The Bizniz, Volume 4, Issue 15

Final Regular Season Standings

Hill: 217-54 (8-16 upsets) overall, 7-3 (0-1 upsets) last week of regular season

Chesh: 206-70 (9-26 upsets) overall, 9-1 (1-0 upsets) last week of regular season

Bowl Picks

New Mexico Bowl

BYU 35

UTEP 20

Chesh: BYU 37 UTEP 17

Humanitarian Bowl

Northern Illinois 32

Fresno State 27

Chesh: Fresno 36 NIU 33

New Orleans Bowl

Ohio 28

Troy 21

Chesh: Troy 27 Ohio 16

St. Petersburg Bowl

Southern Miss 34

Louisville 28

Chesh: S. Miss 34 Louisville 24

Las Vegas Bowl

Utah 27

Boise State 41

Chesh: Boise 47 Utah 24

Poinsettia Bowl

Navy 27

San Diego State 30

Chesh: SDSU 28 Navy 26

Hawaii Bowl

Hawaii 42

Tulsa 38

Chesh: Hawaii 51 Tulsa 45

Little Caesar's Bowl

Florida International 28

Toledo 37

Chesh: Toledo 23 FIU 13

Independence Bowl

Air Force 34

Georgia Tech 30

Chesh: AF 24 Ga Tech 20

Champs Sports Bowl

West Virginia 27

N.C. State 20

Chesh: W. Va 28 N.C. St 24

Insight Bowl

Missouri 36

Iowa 32

Chesh: Mizzou 31 Iowa 23

Military Bowl

East Carolina 23

Maryland 33

Chesh: Maryland 48 ECU 34

Texas Bowl

Illinois 31

Baylor 34

Chesh: Baylor 34 Illinois 17

Alamo Bowl

Oklahoma State 35

Arizona 28

Chesh: Ok St 37 AZ 17

Armed Forces Bowl

Army 24

SMU 30

Chesh: SMU 27 Army 23

Pinstripe Bowl

Kansas State 30

Syracuse 20

Chesh: K-St 16 Cuse 14

Music City Bowl

North Carolina 28

Tennessee 23

Chesh: UNC 34 Tenn 16

Holiday Bowl

Nebraska 34

Washington 17

Chesh: Nebraska 38 Wash 20

Meineke CC Bowl

South Florida 20

Clemson 28

Chesh: Clemson 26 USF 14

Sun Bowl

Notre Dame 21

Miami 28

Chesh: ND 17 Miami 16

Liberty Bowl

Georgia 34

Central Florida 27

Chesh: UCF 27 UGA 19

Chick-fil-A Bowl

South Carolina 37

Florida State 32

Chesh: S. Car 31 FSU 24

TicketCity Bowl

Northwestern 30

Texas Tech 42

Chesh: TTech 34 NW 20

Outback Bowl

Florida 33

Penn State 21

Chesh: Florida 17 Penn St 16

Capital One Bowl

Alabama 31

Michigan State 32

Chesh: Bama 27 Mich St 26

Gator Bowl

Mississippi State 34

Michigan 30

Chesh: Michigan 34 Miss St 24

GoDaddy.com Bowl

Middle Tennessee 24

Miami (OH) 28

Chesh: Miami 37 MTSU 20

Cotton Bowl

LSU 30

Texas A&M 27

Chesh: TAMU 17 LSU 16

Compass Bowl

Pittsburgh 30

Kentucky 21

Chesh: Pitt 16 UK 13

Kraft FH Bowl

Nevada 38

Boston College 28

Chesh: Nevada 30 BC 6

BCS Bowls

Rose Bowl

Wisconsin 24

TCU 30

Chesh: TCU 30 Wisc 13

Fiesta Bowl

UConn 17

Oklahoma 44

Chesh: OU 45 UConn 13

Orange Bowl

Stanford 28

Virginia Tech 27

Chesh: Va Tech 40 Stanford 37

Sugar Bowl

Ohio State 34

Arkansas 28

Chesh: Arkansas 24 Ohio St 20

National Championship Game

Oregon 44

Auburn 40

Chesh: Oregon 33 Auburn 31

I've mentioned this in The Bizniz before but I still cannot stand the fact that there are bowl games after New Year's as wack as the Compass, Kraft Fight Hunger, and GoDaddy.com Bowls. Only premiere bowls should be played after New Year's. Period. I know it's about filling in the empty week between the last BCS game and the title game but for all that the BCS blusters about not ruining the tradition of bowl games as a reason to not consider a playoff, they sure ruin the tradition of post-New Year Day bowl games that existed for decades. It used to be that a team had a goal to reach a New Year's Day (or later) bowl, as it indicated that that team had reached an elite bowl game. Now a group of stupid bowls exist after the once-sacrosanct January 1st date. Good call, BCS and co. You guys get it right every time.

The Bizniz, Volume 4, Issue 14

A quick thought on Boise State's loss to Nevada that took them out of BCS contention. It is a fascinating juxtaposition to compare the game winning field goal (46 yards) that Texas kicker Hunter Lawrence made last year in the Big XII title game and the chip shot (26 yards) that Boise State kicker Kyle Brotzman missed at the end of regulation (which makes the kick he missed in OT irrelevant), both as time expired. One kicker literally made $18 million for his school via a BCS bowl bid, the other literally cost his school $18 million. It's harsh, but with kickers it's a pretty black and white thing. My heart goes out to the Boise kid but it's a pretty tough pill to swallow to have a Division 1A kicker, at a top 5 school, miss a short field goal with a dead center spot, especially after an EPIC throw and catch from Kellen Moore to Titus Young to get it in field goal range in the closing seconds. Ouch. On the negative side, all the BCS honks/non-AQ haters can pile on Boise and say, "See, we told you you didn't belong." I'm a Boise hater because they don't play enough tough non-conference games (you can't control your conference slate), but I think Boise State is a really good team that can play with anyone. But for once a WAC team showed some heart/pride/balls and stepped up to the plate and knocked off the Broncos (something like only their third conference loss in the last 5 years). Also, it's been noted, interestingly, that Nevada actually loses about a million dollars because they won't get Boise's would-have-been BCS bowl cut that the conference splits. Go figure.

Standings:

Hill: 211-52 (8-15 upsets) overall,15-6 (1-1 upsets) last week

Chesh: 197-66 (8-25 upsets) overall, 12-9 (1-4 upsets) last week

Helmet stickers: mine goes to the embattled Cam Newton, Auburn QB (13/20, 216, 3 td's, no picks passing; 22 rushes, 39, 1 td on the ground). The numbers weren't off the charts but the way he led Auburn back from a 24-0 deficit in Tuscaloosa was Heisman worthy. And with all the stuff swirling around with his dad and Mississippi State and pay for play, he showed amazing resiliency and heart to get the win, get the Tigers to the SEC title game, and keep them in position for the BCS title game. Chesh went with dual stickers, for Maryland's QB Dannny O' Brien (33-47, 417, 4 td's, no picks) and WR Torrey Smith (14, 224, 4 td's), who led the way in a big win versus then-23rd ranked N.C. State.

Picks for this week:

Arizona State 20

#23 Arizona 28

Chesh: ASU 27 AZ 25

#25 Northern Illinois 40

Miami (OH) 21

Chesh: NI 34 Miami 14

SEC Championship Game

#1 Auburn 36

#19 South Carolina 31

Chesh: Auburn 26 S. Car 24

#2 Oregon 45

Oregon State 23

Chesh: Oregon 58 Ore St 24

Game of the Week

Big XII Championship Game

#9 Oklahoma 24

#14 Nebraska 21

Chesh: OU 34 Nebraska 30

Utah State 17

#11 Boise State 47

Chesh: Boise 57 Utah St 10

ACC Championship Game

#21 Florida State 34*

#16 Virginia Tech 33

Chesh: Va Tech 23 FSU 13

#17 Nevada 47

Louisiana Tech 24

Chesh: Nevada 48 La Tech 17

Rutgers 20

#24 West VIrginia 32

Chesh: WVU 31 Rutgers 13

Non Top 25 Game

UConn 23

South Florida 27

Chesh: UConn 23 USF 16

The Bizniz, Volume 4, Issue 13

Standings:

Hill: 196-46 (7-14 upsets) overall, 14-4 (0-2 upsets) last week

Chesh:185-57 (7-21 upsets) overall, 14-4 (0-3 upsets) last week

Helmet stickers as follows: for me, Knile Davis, Arkansas RB (30, 187, 2 td's). Davis led the charge as Arkansas won on the road against ranked Mississippi State in double OT. Chesh went with dual stickers: James White (23, 181, 2 td's) and Montee Ball (29, 173, 4 td's), Wisconsin RB's. The Badgers continue to wear teams down with their two headed monster at running back.

This week's picks:

#17 Texas A&M 24

Texas 20

Chesh: Texas 26 TAMU 24

#21 Arizona 28

#1 Oregon 42

Chesh:Oregon 31 AZ 23

Game of the Week

#2 Auburn 24

#11 Alabama 27*

Chesh: Auburn 24 Bama 20

#4 Boise State 48

#19 Nevada 28

Chesh: Boise 36 Nevada 24

Colorado 10

#15 Nebraska 24

Chesh: Nebraska 37 Colo 17

Kansas 17

#14 Missouri 38

Chesh: Mizzou 48 KU 23

BYU 23

#20 Utah 30

Chesh: BYU 27 Utah 24

#3 TCU 48

New Mexico 0

Chesh: TCU 51 UNM 6

#5 LSU 27

#12 Arkansas 31*

Chesh: Arkansas 26 LSU 21

Oregon State 30

#6 Stanford 37

Chesh: Stanford 38 Ore St 21

Northwestern 20

#7 Wisconsin 44

Chesh: Wisc 34 NW 26

Michigan 23

#8 Ohio State 31

Chesh: Ohio St 30 Mich 24

#13 Oklahoma 32

#9 Oklahoma State 36

Chesh: Ok St 27 OU 24

#10 Michigan State 34

Penn State 24

Chesh: Mich St 27 Penn St 13

VIrginia 16

#16 Virginia Tech 40

Chesh: Va Tech 34 UVA 16

#18 South Carolina 32

Clemson 30

Chesh: S. Car 34 Clemson 31

Florida 24

#22 Florida State 28

Chesh: Florida 17 FSU 13

#23 North Carolina State 34

Maryland 28

Chesh: NC St 31 Maryland 26

#24 Iowa 38

Minnesota 17

Chesh: Iowa 45 Minn 13

#25 Mississippi State 30

Ole Miss 23

Chesh: Ole Miss 20 Miss St 17

Non Top 25 Game

USC 31

Notre Dame 21

Chesh: SC 28 ND 17

The Bizniz, Volume 4, Issue 12

We are nearing the home stretch in college football. Teams are jockeying for conference championships and BCS berths. Should be a phenomenal fight to the finish for the title game and for the non-AQ schools to see who is on and who is left out.

Standings:

Hill: 182-42 (7-12 upsets) overall, 16-5 (0-1 upsets) last week

Chesh: 171-53 (10-19 upsets) overall, 17-4 (3-1 upsets) last week

Helmet stickers for this week are unanimous between Chesh and I: Marcus Lattimore, RB South Carolina (40, 212, 3 td's). Lattimore had a ridiculous 40 carries as South Carolina controlled the ball in a big win in the Swamp sending them to the SEC championship game as the SEC East champs, a first in South Carolina history.

Picks for this week:

Georgia State 10

#11 Alabama 55

Chesh: Bama 56 Ga St 3

Fresno State 34

#4 Boise State 48

Chesh: Boise 38 Fresno 21

#15 Missouri 37

Iowa State 27

Chesh: Mizzou 45 Iowa St 20

Ole Miss 20

#5 LSU 35

Chesh: LSU 31 Miss 17

#6 Stanford 23

Cal 21

Chesh: Stanford 28 Cal 13

#7 Wisconsin 32

Michigan 24

Chesh: Wisc 34 Mich 23

#8 Nebraska 24

#19 Texas A&M 23

Chesh: Neb 27 TAMU 24

Game of the Week

#9 Ohio State 26

#20 Iowa 21

Chesh: Iowa 31 Ohio St 27

#10 Oklahoma State 56

Kansas 17

Chesh: Okla St 48 KU 10

Purdue 19

#12 Michigan State 35

Chesh: Mich St 38 Purdue 19

#13 Arkansas 28

#21 Mississippi State 21

Chesh: Ark 28 Miss St 23

#14 Oklahoma 36

Baylor 24

Chesh: Okla 31 Baylor 17

#16 Virginia Tech 31

#24 Miami 23

Chesh: Va Tech 27 Miami 16

Troy 18

#17 South Carolina 38

Chesh: S. Car 44 Troy 14

New Mexico State 13

#18 Nevada 48

Chesh: Nevada 41 NM St 17

#23 Utah 32

San Diego State 34*

Chesh: SDSU 31 Utah 23

#25 Florida State 28

Maryland 30*

Chesh: Maryland 28 FSU 23

Non Top 25 Game

North Carolina State 28

North Carolina 31

Chesh: NC St 34 UNC 26

Michael. Freaking. Vick. I have always been a HUUUUUUGE Vick fan, going back to his Va Tech days. He is the only guy, if anyone, I've ever considered worth trading an entire draft away to get, a la Mike Ditka/Ricky Williams. He was the best quarterback and running back in the 2001 draft. Dude has always been electric. He's never been the most accurate but his arm strength has always been under-valued to me. He can straight sling it. Clearly he made some major mistakes with the whole dog fighting fiasco. I'm not a animal/pet guy at all but obviously killing dogs is reprehensible. He went to jail and he's square with the house. Leonard Little and Donte Stalllworth killed HUMANS and did a month in jail combined (yes, I realize Vick's prison time was most due to the conspiracy factor and being the ring leader of a dog fighting syndicate). But the outcry over Vick's comeback to the NFL was silly. Again, Leonard Little and Donte Stallworth killed actual human beings, both in DUI's. I don't remember any picket lines or boycotts when those players came back. I digress. Vick is absolutely killing it for the Eagles right now, most recently throwing 4 td passes and rushing for 2 more scores in a MNF beat down of the Redskins. He is doing damage inside the pocket, something that always eluded him even during his previous success. As a Vick guy, I am loving his success and the redemption story. Yes, he made major mistakes. But let's all move on. Mike Vick sure has. You go, 7. You are the man.

Quick comment on the NL Cy Young. Roy Halladay is amazing. He is certainly a deserving winner. But for all these years, everyone has down played the successes that offensive players have had for the Colorado Rockies, saying that the numbers put up in Coors Field are exaggerated because of the altitude. From Larry Walker to Andres Galarraga to Matt Holliday to Troy Tulowitzki, hitters have been looked at askance because they played home games in hitter friendly Coors. So how does Ubaldo Jiminez finish third in the Cy Young with a 19-8 record, 2.88 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 214 K's? (Halladay was 21-10, 2.44, 219, 1.04... pretty comparable numbers.) Yes, Jiminez reeeeally struggled in the second half (dude was 15-1 at the All-Star break). But if all these years we've heard that Colorado has an unfair advantage and all offensive stats are overblown, then how does a pitcher with Jiminez's stats not win the Cy Young... or at least finish a close second? Gotta wonder if Jiminez would've won it even with 23, 24 wins with all the love Halladay got all year...

The Bizniz, Volume 4, Issue 11

I want to start with something that's bothered me for a long time. If a team runs the Wildcat offense, it is called the Wildcat. Period. It's not the Wild Rebel or Wild Duck or Wild Hog or Wild Whatever. Really bugs me. It is the Wildcat no matter what your mascot is. Thank you.

Word coming out that Dan Hawkins got fired at Colorado. It is the Big XII, after all. Guess he now has time to go play intramurals, brother.

On to picks.

Standings:

Hill: 166-37 (7-11 upsets) overall, 14-5 (1-1 upsets) last week

Chesh: 154-49 (7-18 upsets) overall, 11-8 (0-3 upsets) last week

My helmet sticker is dual pick, going to another QB/WR combo, this time from Oklahoma State: Brandon Weedon (34/45, 435, 3 td's, no picks) and Justin Blackmon (13 catches, 173, td, 69 yard rushing td). Pretty big deal to have people in Stillwater saying (Zac) Robinson and (Dez) Bryant who? And Blackmon stepped up with a huge statement game after returning from suspension for a DUI. Chesh went with Andy Dalton, TCU QB (21/26, 355, 3 td's, no picks). Huge win for TCU in Salt Lake against #5 Utah, and Dalton led the way. Say what you want about Utah being overrated but it's still a road win versus a top 5 team. Oh, and it was by 40 points.

This week's picks:

#4 Boise State 54

Idaho 23

Chesh: Boise 48 Idaho 10

#24 Kansas State 28

#17 Missouri 34

Chesh: Mizzou 28 K-St 26

USC 27

#18 Arizona 30

Chesh: USC 27 AZ 25

#6 Stanford 42

Arizona State 16

Chesh: Stanford 34 ASU 17

#1 Oregon 51

Cal 20

Chesh: Oregon 54 Cal 16

Georgia 20

#2 Auburn 37

Chesh: Auburn 45 UGA 23

San Diego State 15

#3 TCU 39

Chesh: TCU 38 SDSU 10

LA-Monroe 14

#5 LSU 45

Chesh: LSU 58 LA-M 17

Indiana 21

#7 Wisconsin 35

Chesh: Wisconsin 45 IU 17

Kansas 10

#8 Nebraksa 38

Chesh: Nebraska 38 KU 7

Penn State 21

#9 Ohio State 36

Chesh:

#10 Oklahoma State 37

Texas 32

Chesh: Ok St 27 Texas 20

#19 Mississippi State 23

#12 Alabama 28

Chesh: Bama 26 Miss St 19

#13 Iowa 35

Northwestern 24

Chesh:

#14 Utah 35

Notre Dame 20

Chesh: Utah 30 ND 20

UTEP 21

#15 Arkansas 45

Chesh: Arkansas 34 UTEP 13

Texas Tech 28

#16 Oklahoma 37

Chesh: OU 31 TTech 27

#20 Virginia Tech 34

North Carolina 24

Chesh: Va Tech 41 UNC 38

#21 Nevada 41

Fresno State 27

Chesh: Fresno 37 Nevada 35

Game of the Week

#23 South Carolina 29

#22 Florida 34

Chesh: S. Car 24 Fla 20

#25 Texas A&M 30

Baylor 33*

Chesh: Baylor 28 TAMU 17

Non Top 25 Game

Clemson 28

Florida State 38

Chesh: Clemson 27 FSU 23

The NFL Network recently did a big panel to determine the top 100 players in league history. The list, not surprisingly, is debatable. As a younger guy, I never saw Johnny Unitas or Jim Brown (other than highlights all these years later) so these type of players are strictly reputation guys. I respect all the old guys that paved the way but as with all other sports most players of yesteryear (read: Wilt Chamberlain) are a bit overrated in the grand scheme of things in terms of all time greatness. The NFL Network panel's top 10, in descending order:

10.) Dick Butkus (gold standard at LB I guess, greatest name ever)

9.) Don Hutson (uhh... who?)

8.) Peyton Manning (okay)

7.) Reggie White (okay)

6.) Johnny Unitas (come on... really?)

5.) Walter Payton (eh... okay)

4.) Joe Montana (eh.... eh... maybe)

3.) Lawrence Taylor (okay)

2.) Jim Brown (okay... at least on the rep)

1.) Jerry Rice (sacrilegious I know... but I'm saying a little overrated)

As I said, debatable. Again, I respect the greats of the past. But my list is a little different. This is a list of the top 10 players ever to me, not a list of my favorite players (although there is naturally a some degree of influence there on some, but not all). My additions to top 10 in bold.

10.) Steve Young (best true dual threat QB--4,000+ yards rushing/43 td's; all-time leader in passer rating; 2 time NFL MVP, Super Bowl MVP)

9.) Reggie White (198 sacks; 1,048 tackles)

8.) Walter Payton (16,726 yards; 110 td's)

7.) Jerry Rice (great, great WR that had not one but two Hall of Fame QB's; all-time td king)

6.) Jim Brown (12,312 yards, 106 td's; only played 9 seasons)

5.) John Elway (51,475 yards, 300 td's; NFL MVP; Super Bowl MVP; best clutch QB for my money)

4.) Lawrence Taylor (132.5 sacks, most feared defender ever)

3.) Barry Sanders (15,269 yards, 99 td's; 6 time First Team All-Pro; NFL MVP; most explosive and elusive RB ever; only played 10 seasons)

2.) Peyton Manning (52,000+ yards and counting, 382 td's; 3 time NFL MVP; Super Bowl MVP; ultimate tactician; still playing)

And numero uno..... drum roll.....

1.) Ray Lewis (1,400+ tackles, 29 int's, 38.5 sacks; 2X Defensive PoY; Super Bowl MVP; still playing; ultimate football player to me in terms of size, speed, passion, ability, leadership, and production)