COLLEGE FOOTBALL - WEEK 11

Take a short break from the historical look at sports for the weekly College Football segment.  I hope everyone is enjoying the other.  I thought I would stray from the usual format here and take a look at what Jabesblog thinks will go down the rest of the way.

1)  Big Ten Conference Race - The three-way race between Michigan State, Ohio State and Wisconsin would seem to come down to this weeks Wisconsin at Michigan game.  The way I see it, Ohio State is not losing another game, which eliminates the Spartans as the BCS tie-breaker automatically would come in to play if OSU and MSU are ties because they did not play.  I also think UW will beat Northwestern at home if it wins at Ann Arbor.  So the key to the puzzle is this weekend - and my heart and head both say Wisconsin will be able to do it and keep there BCS lead over Ohio State and head to Pasadena.

2)  Southeastern Conference Race - The SEC Championship game is set with Auburn and South Carolina.  So the real question is - undefeated Auburn or 1-loss Auburn?  A few weeks ago, I was leaning 90% toward 1-loss Auburn.  The Tigers have not missed a beat though and are playing really, really well.  And how good is Alabama really?  There may be a little perception at play in that they were pre-season #1.  In the end, I say Alabama beats Auburn and sends a non-BCS school to the Title Game.

3)  PAC-10 Conference Race - I have been on Oregon since very early in the season, so I need to ride my Ducks.  Arizona at home and at Oregon State.  Done.  Arizona is coming off a tough loss vs USC and will be ripe for an Oregon bounceback.  And OSU lost to Washington State last week.  Doesn't sound like the team to take down Oregon.

4)  ACC Conference Race - Virginia Tech should beat Virginia (even if it loses to Miami), which would put the Hokies in the title game.  I think they face FSU, who beats Maryland and sees NC State lose to either North Carolina or at Maryland.  In the rematch of the 1999 National Title Game, VA Tech exacts their revenge.

5)  Big 12 Conference Race - Nebraska will beat Colorado (even if it loses to Texas A and M) and earn the North title.  The South title would appear to come down to the Oklahoma at Oklahoma State game.  I will live on the edge here and say the Cowboys beat the Sooners and get another shot at Nebraska.  The health of Nebraska's QB is huge in this rematch because Okla State can score points.  I say Nebraska doesn't score enough and the Cowboys head to the BCS.

6)  Big East Conference Race - Who honestly cares?  Ummmm...give me West Virginia.

7)  TCU and Boise State remain undefeated.  Book it.  Now who gets the National Title op.  I still think TCU.

8)  So what does that mean for BCS Bowls:

National Title - Oregon vs TCU
Rose Bowl - Wisconsin vs Boise State
Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma State vs West Virginia
Orange Bowl - Virginia Tech vs Ohio State
Sugar Bowl - Auburn vs Stanford

Now back to the tourneys!!

NBA - BEST 30 YEAR TEAM

Here is the NBA Playoffs to determine the best team in the past 30 Years.

Eastern Conference
1999/00 Indiana Pacers vs 1993/94 New York Knicks - winner to play 1995/96 Chicago Bulls
1986/87 Atlanta Hawks vs 2005/06 Miami Heat - winner to play 1988/89 Detroit Pistons
2000/01 Milwaukee Bucks vs 1994/95 Orlando Magic - winner to play 1982/83 Philadelphia 76ers
2002/03 New Jersey Nets vs 2006/07 Cleveland Cavaliers - winner to play 1985/86 Boston Celtics

Western Conference
2001/02 Sacramento Kings vs 2005/06 Dallas Mavericks - winner to play 1986/97 Los Angeles Lakers
1991/92 Golden State Warriors vs 1996/97 Utah Jazz - winner to play 1991/92 Portland Trailblazers
2003/04 Minnesota Timberwolves vs 1992/93 Phoenix Suns - winner to play 1994-95 Houston Rockets
1984/85 Denver Nuggets vs 1995/96 Seattle Supersonics - winner to play 2002-03 San Antonio Spurs

NFL - 30 YEAR BEST TEAM

Here is the 32 team playoff to determine the best team in the NFL over the past 30 years.

NFC
1991 Detroit Lions vs 1989 San Francisco 49ers
1986 New York Giants vs 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2005 Seattle Seahwaks vs 1996 Green Bay Packers
2004 Philadelphia Eagles vs 2009 New Orleans Saints
2003 Carolina Panthers vs 1992 Dallas Cowboys
1998 Minnesota Vikings vs 1999 St. Louis Rams
1998 Atlanta Falcons vs 1991 Washington Redskins
2008 Arizona Cardinals vs 1985 Chicago Bears

AFC
1986 Cleveland Browns vs 2007 New England Patriots
2006 San Diego Chargers vs 1999 Tennessee Titans
1988 Cincinnati Bengals vs 1983 Oakland Raiders
1998 New York Jets vs 2006 Indianapolis Colts
2009 Houston Texans vs 1998 Denver Broncos
1990 Buffalo Bills vs 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers
1999 Jacksonville Jaguars vs 1984 Miami Dolphins
2003 Kansas City Chiefs vs 2000 Baltimore Ravens

COLLEGE BASKETBALL - 30 YEAR BEST TEAM

Here is the NCAA Tournament for determining the best College Basketball Team of the past 30 years.

East Region
Opening Round Game - 2000 Tennessee (16) vs 2005 Washington (16)

First Round
2000 Tennessee/2005 Washington (16) vs 1984 Georgetown (1)
2004 Oklahoma State (9) vs 1981 Virginia (8)
2009 Pittsburgh (12) vs 1997 Arizona (5)
1994 Purdue (13) vs 1996 Kentucky (4)
2006 George Mason (11) vs 2008 Memphis (6)
1994 Missouri (14) vs 1987 Indiana (3)
2006 LSU (10) vs 1989 Seton Hall (7)
1990 Loyola Marymount (15) vs 1982 North Carolina (2)

Midwest Region
Opening Round Game - 1987 Iowa (13) vs 2002 Oregon (13)

First Round
1993 Vanderbilt (16) vs 2000 Michigan State (1)
2010 West Virginia (9) vs 1996 Massachusetts (8)
2010 Kansas State (12) vs 1983 North Carolina State (5)
1987 Iowa/2002 Oregon (13) vs 2003 Syracuse (4)
2000 Wisconsin (11) vs 1984 Houston (6)
1988 Temple (14) vs 1994 Arkansas (3)
1992 Cincinnati (10) vs 1998 Utah (7)
1995 Wake Forest (15) vs 2008 Kansas (2)

South Region
Opening Round Game - 1994 Boston College (13) vs 1986 Auburn (13)

First Round
2006 Gonzaga (16) vs 1992 Duke (1)
1998 Stanford (9) vs 2003 Texas (8)
2004 St. Joseph's (12) vs 1985 Villanova (5)
1994 Boston College/1986 Auburn (13) vs 1989 Michigan (4)
1987 Providence (11) vs 2005 Illinois (6)
2000 Iowa State (14) vs 1999 Connecticut (3)
1990 Georgia Tech (10) vs 2010 Butler (7)
1981 BYU (15) vs 2007 Florida (2)

West Region
Opening Round Game - 1987 Notre Dame (16) vs 2010 St. Mary's (16)

First Round
1987 Notre Dame/2010 St. Mary's (16) vs 1990 UNLV (1)
2003 Marquette (9) vs 1997 Minnesota (8)
1993 Florida State (12) vs 1988 Oklahoma (5)
2001 USC (13) vs 1986 Lousiville (4)
1996 Mississippi State (11) vs 2007 Ohio State (6)
2010 Baylor (14) vs 2002 Maryland (3)
1983 Georgia (10) vs 1985 St. John's (7)
2008 Xavier (15) vs 1995 UCLA (2)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL - 14 YEAR BEST TEAM

The College Football simulations only go back to 1996 for each team.  Therefore, the tournament will decide the best team in College Football over the last 14 years, not 30 as originally intended.

East Regional
1998 Arizona vs 2009 TCU - winner to play 2005 Texas
2007 Boston College vs 2004 Auburn - winner to play 2005 Penn State
1998 Air Force vs 1998 UCLA - winner to play 2001 Miami, FL
2003 Kansas State vs 2002 Iowa - winner to play 1998 Tennessee

South Regional
2006 Rutgers vs 1996 Northwestern - winner to play 2009 Alabama
2009 Oklahoma State vs 2006 Boise State - winner to play 1996 Arizona State
1998 Tulane vs 2007 Missouri - winner to play 1997 Michigan
1997 Wahington State vs 2002 Georgia - winner to play 1999 Florida State

Midwest Regional
1998 Texas A & M vs 2005 Notre Dame - winner to play 2002 Ohio State
2001 South Carolina vs 2000 Washington - winner to play 2005 West Virginia
2000 Purdue vs 1996 BYU - winner to play 2003 LSU
2004 California vs 2009 Georgia Tech - winner to play 2000 Oklahoma

West Regional
2006 Arkansas vs 2008 Texas Tech - winner to play 2004 USC
2004 Pittsburgh vs 1999 Wisconsin - winner to play 2008 Utah
2007 Illinois vs 1999 Virginia Tech - winner to play 1997 Nebraska
2007 Hawaii vs 2009 Oregon - winner to play 2008 Florida

BEST TEAMS OF THE PAST 30 YEARS

Jabesblog has brought you 30-Year teams for College Basketball, NBA, NFL, and Major League Baseball.  It is time to settle on who the best team was over the past 30 years in these sports, as well as College Football.  In order to do so, I have created various tournaments/playoffs with the best teams of the past 30 years, with the rule that each team could only be represented once.  With the help of whatifsports, I will simulate these tournaments and present the results in Jabesblog.  Here is how they will work.

NFL - 32 team playoff separated AFC and NFC until championship.  I will simulate best 4 out of 7 and game result will be of clinching game.  All games will be played in neutral fields in neutral weather.

College Basketball - 68 team tournament, one simulation to simulate one and done mentality of NCAA tournament.  Teams were loosely seeded, with champions first, runners-up, final four teams next, elite 8, etc. 

College Football - 48 team tournament - will use one and done simulation here to mimic the greatness of the basketball tournament.  Conference slots were seeded prior to team selection and teams were fit in once dtermined.

NBA - 24 team playoff, 12 East, 12 West - best of 7 each round, each game result counts.

MLB - 30 team playoff - Best of 5 first two round, best of 7 after, each game result counts.

I am not sure how it will all be presented, but I look forward to the results.  I will start by providing the pairings for a few of the sports.  Hope you enjoy!!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL - WEEK 10

This week’s edition of Jabesblog College Football comes from the friendly skies as I type next to my beautiful wife on the start of our vacation. Although last week saw two more contenders fall (Alabama and Utah), it started to bring clarity to the overall picture.

1) Wisconsin completed step 1 of their four-step process, grinding out a workmanlike victory over Purdue. The first half showed the expected rust and slight letdown coming off two huge victories and a bye week. The offense continues to show its depth by moving in almost interchangeable parts at RB, OL and TE due to injury. This will again be tested this week with Peter Konz almost certainly out and John Clay likely out. It was the defense though that stepped it up against the Boilermakers, finally generating some turnovers which swung the momentum and ultimately the game to Bucky.

2) Wisconsin is firmly entrenched in the debate of best 1-loss teams – but has a very difficult resume to digest. On one hand, Wisconsin has two very impressive victories – including one on the road – that very few other teams can match. They are also playing their best football now – unlike say a Michigan State who may have peaked a little early. On the other hand though, the combined record of the four non-conference opponents is 8-28. Right now the human polls have them as the best or 2nd best 1-loss team, which speaks more to current play than September.

3) Two teams showed why they wear the uniforms and helmets they do this past week. The Big “I” on Indiana’s helmet should stand for inexcusable this week, as in inexcusable to drop the game-winning TD in the end zone against Iowa. Indiana showed why they are well, Indiana. They better hope their basketball program turns around.

4) The other is Iowa State – another traditionless program who can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I can understand the urge to go for the win against heavily favored Nebraska on some level. If that is your choice though, send out your offense that has scored 30 points on the day. I realize you lose the element of surprise, but after seeing the holder throw that pass, the element of execution would have been the far better choice.

5) As you will see below, I have a change at #2 in the Jabesblog Top 5. I am now drinking the TCU kool-aid. We don’t really know how good Utah is I suppose, with Pitt being their most impressive win. What I do know is TCU provided one of the top 3 most impressive wins of the year (see Wisconsin over Ohio State or Oregon over Stanford). TCU has shown the best offense/defense balance in the nation and for one week, deserves to be bumped in my rankings.

6) Here are some stats to digest related to the top teams – Oregon is currently averaging 54.7 ppg – TCU has allowed 85 the entire season. TCU has ramped it up during conference play, allowing just 3.9 ppg in 6 games. Boise State must feel like the bridesmaid in all this. The Broncos 47ppg ranks second to Oregon, but still lags over a TD behind. Boise has also allowed just 6.5 ppg in conference play, second to the Horned Frogs. Finally, here is the average margin of victory of the 4 remaining undefeated teams – Oregon – 37.0, TCU - 32.9, Boise State – 34.4 and Auburn – 17.9.

7) Cam Newton still leads the Heisman chase, but the recent allegations can’t help but hurt his cause a little bit. I am an innocent until proven guilty guy, so he is still #1 on my mythical ballot. LaMichael James stays #2, with Kellen Moore #3.

8) Jabesblog Top 5 – 1) Oregon 2) TCU 3) Auburn 4) Boise State 5) Stanford – yes, I think Stanford is the best 1-loss team right now.

9) Week 11 is a little light on big-time match ups – so the Game of the Week is Auburn hosting Georgia. If Auburn is a Top 2 team, they should take care of business here. With Alabama still looming, there is the chance the Tigers/War Eagles overlook this one.

10) Others to keep an eye on – or just go on vacation this weekend like me – South Carolina plays at Florida for the SEC East championship and a date with Auburn in December. 1-loss teams who play at least decent opponents include Ohio State hosting Penn State, Stanford at Arizona State, Oklahoma State at Texas and Utah at Notre Dame. Finally, Oregon is at Cal, never an easy road game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL - WEEK 9

An abbreviated look at the week that was with Saturday's heroes.

1)  An off week for Wisconsin proved doubly beneficial with Sparty's loss to Iowa.  It keeps Bucky motivated to continue their journey through the Big Ten 2nd Half with that small glimmer of a Big Ten Title still within reach.  Next up - a reeling Purdue with a 3rd string QB starting.  Hopefully the Badgers can take advantage.  On the minus side - here comes the dreaded spread offenses - lets see if UW is any better against those and if Antonio Fennelus and Niles Brinkley move any closer to the line of scrimmage.

2)  It is hard to say for sure, but TCU might actually end up ahead of Boise State if the two were to remain unbeaten.  Wouldn't that be a kick to the blue turf?

3)  I am glad I am not Brian Kelly.  Tradgedy off the field.  Disgrace on it.  If you saw it, his explanation for throwing while already in FG range was not very convincing.

4)  Every team in the ACC and Big East now has at least two losses.  Part of the BCS problem is that two teams from this pool will need to be invited.

5)  The winner of the TCU-Utah game better beware of San Diego State.  For Utah its a dangerous road game.

6)  Kudos to Ron Zook for making the Illini one of the year's pleasant surprises.  Sometimes you are stuck with a talented QB who isn't a great winner.  It appears Illinois is better minus the Juice.

7)  College Football has been so good this year, it doesn't matter that perennial powers Texas (4-4), USC (5-3), Notre Dame (4-5), Michigan (5-3), Tennessee (2-6), Florida (5-3), Miami (5-3) and UCLA (3-5) were non-factors weeks ago.

8)  Jabesblog Top 5 - 1)  Oregon  2)  Auburn  3)  TCU/Boise State  4)  Utah  5)  Alabama

9)  Cam Newton vs Kellen Moore vs LaMichael James for Heisman.

10)  Game of the Week - #4 TCU at #6 Utah - National Championship hopes abound.

11)  Other to Watch - #5 Alabama at #12 LSU - the last major Tide hurdle before the Auburn game.  Hawaii at #2 Boise State - a better chance for Boise to prove themselves than the dogs they have been playing.  #13 Arizona at #10 Stanford - the PAC-10 tries to move another team into the BCS bowls.  Finally, #22 Baylor at #19 Oklahoma State - Baylor??  The Bears have a legit shot at winning the Big 12 South.  Whodathunk?

FANTASY FOOTBALL MID-SEASON REPORT

It is time for my 2nd Annual – What if I had drafted this team? We are eight weeks into the Fantasy Football season and instead of just spouting off the obvious surprises and busts, I like to mock up what a few actual drafts may have looked like. I will use a standard performance-based scoring system as my basis. The first draft will be for someone who may have had the 3rd pick in a 12-team snake draft. The second draft will be someone who had the 1st pick in a 12-team snake draft. I will indicate the pick # and ADP according to ESPN drafts. Finally, for those who participate in my own OMRFL league (a 12 team basic scoring league), I will compile a team using our $240 salary cap that could have been obtained if you had zero keepers (a la San Fransitzco).

3rd Pick Team
3) – Maurice Jones Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars, ADP 4.1
22) – Shonn Greene, RB, New York Jets, ADP 22.8
27) – Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers, AP 33.5
46) – Michael Crabtree, WR, San Francisco 49ers, ADP 51.8
51) – Brett Favre, QB, Minnesota Vikings, ADP 57.3
70) – Jerome Harrison, RB, Cleveland Browns, ADP 69.9
75) – Marion Barber, RB, Dallas Cowboys, ADP 77
94) – Robert Meachem, WR, New Orleans Saints, ADP 89.3
99) – Donovan McNabb, QB, Washington Redskins, ADP 102.2
118) – Owen Daniels, TE, Houston Texans, ADP 114.9
123) – Vikings Defense, Def, Minnesota Vikings, ADP 114.3
142) – Devin Aromashudu, WR, Chicago Bears, ADP 128.4
147) – Larry Johnson, RB, Washington Redskins, ADP, 151.4
166) – Garrett Hartley, K, New Orleans Saints, ADP, 140.9
171) – Brian Westbrook, RB, San Francisco 49ers, ADP, 148.8
190) – Golden Tate, WR, Seattle Seahawks, ADP 146.1

Obviously, this team is a wreck, but it is not far-fetched that someone drafted this monstrosity. I would have been ecstatic coming away with Jones-Drew and Greene in the first two rounds. After that, you reach up a little bit to get a couple WR and a QB coming off a lights-out campaign. Add some good depth in round 6-8 before securing a solid back-up QB for your old-man starter. You purposely wait on TE because you know Owen Daniels is slipping due to last year’s injury and then add the sack machine defense in Minnesota. Oops, hopefully the waiver wire worked out for this team.

1st Pick Team
1) - Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans, ADP 1.4 or Adrian Peterson, RB, Minnesota Vikings, ADP 2.3
24) – Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions, ADP 23.9
25) – Roddy White, WR, Atlanta Falcons, ADP 24.2
48) – Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers, ADP 44.5
49) – Arian Foster, RB, Houston Texans, ADP 49.3
72) – Hakeem Nicks, WR, New York Giants, ADP 76.2
73) – Terrell Owens, WR, Cincinnati Bengals, ADP 84.7
96) – LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, New York Jets, ADP 99.7
97) – Darren McFadden, RB, Oakland Raiders, ADP 107.9
120) – Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers, ADP 115.4
121) – Steelers D, Def, Pittsburgh Steelers, ADP 111.4
144) – Kyle Orton, QB, Denver Broncos, ADP 139.5
145) – Brandon Lloyd, WR, Denver Broncos, ADP 170
168) – Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns, ADP 170+
169) – Mike Tolbert, RB, San Diego Chargers, ADP 170+
192) – Sebastian Janikowski, K, Oakland Raiders, ADP 170+

 Wouldn’t you like to have this team? I know there is some wishful thinking that someone would take both Hillis and Tolbert at the end of their draft, but regardless, this team still would be unstoppable through eight weeks.

OMRFL Auction Team
QB – Philip Rivers - $40
QB – Eli Manning - $4
QB – David Garrard - $1
RB – Arian Foster - $41
RB – Mike Tolbert - $2
RB – Darren McFadden - $5
RB – LaDainian Tomlinson - $10
RB – Matt Forte - $21
RB – Jahvid Best - $29
WR – Anquan Boldin - $42
WR – Antonio Gates - $22
WR – Hakeem Nicks - $14
WR – Kenny Britt - $1
WR – Jeremy Maclin - $6
WR – Austin Collie - $1
K – Rob Bironas - $1

Jabe's Bracket - Pre-Season 2010-2011

Here is my 2010-2011 College Basketball Pre-Season Bracket.  I had so much fun last March joining fellow Bracket-makers, that I thought why not give a pre-Season version a try, which essentially becomes my College Basketball Preview for the year.  This is the first look at the new 68-team field, with two opening games on the #16 line, and two opening games on the #13 line.  I originally thought the opening games would be for the #12 line, but it will all depend on where those last at-large teams fall.  After completing this exercise, a few big things becomes apparent - this will once again be a wide-open year in College Basketball and freshman will play a huge role in determining the fate of some teams (Kentucky, North Carolina).  There will be teams sure to disappoint, so I will likely look back at a few of these and laugh come March (although I have already selected Texas as a team to disappoint based on their exclusion).  There will also be surprises (Southern Mississipppi?  Colorado?) - and of course, conference tournament upsets will always throw a wrench into the bracket.  So, we will see how I have done in March.  I look forward to another exciting season on the college campuses!!