1418401 History often repeats itself so it would only make sense that the N.E. Patriots go after a top tier player like Stephen Jackson of the Rams like they did in 04 trading for Corey Dillon. While I would agree defense wins championships, a great offense and ball control cannot be overlooked or under valued. The Pats have lacked a solid running back for years now and it has cost them both in the regular season and the post season. The Patriots for the most part have been able to stay in games with lighting quick scores but have allowed teams to comeback and beat em in the late moments of the game such as in Superbowl XLII and most recently the Colts game with the notorious Belichick call. I can't help but believe that had the Pats still had the feature back like a Corey Dillon or Curtis Martin not only would they have gotten the 1st down on 4th and 2 but would have won those games simply by holding the ball long enough and keeping the ball out of the hands of the opposing offense. The trade makes sense for a struggling team like the Rams who basically have become the laughing stock of the league with most experts picking them as the nfl's worst team. Draft picks, cash and one or two of the Pats current backs might seal the deal. Pats have way too many backs on their team, Morris, Taylor, Faulk and the ever unimpressive Maroney whom has not lived up to his billing. My guess would be Faulk who is a great receiver kr/pr and or Maroney since both are healthy would be the best candidates to go in a possible trade. Rams need help in all areas and draft picks would certainly help fill some of those voids. It certainly doesn't hurt them since both teams play in different confrences. Whether this deal happens now which I'm hoping for or most likely in next year's draft I believe it can and will. true 2009-11-23T12:46:24Z 99716 0 2009-11-23T12:46:24Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/CaptainAmerica2009/blog/posts/99716 2009-11-23T11:54:22Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1418401 2009-11-23T11:54:22Z 9588015 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/CaptainAmerica2009/blog CaptainAmerica2009 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/CaptainAmerica2009 1418378 <p>my giants aint doing&nbsp;the best but they are still my team won or loose and i love them!!!!!!</p> true 2009-11-23T11:16:29Z 99715 0 2009-11-23T11:16:29Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/AMY%20BAYBAY12345/blog/posts/99715 2009-11-23T11:14:49Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1418378 2009-11-23T11:14:49Z 9587937 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/AMY%20BAYBAY12345/blog AMY BAYBAY12345 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/AMY%20BAYBAY12345 1418355 <a href="http://www.walkingfootsewingmachine.org/looking-for-cheap-sewing-machines/">Walking Foot Sewing Machine</a> <a href="http://www.adrc.com.sg">data recovery singapore</a> <a href="http://www.walkingfootsewingmachine.org/uses-for-a-heavy-duty-sewing-machine/">Heavy Duty Sewing Machine</a> <a href="http://www.lowvoltagelandscapelighting.org/using-dynamic-landscape-lighting-fixtures-for-dramatic-effect/">landscape lighting fixtures</a> <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/article-writing-service-review">article writing service</a> <a href="http://www.lowvoltagelandscapelighting.org/using-dynamic-landscape-lighting-fixtures-for-dramatic-effect/">landscape lighting fixtures</a> true 2009-11-23T10:21:16Z 99714 0 2009-11-23T10:21:16Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/navejohnson157/blog/posts/99714 2009-11-23T10:21:09Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1418355 2009-11-23T10:21:09Z 9587925 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/navejohnson157/blog navejohnson157 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/navejohnson157 18072 <p>Lots of people who follow Online Poker have been concerned about what will happen when the calendar hits December 1, 2010. That is the day the financial services industry in the United States must fall into full compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). In its simplest form the law prohibits the transfer of funds from a financial institution to an illegal Internet gambling site, specifically excluding fantasy sports, online lotteries, and horse/harness racing. The initial passing of this legislation in 2006 was the cause of many Poker sites (and online casino sites) to pull out from the United States market.</p> <p>So, will Online Poker grind to a halt December 1st? At the moment it does not appear so. The legislation and its implementation are under attack on several fronts, although it seems doubtful any of these attempts will succeed prior to December 1. In any case, Barney Frank (D) Mass, and the Poker Players Alliance have been working hard to prevent the UIGEA from taking effect.</p> <p>For those wondering what will happen if they are not successful by December 1, the good news is it appears Financial Institutions will not be working hard to universally prohibit your poker transfers. A recent, excellent article titled <a href="http://majorwager.com/index.cfm?page=27&amp;amp;show_column=780">"U.S. Banks Offer "Due Diligence" as UIGEA Deadline approaches"</a>, states that for now the extent most banks are willing to go is to send all Account Holders "due diligence" notices with their bank statements similar to this:</p> <p><em>"As a (fill in the blank) customer, we'd like to inform you that in accordance with the requirements of the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 and Regulation GG, certain transactions are prohibited from being processed through your account </em></p> <p><em>Prohibited transactions include those in which a person accepts credit, funds, or other proceeds from another person in connection with unlawful internet gambling. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this regulation, please contact us." </em></p> <p>The UIGEA achieved one of its initial objectives of scaring off potential newcomers, along with publicly traded companies who didn't want to challenge the government on the legislation, but in the end the legislation was so poorly thought out that when it came time to write the regulations for it the Treasury threw up its hands and essentially said it wasn't possible, so they wrote a set of rules that demanded that the financial institutions do their dirty work for them.</p> <p>If poker players are lucky, the initial indications are that banks are going to send out these letters to all customers telling them that the UIGEA is now law and please don't bet online. Anything beyond that isn't the banks problem. We can only hope this is the case, and that all the people fighting for online poker in the United States will eventually allow Americans to play poker online in their own homes.</p> true 2009-11-23T09:23:03Z 99713 0 2009-11-23T09:23:03Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker/blog/posts/99713 2008-04-10T03:48:14Z 18072 2008-04-10T03:48:14Z 1535802 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker/blog WECpoker http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker 18072 <p><strong><span><span>What is it?</span><br /></span><br /></strong>Poker rooms take a percentage of every pot that is played (called the "Rake"). This is how they make their revenue. That set percentage of each pot being taken off the table means that decent players can go through long stretches making little or no money even if they win a few pots here and there. In low-limit games, the rake can be high enough in comparison to the stakes to make the game almost unbeatable over the long term.<br /><br />This is one reason that much of the poker advice available to newcomers idealistically tells them to build up a bankroll quickly and get out of low-limit games ASAP. In the real world that isn't always possible, leaving some players resigned to playing in the low limits much longer than they would like. Luckily for these grinders there's another option: Rebates for Play!! This is more commonly known as RAKEBACK!!!<br /><br />It's no overstatement to say that RAKEBACK is one of the greatest creations of the online poker boom. In essence, it's a deal between you and the house to recover a portion of the rake you pay and return it to your bankroll. Rake back deals are possible with online poker rooms because the costs of running such rooms are dramatically lower than running a brick-and-mortar (live) poker room. These rooms still take a rake like a brick-and-mortar casino would, but they can afford to pay some of it back in exchange for player loyalty without losing any of their profit margin. While a<br />handful of small online card rooms pay rakeback directly to players, the majority of rakeback deals are done through sites affiliated with card rooms.<br /><br />High-limit players can certainly benefit, but it's the low-limit players who have the most to gain from rakeback. Consider that most online poker rooms take a rake of 5% up to a maximum amount, usually around $3-4. If a $2/$4 limit holdem player wins an $80 pot, he's actually paying the house a full 5% of his winnings. If a $100/$200 limit holdem player wins a $2000 pot, he's paying the house less than 1% of his winnings. The low-limit player's rakeback can be the difference between being a break-even player and a winning player; the high-limit player's rakeback is more likely to simply provide spending cash. If you're trying to build a bankroll by playing anything below $5/$10, it's to your advantage to find a rakeback deal.<br /><br />It is also worth noting that rakeback almost always applies only to cash games -- deals that will also return a portion of your tournament entry fees to you are few and far between, so if you mostly play tournaments you're going to have to add cash games to your repertoire if you want to get value from a rakeback deal.<br /><br /><strong>How Does a Player get Rakeback?-How is it Determined?</strong><br /><br />Poker RakeBacks are literally a rebate of the poker rake contibuted on each pot. You are paid a specific percentage of the rake that you generate. This rebate is paid to the "RakeBack Provider", who in turn distributes the vast majority of this commission back to you as your Poker RakeBack.<br /><br />Most poker sites determine the amount of poker rake you generate by taking the actual rake of each pot and dividing it by the number of players that were dealt cards in that hand. For example, if the pot is raked $3 and 10 people were dealt cards, then each person generated $0.30 in rake for that hand. Your Rake Back is a percentage, typically 25% to 50%, of that $0.30, regardless of whether you win or lose the hand. This may sound like a small amount, but it really adds up because of the speed of internet poker. In addition, multi-tabling can exponentially increase the<br />rake, and therefore your Rake Back.<br /><br />Whether it covers the cost every month of a case of your favorite beer, dinner out, tickets to see your favorite team, or is enough to pay your entire rent or mortgage, getting a healthy percentage of your money back is better than letting the online poker rooms keep it. And remember, just like comps at your favorite casino, it's free money.<br /><br /><strong>Who Provides RakeBack?</strong><br /><br />To get a rakeback deal, you must locate and choose a reliable "RakeBack Provider" (an affiliate website who offers rakeback for various online poker rooms). Once you have become a member of the "RakeBack Provider", you follow directions on their site concerning the details for signing up for RakeBack on each individual poker room they represent. Generally, you can only apply for RakeBack for online poker rooms that you do not currently have an account. But that is not always the case, so check the requirements of the RakeBack Provider.<br /><br />Since these sites handle your rakeback money (that they get from poker sites), it is important to be cautious when joining.<br /><br />This Poker Resource Site Recommends quality <a href="http://wecpoker.com/Rebates.html" title="External link" class="bbc_url">RakeBack Sites</a></p> true 2009-11-23T09:19:52Z 99712 0 2009-11-23T09:19:52Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker/blog/posts/99712 2008-04-10T03:48:14Z 18072 2008-04-10T03:48:14Z 1535802 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker/blog WECpoker http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker 18072 <p>This post is about one of the most interesting characters in poker who has a large online following over the last few years from posting his crazy adventures on several poker forums.&nbsp; Readers of Tony Bigcharles (aka SevenCard2003) rantings love him, hate him, root for him, bet when he will go busto,&nbsp; feel sad for him, but they don't stop reading.&nbsp; It is one of the most unusual circumstances in the poker world.&nbsp; Tony mostly plays small NL cash games (.50/1, 1/2 sometimes 2/5) so he is not a huge player that people are following.</p> <p>What makes Tony's story compelling is he is an autistic man of 40+ years old, who is a formerly homeless (several think he may be that way again) beggar who used the money he received on the street to play poker games across the United States.&nbsp; He has attempted to get his life together by setting a home base in Government Housing in Lyons, Kansas.&nbsp; Tony's autism was recently judged debilitating enough that he was awarded Government Assistance (SSI).&nbsp; He has been using the original backpay awarded (Apx $7-9000) about 12 month ago, as his poker bankroll.</p> <p>While he has had adventures that he has posted in Atlantic City (highlighted by sleeping in bathroom stall story), Los Angeles, and several other locations, his most recent adventures (and blog) have played out in Las Vegas.&nbsp; His dream is to become a successful Professional Poker Player and remove himself from US Assistance.&nbsp; His current drawback is that he tilts when he has a losing poker session, and he can not keep himself off Black Jack and Video Poker Machines.&nbsp; Making things worse is that he is a "martingale" type bettor, meaning he increases his bets even larger when he is on a losing streak.</p> <p>If you want to get hooked on this character, you can read his current exploits at <a href="http://www.allvegaspoker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&amp;amp;t=7262&amp;amp;st=0&amp;amp;sk=t&amp;amp;sd=a">All Vegas Poker</a> where his blog is at 354 pages and counting.&nbsp; If you find him interesting enough, you can google some of his best historic postings at 2+2 and PartTimePoker.</p> true 2009-11-23T09:18:12Z 99711 0 2009-11-23T09:18:12Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker/blog/posts/99711 2008-04-10T03:48:14Z 18072 2008-04-10T03:48:14Z 1535802 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker/blog WECpoker http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker 18072 <p>I am an experienced Poker Player (both Online and Live) who also dabbles in Stock Investments.&nbsp; I will be discussing poker news, poker characters I have come across, my poker experiences and also point out special poker events.</p> <p>I have played poker for 20 years. I currently play online and I travel to different Casinos around the US and spend a few weeks or months at a time playing cards and taking in the local culture. Online I mostly play No Limit Tournaments, while Live I mostly play Limit Holdem from 3/6 to 40/80. I have experience in all games and will play anything except straight 7 Card Stud.<br /><br />I also have developed a Website that discuses many facets of both online and live poker. <a href="http://wecpoker.com/" title="External link" class="bbc_url"></a><a href="http://wecpoker.com/" title="External link" class="bbc_url">WECpoker</a> It features each months Online Poker Specials and Events, lists recommended poker sites, and offers a comprehensive poker resource for just about anything you need to find of interest in poker.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> true 2009-11-23T09:17:24Z 99710 0 2009-11-23T09:17:24Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker/blog/posts/99710 2008-04-10T03:48:14Z 18072 2008-04-10T03:48:14Z 1535802 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker/blog WECpoker http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/WECpoker 1418313 <a href="http://www.roofingcontractorseattlebellevuerepair.com">Bellevue Roofing</a> true 2009-11-23T08:45:55Z 99709 0 2009-11-23T08:45:55Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/philgodfrey169/blog/posts/99709 2009-11-23T08:45:42Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1418313 2009-11-23T08:45:42Z 9587840 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/philgodfrey169/blog philgodfrey169 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/philgodfrey169 1418296 <p>College Playoff.&nbsp; The first week of December:&nbsp; ACC, Big 12, Conference USA, Mid American, and SEC conference games would be considered first round playoffs.&nbsp; Big 10 v. Big East.&nbsp; Mountain West v. Sun Belt.&nbsp; Pac 10 v. Wac.&nbsp; The winners from the 8 games advance to the second round.&nbsp; If Army, Air Force, or Notre Dame want in - join a conference.<br /><br />The second round would be played during the second week of December.<br /><br />The final four would be played on New Years Day.&nbsp; <br /><br />The Championship would be played a week later.&nbsp;</p> true 2009-11-23T08:15:22Z 99708 0 2009-11-23T08:15:22Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/JfitzgeraldW/blog/posts/99708 2009-11-23T08:14:55Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1418296 2009-11-23T08:14:55Z 9059689 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/JfitzgeraldW/blog JfitzgeraldW http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/JfitzgeraldW 1417724 <p><span>Cutting TO was not a bad idea, it was a GREAT idea (yea I said it). Bringing Williams as a replacement was a bad idea. TO caused nothing but problems for Dallas especially for Romo.<br /><br />I personally think Terry Glenn wasn't done with his career, and given the opportunity to heal to 100% he would've been an adequate replacement for TO.<br /><br />And don't tell me that its Romo's fault and what not. Romo has improved a lot since TO left. No more stupid throws, stupid interceptions. Yea he had a couple bad games but every QB does.<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /><br />But my point is this, with TO on the team Romo would be forcing the ball again and again and again to TO. But isn't he forcing it to Roy? No, he's not. He hits Roy everytime he's open, that's not forcing that's called making good reads and making good throws. Its Roy's inability to finish the play that's the problem here. He just can't catch the ball to save his life.<br /><br />Like I've been saying for a long time the underling problem is in the coaching staff, especially with the play calling. There is no reason why the Cowboys (even without TO) shouldn't be undefeated right now. TO has no relevance with the 'Boys problems right now. Even if he was here we'd have the same problems but more.</span></span></p> true 2009-11-23T08:05:41Z 99707 0 2009-11-23T08:05:41Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/marqsman89/blog/posts/99707 2009-11-22T20:31:31Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1417724 2009-11-22T20:31:31Z 7522342 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/marqsman89/blog marqsman89 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/marqsman89 238074 <p>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; So, your sitting on your couch in your Mark Sanchez jersey after a 31-14 loss to the New England Patriots, so disgusted that you can't even finish the beer that's in your hand. You sit and wonder, just like every other Jets fan, how the gang in green went from 3-0 playoff contenders, to 4-6 and basically flatlining any chance of postseason play. Week 2 seemed like a distant memory when the Jets defense held the Pats to without a touchdown, and Mark Sanchez was the answer we all were looking for. But, there is always an X-factor that everyone seems to overlook. That extra "umph" that brings your team to the next level. In the Patriots case, that factor is Wes Welker. The speedy slot receiver torched the Jets for 15 catches and 192 yards, both career highs. Welker, the short, underrated, receiver from Texas Tech has come back from injury to torch defenses and help the Patriots win, including 150 yards against the Titans. Shades of Welker can be seen all over the place, but no players reminds me of Welker than #8 of the Texas Longhorns.</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jordan Shipley has been torching defenses the entire year, the latest being a 10 catch, 108 yards, and 1 touchdown game against Kansas. The speedy receiver has hooked up with Colt McCoy more times then my little cousin can count, and his stock is only rising. Now, picture this without salivating Jets fans. Braylon Edwards on one side, Jerricho Cotchery on the other, with Shipley lining up in the slot, and Thomas Jones/ Leon Washington in the backfield. Not only will that be fun to watch, but it will be hell for opposing defense. Who do you cover? Who do you double-up? Barring Sanchez fixes his mistakes, this could be the offense that would lead the Jets to the promise land. Not often do Jets fans have something to be happy about, and often they are heard muttering "maybe next year." But Jets fans, with the addition of a speedy slot receiver like Shipley, I ask you, "Maybe next year?"</p> true 2009-11-23T07:39:53Z 99706 2 2009-11-23T13:51:09Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/rjagz10/blog/posts/99706 2008-05-07T10:45:33Z 238074 2008-05-07T10:45:33Z 1559164 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/rjagz10/blog rjagz10 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/rjagz10 1362037 <p><span>&lt;font>&lt;font>&nbsp; <p>The AP Poll came out earlier and they actually had a few things right&mdash;having Clemson in the Top 15, giving accolades to Oregon State, and dropping LSU to No. 17.&nbsp;</p> <p>But they somehow left the Rebels at No. 20, who just beat LSU, 25-23. &nbsp;In addition, they dropped Stanford from the rankings, and actually moved Penn State ahead of Iowa.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>But the Coaches Poll actually made things worse.&nbsp; They moved Texas ahead of Alabama, left Mississippi at No. 25, and left California out of the Top 25.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 1 Alabama</strong> (Prev. No. 1) kept the top spot this week, after shutting out Chattanooga, 45-0.&nbsp; Alabama will have to face their arch rival Auburn, before meeting Florida in the SEC Championship.</p> <p><strong>No. 2 Florida</strong> (Prev. No. 2) allowed the 3-8 Golden Panthers of Florida International to put up a score, but the Gators blew them out of the water, 62-3.&nbsp; Florida will meet with Florida State at home this week, a team that just became bowl eligible.</p> <p><strong>No. 3 TCU</strong> (Prev. No. 3) doesn&rsquo;t have many common opponents with Texas, so it&rsquo;s very difficult to determine which team deserved to break the tie from last week&rsquo;s rankings.&nbsp;</p> <p>The "Texas Lizards" have arguably the best defense in all of College Football and could have their shot at the Title this season with a little bit of help.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 4 Texas</strong> (Prev. No. 3) only fell half a spot this week after bashing Kansas, 51-20.&nbsp; The Longhorns have always had a prolific offense, but their defense has come to play every week.&nbsp; But a potential upset lies ahead of Texas in the BIG XII Championship.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 5 Cincinnati</strong> (Prev. No. 5) will need a&nbsp;ton of help to get back to the Title discussion.&nbsp; They come into Week 13 well rested, facing a tough Fighting Illini team that would love nothing more than to spoil&nbsp;a potential BCS Title Contender.</p> <p><strong>No. 6 Boise State</strong> (Prev. No. 6) didn&rsquo;t have any trouble last week with the Utah State Aggies away from Smurf Turf, beating them to a pulp, 52-21.&nbsp;</p> <p>Boise will have their toughest test of the season (since the season opener against Oregon) this week, hosting Nevada.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 7 Georgia Tech</strong> (Prev. No. 7) was a sitting duck on Saturday.&nbsp; The &lsquo;Jackets will have to deal with Georgia this week, before playing Clemson in the ACC Championship.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 8 Oregon </strong>(Prev. No. 10) didn&rsquo;t have a chance to sit down on Saturday, winning a shootout over the &lsquo;Cats of Arizona in second overtime, 44-41.&nbsp; Since Oregon beat both Purdue and USC (Ohio State&rsquo;s blemishes), the Ducks moved ahead of the Buckeyes.</p> <p><strong>No. 9 Ohio State</strong> (Prev. No. 8) wouldn&rsquo;t normally lose a position in my rankings after a comfortable win, but it was the realization that Oregon defeated both of OSU's blemishes that gave&nbsp;Oregon the go ahead&nbsp;of the Buckeyes.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 10 Pittsburgh </strong>(Prev. No. 9) is a very impressive team that will have the opportunity to play for a BCS Bowl, if they&rsquo;re able to pull the upset against the No. 5 Bearcats.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 11 Iowa </strong>(Prev. No. 11) got back to their winning ways on Saturday, beating Minnesota in a barn-burner, 12-0.&nbsp; Iowa&rsquo;s hopes for playing in a BCS Bowl are rising into discussion.</p> <p><strong>No. 12 Oregon State </strong>(Prev. No. 14) made their way into the top dozen this week after blowing out the Cougars of Washington State, 42-10.&nbsp;</p> <p>The &ldquo;Dam Workers&rdquo; head to Eugene this week to take on Oregon in the Civil War, which also happens to be the Game of the Week.&nbsp; The winner will play in the Rose Bowl against the ninth ranked Buckeyes.</p> <p><strong>No. 13 Clemson </strong>(Prev. No. 13) put together another comfortable win on Saturday, 34-21 over Virginia.&nbsp;Their three losses amount to only ten points against TCU (No. 3), Georgia Tech (No. 7), and Maryland.&nbsp;</p> <p>Clemson has officailly clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game against Georgia Tech.</p> <p><strong>No. 14 Oklahoma State</strong> (Prev. No. 17) had another great escape in Week 12 surviving Colorado in comeback fashion, 31-28, which has become the theme for Okey State this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Either they&rsquo;ve barely escaped by having a short lead, or they had to rally in comeback fashion.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 15 North Carolina </strong>(Prev. No. 18) had an explosive victory last week on the road against Boston College, 31-13.&nbsp; We now know the second-best team in the ACC Coastal (UNC) is better than the second-best team in the ACC Atlantic (Boston College).&nbsp;</p> <span>&lt;font>&lt;font> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 16 Penn State </strong>(Prev. No. 19) tore Sparty limb from limb last week in a 42-14 blowout.&nbsp;</p> <p>Albeit the Nittany Lions ended the season on a high note, they&rsquo;ve only been handed cupcakes and unimpressive Big Ten teams this season.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 17 Mississippi </strong>(Prev. No. 23) showed LSU they were the better team on Saturday in a thriller, 25-23.&nbsp;</p> <p>Mississippi is No. 3 team in the SEC, but it took a while to determine because&nbsp;most of the teams in the SEC&nbsp;cancel each other out.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 18 LSU </strong>(Prev. No. 12) somehow remained ahead of Mississippi in the AP and Coaches Poll this week.&nbsp;</p> <p>The pollsters are so blind-sided, it&rsquo;s astonishing.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mississippi and LSU have identical records and&nbsp;Ole Miss&nbsp;won head-to-head last week, with no strings attached.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 19 California </strong>(Prev. N/R) came out of nowhere on Saturday, knocking off Stanford, 34-28 in shootout fashion.&nbsp; Heading into the week, the Golden Bears had three losses all in blowout fashion to Oregon (42-3), USC (30-3), and Oregon State (31-14).&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 20 Stanford </strong>(Prev. No. 15) is tied with Virginia Tech, after losing in the Game of the Week, 34-28 to California.&nbsp; Stanford actually dropped out of the Top 25&nbsp;in the Coaches and AP Poll this week.&nbsp;</p> <p>I&nbsp;can't understand how a team&nbsp;drops out of the Top 25 when they beat a very good&nbsp;Ducks team&nbsp;and blew USC out of the water in back-to-back weeks.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 20 Virginia Tech </strong>(Prev. No. 20) put North Carolina State out to dry, 38-14.&nbsp; VA Tech is the fourth best team in ACC as it stands, behind North Carolina, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.&nbsp;</p> <p>It looks like the Hokies will win out, finishing the regular season with a four-game winning streak.</p> <p><strong>No. 22 Miami (FL) </strong>(Prev. No. 21) had trouble the entire game against Duke last week, but the pollsters will only look at a comfortable 34-16 victory.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>No. 23 USC</strong> (Prev. No. 22) had the week off and only one can hope that they used it to their advantage.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Pac-10 should join in on the &ldquo;ACC Wheel of Destiny.&rdquo;&nbsp; In fact, the BIG XII and SEC could also join in the group as well this season.</p> <p><strong>No. 24 Houston </strong>(Prev. No. 25) got back to their winning ways last week, blowing the Memphis Tigers out of the water in cat fight, 55-14.&nbsp;</p> <p>Houston has wins against Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Mississippi State, so the C-USA Championship game against East Carolina shouldn't be much more than a cakewalk.</p> <p><strong>No. 25 Brigham Young </strong>(N/R) put away a solid Air Force team last week, 38-21.&nbsp; I am absolutely on the fence this week with the Utah-Brigham Young match-up.&nbsp;</p> <p>But&nbsp;the game will be very competitive, as two Top 30 teams clash for the No. 2 spot in the Mountain West.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Knocking On the Door</strong></p> <p>Texas Tech (7-4), Northwestern (8-4), Nebraska (8-3), Utah (9-2), Wisconsin (8-4)</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> &lt;/font>&lt;/font></span>&lt;/font>&lt;/font></span></p> true 2009-11-23T06:23:05Z 99705 0 2009-11-23T06:23:05Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/Sportscaster007/blog/posts/99705 2009-09-21T01:41:00Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1362037 2009-09-21T01:41:00Z 8886783 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/Sportscaster007/blog Sportscaster007 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/Sportscaster007 1387749 <p>34 yard gain against the Chicago Bears defense.....Speaks for itself!!&nbsp; Obviously he still has something left in the tank, IF he's given ample opportunity to break himself back in.&nbsp; Michael Vick is obviously not a good fit in Philly.....why not let him play somewhere that he can make a difference on <strong>ALL</strong> levels.&nbsp; I believe he would work wonders for the Jaguars program.&nbsp; Everyone knows that, athletically, he's far superior to David Gerrard and he would definitely add another demention to their offense on sooo many levels. (Wildcat with a <u>THREATNING</u> pass option)&nbsp; If nothing else though, the acquisition of "The Michael Vick Experience" would Definitely sell some seats.....and the Jags, without a doubt, can stand to benefit from the ticket spike that Michael Vick will create!&nbsp; Think about it......</p> true 2009-11-23T06:02:47Z 99704 1 2009-11-23T06:03:54Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/KC8311/blog/posts/99704 2009-10-18T09:17:20Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1387749 2009-10-18T09:17:20Z 9234016 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/KC8311/blog KC8311 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/KC8311 1365662 <p>I'm not just saying this because they beat my Steelers today. These two teams are built to win...SOON. It is said that the game is won in the trenches; most would agree. Defensive lines do not get enough credit in the world of football. Linebackers cannot make plays unless the d-lineman can occupy the blockers attempting to eliminate defenders at the second level. Why in the blue-est of blue hells' do you think that the Patriots were able to get by with senior citizens starting at LB for so long? They had Richard Seymour, Ty Warren, and Vince Wilfork on the defensive line. The offensive and defensive lines of both the Rams and Chiefs are poised for breakouts. There is so much here: The have 1R draft picks OT Brandon Albert, DT Glenn Dorsey, and DE Tyson Jackson. Plus, they have Brian Waters at LG, and he is still a solid lineman. The Rams have top 5 picks OT Jason Smith and DE Chris Long, along with former 1R picks OT Alex Barron, G John Greco, and DT Adam Carriker. Also, they have elite players in C Jason Brown and DE Leonard Little. When the rest of the team figures it out, watch your back.</p> true 2009-11-23T05:42:00Z 99703 0 2009-11-23T05:42:00Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/I%20am%20Ron%20Burgandy/blog/posts/99703 2009-09-23T17:32:33Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1365662 2009-09-23T17:32:33Z 6688647 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/I%20am%20Ron%20Burgandy/blog I am Ron Burgandy http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/I%20am%20Ron%20Burgandy 345790 <p>WOW! Donovan couldn't just handle that pressure. So disappointing. How the hell can you kick that ball above the goal? Just unbelievable. He blew it for his team and he knows. I can't believe it. Disgusting and despicable. It was like watching Kobe going cold in the 4th. I thought he had ice in his veins, but I guess even one of the greatest are inclined to miss.</p> true 2009-11-23T04:50:21Z 99702 0 2009-11-23T04:50:21Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/dud3lov3/blog/posts/99702 2008-05-31T17:48:17Z Providing the Bittersweet and Sour 345790 2009-10-26T03:50:20Z 2570709 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/dud3lov3/blog dud3lov3 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/dud3lov3 1313442 <p>Well, he did it.&nbsp; With a fifth place finish Sunday, Jimmie Johnson became NASCAR's first driver to win four consecutive championships.&nbsp; For the past five races or so, it's pretty much been a formality.&nbsp; Johnson and his crew chief Chad Knaus have figured out the Chase system out.&nbsp; Their season started out slow, but just like every year, they run their best in the final ten races.<br /><br />At the Chase cutoff, Tony Stewart held a significant lead.&nbsp; Going into the final race under the old points system, Johnson would have held a slim 8 point lead (with Mark Martin just 56 back).&nbsp; The championship race was actually more boring with the Chase.<br /><br />Before Johnson began winning championships, the Chase was pretty much decided by which driver had the least amount of bad luck.&nbsp; Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart won their championships in 2004 and 2005 by relatively slim margins.&nbsp; Neither showed dominance in the Chase that they did not show during the first 26 races.<br /><br />Johnson and Knaus have figured out what no one else has, how to step up their performance in the final ten races of the year.&nbsp; No matter the points system, they should be commended for doing what no one else has.&nbsp; Johnson will enter the NASCAR Hall of Fame the first year he is eligible.<br /><br />By the way, Denny Hamlin won his fourth race of the year.<br /><br /><strong>3 DRIVERS WHO WISH THEY RACED HERE EVERY WEEK</strong><br /><br />-Denny Hamlin, #11 FedEx Toyota.&nbsp; Denny won his fourth race of the year.&nbsp; He could have been challenging for the championship if not for three DNF's in the Chase.&nbsp; This could be the start of something big for Denny and Joe Gibbs Racing in 2010.<br /><br />-Jeff Burton, #31 Caterpillar Chevy.&nbsp; Jeff finishes second twice in a row.&nbsp; Combined with Harvick's third place run, looks like Richard Childress Racing is also poised for a return to dominance.<br /><br />-Jeff Gordon, #24 DuPont Chevy.&nbsp; Jeff was under pressure to secure the 1-2-3 points finish for Hendrick Motorsports.&nbsp; Mission accomplised.<br /><br /><strong>3 DRIVERS WHO WANT A DO-OVER</strong><br /><br />-Elliott Sadler, #19 Best Buy Dodge.&nbsp; A fitting end to Elliott's sorry season.&nbsp; A pit road accident results in a 41st place finish.<br /><br />-Marcos Ambrose, #47 Little Debbies Toyota.&nbsp; Marcos had a great third place qualifying run, and even lead once for four laps.&nbsp; That was the high point of his race.&nbsp; A cut tire put him a lap down.&nbsp; Later in the race he hit the wall.&nbsp; 35th place, sixteen laps down.<br /><br />-Dale Earnhardt Jr., #88 National Guard/Amp Energy Chevy.&nbsp; 28th place in the race, 25th place in the points standings.&nbsp; Both unacceptable for NASCAR's most popular driver and unacceptable for any Hendrick team.<br /><br />More on the 2009 and 2010 NASCAR seasons to come.</p> true 2009-11-23T04:48:16Z 99701 1 2009-11-23T13:38:52Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/pittsburghfan31/blog/posts/99701 2009-08-18T18:30:37Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1313442 2009-08-18T18:30:37Z 7854612 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/pittsburghfan31/blog pittsburghfan31 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/pittsburghfan31 10069 <p>Apparently, the BCS's claim that it is solely about determining #1 and #2 is an even bigger crock than we thought. Here's the full list of automatic qualifiers to BCS Bowls, in order of application:</p> <p>1. The teams ranked #1 and #2 in the final BCS Standings are given automatic berths in the National Championship Game.</p> <p>2. The champions of the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10, and Southeastern conferences will receive automatic berths to BCS games.</p> <p>3. The champion of Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, or the Western Athletic Conference will receive an automatic berth provided they are either in the top 12 or they are in the top 16 and are ranked higher than at least one team that received an automatic berth through the second criterion. No more than one such team from these five conferences shall earn an automatic berth in a given year.</p> <p>4. If they are ranked in the top 8, Notre Dame will receive an automatic berth.</p> <p><strong>5. If they have not already received one, and if their conference has not already received two automatic berths, the team ranked #3 in the final BCS rankings will receive an automatic berth, <em>if they are from an AQ conference,</em> provided there are still open berths.</strong> (Note: For the conference to have received two automatic berths, someone other than the conference champion would have to be ranked in the top 2--which has happened before. Also, note that because the "top 2" supersedes the "champion of an AQ conference", it <em>is</em> theoretically possible for one conference to have three BCS teams--but only if the #1 and #2 teams are both from the same conference and neither is the champion.)</p> <p><strong>6. If they have not already received one, and if their conference has not already received two automatic berths, the team ranked #4 in the final BCS rankings will receive an automatic berth, <em>if they are from an AQ conference,</em> provided there are still open berths.</strong></p> <p>As for why they must specify that there have to be open berths remaining, if neither of the top 2 is a conference champion, one of the non-AQ champions qualifies for an automatic bid, and Notre Dame is in the top 8, that's 10 teams right there--the six AQs, the top 2, the non-AQ champ, and the Irish.</p> <p>Now, about that "only one team from those five conferences can receive an automatic berth each year" business. I noticed that the fifth and sixth criteria specified that the team had to be from one of the AQ conferences, which appears to be in place to clarify that they weren't just referring to that particular criterion when they put that addendum on criterion #3. But it's still curious...what if, by the time they got to that criterion, one of the champions was already off the board? Would they be compelled to offer it to a different champion? (This would of course mean that one of them was in the top 2). The answer appears to be no. However, just as there is a highly implausible way that three teams from an AQ conference can end up in the BCS, there is also a highly implausible way that two non-AQs can end up with automatic bids. Namely, what if it wasn't a champion?</p> <p>Let us assume that TCU continues to win, and finishes the season undefeated. Good for them. Let us also say that BYU wins the remainder of their games. Both teams would probably have pretty good rankings, right? Though of course, TCU's would be better. Now, next year, TCU loses only one game, a close, down-to-the-wire game against BYU. BYU suffers a total of two, maybe even three losses, but only one was in-conference, so they win the Mountain West. However, due to an unexpectedly high loss rate among top AQs, we are left with a situation similar to 2007, where even 1-loss teams from among the AQs are rare, and furthermore, those that do exist <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/teams/schedule?teamId=2305&amp;amp;amp;amp;year=2007">were unranked in the preseason and are perceived as having soft schedules</a>. Improbably, even with their lone loss, TCU manages to come out at #2 in the final BCS standings. Since they do not fit the definition of "one such team" (that is, the champion of one of those five conferences), if the champion of one of the other four conferences was undefeated and ranked in the top 12 (which, barring it being the Sun Belt, they would be--and in this hypothetical season, even the Sun Belt champion might be able to sneak in on the "16 and higher than an AQ" proviso if undefeated), they'd be an automatic qualifier as well. (Of course, if it was Boise State, it wouldn't be an issue, as they have enough cred that if they were undefeated and a 1-loss TCU managed to get all the way up to #2, it would be inconceivable that #1 could be anyone else--though this in itself brings up questions as to the quality of the season.) Which brings me to the other point--the "only one such team" rule, like the "only two teams per conference" rule, is obviously overridden by the #1 vs. #2 rule. If, inconceivably, the top three teams were all to lose this weekend and Pittsburgh were to first lose to West Virginia and then beat Cincinnati (failure to first lose to West Virginia could result in jumping one or both of them), and furthermore if the Longhorns were to lose again to Nebraska (again, beating the Huskers could possibly propel them back into the top 2), and furthermore still, if the now 1-loss Gators were to give the Crimson Tide their second loss (despite the Gators' lead in the human polls right now, this is how it would have to go, as the Crimson Tide's huge lead in the computer polls is already almost enough to get them into the #1 spot, and that lead would only increase--and the Gators' lead in the human polls would decrease, if not vanish--after the two lost, as 'Bama is both on the road and facing an opponent at least mildly superior to the one the Gators are facing), and maybe just for good measure Clemson wins the ACC (probably somewhat important that Georgia Tech's second loss comes against Clemson, a fellow ACC team, rather than Georgia, an SEC team--and of course, Clemson obviously would have beaten South Carolina prior to that. All about the computers, baby), then there would be two champions of non-AQ conferences with automatic bids, as the #1 and #2 teams in the country.</p> <p>...Geez, how silly would that be? The distinctly bizarre picture I've painted (rankings estimated):</p> <p>BCS National Championship Game: #1 TCU (12-0) vs. #2 Boise State (13-0)<br /> Sugar Bowl: #3 Florida (12-1) vs. #9 Pittsburgh (10-2)<br />Rose Bowl: #4 Oregon (10-2) vs. #5 Ohio State (10-2)<br /> Fiesta Bowl: #6 Alabama (11-2) vs. #15 Nebraska (10-3)<br />Orange Bowl: #7 Cincinnati (11-1) vs. #13 Clemson (10-3)<br />Cotton Bowl: #8 Texas (11-2) vs. #17 LSU (9-3)<br />Capital One Bowl: #10 Iowa (10-2) vs. #23 Ole Miss (9-3)<br />Outback Bowl: #11 Penn State (10-2) vs. Kentucky (8-4)<br />Holiday Bowl: #12 Oklahoma State (10-2) vs. #18 USC (9-3)<br />Peach Bowl: #14 Georgia Tech (11-2) vs. #25 Auburn (8-4)<br />Gator Bowl: #16 Virginia Tech (9-3) vs. #24 South Florida (9-3)<br /> Meineke Car Care Bowl: #19 West Virginia (9-3) vs. North Carolina (9-3)<br /> Liberty Bowl: #20 Houston (11-2) vs. Tennessee (6-6)<br />Las Vegas Bowl: #21 BYU (10-2) vs. Oregon State (8-4)<br />Sun Bowl: #22 Cal (9-3) vs. Missouri (8-4)</p> <p>Um...right. Speaking of silly, I must have been laughing for over a minute straight after <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=293242210">this</a> game scrolled across the SportsCenter BottomLine Friday night. I had been intently looking at the men's basketball scores because I'd picked Seton Hall in Streak for the Cash, so I was reading them all out, "[X] beat [Y]" and such, and when I got to that one, I was like, "Wait, <em>what?!</em>" and started cracking up. The reason this was so hilarious to me is probably not immediately obvious, so I'll tell you: my school, Drew University, and FDU-Florham (yes, the name in the body of the article is the correct one, not the one on the headline) are rivals--and, like us, they're a Division <em>III</em> school. (It's a no longer a conference rivalry, as Drew left the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_Atlantic_Corporation">MAC Freedom Conference</a> when the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landmark_Conference">Landmark Conference</a> was formed in 2006, but the two schools are no more than a mile apart.) Not only that, but they're apparently <a href="http://www.landmarkconference.org/sports/mbkb/2009-10/news/DREWmbball_11_18_09">someone we can beat</a>. Hmm. I may have to start paying less attention to the major colleges and more attention to what's going on right here. (I also updated my profile info for "years attended", as I plan to be doing my graduate schooling here as well.)</p> true 2009-11-23T04:30:03Z 99700 0 2009-11-23T05:26:18Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/spiritsunami/blog/posts/99700 2008-04-14T13:00:54Z 10069 2008-04-14T13:00:54Z 1079069 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/spiritsunami/blog spiritsunami http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/spiritsunami 1418186 I care so much. I cannot believe I don't win as much as I care. This is unfair. Oh, I just rhymed. true 2009-11-23T04:26:31Z 99699 0 2009-11-23T04:26:31Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ttown%20til%20death/blog/posts/99699 2009-11-23T04:24:47Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1418186 2009-11-23T04:24:47Z 7716695 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ttown%20til%20death/blog ttown til death http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ttown%20til%20death 1332796 hey every1, everything has become so political in todays time that we hace to be carefull of what we say. Well, i dont. Co me visit my blog site where i dont care about who gets their feelings hurt. College football is what its about, & nothing else. http://collegefootballnationsec.blogspot.com join as a member, & lets have some real fun "ROLL TIDE ROLL" true 2009-11-23T03:43:28Z 99698 0 2009-11-23T03:43:28Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ray_bama/blog/posts/99698 2009-09-05T03:44:20Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1332796 2009-09-05T03:44:20Z 8347696 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ray_bama/blog ray_bama http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ray_bama 1332796 hey every1, everything has become so political in todays time that we hace to be carefull of what we say. Well, i dont. Co me visit my blog site where i dont care about who gets their feelings hurt. College football is what its about, & nothing else. http://collegefootballnationsec.blogspot.com join as a member, & lets have some real fun "ROLL TIDE ROLL" true 2009-11-23T03:43:04Z 99697 0 2009-11-23T03:43:04Z http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ray_bama/blog/posts/99697 2009-09-05T03:44:20Z Just Another Fan Profile Blog 1332796 2009-09-05T03:44:20Z 8347696 http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ray_bama/blog ray_bama http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/es/fans/ray_bama