December separates the best from the rest

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Ahhh… December.  College bowl games, the Heisman Trophy announcement and NFL divisional battles. 

Yesterday the BCS announced the schools that are going to play in its bowl games – the Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO, Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Discover Orange Bowl, All State Sugar Bowl and Tostitos BCS National Championship Game.   Auburn Tigers and Oregon Ducks will play in the championship game on January 10 in Arizona.  This was not a surprise.  Both teams won their conference and are undefeated.  Every year there is controversy over whether the BCS selects the right schools and delivers a true champion. 

I think that the right schools are going to play in the title game.  Auburn has a superstar quarterback in Cameron “Cam” Newton.  The guy is big, fast, and can throw the football.  He could help teams in the pros like the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions today.   With a new quarterback, things started off slow for the Tigers.  They had close wins against unranked Mississippi State and Clemson.  Each week Cam displayed just how good he is and took Auburn through the tough SEC without a loss.  Oregon is a high scoring team.  They dominated all of their opponents.  Thanks to quarterback, Darron Thomas, and running back, LaMichael James, the Ducks won 10 of their 12 games by 17 or more points.

Michigan State got a raw deal.  The Spartans shared the Big Ten title with Wisconsin and Ohio State.  Despite beating Wisconsin during the season they were not selected to a BCS bowl game.  Instead they are going to play Alabama and their former coach, Nick Saban, in the Capital One Bowl.   It will be frustrating for the Spartans to watch the team they beat represent the conference in the Rose Bowl. 

Check out all of the BCS and non-BCS bowl games.

Quick hits around the NFL Week 13

Dallas Cowboys beat the Indianapolis Colts 38 -35.  The Cowboys’ defense intercepted Peyton Manning four times.  Two of them were returned for touchdowns.  Just when Dallas was starting to look like the team people thought would contend for the Super Bowl, they lose wide receiver Dez Bryant.  Bryant suffered an ankle injury yesterday and is out for the season.

For the second time this season, a controversial call clouds the Chicago Bears victory over the Detroit Lions.  The Bears were behind when Lions rookie defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was penalized for unnecessary roughness.  The Lions’ sideline thought that Suh just pushed Bears quarterback Jay Cutler to the ground.  The referees saw a blow to the back of Cutler’s head.  The penalty setup a Bears touchdown.  Chicago wins 24-20.

Atlanta Falcons came back in the fourth quarter to beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28 -24.  They remain first in the NFC South.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Brett Favre, injured his throwing shoulder.  With Tarvaris Jackson at the quarterback position, the Vikings beat the Buffalo Bills 38-14 at home.     

Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a win against AFC rival Baltimore Ravens.  It was a bloody battle between two powerful defenses – literally.  The game left Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger with a bloody jersey and broken nose.  Steelers win 13-10 and hold first in the AFC North by themselves.

Are you ready for some football?

Monday Night Football is going to feel like the AFC Championship Game.  The New York Jets are going up to cold Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots.  They are divisional rivals tied at 9-2 for first place in the AFC East.  So, this is a battle for the top spot in the division and the conference.  Earlier this season (Week 2), the Jets beat the Patriots at home when they still had Pro Bowl receiver Randy Moss.  Tonight’s game is going to come down to experience and talent.  The Patriots have quarterback, Tom Brady, but I don’t think that it is going to be enough.  New York Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, may only be in his second season, but he is surrounded by a lot of experienced, talented players. Jets defensive backs Antonio Cromartie and Darrelle Revis will be able to beat anyone that Brady tries to throw to.  I’m going with the Jets.  I know that the Patriots slaughtered the Lions last Thursday.  Yes, the Jets barely won the last few weeks.  They don’t have to blowout teams to get to the Super Bowl.  They just have to win.  Good teams find a way to win and the Jets will do just that tonight.  MNF kicks off at 8:30 pm on ESPN.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets®

Tricked or Treated?

Halloween weekend had its share of tricks and treats.  It also revealed scary realities for some teams.  There is just one month left of regular season college football and the NFL is halfway through it season.  November is here, but let's look at how October ended.

College Weekend

Just when I was ready to inform you that for the first time in October, the #1 team won and stayed at the top spot, the BCS tricks me with me a new #1.  Despite, Auburn pounding Ole Miss 51 – 31, the Tigers dropped to #2 in the BCS.  Oregon moved to #1 after beating #24 USC 53 - 32. 

The BCS is a hodgepodge of the Harris Interactive College Football Poll, USA Today Coaches Poll and computer rankings.  In spite of all of the science that is used in the BCS methodology, the process still seems unscientific and subjective.  This is why we end up with quirky situations like a 9-0 team (Auburn) losing the top spot after a win or a one-loss team playing in the championship game over undefeated teams.  I guess Oregon’s victory over a ranked opponent was more impressive than Auburn’s victory over an unranked team this weekend.  It will get messier during the final month of the college regular season. 

The team to watch is Alabama.  At 7-1, #2 in the SEC West and #6 in the BCS, they still have to play LSU #10 and Auburn #2.  If the Crimson Tide continues to roll over its opponents, beat an undefeated Auburn at the end of the season and win the SEC Championship game, they could land in one of the top two spots.  EVEN if TCU #3 or #4 Boise State are still undefeated. 

Why?

Alabama surviving the SEC (playing seven ranked opponents) with only one loss illustrates a stronger team to the humans behind the polls and computer rankings, in comparison to TCU going undefeated in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) and playing only two ranked opponents.  This will become more likely this weekend when TCU #3 and Utah #5 play.  I don’t know who will win, but I do know that the loser will drop.  This puts Alabama in a position to get in the top 5 in the BCS.  A win against LSU on Saturday will get them to at least #5.

NFL Week 8

In the AFC, the New England Patriots took the lead in the conference with a 28 – 18 victory over the Minnesota Vikings and their former star receiver Randy Moss.  Scary game for the Vikes.  Favre struggled and ended up out of the game with eight stitches in his chin.

In the NFC, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is back to himself.  After an embarrassing loss last weekend and a scary start yesterday, he ended the game with over 300 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.  In the second half he only missed two passes.  Meanwhile, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could not get one touchdown pass.  It reminded me that the Saints do have the third ranked defense in the NFL.  New Orleans beat Pittsburgh 20 – 10.

Donovan McNabb was benched in the Washington Redskins loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.  Calvin Johnson, a.k.a Megatron, and Matthew Stafford treated Lions fans to a 37 – 25 victory. 

The New York Jets could not handle the Green Bay Packers defense.  They lose at home without scoring a single point.  Scary.  Packers win on the road 9 – 0.  If you forgot the Packers have last season’s defensive player of the year, Charles Woodson.

The Dallas Cowboys can no longer trick anyone into thinking that they are a good team.  The Cowboys were already off to one of the worst starts in the franchise’s history.  Now their starting quarterback, Tony Romo, is out after breaking his collarbone last Monday.  His replacement, Jon Kitna, is old and has not played in a NFL game in two seasons.  It showed yesterday.  The scariest moment came when he collided with Marion Barber trying to hand off the ball.  I don’t think I have seen that type of confusion in Pee Wee in football. 

The San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos went to the other side of the pond and played at Wembley Stadium.  49ers fans were treated to a different quarterback, a different country, a different team and a different outcome.  Troy Smith in only his third start as a NFL quarterback ran for a touchdown and passed for a touchdown, treating 49ers fans to a 24 – 16 win over Denver, their second of the season.  

Are you ready for some football?

Tonight Monday Night Football is a rematch between the Houston Texans and the Indianapolis Colts.  In the season opener, Houston won 34 - 24.  The Colts are without a couple of offensive threats, wide receiver Austin Collie and running back Joseph Addai.  However, they are coming off of a Bye week and they still have Peyton Manning.  He is rested and at home.  I expect him to make good things happen.  The league’s last ranked defense going against the older Manning brother is a scary thought.  I’m going with the Colts.

MNF is at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.  If you’re in DC, you can join us at Degrees in the Ritz Carlton-Georgetown. 

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets

Halloween is here and football is getting scary

As we approach Halloween, a couple of the top teams in college and the NFL had fans on the edge of their seats.  Some of them survived scary games, while others suffered frightening losses. 

College Weekend

Oklahoma loss to Missouri and opened the door for someone to take the #1 spot.  In the AP and USAToday Polls, Oregon took the top spot.  However, in the BCS standing Auburn who defeated LSU owns the #1 spot.  As I shared last week, the BCS is the only standing that you need to pay attention to.  Auburn was rewarded for not just being undefeated, but beating three teams ranked #12 or higher.  Following Auburn in the top five of the BCS are Oregon #2, Boise State #3, Texas Christian University (TCU) #4, and Michigan State #5.  

The chase for the BCS Championship game will be tough for the schools behind Auburn because of the lack of difficulty remaining on their schedule.  They all only have one ranked opponent left.  Out of the four of them, only TCU will play a team currently in the top 10.  This leaves an opportunity for Alabama to still get to the BCS game.  In the final month of the regular schedule, they will play three ranked teams, LSU #12, Mississippi State #21 and Auburn #1.

NFL Week 7

In the first weekend since the NFL got tough on illegal helmets hits, there were some shockers, lucky endings and controversial calls.

Who Dat thought that the Cleveland Browns would even compete against the defending Super Bowl Champs?  Probably only Browns players and die-hard fans.  Cleveland not only competed, but they dominated the New Orleans Saints.   Browns fans need to thank their defense and Saints quarterback Drew Brees for their second win.  He was responsible for two of their three touchdowns.  Drew threw two interceptions that were caught and returned for touchdowns by David Bowen.  Browns win on the road, 30 -17.

The Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to South Florida to face AFC rival Miami Dolphins.  It was a close game in which Ben Roethlisberger fumbled at the end of the game right at the goal line.  The refs confirmed the fumbled, but said that they did not have a clear visual of who recovered the ball, so they gave it back to Pittsburgh.  I was not on the field, but from the replay I only see Dolphin uniforms all over the ball.  Luck falls on the Steelers side.  They get the ball back at the half-yard line, kick a field goal and win 23 – 22.

In Chicago, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw 4 interceptions that helped the Washington Redskins get their fourth win of the season.  It was not all pretty for the Redskins.  Donovan McNabb threw a couple of interceptions, but the defense shined returning one of Cutler’s interceptions for a touchdown and sacking him four times.  Redskins win it 17 - 14.  I have to give some credit to Redskin defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth.  He made an awesome stop at the goal line.  He leaped over the offensive line and tackled Cutler, preventing him from scoring a touchdown and leading to a fumble.  You have to see it.  Now that’s defense! 

New England Patriots get lucky in Southern California.  San Diego Chargers miss a field goal with 23 seconds left that would have tied the game.  Patriots win 23 -20 and remain tied for first in the AFC East with the New York Jets.  Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings were not so lucky in Lambeau Field.  Favre’s interceptions and controversial calls on two touchdowns led to a Green Bay Packers victory 28 -24.

Are you ready for some football?

Monday Night Football will feature a matchup between NFC East teams.  The first team in the NFC East, New York Giants, will play the last team in that division, Dallas Cowboys, at Cowboys Stadium.  After consecutive losses to AFC opponents, the Giants have won three in a row.  Albeit those games were not against New England, Pittsburgh or the Jets, Dallas has won only one game.  The Cowboys problem is not a lack of talent.  It is a lack of focus and discipline.

 I’ll be honest and disclose I have an affinity for the Cowboys.  (I love Jerry Jones and what little cheerleader in the 80s did not want to be a Cowgirl???)   So, even with the problems, turnovers and penalties, I’m going with the Cowboys.  They are in a do or die situation and I think Tony Romo and Miles Austin will lead the team to their second win.

Ciao! 

Heels & Helmets