Videos of the Week-Fantasy Sportsgirl Studs and Duds plus the Controversial UAB vs. Arizona Basketball Game posted by John Barfield

     As we do each week, we are providing fantasy football players with the best information in the most interesting format possible. So, enjoy your viewing of this video that is sure to bring you what you need and remind you of things that you want.

      Watch this weeks' Fantasy Sportsgirl Studs and Duds Video. After that, you can vote for your favorite Fantasy Sportsgirl of the season to this point by placing their name in our comment section. (Remember to look in the archives for past Fantasy Sportsgirls). Then, watch the end of the UAB vs. University of Arizona basketball game from the other night. This might have been the most jaw-dropping ending to a sporting event that I have ever seen. Tell us what you think.

        Don't forget,  I am taking an informal poll in this post election era for your favorite "Fantasy Sportsgirl". In the comment section just place the name of the girl that you have enjoyed the most so far during this season. I will try to get more videos from the winner to enhance your experience on this site. The voting will end soon.  As they say in politics-Vote early and vote often.

        While your here, check out the recent columns on the BCS, especially the one about the Big 12 Championship Game. 

Fantasy Sportsgirl Video

BCS-Broadcaster Championship Series posted by John Barfield

     The BCS system, a playoff, the pre-BCS system, oh the debates! So lets turn the tables on the BCS minus the C.

     In this era of confusion, befuddlement, and Obama's "Spread the wealth around" mantra, I thought it would be fun to spread some myself. Since the major networks control political elections,the polls, and BCS process as well, let's turn the tables. So I offer an alternative BCS-the Broadcaster Championship Series. Let's see if they like a little of their own, poorly funded and can't get a neccessary sugery for years, medicine.

     Here are the contenders and their rankings:

        Sportpoet Arbitrary Poll(SAP)  

1)Brent Musberger(ABC) - the traditional power

2)Kirk Herbsteit(ESPN) -  the glamour team

3)Todd Blackledge(ABC) - the toast, uh taste, of the town

4)Lee Corso(ESPN) - Running the "Not so fast my Friend" Offense 

5)Verne Lundquist(CBS) - the "other" traditional power

6)Lou Holtz(ESPN) - "Dr. Lou"

7)Craig James(ABC) - "the Pony"

8)Doug Flutie(ABC) - fighting for the little guy        

9)Tim Brando(CBS) - Does he know that there are conferences other than the SEC?

10)Pat Haden(NBC) - poor guy has the worst job in sports-he has to watch Notre Dame EVERY week       

Monday Hangover posted by Tom

The weekend sports started off real well, Calaveras dropped Bret Harte to sew up 2nd place in the MLL.  The Redskins will travel to Escalon on Friday to take on the powerful TVL Champion Cougars.  It will be a tough battle for the Redskins, but you every once in a while David takes out Goliath.  The first key is for the players and team to approach the week with the idea that this is what we need to be successful and not focus on anything else.  The coaches will put together a game plan that will give the players a chance to win.  The players needs to trust the coaches and focus on executing the game plan. The focus is not to win, but to execute and when you prepare correctly and execute, the winning will take care of itself.

Hard times have fallen on Hartnell College Football, a very successful program up through the 80's can't seem to get it rolling anymore.  The Panthers lost Saturday in their season finale against Monterey Peninsula College.  With the win, MPC completed their first ever undefeated season. 

The Giants opened up the 2008-2009 free agent signing season by inking the first Free Agent, Jeremy Affeldt to a contract.  Most likely he will step into the mcuh needed set up role in front of Brian Wilson.  Rumors are that the Giants are after Furcal.  Furcal could be risky, injured a lot in the last few seasons and age is starting to catch up with him.  The Giants have some speed in their lineup and on their roster, what they don't have is power.  Whether by trade or free agent market the Giants could use some help in the power department, like the infield and/or outfield corners.  But it seems that they may be active in this year's bidding.  And it has been reported that they have let Scot Boras know that they are interested in his stable of performers.

RIP Tide? posted by Dayne Duranti

I love Alabama Crimson Tide Football. I love everything about the program, the proud heritage and the lifestyle. The stone fisted blows struck by Paul “Bear” Bryant still echo through every acre of Tuscaloosa to this day. You would be hard pressed to find a school, a town, or a culture that loves their team more than the University of Alabama.

Nick Saban, much like Pete Carroll was born to coach College football. The disappointing experiments they faced in the pros were nothing more than just that, experiments. College is in their blood and Nick Saban is bleeding crimson.

Saban’s turnaround of the Alabama Crimson Tide football program is nothing short of monumental. The No.1 ranked Tide are scheduled to play in the S.E.C Conference championship game on December 6^th verses the Florida Gators, pending victory, a shot at the National Championship.

The sad fact is I don’t think they can win.

I’m not going to get into stats and comparisons by the number. I will leave that up to the statsters calling in to talk radio. I’m not going to talk about schedules or past records either. Call it a hunch or maybe just a life time of watching football paying off.

Watching Alabama play I don’t see the hunger or the desperation that I see when I watch Urban Meyer’s Gators. Watching John Parker Wilson does not give me the same gut check feeling that I get watching Tim Tebow. Granted, Wilson and Tebow are two completely different players, and when drafted Tebow most likely won’t even play QB in the pros.

BCS Standings-On Suicide Watch for the Big 12 Championship Game posted by John Barfield

       With a few weeks left to go the college football regular season, let's start some of the BCS debates prematurely.

The Big 12 

If the Oklahoma Sooners beat the Texas Tech Red Raiders, then the triumverate that is Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech will be tied. The leader at that point in the BCS standings will be granted a trip to the Big 12 Championship game. So, who should go? The experts have basically said that, in that situation, the choices will be Texas or Oklahoma.

     The most atrocious part of this discussion is Texas. Why? Schedule. It has long been conventional wisdom that Tech plays patsies during the pre-conference schedule, but look at the Lonhorns' pre-conference gauntlet. The ONLY team that Texas encountered before conference play that has a winning record was Rice. That's right, the mighty Rice Owls. So, if you want to discount Texas Tech as a team that only plays second rate competition in September put Texas in the same category. Tech played a Nevada team that, at the very least, is as good as Rice. Oklahoma, by the way, played TCU and Cincinnati. Edge-Oklahoma by a slim margin.

     Next, lets look at comparative scores. This is, of course, not the best way, but at least it compares apples to apples. Oklahoma beat Kansas 45-31. Texas beat Kansas 35-7. The Red Raiders beat Kansas 63-21. Edge Texas Tech. 

     Oklahoma still has to play Oklahoma State, but. . . Texas 28-Cowboys 24. Texas Tech 56-Oklahoma St. 20. Edge-Texas Tech.

How To Cope When Your College Football Team Loses posted by Chris Humpherys

We have all been there.

If you’re a college football fan and you bleed your school colors, then you’ve experienced it.  You’ve painted your face.  You’ve worn your lucky shirt, shorts and undergarments on game day.  Your superstitions have become routine.  You’ve tailgated from daybreak to sundown and beyond.  You have eaten and drank excessively in celebration.  You have hugged and high-fived your friends with every score.  You have lived and died with your team.  Your allegiance is unquestioned and unparalleled.  You’ve celebrated the thrill of victory with your team so passionately, it was as if you were on the field in uniform.

And then it happens, sometimes when you least expect it.  Everything is going great and then, suddenly… your team loses.  What?  How can this be?  How could they do this?  Gloom sets in.  It overwhelms you.  Your day, your week or perhaps even your entire season is ruined.  There’s always next year. 

You’ve given so much of your time and dedication, only to be let down like when that girl never called you back after you bought her  dinner.  What the heck?  You even opened the car door and splurged for the tiramisu.  How could they do this after all you’ve been through together?  It doesn’t make any sense.  You’ve waited all week for Saturday to roll around and this is how they treat you?  You swear to yourself, you’ll never get so emotionally involved about a game again, but you know you’re just lying.  Resistance is most definitely futile.

"Nevermore"-Big East, ACC and the BCS posted by John Barfield

    LOOKOUT!!!! Controversy is on the horizon for the BCS. Of course, we have seen these things before. Debates have consumed this preposterous program since its inception. Ohio State, USC, are all a part of its dubious history.

     The pundits, in their efforts to be politically correct, constantly say that this is what makes college football special. Every week is a playoff. They repeat this like Poe quoting the raven - "Nevermore." Half of the fun is in the debate they say.

     There are two main problems with the system that we are married to like a cheating trophy wife with a million dollar inheritance. One problem is obvious to us all. If Texas Tech and Alabama do not finished the season unblemished, then chaos will ensue. Which one-loss team is more deserving? USC? Florida? Texas? Oklahoma?

      The "play it out on the field" arguement sounds great. However, if Texas Tech does fall to Oklahoma, which Big 12 team is most deserving? Texas lost in Lubbock so can they be placed over a Tech team with the same record? Oklahoma will have beaten the Red Raiders so shouldn't they go to the title game? Wait, Oklahoma lost to Texas so . . .

      If Texas Tech doesn't beat Oklahoma then there is no perfect way to decide - at least with the current system, in which the remedy is the problem. As a point of fact, the BCS standings are to be the voice of reason. The team that finishes the regular season ranked highest in the BCS will be awarded a trip to the Big 12 Championship game. Luckily in the SEC the two major contenders, the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide, will decide it on the field.

The Beginning posted by Michael Pickett

Welcome one and all to my very first blog.  I will be blogging about BYU football, college football in general, and other sports that I like.  Unfortunately, my home town teams are the San Francisco 49ers, the San Francisco Giants, and the Sacramento Kings, all of which are performing very poorly these days, so I may not have a lot of good to say about them. 

Here's also an important note about my blog.  I'm a literary guy.  I majored in English at BYU, and I love to read the best writing around.  Therefore, I will try to keep my blog literary, if that's possible for a blog.  I won't just rave about my favorite teams, nor will I rant about my favorite teams.  I'll provide some analysis along with what I consider literary quality.  That's what you'll be getting with my blog.

Hot Stove Season posted by Tom

In the past week, we have ended the 2008 Major League Baseball Season, begun the 2008/2009 NBA Season, ended a 33 year streak of Bowl Appearances by Michigan, ended the Calaveras Redskins string of MLL Championships and started the second half of the NFL Season. 

Phillies won the rain delayed final game of the World Series to win their Second World Championship.  It was fitting that Brad Lidge was on the mound for the Phillies. Lidge was a dominating closer for the Astros in 2005, until Luis Pujols hit a monstrous shot off him in the Playoffs.  Lidge then went to the mental zone that has a tendency to suck up pitchers for no reason. Lidge went into the pitchers black hole, inconsistent and no where near his former self.  He ended up with the Phillies and for the 2008 season, he was perfect as a reliever with no blown saves. 

We can now move onto the Hot Stove season for baseball.  As soon as one season ends the next one begins. Free agency is being filed for.  The big questions, where do Manny Ramirez and CC Sabathia end up.  Manny wants a long term deal for a good chunk of cash.  This limits his options down substantially.  His other issue pertains to the level of his effort.  For the last few years in Boston, he underperformed.  The numbers were pretty good, but after the final couple of months in Los Angeles, we found out exactly what he could do when motivated.  He’s a risk.  Los Angeles and Joe Torre would seem to be the perfect fit.  A manager experienced at handling a gazillionaire prima donna. A town that he can disappear in.  However, they have only offered a 2 year deal and Manny is looking for a 4 year deal.  The Yankees are probably the only team that is willing to take the dive on the long term deal.  The fun is ahead on this one.

10-25 Big Ten Picks posted by David Nicotera

It’s an intriguing weekend in the Big Ten this week, as all five underdogs are at home.  That is quite the rare feat, and we know that somebody is going to jump up and pull off an upset at home.  So , which team will actually defend its home turf?  I’m going with Michigan, despite the fact they haven’t been doing such a great job of winning at home so far this year.  The three home losses this year have me thinking that the home-field advantage is less of a factor than is the Spartans’ one-dimensional offense.  Michigan’s three poor defensive performances have come against Brian Johnson, Juice Williams, and Daryll Clark.  Brian Hoyer is not on that level, and the Michigan front seven should be able to gang up on Javon Ringer and keep itself off the field.Otherwise, the other four road favorites should have enough in their arsenal to get wins.  That includes Penn State, who is capable of making a big statement in the de facto Big Ten Championship.  The offense hasn’t been slowed yet this year, and the Buckeyes will only be able to keep them in check for so long.

Northwestern at Indiana (NW -8, BTN, Noon ET)
Northwestern 34, Indiana 17

Illinois at Wisconsin (Ill -2, ESPN2, Noon ET)
Illinois 31, Wisconsin 20

Minnesota at Purdue (Min -2, ESPNClassic, Noon ET)
Minnesota 17, Purdue 16

Michigan State at Michigan (MSU -4, ABC, 3:30 ET)
Michigan 17, Michigan State 13

Penn State at Ohio State (PSU -2, ABC, 8:00 ET)