end of that.
29. Cardinals (30) - It's frustrating to watch them lose, but Cardinals fans have to be encouraged by the play of Matt Leinart.
30. Texans (29) - Wali Lundy led the team with 11 yards rushing on Sunday. Do you need to know anything else?
31. Raiders (31) - Aaron Brooks passed for 187 yards and 2 picks. I'm surprised he did that well.
32. Lions (32) - Things could be worse, Lions fans. I'm just not sure how.

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