I Didn't Know You Can Tie....

First off, I'd like to wish a happy belated birthday to Miley Cyrus. She turned 16 on Sunday. Oh, sports. Right.

I seemed to have forgotten how much more exciting the weekends are when you make picks. Fantasy Football had really gotten me down in the dumps the past few weeks, so Sundays just haven't been the same lately. That all changed this past Sunday.

Clarkie was ahead of me after the 1 p.m. games. His record was at 7-3, mine at a mediocre 5-5. The possibilities weren't endless, it was mathematically impossible for me to win, given our picks, so only two things could happen for a miracle comeback to garner a tie. I needed my two worst picks to come through for me. Oakland to cover 10 against Denver, and Seattle to cover 4 against the 'Skins.

Do you believe it? Oakland made me look like a genius, not only covering, but winning outright, winning convincingly, AND scoring a season high in points, like I predicted. I felt like a god for about five minutes.

As for the Redskins, everyone in Vegas, and around the country, for that matter, was screaming at them in the final two minutes. Up three points (the spread was four), Washington was driving, inside the Seahawks' 25-yard line, with about a minute and a half to play. They turned the ball over, then Seattle turned the ball back over to the Redskins on its first play.

Take a knee. 20-17 win. Travis gets his tie. Let's do it again this week.

Another thank you goes out to Clarkie for bashing my fantasy team management. Obviously I took no offense to it, after 10 years of fantasy baseball, basketball, football, pick 'ems, etc..., I've come to accept my poor luck. I swear I used to win at a decent clip--it all went downhill when I was on the verge of my third consecutive league title in a fantasy baseball league I do every year. I named my team "Threepeat," and finished in the bottom five.

Things just haven't been the same since. Until Sunday.

Trent Edwards went off for 33 points, Da Bears were playing Da Rams, and I think T.O.'s breakout game has been bashed into our heads enough (but I love it because he's on my team). So I had 109 points and the check mark before the 1 o'clock games were even over. Thank you, Michael J., for giving my team the bulletin board material it needed.

Regardless, Clarkie and I both finished 9-7 with our picks for the week. Acceptable, but nothing to brag about. Gotta get my picks in before Thanksgiving, so I'll probably do that tonight or tomorrow.

Oh yeah, and there are a couple new links posted on the lower right side. I linked up Clarkie's new blog which you should definitely check out, and my Bleacher Report page is linked up, too. Some of the stuff I write here is reposted there, but there's also some original stuff, too (mostly revolving around Marist Women's basketball). Holla.

Does Travis Think He's Better Than Me?

Yes. He does. If he can do picks, I can do them too. Let's roll.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-9)
For some reason, I'm thinking Ben goes for 250 yards, throw for a touchdown and runs in another.

Houston @ Cleveland (-2)
Brady with a broken finger? Trouble in Lake Erie! Something tells me a healthy Sage is worse than the golden boy. Brownies FTW!

San Fran (+6.5) @ Dallas
Romo with another week to get healthy PLUS a healthier Jason Witten? Mike Singletary is going to be caught with his pants down.

Tampa Bay (-7.5) @ Detroit
I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for that hideous attempt at humor that previous line. The only reason why I am leaving that sentence in there is so that all you kids out there will know that you do not need to be funny or clever to try stand up comedy.

New York Football Jets @ Tennessee (1.5)
I'd love to drink the Jets Gatorade, but the Titans are a better defense. And I believe there is a positive correlation between the strength of ones defense and the odds that said team will be successful in a championship setting.

Buffalo (-3.5) @ KC
To answer Travis' question, they can absolutely lose this football game. Tyler Thigpen is joining Mastri and Durden as the most successful Tyler's ever.

Chicago (-6) @ St. Louis
Neck-beard should be better than he was last week against GB. He couldn't be much worse. Lovie Smith should write Roger Goodell a letter thanking him for allowing the Bears to play STL.

New England (+1) @ Miami
An absolute must win for Belichick. And he does not lose must wins. (DISCLAIMER: In order to appreciate the previous sentence, one must forget Super Bowl XLII, last year's AFC Championship game, 2006's AFC Divisional Game. Thank you.)

Minnesota @ Jacksonville (+3.5)
I jumped on the Gus bus a few times this year earlier too, T. It was a bumpy ride but All Day Peterson will be too much for the disappointing Jags.

Philadelphia (+4) @ Baltimore
Love the Flying Flaccos to bounce back this week. Viva la Delaware!

Oakland (+10) @ Denver
Can Denver give up its playoff spot? Does anyone want to see them in the post-season (except the other five AFC playoff teams)?

Carolina @ Atlanta (-1.5)
I've been drinking the Matty Ice Gatorade for awhile now. The guy is very savvy back there and has some Tom Brady-like glimpses (strong words!). Atlanta is a tough team to beat at home and the AFC South roulette will continue.

New York Football Giants @ Arizona (+7.5)
I don't know if I should be the one to break the bad news to Travis that Edge James gets as much action on Sundays as Lee Suggs does. Wow, even I think that was a low blow. My bad, dude.

Washington @ Seattle (+4.5)
Let's not get crazy, Miller. Seattle is awful and the 'Skins need to start to win some games again.

Indianapolis (-4) @ San Diego
As much as I want to hate Peyton, I can not. That son of a bitch has to make me laugh every time I see that new Mastercard commercial. God, I hate the Indianapolis Colts.

Green Bay @ New Orleans (PICK)
Reginald Bush is back and Drew Brees is coming off a strong game. Come on, Saints, show me there's still fight in you. I want to see four 10-6s in the NFC South. Is that too much to ask?

Just have to throw this in there. My love of Travis Miller is unquestioned and my respect for him as a sports fan is monumental. However, I really genuinely hope that he is in every fantasy league I am ever in for the remainder of my life. How can someone so knowledgable turn into Hank Steinbrenner on draft day. Ocho Cinco? Carson Palmer? What part of the 2007 Cincinatti Bengals inspired you to make those selections?

PS, if you check out Unsuccess Story, there is a piece on my man-crush on JT. Do the right thing.

Who Ya Got? Week 12 Picks

I'm just going to pick up as if I were doing this all season.

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-9)
Ocho Cinco deactivated? I never thought that Boldin/Ocho Cinco trade in my fantasy league would turn out THIS bad. In my defense, I traded Boldin right after he was injured. Score one for Ernie.

Houston @ Cleveland (-2)
I'm on the BQ bandwagon.

San Fran (+6.5) @ Dallas
I don't understand the small spread here, which leads me to believe this game is fixed and SF is going to win outright. Vegas is gonna make a lot of money on this game. Either that, or Dallas' stock has really dropped that much and I'm going to look like an idiot by 4 p.m. Sunday.

Tampa Bay (-7.5) @ Detroit
If Kevin Jones were still on Detroit, I'd take the Lions here.
If Kevin Jones were still on Detroit, they'd be 10-0.

New York Football Jets @ Tennessee (1.5)
I actually want the Jets to win this game. Which is why I'm picking the Titans. If you know me, it makes perfect sense.

Buffalo (-3.5) @ KC
The Bills can't lose this game, can they?

Chicago (-6) @ St. Louis
Da Bears are only 5-5?? No wonder my fantasy team is so bad.
Wait, maybe it's because of Larry Johnson, Julius Jones, Carson Palmer, Vince Young, and every other player on my team.
Why does St. Louis still have a football team?

New England (+1) @ Miami
Get over yourself, Miami. Chad Pennington is your quarterback. If the Dolphins think they can run five trick plays on Billy this time around, they deserve what they get.

Minnesota @ Jacksonville (+3.5)
I'm not starting Gus Frerotte in fantasy this week. Maybe I should.
Yes, Gus Frerotte is on my fantasy team. That's how bad my team is.

Philadelphia (+4) @ Baltimore
Love Philly to cover, Baltimore to win.

Oakland (+10) @ Denver
I can't believe Oakland isn't in last place in the division. This is the week the Raiders will score a season high in points (they've scored 23 twice!).

Carolina @ Atlanta (-1.5)
I'm on the MR bandwagon! I just need to forget that Thursday night game in Blacksburg...

New York Football Giants @ Arizona (+7.5)
I'm just going to pretend this is somewhere circa 1999-2001. Edgerrin James and Kurt Warner?! How can you not love Arizona here? Eli Manning is still in high school!

Washington @ Seattle (+4.5)
What is this, college basketball? I'm taking all the upsets!

Indianapolis (-4) @ San Diego
I bet if I had done picks all season long, I would have picked the Colts every week.

Green Bay @ New Orleans (PICK)
Monday Night Football has been so screwy this year. They aren't tipping off who is going to win this game, so I have to rely on my instincts. Follow close and try to stay with me on how I think this game will play out:
1) Aaron Rodgers will get hurt early in the game.
2) Replacing him in an unprecedented comeback will be none other than Brett Favre, who sent his secret twin to play for the New York Jets.
3) We find out he doesn't really have a secret twin. It's just Chad Pennington in disguise. Jets fans forgive Chad Pennington for all the terrible things they said about him while he was "gone."
4) The Dolphins then find out that their Chad Pennington is actually Kerry Collins in disguise.
5) The Titans find out that their Kerry Collins is actually Vince Young in disguise.
6) Fantasy stats are completely revamped to apply to the actual players, and my fantasy season is saved. I go on to win my league in the most unprecedented of fashions.
7) Brett Favre's return to the Packers is ruined when down two points, kicker Mason Crosby misses a potential game-winning 47-yard field goal, wide right.
8) Crosby takes off his helmet, and reveals himself as Bills' kicker Rian Lindell. Everybody gets a good laugh as they are reminded of the Bills' loss to the Browns last week on MNF. Everybody goes home happy, except for Bills fans.

Snoop Dogg on Around the Horn!

He's got Jay Mariotti and Woody Paige using ebonics.

This is hilarious!

Pedroia? MVP?

Dear Baseball Writers' Association,

Dustin Pedroia? Are you serious? Come on, guys. It's not like he had a season like Ichiro had in 2001. He hit .326 with 17 home runs and 83 RBIs. Yeah, he had 118 runs and only six errors, but still, those numbers aren't impressive.

I'll show you impressive.

.300 batting average
11 home runs
69 RBIs
88 runs
12 errors

Now THAT, my friends, is impressive.

What? You say those numbers aren't as good as Pedroia's? Well you obviously can't read in between the lines.

Look again:

.300 batting average
intangibles
11 home runs
intangibles
69 RBIs
intangibles
88 runs
intangibles
12 errors

Do you see it now? INTANGIBLES! That is why Derek Jeter should be AL MVP! He got screwed in 2006 because some dumbass in Chicago didn't think intangibles counted for much, and suddenly it gets to a point two years later where intangibles don't even earn you a single MVP vote!

Derek Jeter is the greatest player in the history of baseball.

Derek Jeter is God.

Derek Jeter Derek Jeter Derek Jeter.

Pedroia plays on the RED SOX aka the scum of the world.

Derek Jeter plays on the NEW YORK YANKEES! THE GREATEST FRANCHISE EVER.

Why doesn't that count for anything anymore?

Love always,

Yankee fans


P.S. I can't wait for C.C. Sabathia to come to the Bronx. Mark Teixeira, too. Oh and Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett. And with all the money coming off the books this season, we should probably sign Manny Ramirez, too. Just so nobody else can have him.

Loading up on stars hasn't worked since we started doing it in 2001, but I've got a special feeling about next season. DEREK JETER.

How Does Manny Acta Do It?

The Washington Nationals completed a trade with the Florida Marlins Tuesday, sending Emilio Bonifacio and a pair of minor leaguers to Florida, getting Scott Olsen and Josh "All I Do is Hit Home Runs Against the Mets" Willingham in return.

The deal comes much to my chagrin—with Pat Burrell unlikely to return to Philadelphia, that would have been two Met-killers out of my hair if the Marlins had sent Willingham out of the division. Now he's just going to be playing for those pesky Nat's, who will be bottom-feeders from April to August, then suddenly play like the '98 Yankees when September rolls around.

In spite of my spite, this trade begs the question: How does Manny Acta plan on keeping this circus at bay? He already has Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes on his roster—how will Scott "Temper Tantrum" Olsen fit in?

New Blog

Just wanted to do some shameless self-promotion. I shall be splitting my time between BMC Sports and Unsuccess Story, a new pop-culture/sport/miscellaneous blog I have begun.

http://unsuccessstory.blogspot.com/

Check it.

A Change To The BCS We Can Believe In!

Congrats are due to President elect Barack Obama for making history by being the first half-black President in US History. Good on the American people for getting it right. I will always respect John McCain for everything he has done for the country and congratulate him on his classy concession speech. But back to deportes!

On the extremely rushed and awkward halftime interview between Hack Berman and the Barackstar, el presidente did not go the obvious route when asked what he'd change about sports (roids are bad!). Instead, he mentioned that he would get rid of the BCS. So, thank you America for getting it right again. While the elimination of the BCS should probably not be the nation's number one priority right now (but it should be number two), it would be fun to imagine how the Commander-in-Chief to be's 8 team playoff would look this year.

1. Alabama
8. Boise State

4. Texas
5. Florida

3. Texas Tech
6. USC

2. Penn State
7. Oklahoma

Admit it...you'd watch that. I know I would.

Men's College Basketball Preseason Rankings, 21-25 -- Election Day Special!

Since my predictions are always so...what's the word? Ah, yes. Wrong.

Since my predictions are always so WRONG, I thought I'd change things up and use the ESPN/USA Today preseason rankings 21-25 to predict the winner of today's election.

(21) University of Southern California (Blue State)

A crushing blow to John McCain to be down 55 electoral votes immediately. Lucky for him, that Orange Juice and Mayonnaise kid left for the NBA. A tough early schedule may knock USC right out of the top 25, but some resilience could vault them very high in the rankings.

The Trojans head to Puerto Rico in November for the San Juan Shootout. If they get past Seton Hall in the first round, they likely have Memphis in the next round.

A very tough trip into Oklahoma is on tap for mid-December, and Georgia Tech visits So Cal just before Christmas.

USC is better than Arizona State this year, but the teams only square off once in the regular season--at A-State. Having the home court does crazy things for some teams.

(22) Wisconsin (Blue State)

The Badgers actually tied for number 21 in the poll, but since California is worth 55 electoral votes and Wisconsin is only worth 10, they'll have to settle for number 22.

I'm not a fan of Bo Ryan's style of play, nor am I a fan of the Big Ten. Like in college football, Big Ten teams conform to a style of play that sets them up to win the conference, NOT on a national scale. This was evident last year when Duke blew them out, and Marquette beat them in their own house.

To give Wisconsin some credit, they beat a very good Texas team last year, but the mediocre offense doesn't quite complement the suffocating defense.

Wisconsin will win at Virginia Tech, but will lose to Marquette and Texas this season. I like the Big Ten to be competitive and Wisconsin to finish second.

That's Obama with 65 electoral votes and McCain with none.

(23) Kansas (Red State)

Sometimes all you need to do is get on the board. McCain will take those six electoral votes, and be damn proud about it.

However, the defending national champs have lost almost everything. The good news is that their head coach is Bill Self. He's shown he can recruit, put a competitive team on the floor year-in and year-out, and he's also shown that his team isn't always going to be a one-game wonder in the NCAA Tournament.

Depending on their seeding, they may be a nice, juicy steak in the eyes of a hungry 11th, 12th, or 13th seeded mid-major in the Big Dance.

Early tests include Washington and Florida/Syracuse in the College Basketball Experience Classic, but these are virtual home games for the Jayhawks. Kent State and UMass are dangerous mid-majors on the schedule, and the big games before conference play starts are against Tennessee and at Michigan State.

This team will be prepared come March.

65-6, Obama leads.

(24) Wake Forest (Red State)

North Carolina is still up in the air, but for the sake of competition, we'll give it to McCain.

When you play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, you really don't need early-season tests to prepare you for March. You need them to prepare you for conference play.

With that said, Wake Forest will be ready for the NCAA Tournament, but will susceptible to an arduous January and February. The Carolina directional schools won't prepare the Demon Deacons for the nationally ranked Carolina schools.

65-21, Obama still leads. McCain needs a Texas school to be tied with a Tennessee, Missouri, or Indiana school to emerge victorious in my election.

Drumroll, please...

(25) Villanova (Wait, who is going to win Pennsylvania???)

That was anti-climactic. Does it not matter who wins Pennsylvania's 21 electoral votes?

'Nova has a breezy non-conference schedule, except for the Jimmy V Classic game against Texas at Madison Square Garden on December 9.

The Wildcats can hope for students to forget about finals and hop on a train to NYC to give them the home court feeling, but Texas plays at the Garden more often than you think. Rick Barnes will have his team ready to go.

Villanova's Big East schedule is balanced. The only team in the preseason rankings 'Nova has to face twice is Marquette. The Wildcats are at UConn and Notre Dame, and hosting Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Georgetown.

Due to Sarah Palin's not-so-warm welcome from Philly fans when she dropped the puck there, I'll take the liberty of giving Pennsylvania to Obama.

86-21. Neither party achieved the 270 electoral votes required to win the Presidency.

I hereby nominate Dick Vitale to sit in the oval office. IT'LL BE AWESOME, BABY!!!

Men's College Basketball Preseason Rankings, 16-20

With apologies to Wally Szczerbiak, here are teams 16-20 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.

(16) Miami (of Florida)

The Hurricanes notched home wins against Duke and Clemson last year, but lost a relatively early (end of December) game to Winthrop at the BankUnited Center. The home court advantage is there, but Miami is mortal.

The toughest early home game for Miami this season is against Ohio State, which is followed by a road game at Kentucky. They would be fortunate for a split.

Clemson comes into town for the only matchup of the year between the two teams on December 21, which is very early for conference opponents to play their only game against each other. If they run into each other in the ACC Tournament, it would almost be as if they hadn't met at all yet.

Bad news for Miami is they only play AT Duke and have two games against the best UNC squad they've seen since joining the ACC.

(17) Marquette (of Wisconsin)

With four Big East teams ranked above them, Marquette might fly under the radar for much of this season, which can be beneficial. The Golden Gophers have pulled some early upsets each of the last two years (Wisconsin last season, Duke two years ago), and have Wisconsin and Tennessee on the schedule for December.

The toughest stretch for Marquette comes right before the regular season ends. At Georgetown, hosting Connecticut, at Louisville, at Pittsburgh. I'd be happy with 1-3 if I were them, how about you?

(18) Georgetown (of the District of Columbia)

Speaking of the Hoyas, this could be a very rough season for them. Early games against Wichita State and American, ranked non-conference opponents in the form of Memphis and AT Duke aren't the story here.

Georgetown has a pair of three-game stretches that could be devastating:
Dec. 29 - @ UConn
Jan. 3 - vs. Pittsburgh
Jan. 5 - @ Notre Dame

Feb. 18 - vs. Marquette
Feb. 23 - vs.Louisville
Feb. 25 - @ Villanova

Hey, at least they have Roy Hibb---oh...uh oh.

(19) Florida (of Florida)

The Gators don't have a strong schedule this year, but that doesn't mean there won't be some potential upsets. Bradley is one of the MVC teams that can give anyone a scare if they leave the door open. At Syracuse and at Florida State will be good non-conference road tests, and Winthrop and NC State head south to try to play spoiler.

Florida lost seven of their final 10 regular season games last season. A talented, young team this year will give the Gators a new look that will only get better over the next few years.

(20) Davidson (of North Carolina)

Sorry boys, you're not fooling anyone this year. Teams are gunning for you this time.

The Wildcats, however, still have that Stephen Curry kid in the backcourt.

Winthrop is on the schedule--the Eagles may not pull off the upset, but they will stun at least one team early this season.

At Purdue and at Duke are the big non-conference games for Davidson, which has gone 37-1 in-conference the last two years. Can the Wildcats earn a number one seed in the Big Dance? Early-season love in the polls and a couple of big games gives them the opportunity.

Men's Preseason Rankings 11-15

(11) Gonzaga

Finally some mid-major love! Mark Few's squad is looking at a schedule similar to last year's. Oklahoma State visits Spokane in late November, and then a couple of games at Indiana and Arizona (probably seemed like decent tests at the time) will still be good preparation.

Things get juicy on December 20-- by far the best date on the schedule for non-conference college basketball. UConn visits Gonzaga, a rematch from last year where the Bulldogs prevailed on the road. Then the 'Zags have revenge on their mind January 7 at Tennessee (82-72 loss last season), and February 7 when they host Memphis (losses the last two years).

St. Mary's won't lay down, and be sure San Diego will have something to say about the West Coast Conference title before it's all said and done. Three WCC teams tasted March Madness last season, and they all want to give it another run this year.

(12) Memphis

Certainly not the same team we saw last year, but the Tigers still have a target on their back. A couple of MAAC opponents in the first three games should be laughers. I've created a mathematical equation for the Marist game on December 2:

X= Marist's score
Y= Memphis' score

2x <>This isn't an insult to Memphis, it's actually a testament to head coach John Calipari's class. He grants games to ex-assistant coaches, including Chuck Martin, Marist's new head coach, who was Calipari's aide for two years.

Marist's team is practically in shambles, after losing its head coach, Matt Brady, to James Madison at the end of last season. After its star freshman transferred to VCU, only five scholarship players returned. Martin inherited quite a mess, and Marist has been picked to finish last in the MAAC. Calipari is just trying to help out.

(13) Tennessee

I'm talking about the same three teams over and over. Aside from the Gonzaga and Memphis home games, which have already been mentioned, Tennessee has volunteered (get it?) to host Marquette in December and visit Kansas in January. Cross your fingers--hopefully we should be seeing plenty of Pat Summitt in her cute cheerleading outfit again this season.

(14) Oklahoma

The Sooners are letting themselves down with a very weak non-conference schedule. Last year they played Memphis, Gonzaga, and USC. This year, USC is the only tough test before conference play starts. Unless the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore is the one from the ACC (that was a joke).

The Big 12 isn't as top-heavy in basketball as it is in football this year, so teams can get away with the easy scheduling...until March.

Oklahoma just has to be on upset watch when an upstart VCU team rolls into town on...that's right! December 20!

I'm so excited about that day, here's a list of some of the great games to watch:

VCU @ (14)Oklahoma
(7)Michigan St. @ (8) Texas
(5) Duke @ Xavier
(2) Connecticut @ (11) Gonzaga
(20) Davidson @ (10) Purdue
Syracuse @ (12) Memphis

My popcorn is ready.

(15) Arizona State

This isn't a top 25 team we're dealing with here, but nobody will know any better unless San Diego State or Pepperdine pull a November upset, or BYU rises to the occasion on...you guessed it! December 20!

This could be the least impressive schedule for a top 25 team. It's worse than Louisville's.

Men's Preseason Rankings 6-10

(6) Pittsburgh is probably a little overrated, but in another case of weak scheduling, this wont' be evident until Big East play starts. Levance Fields is already battling injury, which isn't a good sign for things to come. Hosting Siena and visiting Florida State will be ample tests before conference play starts. The Panthers have to play UConn twice, but only run into Villanova, Louisville, Notre Dame, Marquette, and Georgetown once in the regular season. I hate the Big East. But not as much as the Big Ten.

(7) Michigan State is the only Big Ten school I ever tend to respect. Tom Izzo is a great coach, and he knows it's better to prepare your team with difficult tasks than it is to just schedule Alcorn State and IPFW. A trip to Maryland for the third game of the season, UNC comes in for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, at Texas, and hosting Kansas. The Spartans will have some blemishes come March, but it will be a tested squad and a very dangerous 3 or 4 seed in the tournament.

(8) Texas is another team probably ranked too high, but the Longhorns give themselves plenty of opportunities to prove a blogger wrong. UCLA, Villanova, and Michigan State all come into town, and a visit to Wisconsin will round out Texas' schedule, all before Christmas. One of those Big Ten games might actually be played at Madison Square Garden. The Big XII only has a few teams in the top 25 for now, but Baylor, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State always come to play. Texas will win the Big XII this year.

(9) Notre Dame is the fourth Big East team in the top 10. Give me a break. A February beatdown at UCLA is on tap for the Fighting Irish. Aside from that, I guess we're just going to have to count on the Big East teams to sort out their problems head-to-head, because UCLA and Gonzaga are the only TWO ranked non-conference opponents for the FOUR Big East teams in the top 10. Pansies.

(10) Purdue might give me reason to actually give more respect to the Big Ten than the Big East this season. We already know the Boilermakers drew Duke in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, but they also host Davidson in mid-December. It takes guts to invite them in, because honestly, Davidson is probably going to win that game. I'd tell you why, but Davidson is #20. Wait a couple days!

Preseason Men's Rankings

The first set of rankings came out for men's college basketball, and not only did mid-majors get a lot of love, but there are some fantastic regular season games between the top mid-majors and some of the elite teams in the country. Should be a great year for college basketball. Here's a quick look at the top five teams' potential based on scheduling.

Teams 6-10 coming tomorrow.

(1)North Carolina is the unanimous number one. No arguments over here, seeing as how the Tar Heels return all five starters, including that Hansbrough guy. A weak non-conference schedule should keep them in the top ten all year, as they should be. The Big 10/ACC challenge is looking to be one of the best ones since its inception. UNC visits Michigan State in its leg of the event. The ACC is aways very competitive, so expect a few losses here and there, but if the Heels stay healthy, that number should be below five, and a number one seed in the NCAA Tourney is imminent.

(2) UConn also has a very weak non-conference schedule, but the parity in the Big East should at list send shivers up the Huskies' spines. A December trip to Spokane will also be a great indication of things to come.

(3) Louisville plays NOBODY. The annual visit to Kentucky is in there, but props to Pitino for taking the easy road to March. I know who I'm not rooting for. Send up a prayer for Lamar or Morehead State to pull a Dayton---a team Louisville has lost to two years in a row, and surprise, surprise! Guess who isn't on the schedule this year??

(4) UCLA has a couple of tough tests, visiting Texas in early December, and then a more telling game in February when it hosts Notre Dame. Not much in the Pac-10 this season. I don't buy into Arizona State or USC. Easy season for the Bruins, so it's good to have the two top 10 non-conference opponents on the schedule.

(5) Duke must have brought in one hell of a recruiting class to earn that kind of ranking. At Purdue for the Big Ten/ACC challenge, a mid-December trip to Xavier that cannot be overlooked, and then hosting Davidson in January will be a great game. The Blue Devils' final game of the season is AT Carolina, with seeding, and perhaps the conference on the line. I think Duke fans can empathize when I ask WHY HASN'T GREG PAULUS GRADUATED YET?!?!?!

Sucks to be a baseball fan

Maybe next year a good team will actually win.

My only NBA blog of the season

I think I've finally got things figured out! The key is to WAIT A DAY.

I always try to make my predictions before the season starts. I just need to wait until after the first game of the season...then the answers are clear!

For example, had I waited until after opening day of the baseball season, I would have seen the error in my ways. I clearly would have known that the Mets would collapse in September and the Phillies would be World Series champs.

NFL? I would have known Tom Brady would be hurt, the Dallas Cowboys would be flawed, and Vince Y---err...Kerry Collins would lead the Titans to a 19-0 season.

And of course, in college football, I would have known that Virginia Tech can't move the ball at all on offense, and their defense isn't stellar enough to compete with any of the top tier teams outside of the ACC---let alone the sad excuses for top teams within the conference.

So here we are, after day one of the NBA's season, and boy am I grateful that I waited to blog. Had I done my predictions yesterday or the day before, I probably would have picked the Trail Blazers to win it all, led by Most Valuable Player Greg Oden.

One game into the season, I've now got the inside scoop. I'll just list my top two teams in each division. Here we go:

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
1)Boston Celtics
2) Toronto Raptors
--Boston has an easy ride for the most part. The only teams that have actually improved in the east aren't in their division. The 76ers can make a run at the playoffs, but the Knicks and Nets are going to be playing like they've overdosed on sleeping pills.

Central Division
1)Cleveland Cavaliers
2) Detroit Pistons
--The Pistons have gotten older, and LeBron has a little extra help. This looks like the only division in the Conference where three teams are a lock for the playoffs. Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago. Indiana has an outside shot.

Southeast Division
1) Orlando Magic
2) Washington Wizards
--Orlando basically wins by default. Washington should sneak into the playoffs with a 7 or 8 seed. They're probably better off without Agent Zero, but we love ole' Gil anyway. Charlotte can compete if they stay healthy.

Western Conference
Northwest Division
1) Utah Jazz
2) Denver Nuggets
--This may have looked a little different if I didn't watch the Lakers/Blazers game last night. But I did. Only two playoff teams in the northwest.

Pacific Division
1) Los Angeles Lakers
2) Phoenix Suns
--The Lakers were only a complete team for half the season last year. A full year of health is a return to dominance. The Lakers should run away with this division.

Southwest Division
1) Dallas Mavericks
2) Houston Rockets
3) San Antonio Spurs
4) New Orleans Hornets

--I list four teams here because the Grizzlies are the odd team out. Four teams make the playoffs out of the southwest again, and all four of the teams have over 50 wins AGAIN. Gotta love Mark Cuban and this competitive division.


Finals
Lakers over Cavaliers

LeBron and the boys may have lost in Boston last night, but they showed a little extra flair that was lacking last season. They'll take out the Celts in the playoffs in seven this year. The Spurs can make some noise in the playoffs, but they aren't getting any younger. Indianapolis Colts syndrome perhaps. I still like the Lakers to come out of the west. Don't expect any more NBA blogs this season. I've got Marist women's hoops to concentrate on.