Bringing the Punch
Weeks without football are like a barren wasteland
A Weekly Review of Football by Alex Davis
College Football:
There has been a great deal of debate recently among those who follow college football about the BCS. For those of you who are not familiar with it, The BCS (Bowl Championship Series) is the system by which the NCAA decides which teams will play in the major bowl games at the conclusion of the regular season. The system uses human polls (both the AP and the Coach's Poll) and several sets of computer rankings to determine how teams should be ranked 1-25. The teams ranked one and two by the BCS at the end of the season go on to play in the national championship game. This system strives to objectively identify the two "best" teams and pit them against each other to crown a national champion.
Vince Young cruises into endzone
Some years it works out very well as in 2005 when undefeated Texas ranked #2 played undefeated USC ranked #1. However, in narrowing the field to only two candidates, often other deserving teams are left out in the cold. Oftentimes there are not two undefeated major conference teams, and that is where the BCS starts to fall apart. Two years ago however, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Alabama all had one loss and Utah was undefeated, but Oklahoma and Florida ended up playing in the Championship Game. This matchup was decided on even though Texas had beaten Oklahoma earlier in the year. Another instance of teams being left out happened last year when undefeated Boise State and TCU were put into the Fiesta Bowl instead of having a chance at the National Title. It is in times like these, that some sort of playoff would be beneficial. There are several different playoff scenarios that have been suggested from a Plus-one game (all bowl games are played and then another is played between the two top teams) to a 16 team bracket. I would favor either a 4-team or an 8-team bracket using the BCS standings to seed the teams. Regardless of which system is chosen however it is clear that the current system is unfair. Who gets to play in the championship games should be decided by actual football games, not subjective rankings.
Did you know TCU's Mascot is the Horned Frog?
College games to watch this weekend:
#6 Wisconsin @ Michigan 12:00 Eastern
This game features two of the nation's best offenses, and one of the most suspect defenses (Michigan). Look for a shootout, with the Badgers coming out on top by a couple scores.
#8 Ohio State @ #21 Iowa 3:30 Eastern
This game should be a defensive struggle, and has Rose Bowl implications. The Buckeyes should come out on top with a great defensive effort and a couple of big plays from Terrelle Pryor.
#7 Stanford @ California. 3:30 Eastern
California took #1 Oregon down to the wire last week in a 15-13 loss. Stanford comes in with one of the most balanced offenses in the country and the projected #1 overall draft pick in Jr. QB Andrew Luck. Stanford needs to win to stay in the hunt for its first Rose Bowl since 2000.
NFL:
In a season of exceptional parity with no clear Super Bowl favorites, two teams distinguished themselves this weekend above all others. The Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots both defeated very good teams in primetime games, showing that they have what it takes to go on deep playoff runs.
The Atlanta Falcons moved the ball very well against the vaunted Ravens defense, QB Matt Ryan was especially effective completing 32/49 passes for 316 yds and 3 TD including the game winner to Roddy White with 45 secs left to cap an 80 yd drive. This is all the more impressive considering the Falcons running game was bottled up all night (leading rusher Michael Turner had 17 carries for only 39 yds). The Falcons at 7-2 control their own destiny in their division and if they continue to play like they did Thursday night should be able to lock down the NFC #1 seed and secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The Patriots were coming off an ugly loss at the hands of the Browns last week in which RB Peyton Hillis ran wild on them. This week however their defense stepped up and held Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall to 50 yds rushing. The offense also exploded for a huge night with QB Tom Brady leading the way with 350 passing yds and 4 TD's against the previously formidable Steelers D. It says a lot about the character of this team that they came back so strong after the debacle the previous week at Cleveland. The AFC playoff picture is still up in the air, but this week the Patriots asserted themselves as prime contenders.
Players of the week.
MVP: Michael Vick, QB Philadelphia Eagles. Accounting for 6 TDs (4 passing 2 Rushing) and 413 total yards (333 yds on 20/28 passing and 80 yds rushing on attempts) with no turnovers even against a bad defense like the Redskins (32nd in yards allowed) will get you MVP for the week anytime.
Offensive: The New England Patriots O-line LT Matt Light LG Logan Mankins C Dan Koppen RG Quinn Ojinaka and RT Sebastian Volmer. The Pats big guys did not allow a single sack of QB Tom Brady giving him plenty of time to carve up the previously ferocious Steelers defense. They also paved the way for over 100 yds rushing as a team. This feat is especially impressive considering the Pittsburgh D ranks in the top 10 in the league. Tom Brady will get most of the credit for this game but he couldn't have done it without a superlative performance from the front 5.
Defensive: John Abraham DE Atlanta Falcons. Abraham abused Baltimore LT Michael Oher all night picking up 2 sacks and getting in QB Joe Flacco's face on a regular basis. His impressive play helped the Falcons earn a crucial win against a very good Ravens team in a game many experts were touting as a Super Bowl preview. If the Falcons do end up going on a Super Bowl John Abraham will be one of the main reasons for their success. His consistent pressure (8.0 sacks so far) on the opposing teams QB masks a secondary that outside of CB Dunta Robinson is very suspect (23rd against the pass).
Special Teams: Devin Hester Returner Chicago Bears. Hester had two big returns a 68yd kickoff and a 42 yd punt return which helped to set up the bears offense in great field position. His efforts were a huge part of the Bears 27-13 triumph over the division rival Minnesota Vikings.
High School --- A Steve Note
Lewistown will meet Lena-Winslow in a 1A semi-final game at Lewistown on Saturday at 2 PM Lewistown is the only Prairieland Conference team left in playoffs.
Dee-Mack will meet Sterling Newman at Mackinaw at 2 PM in a 2A semi-final.
Illini West will host Mt. Carmel at Carthage at 1 PM in a 3A semi-final.
Metamora travels to Richmond in 4A game at 6 PM
Rock Island Alleman hosts Sandwich at Augustana College in 4A at 2 PM
Peoria Richwoods travels to Chatham to play Glenwood in 5A at 1 PM
No local teams in 6A, 7A, or 8A