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November 30, 2006

Monson Resigns from Clemson

Apparently losing to Clemson by more than 20 is tough on a coach. However, it appears Dan Monson was less phased by the loss, than by the threat of a loss of money.

This story developed soon after I posted the ACC/Big Ten Challenge piece. Literally five minutes later, Monson was reported to be let go from his job, by his own choosing.

According to reports from ESPN's Andy Katz, Monson was given the choice earlier in the week whether to be fired or walk away. Walking away was guaranteed by the athletic director to give him more money.

And it did. Monson will be paid a little over a million dollars to leave, and will continue to receive his salary through March.

Monson took over at Minnesota after leading Gonzaga into the spotlight. I didn't think this was a good move when he did it. Minnesota was mired in controversy after Clem Haskins left. There were academic scandals, and I am sure there was more we never heard about. Monson had no chance, other than to make the program clean again. He did that, but couldn't get the Big Ten wins which would have saved his job.

Minnesota went from being a big name in the Big Ten to being an easy win under Monson. I think it will be some time before we see his name again in a big time coaching job.

He will be replaced by assistant coach Jim Molinari on an interim basis.

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2006 MAC Championship Game Preview

Thursday night, the MAC championship will take place in Detroit. However, it doesn’t have the same air to it that it once did.

In the past, the two participating teams were the only teams from the conference who would earn bowl bids. This game would decide where those would be, with the winner returning to Detroit for the Motor City Bowl, and the loser headed south for the GMAC bowl.

This year, both participants, Central Michigan and Ohio, have already accepted their bids, to the two bowls already mentioned, and two other MAC programs are also on their way to sunny destinations like San Diego, and … Toronto?

Well, at least San Diego is sunny. Toronto might be under a foot of snow by the time that Western Michigan heads there to play a yet unnamed opponent.

This game used to feature junior and senior quarterbacks, who were going on to play in the NFL when they graduated. This was their highlight film. Forget what happened at the combine – The MAC championship game was where their placement in the draft was going to be settled. Current NFL quarterbacks that have come through this game include Chad Pennington, Byron Leftwich, Ben Roethlisberger, and Bruce Gradkowski.

This year, no such show will be put on for the scouts. Central Michigan features a young freshman quarterback, and Ohio is lead by a strong running attack.

So, yes, Thursday night will have a different flavor than we are used to in the MAC championship game.

Back on October 10th, I would never have guessed that Central Michigan would have been playing for the MAC title. They were 3-0 in conference, but that made their record 3-3 overall, and their losses were brutal, against Michigan, Boston College, and Kentucky.

Still, quarterback Dan LeFevour put a huge performance on Toledo the weekend before, and he was my Heisman-like performer in Week 6. LeFevour continued that performance through the rest of the year, earning MAC freshman of the year honors by totaling 2555 yards and 22 touchdowns to only nine interceptions. Central Michigan lost only one more game along the way to taking the West Championship.

Ohio had a similar trip to the East title. They started the year shocking Garrett Wolfe and Northern Illinois. That week was quarterback Austen Everson’s best game of the year, throwing for 322 yards, three touchdowns, and also winning the Heisman-like performance in Week 2. Ohio stumbled through three straight losses including one to Bowling Green (they of the only team to lose to Temple). They righted the ship and didn’t lose a game the rest of the way, getting to a 9-3 record and the East title.

If you want to talk in clichés, this game is likely to come down to how well the defenses can stop the strengths of the opposing offenses.

Ohio puts a strong defensive backfield to work against Central Michigan’s passing attack. The Bobcats only give up 164 yards a game through the air, which is a very small number considering they play in the pass happy MAC conference. Both TJ Wright and Mark Parson have sixteen passes defended this year, a school record. The team also has 11 interceptions to their credit. They will have their hands full with covering leading Central Michigan receiver Bryan Anderson, who has 61 receptions this season. Anderson, like LeFevour is only a freshman, so this tandem could be making multiple appearances in the MAC championship over the next few seasons.

In addition to the cornerbacks, look for lineman Jameson Hartke to put pressure on LeFevour all game. Hartke leads the Bobcats with 5.5 sacks on the season.

For Central Michigan, it will come down to them stopping the rushing attack of Kalvin McRae, the reigning offensive player of the week in the MAC. McRae is the leading rusher for Ohio, with 1139 yards, and the leading receiver with 27 catches on the year. Only a junior, McRae will likely becoming the all time leading rusher at Ohio next season.

Leading the Chippewa defense will be linebacker Red Keith, who was a pre-season all conference selection for Central Michigan. He led the team with 109 tackles this season and will be a big part of containing the run.

And don’t forget all All-American candidate Daniel Bazuin. Bazuin was on the watch list for numerous defensive awards this season, and is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the MAC conference. He is widely considered one of the top defensive ends in the country and a likely NFL draft choice.

Bazuin is the career record holder at Central Michigan for sacks and tackles for loss. His sack record includes 11.5 sacks this year and he has also forced four fumbles. In other words, watch out if #93 is bearing down on you.

I’d like to say that I think Ohio has a chance against Central Michigan, but the fact is, I can’t. I think that there is too much talent on the Chippewa defense and that Ohio will struggle all game long to try and move the ball.

Plus, while having a great passing defense is great for Ohio against the young quarterback and receivers, it only takes a couple of breakdowns for big plays to throw the advantage squarely in favor of Central Michigan. If the Chippewas get out to a big lead, it will also be difficult for Ohio to come back with their run based offense.

Look for this one to be a good game, but decidedly in favor of Central Michigan, 27-14.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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ACC/Big Ten Challenge Recap

For those living under a rock the last three days, life didn't change very much. T.O. is still being T.O., nobody wants the Alabama head coaching job, and the ACC is still ahead of the Big 10.

This year the last one was 8 to 3, which is tied for the the largest margin of victory for the Dick Vitale Love Conference with the 2003 and 2004 contests which finished 7-2.

In case you missed it, the games were a lot closer than the final tally would indicate, with only two being decided by 10 or more points. Other than those, all of the games were still a contest going down to the final minutes.

Here is a quick recap of the action for those who instead watched America's Top Model.

Monday
North Carolina State 74 - Michigan 67 Tommy Amaker continues the poor results for coaches who started under Coach K. Does it seem weird to anyone else that such a great coach has such a problem teaching others how to coach? Advice to Johnny Dawkins: Stay in Durham. Michigan blew an early lead and couldn't climb back into this one which NC State led by 21 in the second half. New Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe might not have been the first choice to replace Herb Sendek, but he is looking like the right one now.

Tuesday
Maryland 72 - Illinois 66 Maryland is quietly becoming the team that secretly no one wants to face. They went into Assembly Hall and beat Illinois at home, something that never happens. Was it just me, or was one of the Orange Crush wearing a #10 Netherlands soccer jersey? That could explain the result right there. The Terps didn't have Ikene Ibekwe, and got big games from Greivis Vasquez and Mike Jones instead. If you are keeping score, that is 2-0 ACC

Wisconsin 81 - Florida State 66 Kammron Taylor (Chris Rock look alike) and Alando Tucker led the Badgers easily over Florida State. Tucker even played most of the game with a swollen eye which was poked so hard he bled. Florida State is still a very good team, but Wisconsin is that much better. Don't let that loss to Missouri State make you think otherwise (If they lose at home to North Dakota State again, you can think otherwise).

Georgia Tech 77 - Penn State 73 Penn State is a trendy pick for the top tier in the Big Ten, and hanging with a ranked ACC team should do wonders for their confidence heading into conference season. Of course their coach refused to call this a moral victory. Georgia Tech, whose only loss is to UCLA, opens their conference season against Miami on Sunday. That game should not be a problem for the Jackets because...

Northwestern 61 - Miami 59 The Hurricanes lost to Northwestern. Northwestern?! If the Big Ten thought they were going to get a win on Thursday night, they certainly didn't expect Northwestern's name to be next to it. The Wildcats' Craig Moore scored 24 points, including knocking down seven three point shots.

Duke 54 - Indiana 51 Very tough game for Indiana to lose. Duke did not play their best, struggling in ways that will not work when they start to face ACC opponents. They shot less than 30% after half time and only 32% for the game. However, their defense was tough enough to hold off the Hoosiers. My new favorite Indiana player is Errek Suhr, who looked like a midget on the floor (5-9, 156 *ding*) but definitely gave his all on every possession down the stretch.

Current Tally: 4-2

Wednesday
Boston College 65 - Michigan State 58 Michigan State never challenged in this game, and it might be my television, but it looks to me like Tom Izzo is getting more grey by the minute. Every since those rumors of him taking over the football team, I think he started transforming into John L. Smith (When will the slap come? Bets?). Jared Dudley had 30 points for BC, and Sean Williams added 5 blocks. On a side note, I don't think I have ever seen goal tending called as many times as it was in this game. It had to be 4 or 5 at least.

Purdue 61 - Virginia 59 Similar to Northwestern, I don't think the Big Ten thought the Boilermakers would be their only winning team on Wednesday. Tarrance Crump hit a nice little teardrop shot with a second remaining to give Purdue the lead in what had been a back and forth game. Virginia player JR Reynolds stepped out of bounds while taking the desperation shot to try for the win, giving the Big Ten their final win in the contest.

Virginia Tech 69 - Iowa 65 Adam Haluska had 5 threes and 24 points, but Virginia Tech was just better on Wednesday night. The Hokies had a big run at the end of the first half which continued into the second, building a 15 point lead. After that, it was academic. Hold on and hope that the Hawkeyes don't get too hot from beyond the arc. Zabian Dowdell was the leading scorer for the Hokies with 18.

Clemson 90 - Minnesota 68 Is there any more happy person in the world than Gonzaga coach Mark Few? He got the job when Dan Monson left to take over the troubled Minnesota program. I think looking back Monson might have been better served by staying in Spokane. The Tigers hit 12 three point shots in the romp which was all but over at halftime.

North Carolina 98 - Ohio State 89 This game was why this series was created. Oh how thoughtful ESPN was 8 years ago. Ohio State was without Greg Oden, but I don't know if it would have mattered. (I think I was still hearing Dick Vitale in my sleep last night, "This guy will be awesome. As good as Mourning, as good as Ewing. Yeah, Baby!") North Carolina has taken a page out of the Phoenix Suns playbook and look to run the floor non-stop and get 100 possessions a game. 100 per game! The Buckeyes managed to stay with them pretty well, but over the course of 40 minutes, unless you totally control the game tempo, it is going to be tough to win. Ron Lewis scored 30 for Ohio State, but North Carolina got four players into double digits to take it.

So there you have it, 8-3, with the three coming from some unlikely places. I personally can't wait until next year.

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November 29, 2006

My "AP" Ballot - Week 13

I am still not sold on USC, even after their win over Notre Dame. They have too many "close ones" and while they blew out the Irish, that is not enough for me to have them in the Top 5.

I do, however, wish to thank LSU, who have finally proven that my faith in the Tigers all season has been justified. They knocked off what is still a very good Arkansas team, and so, remain in my Top 5 overall, even if they could be on the outside looking in come BCS time. I still like them for an at-large pick, especially with all the talent they have on the field, but that is up to others at this point, and not me.

Other than Arkansas falling from the Top 5, there were no big movers this week, but feel free to question my placement of USC at #7.

Here are my "AP" rankings for Week 13:

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. LSU
5. Louisville

6. Wisconsin
7. USC
8. Arkansas
9. Oklahoma
10. Texas
11. West Virginia


12. Notre Dame


13. Auburn


14. Boise State


15. Rutgers
16. Tennessee


17. Cal


18. Nebraska


19. Georgia Tech


20. BYU
21. Virginia Tech


22. Hawaii


23. Wake Forest


24. Houston


25. Texas A&M

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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5 Things - 11/29/06

Last night was the slighty delayed real start of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. After North Carolina State came back on Michigan, and then held them off on Monday night, the real action got started. A lot of close games later and one slight blow out, and the ACC has a 4-2 lead in the contest, meaning they are well on their way to their 8th win in the series.

At the Indiana-Duke game last night, some creative Blue Devil fans painted their stomachs with "ACC>Big 10". Creative, though not as daring as when you are outside doing the same thing in 30 degree weather at a football game. Still in honor of the Duke students, we celebrate today's 5 things with a look at inequalities:

1. #1: ACC>Big 10, but only slightly - I thought I would start with the one that everyone will be thinking of. There are still 5 games to play, but you could almost make the case that the ACC is favored in all of them. And even if they aren't, the close games are all on the ACC home court, which should make things better for them. The margin between the conferences is closing. When this contest first started, there was no challenge for the ACC. Now, other than Wisconsin taking out Florida State by 15, every other game was less than a 10 point victory. The sum total of the scores gives a +3 point advantage to the ACC. That is down from a +21 margin in the first year. Tonight's games should be just as exciting as last night, and I look forward to the Ohio State - UNC game as the capper.
2. #2: Auburn > Nicholls State - Going into last night's games, Nicholls State was the worst team in the MRI. Auburn, though, needed overtime to squeak out a five point win. This doesn't say much for Auburn's chances of finishing in the top half of the SEC this season.
3. #3: Florida >> Southern - I don't think it was too much of a surprise that Florida won its game against Southern University. What was shocking was the score: 83-27! Southern was able to get double digits in both halves but this was a rout that we normally only see in women's basketball. The Gators put up 83 without Corey Brewer who is out indefinitely with mono. I had mono last year. It isn't fun. It could be a while before we see him again at top form. Just how bad was it for Southern? The leading scorer on the Gators was Marreese Speights, with 12 points. Speights is usually lucky to see the court for double digit minutes and yet turned in a double double against the Jaguars, who are now 0-6.
4. #4: UMass > Savannah State - Massachusetts is not what it was when John Calipari was the coach there. And there will never be a greater post game show than when they played Temple and John Chaney came barging in after Calipari. However, they had no trouble with lowly Savannah State on Tuesday. Savannah State pumped up their record by playing a number of non-D-I teams to start the season. They even got two wins against D-I teams. Things however are reverting back to form for the Tigers. They have dropped four straight including last night, and are headed back down the MRI towards the bottom ranks. The good news for them at this point? They still have a positive MRI score.
5. #5: Furman > Vanderbilt?? - Trust me, I didn't believe it either. But prior to last night's games, I was entering the MRI's picks on FanIQ, and that is what I saw. Furman was going to beat Vandy according to the bucket of chips in front of me. It was only a 51.48% chance, but it was better than half. And Furman did just that, beating Vanderbilt in Vandy. Honestly, this is the only one of five games in that 50-50 range that the computer has gotten correct over the first two days of tracking performance. However, that was sure one to get right. And obviously, at 50-50, that was not the biggest upset of the year in the computer's eyes. That belongs to Md.-Eastern Shore, who defeated Stony Brook at Stony Brook last night, 64-58. The computer is off to a 73.42% start this season, which is better than its lifetime average of 72%

That's it for 5 Things. If you have any tips from the day of basketball, be sure to send them on.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 28, 2006

My Token Nice Column about Notre Dame

Let's be honest. Anyone who knows me knows I have no love for Notre Dame. They are (these days) consistently overrated. Their fans are (often, not always) overly enthusiastic. Expectations of a National Championship are (most often) over reaching.

I think Pete Fiutak at Fox Sports put it best:

"This just in to anyone paying attention: Notre Dame was overrated to start the season, it's overrated going into the BCS, it was overrated last year. This is a team that got by over the last two seasons on a near-miss in a classic loss to USC. In other words, it's Cal.

Michigan whacked the Irish 47-21 in South Bend. Fine, so the Irish beat Georgia Tech, who'll probably win the ACC title, but the next best win this year was against, um, uh, Navy? UCLA? Remember that it took a miracle meltdown to beat the Bruins as well as Michigan State. This team has no secondary, no pass protection, and got by on bombing away and hoping for the best. "

Ok, so, while I am not a big Notre Dame fan, there is something I am going to say that may shock you.

Notre Dame deserves to play in a BCS bowl game.

There, I said it. If you read a few days ago, you know I have them still projected to the Rose Bowl, although others are now saying that Saturday's loss was too great to still get there. They are thinking the Irish might be passed over for LSU or Louisville and slip to the Sugar Bowl. Either way, they will be going.

Here are five reasons why Notre Dame deserves to go.

#1, I went to a game at Notre Dame this season and they put on a great show. The atmosphere on campus is something to see, from the band playing and marching to the stadium, to the throngs of people that come out. I would say they rival any SEC school for atmosphere around their team (though I still think that going to any football game in the South, SEC or southern based ACC teams, wins out because football is such a part of the total culture there). That spirit travels with Notre Dame where ever they go. That is a big consideration when it comes to the BCS or any bowl, and therefore, Notre Dame should get the benefit of the doubt when being selected to a bowl game that some people think they may not have earned, even if that bowl is the Gator Bowl.

#2, It might be unwarranted in the eyes of other teams' fans, but let's be honest. Notre Dame did what it had to in order to be eligible for the BCS games. Remember, this is the first year that the requirements are more stringent for Notre Dame. Previously, they would have been automatically in at this point (I think). This year, they aren't. They are only on the list of teams that can be considered. They got the votes in the human polls that they needed, and the computers gave them enough support through SOS (Strength of Schedule) and their record to make it to the top 10. They met the requirements, period.

#3, For those who say "SOS?! They have no SOS! They played Army, Navy, and Air Force!" Actually, Navy and Air Force probably helped the SOS of the Irish. And Army is still better than dropping down to I-AA to face schools that won less than 10% of the games that they played against the upper division. It is tough to find too many teams that didn't take that almost automatic win.

Schedules are in place years in advance in most cases. Outside of the military academies, ND could do nothing about the performance of North Carolina, the collapse of Michigan State, or the struggles of Stanford. Even with playing middle of the pack Big Ten teams, they are still scheduling better than playing numerous MAC or Sun Belt teams. The only thing they miss by not being in a conference is having guaranteed difficult games on their schedule. They usually still accomplish this through playing Michigan and USC.

Scheduling for the Irish doesn't get "easier" either moving forward. Next season, Boston College replaces Army, although Duke replaces North Carolina. I think that is a net "harder". They play on the road at Penn State, Michigan, and UCLA, which should make some of their tough games even tougher. So, while I will say that on paper, the schedule looks easy, look at everyone else's schedule in comparison before you make the judgement that the Irish don't play one of the ten toughest schedules in the nation.

#4, Money. If they are eligible, they are going to get picked. And they will always get the benefit of the doubt because of their name, and the guaranteed money that comes with it. No school in the country has a bigger draw. That is why every Notre Dame game is televised somewhere. So getting them to come to your bowl is a great thing. No one is going to give that up. That is why ND is the #2 choice for the Rose Bowl in my mind after Michigan (Or SC if there is a huge shake-up).

#5, Without the BCS, Notre Dame would still be going to one of the BCS bowls. Think about it. They would be headed down to play in at least the Orange Bowl no matter what. They are a bigger name than any team out of the Big East, and they would bring the fans and money (See #1 and #4). I can't see the Orange Bowl passing them up for another team if the world was like it was in years prior to the BCS. Notre Dame is a college football institution, and like it or not, like Michigan, like USC, like Penn State, they will always get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to their selection.

Now, those of you who seem to think that I have an unwarranted grudge against the Irish, or that my computer somehow contains an "Irish factor", can rest easy. I am on your side on this one. Of course, I still don't think that Notre Dame will win the BCS bowl. They did, however, earn their shot.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 27, 2006

Coaching Carousel On High

With most teams finally finishing their seasons, coaches around the country have started to fall.

Today's casualties:

Alabama released Mike Shula of his duties. You will remember that Shula was hired over Mississippi State head coach Sylvester Croom, another Alabama alum. Croom and the Bulldogs beat Alabama this season, for the program's first signature win.

"I am deeply disappointed to be fired as the Head Football Coach at the University of Alabama. From my very first day on this job, I had a single mission: To return the Crimson Tide to its place among the elite programs in college football. Although I maintain that we were moving steadily in that direction, I regret sincerely that I will not be given the opportunity to finish the job I was hired to do." - Mike Shula on his firing

Usually doing the job at Alabama involves beating Mississippi State, and also beating Auburn, something that Shula failed to do in his four years. Athletics Director Mal Moore seemed to indicate there was no list of candidates at this point, but indicated the program was looking for a proven winner.

Sources indicate that Butch Davis coveted the Alabama job, but has already been hired at North Carolina, and was announced as the head coach officially today. The MRI likes Bobby Petrino for this opening, should he be willing to part with Louisville. He has ties to the SEC and has proven he can win with the Cardinals.

Chuck Amato was fired from North Carolina State on Monday. During his time at NC State, Amato was over .500 overall, but couldn't break through in the ACC. However, Amato did have a strange success that many other ACC teams couldn't find. He beat Florida State. North Carolina State was 4-3 against the perennial leaders in the ACC during Amato's time at the helm.

"When I came to North Carolina State University, I set my dreams very high. My vision was to take this program to places that it had never been before in 100-plus years of playing football. We really don’t know how long or how difficult it is to be able to attain those types of goals because we’ve never been there before in football." - Chuck Amato on his firing

Early rumors have two names in contention. Norm Chow is by far the leader. The former USC offensive coordinator, and now coordinator for the NFL's Tennessee Titans, worked at North Carolina State during the time when Philip Rivers was the Big Man on Campus. Also in the rumors is Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, who recently bought a house in the area.

Meanwhile three jobs found their men. Butch Davis was officially hired at North Carolina today. While sweater vests work for Jim Tressel, I am not sure that they do as much for Davis.

In addition, Mark Dantonio was hired at Michigan State to replace John L. Smith. Dantonio was the coach at the University of Cincinnati, and led them to a 7-5 record this season, including a big win over Rutgers. This will be the second year in his three year tenure that the Bearcats qualified for a bowl game.

"It's tremendous to be a Spartan. To me, I know the phrase 'boldness by design' exists here right now. I can tell you as a Spartan, whenever I walked into any school in America, whether that was in Michigan, Ohio, the East Coast, in Florida, Texas, California, I walked in with boldness because I knew I represented something that was special. I knew I represented something that had history behind it, had tradition behind it, had championships behind it, a place that was nationally known for its athletics, not just basketball and football, but for its entire athletic program. I am so, so proud to be here today, to represent Michigan State University in this capacity." - Mark Dantonio on his hiring

Dantonio is no stranger to Michigan State, where he served as the secondary coach for six years. He has a tough job on his hands. The Spartan program which went 4-8 this season will be losing their starting quarterback and just imploded after losing a big lead against Notre Dame in September. His biggest challenge might be teaching the players to hold on to the ball. The Spartans fumbled the ball 15 times this season, most costly in the game against the Fighting Irish.

Gene Chizik, defensive coordinator at Texas and former defensive coordinator at Auburn, who was looked at for many of the openings around the country, has accepted the head coaching job at Iowa State. Chizik signs a five year deal for the Cyclones program which has had only two winning seasons in the last five.

“It’s been a lifetime professional dream to be the CEO of a football program and I couldn’t be more pleased that Iowa State University is the institution providing me this opportunity. I’ve had great mentors to learn from in my career, and I am fully prepared and energized to begin my Cyclone tenure." - Gene Chizik on his hiring

Chizik will have to reform a defense which surrenders nearly 400 yards and 31 points per game. He will begin coaching Iowa State right away and will not coach the Longhorns in whatever bowl they attend.

Jobs open, in order of prominence (outgoing coach): Miami (Larry Coker), Alabama (Mike Shula), Arizona State (Dirk Koetter), North Carolina State (Chuck Amato), Cincinnati (Mark Dantonio), North Texas (Darrell Dickey), Florida International (Don Strock)

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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MRI2006: Week 1 - Time, Time, Time...

It's the Monday after Thanksgiving, and that means the first release of the MRI Basketball rankings. Now, remember, it is early. So if your team has only played two games, chances are they are not going to be looking very well right now.

Or if you are a team like Tennessee, and you lost two games in the Final Four of the NIT, you will also not be looking good. However, it is early, and there are plenty of games left, and some of these early losses will start to look better as the season moves on.

The biggest surprises right now? How about Old Dominion at #8? They have already beaten Georgetown and their only loss has come against an undefeated Clemson squad. Do I think the Monarchs can hang tough, just like George Mason did in the MRI last season? I am not ready to say yes yet. They still have the Colonial schedule coming up, and the conference as a whole is not looking as good as everyone expected it might be.

However, we still have some strong mid-major teams making an appearance in the Top 25.

Check out all the ratings in Week 1 of the MRI.

And Now the Rankings
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LY
1	Ohio State	6-0	93.63	14
2	Marquette	5-0	88.24	83
3	Duke	5-1	87.97	4
4	Florida	6-1	86.91	3
5	Illinois	7-0	86.57	9
6	Pittsburgh	6-0	84.86	11
7	Kansas	5-1	84.33	7
8	Old Dominion	5-1	82.05	46
9	Oregon	5-0	81.08	94
10	Maryland	7-0	80.65	60
11	UCLA	3-0	80.54	6
12	Michigan	7-0	78,67	38
13	Georgia Tech	5-1	78.24	150
14	Clemson	7-0	77.94	44
15	Texas A&M	5-0	77.61	35
16	Nevada	4-0	77.02	21
17	Air Force	6-1	75.54	69
18	New Mexico	3-0	73.33	129
19	Gonzaga	6-1	72.50	32
20	Butler	6-0	72.41	74
21	Connecticut	5-0	71.57	5
22	Missouri	6-0	71.10	208
23	Arkansas	5-0	68.86	33
24	Michigan State	6-1	68.76	27
25	North Carolina	4-1	67.72	13
Other Teams People Might Care About
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LY
29	Indiana	3-1	65.66	66
31	Texas	4-1	64.97	2
32	Notre Dame	3-1	64.44	68
44	Arizona	3-1	60.43	29
50	Texas Tech	5-2	58.94	187
52	Ohio	2-0	58.45	99
56	Florida State	4-1	56.40	61
60	Washington	5-0	55.38	12
61	Tennessee	4-2	53.97	19
63	LSU	2-1	53.80	10
64	Purdue	4-1	53.07	207
65	Miami	4-2	52.90	72
86	Northern Iowa	4-1	46.73	43
101	Dayton	4-1	44.09	142
128	Auburn	3-2	37.10	144
132	Kentucky	3-2	35.26	39
133	Pennsylvania	2-2	35.13	67
136	Boston College	2-2	34.21	18
156	Ball State	2-3	30.73	215
169	Iowa	2-3	28.82	16
173	Drexel	1-1	28.48	92
190	Wofford	2-2	25.14	269
191	Illinois-Chicago	1-4	24.97	145
209	Vanderbilt	1-2	22.12	87
Last Place this week: Nicholls State (0-7) at -30.90.
Conference rankings this week: ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-10, Big East, SEC, Mountain West, MVC, C-USA, Atlantic 10, MAC, WAC

The MRI Rankings are copyright 2006 by MRISports.com. Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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College Basketball Sweet 16 - Ending 11/26/06

What a week and the season is just getting started. We are going to have a treat with the ACC - Big Ten Challenge this week, but there is no beating last week's fun.

You had Butler, yes Butler winning the pre-season NIT. You had losses by Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and LSU, four teams that are expected to not only be in the Sweet Sixteen this season, but should be fighting to get into Atlanta and the Final Four.

Plus, I think we saw the emergence of some of those teams on the fringe from last year - Marquette beating Duke, Syracuse remaining undefeated, Maryland continuing to roll.

The first thing you will notice is that I didn't drop Florida far after they lost to Kansas. If you watched the game, you know why. You have to give your all against Florida for 40 minutes, and 45 if you are Kansas. Otherwise, there is too much talent and too many options for that Gator team. They can turn on you in a second. And don't forget, they had two chances at the end to win it, although I might argue with Corey Brewer's shot selection on the first one.

I am also giving recognition to Butler with my #16 team this week. Butler did a lot to get through a very stacked NIT field. And they went home the next day and won in double overtime against Kent State. That is after being taken to the limit by Tennessee and Gonzaga in New York. If anything, that is good training for the NCAA tournament and the quick turnaround between games.

My Sweet 16:

1. Pittsburgh


2. UCLA


3. Ohio State


4. Memphis


5. Florida

6. North Carolina
7. Washington
8. LSU
9. Wisconsin
10. Marquette
11. Syracuse


12. Alabama


13. Kansas


14. Arizona


15. Maryland
16. Butler

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 26, 2006

MRI Football 2006 - Rankings Week 10

Ohio State and Michigan may have been idle, but they have cemented a spot as the top two in the MRI, at least until the bowl games.

LSU and Boise State both finished their season with wins. The LSU Tigers held strong to their #3 position, but failed to gain any ground on Michigan. Why? They surrendered too many yards to Arkansas, hurting their defensive rating overall. However, this win may have put them in the best position for an at large bid in the BCS, if the bowls want to take a second team from the SEC.

Boise State made the big jump to #4, based on their nice win over Nevada. The Broncos most likely will be in place to make their first trip to BCS bowl when the final ratings finish.

Finally, USC's crushing win over Notre Dame has jumped them to #5 in the MRI. They are the only team with a chance to move up to #3 or with a huge win over UCLA, #2. However, the more likely scenario is #3 to end the season, provided they play like they did against Notre Dame.

The regular season closes out next week, with the final MRI ratings before the bowls being released on Sunday or Monday. We will once again be attempting to track the MRI's performance against the "World" when picking the winners of the bowl games.

Check out all the ratings in Week 10 of the MRI.

And Now the Rankings
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LW
1	Ohio State	12-0	116.87	1
2	Michigan	11-1	106.25	2
3	LSU	10-2	101.84	3
4	Boise State	12-0	99.54	10
5	USC	10-1	96.14	6
6	Louisville	10-1	94.10	5
7	West Virginia	9-2	87.05	4
8	BYU	10-2	86.27	7
9	Wisconsin	11-1	85.47	9
10	Florida	11-1	84.22	11
11	Texas	9-3	81.95	8
12	Virginia Tech	10-2	79.82	14
13	Hawaii	10-2	74.23	17
14	Clemson	8-4	73.88	12
15	Notre Dame	10-2	72.73	13
16	Oklahoma	10-2	72.04	16
17	Auburn	10-2	71.84	15
18	Rutgers	10-1	71.00	22
19	Arkansas	10-2	70.62	18
20	Cal	8-3	67.86	19
21	TCU	9-2	65.17	24
22	Boston College	9-3	62.87	20
23	Tennessee	9-3	62.63	23
24	Houston	9-3	62.57	21
25	Texas A&M	9-3	61.14	NR(26)
Teams Dropped From The Top 25: Nebraska (LW #25, TW #27)
Other Teams People Might Care About
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LW
27	Nebraska	9-3	60.18	25
31	Georgia Tech	9-3	50.01	27
36	Florida State	6-6	44.52	33
40	UCLA	6-5	43.85	39
45	Pittsburgh	6-6	39.39	41
50	Northern Illinois	7-5	35.27	58
55	Washington State	6-6	31.99	53
57	Miami	6-6	31.50	59
60	Iowa	6-6	27.89	60
65	Purdue	8-5	18.34	64
67	Maryland	8-4	16.23	65
72	Michigan State	4-8	10.30	75
76	Vanderbilt	4-8	8.44	78
84	Indiana	5-7	0.71	88
90	Illinois	2-10	-1.47	91
96	Northwestern	4-8	-7.13	96
98	Miami(Ohio)	2-10	-9.14	95
116	Duke	0-12	-54.99	117
Last Place this week: Temple (1-11) at -76.28. 8th week in a row.
Biggest Gain this week: Boise State gained 14.82 points. (Beat Nevada, 38-7)
Biggest Loss this week: North Texas lost 15.05 points. (Lost to Louisiana-Monroe, 23-3)
Conference rankings this week: Big East, SEC, Big Ten, PAC-10, Big 12, ACC, Mountain West, C-USA, WAC, MAC, Sun Belt

The MRI Rankings are copyright 2006 by MRISports.com. Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Big XII Recap - Week 13

Oklahoma sat at home Friday, stuffed with turkey, and became the biggest Texas A&M fans out there. By three in the afternoon, they knew that their game Saturday would be for the Big XII South title.

Texas A&M pulled the upset over the #11 Texas Longhorns, 12-7. The Aggies were able to control the clock by consistently running the ball, gaining over 240 yards against what had been a stout rushing defense. Coming into the game, Texas was only surrendering 43 yards per game on the ground.

Quarterback Stephen McGee, who only managed 58 yards passing, was the leading rusher for the Aggies. He also scored the go ahead touchdown with an eight yard run that came with only 2:30 remaining in the game.

Colt McCoy, returning from an injury suffered against Kansas State, still had two more chances to pull Texas back into the lead. On the first drive, McCoy threw right into the arms of an A&M linebacker, his third interception of the day. On the play, he took a vicious hit which left him on the ground for several minutes.

Texas A&M failed to run out the clock leaving McCoy with one more chance. However, on the second down after taking control of the ball, the freshman again took a hard hit. A cart was needed to help McCoy off the field this time. Jevan Snead came on, but his first pass was intercepted by A&M to seal the win for the Aggies.

And so the only scenario that could have given Oklahoma a chance had taken form.

Oklahoma took advantage of everything they were given and won the Big XII South by defeating Oklahoma State 27-21. It was again the rushing game for the Sooners which gave them the victory.

Allen Patrick rushed for 163 yards and a touchdown while Chris Brown added 74 yards of his own and two scores. Oklahoma has relied heavily on the two backs since the loss of Adrian Peterson earlier this season. It is still unknown if Peterson will be able to play next week against Nebraska or in whatever bowl game Oklahoma participates in.

In other action, Nebraska warmed up for the Big XII championship by defeating Colorado 37-14. Zac Taylor threw for two touchdowns to tie the Nebraska career record for a quarterback. The Cornhuskers finish 6-2 in conference, winning the Big XII North.

Missouri recovered from their controversial loss to Iowa State last week by beating up on Kansas 42-17. Chase Daniel threw for a career best 355 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.

The Big XII Championship game will be held December 2nd, in Kansas City. Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Nebraska, 42-38-3, and has won the last two meetings between the teams. The series had been an annual tradition from 1928 – 1997, but the formation of the Big XII conference has made it a rarity in the last ten years. This is the first meeting of the two for the Big XII conference title.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. His Big XII recap appears weekly on Blogcritics.org as part of their NCAA Tailgate Cleanup. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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BCS Bowl Picture

I don't know if things are now more clear or more muddy in terms of the BCS bowl picture after this weekend. With ten spots and four of them pretty much guaranteed at this point, there is a great deal of shuffling which can still take place. If you look at what could be the projected standings and think about what the organizers of the four big games want you can take a shot at projecting the BCS bowls at this point. And that is without the championship games being played.

In order to do that though, you need some assumptions.

First, you need to look at who can win the conference championships:

ACC: Georgia Tech, Wake Forest
Big East: Louisville, Rutgers
Big 12: Nebraska, Oklahoma
SEC: Arkansas, Florida

Earlier in the week, the BCS bowls announced who was still in contention for at large bid consideration:

Auburn, Boise State, California, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech

Those announcements were prior to this week's games. I don't think that any of those teams did anything this week to knock them off that list. In addition, I don't think that West Virginia or Texas would be considered at this point after their losses this weekend, so I am not adding them to the list.

Second, you have to know the bowl selection order. The Rose Bowl, which will lose Ohio State, will have a replacement selection first. If USC is the #2 team, the Rose Bowl will get two selections to start and essentially get whoever they want in Pasadena. The second selection is the Sugar Bowl, followed by the Orange, and the Fiesta.

Third, you have to assume something about the losers of the championship games. I don't think the ACC is going to get their loser into the mix based on the perceived strength of the conference. Virginia Tech probably has the second worst at-large chance right now and if they aren't close, given the way they have played lately, a losing Georgia Tech or Wake Forest isn't going to get a long look. The Big XII loser will have at least three losses. I think Oklahoma will still get a long look based on the knowledge that one of those losses was to Oregon thanks to replay. However, losing to Nebraska wouldn't help their cause. Nebraska would have no shot to be selected. In the SEC, Florida would still be looked at for an at-large bid should they lose, but Arkansas probably took themselves out of contention for that because of their loss to LSU.

So with those assumptions, here is how I see the BCS bowls shaking out.

National Championship: Ohio State vs. USC - After USC's win, this is a gimmee. Unless UCLA pulls a major upset, then I don't see this changing. USC should be moving into the #2 spot overall in the BCS when the ratings are released, and they will not fall unless they lose that last game.

Rose Bowl: Michigan vs. Notre Dame - I will hate to see the rematch, but I bet it happens. The Rose Bowl would get two replacement picks as soon as the National Championship game is set. There is no doubt they would take Michigan, and the flashiest school they would be allowed to pick would be Notre Dame. Notre Dame would be returning to the Rose Bowl (Yes, returning. It wasn't obligated to pick Big Ten - USC until the 40s. Even Duke played in the Rose Bowl twice) for the first time since the 20s. I don't think they could say no to that scenario, knowing how big a rivalry this is and how many fans would travel for that game.

Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Louisville - The Sugar Bowl gets first pick after the Rose "replacement" picks. Let's assume that Florida wins the SEC championship game. I am guessing the bowl doesn't want a rematch of two SEC teams, and therefore will take the Big East champion, which now looks like it might be Louisville. If Rutgers wins the Big East, I am guessing they may still take Louisville as they will see it as a better choice than Rutgers. In that case, LSU will lose a BCS spot. There is still always the possibility, that there will be some wrangling and ND will get moved here by all the bowl operators to play Florida and that an LSU would still be alive for chance in the Rose Bowl. I think it will be hard to pry Notre Dame out of the Rose Bowl's talons though.

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. LSU - Despite Reggie Ball's play against Georgia, I am going to say that Georgia Tech takes out Wake Forest. The Orange Bowl gets the second pick to fill their bowl. I am going to say they pass over Boise State. No one wants to be the bowl that has to take them, and since the Rose will most likely take Notre Dame, the Orange loses what I think would be their first choice. It kind of stinks for Notre Dame that every big bowl would try to place them against a team they already have played. I am thinking that the Orange will take a chance on LSU assuming they can. If Louisville wins the Big East, this is LSU. If Rutgers wins the Big East, the Scarlet Knights come to town.

Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Boise State - Every time a non-auto qualifier makes it, it seems that the Fiesta Bowl gets stuck with them. Last time was Utah, and they destroyed Pittsburgh. This time it is Boise State, and this would actually be a very interesting game between Oklahoma and Boise. I like the match-up and it is closer to Idaho so potentially you will see more Boise fans being able to make the trip. I am still a little leery of picking Oklahoma to win the Big XII championship game. It could be Nebraska. In which case, I somewhat feel bad for the Fiesta Bowl, although it would mean great things for the Nebraska program.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 24, 2006

Pre-Season NIT Final - Butler vs. Gonzaga

Last year was supposed to be the year of the mid-major. The Missouri Valley stormed into the NCAA tournament. The Colonial Athletic Association placed a team in the Final Four. Storied programs around the country struggled with their smaller foes all through the season.

And it looks early this season like the trend has continued.

Two schools which have been the poster children for small school success are set to take it to the big stage tonight as Butler and Gonzaga face off in Madison Square Garden. On the line, the Pre-season NIT championship.

Gonzaga rolled into the spotlight during the late nineties and never left. Over the years, they have been favored to get as far as the Final Four in the NCAA tournament. While the names in the jerseys change, the results stay the same. The Zags aren't going away anytime soon, and it continues to be a destination location for some of the best players from the West Coast, topping even some PAC-10 schools. Not bad for a little Jesuit institution that no one had heard of until current Minnesota coach Dan Monson marked them on the national collective conscious in 1999 with a huge run in the tournament.

Butler has not been as consistent over the years but have had their share of success. Competing in the Horizon league has made it difficult to win season after season, going up against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Illinois-Chicago, and Detroit. However, Butler did make the tournament after the 1999-2000 season and was a breath away from a win in overtime over Florida. They went again under Thad Matta the next year and made the second round. They made the Sweet Sixteen a couple of years later, keeping the Bulldogs on the front of everyone's minds.

So who has the edge tonight in New York?

Well, it might be the underdogs from Butler once again based on the results this season.

Gonzaga might have the big names we remember in Derek Raivio, Jeremy Pargo, and the tongue twisting Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes, but Butler has the tougher defense.

The guard combo of A.J. Graves and Mike Green are averaging over four steals combined per game. And they are not the only pick pockets on Butler. Through the season so far, Gonzaga has had trouble holding onto the ball, turning it over almost as many times as they take it away. This will be a big advantage for Butler on the defensive end of the floor.

In addition, the Midwestern Bulldogs have enough depth in the front court to battle with Gonzaga's leading scorer Josh Heytvelt. The 6-11 sophomore has been averaging almost 18 points a game, against tough competition, including what will be former #2 North Carolina, and their star big man Tyler Hansbrough.

The real challenge for Butler will be rebounding the ball against the larger Gonzaga team. Drew Streicher comes off the bench for Butler and leads the team with five boards a game. At only 6-7, the junior will be undersized compared to the Zags who feature at least four players taller than him.

If Butler can play their tough style of defense and get a few runs like they managed against Indiana and Tennessee, the Bulldogs should be going home to Indiana a winner. Otherwise, the Zags will be talked about once again as ready to steal the show come March.

Both teams have been here before on the big stage. Now one of them has the chance to shine.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Miami Bowling, Coker Walking

According to reports out of South Florida this morning, Larry Coker will officially be let go at a press conference later this morning.

The Miami Hurricanes beat Boston College last night to finish the season 6-6, and become bowl eligibile.

In a season marred by on and off the field incidents, Miami might have acted like the Hurricanes of old, except in one aspect -- winning games.

Now, they will be looking for a new head coach. Early rumors pointed towards South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier, but the Ol' Ball Coach said that he will not be looking to leave South Carolina. With former coach Butch Davis already taking the head coaching job at North Carolina, the search will be wide open.

Coker, who began his career at Miami with 24 straight wins, had the 5th highest winning percentage among Division I-A coaches since 2001 when he took over the Hurricanes.

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November 23, 2006

5 Things - 11/23/06

Today's Five Things? 5 More reasons why pre-season rankings are silly.




So without further ado, 5 Things:

1. Reason #1: North Carolina - A team featuring as many young players as North Carolina was bound to lose games early. That would happen no matter how talented those players are together. That is part of the reason why I didn't have them #2 in my Sweet 16. Pittsburgh had the older, more experienced team, and therefore was in better position to do well. Of course, North Carolina might just be the #2 team in the country this year, but it is more likely that as the pre-ACC season goes on, we will see them falter, especially against more experienced squads like Gonzaga.
2. Reason #2: Gonzaga - I can't remember that far back, but this might be the first time in the last six years that Gonzaga did not make the pre-season rankings. Although they are constantly replacing the parts, the whole seems to succeed each season. Gonzaga deserved at least to be in the #20-#25 range, just based on talent returning and the ability to win under coach Mark Few. The Zags showed that again on Wednesday night, taking down what will now be former #2, North Carolina.
3. Reason #3: Boston College - The Eagles fell to 1-2 after losing to Providence on Wednesday night. Not exactly soaring high. Boston College was supposed to be the #2 or #3 team in the ACC this season. And yet, their season so far consists of losses to Providence, a team that can only hope to reach the top half of the Big East, and Vermont, from the America East conference, one of the bottom five conferences last season. And the loss last night comes with 6-10 Sean Williams back in the middle for BC. Not a great beginning for a team which began the season ranked #15 and now will most likely be unranked come Monday.
4. Reason #4: Butler - Here's a case for the mid-majors to get some respect in the pre-season rankings, if they are going to exist. When the season started, the only three ranked teams outside of the Big 6 conferences were Memphis, Creighton, and Nevada. Now Butler, who didn't even receive one vote in either poll before the season will be playing for the NIT pre-season title. This is after knocking off Notre Dame, Indiana (who did receive votes), Tennessee (#25 pre-season, and #21 now). And now they get to face Reason #2, Gonzaga. Just for making New York, Butler gets to take home almost 9% of the revenues from the tournament. They might just be adding a banner and a Top 25 rankings.
5. Reason #5: Not every team was scheduled to play a "real" game until yesterday - The preseason ratings came out almost a month ago. And yet, not every Division I team played a game against another Division I opponent until Cal State Fullerton and Grambling played their games last night. So, basically, you set up expectations that couldn't even be proved partially incorrect until almost a month later. In the meantime, you had three weeks worth of games, with teams moving the rankings, and yet not every team played. Sounds like there is a flaw in there somewhere.

The MRI numbers filled in this morning. The first release of the MRI rankings will be on Monday, right on time. As of right now, a certain scarlet and grey team leads, just like in that other sport the MRI covers. I guess some things never change.

That's it for 5 Things. If you have any tips from the day of basketball, be sure to send them on.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 22, 2006

5 Things - 11/22/06

Another Five Things we should have learned last night in college basketball.




So without further ado, 5 Things:

1. IUPUFW and Western Illinois Are Tired - Five overtimes will do that to a team. I am sure that both are taking a big nap today before taking a Turkey induced nap on Thursday. Fort Wayne's boys won 97-95 over the home Western Illinois after five extra periods. Both teams were tied at 58 following the first 40 minutes. This is the longest game in the nation this year so far. Chances are this will be the longest game all season.
2. Duke is Potentially Living on Borrowed Time - I put them high in my Sweet 16, but Duke can't have games where they turn the ball over 18 times. You can't win like that. With a young team, you are bound to have games like this. This is not the Duke team that we are used to seeing, no matter how good they looked in the first game of the tournament against Air Force. The big question will be if Duke is even in the top three in the ACC.
3. Marquette, As Much As This Hurts, Is Good - Marquette has the tools to win the Big East this season. That's right, I am saying that about the team whose fans gave me such a hard time. They have shooting, they have defense, and they just beat Duke. DUKE! Stay tuned on this team, especially point guard Dominic James. They are worth watching.
4. Huggins Can't Win Them All - The jury is still out on whether Manhattan, Kansas, will become a destination location for the country's elite players. We already saw Bob Huggins lose OJ Mayo to USC, even though there were many rumors saying that the Ohio native would be joining Cincinnati's old coach. But Huggins can coach, and he can find gems across the country, and many times from the junior college level. Huggins lost his first game as coach of the Wildcats on Tuesday, against New Mexico. It might be a few years in the making, but Kansas State will be a contender in the Big XII before long.
5. Bucknell Won't Lose Them All - At least I don't think they will. The Bison, one of the top mid-major teams last season is struggling this year to an 0-4 record. Three of the four have been on the road and so are their next two games. Still, this team is too talented, especially with guard Abe Badmus leading the way, to not get a win at one of those. Bucknell was picked early this season as one of the top mid-major teams again this year, just another example of why pre-season rankings mean little. Give them time and they might be, but not yet.

That's it for 5 Things. If you have any tips from the day of basketball, be sure to send them on.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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My "AP" Ballot - Week 12

Well, this week was a lot easier than the previous one. I keep Michigan at #2 this week. I will probably do so until I see the aftermath of the SEC Championship game, but it should be very interesting, especially given the games coming these two weeks.

The top three teams from the SEC fill out my top 5, and they will all play before the end of the season. I hesitate to believe that Arkansas will win both games, but given the way all three are playing right now, it is a definite possibility.

And people thought I was crazy for picking them to win the West. Silly people...Ok, yes, I was a little crazy, but it was much more fun to watch them actually do it after having picked them.

Here are my "AP" rankings for Week 12:

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. Arkansas
5. LSU

6. Texas
7. Louisville
8. Wisconsin
9. Notre Dame
10. USC
11. West Virginia


12. Oklahoma


13. Auburn


14. Rutgers


15. Boise State
16. Georgia Tech


17. Tennessee


18. Cal


19. Nebraska


20. Clemson
21. BYU


22. Virginia Tech


23. Hawaii


24. Boston College


25. Houston

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Heisman Watch - Week 12

So, here is the most amazing thing about the game on Saturday. Throughout Troy Smith's amazing performance, the announcers, be it Kirk Herbstreit, Bonnie Bernstein, or anyone, were unwilling to say that they thought that Smith had the Heisman wrapped up.

In fact, Bernstein, reporting from the sideline in the middle of the third quarter, believed that he needed to "step up his game" in order to still be the front runner. This was after Smith had a pass intercepted which was tipped up into the air by the receiver and caught by a lineman coming over to help with what he thought would have been a tackle. The interception, while coming on a pass that looked forced, was not his fault.

Meanwhile, in South Bend, the pass that Brady Quinn threw which was intercepted did not get tipped in the air, was thrown without a receiver in the area, and was caught cleanly by an Army linebacker.

If you compare the two performances, I think you can forgive Smith's interception a little quicker than Quinn's. Of course, Quinn rebounded from the shaky start he had against the Black Knights to win the game handily. Smith needed an amazing performance all game long to hold off what is still the #2 team in the country in the eyes of many.

The truth is, the people running the Heisman should just think about booking one ticket because that is how over the race for the trophy is at this point. In order to be fair, they will put on a show. They will invite three people to New York, much like last season. But we all know that the award is going home to Columbus after the ceremony.

Troy Smith won the Heisman on Saturday, in a game 95% of the college football nation was watching. The other five percent was either at the Notre Dame game, or lives in Alabama.

Congratulations to Troy Smith,

After watching the contenders on Saturday, here is who I think will be coming to New York, other than Smith:

1. Troy Smith (QB Ohio State): 29/41, 316 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT vs. Michigan - It is almost a given at this point. There is a slim chance that something will happen to take the award away, but I think it will safely be with Smith when all is said and done.
2. Michael Hart (RB Michigan): 23 car., 142 yards, 3 TD vs. Ohio State - You can't deny that he was very good against Ohio State. Every time he touched the ball, he had the ability to break it. And once again, he didn't fumble.
3. Brady Quinn (QB ND): 22/30, 218 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT vs. Army - I was there to see Quinn in person this weekend. He was very good and is a lot different from the quarterback that took the field a few years ago. While he might be the most pure passer in the Heisman race, he is not the best player, and he still makes mental errors, even against Army. His "mistake" in throwing the interception was a an example of that. Still, he led his team into a chance to get to the title game like so many expected earlier this season. It will take a huge win over USC on the road. In fact, a huge win with huge stats would be the only thing that would put him close to Smith, who all but locked up the award.

Others receiving consideration: Darren McFadden (RB Arkansas), Steve Slaton (RB West Va.), Colt Brennan (QB Hawaii), Marshawn Lynch (RB Cal), Ray Rice (RB Rutgers), Ian Johnson (RB Boise State), JaMarcus Russell (QB LSU), Erik Ainge (QB Tennessee), Chad Henne (QB Michigan), Calvin Johnson (WR Georgia Tech), Adrian Peterson (RB Oklahoma)

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 20, 2006

2006-7 College Basketball Sweet 16

College basketball season officially kicks off tonight in the minds of many people. Maui is always a spectacle to see. It attracts the best teams year after year, and has constantly provided the perfect atmosphere for upsets (Think Chaminade over a #1 Virginia squad in 1982).

With that in mind, we have had games for a few weeks now, and it is time for me to weigh in on what I think are the top teams in college basketball. Each week, I will rank my Sweet 16 based on the games through the previous Sunday. Remember, this is my brain, not the MRI here.

My Sweet 16:

1. Florida


2. Pittsburgh


3. North Carolina


4. Wisconsin


5. LSU

6. UCLA
7. Ohio State
8. Memphis
9. Washington
10. Syracuse
11. Duke
12. Alabama
13. Arizona
14. Texas
15. Maryland
16. Georgetown

How do I leave Kansas out? Easy. They have lost two many players over the first few weeks of the season, and they have a tough loss to Oral Roberts. I would have them in the top 25, but right now, not the top 16.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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MRI Football 2006 - Rankings Week 9

Game of the century? I am not sure I want to say that, but it was very good.

I think with so much on the line this past Saturday, the game will go down as one of the best of the first 6 years of this century. Does it beat out last year's championship game? Maybe in retrospect at some point, it might, but Texas-USC last year was something special. And the winner of that game got to take home the crystal football.

The winner of this game, Ohio State, still might get that honor. They might have to beat Michigan again to get it though. Looking at the BCS standings right now, I wouldn't be surprised if USC passes Michigan with a win against Notre Dame this Saturday. And after that, only a loss to UCLA would have the ability to move them from the #2 spot.

I personally am hoping that we do not see a rematch. But, you never can tell what will happen, especially when it comes to polls and computers.

For example, the MRI still has Michigan at #2, but the gap between them and the rest of the top 5 has certainly narrowed. With LSU's big game this week against Arkansas, a win might move the Tigers past Michigan into the #2 spot.

Rounding out the top 5 are West Virginia and Louisville. The Big East has been tough to shake this year.

Check out all the ratings in Week 9 of the MRI Football Ratings.

And Now the Rankings
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LW
1	Ohio State	12-0	117.04	1
2	Michigan	11-1	106.65	2
3	LSU	9-2	100.52	3
4	West Virginia	9-1	93.03	5
5	Louisville	9-1	87.25	7
6	USC	9-1	87.19	8
7	BYU	9-2	87.03	6
8	Texas	9-2	86.64	4
9	Wisconsin	11-1	86.06	9
10	Boise State	11-0	84.72	10
11	Florida	10-1	77.66	11
12	Clemson	8-3	76.98	12
13	Notre Dame	10-1	75.68	16
14	Virginia Tech	9-2	73.43	19
15	Auburn	10-2	72.23	14
16	Oklahoma	9-2	71.32	18
17	Hawaii	9-2	69.64	17
18	Arkansas	10-1	69.44	17
19	Cal	8-3	66.35	15
20	Boston College	9-2	65.46	24
21	Houston	9-3	61.98	20
22	Rutgers	9-1	61.30	13
23	Tennessee	8-3	61.29	NR(27)
24	TCU	8-2	58.13	NR(34)
25	Nebraska	8-3	56.98	23
Teams Dropped From The Top 25: Oregon (LW #22, TW #36), Missouri (LW #25, TW #28)
Other Teams People Might Care About
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LW
26	Texas A&M	8-3	55.78	26
27	Georgia Tech	9-2	53.40	29
33	Florida State	6-5	47.38	37
39	UCLA	6-5	43.23	43
41	Pittsburgh	6-5	42.49	33
53	Washington State	6-6	31.04	50
58	Northern Illinois	6-5	29.77	64
59	Miami	5-6	29.25	49
60	Iowa	6-6	27.59	57
64	Purdue	8-4	22.54	63
65	Maryland	8-3	21.91	60
75	Michigan State	4-8	10.78	74
78	Vanderbilt	4-8	7.02	73
88	Indiana	5-7	0.77	88
91	Illinois	2-10	-1.96	82
95	Miami(Ohio)	2-9	-6.34	98
96	Northwestern	4-8	-6.43	99
117	Duke	0-11	-53.55	117
Last Place this week: Temple (1-11) at -76.04. 7th week in a row.
Biggest Gain this week: South Carolina gained 12.57 points. (Beat Middle Tennessee State, 52-7)
Biggest Loss this week: Middle Tennessee State lost 14.08 points. (Lost to South Carolina, 52-7)
Conference rankings this week: Big East, SEC, Big Ten, PAC-10, Big 12, ACC, Mountain West, C-USA, WAC, MAC, Sun Belt

The MRI Rankings are copyright 2006 by MRISports.com. Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 19, 2006

Big XII Recap - Week 12

While conference races across the country were decided this weekend, there is still some drama remaining in the Big XII. Oklahoma defeated Baylor 36-10 to keep their hopes for a Big XII South division title alive.

The Sooners had five turnovers on the day, two leading to scores by Baylor, but they were able to overcome mistakes to get the easy win. Sophomore Malcolm Kelly had his second straight great receiving week, catching five passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Chris Brown, who had two touchdowns against Texas Tech a week ago, ran for 169 yards and a touchdown of his own in the victory.

Oklahoma had been left for dead in the Big XII chase after they began 3-2, including a loss to division leader Texas. Things looked even bleaker in the next game against Iowa State when they lost Adrian Peterson with a broken collarbone. However, that was the beginning of a six game winning streak which has taken them to 6-1 in conference. The Sooners need to beat Oklahoma State next week and hope for a Texas A&M upset of Texas to get to Kansas City.

Earlier in the week, Missouri gave head coach Gary Pinkel a raise to $1.3 million a year, and extended him through the 2011 season. Maybe they will rethink that decision after Saturday. The Tigers lost to Iowa State 21-16, to fall to 7-4 overall. After starting the season 6-0, Missouri has lost four of its last five.

The Cyclones needed a defensive stop on 4th and goal to clinch the win. It was their first conference victory of the season, coming in Dan McCarney’s final game as head coach.

Texas Tech began the day down 17-0 against Oklahoma State midway through the second quarter. The Red Raiders then went on a tear, scoring 27 straight points to beat the Cowboys, 30-24. Graham Harrell threw for 353 yards and two touchdowns, both to Robert Johnson, in the victory.

Kansas State was unable to build on their defeat of Texas last week. They closed their regular season with a 39-20 loss on the road at Kansas. Josh Freeman who had been a big part of the Wildcat victory last week, did not have a touchdown pass, and threw three interceptions in the loss.

Senior tailback Jon Cornish had 201 yards rushing and two touchdowns for Kansas. The Jayhawks became the ninth bowl eligible team from the conference with their win.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. His Big XII recap appears weekly on Blogcritics.org as part of their NCAA Tailgate Cleanup. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 17, 2006

5 Things - 11/17/06

A new feature on MRISports this basketball season is "5 Things". This will cover five things that we should have all learned from the world of college basketball the night before. Since we are starting this now, the first installment will cover the season to date.

So without further ado, 5 Things:

1. Pre-season ratings tell us nothing - Other than putting unreasonable expectations on teams to begin the year, the ratings are no help to us. Already we have seen two teams in the top 10 lose (Arizona and Kansas), and others throughout the top 25 struggling. While pre-season rankings don't bias the final rankings and the championship race like in football, perhaps it would be a good idea to wait a few weeks until we have a better idea of team strength.
2. Mid-majors aren't going away - The names might change but the mid-major push we saw last year isn't over. With Oral Roberts taking out Kansas, Winthrop playing North Carolina to within six minutes of a big win, and Vermont taking out Boston College, we are in for another season of the smaller teams getting a leg up on the big boys. While we might not see another George Mason run to the Final Four from those teams, we will definitely see a few unfamiliar faces in the Sweet 16 again this year.
3. Kevin Durant - I think I said enough about him last night. He is the real deal.
4. Florida - The Gators shot 23 for 27 in the first half last night against Jacksonville and led 52-20 at halftime. The Gators are back from last season and are by far the best team out there right now.
5. Savannah State - They moved to 4-0 last night. Four wins is twice as many as they have had in two season combined. While I don't expect them to be shocking any major players, this is a huge improvement for a team that a lot of people questioned after they made the jump to Division I.

That's it for 5 Things. If you have any tips from a day of basketball, be sure to send them on.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Place Your Bets

Sports isn't sports without a little friendly wager on the side.

Faced with tradition, I am putting some money where my mouth is. Talking with a friend in Seattle, we have gone in on a little bet.

Being as I liked Michigan to win the Big Ten at the beginning of the year, and I picked this game for Michigan way back at the beginning of the year, I am choosing men in Maize and Blue.

My friend will be going with Ohio State, seeing as she has no idea how I could root for a team like Michigan.

On the line?

If Michigan wins, I will receive two pounds on non-Starbucks coffee.

If Ohio State wins, she will receive a 1-gallon tin of caramel and cheese corn from Garrett's Popcorn in Chicago.

I believe I will be enjoying a fresh cup of joe fresh from Seattle soon. Enjoy the game Saturday.

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Ohio State and Michigan - The First of Two?

Bo and Woody, Jim and Lloyd. The names change but the game remains one of the top draws in college football.

If you haven't heard the talk about #1 Ohio State and #2 Michigan this week, you must have no electricity and not get the paper. No matter what happens on Saturday, the winner will be playing for the National Championship in Arizona. That is a given.

But what about the loser? Does the team that loses still deserve to be considered the second best team in the country and get a shot at the winner again, in the championship game?

This is a tough question to answer. What is to say that the two teams which I have though were the two best teams in the nation all year long don't deserve the chance to face off again, almost two months from now? Yet, something gnaws at me to say that should be the case.

You had your shot. You didn't win. Why should you get a second chance?

This isn't the NCAA Basketball tournament, where teams might run into each other again, after 30 game seasons, after playing many other opponents. This is college football, where we don't like rematches from the regular season.

The last time we had a "rematch" for the National Championship was 1996. In the final game of the regular season, #1 Florida lost at #2 Florida State, 24-21. The Gators went on to win the SEC championship game against Alabama and move to #3 in the final poll before the bowl games. They were matched by the Bowl Alliance (the direct ancestor of the BCS) against Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.

On January 2nd, 1997, Florida got its revenge, 52-20, and took the National Championship.

It leaves a little bit of bad taste in your mouth, doesn't it? You weren't able to take care of business during the regular season, yet with a month to prepare, you were able to blow out the other team.

I don't want that for my National Championship.

No matter who wins, I don't want the loser to come back almost two months later and totally destroy the other team.

Here are three reasons why I don't want to see a rematch in the National Championship Game (Sponsored by Tostitos. Pass the Salsa):

1. It goes against tradition - If you go all the way back in the history of the bowl games, to the grandaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl, the whole point of the bowls was to put on a show that would attract tourists from the cold parts of the country to the warm parts. The Rose Bowl's grand idea for this was to put a team from the West against one from another part of the country, inviting those fans to travel to Los Angeles to experience the weather.

So why should we put two teams from the same conference into the title game and go against tradition? If anything, the team with the biggest argument in reason #1 is USC. Despite losing to Oregon State, they have taken care of every other opponent on their schedule, including the possible winners of the SEC (Arkansas) and Big XII (Nebraska) conferences, largely regarded as the two best conferences other than the Big Ten and Pac-10. So USC, should they win out against Cal, UCLA, and Notre Dame, deserves their shot to face the Big Ten winner.

And if you want tradition, there is nothing better than Pac-10 vs. Big Ten, the Rose Bowl formula from 1946-2001.

2. What if the other team wins the second time around? - It happened in 1996. Despite the pollsters giving Florida the title for the 1996 season, Florida and Florida State split the two games. Yes, Florida won by a bigger margin in the rematch on a neutral field, but the truth is, the two teams split the series. Where is the rubbber game? Who is really the best team in a series between the two?

With two games you can't tell. You have to let the one game stand as written and move on from there. We don't get the chance to have a three game series, or more like in other sports.

In college football, you get one chance. It might be harsh, especially considering that most of those playing the game are between 18 and 22 years old, but that is the way it goes.

3. Conference Champions should be the only ones to play for the National Championship - Jim Tressel, on the verge of the biggest game of his season was asked the question.

REPORTER: Just following up, do you think to play in the National Championship game a team should have to win their conference?

COACH TRESSEL: Yeah.

I may not agree with Tressel much, but here I do.

Let's be honest. The last couple of times when teams who didn't win their conference played for the championship, everyone complained.

The last of these was 2003, when Oklahoma lost to Kansas State in the Big XII championship, yet still finished at the top of the BCS standings, somewhat thanks to a high computer score. The Sooners went on to lose to LSU in the Sugar Bowl and give us the only split champion since the BCS took form.

The most controversial game of the BCS-era, where a non-conference champion played for the title happened in the 2001 season. That year, Nebraska at 11-0 was #2 in the country on November 18th. The next week, they lost to Colorado to lose the Big XII North Title. The loss dropped them to sixth in the polls. Colorado went on to win the Big XII championship, defeating Texas.

Nebraska moved up in the polls thanks to the loss by Texas, a loss by Florida to Tennessee, and a loss by Tennessee in the SEC championship. They finished fourth in both polls used in the BCS formula at the time, but managed to sneak into the Rose Bowl as the #2 team in the formula overall.

Miami easily beat them 37-14.

Based on this history, we have seen what happens when non-conference winners play for the title. They lose. I don't know if we want history to repeat itself for a third time, especially when it also involves a rivalry this big.

Let's give another team a shot at the winner. There are enough deserving teams in other conferences that it seems worthwhile. A Florida, Arkansas, USC, West Virginia, or even Rutgers, deserve their shot at the winner of this game, provided they win out.

I think even Bo and Woody could agree to that.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Bo Schembechler Dies at Age 77

While the nation prepares to watch the big football game this weekend, the game has lost one of its greatest personalities. Bo Schembechler has passed away at age 77, from an apparent heart attack.

During his time at Michigan as the head coach, Schembechler won 194 games. His teams won or shared 13 Big Ten titles and went to play in 10 Rose Bowls.

In a combined 26 years of coaching, both at Miami (Ohio) and Michigan, Schembechler never had a losing season.

As tributes roll across the airwaves today, it seems only appropriate that the most fitting tribute, an Ohio State-Michigan game, is set to play tomorrow. I think it is safe to say that Bo and Woody Hayes will be sitting together in college football heaven tomorrow, watching, and coaching from above.

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November 16, 2006

Michigan State vs. Texas - Coaches vs. Cancer

Ok, so not a game recap, but close enough. Tonight's Coaches vs. Cancer game looks to be closer than the opener which saw Maryland just destroy St. John's. Yes, I said Maryland was nothing to worry about for the National Championship and I stand by that, despite their 32 point win over the Red Storm.

But now we have the big test for Michigan State to start the season. Both teams are young, but of the young ones, Texas features the best ones. Kevin Durant is expected to be one of those who is one and done this season. Without the NBA age restrictions, he most likely would have jumped to the NBA right out of high school. Instead, we get to watch him lead a Texas squad which could still win the Big XII championship, despite starting no one older than a sophomore.

So, a little live commentary for you tonight, even if it won't be posted until after the game is through.

17:30, 1st half - I am already impressed with Durant who has size like I haven't seen since the Syracuse freshman of 2002-3. He is in contesting on every rebound and has a sweet touch from outside on the floor, even with his big 6-9 frame.

15:50, 1st half - It is funny watching Michigan State play like a smaller school team. What do I mean? When an outmatched school plays the big boys, they usually take a lot more three point shots, and try to press a lot more on defense. Already Michigan State is trying to establish the outside shot because they are afraid of going inside against Durant and the rest of the Longhorns. Plus they are being very difficult on defense, believing they can force the young Texas team into turnovers, which is likely. Just so out of style for Michigan State who has had so many good inside players over the years. I don't expect them to live the entire game outside, but this is really a different style for them.

13:25, 1st half - While Michigan State is living on the outside right now, Texas can't fall into that trap. They have the ability to take it inside and should take advantage of that. Durant just took an ill-advised three. They need to be more patient and run the offense. This might be a little of the youth showing and a little of the "first big game" jitters.

8:45, 1st half - Durant gets his 5th rebound of the game and looks to be out-hustling the Michigan State team on the boards. This was exactly what Tom Izzo was worried about in his Monday press conference, with the Spartans not crashing the boards as much as he would like. Still Michigan State leads, mostly on the strength of their three point shooting so far.

3:23, 1st half - Michigan State is still living outside, but Texas has come back to take the lead. And the leader of that comeback, the freshman, Durant. If this guy doesn't win the freshman of the year in the Big XII or make the first team all-conference, I am not sure the voters are watching. He is doing everything. Inside, outside, steal, block. He has all the skills. I am going to hate to see him jump to the NBA next year.

Halftime - 40-36 Texas. I am still in awe of Durant. 16 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks. You can't deny him. Watching him is really something, especially with his arms and rebounding ability. Michigan State shot 6 for 10 from the three point line, which was huge in them being this close. That is half their points and still has them playing like a mid-major trying to take on a team which is bigger and stronger. Actually, that might be true for how Texas matches up against the Spartans. I am impressed that Michigan State has eight players on the board at this point. That depth will come in handy for them in the Big Ten season. I fully expect that long range percentage to drop in the second half, and I am guessing Texas will shoot better than 25% from the arc in next 20 minutes. Still a great half of basketball between two young teams.

17:03, 2nd half - I am disappointed in Texas's ability to make a shot that is not a dunk or a three point basket (although they are doing too great from three). Why shouldn't these young shooters have the ability to make a shot from five feet, 10 feet, even two feet away? Maybe that #18 rating by Texas is warranted no matter how much talent they have.

15:05, 2nd half - Matt Hill looks like Carrot Top with his hair out there. When I was in school, the freshman on most sports teams were forced to shave their heads to show their commitment to the team. This was not a good deal for some of these guys, whose hair never grew back. For Hill, this would be an improvement. Let's bring back tradition in the locker room at the Garden as soon as this game ends.

13:03, 2nd half - Michigan State took the lead on a three from Maurice Joseph. The Spartans are now 8-14 from long range and I still worry about their ability outside of that long range shot to contend. Despite crashing the boards a little more in the second half, they continue to have trouble penetrating. Of course, who am I to argue with that recipe? West Virginia lived off that the last two seasons, and it got them a couple of Sweet 16 appearances.

11:53, 2nd half - Idong Ibok. All I can say is wow to that block.

9:18, 2nd half - Durant has two points in the second half. That hurts, especially since he was huge in the first twenty minutes. Still, Texas is closing back to Michigan State because the Spartans are turning the ball over on offense.

8:43, 2nd half - AJ Abrams has been big in the second half. With Texas only making three baskets to this point in the second, AJ has had the right ones.

5:50, 2nd half - Despite Durant being able to take long shots, I don't think he should be right now. He is bigger than every man on the floor. He needs to take the ball inside and challenge the Michigan State defenders, who are at a huge disadvantage right now.

5:20, 2nd half - Abrams again for three which pulls Texas to 59-58. That is his 6th three of the game. That is six of the seven that Texas has hit. Anyone else think they should concentrate some more on the inside considering their less than 30% shooting from the arc right now?

4:02, 2nd half - Finally Durant is starting to drive and challenge inside to get to the line. This is what Texas needs to do to win games, especially when they are the more talented team. They don't need to shoot over 20 times from three point land to win. They have that good of a game on the interior.

8 seconds, 2nd half - Wow, I can't believe that Texas lost Neitzel on the dribble. No one covered the basketball and little Drew had a chance to just drive the lane for the go ahead score. 63-61 Michigan State. Unbelievable lapse in defense right there. and now the Longhorns only have two seconds to score to tie.

2 seconds. 2nd half - Abrams had a chance to make the three, dribbling against the defender and taking the long shot to win. Great look and just missed. Tough loss for Texas, and a very good win for Michigan State. I still hold on my opinion of Michigan State, although I think they have the edge on Maryland in the final game. Their three point shooting saved them tonight (9-18, 50.0%), although over time, it was less and less of their gameplan. Still in the first half, they would have been far behind if they hadn't been shooting 50%. Durant also did not have the second half like he did in the first, which is a credit to the Spartan defense.

Overall a very good game plan by Izzo and Michigan State. They did well shutting down Durant after half time and I commend them on a win that will look very good come tournament time. The Spartans might actually be the class of the middle of the Big Ten, which somewhat doesn't say much since past Wisconsin and Ohio State, not much is expected. Still that could be their ticket to a #7 to #9 seed and that is enough to get your ticket to the dance.

And as for Kevin Durant, I am impressed to say the least. He was good enough that my brother was calling me part way through the game to say so himself. That kid is a goldmine, and I really hope he stays beyond this year.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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History Might Just Be On Ohio State's Side

Andrew Jackson has been dead for 161 years, but I am guessing if he were alive he would have a pick in Saturday's football game. And my bet is that he would be going with Ohio State.

Why Ohio State? Well, it turns out that the history of the rivalry between the states of Ohio and Michigan can be traced back to before there was even a State of Michigan.

Between 1835 and 1836, the State of Ohio and the Michigan Territory battled over the small strip of land that covers the border between the two, known as the Toledo strip.

Both sides scrambled their militias to the area around the Toledo river. Although no shots were fired at each other, there was much trash talking across the waters, much like there will be on Saturday afternoon.

Then President of the United States Jackson stepped in on the conflict, offering a compromise to the people of Michigan.

In exchange for Michigan ceding the land to Ohio, the Michigan territory would be granted statehood as the 26th state. They would also be entitled to most of what is now known as the Upper Peninsula, which at the time belonged to the Wisconsin Territory. While this seems like a grand idea, it took two meetings of delegates in Michigan to approve the treaty.

The exchange at the time was seen as a loss for Michigan until copper was discovered in the UP and they were better able to take advantage of the timber prevalent in the region.

So what does this have to do with football? Well, it seems only appropriate that the winner was Ohio, the #1 team and favorite in Saturday's game. The loser, Michigan got a piece of land that's true value wasn't seen until later, much like they might if they lose on Saturday. A likely trip to the Rose Bowl is nothing to sneeze at, and won't be appreciated until much later. And even better, in the treaty, Michigan got to get a little of Wisconsin's goat. Wisconsin, the #3 team in the Big Ten conference lost to Michigan earlier this year, 27-13, their only loss of the season.

Seems like history has a chance to repeat itself one more time.

Credit to Ivan Maisel and Beano Cook for the lead on this story from their weekly ESPN podcast.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 15, 2006

Little Sisters of The Poor

There is the tendency come tournament time to make fun of teams with less that tough schedules. The most common saying is that the team got to where they were by beating up on the "Little Sisters of the Poor".

Well, Prairie View A&M, a team that probably won't be talked about come tournament time no matter who they play, may actually have decided to do just that.

On Tuesday night, Prairie View defeated the Southwestern Assemblies of God Lions 61-57. Not exactly the drubbing that they expected I am sure, but a win is a win, even if it doesn't count.

Speaking of wins, anyone seen what Savannah State has been doing this year? The infamous doormat of Division I is undefeated. Yes, you read that right, undefeated, and it isn't because they haven't played yet. They are 3-0 after defeating Clark Atlanta (DII), Jacksonville, and Mercer. The Tigers better not get too used to winning, even though they have two more gimmee games next on their schedule.

They travel to Illinois on November 21st. That should end whatever winning streak that Savannah State has at the time.

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My "AP" Ballot - Week 11

How do I reconcile the Big East mess that is occurring? Obviously I have to move Louisville out of my Top 5, although I am not sure they deserve to fall that far, especially considering everything else that happened this weekend. And I am not really sure that Rutgers is the best team in the Big East at this point, but right now, you can't deny what they have done this season. So they get the benefit of the doubt and jump into the Top 5, which could be danger.

No team I have had ranked in the top 5 has managed to survive except for Ohio State and Michigan. So, at the risk of spelling doom for Rutgers and their dream season, I am ranking them 5th.

Moving up this week are Florida, who I put at #3, despite a long hard think about it. They have not been impressive lately. Ever since Urban Meyer has started injecting Tim Tebow into the offense more, it seems like they get worse each week. I have my doubts about them, but right now, I can't see who to put ahead of them because they keep winning.

LSU, who I had at #7 last week, jumps to #4. Despite two losses, they are the most impressive two loss team in the country and their defense could face any team and give them a tough time. Let's see if they can stop Darren McFadden and Arkansas in two weeks though. Should Arkansas not beat Mississippi State this weekend, that game could be for the SEC West title. While I am confident that the Razorbacks can take care of business, you just never can tell in the SEC.

So, after much debate this week, here are my "AP" rankings for Week 11:

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. LSU
5. Rutgers

6. Arkansas
7. Texas
8. Louisville
9. Wisconsin
10. Notre Dame
11. USC
12. West Virginia
13. Cal
14. Auburn
15. Oklahoma
16. Boise State
17. Georgia Tech
18. Tennessee
19. Nebraska
20. Clemson
21. Oregon
22. Maryland
23. BYU
24. Hawaii
25. Wake Forest

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 14, 2006

The Mailbag is Open

My mail doesn't come like that pictured, but I usually try to address all the email that comes across. As we saw last February, I seemed to attract a lot of attention with my views on the seeding and placement in the tournament, and I spent a lot of the early year pleading my case. Of course, George Mason getting to the Final Four sure made the MRI look pretty smart with the #16 rating they had most of the season.

I was at dinner last night, and mentioned that I got my first letter of this basketball season. I figure it is a record. I had only made one post in order to get it.

It seems to follow a pattern. Football season goes quietly. I can say that a team is not that great, or is dragging, and nothing. However, as soon as basketball season begins, the flood begins.

So what began the flood is year? My article stating that Michigan State wouldn't amount to much this season because of their performance against Brown.

So, for the first email of the year, I present Mark, from Los Angeles, California:

"Brown plays a Princetonesque slow-down game that sucks the air out of the ball. I think you'll be seeing a lot of low scores against them. And you're absolutely right, you should be questioned for making a prediction after one game -- especially the first game. Should everybody be picking Michigan State to win the NC since in their second game they had 6 players score in double figures and wiped the court with a team who plays the kind of game 95% of the teams play, which is more indicative of how the season will go?

Btw, next time one team holds another team to a total of 35 points, don't try to spin it as a positive for the dominated team. It makes you sound like you have no idea what you're talking about."

Well, thanks Mark.

But honestly, I still think Michigan State is in trouble this year no matter what style of game they are facing. While they may be 3-0 to start the season, the record can be deceiving. But before I get ahead of myself, let me go back to Brown. In the second game of the regional, when they played Central Michigan, a team Youngstown State beat 74-50, they lost. And Central Michigan didn't score 45 points like the Spartans against that slow down game, they scored 71.

Plus, I think my point was that a team like Michigan State shouldn't be unprepared for a team like Brown, even if they play a different style. Tom Izzo had almost a month to prepare the team for the game. And he knows the type of game that Brown plays. This team is not ready for this season, no matter how much they dominated Youngstown State in their second game or The Citadel in their third.

And they should have dominated those teams. Last season, both teams went 6-21. No matter how great their recruiting, or how much improved their players may be over last season, they should not be able to compete with a team like the Spartans with better visibility and better ability to attract great players. These are teams picked to finish last in their conferences by everyone. If Michigan State didn't win like they did against Youngstown and The Citadel, then maybe the problems were deeper than I thought.

But maybe it is the messenger that is the problem here. Let me give you a man who knows this team even better than I do - the Head Coach, Tom Izzo.

During Izzo's press conference on Monday, his first statement was:

"We're a work in progress."

A work in progress which has struggled with a young lineup no matter how great their talent is. They are being out hustled on the floor by Izzo's own admission, which is unacceptable for a program of the caliber of Michigan State. They are turning the ball over way too much, even more than their opponents, opponents which we have already seen are not very good.

Coming back to the Youngstown State game, Michigan State did dominate, but part of that domination was the extra time to prepare. Again, Tom Izzo:

"We made Youngstown a big deal - the prep, the extra time, the walk through at seven in the morning - and I thought they responded very well."

It is not a good sign when you need extra preparation to get up to play a team like Youngstown State. The Penguins are not that great. Heck, I didn't even think they would get past Central Michigan like they did. It usually takes a few weeks for Youngstown to get their first win. They played The Citadel on Sunday, and won big again, despite the short time to prepare. But again Izzo was not pleased:

"If we play like this in New York, you guys will have a lot of time to hit the nightlife, because you won't have to write much. We have to improve drastically in the next couple of days."

Izzo now has 4 days to prepare to play one of the top young lineups in the game, in Texas. Texas's players are not making the mistakes that Michigan State is. Texas's team is more talented, despite being younger. Texas could honestly wipe the floor with Michigan State in New York on Thursday. And the schedule doesn't get easier from their with Maryland or St. John's the next day, Vermont after that, and a Boston College team, expected to be good, and that Vermont beat, two games later.

I am not saying that Michigan State won't be decent this year. I think they will improve over the season enough to maybe get into the 15 to 18 win range, but the Big Ten will again be a tough season. 15 to 18 wins is a step down from last season, and part of that is the losses from last season. I am not saying anything that we didn't already know about this team. Or that their coach didn't know about this team.

"We're a better basketball team than we were two weeks ago. The problem is we've got to get to be a lot better basketball team."

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Wanted: Offensive Coordinator, Must Like Extreme Pressure

Normally, an offensive coordinator resigning from a struggling football team wouldn't be news.

But this isn't a normal football team, or a normal situation.

Florida State's offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden resigned on Tuesday during the school's normally scheduled press conference. The resignation becomes effective at the end of the season.

His father, Bobby Bowden, is not only the head coach at Florida State but also the all-time wins leader in college football. Bowden has repeatedly refused to fire his son despite being under pressure from the alumni over the past few years when the Seminoles have been less than stellar.

Bobby refused to comment other than saying this:

"I am disappointed in Jeff's decision. I tried my best to encourage him to stay the course, but he was firm in his belief that it is time to move on. This is a big loss to me personally. I would hope that everyone understands that his decision is an emotional one for me and for that reason I'm not going to discuss it any further at this time."

Jeff had been the offensive coordinator since the end of the 2000-1 season when he took over for Mark Richt, now the head coach at Georgia. During Bowden's time as coordinator, the Seminoles have gone 49-25, mostly blamed on the poor offensive production. The Seminoles have averaged just under 30 points per game during his time at the helm of the offense, although that has been significantly down over the last three season. For comparison, under Richt, the Seminoles were 76-9-1, and scored 38 points per game. More importantly, they won a National Championship during that time, something that Florida State has not been close to during Jeff Bowden's time as offensive coordinator.

Florida State backed into a BCS bowl last season when Virginia Tech couldn't take care of business, despite being heavily favored in the ACC Championship game. It marked the 6th season that Florida State had made a BCS bowl game in the eight year history of the series. Despite all the appearances, the Seminoles have only been victorious once, in 1999, defeating Virginia Tech for the National Championship.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Heisman Watch - Week 11

Who was it that said they wanted to take away the lead in this race from Troy Smith because of the Illinois game? It wasn't me, that is for sure. Smith showed us all why he is still leading this race on Saturday, torching the Northwestern secondary for four touchdowns.

On a week which saw a lot of the leading candidates go down, Smith was again brilliant. He now just has to beat Michigan or not implode against them to take home the trophy.

While there is still talk that a Notre Dame victory over USC would give the award to Brady Quinn, I think Smith has done enough to this point in the season to hold onto the lead even though his last game will be this weekend. Of course, if Notre Dame does beat USC, there is a chance, given the current BCS standings, that we will see the Fighting Irish in the Championship game against the winner of Ohio State and Michigan. And if Quinn does steal the award, and Smith and the Buckeyes take care of business, we could have a repeat of last season when we saw Vince Young give the voters a bad taste in their mouths.

No great secret here, I am favoring Smith for another week in the standings, especially after his great performance against Northwestern. Other than a strange voice in the back of my head which says I should say something more here about freshman winning the award, or even sophomores getting their due, I will leave it at that.

Here is how I would rank all the contenders coming out of Week 11:

1. Troy Smith (QB Ohio State): 12/19, 185 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT vs. Northwestern - A great bounce back performance to lead his team into probably their biggest game of the season. Smith is all but walking out of New York with the award at this point.
2. Brady Quinn (QB ND): 14/19, 207 yds, 4 TDs vs. Air Force - I get to see Quinn live this coming weekend. It should be interesting. I am moving him up this week, because of what I will say about Slaton. He still continues to beat up on lesser teams and look average against some of the tougher foes. I think the USC game will be a great measure of his true ability to be #2 or maybe even #1 in this race.
3. Steve Slaton (RB West Va.): 12 car., 148 yds, 2 TD vs. Cincinnati - Here is why I am moving Slaton down. Take away the 65 yard run, he is down to 83 yards on the day. Take away his other 63 yard run, he is down to 20 yards on 10 carries. He has the big play ability, but I am beginning to wonder how much of that is the poor defense he is facing week after week. I am not ready to move him out of the top three, but I am beginning to doubts his big numbers and the perceived "performances" that go along with them, especially as other contenders begin to look more and more impressive against tougher opponents.
4. Michael Hart (RB Michigan): 19 car., 92 yds, 1 TD vs. Indiana - Nothing flashy, but that is Michael Hart. Another great game at tailback and he rolls into the game against Ohio State. I am beginning to think that Hart will be a major part of the gameplan for the Wolverines as they attempt to beat Ohio State. Their best bet may be throwing their very good offensive line against Ohio State and just letting Hart roll. We know he can hang onto the ball so why not keep it in his hands. As if it hadn't been said enough already, I can't wait for this game.
5. Darren McFadden (RB Arkansas): 30 car., 181 yds, 2 TD, 1/1, 12 yds pass, 1 TD vs. Tennessee - He wasn't even on my considered list last week, but this week McFadden is #5. If he hadn't been injured against USC, I wonder if he would have torched them the way he has been beating up on some good defenses. He and Felix Jones ran all over Auburn. He rolled over a Tennessee defense that shut down Marshawn Lynch earlier this year. I have to give him credit at this point. If he isn't in New York this season, he most definitely will next year as a junior.
6. Colt Brennan (QB Hawaii): 27/40, 406 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT, 6 car., 60 yds, 1 TD vs. Louisiana Tech - I know Hawaii quarterbacks often get credit for the system they play in but Brennan's numbers over the past few weeks have been amazing. Hawaii is consistently putting 60 or more on opponents and Brennan is completing a staggering 72.4% of his passes. He already has 43 touchdown passes this season with only seven interceptions and the Warriors still have four more games to go this season counting the Hawaii Bowl. He was my Heisman-like performer a few weeks back. He is now my Heisman contender.

Others receiving consideration:Ian Johnson (RB Boise State), Ray Rice (RB Rutgers), Marshawn Lynch (RB Cal), JaMarcus Russell (QB LSU), Erik Ainge (QB Tennessee), Chad Henne (QB Michigan), Calvin Johnson (WR Georgia Tech), Adrian Peterson (RB Oklahoma)

Heisman-like Performance

This week's player: Jordan Palmer - QB, UTEP
Line: 24/38, 447 yds, 4 TD vs. UAB
UTEP isn't going to get to the Conference USA title game this season, but they did their part to make sure that UAB wouldn't either. Along the way, Jordan Palmer, Carson's little brother, threw for a career high 447 yards and four touchdowns to lead his team to victory. The performance put Palmer over 10,000 yards for his career and makes him one of only four active quarterbacks to reach that number. Not only has his career been impressive overall, but he is tearing up the Miners record book. His yardage, touchdown passes, and possibly soon, his passing efficiency are all school records. While the UTEP season hasn't turned out like the team would have liked, they are only one more win away from qualifying for a bowl game, and that would be a big showcase for Palmer to join his brother somewhere in the NFL. Anyone who has watched the quarterback over the last three seasons knows that he has matured a long way from the player he was back in 2003 and deserves a lot of credit for the emergence of UTEP from the depths that they were in. Palmer was solid on Friday night and this week gets my nod as the Heisman-like performance.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 13, 2006

MRI Football 2006 - Rankings Week 8

With all the craziness across the country this weekend, the ratings seemed to jumble a little bit. Auburn took a big spill with their loss to Georgia. Louisville didn't manage to hold on to their lead among the Big East teams with their loss to Rutgers, allowing the Scarlet Knights to inch closer to the top 10. Texas's three point loss to Kansas State didn't drop them from the #4 spot. But their lack of gaining points in the MRI dropped them closer to the now #5 West Virginia.

Ohio State and Michigan moved forward again, but the gap between the two teams narrowed. Based on the current numbers, Ohio State will be favored by the MRI thanks to the home field advantage against Michigan, but the game should be very close. Based on the MRI's history, the percentage chance of an Ohio State win is a little less than 80% which seems high right now, so we will just have to wait and see.

The biggest winner of the week might have been USC who climbs back into the top 10 at #8 and seems poised to make a run at the teams currently running the show. Just like in the BCS, if USC can win out, it is entirely possible for them to move into the #2 spot overall or maybe #3.

Check out all the rankings in Week 8 of the MRI.

And Now the Rankings
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LW
1	Ohio State	11-0	114.43	1
2	Michigan	11-0	110.58	2
3	LSU	8-2	96.35	3
4	Texas	9-2	86.38	4
5	West Virginia	8-1	86.36	7
6	BYU	8-2	82.10	14
7	Louisville	8-1	81.31	6
8	USC	8-1	81.24	13
9	Wisconsin	10-1	79.40	9
10	Boise State	10-0	79.38	8
11	Florida	9-1	75.01	10
12	Clemson	8-3	74.63	11
13	Rutgers	9-0	71.73	15
14	Auburn	9-2	70.95	5
15	Cal	8-2	69.87	12
16	Notre Dame	9-1	68.75	17
17	Arkansas	9-1	68.68	20
18	Oklahoma	8-2	66.06	16
19	Virginia Tech	8-2	64.47	22
20	Houston	8-3	59.75	24
21	Hawaii	8-2	59.11	NR(27)
22	Oregon	7-3	57.99	19
23	Nebraska	8-3	57.48	23
24	Boston College	8-2	56.90	25
25	Missouri	7-3	55.68	NR(26)
Teams Dropped From The Top 25: Tennessee (LW #18, TW #21), Texas A&M (LW #21, TW #26)
Other Teams People Might Care About
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LW
26	Texas A&M	8-3	55.52	21
27	Tennessee	7-3	54.28	18
29	Georgia Tech	8-2	50.19	32
33	Pittsburgh	6-4	48.50	28
37	Florida State	5-5	44.76	30
43	UCLA	5-5	39.58	51
49	Miami	5-5	34.14	43
50	Washington State	6-5	33.83	33
57	Iowa	6-5	30.46	53
60	Maryland	8-2	26.79	60
63	Purdue	7-4	20.40	67
64	Northern Illinois	5-5	19.39	59
73	Vanderbilt	4-7	12.00	65
74	Michigan State	4-7	10.20	66
82	Illinois	2-9	3.03	79
88	Indiana	5-6	0.91	87
98	Miami(Ohio)	1-9	-10.52	100
99	Northwestern	3-8	-12.61	101
117	Duke	0-10	-51.56	116
Last Place this week: Temple (1-10) at -70.37. 6th week in a row.
Biggest Gain this week: Georgia gained 14.51 points. (Beat Auburn, 37-15)
Biggest Loss this week: Florida International lost 22.60 points. (Lost to Louisiana-Monroe, 35-0)
Conference rankings this week: Big East, SEC, Big Ten, PAC-10, Big 12, ACC, Mountain West, C-USA, WAC, MAC, Sun Belt

The MRI Rankings are copyright 2006 by MRISports.com. Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 12, 2006

First "Big Game" of the Season?

It may not seem like it, but tonight's game between Arizona and Virginia could go a long way towards saying what the fate of these teams may be this season.

The Arizona Wildcats are coming off of one of their worst seasons under Lute Olson and despite a #10 ranking, have a lot to prove this year. They should be helped out by the recruitment of Chase Budinger, a 6-7 freshman who should give Arizona a major presence at small forward. Olson has called Budinger possibly the most talented recruit ever at Arizona which is saying a lot about the young wingman. Budinger was also the national high school volleyball player of the year last year, so you know that he can jump. He will be joining a strong line-up of Mustafa Shakur, Marcus Williams and Ivan Radenovic, to provide a high powered offense that may not have been seen in the desert since the 1997 championship.

The reason this is a big game though, is that they will be facing a Virginia team which could surprise this season. The Cavaliers return the top scoring backcourt in the country in Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds. The two alone could give defenses some headaches, but they also add some big time help inside which could make Virginia an all-around nightmare.

Chances are that Arizona will walk away with the victory tonight, but let's be honest. A big game from Virginia, possibly keeping it close or stealing a win, could say a lot about where the Cavaliers will end up in this year's ACC. They were picked pre-season to finish 8th, but that is by no means a given in the always tough twelve team league. They have enough talent to challenge not only for a top five finish but also a chance at a NCAA tournament bid for the first time in six years.

Keep an eye on Virginia tonight, and also look to see if Arizona is as good as everyone thinks they will be. Yes, this is a big game.

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Big XII Recap - Week 11

With the number of games winding down, the tickets to the Big XII Championship Game will be handed out with a simple formula. Win and you’re in. That is all that Nebraska and Texas needed to do after setting themselves up with big victories last week.

Nebraska was able to do just that, albeit with a little drama mixed in. The Cornhuskers had been up 21-7 and looked on their way to an easy victory over Texas A&M. However, the Aggies were able to run off 20 straight points and looked to have control of the game after intercepting a Zac Taylor pass with less than three minutes remaining. But a field goal attempt by A&M that would have sealed the win was blocked by Nebraska giving them the ball back with a little under two minutes left.

Taylor took advantage, driving the team down the field and tossing a touchdown pass to Maurice Purify with 21 seconds remaining to give his team the win, 28-27. It was the second touchdown pass for Taylor in the game and made him the all-time leading passer at the school. His 21 touchdown passes are also a Nebraska school record for a single year. The win gave Nebraska the Big XII North title and reserves their place in the Kansas City.

Texas wasn’t so lucky. They scored the first seven points of the game on a quarterback sneak by Colt McCoy and that is when things started to go bad. McCoy injured his right shoulder on the run, after being crushed underneath the pile. He was forced from the game and freshman Jevan Snead came in to run the Longhorns offense.

Kansas State took advantage of the rookie signal caller, sacking him five times. They were unable to shut him down totally as the Longhorns still managed to put 45 points on the board. The Wildcats needed an onside kick recovery and a first down within the final minute to seal the victory, 48-45. Quarterback Josh Freeman threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns for Kansas State.

The loss puts a lot of pressure on Texas, especially with the status of McCoy’s injury unknown. The Longhorns had hoped to stay in the National Title hunt after Louisville’s loss earlier in the week. Now they are just hoping to win the South division. Texas must win against Texas A&M in two weeks or hope for Oklahoma to slip against either Baylor or Oklahoma State in their final two games in order to clinch the division.

In other action, Oklahoma needed some big plays of their own, scoring the final 24 points of the game to beat Texas Tech, 34-24. Paul Thompson had 309 yards passing, his career high, and fourth string running back Chris Brown had 84 yards and two touchdowns for the Sooners in the victory. Oklahoma State had no such trouble defeating Baylor 66-24. The win was the Cowboys’ sixth on the season, making them the 8th team in the conference to become bowl eligible. On a week where their coach Dan McCarney resigned, Iowa State did nothing to pick him up. The Cyclones lost to Colorado 33-16 to fall to 0-7 in conference. They have a single game against Missouri remaining to get a win, and avoid going winless in the Big XII for the first time since the inception of the conference.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. His Big XII recap appears weekly on Blogcritics.org as part of their NCAA Tailgate Cleanup. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 10, 2006

Fallout From The Rutgers Win

Piscataway, New Jersey, celebrate. This might be the last time you get to this season. I hate to break it to you, but chances are you aren't going to a BCS game.

I know, this doesn't seem correct right now, knowing that you are still awash in the adrenaline from last night. But given your standing in the last BCS rankings (13) and how much you trailed the other Big East teams, it is likely you will be left out.

I know you are crying, "We can still win the Big East!" Yes, you might. I thought you would lose last night, which would have ended that chance. But my computer gave you a chance since you were playing at home. A 46% chance to be exact (Anyone else channeling Lloyd Christmas here: "So you're sayin' there's a chance!). And you lived up to the 46% and won.

But there is a bigger challenge on the horizon. Playing at West Virginia the last week of the season could be the game to decide the conference. Assuming that all three teams (West Virginia,Rutgers, and Louisville) win out the rest of the way, that final game will decide who goes to the BCS as the conference champion. There is little chance that any of the three will be in line for the #2 spot overall in the BCS. Therefore, the winner of the conference will only have a shot at the Orange Bowl.

The MRI, counting last night's game, give the Mountaineers a 64% chance of winning at home that final week. That will change as the next few weeks move along, but right now, it looks likely that all three teams will be tied with one loss in conference. According to the Big East website, the tiebreaker when there are three teams tied is to form a mini-conference of the tied teams. Because all the teams finished 1-1 in that little conference, the Big East champion will be the one rated highest in the BCS standings.

Based on what happened when Louisville beat West Virginia, I think we will see Rutgers being the higher team going into the game against the Mountaineers. But if the Mountaineers win, they would take over that lead again. West Virginia would be the Orange Bowl participant, with Louisville and Rutgers on the outside looking in.

Rutgers might get shafted even more. Because bowls have the ultimate decision on the teams they invite, the Gator Bowl might decide to choose Louisville, the team with the "bigger draw" if you can say that about the Cardinals. The Scarlet Knights might not be any better off than before last night, headed to the Texas Bowl.

Of course, you can prove me wrong and win on December 2nd. You can once again be the underdog based on the numbers and come out on top. But 36% is not 46%.

Sorry Rutgers. I hope you enjoyed your time on top.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Who Will Be This Year's George Mason?

The buzz is already starting. People are wondering who will show up and become the team that shocks the world this season. They are being tabbed "The Next George Mason".

ESPN tackled this issue on Wednesday night during their broadcast of the Maryland-Vermont game. The first to weigh in was Jimmy Dykes. I am not a huge Dykes fan. I have watched him the last few years on the late games on Monday nights and more than not I disagree with him.

So, I am not sure whether I should be happy or fearful of his pick for this year's George Mason as he revealed them.

His four picks, with his reasoning after:

Creighton - Why? Nate Funk and Anthony Tolliver

Winthrop - Why? 4 returning starters (Side note: Here I agree. Winthrop was this close last year to what would have been a huge upset of Tennessee in the first round of the tournament. My computer had them as one of the top Mid-Major programs in the nation, and they were under everyone's radar. Winthrop is for real, no matter what league they play in.)

Loyola-Chicago - Why? 5 Starters return from a team that won 19 games last year. (Side Note: The Horizon league better watch out. I was honestly hoping Loyola would get to the tournament last year. They should make it easily this time around, maybe even an at large bid?)

Drexel - Why? 4 returning starters, most importantly, Dominic Mejia

As much as I love seeing Drexel mentioned, I am not sure what I think about this. I think Drexel has what it takes to compete and win this season in the CAA, but I am not too sure if they have what it takes to win more than a single game in the NCAA tournament should they get that far. And I think Hofstra is the more talented team in the league. So to pick Drexel without picking Hofstra strikes me as a bit strange.

Tom Brennan, who knows a little bit about being a Cinderella in the tournament when he was the head coach of Vermont (and he can thank Taylor Coppenrath for that), agrees with me, selecting The Pride to make a little run. Doug Gottlieb went with Dykes's first pick, Creighton, specifically because of Nate Funk.

My four picks? Hofstra, as I mentioned is my first pick, if only because of their great returns in the backcourt. Only Virginia's starting backcourt returns more points per game. The Pride are my pick to take the Colonial, taking out George Mason and Drexel along the way. Second, Winthrop based on their returns and their experience last season in the tournament against Tennessee. Third, Wichita State. The Shockers were the Midmajor overlook last season since they ran into the George Mason buzz saw. Look for Wichita State to rebound and surprise. Last, the Dragons, despite what I said before (Hey, I picked Hofstra first). I have to go with my home team and Dominic Mejia. Look for Bashir Mason to get some pub near the end of the season and this team to overcome last year's defeats in the final five minutes to get to 20 wins.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 9, 2006

Two Days In - Two Teams Not to Watch

The college basketball season has started with the Coaches vs. Cancer classic, this year expanded into a very large tournament. One of the teams that will be playing in the semi-finals coming up is Maryland, who took care of their first two opponents, Vermont and Hampton, with less than a concern.

However, there are plenty of concerns for the Terrapins, who last season missed the NCAA tournament last year. The biggest concern I would have is what they have done to address their issues inside. Ekene Ibekwe is good, but he got beat up last season in the ACC and didn't give the Terps the power they needed on the interior. This season, I already see concerns with Maryland on the inside and this was against Vermont and Hampton. They will be overmatched again in ACC play and may struggle to make the tournament for a second straight season.

The other team that concerns me so far? Michigan State. Not much was expected this season for the Spartans, and if the game against Brown was any indication, I don't think much should have been.

Brown held Michigan State to 45 points last night. And it wasn't as if the Spartans shot poorly. They were over 40% from the field. But 45 points over 40 minutes should be very disturbing for Tom Izzo and the boys in green.

Their defense might have saved them. They held Brown under 30% shooting and yet they only won by 11. Had Brown been able to shoot better, I think we would have been seeing a very unhappy East Lansing today.

I am going to go out on a limb here this early in the season. Neither of these teams will be title contenders, and should they make the NCAA tournament, you are looking at two teams ripe for a first round upset.

Sure, projecting that from the first couple of games this season is dangerous, but I think in these two cases, I am safe.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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My "AP" Ballot - Week 10

My entire bottom five could be the story this week. Although in college football with only 120 teams, #20-25 don't really mean much other than publicity. At the end of the season, I would contend that 20-25 are mostly likely teams with 4 or 5 losses. Not very scary when you see them take the field. The real story should be the Top 10.

I only drop West Virginia to #9. Is that wrong? Still in front of the one loss Notre Dame team because they scare me more than Quinn's arm without a running game.

Feel free to disagree, but this is what I think.

Here are my "AP" rankings for Week 10:

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Texas
4. Louisville
5. Auburn

6. Florida
7. LSU
8. Cal
9. West Virginia
10. Notre Dame
11. USC
12. Arkansas
13. Wisconsin
14. Boise State
15. Tennessee
16. Rutgers
17. Oregon
18. Oklahoma
19. Georgia Tech
20. Nebraska
21. Clemson
22. Maryland
23. BYU
24. Hawaii
25. Wake Forest

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 8, 2006

Heisman Watch - Week 10

I am not Dennis Dodd, and I am not going to overreact to Colt McCoy's success over his first season in the league. Dodd places McCoy at his #2 position in the Heisman race this week and admonishes Mack Brown for not supporting his young signal caller for the award.

I agree with Mack Brown though. While McCoy has been impressive, I don't know how you could name him as the best player in the nation this year. I think last week when I touted the glories of Troy Smith, I made a very important point.

Smith comes at you with his arm and his legs. That is a pretty powerful combination, much like a certain quarterback that was at Texas last season. That quarterback whose record for passing touchdowns that McCoy broke last weekend.

That quarterback had one thing that McCoy doesn't have and that is the ability to get away and score with his legs. McCoy has one rushing touchdown this season.

Vince Young had 12 and made defenses adjust to account for his ability to run the football, much like Troy Smith does.

Let's see McCoy mature a little more before we call him the best player in the game, or consider him for the Heisman. I am not saying that the award should be restricted to only upperclassmen (I would have voted for Adrian Peterson two years ago), but I do think that when there is an upperclassman that changes the game with his arm and his legs, he needs to be considered above the freshman who does it.

Agree with me or not, that is just the way I feel.

A short Heisman watch this week, because of its tardiness. I promise to be back to normal next week.

After watching all the top performers for the week, here is how I would rank the contenders coming out of Week 10:

1. Troy Smith (QB Ohio State): 13/23, 107 yards, 1 INT, 11 att., 37 rush yards vs. Illinois - This was Smith's first tough game of the year, but I believe his lead for the trophy was so big that this is nothing. He still would have to really fall apart the last two games to cause me to remove him.
2. Steve Slaton (RB West Va.): 18 att., 156 yards, 1 TD, 3 rec., 74 yards vs. Louisville - You might be thinking that he would fall after the Mountaineers lost last week. I disagree. Slaton still looked amazing against Louisville and 230 yards are nothing to sneeze at especially against the Louisville defense (which was very porous last week). Slaton showed he is great and the combination of him and Pat White will be tough for the next two years should they not jump to the NFL.
3. Brady Quinn (QB ND): 23/35, 346 yards, 4 TD vs. North Carolina - A great game. And it almost took Brady to #2. I debated long and hard on this before leaving him here. I still think that Slaton is the better athlete and better player. Let me see what Quinn can do the rest of the way to change my mind.
4. Michael Hart (RB Michigan): 25 att., 154 yards, 1 TD vs. Ball State - The average per carry doesn't look great, but I still watch the games, and I still see Hart as the most talented player on the field when the Wolverines go play. Should Hart stay around for his final season, he will be something special.
5. Marshawn Lynch (RB Cal): 20 att., 81 yards, 1 TD, 4 rec., 45 yards, 1 TD vs. UCLA - Lynch? Lynch? Wasn't he left for dead after the Tennessee game and the slip against Oregon State? I just look at how much he contributes to his offense and I am amazed. Running, catching. Reminds me of a certain player from USC last season without the punt returns. Lynch deserves this 5th spot.
6. Ian Johnson (RB Boise State): 24 att., 136 yards, 2 TD vs. Fresno State - I dropped him. He is losing power as the season goes on and his average per carry is starting to slip. Sure 20 touchdowns are impressive, but looking overall, I wonder about the strength of the teams that Boise is playing. Sure it was a nice ride for Ian in my Top 5, but there are other players that are impressing me more at this point.

Others receiving consideration: Colt Brennan (QB Hawaii), Erik Ainge (QB Tennessee), JaMarcus Russell (QB LSU), Chad Henne (QB Michigan), Calvin Johnson (WR Georgia Tech), Ray Rice (RB Rutgers), Adrian Peterson (RB Oklahoma)

Heisman-like Performance

No Heisman-like performance this week. It will return as usual next week.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 6, 2006

MRI Football 2006 - Rankings Week 7

I am guessing that Ohio State didn't think that Illinois would give them much of a challenge. And probably even more after they went up 17-0 against the Illini. However, Illinois scored 10 points in the final quarter and tried to make a game of it at the end.

Add to that one of the worst performances by Heisman front runner Troy Smith, and you have the makings of possibly upset. Not so fast though. The Ohio State team came through it unscathed, getting to 10-0. Despite the win, the Buckeyes lost some of their lead in the MRI rankings this week. They slipped a couple of points, but managed to hold onto the #1 ranking.

Why? Well, Michigan had struggles of their own against Ball State. The Cardinals defense was able to not only hold down Michigan but also caused Michael Hart to fumble for the first time in over 650 carries of the ball. The fumble led to a safety by Ball State. Therefore, while Michigan didn't lose points in their MRI rating, they didn't gain enough to get to the top spot.

Speaking of Cardinals, Louisville did its part in winning on Thursday. However, because of the amount of yardage they gave up to the Mountaineers and the consideration of West Virginia's opponents into their rating, both teams drop from the top five this week. Neither could withstand the charge put up by two of the "1 loss" contenders.

Texas and Auburn move into the Top 5 with their big wins over Oklahoma State and Arkansas State respectively. They are joined at #3 by LSU who pull a big win on the road against Tennessee. The Tigers defense was able to hold down a Volunteers team which was playing without star quarterback Erik Ainge for most of the game. In addition, they overcame three interceptions by JaMarcus Russell. The victory was enough to keep LSU looking strong by the overall numbers.

The other two undefeated teams in the nation are Boise State and Rutgers. The Broncos come in at #8 this week while Rutgers still trails back at #15. The biggest game of the season for Rutgers comes this Thursday as they play Louisville for control of the lead in the Big East conference. It will be interesting to see how the MRI looks on Rutgers should they pull the major upset at home.

Check out all the ratings in Week 7 of the MRI.

And Now the Rankings
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LW
1	Ohio State	10-0	110.16	1
2	Michigan	10-0	101.81	2
3	LSU	7-2	89.91	3
4	Texas	9-1	87.00	6
5	Auburn	9-1	83.91	7
6	Louisville	8-0	83.39	5
7	West Virginia	7-1	80.52	4
8	Boise State	9-0	77.38	10
9	Wisconsin	9-1	76.67	12
10	Florida	8-1	74.48	8
11	Clemson	7-3	73.88	9
12	Cal	8-1	73.57	11
13	USC	7-1	72.18	13
14	BYU	7-2	70.12	15
15	Rutgers	8-0	68.64	14
16	Oklahoma	7-2	64.70	16
17	Notre Dame	8-1	61.11	20
18	Tennessee	7-2	59.30	17
19	Oregon	7-2	59.15	NR(27)
20	Arkansas	8-1	58.88	22
21	Texas A&M	8-2	57.54	21
22	Virginia Tech	7-2	56.80	24
23	Nebraska	7-3	55.98	NR(28)
24	Houston	7-3	55.07	NR(29)
25	Boston College	7-2	54.40	25
Teams Dropped From The Top 25: Missouri (LW #18, TW #26), Tulsa (LW #19, TW #29), Pittsbugh (LW #23, TW #28)
Other Teams People Might Care About
RANK	TEAM	RECORD	MRI	LW
28	Pittsburgh	6-3	50.01	23
30	Florida State	5-4	49.56	40
32	Georgia Tech	7-2	48.36	31
33	Washington State	6-4	47.67	26
43	Miami	5-4	35.22	42
51	UCLA	4-5	31.40	47
53	Iowa	6-4	31.26	37
59	Northern Illinois	5-4	23.81	60
60	Maryland	7-2	23.66	61
65	Vanderbilt	4-6	18.01	65
66	Michigan State	4-6	17.48	62
67	Purdue	6-4	16.92	71
79	Illinois	2-8	7.61	82
87	Indiana	5-5	2.60	66
100	Miami(Ohio)	1-9	-10.20	101
101	Northwestern	3-7	-10.62	109
116	Duke	0-9	-48.84	116
Last Place this week: Temple (1-9) at -59.64. 5th week in a row.
Biggest Gain this week: Texas Tech gained 11.32 points. (Beat Baylor, 55-21)
Biggest Loss this week: Indiana lost 16.56 points. (Lost to Minnesota, 63-26)
Conference rankings this week: Big East, SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-10, ACC, Mountain West, C-USA, WAC, MAC, Sun Belt

The MRI Rankings are copyright 2006 by MRISports.com. Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Big XII Recap - Week 10

Nebraska and Texas set themselves up nicely with only two weeks remaining in the regular season. Before this week, they needed to win out and they would be guaranteed a spot in the Championship game. After wins this weekend, both teams can slip a little and still get that ticket for the December 2nd game.

In their victory, Texas did what Nebraska couldn’t last week - beat Oklahoma State. The freshman Colt McCoy was again brilliant, tossing for 346 yards and three touchdowns. McCoy now has 27 touchdown passes this season, passing Vince Young for the single season record for touchdown passes at Texas.

Nebraska had to make up for their loss last week by beating Missouri this weekend. The stout Tiger defense which had been carrying them through the first six games of the year has been missing the last few weeks. Missouri gave up 419 yards to Nebraska as they dropped their third game in the last four. Nebraska’s Brandon Jackson ground out 111 yards on the ground coming on 32 carries. He also scored the final touchdown for the Cornhuskers as they moved to 7-2 with the victory in a game that was never in doubt.

Texas got their breathing room thanks to Oklahoma. The Sooners went on the road to College Station and beat the A&M Aggies, 17-16. Running back Allen Patrick gained 173 yards and scored a touchdown for Oklahoma. They needed him to come up big too as they were only able to gain 39 yards through the air on a 3 for 12 passing performance by Paul Thompson. Oklahoma closes with three straight South division games, against Texas Tech, Baylor, and Oklahoma State. Two wins would put them in position to head back to the Cotton Bowl.

In other conference action, Texas Tech got over 500 yards passing from Graham Harrell to beat down Baylor 55-21. The win gets the Red Raiders bowl eligible. Kansas State won on the road in conference for the first time in two years, and also became bowl eligible with a 34-21 win at Colorado. The Wildcats last went to a bowl game when they upset Oklahoma in the Big XII Championship game in 2003. Finally, Kansas beat Iowa State 41-10 to keep the Cyclones winless in Big XII play.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. His Big XII recap appears weekly on Blogcritics.org as part of their NCAA Tailgate Cleanup. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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November 1, 2006

My "AP" Ballot - Week 9

Apparently I was a little high on Clemson who falls out of my Top 5 this week. They just got beat up on by Virginia Tech. I am still not ready to say that there is a better team overall in the ACC, but the Tigers are slipping. They fall down my list to #12.

Moving up to take their spot in my Top 5 was Louisville setting up a huge game tomorrow night against West Virginia. All I know is that one of my upper echelon teams will be out of there next week.

Not many other changes this week, except that the Big XII is beginning to look like Texas and everyone else according to my ballot and Wisconsin is making their own slow climb up the charts. I thought they might totally break down against Illinois but recovered in time.

Here are my "AP" rankings for Week 9:

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. West Virginia
4. Texas
5. Louisville

6. Florida
7. Auburn
8. Tennessee
9. LSU
10. Cal
11. Notre Dame
12. Clemson
13. USC
14. Boise State
15. Arkansas
16. Wisconsin
17. Rutgers
18. Oregon
19. Oklahoma
20. Georgia Tech
21. Nebraska
22. Tulsa
23. Missouri
24. Boston College
25. Texas A&M

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com

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Big Ten Spotlight

Two quick thoughts:

1. The Flint Journal reports that John L Smith will be let go from his job in the next 40 minutes. A press conference has been called and sources think that defensive coordinator Chris Smeland will take over as the coach. At least this will stop the coaching abuse, both from fans, and himself that Smith took. Michigan State can still make a bowl appearance with two more victories.
2. George Solomon, the ESPN Ombudsman reports that:

   Some viewers are still upset the football game between top-ranked Ohio State and Indiana this month was on ESPNU rather than ESPN or ESPN2.

   Yes, those fans were upset that they didn't get to see Ohio State actually give up three points. They thought that game was a little more sporting at 44-3, than the national broadcast that was given to the Buckeyes win over Minnesota, 44-0. Come on, people. Don't we have better things to worry about than having missed another blowout by Ohio State? Now, if the Ohio State - Michigan game is slated to be on ESPNU, then you can complain.

Posted by bmiraski at 11:50 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack