The Hudsucker Playoff

Everything in college football's long, illustrious history has moved towards this day, this day and a playoff. The season, and all the seasons before it, have worked like one wide establishing shot, moving through time, tightening and tightening onto this moment of selection. It has looked something like this:

LCB Picks: SEC/VA Games of the Week

Editors Note: This season, on top of the usual SEC picks, we will be picking the best games on the Virginia D-1 slate. We, as in the LCB, all spent our formative years in Virginia. So, we probably should have been doing this all along. 

Last weekend, around 22:00 EST, for the first time in my life I was joyous due to a UT win over Vandy. Over the years, the game was a mortal lock. The hiring of James Franklin appeared to have ended all of that. Vandy started turning teams over, hitting harder and playing four quarters; they finally started making teams earn a W over them. They thumped Ole Miss, Kentucky and all of their OOC opponents. But more importantly, they took Arkansas, Georgia and Florida down to the wire; inspiring many to claim that Vandy had surpassed the Volunteers. It even led Clay Travis to gather his followers, pitchfork in hand, to come for Derek Dooley's head (a man he claimed just last year would lead the Big Orange back to the promise land), so he could be replaced by Franklin.

This reasoning is clearly idiotic and the reason Tennessee got itself where it is today. The "time is now" attitude is what led UT to fire Phil Fulmer and hire Lane Kiffin. Which, of course, led UT to brash statements, back-alley dealings and even more resentment throughout the SEC. Even worse, that hire jeopardized the very future of the program. It's also why they hired Derek Dooley. Saddled with an uncertain future and a recent history of voluminous player arrests, the program needed cleansing. Derek Dooley has succeeded in that aspect in just under two seasons. They've dropped off the radar of the AP rankers, but, they too, have dropped from the Fulmer Cup standings. Now, that the tarnish is finally starting to dissolve, Clay Travis wants to fire Derek Dooley, who hasn't even finished his second season. To jump the gun and fire him now would be a bigger mistake than hiring Lane Kiffin ever was. It would set a precedent in Knoxville, one Raider and Redskins fans have become accustomed too; win today or you're out. We all know how well that mentality has treated both teams over the past decade.

Mark my words; the Vols will be back. It might not be under Dooley, but he will have a hand in their resurgence. Four years is what he deserves and what he must get. If he doesn't, the gap will continue to shrink between Nashville and Knoxville. And, for someone who is finally glad UT beat Vandy, I can't think of a worse thing. Now that I got that off of my chest, lets get to the picks.

SEC
(3) Arkansas v (1) LSU @ 2:30, Friday on CBS:
As a fan, there are two ways to look at this game. You can root for Arkansas to win, in order to create a three-way tie in the SEC West. This would, I believe, send Alabama to the SEC Championship, thanks to the weird tiebreaker rules in the SEC. This would end with the SEC possibly definitely sending three schools to BCS games, causing the ADs of non-SEC schools into a mode of jealousy driven panic and hopefully it would be the final straw to bring the playoff system we all desire. Or you can root for LSU to win, go to Atlanta, beat the Dawgs, and play Bama in the BCS title game. It all depends on how much chaos you'd like the BCS to deal with. For me, chaos reigns supreme and I'll be pulling for the upset. Arkansas 20, LSU 17.

VA
(6) Virginia Tech v (24) UVA @ 3:30 on ABC/ESPN2:
I spent Thanksgiving with my fiancee's family in Charlottesville. The main topic was, of course, this game. I asked them what they thought were the keys to the game. The answers I got were well thought out, concise and thoroughly pessimistic. The keys according to her family, who have been to every home UVA game this season, are as follows: UVA needs to shorten the field/win the field position battle, protect the ball, score on the few opportunities they will get from Tech, keep it a low scoring affair and find a way to make Logan Thomas uncomfortable. These are of course important to every team (outside of Arkansas and the low scoring aspect), every game. But these keys are even more important when it comes to this game, as UVA is clearly outmatched talent-wise (Directly attributed to the Al Groh era). If they can keep VT on the right side of the 50 and maybe even turn them over, UVA stands a shot. I hope. I'll be pulling for the upset. I'm just not sure how much faith I can put in a team that needed OT to beat Idaho and lost to Southern Miss at home. VT 24, UVA 17.

Elsewhere in the Commonwealth:
The 17th ranked Norfolk State Spartans travel the six miles to play the 9th Old Dominion Monarchs at the Spartans old stomping grounds and ODU's home field (Foreman Field). They'll bring the Legion and 1600 of their fans. The Monarchs will be hosting with 17,500 of their fans and the best mascot in all the land. It's going to be loud. It's going to be fun. It's even being referred to as the "Battle of Norfolk" and is clearly a rivalry in the making. This will be the first FCS playoff game for both teams, though it's taken NSU much longer to make it than it has the 3 y/o Monarchs. The game is sold out and should be a dandy. I'll be there, clad in blue and silver. I won't pick a winner. But I will say this, a MEAC team hasn't won a playoff game since 1999 (knock on wood).

Also, JMU (for some reason) travels to Richmond, Kentucky, to play EKU. The Dukes should roll, but they should also be hosting this game. So, who knows what'll happen? You can watch this one on ESPNU (the rest of the FCS games will be on ESPN3). Enjoy your Thanksgiving weekend, everyone.

Green Bay vs. Atlanta Preview: How to Cool a Sabretooth's Fire?

After burning through the only physical specimen in the League that is his equal, Clay Matthews tossed his mane and snarled, "See you later, bub," the carcass of Michael Vick resting under his cleats, with its claws not even extended--the battle was more one-sided than one would expect. Clay unleashed his savagery without regret, without restraint, and Michael played like a domesticated animal asking when to sit and when to roll over. Now, the Sabretooth prepares to hunt inside a dome, that in the Atlanta skyline resembles an ice cube staring blankly into the sun. The temperature never rises and never dips; its set to the cool beat of Matty Ice's heart: it does not falter. Perhaps the best way to slow a creature shaped by fiery furnace and heated hammer is with a flurry of play action passes and a Beast of a runningback, Michael Turner. Perhaps the only way to stop a fire is to freeze it.



Then again, what good will snow drifts and blizzards do when the anger of one's adversary was born out of the Ice Age? Could it be that the football fury that is Clay Matthews was born solely to make quarterbacks like Matt Ryan feel what it's like to shiver, to quake, to fail, to know the coldness of their flesh and veins?


The game may be indoors, but it is still a battle of elements. It is still a game of violence. And it is still about survival on a cold, desolate plain.

LCB NFL Picks: Conference Championships

New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts @ 3:00 on CBS:
As you know, I have been watching Cold Pizza. Throughout the week there was a good amount of the analysts jumping on the Jets bandwagon, claiming their running game and blitz heavy defense will be the deciding factor against the Colts. They added to their argument using flawed reasons to pick the Jets. Since these analysts were being countered by Skip Bayless, they won the discussion. So instead of criticizing Skip, I'll just tell you how I would have reacted to these comments.

The Jets had the Colts on the ropes when Indy pulled out their starters, they were only down by 5 and surging.

• Sure that game was pretty even. But throughout the season the Colts put away their opponents in the fourth quarter. They also replaced one of the best clock managers in the game with Curtis Painter. If the Jets really think there isn't that big of a difference between Painter and Peyton, they are as delusional as Skip. 

The Colts time and time again fail to play their best in the playoffs.

• While the past failures have been many, they did win a Super Bowl not that long ago and the 2009-2010 Colts have yet to lose a game where their starters play the entire game. 

Revis will shut-down Peyton's safety net, Reggie Wayne.

• Along with Charles Woodson and Nnamdi Asomugha, Revis is one of the top three corners in the game. But when has Peyton ever locked into a receiver? Not to mention that Indy is loaded with receiving threats (Dallas Clark, Austin Collie,  Pierre Garcon, and Donald Brown), making it that much easier for him to spread the ball around.

 The Jets are coming off a game where they beat the hottest team in football, one that mirrors the Colts; good passing game, no running game, and an average defense with above-average pass rushers.

• The Jets won the game, there is no denying that. But if Kaeding makes his kicks, we have a different team playing the Colts. The same could be said with the Bengals. With Matt Stover kicking inside the dome, I wouldn't count on the Jets being able to rely on missed field-goals to win the game. Also aren't the Jets made from the same mold as the Ravens; no passing game, blitz heavy defense, and great running game. And didn't the Ravens only score 3 points against the Colts?

Now I'm not saying the Colts are definitely going to win. After all, this is the NFL playoffs and weird things happen. But when weighing the two QB choices, it becomes clear that I'm taking the Colts. Indy 21, Jets 10.

Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints @ 6:40 on FOX:
Thanks to Teach, you already know that Prince used the Black National Anthem "Lift Every Voice" to make his abortion of a fight song. But he's not the only one using his musical skills to try and vault his team to victory, The Neville Brothers and dozens of lesser known musicians from the two fair cities have created their own dedications. Thankfully both of the local paps did the leg work by gathering all of these fight songs and arranged them in playlists for us to peruse. The different musical stylings cover various genres including hip-hop, metal, polka, jazz and country.

Now, if we were judging this game solely on these songs, the city of New Orleans would surely win. Thankfully they have to settle it on the field, where each team has a slight upper hand over the other; the Saints on offense, the Vikings on defense. But with Robert Meachem on the mend and most of the Vikings front seven battling injuries the two teams seem to be on equal footing, making this a great match-up and an even tougher game to pick. So I'll take the Saints, since the Superdome is one of the few NFL stadiums where home-field advantage actually has an effect. New Orleans 42, Minnesota 38.

LCB NFL Picks: Divisional Round

Saturday Games
Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints @ 4:30 on FOX:
Let me pose a hypothetical situation for you:
The year is 1996 and you're at a ski lodge with family enjoying the three day weekend. You are a big football fan and pretty pissed you have to spend time with your family instead of watching football. But since you have to go, you decide that you will make the most of it, while also deciding to move from the bunny slopes to the blue square runs. For most of the day you are doing pretty well, that is, until your big brother/sister decides to ruin your day by cutting you off. You manage to change direction in time to avoid a collision with your sibling. But what you don't realize, is that there is now a tree right in front of you and you hit it head on. Your immediately knocked out and somehow you have slipped into a coma. The Doctors and your parents can't come to a conclusion on what to do, so your left on life support for years and years. All of a sudden you wake up, and it's 2010 and the first thing you see is this game on one of the hospital televisions. What aspect of this situation is harder for you to grasp? That you have been in a coma for 14 years or that these two teams are this close to the Super Bowl? Saints 35, Cardinals 28.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts @ 8:15 on CBS:
I was watching Cold Pizza yesterday (I know, I don't know why I do it to myself either.) when they posed one of the dumbest questions I have ever heard on ESPN. And for a company that employs both Colin Cowherd and Skip Bayless, that's saying a lot.

The question: "Is Peyton Manning cursed in the playoffs?" In all honesty, that was the question. They later expanded on it, showing the Colts failures when receiving home-field advantage (0-3). But what they are overlooking is he and the Colts won a (pardonnez-mois s'il vous plait) fucking Super Bowl. And no matter how many scenarios a team has failed in, if they have won a championship, they are not cursed. If they lose this game, it won't be because they are cursed. It will be because they weren't the best team on the field. Baltimore 18, Indianapolis 28.

Sunday Games
Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings @ 1:00 on FOX:
The Vikings were dominant for the better part of the season, but struggled for much of the last four games. The Cowboys have been rolling and looked unstoppable last weekend. The blowout over the Giants obviously pumped up the Vikings and it'd be hard for the Cowboys not to be excited over their play. But should they be? The only game the Vikings looked good late in the season was against the Giants, and by week eleven they had already given up on their season. In the last five games the Cowboys are 4-1, having lost to the Chargers and beaten the Saints, Redskins, and the Eagles twice. But in all of their wins, how many of those teams were playing at the top of their game? The Saints packed it in the minute they clinched home-field advantage. The Redskins couldn't manage to play hard for an entire game all season long. And the Eagles offense left sometime around week twelve. So which team with false bravado wins? I'll take the team with Purple Jesus. Minnesota 35, Dallas 28.

New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers @ 4:40 on CBS:
I really have no feelings on this game either way. So here's that LT "Electric Glide" video everyone has been talking about:

Since this is the best thing involving either team, I'll take the Chargers beating the Jets 21-14.

LCB NFL Power Rankings: Week 17

Here are this weeks power rankings along with the playoff scenarios attached to the teams still vying for playoff spots.

1: (4) Titans 13-2-0; Clinched the top spot and homefield advantage with win over Steelers in Week Sixteen.

2: (5) Giants 12-3-0; Locked up the number one seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs with their week 16 win over the Carolina Panthers.

3: (3) Colts 11-4-0; Have clinched the top Wild Card spot by finishing second in the AFC South

4: (1) Steelers 11-4-0; Have won the AFC North and have secured the 2nd seed, as well as a first round bye.

5: (2) Panthers 11-4-0; have locked up a playoff spot, but need a win over the Saints or a Falcons loss to secure the division championship and the 2nd seed. If they lose and the Falcons beat the Rams, they will end up with the 5th seed and no first round bye.

6: (6) Ravens 10-5-0; Can clinch the 6th seed only, they can do that with a win over the Jaguars in Week 17. They can also get in with a loss as long as the Dolphins beat the Jets, and the Bills beat the Patriots.

7: (8) Patriots 10-5-0; Can win the AFC East, and the 3rd seed, with a win over the Bills and a Jets win over Miami. They can also lock up the 6th seed with a Dolphins win, and a Ravens loss to the Jags.

8: (9) Falcons 10-5-0; Have secured a playoff spot winning against Minnesota last weekend. With a win against St. Louis, and a Panthers loss in New Orleans, the Falcons will get the 2nd seed and a first round bye. If the Philly beats Dallas, they will end up with the 5th seed, if Dallas wins they will wind up with the 6th spot.

9: (12) Dolphins 10-5-0; Can win the AFC East with a win over the Jets and will have the 3rd seed. Lose and they're out.

10: (7) Buccaneers 9-6-0; Needs to win at Oakland, and needs losses from both Chicago and Dallas and can only clinch the sixth seed.

11: (10) Cowboys 9-6-0; Win and they're in. With an Atlanta loss against the Rams, and a win, they're the 5th seed. If not they're in at the 6th spot.

12: (11) Jets 9-6-0; Can win the AFC East and the 3rd spot, with a win against the Dolphins and a Patriots loss to the Bills. Can secure the 6th seed with a win against the Dolphins, a Patriots win, and a Ravens loss.

13: (13) Vikings 9-6-0; Can clinch the Norris with a win against the Giants or a Bears loss, and have no chance at the wild card. With the Giants fate sealed and matching up much better with the Vikings than they do against the Bears, it will be interesting to see how hard the Giants play in week 17.

14: (16) Bears 9-6-0; Can still win the NFC North with a win and a Minnesota loss. Can also obtain the 6th seed with a win, a Vikings win, and losses from Dallas, Atlanta and Tampa Bay.

15: (14) Eagles 8-6-1; Need to beat Dallas, have Tampa Bay lose to Oakland, and have Chicago lose. Can also clinch if Chicago wins their last game and they beat Dallas.

16: (15) Cardinals 8-7-0; Have locked up the 4th seed by winning the NFC West, and have no shot at moving up or down.

17: (19) Redskins 8-7-0
18: (20) Saints 8-7-0
19: (17) Broncos 8-7-0; Win and they are the AFC West champs, lose and they can make their vacation plans.
20: (21) Chargers 7-8-0; Same scenario as the Broncos, win and in.
21: (18) Texans 7-8-0
22: (22) Bills 7-8-0
23: (24) 49ers 6-9-0
24: (23) Packers 5-10-0
25: (26) Jaguars 5-10-0
26: (28) Raiders 4-11-0
27: (27) Seahawks 4-11-0
28: (25) Browns 4-11-0
29: (29) Bengals 3-11-1
30: (30) Rams 2-13-0
31: (31) Chiefs 2-13-0
32: (32) Lions 0-15-0

The oddity that is the Oakland Raiders

When people ask me "What is it like to be a Raider fan?" or "How can you like a team with such a badly run front office?'" I explain to them the how and why I became a Raider fan and then tell them what its like now. Which usually sounds something like this "Its quite simple in fact, I was born in L.A. and hated the Rams. I could best compare being in the Raider Nation to being a citizen of Fantastica (or Fantasia) as the force of Nothing is busy destroying our once proud and wonderful little World. "

This has been by far the worst year to be a citizen of the Nation, as every week seems to have brought on a weirder event. There was the beatdown Javon Walker received in Vegas. the fight between John Herrera and Tim Kawakami , the firing of Kiffin, the Al Davis press conference , and finally the release of DeAngelo Hall,.Quite a strange and tough year indeed, and thats not including all the losses.

The Raiders run of bizarre events have slowed for the mean time, but I think we all know its just a matter of time before they resurface. However the most curious thing is that the Raiders still have a shot at the division crown. Sure the chances are low, but the thought that this team could be in the playoffs is priceless.

At this point your probably saying to yourself "how could a team like this possibly make the playoffs", well let me map out the Raiders long road to the playoffs:

• First of all with the win against Denver and San Diego's loss to Indy it put them a game behind the Chargers. If the Chargers were to lose to Atlanta this weekend and the Raiders beat the Chiefs, the Raiders and Chargers would head into their week 14 match-up with matching records of 4-8. If the Raiders found a way to win that game they would be at 5-8.

• Now the Broncos at 6-5, have games against the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs. With losses against both clubs (they already gave KC, their lone victory this year) the Broncos would be only one game ahead of the Raiders at 6-7.
  
  
• The Broncos last three weeks include games at the Panthers, home against the Bills, and at the Chargers. While the Raiders have games against the Patriots, Texans, and at Tampa Bay. If somehow the Raiders have a better record then the Broncos through the last 5 games, they could force a tiebreaker or win the division outright.

In a nutshell, all the Raiders need to do is start winning all their games and for the Broncos to fold like a deck of cards. Its possible but not probable. I think its funny that there is even a remote possibility that a 3-8 team could have a shot at the playoffs.

As I stated on Monday I have no idea whats in store for the future, but I would like to add that D-Mac is our bastion of hope and I expect him to be our Moon Child .

2008 MLB Playoffs

Yeah, it may be a couple months away but you know TBS, ESPN, and Fox are about to start their postseason campaigns. Well thanks to Big League Stew we have this seasons advertisement, and thankfully with no Dane Cook. And as Mr. Mottram of BLS put it "Try enjoying it this first time around, because you're about to see it on an endless loop over the next three months or so."

The commerical after the jump




That sucked, but its much better than last years. Much more believable and reined in excitement from that dude in "Old School"