Just because the regular season ended doesn’t mean you can’t keep playing fantasy throughout the playoffs.  Considering that fans of 20 NFL teams are on the outside looking in, why wouldn’t you want to keep rolling?

There is an entirely different strategy when selecting a fantasy team for the playoffs.  You can’t simply select the best players because if their team loses, you’re out a guy.  You have to take a look at the playoffs and decide how many games each team will play.

I am predicting a Indianapolis-Carolina Super Bowl so I’m figuring those teams to play at least four games.  Here is how the teams will break out based on how I see the playoffs going.

Indianapolis - 4
Baltimore - 3
Carolina - 3
Atlanta - 2
New York - 2
Philadelphia - 2
Arizona - 1
Miami - 1
Minnesota - 1
Pittsburgh - 1
San Diego - 1
Tennessee - 1

Here are my top players per position based on my above playoff projections:

QB
1.  Peyton Manning
2.  Jake Delhomme
3.  Donovan McNabb
4.  Joe Flacco
5.  Eli Manning
6.  Matt Ryan

RB
1.  DeAngelo Williams
2.  Joseph Addai
3.  Le’Ron McClain
4.  Michael Turner
5.  Brandon Jacobs
6.  Brian Westbrook
7.  Jonathan Stewart
8.  Dominic Rhodes

WR
1.  Reggie Wayne
2.  Steve Smith
3.  Marvin Harrison
4.  Roddy White
5.  Derrick Mason
6.  Muhsin Muhammad
7.  Anthony Gonzalez
8.  Dominik Hixon
9.  DeSean Jackson
10. Mark Clayton

Obviously your projected playoff picture could look different.  Go ahead and lay out the playoffs to see how many games each team will play.  Remember even if a guy has one huge week, if he’s gone, a guy who plays three games will score more points.  Don’t be afraid to stock up on several guys from the teams you expect in the Super Bowl.

First, are the times of holiday games. I would decree that all American holiday baseball games must be played during the day, except for any games for national television. Games on Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day would all be day games. With all due respect to Toronto, they would never have any home games on July 4. These are holidays that are very family oriented. These are perfect opportunities to have day time games in which parents can bring their children to the various stadiums around the country and enjoy baseball, under the summer sun. Instead of a child having to leave in Inning 6 because it is already 9pm, kids will be able to stay the full length of the game and introduce something new to a seven year old, the ninth inning.

Second, any Saturday World Series games would be played during the day. When was the last time a World Series game (on the east coast) ended on the same day that it started? Games starting at 8:15pm are killing the love of the game. There is no way that kids from the Eastern and Central Time Zones can see the end of any World Series games. Saturday games would begin at 4:15pm. An earlier start time would allow families to watch games together at home and would also allow fans not to freeze their tails off if the game was being played in the northern part of the United States. As someone who has been to many, many post-season games in New York, I would have been so glad to have a game played under the sun.

Third, I would move the All-Star game and festivities to a weekend. Once again, this game is America’s pastime. Currently, the All-Start game is a Tuesday night and begins after 8pm in the east. The Home Run Derby starts at the same time. The All-Star Game was in New York this year. My brother (Blatt from Insidepulse Wrestling) went to the Home Run Derby and was able to stay for the whole night, but my Dad could not stay for the entire All-Star game. Just like most working people, he could not stay because he had to wake up in the morning and go to work. Now, imagine how amazing Yankee Stadium would have been if that game was held on a Saturday night and all 55,000+ people were still there as the American league won.

Fourth, I would come to an agreement with the Player’s Association to ban chewing tobacco. Unknown to most, chewing tobacco is banned in the minor leagues and players can get fined for having it in their possession. There are not too many major leaguers that use it, however imagine the positive publicity that baseball would receive for banning a substance that is known to cause cancer.

Fifth, I would work with the owners to make sure that all stadiums are open for batting practice. I remember when I was a child, I would get to the stadium early with my dad and watch batting practice. I even remember watching Dave Kingman take BP when he was with the A’s. At the (Old) Yankee Stadium, they used to park an ambulance behind Monument Park. Basically, this ambulance was parked against the back wall behind left center field. Kingman hit a ball that hit the ambulance. People stood an applauded. This was just a moment in BP that was seen by thousands of people because the stadiums were open. I know some stadiums are open for BP, but there should be some standard set so that fans can see their own home team take their pre-game swings.

Sixth, I would work the bat manufacturers to make safer bats. Bats break all the time. Watch Mariano Rivera pitch and you will regularly see him break one bat per game. However, in 2008 there was a sever problem with maple bats shattering. Without knowing studies that have been done, I do not know the solution. Does there need to be regulations as to the weight and the barrel length/width? Do the handles need to be thicker? Should bat companies submit samples for testing? Is there a stronger material that can be used? Whatever the answer is, I would find it.

Seventh, I would promote current Hall-of-Famers. I would have each organization work with the Hall of Fame for Professional Baseball to bring these former players to the forefront. We all hear the stories that current players do not know about history. We hear that players do not know the names and the records that these amazing players have held. What about the youth of today? How many kids today know about Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Johnny Bench and dozens of others. Hall of Famers can throw out first pitches, be involved in publicity and be part of front offices. As Commissioner, I cannot dictate how a team can utilize a former player, but I will do my best.

Eighth, I would schedule an All-Star Game at Wrigley Field. Enough said. It was last there in 1990. Almost twenty years later, it is time for a return. I have been there twice, the place is a gem in Major League Baseball.

That is my first “To-Do” list when I become Commissioner. Is everything with my powers? No. Will I need help from the Players Association and from the Major League Owners? Yes. However, each one of my ideas will help promote the game, bring the game back to the people who enjoy the game and hopefully reintroduce the game to people who may have forgotten how amazing this game can be.

Respectfully submitted,

Russ Blatt
Future Commissioner of Major League Baseball

Greg Smith

7-16, 4.16 ERA, 32 GS

The Good News: When all 8,000 A’s fans were singing Greg Smith’s praises after he posted a 2.84 ERA in his first ten starts, I was the voice of reason that screamed, “Wait! He’s not as awesome as you think!” Thankfully, the A’s front office saw what I saw and flipped him to Colorado in the Matt Holliday deal. Smith was pretty OK in the first half (3.43 ERA), he held lefties to a .270 OBP on the year and his 15 pickoffs were one of the highlights – seriously – of the team’s entire season. Ugh.

The Bad News: Smith completely imploded in the second half (2-9, 5.17 ERA) as his career-high workload caught up with him. He’s got average stuff and a razor-thin margin of error, so the league simply laid off of any breaking pitch he threw and forced Smith to come at ‘em with a 90 mph fastball he could only occasionally toss for strikes.

2009 Outlook: It kind of sucks that all of the Billy Beane sycophants – who LOVED Smith out of the gate – called him a low-ceiling #5 starter and focused on his won-loss record (obtained with the worst run support in the league) as Smith was on his way out the door. Still, his future is in the bullpen, where he could make millions as a Paul Assenmacher/Alan Embree imitation.

Dana Eveland

9-9, 4.34 ERA, 29 GS

The Good News: After an early August demotion to Triple-A, Eveland came back three weeks later and had a half-dozen strong starts (2.84 ERA, 2-0) before getting cuffed around in his final start of the year. He recorded a 3.49 ERA in the first half and pitched well vs. lefties all season.

The Bad News: Eveland walked 77 and struck out 118 – a terrible ratio made worse by the fact that he walked more than four batters per nine innings. RH hitters reached base at an ungodly .371 (OBP) clip. It’d be nice to see the 25-year-old take his conditioning a little more seriously. You can be a fat steaming load – a la David Wells – when your résumé shows you’ve earned the right.

2009 Outlook: The A’s have some blue-chip pitching prospects in the pipeline behind Eveland, so he’s probably not anyone’s long-term answer in the rotation. Watching him blob around the basepaths during Interleague play has me hoping that he ends up in the National League, eventually. As it stands, he’s probably our #3 starter right now. Damn it.

Justin Duchscherer

10-8, 2.54 ERA, 22 GS

The Good News: It was something of a breakout campaign for the unassuming, erstwhile relief pitcher. He spent most of the season among the league leaders in ERA and was named to the All-Star Game (where Fox PBP guy Joe Buck – unfamiliar with any player east of the Mississippi – mispronounced Duke’s last name). He was often economical with his pitch count while going deeper into games as the season wore on.

The Bad News: As pretty much everyone predicted, Duke wasn’t able to make it through his first season as a full-time starter. A hip injury nagged him all year long, before finally shutting him down in mid-August with just 141 innings pitched. There’s a terrific piece over at fangraphs.com that suggests – correctly, IMO – that some of Duke’s success in ‘08 is not sustainable going forward.

2009 Outlook: I thought the A’s should’ve moved Duchscherer last season at the same time they were showing Joe Blanton and Rich Harden the door. Duke will be a free agent after this season and is either going to (1) price himself right out of Oakland or (2) injure himself right back to the bullpen. He’s our ace as of this writing.

Huston Street

7-5, 3.73 ERA, 63 Games

The Good News: Finished the season with a flourish, posting a 1.37 ERA over his final 19 2/3 innings in 17 appearances, striking out 20. In the first half, while still the closer, Street shook off a poor start to post a 2.74 ERA and 17 saves from mid-April to mid-July.

The Bad News: On July 13, he spectacularly blew a save against the Angels right before the All-Star Break, effectively killing the A’s season. Yes, yes, the two events aren’t cause n’ effect, but still… Street’s always been wound pretty tight, getting flustered and agitated whenever runners reach base or he can’t find the touch on his pitches. He blew up at manager Bob Geren during a pitching change in Detroit and ended his A’s tenure as a fifth/sixth inning spare part.

2009 Outlook: “Closer mystique”, as everyone knows, is overrated. That said, Street ain’t got it. He’s averaged 25 saves per year in his career and is capable of doing it again, but he’ll never be the lights-out stopper he was in 2005 or, to a lesser degree, in 2007.

Brad Ziegler

3-0, 1.06 ERA, 47 Games

The Good News: He threw 39 scoreless innings in 2008 to begin his career – a feat that was unquestionably (and sadly) the biggest highlight of the season for the A’s. Already insanely beloved by A’s fans, Ziegler blogs at the fansite Athletics Nation and comes across as a humble everyman (he was signed out of an independent league) just happy to be in the bigs.

The Bad News: One of the best and worst things about being an A’s fan is that we’re conditioned to generally piss on sentiment. Ziegler’s 2008 season was superficially excellent, but beneath the buzz, it was a colossal fluke. He allowed his fair share of baserunners (roughly 1.5 per appearance), his BB/K ratio was only 22/30, lefties thumped him pretty good (.800 OPS) and his groundball skill set is heavily dependent on the defense behind him.

2009 Outlook: I’m calling a hee-yuge regression for Ziegler next season, if he’s used the same way in ‘09. He’s not without value, but if Oakland really has him earmarked for a part-time closer’s role and/or 8th inning bridge, LH hitters will eat him alive. Let him face tough right-handers late in the game or in situations that call for a groundball and the A’s could have the best years of Chad Bradford all over again.

Joey Devine

6-1, 0.59 ERA, 42 Games

The Good News: After returning from the disabled list on August 3, Devine didn’t give up an earned run the rest of the season spanning 24 appearances. Before hitting the DL, his ERA stood at 1.23 through his first 18 games. LH hitters recorded a .515 OPS against Devine, while righties could only muster a .312 (!!!) on-base plus slugging. He didn’t give up a home run all season (in 45 2/3 innings) and avoided the unsightly walk totals that have plagued his abbreviated big league career.

The Bad News: Devine missed about two months with a strained elbow and his rough delivery hints at future arm ailments. He was mostly a low leverage set-up man in 2008, with his best work coming when the A’s had long since thrown in the towel on the season. It remains to be seen if Devine can hold up from April to October over the pressure of a real pennant race.

2009 Outlook: A’s management envisions a case-by-case division of the closer’s role next year. Sometimes it’ll be Ziegler, sometimes it’ll be Devine. I’d be stunned if this job-sharing nonsense lasted too long, though. Devine does all the things that Ziegler can’t: miss bats, intimidate and shut down hitters from both sides of the plate. He not THIS good, but he’s better than anyone else the A’s have. The whole “grown man called ‘Joey’” thing does work my nerves, though.

Originally drafted by the Yankees in 1981, the Crime Dog had a full 18 year career in major league baseball, spanning six teams. Originally traded to the Blue Jays from the Yankees for Dale Murray, McGriff established himself as a top slugger for many years to come (imagine McGriff with the short porch at Yankee Stadium, but they had another up and comer named Don Mattingly). He was also part of the blockbuster trade of 1990, traded along with Tony Fernandez to the Padres, for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar (a trade that set the basis for the upcoming Blue Jay Championships).

McGriff finished in the top 20 of the MVP voting, eight times, finishing as high as fourth. He is a five time all-star. He is a three time Silver Slugger Award winner who finished in the top four in homeruns seven times, from 1988 to 1994. He is career .284 hitter, with 493 home runs, 1550 runs batted in and 1349 runs scored. But, is Fred McGriff a Hall of Famer?

McGriff has more career home runs than nineteen Hall of Famers with at least 300 home runs. McGriff has scored more runs than twenty Hall of Famers with at least 1200 runs scored. McGriff has driven in more runs that twenty-eight Hall of Famers with at least 1300 RBIs.

Andres Galarraga

Originally signed by the Montreal Expos as a free agent in 1979, The Big Cat had a nineteen season career that spanned eight teams. He played with the Expos until 1991, when he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. Galarraga is best known for his years in Colorado and his amazing recovery from cancer for his return to the Braves after the 1999 season.

Galarraga was a five-time all-star, two-time Gold Glove winner, a two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, finished in the top sixteen of the MVP voting seven times and once led the National League, posting a .370 batting average in 1993. He is a career .288 hitter, with 399 career home runs and 1425 runs batted in. He scored 1195 runs through his career and hit over .300 nine times through his career. But, is Andres Galarraga a Hall of Famer?

Andres Galarraga has less career home runs, runs batted in and runs scored that Fred McGriff. However, Galarraga was a better fielder throughout his career as noted by the Gold Gloves. He also played all but 48 games of his career at first base, while McGriff was a DH for over 100 more games through his career. On the negative side, Galarraga did lead the National League in strikeouts four times.

Roberto Alomar

Originally signed as a free agent by the San Diego Padres in 1985, Roberto Alomar was one of the most dominant second baseman in baseball for over a decade. Alomar was part of the trade between the Padres and the Blue Jays (see McGriff above) and has two World Series rings to show for his efforts. Alomar was a twelve-time all-star, starting nine times between 1991 and 2000. He won eleven straight Gold Glove Awards between 1991 and 2001 and four Silver Slugger Awards. He finished in the top 20 in the MVP voting six times, and placing as high as third. He was in the top 7 in batting average five times and was in the top 10 in runs scored six times (including a first place finish in 1999). He was in the top 10 in the American League for hits and stolen bases. For years, there was no better second baseman than Roberto Alomar.

Through his seventeen year career, Roberto Alomar had a .300 career batting average. He has over 500 career doubles and 210 career home runs. Alomar has scored 1508 career runs and had over 2700 career hits. Alomar also had nearly 500 career steals. Between the ten year period from 1992 and 2001, Alomar scored 100 runs six times, had over 25 doubles each of those ten seasons, hit over .300 nine times and never meade more than 14 errors in an individual season. But, is Roberto Alomar a Hall of Famer?

Roberto Alomar has more career hits than eleven second basemen in the Hall of Fame, and none of those Hall of Famers do not have a career batting average above .300. Only two of those Hall of Famers have more runs batted in than Alomar and only three have more stolen bases. When compared to Ryne Sandberg, the most recent second base inductee, Alomar has more career hits, a higher career batting average, more runs batted in, more runs scored and more stolen bases. Alomar has more All-Star appearances and more Gold Glove Awards than Sandberg as well.

Barry Larkin

Barry Larkin is one of the last of a dying breed. In today’s world of free agency, very few players can play 19 seasons with only one organization. Since the 1980s, very few players have devoted themselves to one organization. Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, Brad Radke and Derek Jeter are the exception rather than the rule. Larkin started his Reds career as the number four overall pick of the 1985 draft and making his debut in August 1986.

Barry Larkin played almost 2200 games for the Reds as their shortstop. Before retiring after the 2004 season, Larkin has 2340 hits, 441 doubles, 198 home runs and 960 runs batted in. His career batting average is .295. Larkin is a twelve-time all-star (starting five times), was the 1995 MVP (finished four other times in the top 20), won three gold gloves and won the Silver Slugger Award nine times. Larkin has won approximately 30 percent of all National League Silver Slugger Awards, with his last award in 1999. Larkin finished in the top 10 in batting and runs four times in his career and placed in the top 10 in hits three hits. He is a career .338 hitter in the postseason and committed over errors in a season only once. But, is Barry Larkin a Hall of Famer?

In the midst of Barry Larkin’s career, the shortstop position changed. In the mid to late 90s shortstops such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Miguel Batista changes the position from defensive to offensive. But, Larkin was a strong shortstop before it became the norm. He has a higher career batting average than Robin Yount (who played his entire career with one team). He has only 120 hits less than The Wizard of “Oz”zie Smith. If you compare Larkin’s stats to other Hall of fame shortstops, he is superior. His batting average is better than thirteen Hall of Famers, more runs batted in than twelve others and more home runs than all Hall of Fame shortstops other than Cal Ripken Jr, Robin Yount and of course, Ernie Banks (who also stayed with one organization). Larkin has one World Series ring and was considered one of top shortstops in the National League during the early to mid 90s.

These are the only four potential candidates for the Hall of Fame for those eligible in 2010. Are any of them potential first ballot Hall of Famers?

Here is the list of the First Ballot Hall of Famers:

Hank Aaron, of, 1982
Ernie Banks, ss-1b, 1977
Johnny Bench, c, 1989
Wade Boggs, 3b, 2005
George Brett, 3b, 1999
Lou Brock, of, 1985
Rod Carew, 2b-1b, 1991
Steve Carlton, p, 1994
Dennis Eckersley, p, 2004
Bob Feller, p, 1962
Bob Gibson, p, 1981
Tony Gwynn, of, 2007
Reggie Jackson, of, 1993
Al Kaline, of, 1980
Sandy Koufax, p, 1971
Mickey Mantle, of-1b, 1974
Willie Mays, of, 1979
Willie McCovey, 1b, 1986
Paul Molitor, 3b-of-dh, 2004
Joe Morgan, 2b, 1990
Eddie Murray, 1b-dh, 2003
Stan Musial, of-1b, 1969
Jim Palmer, p, 1990
Kirby Puckett, of, 2001
Cal Ripken Jr., inf, 2007
Brooks Robinson, 3b, 1983
Frank Robinson, of-dh, 1982
Jackie Robinson, if, 1962
Nolan Ryan, p, 1999
Mike Schmidt, 3b, 1995
Tom Seaver, p, 1992
Ozzie Smith, ss, 2002
Warren Spahn, p, 1973
Willie Stargell, of-1b, 1988
Ted Williams, of, 1966
Dave Winfield, of, 2001
Carl Yastrzemski, of-1b, 1989
Robin Yount, if-of, 1999

When you look at the career statistics of the four players listed above and compare them to the overall statistics of the payers listed above, I just cannot see any being elected in their first ballot. A first ballot election is to be for an all-time great, like Rickey Henderson this season’s nominee. The player should not be a good player, or even the best for a few years. He needs to be an all-time great. Look at the list above, these players are all-time greats.

In fact, for the players eligible in 2010, Roberto Alomar is the only true Hall of Famer. He was the absolute best at his position for an extended amount of time and when you compare his lifetime statistics versus the current Hall of Famers, Alomar’s stats add up. His Gold Glove Awards and steady fielding ability allows Alomar to stand out when compared to those currently enshrined.

Now, before we put Alomar into the Hall of Fame, we need to take a quick peek into his character. In today’s world, we have started to look at the character of the player before his is allowed to join those in Cooperstown. Mark McGwire, who should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer, was not elected due to character issues. Is Jim Rice still not yet elected to the Hall of Fame because of his issues with the press? On September 27, 1996, Roberto Alomar spit in the face of a Major League Umpire, John Hirschbeck. Alomar was just called out on strikes and went ballistic at Hirschbeck. Some stories say that Alomar was suckered into the action, but in many eyes Alomar’s five-game suspension did not fit the crime. This action may prevent Alomar’s enshrinement and push it back a few years.

Personally, I feel that the Hall of Fame voting has been lenient. The Hall of Fame should be reserved for those players that set themselves apart from all others. I have an issue with “compilers” being elected. McGriff and Galarraga are compilers. McGriff hit .300 only four times in his career and never hit more than 37 home runs in a season. He does have 2500 hits and had not scored 1500 runs. Similarly, Hall of Famer David Winfield never hot more than 37 home runs in a season, has 465 career home runs, and hit over .300 only four times in his career. Winfield is the perfect example of a “compiler” who was elected for his numbers only. Based upon these numbers, McGriff will get on one day because at some point, people will realize that McGriff simply has better numbers.

Congrats to Roberto Alomar and Fred McGriff a few years ahead of time as you two will become enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Andres and Barry may have to wait for the Veteran’s Committee to vote them into the Hall of fame in the many years to come.

The first weekend in December is Championship Week in college football and more importantly is the week where everything is decided. All the remaining uncrowned conference champions were crowned and all the bowl games were announced. Going into the week the only two stories in the college football world centered on the Big-12 and SEC title games and for completely different reasons: Florida/Bama was talked about in a heated and anticipatory manner with game of the year hype, Oklahoma/Missouri had the “should Texas be here instead?” question cloud any pre-game hype for the game itself. And despite the fact that these were the two stories in the college football world, the week itself was full of stories because, like the last month or so, it was a week full of big games. USC and UCLA played a harder hitting game than usual with USC again spanking the Bruins, Navy shutout Army in devastating fashion, East Carolina narrowly beat Tulsa despite an insane amount of turnovers from Tulsa for the Conference USA title, and Notre Dame did make it to a bowl game. Oh and in the pro football world Plaxico Burress shot himself with that story unfolding throughout the week as well as the Cowboys blowing it against Pittsburgh and the Titans, Giants, and Cardinals all clinching their divisions. Again, despite the focus being otherwise, this was far more than a two-story week in football.

Tebow wills Gators to SEC title, national title berth

To many college football fans, myself included, this was the main-event this past weekend.

Tim Tebow provided another example of why he will go down as one of the great college football players of all time and possibly the best quarterback to ever play college football this past weekend. With Percy Harvin watching from the sidelines and gainst the top-ranked team in the country, Tebow helped the Florida Gators to their second BCS title game in the last three years with a 31-20 win over Alabama for the SEC title.

Tebow’s statistics portray another typical Tebow outing: 14/22 for 216 yards and three touchdowns passing, 17 carries for 57 yards rushing. But what made this performance stand out was the raw, unfiltered emotion that Tebow showed on the field Saturday. In front of a national T.V. audience with a conference title and national title berth on the line, Tebow was as raw as it got never wavering from his intensity until the final clock read zeros and the Gators were once again SEC champions. The image that I, and many like me, took away from this game was Tebow charging the kickoff team and pumping them up after Tebow had thrown the game-clinching touchdown. Why was Tebow still so intense with the game seemingly in the bag? There was still 2:50 left to play.

Despite Tebow shining the brightest once again, it was not as if this was another Florida slaughter. For three and a half quarters, John Parker Wilson went stride for stride with Tebow and kept Alabama in a game that they lead 10-7 at halftime. Parker finished 12/25 for 187 yards through the air, another decent Parker performance. Sadly, something more than decent was needed.

Glen Coffee’s power and ability at the running back position provided The Tide with their offensive spark throughout this game as Coffee’s 18-yard touchdown run let Florida know that it wasn’t going to be an easy day and Coffee coming through again and again on third down or any short yardage situation kept that notion fresh in the minds of the Gators.

Coffee finished with 112 yards on 21 carries.

Tide receiver Julio Jones had a breakthrough performance in front of a national audience as the freshman caught five passes (all of them big) for 124 yards on the day.

In the end, this was SEC football at its best: hard hitting, a good air and ground balance, and two big name high ranked teams providing a game that lived up to the hype. For around fifty-five minutes, this game was dead even with neither side giving up an inch as The Tide simply ran out of gas first. All of the Ali/Frazier metaphors made by announcers throughout the game were not only necessary, but also dead on.

Sooners erase all doubt with fifth straight 60-point performance and Big-12 title

It was no surprise that Oklahoma dominated or even scored sixty once again in clubbing Missouri for the Big-12 title.

In fact the only real surprise during this game was Bob Stoops maintaining the same attitude on the sidelines—that of a coach who apparently forced himself to believe that the game was 0-0 throughout—long after the game had been clinched.

The game didn’t take too long to be clinched as Sam Bradford may have clinched himself the Heisman Trophy with another spectacular outing. Bradford went 34/49 for 384 yards and two touchdowns through the air. And while this wasn’t the same performance that we have become accustomed to seeing out of Bradford—he didn’t account for four or five scores in this one—it’s because he didn’t need to have that kind of night.

When DeMarco Murray went down after the opening kickoff, Oklahoma lost a member of its one-two punch in the backfield. So what did they do? They went to the sidelines and got another man to fill in and make a new one-two punch.

Mossis Madu came off the bench and had the game of his life running for 114 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns, two of them coming in the final quarter.

Chris Brown had another big night scoring three times as well while rushing for 122 yards on 27 carries.

Juaquin Iglesias had another (this is seeming like a repeating record isn’t it) big night with 125 yards on nine catches and caught both of Bradford’s touchdown passes. While Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree will win receiver of the year honors and Dez Bryant has more highlight reel worthy grabs, I think it would be quite unfair to dismiss Iglesias’ terrific season and importance to the Sooner team with Bradford and Brown picking up the majority of the headlines.

And like all, but Colt McCoy that came before him, Chase Daniel fought a futile battle against the Oklahoma defense. Despite going 27/43 for 255 yards and three scores, his two interceptions (both of which turned into Oklahoma touchdowns) told more than anything else he could’ve done would.

With the 62 points, the Sooners became the first team in college football history to score sixty or more points in five consecutive games. They also passed Hawaii in 2006 for the highest scoring total for a regular season in college football history.

Buffalo ends Ball St.’s unbeaten season and takes MAC title

Turner Gill has coached himself into a bowl game.

The University of Buffalo was not known for much of anything outside of education before Gill came along as football coach and even then expectations were low at best. However, with an 8-5 record, a bowl berth, giving a previously unbeaten conference powerhouse their first loss, and now a conference title, Gill seems poised to win coach of the year honors after his Bulls shocked Ball St. 42-24 for the MAC title last Friday.

Five turnovers including four fumbles did in Ball St. on this night as their reliable and fruitful offense could never get into a groove long enough to do anything before another turnover would occur. More harmful to Ball St. was the fact that their five turnovers resulted in 28 points for Buffalo.

Two of Buffalo’s four touchdowns off of turnovers were on fumble returns in the third quarter that turned a close game into a blowout in progress. Mike Newton and Sherrod Lott returned Ball St. fumbles 92 and 74 yards respectively for touchdowns in the third quarter. The touchdowns came on consecutive Ball St. possessions, consecutive possessions that were in scoring range both times. Ball St. led 17-14 before the first fumble and wouldn’t score again until they were down 35-17 with less than five minutes to play in the game.

Virginia Tech uses defense to overpower Boston College for ACC Title

Same teams, same result. That was the story as Virginia Tech beat Boston College for the second year in a row in the ACC title game and like last year, they did it with their defense.

Orion Martin’s fumble return touchdown in the fourth quarter clinched the Hokies’ second straight trip to the Orange Bowl as the Hokies hit harder on defense and forced Boston College to commit more mistakes as the turnover battle was basically equal (4-3 with Boston College committing more). The Hokies forced B.C. to go only 3/15 on third down and 0/2 on fourth down during the game and stayed fresh as B.C. only held the ball for just over 24 minutes in the game.

Darren Evans helped the run and defense approach pay dividends on offense as he gave the Hokies momentum going into the fourth with a ten-yard touchdown run late in the third that made the score 24-7 Hokies.

Evans finished with 114 yards on 31 carries to go with his touchdown.

Despite out gaining the Hokies, B.C.’s offense simply never got going as they gained many yards, but never the big ones as their twelve missed third downs will attest to that fact as well as only scoring one touchdown on the game—a Rich Gunnell 16-yard touchdown grab before halftime.

The Eagles’ offense was one-dimensional with quarterback Dominique Davis going 17/43 passing for 263 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Twenty-six incompletions explained the effects that the Hokie defense had on Davis and the rest of the B.C. offense in this one.

Boston College rushed for only 45 yards as a team.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I do believe that the bowl selection committees got things right this year, and that goes for the BCS as well. Florida/Oklahoma is simply the best national title game that could be made and would pit the teams that are most deserving of the top two rankings. Oklahoma put any doubts to rest with their manhandling of Missouri Saturday, as I do believe the Sooners would beat Texas if these two had met in November instead of October. Florida on the other hand showcased poise under pressure in a game—a big game one team favored and hyped overwhelming against another—that has seen upsets more regularly the last few years in college football than any other two-year period in its history. These two were destined for this meeting since the beginning of November and I couldn’t be happier that it has come to fruition. I have a giddiness and anticipation for this game that I haven’t felt for a national title game since the infamous Oklahoma/USC 2005 Orange Bowl. With the rest of the bowl games taken into consideration, this looks to be a better than normal year on paper with that being attributed to the fact that so many smaller schools in smaller conferences have had noteworthy seasons. Rice, BYU, TCU, East Carolina, Houston, Tulsa, Boise St. all have had extremely good seasons and the games that have come out of that carry with them expectations and anticipation that these bowl games don’t normally get. All in all, this is a bowl season that may reinvigorate my love for the entire bowl season as the last few years—while seeing their share of great games—have been spent almost in an apprehensive countdown mode to December 31st when things really kick off. Not this year, this year I’ll be on my couch for the long hall, I promise.

Putting the final piece of your fantasy football puzzle together

I’ve uncovered some guys you can plug in to your lineup if you are dealing with an injury or tough matchups.   Check back following the games to see the stat line of guys profiled.

QB
Matt Cassel - Cassel let a lot of teams down last week against the Steelers, but if you have the moxie to stick with him this week against Seattle, you should reap the rewards. 

RB
Pierre Thomas - Well, you know Deuce is out of the picture thanks to his water pills.  Bush is back, but I see Thomas getting a good share of the work, especially at the stripe. 

Kevin Smith - Speaking of water pills, Kevin Smith should have more room to run due to the suspension of the Williams Wall (Pat & Kevin).  As long as the hapless Lions don’t get down too early taking away the Lions’ ground game, Smith should have a solid showing.

WR
Bernard Berrian - He has been hit or miss for the Vikings, but I do like his chances against the stinkin’ Lions. 

Anthony Gonzalez - Gonzalez has an off-week against Cleveland with two catches for 13 yards.  He darn well better do better than that against Cincinnati.

TE
Owen Daniels -One of my usual suspects for opposing Tight Ends, San Diego, played Thursday and the other, Minnesota, figured out they are better off using a DB to cover TEs.  Daniels has averaged just 20 yards a game the last four weeks since Matt Schaub went down.  He should be back, and so should Daniels’ fantasy relevance.

K
Jay Feely - Despite allowing just a FG to Lindell last week, San Fran has still allowed the most Kicker points.  Had Lindell not uncharacteristically missed two FGs, we’d be talking about another 3 FG game allowed.  So I’m picking on San Fran yet again.

DEF
Arizona - The last time they played the Cardinals had 2 Sacks and forced 3 turnovers.  They even took an INT to the house.  This time they are playing in Arizona.  I fully expect another multi-sack/multi-turnover game.

For more fantasy football information, check out LestersLegends.com.