Spurrier to Alabama?

This rumor is juicy only because he's the biggest name in college football coaching (yes, ahead of Carroll, Weis, Meyer or any of them). Let's see... Pros: More money; more prestigious program. Cons: Dick move to S. Carolina. Yep: I think he'll go. Thoughts?

Thursday 11/30 A.M. Quickie:Oden, Naqi, Pujols, BCS and More!

Wait: So Ohio State lost last night at UNC, yet the Buckeyes should still be No. 1? How can I explain that? Two words: No. Oden.

The hot new NFL feud? Frustrated Giants DE Michael Strahan vs. intrepid ESPN reporter Kelly Naqi.

Strahan has her on height and weight, but Naqi clobbers him in reach: There's no way that a disgruntled NFL player will win a battle with a reporter asking what all fans would agree was a perfectly reasonable question about how badly his team is fractured due to sucking so badly.

Pujols is a whiner: Albert Pujols thinks that the MVP award should go to a player on a playoff team. It's a criteria that some voters choose to apply, but thank god it's not some sort of binding rule.

Pujols is afflicted with "Michael Jordan MVP Curse" (the idea that one staggeringly amazing player could be the MVP *every* year, but that voters would rather have variety than reflect reality). This won't endear Pujols to voters.

(By the way, LeBron James set a new record last season for earliest application of MJ MVP Curse. He was the best/most valuable player in the NBA, but he's SO good that voters discounted his candidacy.)

T.O. supports Vanderjagt. That should be the next fill-in duo for PTI.

Did the Red Sox sign Japanese lefty RP Hideki Okajima to grease the skids to sign Matsuzaka?

The BCS is OK if the Rose Bowl wants to pair Michigan in a rematch with Notre Dame. It's just the rest of us who will hurl.

I think that voters for the Walter Camp Award (for best CFB player...like a very poor man's Heisman) should pick Hawaii QB Colt Brennan simply because that would be awesome.

Bill Cowher doesn't want the NC State football job. Well, no shit.

Speaking of the college football coaching carousel, I highly recommend the coverage on AOL Sports' Fanhouse, particularly the Alabama coverage. Jamie Mottram of Mr. Irrelevant blog-fame has created a collective that is absolutely sizzling right now.

NBA Mania: Jazz beat Spurs, prove ultimate legitimacy. Mavs win 11th in a row. Magic win 5th in a row. Knicks finish November on pace to win 29 games and shatter Larry Brown's win total from last season.

NBA First-Month Awards: I was going to save my NBA first-month awards for a separate item, but I'm going to put them down now:

MVP: Dwight Howard
Rookie: Craig Smith
Coach: Jerry Sloan
Most Improved: Kevin Martin

-- D.S.

UNC beats Ohio State:Who's College Hoops' No. 1?

Who's No. 1 in college hoops?

Ohio State lost at UNC last night in the most high-profile game of the new season. And after watching it, I'm convinced that the No. 1 team in the country is...

Ohio State. (Yes, even though they lost.)

Consider this one factor: Ohio State was playing without Greg Oden, who is not only their best player but who is also the most talented player in the country (if you believe players who are a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft -- for three straight years -- qualifies one as "most talented.") Presumably, Oden, who was sitting on the bench, just got hungrier.

If the Buckeyes can keep up with full-strength UNC -- in Chapel Hill and without their own best player who doubles as potentially the most dominating player in the country -- I'd say that if the Top 25 is supposed to reflect previous performance plus future potential, the Buckeyes have a serious claim as the team to beat.

(Combine this game with the one that OSU will play in late December at Florida -- again without Oden -- and we'll have a great idea of the baseline that OSU is at compared to the elite teams before they add Oden into the mix.)

The game last night said more about the jaw-dropping potential for this Ohio State team next March than it did about UNC. In a rematch in the Final Four next spring on a neutral court with Oden at full strength, would anyone really want to pick against OSU?

More Quickie-style stuff coming later this morning...

-- D.S.

This Week in the NFL: Is It Thursday Yet?

"Is It Monday Yet?" is probably the best (if most ubiquitous) sports-ish ad campaign of the year. (Any other nominees for sports-ish ad campaign of the year? "Man Law?" "Mac vs. PC?" Madden '07? Put them in the comments.)

But "IIMY?" has created the "Is It [Blank] Yet?" phenomenon: Throwing the catchphrase out there for any day of the week where you can make a case.

And I'd say that "Is It Thursday Yet?" has jumped to the forefront of fan consciousness. Last week's Thursday NFL games didn't seem as novel as this week's; you expect Thursday games during Thanksgiving week.

But the game tomorrow night (Ravens at Bengals) is sitting right out there, enlivening an otherwise fairly slow week in sports (CFB coaches firings, MLB hot stove). Except for this one, terrifically important factor:

Because of the Thursday game, your fantasy football lineup has to be finalized by tomorrow mid-day at the latest (and I would imagine that most of you have your lineups finished by end of business today).

There's a cognitive break there: After a season of not having to really make the hard FFL choices until Friday (if you do your FFL at work) or Saturday (if you do your FFL at home), all of a sudden you've got to set your roster by midweek.

Does this "TNF" phenomenon make an otherwise "hump day" Wednesday any less... um... humpy?

You know what? Actually, it does. Thursday Night Football has done what Monday, by definition, can't: By starting the next football week three days early, it has broken up the "real-life" week.

Is It Thursday Yet?

(By the way: It's a pretty damn good game, too: The AFC's surprise team of the year -- Baltimore -- against the team everyone thought was due for a breakout year, but instead is in a near-must-win to make the playoffs -- Cincinnati. Too bad I live in NYC and won't be able to see the game on my cable network. Pick: Bengals.)

-- D.S.

Wednesday A.M. *VERY* Quickie

I have to take my son to daycare this morning, so I won't be able to weigh in fully until later in the morning. For now, here are a few things on the radar this a.m.:

*Big East/ACC Challenge: It's obvious now that Maryland is painfully underrated at No. 21. They won the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament and, last night, became the first non-conference team to win at Illinois since 1998. Are the Terps this year's Gators? (I thought Maryland's women's team -- defending champ, all five starters returning -- was this year's Gators?)

*BCS bowl picks: Specifically, which way will the Rose Bowl go if USC beats UCLA? Word is that they'll take LSU. But wouldn't it make more sense if the Sugar Bowl didn't *automatically* get the SEC champ (if they're not in the BCS title game), so we could see a real "3-vs-4" game? 3-vs-5 is nice, but not the same.

(Of course, if Florida loses to Arkansas in the SEC title game, then LSU *will* be the No. 4 team. Look, can we all simply agree that the answer should be: "Anyone But Notre Dame.")

*MLB Hot Stove: The Red Sox signing JD Drew is only interesting in that it catalyzes the trade of Manny Ramirez out of Boston. Speaking of Boston, MLB won't let them apply their $51.1M posting bid to Matsuzaka's actual contract -- some rare common sense from MLB.

(Meanwhile, the Yankees won the bid on a Japanese pitcher with half the posting price but more than half the talent. It doesn't take an MBA to see the relative value there; it remains to be seen whether EITHER pitcher will be worth the huge outlay of cash.)

*More Hot Stove: Who else thinks that the White Sox are robbing the Angels by potentially getting rising starting pitcher Ervin Santana (and Chone Figgins) for Joe Crede and Freddy Garcia? "The Other" Santana could end up nearly as good as "The Cy" Santana.

*Obligatory Bama Coaching Watch: Hiring Rich Rodriguez from WVA makes a ton of sense...for Alabama. For RR? Hardly: His best players are only sophs and the Big East/unbeaten season is his for the taking in '07 *and* '08. And don't you think better jobs than Bama (perhaps offering even more money) will open up between now and then? (Yes, I'm looking at you, Florida State. Yes, FSU is a better job than Alabama...uh, I think.)

More later. Feel free to throw your own intriguing storylines of the morning/day into the comments.

-- D.S.

Update: How about the B&B owner-turned-Raiders O.C. getting yoinked from play-calling duties? If you didn't see that coming when TK hammered on it on MNF in the preseason, you weren't paying close enough attention.

And how about the NFL fining Mike Vick $10K for his middle finger(s). That's $5K per finger, right? There is nothing as impotent as monetary fines in pro sports.

And, since I'm always on the lookout for sports-media beefs and feuds, did anyone else catch Yahoo Sports columnist Dan Wetzel's shot across the bow of my former colleague Bill Simmons in Wetzel's interview with The Big Lead, published yesterday? (These must-read interviews with online media types are becoming TBL's signature.) It's a classic example of Rule #1 of feuding: Always take your punch in the direction of a higher weight class.

Re-Evaluating the Comment Situation

Quite a terrific string of comments (100+) on today's main a.m. post. Here's my question for those of you who comment regularly: Would it make sense for me to put each substantial-ish item in its own post, so all the comments will stay on one topic? Or do you find it fairly easy to follow your particular comment string, even when other comment strings are going on around you? I'm happy to keep things how they are, but I just wanted to give you all a chance to revisit how it's handled.

Tuesday 11/28 A.M. Quickie:Mike, Mac, Magic, Manny, More

The Top Stories on the Radar This A.M.:

*Should the Falcons trade Vick!
*McGwire WON'T make Hall in '07!
*How low has Brett Favre sunk!
*Are the Magic the NBA's best!
*Are the Sox crazy to trade Manny!

Vick's Dirty Bird, Day 2: He says he's sorry and – really – the hubbub over the gesture itself is overblown. But what's not overblown is that this incident symbolizes his fractured relationship with fans and begs the question: Is it time for the Falcons and Vick to part ways?

Here's the crux of the debate: As a fan, would you rather win a Super Bowl or get to watch arguably the most exciting player in the league every week?

Because the Falcons won't win a Super Bowl with Vick as QB. On the other hand, he is the city's greatest sports icon and one of those rare athletes who could do something ridiculous on any given play.

But that makes him Vince Carter or Allen Iverson or Ken Griffey (in his prime): Individually brilliant but highly unlikely to actually lead their team to a championship. It's not a bad strategy to focus on putting asses in seats -- but at the cost of a title?

McGwire/Hall a Non-Starter? He's got virtually no chance at induction this year if the AP's research is right. They polled 20 percent of all voters; only 25 percent of those said they would vote for McGwire's entry into the Hall. That seems statistically significant enough to suggest that he's got no shot in '07. (But will they continue to reject him annually or is this some sort of first-year punishment?)

Seahawks beat Packers in Seattle snow: You would think that the Packers would have the edge in the snow, particularly given that it was Seattle's first home game ever in the snow. Alas, it's yet another symbol that Brett Favre – who used to slay in those conditions – is long over the hill. Meanwhile, get Shaun Alexander into a cold-weather city: He had a season-high 201 yards churning in the snow-slop.

Magic beat Jazz in Utah: Raise your hand if you predicted the Magic and the Jazz to have the best records in their respective conferences nearly a month into the NBA season. No one? Exactly. Meanwhile, the Magic did it by beating the Jazz at their own game: Rebounding. Orlando outrebounded the Jazz (who lead the NBA in rebounding margin) by 43-36. Dwight Howard -- my pick for first-month MVP -- continued to dominate (21 pts, 16 reb). But letting preps turn pro is SO bad for the game...

Manny being... moved? I know Manny has wanted out of Boston for years, but who else (particularly Red Sox fans) can't see a good outcome for the team's offense if they trade Manny away (rumored to the NL)? JD Drew had a fine year, but – come on – he's no Manny. And David Ortiz will feel that directly.

More Quick Points:

So Eli hates Plax? He joins the rest of us. Between drafting Manning and signing Burress as a free agent, is there a more pitiable GM than NYG's Ernie Accorsi? Don't let the door hit you on the way out to retirement.

Cowboys cut Vanderjerkoff: But only after giving him a $2.5 million signing bonus. Worst NFL offseason signing of the year?

Jay Cutler will make Broncos fans forget about Jake Plummer before the end of the first quarter next weekend.

Bulls uphold no-headband policy: This could be the stupidest decision of the NBA season. How out of touch does the Bulls management want to be? And to tick off their cornerstone free-agent acquisitions? Mind-boggling.

No one wants the Bama job? Understandable. Spurrier feels like he's got a better shot of winning an SEC title at South Carolina. Saban feels like he has nothing left to prove at the college level. They need to skip the "names" and go for young/aggressive/up-n-coming.

Ohio State has pulled a rare double-double: They are ranked No. 1 in the coaches' football poll and No. 1 in the coaches' basketball poll. (Strangely, OSU hoops got fewer 1st-place votes than UCLA.)

Lost in the McGwire/HOF mess is that there is absolutely no excuse for Ripken and Gwynn not to make the Hall unanimously. But you just KNOW there will be some ass-hat voter who abstains on them.

-- D.S.

Monday P.M. Quickie

Cleaning up today's emerging storylines...

Bama job open: I wonder if they'll go after Spurrier and/or Schiano and/or Rich Rodriguez. Whoever it is, there better be some sizzle.

UCLA is new college hoops No. 1: Eh, it's as good as any, I guess. Who else thinks it's a little ridiculous that Butler wins the NIT but only debuts at No. 19? Why don't we ask UNC, Tennessee and Gonzaga where Butler should be ranked?

Saints-Cowboys is NFL 12/10 "flex" game: I believe it was that first Saints MNF game with the boffo ratings that had me saying that the NFL/NBC would absolutely grab the Saints if they could. It's icing that the game will actually be consequential.

Irvin story, cont'd: He's on Dan Patrick right now. Be interesting to hear what he says -- if it makes any sense at all. It might take others to spin it smoothly for him.

Update (3:17 p.m.): I've tossed in a Comment on this post that includes my Heisman ballot. Here's a sneak peek: (1) Dwayne Jarrett, (2) Darren McFadden, (3) Troy Smith. Please don't get me started on Troy Smith, who is the 2006 version of Geno Torretta: A Heisman leader simply for being the QB of the overwhelming No. 1 team. (More recent analogue: Troy Smith = Ken Dorsey.)

Mark McGwire: In or Out of Hall of Fame?

Mark McGwire is on the Hall of Fame ballot. I'd like to know what you would do if you were a voter. Here are your choices:

(a) Yes in 2007
(b) No in '07, Yes eventually
(c) No, never

I'm betting the voter consensus coagulates around Choice B, which seems to me as bankrupt a choice as the voters could make. Essentially, Choice B is punitive, which doesn't seem to be the Hall of Fame voters' job. Who assigned them the role of morality police? (I've long argued that the BBWAA has no business exclusively bestowing Hall status, but that's an argument for another time.)

Voters' choice should be: In or out now? Worthy or not now? Not "Yes, he's Hall-worthy, but just not THIS year because we should make him wait because there's a good chance he was juicing." If you don't think he's worthy because of the taint of steroids, you should NEVER put him in. How will waiting a year change the taint, aside from totally undercutting the intent of the original statement?

My take: If I was a voter, I would vote him in right now, even though I suspect he was a cheating d-bag. The entire era is tainted; to single out McGwire because he's the poster guy for it seems unfair. History, not Hall placement, will judge McGwire and his peers, much like the way that most fans now mock the one-time conventional wisdom that McGwire helped "save" baseball, an analysis that no self-respecting fan or expert can possibly maintain.

Monday 11/27 A.M. Quickie:Blanks, Birds, Backups, Bama, More

After a long weekend where I didn't really have access to a computer, I'm back with a bunch of random thoughts on yesterday's NFL results, plus BCS analysis, college hoops, NBA, MLB Hot Stove and more:

(1) Ravens shut out defending champs: I'm not sure whether Baltimore's crushing win said more about their own legitimacy as a Super Bowl contender or the state of utter oblivion for the Steelers. Probably a little of both.

(2) Tomlinson for MVP: After his 3-TD game yesterday (2 rush, 1 pass), LaDainian Tomlinson has created a situation where everyone else is playing for 2nd place in the NFL MVP race. (LT needs 5 TDs in 5 games to break Shaun Alexander's single-season TD record. That didn't take long. He might do it in 2 weeks. In 5 games, he might seat an unbreakable standard.)

(3) Giant collapse: I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like the Giants' 21-point 4th-quarter collapse. But I do know that Vince Young put on a show worth vaulting him into the Rookie of the Year race.

(Speaking of Rookie of the Year, does Redskins QB Jason Campbell count? It's not like he had ever played before last week. And this week, he's leading the Skins to a win, improbably calling his own game-winning play when his helment radio fizzled out.)

(4) Bears lose to Pats: Is it time for the Bears to bench Rex Grossman?

(5) Vick's flick (-off): The image of the week was of Michael Vick flipping off (with TWO hands!) the boo birds in Atlanta. They're not booing you, Mike. They're booing the frustration of watching a losing team. They don't REALLY want you benched for Matt Schaub... do they?

Star of the Week: Drew Brees.
Moron of the Week: Vincent Jackson. (Update: I erred here. It probably should have been Michael Irvin for his Romo comments. In and of itself, it may or may not be worthy of getting him canned, but -- more important -- doesn't it simply pile on a body of work that qualifies him for the same fate?)

(Althought, if you read ProFootballTalk's analysis of the Vincent Jackson play, which PFT calls the worst officiating call EVER -- and you know how much I like that superlative characterization -- it's not Jackson who is the Moron of the Week, but the Raiders-Chargers refs.)

Comments Question: What were your biggest developments of the NFL week?

More on today's top storylines:

BCS Mania: Isn't it refreshing to have some clarity? If USC beats UCLA next week, it's USC vs. Ohio State in the BCS title game. Period.

(If USC loses, the title game appears to be OSU vs. Michigan – unless Florida beats Arkansas thoroughly enough... and there's enough of a backlash from voters about an OSU-Mich rematch... to put the Gators in.)

But when USC beats UCLA (as they inevitably will), the BCS will beat back a controversy this season.

CFB Coaches: Bring me the head of... The last game of the regular season means holiday shopping and the annual firing of head coaches. Miami's Larry Coker was axed a few days ago, which WAS the best job available...

Right up until Alabama fired Mike Shula. Perhaps Steve Spurrier and Greg Schiano weren't interested in the Miami job, but if Bama came calling, you would have to think it would be harder to resist.

(More: NC State fired Chuck Amato. Could Norm Chow be the next head coach? Sounds more wishful thinking than reality. And Michigan State seems ready to hire Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio. Lot of work to do.)

College Hoops: I'd prefer to accept Florida's loss to Kansas as more of a wake-up call for UF (and redemption for Kansas after that Oral Roberts loss) than a signal that Florida is ultimately doomed this season.

Who's CBB No. 1? Speaking of doomed, just try to figure out who really deserves to be No. 1 in the polls this week. Florida? Lost to Kansas. UNC? Lost to Butler. Could the best team in the country really be Pitt? Only if you create your ballot by inertia.

NBA: Spurs are road warriors. The Spurs are only the fourth team in 10 years to start 7-0 on the road. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have claimed the title of NBA's Most Entertaining Team from the Suns. Carmelo went over 30 points... again. Scoring title in his future?

MLB: Matsuzaka, Red Sox far apart. Who didn't see THAT coming? The Sox want to pay $7-8M; Boras wants $15M. Presumably, they'll settle around the $10M originally projectded.

More MLB: Giants targeting Manny? The most awesome upshot of Ramirez going to San Francisco would be the Red Sox signing Barry Bonds to replace him. And I have to say: That's not a terrible idea.

-- D.S.

Thanksgiving Weekend Football Live-Comment Tailgate!

Happy Thanksgiving! If you're online and checking the blog out, be sure to weigh in on Thursday's NFL games (and, if I can't get online, Friday's college football games, too!) Mmm...tryptophans... -- D.S.

NFL, CFB Game Picks: T'giving Edition

Of all the things to be thankful for, sports-wise, during this holiday, there is nothing bigger than the annual tradition of Thanksgiving weekend football. I'm particularly partial to the Lions game on Thanksgiving Day and the slate of college football "rivalry" games. Here are a few picks. (Wednesday A.M. Quickie here, or below.)

NFL Week 12 Picks
Dolphins over Lions: Thanks for the best NFL tradition.
Cowboys over Bucs: Thanks for Tony Romo.
Broncos over Chiefs: Thanks for LJ.
Falcons over Saints: Thanks for wild NFC South.
Jags over Bills: Thanks for giving me a rooting interest.
Bengals over Browns: Thanks for "Rivalry Week."
49ers over Rams: Thanks for coaching fashion.
Cards over Vikings: Thanks for Leinart jokes.
Jets over Texans: Thanks for 30-something head coaches.
Panthers over Redskins: Thanks for nothing, Dan.
Ravens over Steelers: Thanks for Super Bowl Curse.
Chargers over Raiders: Thanks for LaDainian's talent.
Titans over Giants: Thanks for Vince Young's year.
Pats over Bears: Thanks for the Game of the Year.
Colts over Eagles: Thanks for "Chunky money."
Seahawks over Packers: Thanks for "iron" streaks.

CFB Weekend Picks
18 BC over Miami (Thu.)
5 Arkansas over 9 LSU (Fri.)
11 Texas over TX A/M (Fri.)
23 Nebraska over Colorado (Fri.)
3 USC over 6 Notre Dame
4 Florida over at FSU
7 WVA over So. Florida
8 Louisville over at Pitt
18 Boise over at Nevada
13 Oklahoma over at OK St.
15 Rutgers over Syracuse
11 GA Tech over Georgia
17 VA Tech over UVA
19 Tennessee over Kentucky
20 Wake over at Maryland
21 BYU over Utah
South Carolina over at 24 Clemson
25 Hawaii over Purdue

I'll be checking in throughout the weekend, but if you're planning to spend the long weekend offline, have an enjoyable holiday and a fantastic weekend. Happy Thanksgiving!

-- D.S.

Wednesday 11/22 A.M. Quickie:What are YOU Thankful For?

This year it's easy: I'm truly thankful for all of you who were readers of the Quickie who followed me over here to the new blog. I can't begin to express my appreciation, and I hope you've enjoyed reading (and interacting) as much as I've enjoyed putting it together every day. Now, with that out of the way, in the Comments section, I'd like to hear your nominations of what in the SPORTS world to be thankful for. (And, yes: Clever trumps earnest.)

On to the spin on today's top storylines:

Morneau tops Jeter for AL MVP: Doesn't this just reaffirm your faith in humankind (and the usually wacked BBWAA voting system)?

It's always fun to see the "extreme outlier" voters. This time, it was Joe Cowley from the Chicago Sun-Times, who voted Jeter 6th. When he next visits New York, he'll either get a punch (from Yankees fans) or a free drink (from everyone else). Check out this must-read voter analysis from FanIQ.

Is anyone really surprised that T.O. would refuse to send a get-well message to Donovan McNabb?

What does it say when it's news that the Giants aren't going to bench Eli Manning?

College Hoops: Marquette beats Duke. File that away for next March. This Marquette team was underrated, and Duke was... well, Duke was ranked like Duke. But it's a young team not yet ready for prime time. Marquette should be in the Top 10.

Plus: GA Tech beats Memphis, to face No. 5 UCLA tonight. When Tech beats UCLA and becomes everyone's favorite "young team to break out," just know that you and I were already there last week.

(No. 1 Gators win 94-33: I watched this on ESPN Full Court, and it WAS as ridiculous as the score implies.)

NBA: Sizzling Mavs win 7th in a row. Unfortunately, it came at the expense of my Wiz. I'll be home in D.C. for Thanksgiving. Maybe I'll swing by Gilbert's house to try to cheer him up. Plus: Is Kobe ready for an explosion? Scores season-high 40 in win over rival Clips. Plus-plus: Rising prep-to-pro JR Smith has career-high 36 in Nuggets win, which should completely mystify both his fans and haters alike.

The best position to be in? The top remaining free agent available in an exceptionally frothy MLB hot-stove market. Carlos Lee is going to get p-a-i-d by someone. The O's, Phillies and Astros are hot for him.

CFB Awards Finalists: For the Doak (Top RB), give my vote to Arkansas' Darren McFadden, who should be getting more Heisman love. For the Thorpe (Top DB), any choice other than Florida's Reggie Nelson is insane. Obviously, I'm biased, but I've never seen a better defensive player ever.

-- D.S.

There is "Just-ice" in the World:Morneau Edges Jeter for AL MVP

Sometimes you can believe that some things in sports aren't affected by karma -- a balance between good and bad. Then you see Justin Morneau beating favorite Derek Jeter for AL MVP and you realize that there might just be a force bigger than all of us making sure that, from time to time, shocking/amusing/wonderful things happen.

NFL Week 12 Rankings: Chargers Back on Top!

Short week! The schedule compresses for teams, pundits and fans alike. So here's this week's power rankings, as usual submitted without comment (because then you can supply yours). Have I overrated the Chargers? Who are your biggest gainers/droppers this week?

1. Chargers
2. Pats
3. Bears
4. Colts
5. Ravens
6. Broncos
7. Cowboys
8. Panthers
9. Jaguars
10. Saints
11. Bengals
12. Chiefs
13. Giants
14. 49ers
15. Seahawks
16. Falcons
17. Steelers
18. Dolphins
19. Jets
20. Eagles
21. Bills
22. Bucs
23. Rams
24. Vikings
25. Packers
26. Titans
27. Redskins
28. Texans
29. Browns
30. Cardinals
31. Lions
32. Raiders

-- D.S.

Tuesday 11/21 A.M. Quickie:Do the Clothes Make the Coach?

Jack Del Rio looked out of place on the Jaguars sideline last night on national TV. He was nattily dressed in a suit – I'm not sure what really inspired him to do it. (Mike Nolan did the same thing yesterday for the 49ers; his dad used to wear suits and he's wanted to do it since he got the job.)

Del Rio should keep going with the look if it will inspire results like last night's 26-10 thumping of the suddenly reeling Giants, who got all of 26 yards on 10 carries from Tiki Barber. (Maybe he should retire.)

It begs the question what looks more out of place on the sidelines: Suits or sweats (as favored by a guy like Bill Belichick)? Beli's hoody took on mythical properties during the Pats' run – he was the monk who didn't care about his looks, only winning. When they lose, of course, he looks like a schlub.

Ohio State's Jim Tressel looks like a dorky dandy in his sweater-vest and tie, but as his team streaks to the national title, it's easy to imagine other coaches adopting the look. (Does a QB with the skills of Troy Smith come tailor-made with the fashion package?)

I guess the lesson is that when a coach is winning, whatever he is wearing looks good.

More big storylines for today:

AL MVP: Jeter's to lose? Jeter-haters may be rooting for Justin Morneau, but it's pointless. Derek Jeter is going to win his first MVP award; it's an individual honor he was glaringly missing.

The winning difference appears to be his RISP, which was 3rd – and significantly higher than his MVP competitors like Morneau or Ortiz. (Remember when people thought Papi was a lock? Ha.)

NL MVP: Howard tops Pujols. Confirms that Ryan is the new "Face of Baseball." (And only a sophomore!)

MLB Hot Stove: Or should that be "silly season?" Today's latest: Juan Pierre is going to get a 5Y/$45M deal from the Dodgers. There is some funny money being thrown around.

College Hoops: I still can't figure out whether youthful Duke is for real, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them versus Marquette tonight; I think 'Quette is one of the most underrated teams in the Top 25.

NBA: Jazz off to best start ever (10-1) AND they just sold the naming rights to their arena to a nuclear waste services company. (Does that mean we can start calling the arena "The Nuke?")

The NBA highlight of the night? Everyone will be talking about 5-9 Nate Robinson blocking the shot of 7-6 Yao Ming. Hopefully, the video footage will get to YouTube.

Hello: Mavericks (won 6th straight).
See ya: Aaron Rodgers (out for season).

-- D.S.

BCS Mess: My Playoff Solution

Lots of comments in the BCS post below about a playoff system. Here's my two cents:

I have yet to hear of a playoffs concept that actually works in a way to avoid controversy. A 4-team playoff is a complete joke and shows absolutely no insight by anyone who advocates it as a way to avoid controversy. If you think finding a 1-vs-2 is hard, try figuring out if the 2/3/4 teams are better than the 5/6/7/8 teams.

Similarly, an 8-team playoff is too few in a lot of ways: Either some conferences are excluded or some worthy "at large" teams are excluded. And picking the field is brutal: The difference between teams ranked 2-15 can negligible. You can usually make an argument that a team ranked in the high teens might be as good as the one ranked No. 8. Regardless: Significant controversy continues to exist. And isn't the goal of a playoff to eliminate controversy? If we're still going to have controversy, we might as well keep the existing system.

16-team playoffs begin to get there, but if you thought it was hard to distinguish the teams at the margin of a 4- or 8-team playoff, try arguing that No. 15 or No. 16 is decisively better than Nos. 17-25. Plus, I defy you to find an AD who will allot four weeks to play a playoff AFTER a full regular-season. Again: College football is going to have MORE scenarios like this season, not less. If eliminating controversy is the goal, then let's REALLY let the teams play it out on the field.

I still like my old idea, where the only people who get screwed are the ADs more concerned with money than with the game. It's very simple: Create a half-season-long playoff that lets everyone in and therefore produces the most meaningful, least controversial champion. It's unrealistic, but only because the powers-that-be lack the imagination to see its genius:

(1) Increase the number of D1-A programs from 119 to 128.

(2) Play 5 regular season games: Your annual "tradition" games, your homecoming, your cupcakes, whatever. This also allows teams to find their stride.

(3) National Bye Week. Rank all 128 teams, using the same committee system that fans have come to accept for college basketball. Except this committee is NCAA officials, media and a few computer gurus. Place into four 32-team regional brackets.

(4) Play Week 6. Number of playoff teams remaining afterward: 64. Losers are eliminated and have 24 hours to cut deals to play each other in Week 7.

(5) Each week, the bracket advances along. Winning teams move on to the next game on their bracket. Losing teams are eliminated and may cut deals to play any other eliminated team the following week, creating an innovative, musical-chairs-style free market of scheduling that will also keep fans engaged.

After Week 7, 32 teams are left. After Week 8, 16 teams are left. After Week 9, 8 teams are left. After Week 10, 4 teams are left. After Week 11, 2 teams are left. (Again, eliminated teams simply pick from the increasingly deep pool of eliminated teams to fill out their schedule.)

(6) Teams that are over .500 are eligible to be selected to play in the 25 different bowl games played in December and early January; bowls may invite any teams they want, again creating a vastly more efficient market than the current system where a team is slotted to a bowl by its conference finish.

(7) The final 2 teams play in the championship game.

The biggest problem is that schools can't finalize their teams' travel or ticket sales plans a year in advance, as they do now. If that's the biggest problem -- but in exchange fans get the best championship tournament in sports and an undisputed champion -- I think fans will take it.

Everyone in, controversy out.

Ryan Howard Wins NL MVP

He deserved it. As I said in an earlier post, he's the new Face of Baseball.

BCS: Ohio State vs.:USC? Florida? (Hint: NOT Michigan)

Being down in Gainesville this past weekend, I had a LOT of time to ponder the state of the BCS. First, here's how it looks like it's going to play out:

If USC beats Notre Dame and UCLA, they will likely jump idle Michigan into that No. 2 spot. (If Florida beats Florida State and Arkansas, they SHOULD jump idle Michigan, too, but likely won't be able to jump USC.) In any other scenario, Ohio State and Michigan play in a rematch.

Everyone's got a reason NOT to be picked:

*USC lost to an unranked team.
*Florida has no "style."
*Michigan had their shot.

I understand the argument FOR Michigan, and it has nothing to do with who they have beaten (a thin list); it's about the "quality" of their single loss -- to the No. 1 team, on the road, by 3 -- which trumps the quality of every other one-loss team's single loss.

Urban Meyer is pretty adamant that, no matter what (even USC getting in the national title game ahead of Florida), Michigan should NOT get another shot in the national title game, that Michigan being there delegitimizes the title game.

I agree with him.

If this was a political race (and, really, it plays out more like that than anything having to do with football – and I'm surprised that teams like USC and Florida don't actually create political-style ads and buy TV air-time to run them to promote themselves), I would hammer the following point if I was USC and Florida:

Michigan had their shot.

Having beaten Michigan already, why should Ohio State have to beat them AGAIN to win the title? If Michigan beats Ohio State in the BCS title game, would Ohio State have a claim to a split national title? After all, that would merely EVEN the season series.

The point is: Michigan had their shot. With no clear No. 2, the team with the LEAST valid claim is the one who just had their chance to win but didn't. With Michigan, we've seen how it played out on the field.

Wouldn't you now like to see how Ohio State would do against a team that has performed as well out of the non-conference as USC? Or against a team that has peformed as well in the sport's toughest conference as Florida?

Michigan had their shot and fell short. (By extension, you could argue that Michigan fans love the BCS system as it currently is and would argue against the idea of a playoff, which every other fan wants. After all, if there WAS a playoff and Michigan lost, their fans -- based on the last 48 hours' lobbying -- would whine that they didn't REALLY get eliminated and that they want another chance. Again, politics-style: Michigan fans are against replacing the BCS system with a playoff.)

Michigan just played in the closest thing that college football has ever had to a real playoff semifinal game, and they blew it. Let's treat it like the de facto playoff it was and leave Michigan behind and look forward: It's time for someone else to get to take their shot against the best.

If USC and/or Florida finish the season equaling Michigan's one loss, then -- all things being equal -- they deserve consideration for the BCS title game ahead of Michigan. Good thing there's a lot of football left to play on the field to help possibly clear this up.

-- D.S.

Monday 11/20 A.M. Quickie:LaDainian, BCS, NL MVP and More

Back from a weekend in Gainesville...

Tomlinson is NFL MVP: LaDainian Tomlinson is this season's runaway NFL MVP. His 4 TDs in last night's 35-27 Chargers win confirms it.

For the record, that makes 19 TDs in his last 6 games; he's the fastest to 100 career TDs in NFL history. Move over, Emmitt and Brown.

(I'm actually kind of curious to wonder if LT's career ended tomorrow, has he already had a Hall of Fame-worthy career?)

McNabb's season-ending injury is obviously yesterday afternoon's huge story. Given the Cowboys' huge win over the Colts, the balance of power in the NFC has shifted dramatically.

Favre's elbow injury is similarly intriguing, but not for any playoff-drive implications – simply for its impact on his 251-game starting streak. (Oh, and Aaron Rodgers sucks.)

Colts no longer unbeaten: Count me among the ones who would argue this is better for the Colts than to clinch the playoffs early and lose all momentum at the end of the season before the playoffs. Just look at last season.

49ers shock defending NFC champs: If you had the chance to buy "futures" in a team's next five years, I'd recommend buying the Niners over buying the Seahawks. Back in January, who would have thought that? (By the way, if there was an NFC MVP award, who else is willing to at least CONSIDER 49ers RB Frank Gore? Team-record 212 yards.)

BCS Update: Ohio State versus...?! Being down in Gainesville this past weekend, I had a LOT of time to ponder the state of the BCS. I have a separate item planned for later this morning, but it looks like if USC beats Notre Dame and UCLA, they'll vault Michigan. Otherwise, Michigan will play Ohio State in a rematch, which I can get behind in theory but think it's an atrocious idea in reality. More on this later.

Spurrier denies rumors he's going to The U. That's all fine and good – he's certainly a great fit being back in the SEC – but he'd be crazy not to jump back to a "brand name" school, let alone one based in Florida. If he had known Miami would be available two years ago before he took the South Carolina job, I think he would have waited for it. (Hell, I think if Miami thought they could get Spurrier two years ago, they would have ejected Coker to make it happen.)

NL MVP: Ryan Howard or Albert Pujols? That's your choice. My vote is for Howard, because I expand the definition of "valuable" to account for the fact that Howard's performance single-handedly kept casual fans' interest in baseball going in the dog days. He has replaced D. Willis as the "Face of Baseball." (Please don't say: "But I thought Jeter was the 'Face.'")

MLB Hot Stove: $oriano to Cubs! So the Cubs ARE committed to spending their way to success. I suppose that in the NL, starting pitching isn't nearly the decisive factor that it is in the AL, so teams can load up on the arms race to try to "offense" their way to the playoffs. (The Cubs need to look no further than the Mets.) The number is staggering: 8Y/$136M, second-largest in Cubs history. Say this: They ain't kidding around.

College Hoops: Georgetown shocker! Lose at campus bandbox McDonough Arena for the first time in 24 years, to Old Dominion. Certainly makes me feel less good about my picking them to the Final Four last week.

NBA: Shaq out 6 weeks after knee surgery. I'll say the same thing about Shaq that I always do when he gets hurt – who cares how many regular season games he plays? Anything less than a complete and total concentration on having him ready for the playoffs is a waste. All that matters is the ring.

"Congrats!" to: Jimmie Johnson, 2006 Nextel Cup Champ. (My one problem with the NASCAR system is that the "champ" can finish 9th in the final race en route to a title. Hardly dramatic.)

"See ya!" to: Rutgers Mania. Sigh. Well, that was fun while it lasted...

-- D.S.