Sports

NFL Schedule: Week 12

by

We’re finally out of the byes, and this week we’re getting a Thanksgiving feast featuring two matchups between top-ten teams and… the Cowboys game?

What is the Median Expected Score?

Away MXS Home Time (ET) TV DTV Announcers NTR SIRIUS Notes
Away Home
(10-0) 31¼-24¾ (7-3) Thu 12:30 PM Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver WW1 92 86 They’re not undefeated, but whoda thought the Lions wouldn’t be putting people to sleep Thanksgiving…
#23(3-7) 18¾-25¾ (6-4) Thu 4:15 PM Jim Nantz, Phil Simms WW1 92 86 …or that their game would be more attractive than the Cowboys’ (or that the Lions might be better than the Cowboys)?
(9-1) 18¼-21¾ (7-3) Thu 8:20 PM Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan WW1 92 86 And whoda thought the Harbaugh Bowl would include one of the two best teams in the league… and it’s not the Ravens?
#19(5-5) 16¾-25¼ #15(5-5) Sun 1:00 PM 705 Marv Albert, Rich Gannon CMP 134 86 Two teams trying to keep pace in the wild card and divisional races.
#T27(2-8) 17½-27 (6-4) Sun 1:00 PM 707 Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, Laura Okmin USA 112 93 Adrian Peterson, Michael Turner, and others put up the fantasy stats!
#30(2-8) 24-21 (0-10) Sun 1:00 PM 709 Chris Myers, Tim Ryan 91 104 The Colts need two wins to tie only three teams, so this is what passes for a Luck Sweepstakes clash: two teams who don’t need QBs.
#20(4-6) 20-23 #18(5-5) Sun 1:00 PM 710 Dick Stockton, John Lynch WW1 136 92 Two teams with distant playoff hopes slug it out.
(3-7) 18¾-21¾ (2-8) Sun 1:00 PM 708 Sam Rosen, Chad Pennington 117 138 Got Larry Fitzgerald or Steven Jackson in fantasy? This is the game for you!
#25(4-6) 15-22½ (6-4) Sun 1:00 PM 706 Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker 113 85 The Browns should be just what the doctor ordered for the Bengals to recover from the Ravens loss.
(7-3) 20½-17 #T27(3-7) Sun 1:00 PM 704 Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots 128 137 Matt Leinart starts his run at the helm against a Jags defense that’s become fantasy stars recently.
#26(3-7) 16½-20½ #22(4-6) Sun 4:05 PM 712 Ron Pitts, Jim Mora 94 139 The Hawks hope to continue gorging on iffy teams to climb back into playoff contention.
(7-3) 18½-23 #15(6-4) Sun 4:05 PM 711 Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa CMP 135 86 Caleb Hanie starts his run at the helm against a hungry Raiders defense.
(7-3) 26¾-23¾ #17(4-6) Sun 4:15 PM 713 Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf WW1 93 132 Could Vince Young bring the Eagles up to his own “dream team” rhetoric? Good luck against the Pats.
#16(5-5) 17¾-24¼ #21(4-6) Sun 4:15 PM 714 Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts USA 85 92 A month ago, whoda thunk the Broncos would be a better team, in the standings and the rankings, than the Chargers?
(7-3) 25¼-14¾ (4-6) Sun 8:20 PM Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya WW1 92 93 Welcome to Kansas City, Kyle Orton! Say hello to the Steelers defense.
#12(6-4) 22-29 (7-3) Mon 8:30 PM Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski, Suzy Kolber WW1 92 93 The best non-Thanksgiving game of the weekend has two of the league’s best quarterbacks fighting for playoff position.

Sunday Night Football Flex Scheduling Watch: Week 11

by

NBC’s Sunday Night Football package gives it flexible scheduling. For Weeks 10-15, the games are determined on 12-day notice, 6-day notice for Week 17.

The first year, no game was listed in the Sunday Night slot, only a notation that one game could move there. Now, NBC lists the game it “tentatively” schedules for each night. However, the NFL is in charge of moving games to prime time.

Here are the rules from the NFL web site (note that this was written with the 2007 season in mind, hence why it contradicts the above – and the page it comes from, for that matter):

  • Begins Sunday of Week 11
  • In effect during Weeks 11-17
  • Only Sunday afternoon games are subject to being moved into the Sunday night window.
  • The game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night during flex weeks will be listed at 8:15 p.m. ET.
  • The majority of games on Sundays will be listed at 1:00 p.m. ET during flex weeks except for games played in Pacific or Mountain Time zones which will be listed at 4:05 or 4:15 p.m. ET.
  • No impact on Thursday, Saturday or Monday night games.
  • The NFL will decide (after consultation with CBS, FOX, NBC) and announce as early as possible the game being played at 8:15 p.m. ET. The announcement will come no later than 12 days prior to the game. The NFL may also announce games moving to 4:05 p.m. ET and 4:15 p.m. ET.
  • Week 17 start time changes could be decided on 6 days notice to ensure a game with playoff implications.
  • The NBC Sunday night time slot in “flex” weeks will list the game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night.
  • Fans and ticket holders must be aware that NFL games in flex weeks are subject to change 12 days in advance (6 days in Week 17) and should plan accordingly.
  • NFL schedules all games.
  • Teams will be informed as soon as they are no longer under consideration or eligible for a move to Sunday night.
  • Rules NOT listed on NFL web site but pertinent to flex schedule selection: CBS and Fox each protect games in five out of six weeks, and cannot protect any games Week 17. Games were protected after Week 4 the first year of flexible scheduling, but are now protected after Week 5; however, they are back to Week 4 this year, probably for the same reason as that first year: NBC hosting a Christmas night game and the other games being moved to Saturday.
  • Three teams can appear a maximum of six games in primetime on NBC, ESPN or NFL Network (everyone else gets five) and no team may appear more than four times on NBC. At this writing, no team is completely tapped out at any measure; five teams have five primetime appearances each, but all of them have at least one game that can be flexed out. A list of all teams’ primetime appearances is in my first two posts for Weeks 4 and 5.
  • Last year’s selection of primetime games was weighted rather heavily towards Fox games. This year, the selection currently leans CBS 22, FOX 20 (though if I miscounted one game it may be even). My guess is that the balance will continue to lean towards the AFC. Weeks 10, 12, 13, and 15 are all CBS games, while Weeks 11 and 14 are FOX.

Here are the current tentatively-scheduled games and my predictions:

Week 10 (November 13):

  • Selected game: New England @ NY Jets.

Week 11 (November 20):

  • Selected game: Philadelphia @ NY Giants.

Week 12 (November 27):

  • Selected game: Pittsburgh @ Kansas City.

Week 13 (December 4):

  • Selected game: Detroit @ New Orleans.

Week 14 (December 11):

  • Tentative game: NY Giants @ Dallas
  • Prospects: NFC East clash, with both teams moderately good and both teams tied for the division lead. For a flex to have ever been in the realm of possibility, one or both teams would have had to completely collapse and the other game would have to sweep the NFL off its feet. Combine that with a paucity of NFC road games, and no wonder Fox left this week unprotected.
  • Protected games: Patriots-Redskins (CBS).
  • Other possible games: Texans-Bengals and Raiders-Packers are the only games involving two teams over .500; Saints-Titans and Broncos-Bears are also in the mix. Games involving 4-6 teams (Bills-Chargers and Chiefs-Jets) aren’t worth considering.
  • Analysis: Probably the Giants and Cowboys would have to both lose to get this game flexed out, and even then it’d still be for the NFC East lead. But that would be an all-6-5 game, three of the other games I mentioned involve teams at 7-3 already, and the fourth is 6-4 v. 10-0. Although Texans-Bengals is potentially the best game overall, in terms of not being lopsided, Raiders-Packers may be the game most able to overcome the Cowboys’ and Giants’ TV-friendliness, and Broncos-Bears is up there is well because of the Bears and the Tebow factor. Given the tentative game bias, the TV-friendliness of the teams, and the stakes, I have a hard time seeing this game flexed out, but I can’t quite bring myself to pull the trigger early.

Week 15 (December 18):

  • Tentative game: Baltimore @ San Diego
  • Prospects: At one point this game was the only one of NBC’s tentatives involving two teams above .500. Might the Chargers’ mid-season swoon be putting this one in flex jeopardy? Maybe not, given the alternatives.
  • Protected games: Jets-Eagles (CBS) and Redskins-Giants (FOX).
  • Other possible games: Lions-Raiders, Packers-Chiefs, and Patriots-Broncos are the only remotely good options, with Seahawks-Bears starting to emerge as a dark horse, and Lions-Raiders is the only one involving two teams over .500.

Week 17 (January 1):

AFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION
LEADERS		 WILD CARD WAITING IN
THE WINGS (4-6)
WEST
46-4		 57-3
5-5
NORTH
37-3		 66-4
7-3
EAST
27-3		 5-5
2 tied at 5-5 5-5
SOUTH
17-3		 5-5
5-5 5-5
NFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION
LEADERS		 WILD CARD ALSO IN NFC EAST
CONTENTION
EAST
46-4		 56-3 4-6
6-4
SOUTH
37-3		 66-3
6-4
WEST
29-1		 6-4
4-6 6-4
NORTH
110-0
2 tied at 7-3
  • Tentative game: None (NBC will show game with guaranteed playoff implications).
  • Possible games: Cowboys-Giants, Titans-Texans, Lions-Packers, Ravens-Bengals, Bucs-Falcons, Bills-Patriots, Chargers-Raiders, Chiefs-Broncos.

Last-Minute Remarks on SNF Week 13 Picks

by

Week 13 (December 4):

  • Tentative game: None. For the first time ever, the NFL has announced that it is pulling a game out of primetime before the two-week deadline – Colts-Pats has become that sucky. Notably, they haven’t announced a replacement yet, which suggests there are multiple candidates…
  • Protected games: Jets-Redskins (CBS) and Packers-Giants (FOX).
  • Other possible games mentioned on last week’s Watch and their records: Lions (7-3)-Saints (7-3), Bengals (6-4)-Steelers (7-3), Falcons (6-4)-Texans (7-3), Titans (5-5)-Bills (5-5), Chiefs (4-5)-Bears (7-3), Broncos (5-5)-Chargers (4-6).
  • Impact of Monday Night Football: The Chiefs’ hard charge deserves to be respected, but at best, Chiefs-Bears (only a “dark horse” on last week’s Watch) would be 5-5 v. 7-3, more lopsided and with a worse pair of records than at least three other games.
  • Analysis: I felt that Lions-Saints was the heavy favorite and that Bengals-Steelers was the only game with a legitimate shot at passing them, and the Lions won and the Bengals lost. There is no shortage of good options, but the game that doesn’t involve a four-loss team is also probably the most TV-friendly game, which should make this obvious.
  • Final prediction: Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints.
  • Actual selection: Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints (matches prediction).

Why MLS may be making a huge mistake

by

The Seattle Sounders have become the envy of all of MLS, succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest dreams for an MLS team, with by far the best fanbase in the league. From the day it started, the Sounders have been a truly major-league franchise in Seattle, something pretty much every other MLS team can only dream of. It would seem logical that if the MLS wanted to become a major league, if it wanted to continue its trajectory of growth, that its strategy for growth would be to find out what the Sounders are doing right and replicate it for their other franchises.

But there is one aspect of the Sounders’ success that suggests one thing that MLS has been doing – something that has been the cornerstone of its strategy for the health and growth of the league – may ultimately hold it back.

One thing the Sounders have become known for perhaps above all else in league circles is the experience on game day, which is widely praised as something unlike any other team in the league. Sounders fans pack CenturyLink Field to numbers unheard of for virtually any other franchise and create an atmosphere even the Sounders themselves can have trouble dealing with. The experience of a Sounders home game has been compared to that of a Premier League game. Hearing this, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that the Sounders have, by far, the largest attendance in the league, to the extent that the upper bowl of CenturyLink is covered up, not because the tickets there can’t be sold, but to keep the Sounders from having an even larger crowd advantage and create a more intimate atmosphere.

But that massive attendance hides a dirty little secret: there is only one other stadium in the entire league that could even hold as many people as the Sounders regularly fill CenturyLink with, DC United’s RFK Stadium. (Although the Houston Dynamo’s Robertson Stadium comes close at 32,000.)

Over the last decade, MLS has moved all but two of the remaining teams into “soccer-specific stadiums” with capacities around 20,000. The idea behind it seemed simple and innocuous enough: at the league’s founding, teams were struggling to fill cavernous NFL facilities that regularly topped 60,000. Soccer-specific stadiums would give teams a place of their own to call home, rather than piggybacking on the local NFL team, and NFL stadiums wouldn’t need to be contorted to fit a soccer pitch. And by reducing the capacity to something closer to, yet still greater than, what most if not all MLS teams were drawing at the time, it would create a more intimate environment that would draw fans closer to their teams.

But by setting the ideal size of a soccer-specific stadium at around 20,000, MLS was effectively accepting that the popularity of the league would never exceed that level – and that its fans would never reach the number, and the gameday experience would never achieve the quality, seen in Europe. 20,000 isn’t “normal” in the Premier League – that’s the size of its current smallest stadium, and there are only five MLS venues, one of them only barely, with larger capacities than that of Wigan’s home stadium, third-smallest in the EPL. The league’s top teams don’t seem to have a problem playing in stadiums with over 40,000 capacity. The Sounders’ success – at attendance levels that would be only mid-pack in the EPL – should have sent a message to the league that it didn’t have to accept 20,000 as its ceiling. Yet the league continues to build soccer-specific stadiums unabated; next year’s expansion Montreal Impact could never place higher than third or fourth in attendance this year, no matter what they did, thanks to the size of its stadium.

Besides the Sounders, four teams in the league are filling their stadiums to over 95% capacity: the Portland Timbers, the Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City, and the San Jose Earthquakes. Throw out the Earthquakes, who are still the lowest-attendance team in the league despite their stadium-filling prowess thanks to a whopping 10,000-seat stopgap stadium, and the other three teams all have stadiums below 19,000 capacity, yet all place in the top half of the league’s attendance figures. None of the three have any plans to move into new stadiums or renovate their current ones, and in fact all three just moved into new facilities within the last two years. The Timbers and Union are fairly new franchises, but they seem to have strangled their capabilities to become Sounders-caliber franchises in the crib – especially galling in the case of the big-market Union.

Another two teams – the Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC – are filling their stadiums to over 90% capacity. Yet despite having the third- and fourth-highest attendances in the league respectively, behind the Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy, neither has any plans to move or renovate their stadiums either, though that’s not as outrageous as with the other teams. Toronto could conceivably expand BMO Field into the fourth-largest stadium in the league, but that’s nowhere near becoming a reality, and the Whitecaps are one of the three teams in the league that plays in a non-soccer-specific stadium but covers up seats, so expanding BC Place’s capacity, if warranted, would cost nothing.

More to the point, all these teams except Sporting Kansas City are fairly recent additions to the league, and their strategies reflect not only the lessons learned from what the Sounders did right, but what the early days of MLS did wrong. Most of the league’s early franchises still have not recovered from the catastrophic mistakes of MLS’ early days that alienated the existing soccer fanbase without attracting many casual fans. More recent franchises, founded in 2007 and later, have found more success, but will continue to be hamstrung by a stadium capacity limit set for the older, less successful franchises, during a less successful period for the league.

Of all the teams in the entire top half of the league in attendance, only three existed in their current markets prior to 2006: the Galaxy, Sporting KC, and the New York Red Bulls. Two of those teams renamed and, thus, rebranded their teams during that time, and two of those teams are in the top two markets in the country, making it relatively easy to attract a sizeable fanbase without being that major of a team.

Even more to the point, only three franchises founded in 2005 or later, all before 2007, aren’t filling their stadiums to 90% capacity: the Houston Dynamo, Chivas USA, and Real Salt Lake. I can’t stress this enough: every single expansion team since Toronto is filling their stadium to over 90% capacity. The Dynamo, as mentioned earlier, play in 32,000-seat Robertson Stadium, and are mid-pack in attendance (and will be moving to a soccer-specific stadium next year); Chivas plays in the fourth-largest stadium in the league, the Home Depot Center, where they play second-fiddle to the Galaxy; and Real Salt Lake is pretty close at 88%. The clincher? The four worst teams in the league in attendance not only existed prior to 2005, but were around for the league’s inaugural season in 1996.

Many of the league’s older franchises continue to struggle to fill their stadiums, even those in soccer-specific stadiums, but as Sporting KC is showing, that need not be the case forever, even though the Galaxy, despite their success on and off the pitch, are only filling 86% of the Home Depot Center. As the league continues to grow in popularity, their focus should be on continuing to grow all their franchises, including the established ones, to the levels of success the expansion franchises are seeing, to bring their entire league into the future. In this, their mantra should be: every team a Seattle. But if they continue pushing “soccer-specific stadiums”, it will only have the effect of keeping their new franchises in the past.

2011 College Football Rankings – Week 11

by

All season I’ve been saying the same thing: that no one, not even the pollsters, really believes that Oklahoma State is the best non-SEC team in the country. There are a number of reasons for that – namely, a weak nonconference slate and Texas being the only team in positive B Points they beat by more than a single score – but really, what it ultimately comes down to is that it’s Oklahoma State. This is a team that has definitively been “little brother” for the longest time, maybe since Barry Sanders was at the school. Over the last decade, while Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma was contending for national and Big 12 titles, Oklahoma State, while often being good, plied its trade deep in the shadows of the Sooners. Now it’s Oklahoma State who’s contending for a national title? You’ll have to excuse me – and, I suspect, many others – for being a bit skeptical.

Well, not anymore. By blowing out the team that beat Oklahoma (admittedly, that hasn’t looked like they can beat anyone else) by a downright apocalyptic score (66-6), Oklahoma State has established their dominance, and with upsets to the Cardinal and Broncos, now stand as one of only three undefeated teams in the country, enough to propel them past idle Big Brother to the top spot in the C Ratings. As much as the Cowboys look like last year’s Oregon team (essentially, a sacrificial lamb for the SEC team du jour to beat), the argument over whether they should go to the national championship game is pretty much academic at this point.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1 Oklahoma State B12 BCS Title
10-0 LW: A Rat: .728 B Rating: 49.978 C Rating: 42.806 AP: 2 BCS: 2
How many people watched the potential national championship contender Friday night in their tuneup for Bedlam?
2 Oklahoma B12 2010 TCU
8-1 LW: A Rat: .674 B Rating: 49.507 C Rating: 42.541 AP: 5 BCS: 5
Idle hands sends the Sooners tumbling from the top spot, but not to who you’d think. And they have to face a Baylor team out to prove they deserve their ranking in the polls.
3 LSU SEC ’06 Boise St.
10-0 LW: A Rat: .821 B Rating: 47.947 C Rating: 42.286 AP: 1 BCS: 1
Playing Western Kentucky, the Tigers might as well have taken the week off, and Ole Miss won’t be much better preparation for the clash with the Hogs.
4 Alabama SEC BCS Title
9-1 LW: A Rat: .775 B Rating: 48.648 C Rating: 42.193 AP: 3 BCS: 3
As far as the polls and BCS are concerned, Alabama is in prime position to take advantage of a Cowboy stumble… but do we really want THAT rematch in the national title game?
5 Oregon P12 ’09 Boise St.
9-1 LW: A Rat: .672 B Rating: 39.919 C Rating: 34.071 AP: 4 BCS: 4
The Ducks have lost only one game all year… and it was against a little team I like to call LSU. Now the polls and BCS are recognizing them as the national-championship-caliber team they are.
6 Boise State MWC MWC Title
8-1 LW: A Rat: .676 B Rating: 34.219 C Rating: 28.631 AP: 10 BCS: 10
All of a sudden, the Broncos are hoping for a TCU loss just to go to the Las Vegas Bowl.
7 Wisconsin B10 Big 10 Title
8-2 LW: A Rat: .641 B Rating: 28.938 C Rating: 22.315 AP: 15 BCS: 17
Their two losses came on the road to decent teams by tight margins, but as far as the polls are concerend, two losses are two losses. But now the Badgers control their own destiny for the conference title game.
8 Stanford P12 BCS Title
9-1 LW: A Rat: .692 B Rating: 22.831 C Rating: 16.952 AP: 8 BCS: 9
Suddenly the Cardinal won’t even make the conference championship, and only the grace of the BCS would put them in one of those games. And rival Cal is feisty.
9 Houston USA BCS Bowl
10-0 LW: A Rat: .768 B Rating: 24.283 C Rating: 15.538 AP: 11 BCS: 11
Houston just continues to impress, and now Gameday is coming to town – for a game that’s arguably the least challenging of the remaining games.
10 Michigan B10 Big 10 Title
8-2 LW: #12 A Rat: .569 B Rating: 16.826 C Rating: 13.437 AP: 20 BCS: 18
Big win over a good Illinois team sends the Wolverines cruising up the rankings. But Nebraska is coming to Ann Arbor, and they will not be easy.
11 Southern Miss USA C-USA Title
9-1 LW: A Rat: .622 B Rating: 14.578 C Rating: 10.209 AP: 22 BCS: 20
Is Southern Miss cracking under the pressure? They let Central Florida get within one at home, and they’ll fall next week after losing to UAB.
12 Notre Dame   Bowl Position
7-3 LW: A Rat: .449 B Rating: 11.179 C Rating: 8.491 AP: 24 Coaches: 25
Pollsters are taking note of the Golden Domers again. Another weak ACC foe will serve as tune-up for a huge clash with Stanford.
13 Virginia Tech ACC Prncton/Yale
9-1 LW: #14 A Rat: .607 B Rating: 11.816 C Rating: 8.373 AP: 9 BCS: 8
To look at the pollsters, you’d think V-Tech was a national title contender; honestly, no one thinks that. But they’re one Cavalier loss away, even at their own hands, from the ACC title game.
14 Georgia SEC SEC Title
8-2 LW: #19 A Rat: .558 B Rating: 11.229 C Rating: 8.366 AP: 13 BCS: 14
The Tigers were ranked in the polls, but they looked like complete scrubs against Georgia, who have been justifying their own ranking of late. Now to beat Kentucky to lock up a trip to the SEC title game.
15 Clemson ACC ACC Title
9-1 LW: A Rat: .584 B Rating: 11.883 C Rating: 8.241 AP: 7 BCS: 7
Clemson was so unimpressive in edging Wake and locking up their ACC title game spot that, combined with how their past opponents did, they might as well not have played, or even lost. Will they be ready for the rival Cocks in two weeks?
16 TCU MWC MWC Title
8-2 LW: #18 A Rat: .554 B Rating: 12.695 C Rating: 8.072 AP: 19 BCS: 19
Lucky or not, TCU impressed the nation with their win over Boise and could be leaving the conference with a bang.
17 Arkansas SEC SEC Title
9-1 LW: #21 A Rat: .614 B Rating: 11.888 C Rating: 7.312 AP: 6 BCS: 6
Arkansas’ defense gave them an even bigger blowout win over Tennessee, this one big enough to actually help them in the C Ratings. They need to repeat the feat against Mississippi State to prepare for LSU.
18 Nebraska B10 Big 10 Title
8-2 LW: #20 A Rat: .527 B Rating: 8.382 C Rating: 5.837 AP: 17 BCS: 16
It wasn’t pretty, but the Huskers did take advantage of reeling Penn State, and while beating the Wolverines won’t be easy, if they do so they’ll be in prime position to take advantage of a Spartan stumble.
19 South Carolina SEC SEC Title
8-2 LW: #16 A Rat: .520 B Rating: 7.007 C Rating: 4.435 AP: 14 BCS: 12
A narrow victory over a Florida team not up to their usual standards won’t cut it. They’ll drop further next week after playing the FCS Citadel.
20 USC P12 Probation
8-2 LW: #26 A Rat: .521 B Rating: 7.741 C Rating: 4.379 AP: 18 SBNBlog: 18
While the rest of the South embarass themselves, USC’s blowout of Washington propel them back onto the Top 25. But Oregon will not be easy.
21 Texas A&M B12 Bowl Elgblty
5-5 LW: #15 A Rat: .302 B Rating: 5.827 C Rating: 4.192 — —
All but one of A&M’s losses came to teams ranked in the polls at the time, all but one came to teams ranked in the C Ratings now, all but one was within a score… but losses are losses, and they’re nowhere near the polls and not yet bowl-eligible.
22 Florida State ACC Bowl Position
7-3 LW: #22 A Rat: .501 B Rating: 6.729 C Rating: 3.832 AP: 23 BCS: 25
Pedestrian four-point win over Miami (FL), and now Clemson will keep them out of the conference title game. On the plus side, they’re getting poll respect and can play spoiler in the Coastal against Virginia.
23 Penn State B10 Big 10 Title
8-2 LW: #17 A Rat: .525 B Rating: 5.467 C Rating: 3.636 AP: 21 BCS: 21
Pollsters may be penalizing the Nittany Lions for off-field discretions, but that doesn’t explain why the C Ratings drop Penn State so far for a tight loss against a good Nebraska team. Ohio State smells blood.
24 Toledo MAC MAC Title
6-4 LW: #23 A Rat: .355 B Rating: 4.490 C Rating: 2.452 — —
Allowing over 60 points is never good for score ratio, and keeping the margin of victory tight isn’t good either, but Toledo did better than that against Central Michigan.
25 Missouri* B12 Bowl Elgblty
5-5 LW: A Rat: .298 B Rating: .617 C Rating: .708 — —
Big win over Texas propels the Tigers into positive B Points and has them replacing the Longhorns on the Top 25 – even if as just the best of a bad lot.


25 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

Off Top 25: #27 Arizona State (was ), Texas (was #25)

Watch List: #26 Rutgers, #27 Arizona State, Miami (FL), Michigan State*

Other Positive B Ratings: #33 Tulsa*, #36 Ohio, #39 Northern Illinois* (*=Newly Positive)

No Longer Positive: Texas, Georgia Tech, #37 Cincinnati, #41 Iowa

Bottom 10: #111 Kansas, #112 Buffalo, #113 UNLV, #114 Colorado, #115 UAB, #116 Florida Atlantic, #117 Akron, #118 Tulane, #119 Memphis, #120 New Mexico

Best game of week: USC @ Oregon, 5pm PT, ABC

NFL Schedule: Week 11

by
AFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION
LEADERS		 WILD CARD WAITING IN
THE WINGS (4-5)
WEST
45-4		 56-3
All others at 4-5
EAST
36-3		 66-3
2 tied at 5-4
NORTH
27-3		 5-4
2 tied at 6-3 5-4
SOUTH
17-3		 5-4
5-4
NFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION
LEADERS		 WILD CARD WAITING IN
THE WINGS (4-5)
EAST
46-3		 56-3
5-4
SOUTH
37-3		 66-3
5-4
WEST
28-1		 5-4
2 tied at 3-6 5-4
NORTH
19-0
2 tied at 6-3

To help me see where I’d rather have the playoff picture chart, I’m reposting it on this post this week. Last four byes this week: three really good teams… and the Colts.

What is the Median Expected Score?

Away MXS Home Time (ET) TV DTV Announcers NTR SIRIUS Notes
Away Home
#T13(5-4) 22¾-16¼ #20(4-5) Thu 8:20 PM Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock, Alex Flanagan WW1 92 93 Jets try to bounce back from getting embarrassed in primetime.
#27(2-7) 20¼-27¼ (6-3) Sun 1:00 PM 710 Dick Stockton, John Lynch 113 91 Suh and the Lions defense try to get back on track against Newton and the Panthers.
#19(4-5) 17¼-31¼ (9-0) Sun 1:00 PM 711 Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver USA 136 86 Bucs may need to score the huge upset in the Battle of Bays to stay in playoff contention.
#12(5-4) 24½-17 (3-6) Sun 1:00 PM 709 Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa CMP 93 134 Cowboys hope to take advantage of their struggling rivals to keep pace in the playoff race.
(6-3) 16¾-23¾ (6-3) Sun 1:00 PM 708 Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf WW1 112 92 Big showdown for a share of the AFC North lead and the top wild-card spot.
#15(5-4) 23-22 #25(2-7) Sun 1:00 PM 704 Kevin Harlan, Solomon Wilcots 85 117 Mystified at Raiders being only a one-point favorite over a bad Vikings team.
#16(5-4) 20½-22½ (2-7) Sun 1:00 PM 706 Marv Albert, Rich Gannon 137 94 Don’t get too excited Fins fans – you’re still closer to Luck than the playoffs, but the Bills are reeling.
#26(3-6) 16¾-17¾ (3-6) Sun 1:00 PM 707 Bill Macatee, Steve Tasker 104 132 The Jags defense is starting to make noise for fantasy teams, and the Browns offense should oblige.
#23(3-6) 18-21 #30(2-7) Sun 4:05 PM 712 Chris Myers, Tim Ryan 106 138 The Rams want to recover something from their season, but the Hawks got an even huger win.
(3-6) 15¾-25¼ (8-1) Sun 4:05 PM 713 Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, Laura Okmin CMP 139 92 The Niners continue their march to dominate the NFC West.
#17(5-4) 19-25 #T13(5-4) Sun 4:15 PM 705 Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts WW1 85 93 Interconference showdown between two teams fighting for a playoff spot.
#18(4-5) 20¾-24¼ (6-3) Sun 4:15 PM 714 Jim Nantz, Phil Simms USA 86 94 Two name teams fighting for the playoffs but going in different directions.
#21(3-6) 21½-25½ (6-3) Sun 8:20 PM Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya WW1 92 93 If the Dream Team couldn’t beat the lowly Cardinals, what could they possibly do against the Giants?
#22(4-5) 15¾-30¾ (6-3) Mon 8:30 PM Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski, Suzy Kolber WW1 92 93 The Chiefs have started looking horrible again, and the Patriots will be no help.

Bye:

Sunday Night Football Flex Scheduling Watch: Week 10

by

NBC’s Sunday Night Football package gives it flexible scheduling. For Weeks 10-15, the games are determined on 12-day notice, 6-day notice for Week 17.

The first year, no game was listed in the Sunday Night slot, only a notation that one game could move there. Now, NBC lists the game it “tentatively” schedules for each night. However, the NFL is in charge of moving games to prime time.

Here are the rules from the NFL web site (note that this was written with the 2007 season in mind, hence why it contradicts the above – and the page it comes from, for that matter):

  • Begins Sunday of Week 11
  • In effect during Weeks 11-17
  • Only Sunday afternoon games are subject to being moved into the Sunday night window.
  • The game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night during flex weeks will be listed at 8:15 p.m. ET.
  • The majority of games on Sundays will be listed at 1:00 p.m. ET during flex weeks except for games played in Pacific or Mountain Time zones which will be listed at 4:05 or 4:15 p.m. ET.
  • No impact on Thursday, Saturday or Monday night games.
  • The NFL will decide (after consultation with CBS, FOX, NBC) and announce as early as possible the game being played at 8:15 p.m. ET. The announcement will come no later than 12 days prior to the game. The NFL may also announce games moving to 4:05 p.m. ET and 4:15 p.m. ET.
  • Week 17 start time changes could be decided on 6 days notice to ensure a game with playoff implications.
  • The NBC Sunday night time slot in “flex” weeks will list the game that has been tentatively scheduled for Sunday night.
  • Fans and ticket holders must be aware that NFL games in flex weeks are subject to change 12 days in advance (6 days in Week 17) and should plan accordingly.
  • NFL schedules all games.
  • Teams will be informed as soon as they are no longer under consideration or eligible for a move to Sunday night.
  • Rules NOT listed on NFL web site but pertinent to flex schedule selection: CBS and Fox each protect games in five out of six weeks, and cannot protect any games Week 17. Games were protected after Week 4 the first year of flexible scheduling, but are now protected after Week 5; however, they are back to Week 4 this year, probably for the same reason as that first year: NBC hosting a Christmas night game and the other games being moved to Saturday.
  • Three teams can appear a maximum of six games in primetime on NBC, ESPN or NFL Network (everyone else gets five) and no team may appear more than four times on NBC. At this writing, no team is completely tapped out at any measure; five teams have five primetime appearances each, but all of them have at least one game that can be flexed out. A list of all teams’ primetime appearances is in my first two posts for Weeks 4 and 5.
  • Last year’s selection of primetime games was weighted rather heavily towards Fox games. This year, the selection currently leans CBS 22, FOX 20 (though if I miscounted one game it may be even). My guess is that the balance will continue to lean towards the AFC. Weeks 10, 12, 13, and 15 are all CBS games, while Weeks 11 and 14 are FOX.

Here are the current tentatively-scheduled games and my predictions:

Week 10 (November 13):

  • Selected game: New England @ NY Jets.

Week 11 (November 20):

  • Selected game: Philadelphia @ NY Giants.

Week 12 (November 17):

  • Selected game: Pittsburgh @ Kansas City.

Week 13 (December 4):

  • Tentative game: None. For the first time ever, the NFL has announced that it is pulling a game out of primetime before the two-week deadline – Colts-Pats has become that sucky. Notably, they haven’t announced a replacement yet, which suggests there are multiple candidates…
  • Protected games: Jets-Redskins (CBS) and Packers-Giants (FOX).
  • Other possible games: Lions-Saints had the early lead, and may have re-taken it, but Bengals-Steelers has the exact same pair of records. Falcons-Texans is probably third, Titans-Bills is in the mix, and Chiefs-Bears and Broncos-Chargers are dark horses.
  • Analysis: Lions-Saints would probably win a tiebreaker if the Lions and Bengals both win or both lose, but the Lions’ hot start has largely faded into the background as a story. These aren’t the Palmer-Ochocinco Bengals, and heaven only knows if they’ll make any noise in the playoffs, but if a battle of 7-3 teams gets passed over for inferior games in a week where the tentative game bias isn’t a factor it makes a mockery of the notion that teams can “play their way into primetime” (even if it arguably applies to the Lions). Falcons-Texans has a legitimate shot if the Lions and Bengals both lose and the Falcons win, but I suspect the NFL would still go with Lions-Saints then; Titans-Bills likely has no shot at all. Basically, it’s Lions-Saints unless the Lions lose to the lowly Panthers and the Bengals beat the Ravens, and it might still be Lions-Saints even then.

Week 14 (December 11):

  • Tentative game: NY Giants @ Dallas
  • Prospects: NFC East clash, with both teams moderately good and the division lead potentially on the line. A flex isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but one or both teams would have to completely collapse and the other game would have to sweep the NFL off its feet. Combine that with a paucity of NFC road games, and no wonder Fox left this week unprotected.
  • Protected games: Patriots-Redskins (CBS).
  • Other possible games: Texans-Bengals and Saints-Titans are the only games involving two teams over .500. Bills-Chargers, Raiders-Packers, Broncos-Bears, and Chiefs-Jets are dark horses.

Week 15 (December 18):

  • Tentative game: Baltimore @ San Diego
  • Prospects: At one point this game was the only one of NBC’s tentatives involving two teams above .500. Might the Chargers’ mid-season swoon be putting this one in flex jeopardy? Maybe not, given the alternatives.
  • Protected games: Jets-Eagles (CBS) and Redskins-Giants (FOX).
  • Other possible games: Lions-Raiders, Packers-Chiefs, and Patriots-Broncos are the only remotely good options, and Lions-Raiders is the only one involving two teams over .500.

Week 17 (January 1):

AFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION
LEADERS		 WILD CARD WAITING IN
THE WINGS (4-5)
WEST
45-4		 56-3
All others at 4-5
EAST
36-3		 66-3
2 tied at 5-4
NORTH
27-3		 5-4
2 tied at 6-3 5-4
SOUTH
17-3		 5-4
5-4
NFC Playoff Picture
DIVISION
LEADERS		 WILD CARD WAITING IN
THE WINGS (4-5)
EAST
46-3		 56-3
5-4
SOUTH
37-3		 66-3
5-4
WEST
28-1		 5-4
2 tied at 3-6 5-4
NORTH
19-0
2 tied at 6-3
  • No votes on the poll and the person I usually turn to in these sorts of situations is sitting on the question, so I’m keeping the playoff picture here, and re-opening the poll, for another week.
  • Possible games: Cowboys-Giants, Titans-Texans, Lions-Packers, Ravens-Bengals, Bucs-Falcons, Bills-Patriots, Chargers-Raiders, Chiefs-Broncos.

Last-Minute Remarks on SNF Week 12 Picks

by

Week 12 (November 17):

  • Tentative game: Pittsburgh @ Kansas City
  • Prospects: 7-3 v. 4-5. After rallying from an 0-3 start to climb above .500 at 4-3, the Chiefs have lost two straight. Hmm. They’re still only a game out of the division lead, but this could still prove lopsided.
  • Protected games: Patriots-Eagles (CBS) and Bears-Raiders (FOX).
  • Other possible games mentioned on Wednesday’s Watch and their records: Bills (5-4)-Jets (5-4), Bucs (4-5)-Titans (5-4), Bengals (6-3)-Browns (3-6).
  • Impact of Monday Night Football: None.
  • Analysis: Thanksgiving Weekend usually means a paucity of good games. Had the Bills and Jets both won, it would be hard to argue against their game. As it stands, the best game being a battle of 5-4 teams isn’t going to overcome the tentative game bias. (The Jets would be maxed out on NBC appearances, but with Jets-Dolphins the Week 17 game and protections Weeks 13 and 15, they probably don’t have any more flex opportunities anyway.)
  • Final prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs (no change).
  • Actual selection: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs (no change).

2011 College Football Rankings – Week 10

by

Well, that was disappointing. Neither team is going to get the top spot coming out of it. No, Oklahoma responded to moving up to by blowing out a good Texas A&M team, and as a result they, not LSU, benefit from Alabama falling out of the top spot. We’ll see if they hang onto it after a week off, but if Stanford loses and Oklahoma keeps winning I will definitely push them for a trip to the national championship game.

But let’s forget about that, and let’s forget about this week’s huge matchup between Stanford and Oregon, and let’s even forget about the mess at Penn State. I want to talk about this week’s game between Boise State and TCU.

I have another commitment, so I won’t be able to watch the game, but I would if I could and I hope you will too. And not because it’s Boise’s biggest challenge, at least for the rest of the season, towards getting another BCS bid. See, last year Boise State announced that it was leaving the WAC to join the Mountain West. This looked for all the world to create the ultimate non-BCS conference, with so many good teams there was no way anyone would stop them from becoming a full-fledged BCS conference. Utah, BYU, TCU, and Boise State? You’re going to tell me that’s any less a test of a champion than the Big East? And this was when it was looking like the Pac-10 was going to cause college football armageddon, gobbling up half the Big 12 to form the first 16-team superconference. The Mountain West was in perfect position to pick off at least some of the remainder, meaning that along with the four elite teams it already had, it would now boast some bona fide BCS conference teams on top of that. Are you going to deny BCS status to Kansas and Kansas State? Didn’t think so.

And then… the deal fell through. The Big 12 and ESPN finagled a way to keep the conference together, the Pac-10 was left with Colorado, they plucked Utah from the Mountain West to get to 12 and a championship game, and that’s when it all started going wrong. First it was Utah. Then BYU left to go independent. And then TCU announced it was leaving for the Big East, and then flipped to the Big 12 without playing a game in the Big East. Just like that, the one elite non-BCS school the Mountain West was left with was the school that thought they wouldn’t be the one elite school in the conference anymore: Boise State. The Mountain West made up for the losses by adding more WAC schools – Nevada, Fresno State – but Boise State, who thought they were joining the non-BCS conference to end all non-BCS conferences, now found themselves in a conference not much different from the WAC, and maybe worse than Conference USA. Is Air Force really that much better than Nevada?

But TCU’s move to the Big East came too late for it to take effect this season. That meant that, for one season, Boise State would come in to and TCU would remain in a depleted conference, before the Horned Frogs left for a BCS conference the following year. So this weekend’s game between Boise State and TCU is more than the biggest game of the year in the Mountain West. For all that Boise thought their move to the Mountain West would break up the BCS oligarchy, this weekend they will play the one game their move to the Mountain West amounts to.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1 Oklahoma B12 2010 TCU
8-1 LW: A Rat: .674 B Rating: 51.093 C Rating: 44.248 AP: 7 BCS: 6
Not only have the Sooners beaten multiple good teams, they’ve blown them out. You’re telling me they’d be passed up for Boise or, heaven forbid, Alabama?
2 LSU SEC ’06 Boise St.
9-0 LW: A Rat: .813 B Rating: 47.166 C Rating: 42.202 AP: 1 BCS: 1
LSU is now in pole position to cruise to the BCS title game, but they better use the Western Kentucky and Mississippi games to get ready for a potentially huge clash with Arkansas.
3 Alabama SEC BCS Title
8-1 LW: A Rat: .766 B Rating: 42.836 C Rating: 37.022 AP: 4 BCS: 3
The Tide’s run at the top spot comes to an end along with their undefeated record. They’ll try to get back on track with a trip to Mississippi State.
4 Boise State MWC BCS Title
8-0 LW: A Rat: .794 B Rating: 41.152 C Rating: 34.650 AP: 5 BCS: 5
Will the Broncos players savor this weekend’s game against TCU? Or will they just play for their BCS lives?
5 Oklahoma State B12 BCS Title
9-0 LW: A Rat: .703 B Rating: 38.108 C Rating: 32.783 AP: 2 BCS: 2
The Cowboys put away a team that was unbeaten until the Oklahoma game and now turn their attention to the team that upended the Sooners.
6 Stanford P12 BCS Title
9-0 LW: A Rat: .823 B Rating: 36.517 C Rating: 29.278 AP: 3 BCS: 4
Oregon State’s A Rating is atrocious, so Stanford slips despite the big win. But the Beavers’ rivals may be the biggest test the Cardinal face all year.
7 Oregon P12 ’09 Boise State
8-1 LW: A Rat: .667 B Rating: 26.542 C Rating: 21.921 AP: 6 BCS: 7
Oregon could be a national championship contender if they hadn’t scheduled LSU to start the year. Against Stanford, they’ll have a chance to look like one.
8 Wisconsin B10 Big 10 Title
7-2 LW: A Rat: .619 B Rating: 24.689 C Rating: 19.046 AP: 16 BCS: 18
Wisconsin got back on track blowing out Purdue. Now Minnesota will serve as warm-up for a tough stretch run.
9 Houston USA BCS Bowl
9-0 LW: A Rat: .756 B Rating: 21.456 C Rating: 14.616 AP: 11 BCS: 11
Another week, another blowout – two, counting the Tulane game earlier this week.
10 Southern Miss USA C-USA Title
8-1 LW: #16 A Rat: .632 B Rating: 15.476 C Rating: 11.334 AP: 25 BCS: 22
While the AP poll finally has no choice but to recognize the Eagles, their blowout of East Carolina propels them into the top 10 here, right behind the class of the conference.
11 Clemson ACC ACC Title
8-1 LW: A Rat: .587 B Rating: 12.734 C Rating: 9.262 AP: 9 BCS: 9
Idle hands offset by Michigan’s problems, but now their hopes of making the conference title game may hinge on beating Wake Forest.
12 Michigan B10 Big 10 Title
7-2 LW: A Rat: .548 B Rating: 11.867 C Rating: 8.904 AP: 22 BCS: 24
Iowa is a pretty respectable team and the Wolverines got within a score, but that’s still not a loss you want to take, especially with the Spartans now holding divisional pole position.
13 Notre Dame   Bowl Position
6-3 LW: #19 A Rat: .419 B Rating: 8.723 C Rating: 6.678 — —
The Golden Domers are once again knocking on the door of the polls after a win over a good team, and now shouldn’t have any trouble with 2-7 Maryland.
14 Virginia Tech ACC ACC Title
8-1 LW: #15 A Rat: .602 B Rating: 8.804 C Rating: 5.758 AP: 10 BCS: 10
Idle hands outweighed by Nebraska losing. And now that they’ve dispatched Georgia Tech, if they handle North Carolina as they should Virginia will be their only obstacle for the title game.
15 Texas A&M B12 Bowl Elgblty
5-4 LW: #17 A Rat: .342 B Rating: 6.794 C Rating: 5.284 — —
The Aggies get blown out by Oklahoma and somehow move up. Well, it was 16 points to the best team in the rankings. But it doesn’t get that much easier with a trip to Manhattan next.
16 South Carolina SEC SEC Title
7-2 LW: A Rat: .506 B Rating: 7.297 C Rating: 5.020 AP: 15 BCS: 13
The Gamecocks got blown out by the Hogs, but still have a good chance to win the division. Florida comes to town next.
17 Penn State B10 Big 10 Title
8-1 LW: #14 A Rat: .607 B Rating: 7.138 C Rating: 4.910 AP: 12 BCS: 12
Joe Paterno ends his career on a 7-game winning streak and his team bowling, but lost his last bowl game, last year’s Outback Bowl against Florida – and will have never coached against Nebraska in a conference game, a tall act for Tom Bradley.
18 TCU MWC MWC Title
7-2 LW: #25 A Rat: .555 B Rating: 10.132 C Rating: 4.866 Coaches: 24 —
Huge win over Wyoming + losses by other teams = the Horned Frogs may have stopped shuffling on and off the rankings, just in time for the big showdown with Boise State.
19 Georgia SEC SEC Title
7-2 LW: #23 A Rat: .523 B Rating: 6.062 C Rating: 4.189 AP: 14 BCS: 15
Blowout win over New Mexico State propels the Bulldogs into the top 20, and for the moment they hold pole position in the SEC East. But Auburn isn’t New Mexico State.
20 Nebraska B10 Big 10 Title
7-2 LW: #12 A Rat: .519 B Rating: 6.618 C Rating: 4.114 AP: 19 BCS: 19
Aaaaand one loss to a mediocre Northwestern team later, and the Huskers have given up all the gains they made last week. Who knows what’ll happen when they play scandal-ridden Penn State?
21 Arkansas SEC SEC Title
8-1 LW: #21 A Rat: .583 B Rating: 7.578 C Rating: 3.564 AP: 8 BCS: 8
Blowout win over South Carolina, but they see no benefit from it. Now Tennessee and Mississippi State will serve as warm-ups for the showdown with LSU.
22 Florida State ACC ACC Title
6-3 LW: #22 A Rat: .487 B Rating: 6.208 C Rating: 3.390 — —
With teams losing, Florida State stands pat despite idle hands. Now to take on their less-recently-scandal-ridden rivals.
23 Toledo MAC MAC Title
5-4 LW: #18 A Rat: .333 B Rating: 4.921 C Rating: 3.255 — —
Toledo will bounce back next week after another 120-point game attracting national attention. Will it attract poll votes their way?
24 Arizona State P12 Pac-12 Title
6-3 LW: #20 A Rat: .422 B Rating: 4.886 C Rating: 2.419 — —
That was a loss the Sun Devils could not take. They play nothing but bad-to-iffy teams the rest of the way, but it won’t make up for costing themselves a trip to the conference title game.
25 Texas* B12 Big 12 Title
6-2 LW: #33 A Rat: .498 B Rating: 4.919 C Rating: 2.233 AP: 21 BCS: 16
Blowout win over Texas Tech propels the Longhorns back into the Top 25, just in time for a tough stretch that starts with a road trip to Missouri.


28 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

Princeton-Yale Title: #27 Georgia Tech (7-2), .482, 3.251, .258

Off Top 25: #26 USC (was )

Watch List: #26 USC, #27 Georgia Tech, Miami (FL), Cincinnati*, #30 Rutgers

Other Positive B Ratings: Iowa, #38 Ohio (*=Newly Positive)

No Longer Positive: #35 West Virginia

Bottom 10: #111 Kansas, #112 Buffalo, #113 UNLV, #114 Colorado, #115 Akron, #116 Florida Atlantic, #117 UAB, #118 Tulane, #119 Memphis, #120 New Mexico

Best game of week: Oregon @ Stanford, 5pm PT, ABC