12/01 (CFB Saturday Finale) Quickie

*Alabama in a rout.

*Wisconsin over Nebraska, to face Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

*But let's credit UCLA, which rope-a-doped Stanford over match-ups on consecutive weekends and nearly pulled off the upset.

*I sincerely hope that Coaches and Harris Poll voters put Northern Illinois far enough into the Top 16 to get them eligible for a BCS bowl (something Kent State was all but assured had they won last night).

We'll see how many Big 12 coaches who vote in the Coaches' Poll will tank Northern Illinois in order to try to help ensure Oklahoma gets that at-large BCS spot -- and the money for the conference members that comes with it. I'm betting it will be conspicuous.

*Speaking of Big 12, I think K-State rebounds and KO's Texas.

*Stern fines Spurs $250K: Wow, did this story end up capturing a wide audience, both in and out of sports. Maybe that's because what Popovich did was so reasonable and the NBA's reaction so draconian-seeming. I'm Team Pop all the way -- he made a decision in the best interests of his team trying to win a championship, which is in the best interests of the team's fans. (That the Spurs' motley crew of back-ups nearly toppled the full-strength Heat was only a delightful bonus.)

*Reiterating a point from earlier this week, it is a joke if Bonds and Clemens are not elected to the Hall of Fame -- the writers who have self-appointed themselves to "protect" the Hall are doing more to erode its credibility than anything the players themselves might have done.

Enjoy the final real Saturday of college football this season.

-- D.S.

11/30 (Friday) Quickie

*Can't seem to find anyone particularly enthusiastic about the Falcons as a legit Super Bowl contender, which will either lead to post-hoc "Told you so!" or "Should've known!"

*Losing to Notre Dame doesn't diminish my preseason enthusiasm for Kentucky to repeat. ND was as motivated as they will be this season, and Kentucky is still figuring things out. (FWIW, absolutely hated the "black-out" jerseys, but absolutely loved Manti Te'o in the student section.)

*However! What might diminish my preseason enthusiasm for Kentucky to repeat was watching Florida destroy Marquette last night. I'm as self-critical about the Gators as any hater, but last night displayed why Florida should be on the short list of teams with a legit chance not just to make a Final Four, but to win six straight and take a national title: When Patric Young is on, giving the Gators as bullying of a post presence as exists in college hoops, it activates everything else that is great about this team: The stretch-4 (Murphy), the do-the-little-things swingman (Yeguete), the experienced and shot-jacking backcourt (Boynton and Rosario), the heady PG (Wilbeken) and yet another dangerous 3-point shooter (frosh Frazier). This is a very very good team.

*Louisville wins Big East BCS bowl bid: Hard not to love Teddy Bridgewater. And there isn't a hotter head-coaching commodity than Charlie Strong, who would be best-served to skip the mediocre jobs open this winter and wait for next year, pairing with Bridgewater for a run at unbeaten in '13.

*Must-see game of the night: Kent State vs. Northern Illinois, with the winner potentially (likely?) earning a BCS bowl bid, which would be amazing. MACtion!

*Spurs sit 4 starters: I have absolutely no problem with Gregg Popovich giving Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Green a rest at the end of a tough road trip ending in Miami. (Sending them home? Kind of a dick move, but certainly reasonable under the circumstances -- it is self-defeating to "rest" them but have them sit on the bench. I like that he doesn't care what anyone thinks.) What made it all the more awesome was that the short-handed Spurs nearly beat the full-strength Heat -- the game was way more interesting under the Pop-changed circumstances than if everyone played.

*MLB Hot Stove: The Mets are keeping franchise player David Wright for the long-term. He has been and remains the face of the franchise in the post-Piazza era of mediocrity. He will eventually have his number retired by the team -- but is going to have a ton of trouble leading the troubled team to success in the standings.

*More: Nats trade for Denard Span. Near-universal approval for this move -- the kind of thing a contender does to get stronger. Span is great defensively and gets on base effectively, making him a solid lead-off option. The Nats had been looking for a CF for more than a year, and they got a solid option at a reasonable price and without log-jamming the position for up-and-coming prospect Brian Goodwin. This is potentially the position-player equivalent of trading for Gio Gonzalez -- use the stockpile of prospects to help the team win now.

*NFL Week 13 Storylines I Like:
*Good luck to all battling for fantasy-playoff positioning!
Meanwhile, it's not too early for "real" playoff positioning:
*Must-win for Seahawks in Chicago?
*Must-win for the Bucs in Denver?
*Must-win for the Bengals in San Diego?
*Game of the Week: Wait til Monday -- Skins-Giants.

*CFB Saturday -- the final weekend of the season, which is depressing to think about. At least we've got a national semifinal -- Alabama-Georgia winner goes to the BCS title game. The pick is Alabama, in a rout. (There are other BCS bowl bids on the line: Nebraska-Wisconsin for the Big Ten side of the Rose Bowl. I keep thinking I should take Nebraska, but Wisconsin always seems to win these games. Also: Is anyone outside of FSU not excited about the idea of 7-6 Georgia Tech representing the ACC in the Orange Bowl? Imagine Georgia Tech vs. Kent State in the Orange Bowl. Wow.

Enjoy the college football. Enjoy the NFL weekend. More on both weekend mornings.

-- D.S.

11/29 (Thursday) Quickie

NFL vs. Adderall: Like "greenies" two generations ago, let's try to calculate how many pro athletes use/abuse Adderall: 33%? 50%? 75% More? I would always err on the side of "more."

Duke hoops rolls on: I'll admit I was a preseason doubter, but they have the best resume of any team in the country right now.

NFL tonight: Saints-Falcons, which is probably the best Thursday night NFL game you'll get this year. The Saints are in must-win mode if they want even a remote shot at the playoffs; the Falcons need to win to maintain their grip on home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

NBA: I don't think anyone expected James Harden to win in his OKC homecoming, but that's not the point. The point is that he is thriving as an alpha in Houston and Durant, Westbrook and Co. seem to be doing just fine without him. Good for everyone.

New Rivalry: Celtics-Nets? Kind of love that. And love that the Nets aren't taking guff from anyone, least of all the wannabe-bullies from Boston.

CFB Jobs: The day after rumors leak of a huge Auburn offer to Les Miles, he gets a huge extension from LSU. Well played, Mad Hatter.

College football's game of the week? Bama-Georgia for a spot on the national title game, yes, but don't sleep on Kent State vs. Northern Illinois, where the winner could/should end up in a BCS bowl game.

MLB Hot Stove: Did the Braves overpay for BJ Upton? Probably. But he is a second-tier (potentially top-tier) talent in CF and makes Atlanta's lineup better. They needed to overpay, because when they look at the Nationals above them in the NL East standings, they know they have to upgrade offensively.

Wizards win! (Wizards win?!) Wizards win!

-- D.S.

11/28 (Wednesday) Quickie

If I had a Baseball Hall of Fame vote...
Barry Bonds? In. Roger Clemens? In. Sammy Sosa? In.

The more likely scenario? Renegade voters punishing each on their first time on the ballot by withholding support -- for now, maybe forever.*

* - "Forever" defined as "Until enough voters qualify to override the old-school sensibility."

The Baseball Hall's biggest problem isn't letting in would-be cheaters -- there are plenty of those already in the Hall (particularly if you think use of now-banned amphetamines, a staple of baseball from its origins until the moment they were banned a few years ago, should qualify).

The Baseball Hall's biggest problem is that the BBWAA voters responsible for the shrine -- the fans' shrine -- have taken personal moralizing to an absurd place.

Barry Bonds is one of the five greatest hitters in MLB history.
Roger Clemens is one of the five greatest pitchers in MLB history.

It erodes the Hall more to conspicuously not include them than it does to include them with notations on their plaques about the PED controversy that ended up defining their stellar careers.

More:

PED, cont'd: Adderall is the new greenie. Is it so hard to find a doctor to give you a prescription for your "ADD?" That's what most of the league (NFL and MLB) does.

College Hoops: Indiana re-affirms their bonafides by crushing UNC, a team that has spent November proving that preseason hype is meaningless. Meanwhile, I'm intrigued by Michigan -- I'm typically down on Big Ten teams (with a possible exception of Michigan State in March), but they are fiesty. Can't wait for those Indiana-Michigan games later this season.

Conference realignment: ACC adding Louisville. The Cardinals would instantly become the second-best (best?) football team in the league and the second-best basketball team (consider Rick Pitino vs. Coach K at least twice a year). It's a solid add for the ACC -- and another tough loss for the Big East.

NBA: Kobe 40. As he has aged, Kobe has become one of my favorite players. His 40 last night (while battling a cold) was classic Bryant... but I can still enjoy the schadenfreude of the Laker-hater watching them lose to the Pacers at the buzzer.

NFL: Jason Babin will be an integral part -- possibly postseason MVP -- of whichever contender picks him up. Consider that a prediction.

Heisman: Yes, I'd vote for Te'o. No, I'm not happy that I'm with Skip Bayless on this one.

CFB Jobs: Just because Auburn offers Les Miles a job doesn't mean he will take it. I would be shocked if he left an incredible gig at LSU for an iffy one elsewhere in the SEC West.

Meanwhile, Bill O'Brien is staying at Penn State: Let's add the obligatory "...for now." I'll take the under on him fulfilling the duration of his contract -- at some point, he'll do well enough that an NFL team will come calling and he will leave the rebuilding at PSU to someone else. (To his credit, he did a pretty good job in Year 1.)

Suh vs. the NFL: Did he mean to kick Matt Schaub? The league says it's tough to know his "intent," and watching the video it might -- might -- have simply been an accident. Don't get me wrong: Suh clearly meant to kick Schaub somewhere -- it's just not clear he meant to go there. Based on his track record, Suh shouldn't get the benefit of the doubt.

RIP Marvin Miller: One of the Top 10 (Top 5?) most influential people in sports over the past century. Let me join everyone else: That he never made the Baseball Hall of Fame is a stain on the Hall's legacy that will never be fixed, even if they let him in posthumously. Where was the BBWAA morality police on that? Miller enjoyed a meaningful life -- not much more you can ask for.

And also a sad RIP to ESPN's John Zehr, a fixture among the company's digital leadership for a long time and one of the architects of ESPN's digital strategies, particularly mobile. He was also a great person and someone beloved by his colleagues. Condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

-- D.S.

11/27 (Newtonian Physics) Quickie

Now THAT is the Cam Newton we all thought we'd see this season.

Nevermind that it came at the expense of the hapless Eagles -- Andy Reid is as lame-duck as it gets -- but it was a reminder of what made him captivate us in the first place.

Meanwhile, two words: Bryce Brown. Really: Who needs to play college football in a meaningful way?

Nets top Knicks: Let's be honest -- the whole "Brooklyn" thing has worked out pretty well so far. And if cachet mattered -- and in New York City, it most certainly does -- the Nets have the edge, all the more remarkable because the Knicks are having a terrific season so far.

 More NBA: My 6-year-old son's favorite NBA player is Russell Westbrook -- he'll be mimicking that Westbrook dunk and waddle from last night for the next few months.

Johnny Football speaks: I'm torn -- I love this kid, I love what he did with A&M's offense this year and I love the novelty of a redshirt freshman winning the Heisman (although he's the same year in college as Tim Tebow when he won the Heisman as a "true" sophomore in his first year of starting).

But if I had a vote, I would give it to Manti Te'o, the exceptional Notre Dame linebacker. If ND's resurgence has been the story of the season -- and the D has been the story of ND's resurgence -- then Te'o is the face of it.

Let's be honest: Manziel has a lock on the Heisman next season (if "lock" is the same way we felt about Andrew Luck's "Heisman lock" in 2011 and Matt Barkley's "Heisman lock" in 2012.)

MLB Hot Stove: Rays lock up Evan Longoria. He took a bit of a haircut; the team took a bit of a risk. In the end, it's a smart move for both sides, and Longoria should anchor the Rays as an AL playoff contender for a decade. He will go into the Hall of Fame in a Rays cap.

-- D.S.

11/26 (Monday) Quickie

Coming out of the weekend, there are two divergent takes on the dominant topic:

Notre Dame? Ugh.
Notre Dame? Nice!

I would say there is a third way, otherwise known as "How I Learned To Stop Resenting Notre Dame And Begrudgingly Embrace Their Spot In The National Title Game."

Naturally, the rationalization came by way of my native feeling of SEC exceptionalism. In the end, this ND team is built like a great SEC team -- exceptionally stingy D, punishing run-based offense.

Do I think that Notre Dame will lose to Alabama (or, I suppose, Georgia)? Yes, absolutely. This isn't 2002 Ohio State against 2002 Miami, although that is probably the right comp if you like ND.

And yet: Do I think that the team acquits itself well among the recent wannabes who turn out to fold in the face of SEC reality? Yes, absolutely. This isn't Ohio State '06 or Oklahoma '08 or Texas '09.

Let's go back to college football's most fundamental piece of exceptionalism: The sport is better with a nationally competitive Notre Dame.

More power to 'em.

More:

*NFL Team of the Week: NY Giants, who reminded us that they are every bit the Super Bowl contender they were last year -- maybe even more so this year.

(Meanwhile: At some point, the close calls will catch up to Atlanta, and here's betting it happens in the playoffs.)

*NFL Player of the Week: Colin Kaepernick. Is it Kap? Is it Harbaugh's system? Is it simply that ridiculous 49ers D? Who cares -- love this story and love the energy of the soph QB.

*NFL Tonight: Panthers-Eagles. In a lost season for Carolina (and a VERY lost season for Philly), is it too much to ask for Cam Newton to put on a show on national TV?

*NFL Would-Be Controversy: Peyton's head. That the Broncos' (and NFL's?) concussion "test" works right up until it impacts a big star like Peyton Manning, who shrugged it off -- and kept playing.

*CFB, Cont'd: The best story in the sport is that Kent State is on the verge of stealing a BCS bowl slot for the non-BCS leagues, both because KSU is a win over Northern Illinois (itself no slouch) from cracking the Top 16 and because the Big East and ACC are a shambles. And you wonder why the momentum is toward four super-conferences....  (Still: Kent State. Amazing.)

*NBA: Knicks-Nets in their long-awaited Battle for New York. The Knicks are playing well. The Nets are playing better than expected (and quite well in their new home). The game means nothing, and yet -- in a fashion worthy of the city -- it apparently means everything.

*College Hoops: Cal Poly beats UCLA, and that is about as good as it gets for mid-major fans (and people who enjoy UCLA schadenfreude). Hard to believe that a team with the Bruins' talent can't get it together.

*Jobs: Chizik out at Auburn, leading a bevy of open jobs including Arkansas, Tennessee, Colorado, Cal, NC State, Boston College -- hell, even Kentucky is a halfway-decent gig. And that doesn't even consider Oregon if Chip Kelly goes to the NFL. Or the carousel effect if/when Charlie Strong leaves Louisville. You're picking your landing spot if you're Sonny Dykes at Louisiana Tech. Or Alabama assistant Kirby Smart. Feels like there aren't enough good coaches to fill the good spots.

*Fireman Ed quits: Meh. What kind of super-fan bails on a team during its nadir? I appreciate that he is getting into problems with some jerky fans and he just doesn't think it's worth it anymore. But stick it out -- or at least pass it on to an heir.

-- D.S.

11/25 (Notre Dame) Quickie

Here is the reality: Back in August, if you told me that Florida would finish the season playing in the Sugar Bowl with the chance to finish No. 2 in the country, I would have gladly accepted the terms.

Here is more reality: College football is infinitely better with a nationally competitive Notre Dame.

Here is even more reality: Notre Dame SEEMS good, but it is hard to tell -- their schedule is better than the haters like to admit but not nearly as good as its fans like to think.

Here is one more reality: Under the parameters of the current system, it is entirely fair that Notre Dame plays for the national title (even at the expense of my Gators, with an arguably better resume).

Here is one final reality: Folks like to say that Notre Dame is constructed like a championship SEC team -- we will see just how far that facsimile is from reality on January 7 in Miami.

I think the best five teams in the country are -- in some order or another -- Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Texas A&M.

I think the default of putting the unbeaten team at No. 1 is kind of absurd, although the SEC has gotten pretty good at exposing that every January.

I don't think ND is better than any of the four SEC teams I listed above. But they have earned the chance to test that thesis against the most reasonable thing we have to a "best of the SEC."

(For what it's worth, I think Ohio State is the worst example of "But if they're unbeaten, they HAVE to be good!" This is a team that probably couldn't beat any team in the Top 10, let alone Top 2.)

For this week's ranking, I'm going to go with (1) Texas A&M, (2) Alabama, (3) Florida, (4) Georgia, (5) Notre Dame, (6) Stanford, (7) Oregon, (8) South Carolina, (9) Kansas State, (10) Ohio State.

Here's where it gets awkward: A&M is playing better than anyone right now, with the single-best win of the season. But Florida beat A&M head-to-head (at A&M!) and has the best resume of big wins in the country. But Alabama just seems better than Florida, and Georgia beat Florida head-to-head (if carrying very little margin for error). ND is unbeaten but built on a bunch of mediocre "bowl-eligible" teams (except for Stanford, in a game that ND coulda/shoulda/woulda lost).

In the end, Notre Dame gets its shot. Alabama and Georgia get their shot. A&M had its shot and couldn't take down either Florida or LSU -- it only would have taken one. Florida had its shot and couldn't take down Georgia (and needed to rely on flaky Lane Kiffin to fix things).

If Notre Dame can beat the SEC's best, they will have truly earned the title. If they fall short, it's nothing that seemingly strong teams for the past 6 seasons haven't equally failed to do.

In the end, the season may included a 7th straight SEC national title, but the season revolved/revolves around the revival of Notre Dame.

You can feel begrudgingly about it, but you must still acknowledge it.

-- D.S.

11/23 (Awesome Friday) Quickie

RGIII for MVP. Not much more to say about that. What a performance on a Thanksgiving afternoon where everyone is either watching... or following/hearing about his second quarter via Twitter/Facebook during dinner and rushing to the TV for the second half, right after dinner. Ahem.

The Jets are awful: Whether Tebow had broken ribs that made him unplayable or not. That play where Sanchez ran into his center's butt, fumbled and the Pats returned it for a TD couldn't have been more symbolic of the Jets this season.

Texans edge Lions: I absolutely hate that rule where a coach who throws the challenge flag prematurely on an automatically reviewable play disqualifies that play from review.

TCU beats Texas: Let's be clear -- Texas is the third-best team in Texas this season, by a wide margin. Couldn't be higher on the long-term upside of the Horned Frogs (AND Texas A&M). Hell, both might start/end in the Top 5 next season. (Texas? Not so much.)

CFB Today: Some fun rivalry games, plus a less-than-merciful finish on Arkansas' Worst Year Ever, along with a coronation of Nebraska as the Leaders (Legends?) division champ in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, the Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State is one of the best rivalries in college football -- if only Wazzu was up to it this season.

College Hoops: Duke-VCU headlines some really great games today (7 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network). Another good one: Kansas State vs. Michigan from MSG at 4:30. And if you have a limitless appetite, try Creighton-Wisconsin at 10 p.m. on ESPN. Great challenge for Doug McDermott and Co.

You shopping today? If so, best of luck with the crowds.

-- D.S.

11/21 (Thankful) Quickie

Sorry to cut in: 138 points by Grinnell's Jack Taylor. Mind-boggling. Back to it....

A year doesn't go by when I'm not extraordinarily thankful for what I have -- this year particularly so:

*My happy, healthy baby daughter Lucy delivered by her amazing super-mom.

*Taking Quickish and joining the phenomenal team at USA TODAY Sports Media Group.

*Resuming my adjunct career in teaching down here in D.C. at Georgetown.

*Health, happiness and the growth of a network of people I care about.

As it relates to this blog, the biggest thanks goes to you for continuing to stick with me. Your interest is what keeps me going every morning, and I sincerely appreciate it.

Now, a few sports-related things I am thankful for from 2012:
*Tim Tebow's game-winning TD pass in the playoffs.
*The moment my Wizards drafted Bradley Beal.
*Florida football restoring my "win or fail" expectations.
*Florida basketball turning March into a thrill ride... again.
*The Nationals making me a die-hard baseball fan again.
*My two boys turning into crazy sports fans.

Here's to a great year ahead and a reminder to be thankful for everything you have.

More:

*Grinnell's Jack Taylor and "138": It is baffling. Baffling that he would shoot that much. Baffling that his coach would encourage it. Baffling that he actually was pretty efficient. Baffling that little Grinnell could co-opt sports on a day where Indiana and Georgetown played a thrilling college hoops game, Notre Dame made the cover of SI and Mike D'Antoni made his debut for the Lakers.

*College Hoops: As I tweeted last night, the Indiana-Georgetown game was as good as you'll get for college basketball in November. The big takeaway: The Hoosiers aren't so great that it isn't obvious this season is as wide open as it has been in years. And Otto Porter (or possibly Jordan Hulls) -- and not Cody Zeller -- was the best player on the floor.

*Mike D'Antoni's debut: All that matters is what this team is doing in June. Here's hoping the Lakers are entertaining to watch in the 80-odd games until then, but they are a "bottom line" team this year.

*Rutgers joins the Big Ten: My friends at LakeThePosts.com made this point yesterday, and it's spot-on: Rutgers should immediately market to Michigan alums in the NYC area, offering them guaranteed seats to the Rutgers-Michigan game in 2014 if they buy season tickets for 2013 right now.

*College Football: Matt Barkley's backup -- the one who will start for USC at QB against Notre Dame on Saturday -- predicts a Trojans upset. (What: Like you expected him to say "Nah, we're going to roll over.") Good for him. The more mind-games played with the Irish, the better chance USC has of actually fulfilling the upset potential.

If you aren't checking out the blog before the weekend, I think USC will beat Notre Dame on Saturday night, throwing the BCS situation into chaos, because Florida State is going to beat Florida in Tallahassee on Saturday afternoon, opening the door for 1-loss Oregon to get back into the national-title game against the Alabama-Georgia winner (who are we kidding: Alabama).

Meanwhile, I think Michigan ruins Ohio State's unbeaten season in Columbus; TCU upsets Texas in Austin on Thanksgiving; and Oregon takes out its frustrations on Oregon State in the Civil War. It is a GREAT weekend of college football.

*More College Hoops: Was UNC overrated or Butler underrated? Both, obviously. But it is so easy to climb back on the Butler bandwagon. (Your tusch imprint on the seat is probably still there from 2011.) Meanwhile, what the hell happened to Villanova?

*Jobs: Cal fires Jeff Tedford. He'll hook on somewhere -- he could be a head coach for a third-tier BCS-conference team or bide his time as an offensive coordinator, perhaps even in the NFL. I was shocked to see Bruce Feldman say that Cal is one of two jobs that Boise State's Chris Petersen would consider -- between the dominance of Oregon and the establishment of Stanford and what Steve Sarkisian is building at Washington and the wild card of Mike Leach at Wazzu, the Pac-12 North is turning into a tough place to win consistently. (And that doesn't even count rising teams in the South like UCLA, USC and Arizona.)

*Stat of the Morning: The Knicks are 8-1 for the first time in 40 years? Wow.

Enjoy your day -- and Thanksgiving prep. Updates all (long) weekend.

-- D.S.

11/20 (Bigger Ten) Quickie

Now, remember: I'm a Northwestern alum and I grew up very close to Maryland (including a strong rooting interest in Maryland hoops), so I appreciate all sides here.

But the reality is that it is a GREAT move for Maryland (and, arguably, even more for Rutgers), and -- yes -- it is entirely about the money.

Maryland athletics is in terrible shape financially. Joining the Big Ten and its ATM of a cable network will help immeasurably.

From the Big Ten's standpoint, expanding the footprint is mandatory in a "super-conference" world, and it is most ideal to do it in big markets like DC and NYC.

I have no patience for people griping "What about the tradition!?" Those people don't have to finance college athletics. You can lament the end of the Maryland-Duke rivalry while agreeing the move makes sense.

As many have suggested, it is likely the Big Ten isn't done yet. The ideal form isn't 14 -- it's 16. And UNC is the prime target for the league, unless the SEC wises up and nabs them first.

And once the Big Ten is up to 15 -- and presuming the ACC loses a standard-bearer like Florida State to a less-desperate league like the Big 12 -- ACC newcomer Notre Dame may re-think its opposition to joining the B1G.

And if ND isn't interested, I could see the Big Ten going for UVA (great academics, irrelevant media market) or Georgia Tech (great academics, terrific media market) or even Syracuse (great academics, even more of a NYC media influence than Rutgers).

When you acknowledge that the moves are all about money, they make sense.

More:

*49ers find a QB: Alex Smith is solid, but Colin Kaepernick has the potential to be a star. Jim Harbaugh suddenly has a QB controversy, which qualifies as a "quality problem."

*Shabazz Muhammad's UCLA debut: Solid, with plenty of room for upside. But the real revelation is that Georgetown is much better than they were getting credit for (and Otto Porter is a star).

*David Beckham leaving LA Galaxy: By all accounts, his MLS career was a success, if not exactly something that propelled the league into the top tier. But it definitely helped.

-- D.S.

11/19 (Very) Quickie

What to make of NFL Week 11? What stood out to me was that this was a week where teams that are seemingly hopeless gave fans hope.

The prime illustration is the Jaguars, who took mighty Houston to OT... and might have finally proven the Gabbert experiment isn't worth pursuing any further.

No, Jacksonville didn't win, but no one thought they were going to win. This was as close to a moral victory as you'll get in the NFL.

Meanwhile:

*Gronk out with broken arm: Yikes for Pats fans.
*RGIII mania: He was better than ever yesterday.
*Eagles Watch: Is it even a good gig to want?
*Cowboys win: "At least we're .500" is a good season?
*Player of the Week: If not Chad Henne, his opposite number Matt Schaub.
*BCS: Notre Dame-Alabama? Tide by 3 TDs.
*Tennessee fires Derek Dooley: Again, is it even a good gig to want?
*Barkley out vs. ND: Will make Irish getting Kiffin'ed even more epic.
*Kobe triple-double in W: And D'Antoni hasn't even started yet!
*Speaking of triple-doubles: Kevin Durant is so amazing.
*Terps to B1G: If you're a MD regent, do you vote to join Big Ten? Hell yes.*
*Finally, who can't get behind populist new NASCAR king Brad Keselewski?

-- D.S.

* - Yes, as with Syracuse and the Big East, let's lament the end of Maryland's storied ACC basketball legacy, but this is all about football.

11/18 (Oregon! K-State! What???) Quickie

Good god, that's why we love college football. Nights like Saturday, where presumptions are obliterated.

Like: "Kansas State is too solid to lose a trap game at Baylor." They were decimated.

Like: "Well, even if: Oregon will never lose at home to Stanford." They were neutered.

And we are left with a world where Notre Dame is No. 1 -- but needing a win over arch-rival USC next Saturday night to play for the national title. A loss and they're out.

Meanwhile, all of a sudden, the Alabama-Georgia winner of the SEC title game (presumably Alabama) is into the national-title game.

Yes, one week after Alabama and the SEC were both presumed "done."

And I would cackle at the notion that we are a Notre Dame loss to USC and a Florida win over Florida State from Florida playing the Alabama-Georgia winner in the national-title game...

...Except (a) Notre Dame is winning and (b) Florida definitely is losing in Tallahassee to an FSU team motivated by the self-loathing of knowing they missed a shot at the national title game by losing to NC State AND denying their biggest rival a claim.

The thing is: This happens in college football ALL THE TIME. This isn't an exception. It is what affirms college football's regular season as the greatest in all of sports.

And why every Saturday in the fall is booked, noon to midnight. The most incredible things happen.

-- D.S.

11/16 (Friday) Quickie

I'm no fan of Notre Dame, although I acknowledge that college football is better when Notre Dame is competitive.

I love Chip Kelly and what he has done at Oregon (equal parts the offense and the marketing), but -- again -- I find it hard to root for the Ducks.

I am intrigued by Kansas State, but had a hard time actually rooting for them. Then I read the lead WSJ story on them today and it finally clicked for me:

Kansas State is the ultimate evolution of my beloved 1995 Northwestern Wildcats: Not flashy, just solidly effective in all phases.

(It doesn't hurt that of all the teams in the country, only Kansas State fans might lay claim to Northwestern's title of "most historically mocked college football program.")

And so that clarifies things for me, at least as it relates to picking among college football's Big Three: I'm riding with K-State, because they remind me of my favorite team of all time.

More:

MLB: Cabrera tops Trout for AL MVP, as expected -- although it is kind of remarkable how overwhelming Cabrera's win was, almost like the BBWAA voters making a political statement about "those confounding stat-heads and their WARs." Isn't the real problem that we have allowed the BBWAA to "own" the "official" MLB awards?

Buster Posey wins NL MVP: Bet that's not his last.

CFB Weekend: Is it a trap game for Kansas State at Baylor? Yes. Is it a trap game for Oregon hosting Stanford? Not really. Is it a trap game for Notre Dame hosting Wake? No.

CFB Game of the Week: USC-UCLA for the Pac-12 South title? Eh. Does it really matter? The winner gets destroyed by Oregon anyway.

NFL: Anyone else think it's weird that recaps of the Bills' win over the Dolphins last night includes the idea that Miami was some kind of playoff contender? They were/are not.

NBA: With a win over the Spurs, is it finally time to take the (unbeaten!) Knicks seriously? No. The Knicks are fun when they are winning, but that's not the same as being a contender.

NASCAR: Brad Keselowski is your name to know. Barring a huge upset, he is going to be the Chase champ.

MLB Hot Stove: You don't really think that Bud Selig will pull a David Stern and revoke the Marlins' trade, do you? He already framed it as a reasonable baseball deal.

NHL: "Taking a break?" That's a euphemism for "If we don't get serious, the season is over."

Personal: Three months from today, I will turn 40. Anyone ever done P90X? I'm intrigued by the idea of spending the next 90 days whipping myself into some semblance of shape.

-- D.S.

11/15 (Dickey) Quickie

RA Dickey is my favorite baseball story of the past decade -- and it's very possible that he is my favorite baseball story of all time.

It is hard to find something more compelling: The first knuckleball Cy winner. He's 38. As recently as two seasons ago, he was a cast-off (but was also a former 1st-round pick!) He went through enormous personal travails and came through it with the most thoughtful perspective of any athlete in sports.

You can admire him, sit and watch him in awe, cheer away -- the whole thing. I can't understand anyone who wouldn't root for him.

It is the most remarkable Cy Young victory -- probably MLB Award win, period -- in baseball history. Dickey is probably the most accessible athlete in sports -- the most easily relatable.

The award was a foregone conclusion. His season was not -- and it is one we will remember for a long time.

More:

*MLB MVP Awards: I'm all-in on Team Trout (over Team Cabrera). Cabrera is going to win MVP, and it's not like there haven't been absurd MLB award oversights in the past. It's just that you felt that with the increased influence of helpful "advanced" statistics, we wouldn't have such glaring problems anymore. Not giving Trout the MVP qualifies as glaring.

*Not everyone on the Jets hates Tim Tebow -- Shonn Greene is OK with trying something new at QB. (Ryan and Tanenbaum should be, too.)

*Clippers beat the Heat, decisively: It's a long (long, long) way from the first few weeks of the season until June. But qualify the Clips as a contender in the West with a ceiling of, say, getting to the conference finals.

*Magic isn't a fan of Jim Buss or the D'Antoni hiring: Eh. And?

*College Hoops: Florida clobbers Wisconsin. I'm a huge Florida basketball fan, but I am also very critical (self-critical?) of the team. And I found nothing not to love about what happened last night. All it did was affirm that the ceiling for this team is the Final Four, with the floor as a third straight trip to the Elite Eight. Erik Murphy is a match-up nightmare -- a stretch 4 who has the skills to work inside, too.

*The ACC and Orange Bowl's 12-year deal is only interesting for the reality of Notre Dame becoming a permanent resident in the Orange Bowl every year.

*If I'm Shabazz Muhammad, I'm dropping out of UCLA and working exclusively on getting ready for the NBA. He is a Top 3 lock for next year's draft -- why sweat playing 20 games at UCLA for an NCAA system intent on exploiting him?

*Really enjoying ESPN the Mag's "One Day, One Game" issue, even if Alabama's loss to A&M last week took a bit of the oomph out of it.

-- D.S.

11/14 (Marlins) Quickie

I have historically been largely supportive of the Marlins' strategy -- if you win two World Series titles, you can sort of do what you want.

However! The team crossed a line when it bilked Floridians for the money to pay for a new stadium, then dismantled the team last night.

Marlins fans have a right to be pissed. I'm not sure other fans around the country have as much of a right to gripe, but the stadium thing shocks the conscience.

Meanwhile: The Jays are very much a contender. The balance of power is so imbalanced toward the AL East -- the comparisons to the SEC are apt.

Consequently, it is time for MLB to seriously consider eliminating divisions, balancing the schedule and giving five playoff spots to the top five finishers in each league.

Duke beats Kentucky: Calipari is right -- Duke is a bunch of floppers. The only disappointment was the way he backed off his halftime accusation after the game was over.

MLB Awards: I vote for Verlander and Dickey for Cy.

(Meanwhile, Davey Johnson was an obvious pick. I would have liked to see a tie in the AL between Melvin and Showalter, but it's hard to knock the Melvin pick.)

NFL/Tebow: So the team -- or at least some portion of the team -- hates him so much that they're leaking to the media how much they hate him? I think they don't hate Tebow -- I think they hate the circus, which is more of a problem with the media than Tebow himself. By all accounts, he is a great teammate.

But it confirms two things: (1) Rex Ryan's inability to incorporate Tebow innovatively into the offense has turned into a major problem, and (2) the fundamental mistake the Jets (and Tebow, too) made in bringing him over. I think Tebow thought the Jets would use him more, not just make him serve as Woody Johnson's real-life toy collectible. Is there anyone who doesn't think that Tebow (and the Jets) would be so much better off if he was in Jacksonville?

-- D.S.

11/12 (Monday) Quickie

*Lakers hire Mike D'Antoni: Phil seemed like a lock, so this was a surprise. Still: I find D'Antoni way more intriguing than Jackson. Let's rev up Showtime 2.0.

*NFL Week 10: The Giants results is just a reminder that we know nothing... I'm going to keep saying "Don't put too much stock in the latest Texans win" right up until they win the Super Bowl, aren't I?... That has to be all for Mike Vick in Philly (Andy Reid, too), but does anyone really think Nick Foles is the answer?... Think there were a lot of formally acknowledged concussions yesterday (most notably: Vick, Jay Cutler, Alex Smith, Fred Jackson) -- now imagine how many there really are.

*BCS: No problem with K-State and Oregon as your 1-2 teams. (Sorry, ND: A distant third in the nominally reliable "eye test.") The reality is that even with a loss, Alabama would beat any of them, and don't think SEC execs aren't ticked that a dynastic championship run (not to mention domination of the BCS Top 10) by the conference carries no weight relative to "and-oh" records.

-- D.S.

11/11 (Johnny Football) Quickie

You know a player is electrifying when it is obvious to a 6-year-old and a 4-year-old. That was Johnny Manziel -- "Johnny Football" -- with my kids on Saturday afternoon.

I have absolutely no problem installing Manziel as the Heisman front-runner ahead of K-State's Klein (even if he leads the team to an undefeated season) or Oregon's Barber or Notre Dame's Te'o.

That was the most impressive win I have seen since Cam Newton's Auburn came back from being down a ton to beat Alabama two years ago.

Newton was also a first-year starter (and one-year wonder), but the insane part is that Manziel still has next year, and even after he becomes NFL-eligible, two years of college after that if he wants.

If Texas A&M can head into Tuscaloosa and beat No. 1 Alabama in the Aggies' first year in the SEC, imagine what happens after Kevin Sumlin finishes a few recruiting cycles.

Anyway, I said this on Twitter last night and I believe it: I have no problem reserving one of the two BCS title-game slots for an SEC team, and I have no problem giving that slot to the 2-loss runner-up of the SEC West.

No team has had a better win this season -- and it's not even close (the top contender up until today was probably K-State winning at Oklahoma).

No team has a better star player. No team has a more impressive balance of slick offense and stout defense.

And it is hard to find a team that has played a tougher schedule. (Which is why I'll overlook the two losses -- if Oregon or K-State or ND played A&M's schedule, they would have more than two losses.)

This was the signature moment of the college football season -- the defending champ knocked out by the spunky up-and-comer. It is why college football is the best.

*****

As for the situation with the BCS, it's pretty simple: If Kansas State and Oregon win out, they will meet for the national title, no matter what Notre Dame does.

If either K-State or Oregon lose -- unlikely, but stranger things have happened (and fairly frequently at that) -- ND moves into the slot provided it doesn't lose, either.

If two of the three lose a game, 1-loss Alabama moves back into the title game, provided it doesn't lose again -- it won't -- and it will steamroll that non-SEC team.

I am inclined to give the SEC champ the benefit of the doubt -- just because a team is undefeated shouldn't automatically mean it is better than a 1-loss team.

That said: It's hard to watch Alabama the past two weeks and not think that both Kansas State and Oregon would give them at least as tough of a game as A&M.

Then again, that is the same kind of logic that ends up getting debunked every...single...year... in the BCS title game.

*****

*Florida didn't deserve to win that game. They deserved to get humiliated by Louisiana-Lafayette, who -- for their part -- deserved to have that "once in a lifetime" moment for a program on the fringes.

THAT SAID: Holy smokes. They came through when it mattered. With that last minute drive and then one of the most improbable plays I have ever seen -- what was essentially a walk-off blocked-punt TD. After 58 minutes of hating this game plus the Northwestern debacle ending -- see below -- it was a day-maker. Luchiez Purifoy, I will never mock you again for wearing the sanctified No. 15 jersey.

*The Northwestern loss to Michigan -- and, make no mistake, it was a Northwestern loss, not a Michigan win -- was the most disheartening of my 20 years of being a fan.

This team is three chokes from being 10-0, and that's not just "oh, if some crazy combination of things happened, we would have won." That's "the game was won, the team couldn't execute down the stretch... again."

It is baffling. It is maddening. And it should be intolerable to any fan of a program that takes itself remotely seriously.

I cannot for the life of me understand why Pat Fitzgerald is such a brutal in-game tactician when things get to the fourth quarter. I cannot understand why he can't produce a competent defense (or employ a competent defensive coordinator).

But a 7- or 8-win season when a 9- or 10- (or 11-) win season -- a spot in the first Big Ten title game was there for the taking -- was absolutely attainable is unacceptable.

I'm going to make myself feel better by watching highlights of Johnny Football.

-- D.S.

11/09 (College Hoops Tip-Off) Quickie

The new college hoops season tips off today, and the universe revolves around John Calipari and Kentucky.

Not just because Cal broke through with his first national title a year ago. Not just because he reloaded with an insanely talented freshman class. Not just because the expectations are, once again, "National title or failure."

But because Calipari has created the most entrepreneurial system in all of sports. From sales and marketing to business development to product development, he has out-innovated everyone else.

The core? Embracing the NBA's age limit and offering the top high school players the ideal one-year finishing school before they enter the NBA: Get coached for the pros, compete for a national title, be on TV a ton and raise your personal and professional profile.

What top prep WOULDN'T want that, and -- as it turns out -- they mostly all do. And after last year's perfect execution of the plan, it appears locked in for as long as the NBA keeps an age limit.

Another team might win the national title -- Indiana is the popular favorite, but I don't see it -- but Calipari has guaranteed that Kentucky is always at the top of the list of contenders.

National title pick: Kentucky
Final Four: Kentucky, Louisville, Florida, Gonzaga
Player of the Year: Doug McDermott, Creighton
A-As: McDermott, Cody Zeller, Isaiah Canaan, Tony Mitchell, Nerlens Noel
Does Northwestern make the NCAA Tournament: No.

*****

Colts win again: More love for Luck.
Kobe's glare: I'm with Kobe. Get over it, friends.
MLB Hot Stove: Rangers' limit with Hamilton is 3 years? That ends that.
CFB Weekend: Kansas State will lose at TCU. (That's big enough.)
Syracuse's Fine: How the hell does that guy get his rep back?
Lane Kiffin: Still bringing the LOL. Yeah, the manager totally acted alone.

College hoops opens its season on an aircraft carrier tonight AND in Brooklyn. What more do you want?

-- D.S.

11/08 (Tillman) Quickie

OK, so it sounds like the Charles Tillman thing is a moot point, because he said this morning that his wife is now scheduled to give birth Monday, not during the Bears game on Sunday. But still, the point is worth making...

"Faith, family, football." That isn't necessarily an original thought, but it is one of the core tenets of Tim Tebow's worldview -- his priorities. Charles Tillman said the same thing in a tweet to ESPN's Mike Greenberg and Golic this morning.

Tillman is right and PFT's Mike Florio is wrong -- if the timing happens to work out coincidentally, it is more important for Tillman to be at the birth of his child than it is for him to be playing in the Bears game. Full stop.

Here's to an easy birth for his wife, for a healthy baby and for Tillman to experience nothing but joy (a previous birth was incredibly difficult and complicated). The highlight of 2012 for me was the birth of my daughter and being there to support my wife.

You just can't take these things for granted and you absolutely support whatever Tillman's decision is.

More:

Chuckstrong: Love that the Colts players shaved their heads in support of head coach Chuck Pagano, and love that Indy is playing tonight on national TV to raise the profile even more. You've got to tune in, if only to watch Andrew Luck, coming off the biggest passing day for a rookie in NFL history.

Lakers are 1-4: How many games before the sample size is big enough where we say "This team just isn't particularly good?"

Jim Buss gives Mike Brown the dreaded vote of confidence: 'Nuff said.

Clippers beat the Spurs: To the point above, the best team in L.A. is the other one.

Heat obliterate the Nets: Brooklyn has a lot of cachet, but it isn't even close to being a contender.

Rockies hire Walt Weiss: If you remember Weiss as AL Rookie of the Year... well, you're old. Sigh.

Mike Vick to brother Marcus: "Shut off the Twitter." Older brothers FTW.

MLB Hot Stove: I think the trade market for Justin Upton is way more intriguing than the situation with Josh Hamilton. Nats GM drafted Upton and is sitting on a stockpile of minor-league talent. Is it too much to think he might make a play for him?

RIP Darrell Royal: If you were going to pick out 10 college football coaches who are the face of the sport's history, Royal is on the list. (Hmm, off the top of my head, in no particular order: Bryant, Saban, Rockne, Switzer, Royal, Osborne, Spurrier, Meyer, Schnellenberger, Heisman.)

CFB: Should Kentucky consider hiring Bobby Petrino? My original thought was "Hell no." Now, I actually think "Absolutely." This is a program going nowhere. Petrino is a mess of a human being, but there is no denying he is a good football coach.

CBB: Xavier transfer Dez Wells eligible for Maryland. Makes the Kentucky-Maryland season-opener tomorrow night in Brooklyn that much more interesting.

More CBB: Season tips off tomorrow. Much more tomorrow, but I'll offer a spoiler: Kentucky, Kentucky, Kentucky.

-- D.S.

11/07 (Two-Term Obama) Quickie

Today isn't a post about President Obama winning re-election, but instead about the sports-media guy turned politcal-media guy Nate Silver of 538.com.

Silver became the poster guy for political punditry this season with his confident (and quantitatively backed-up) predictions about the Presidential race, capped by last night, where he basically ran the table. (Not coincidentally, the Obama re-election team took the same approach, with the same results.

Silver took a lot of grief from the more traditional political pundit class -- it was amusing to watch as a sports fan, because this was a debate we had in sports a decade ago (stats vs. scouts, later morphing into sports pundits who were comfortable and facile with numbers versus those who weren't).

In the end, Silver won the day, because rigorous quantitative analysis matters. In sports or in politics, there will always be a place for qualitative punditry -- the 24/7 news cycle demands it -- but it must be rooted in data (and, yes, sometimes counter-balanced or checked by it, too).

I don't expect that things will change in the pundit world too dramatically, even as Silver and his data-first approach ascends to pre-eminence. There was too much ignorance of basic statistics -- basic understanding of probabilistic thinking -- during the past few weeks' Silver-centric flare-up from critics.

But it is a great reminder -- something to hold up and even admire -- that just because you insist on a reality doesn't make it so. Math matters.

Last night in the wake of Obama's victory, NBC News' Chuck Todd called the election the political equivalent of a "Moneyball"-style triumph. The same can be said for Silver.

Of the lasting impacts of this election season, I hope that this kind of clear-eyed quant-aware approach to analysis -- in politics, finally catching up to sports -- earns a place.

-- D.S.