The GMs Top 10

After a week full of upsets it took me a little while to really figure out my top 10.

While I think USC is better than some of the teams on this list I can't rank them ahead of them.

This isn't a power rankings list....it's a top 10 list.

And you have to win and perform well to get on the list.

1. Oklahoma (2) 4-0 - Right now they are the best team in the country. The Big 12 schedule starts this week so they will finally be tested.
2. Alabama (5) 5-0 - They are undefeated and have won 3 games on the road including games @ Clemson and @ Georgia.
3. LSU (9) 4-0 - They have won a big road game at Auburn and played well against a solid Mississippi State team. The real tests are coming though.
4. Texas (8) 4-0 - They haven't been tested yet but they have handled their business with no issues. The win over Rice was their best win so far. But that will change soon.
5. Penn State (-) 5-0 - They were close in past weeks to this list but hadn't played anyone. They took care of Illinois this past weekend and with all the upsets move way up the list.
6. Missouri (7) 4-0 - They still haven't beaten anyone. They beat Illinois in their first game but not as handily as PSU did so they will remain behind the Lions for now.
7. BYU (10) 4-0 - Haven't played the toughest schedule but have handled everyone they played so far with the exception of Washington game. Last 2 games they have won 103-0.
8. South Florida (-) 5-0 - After falling out of the top 10 last week they return after handling NC State this weekend. Playing in the Big East they will have a hard time remaining in this spot.
9. Georgia (4) 4-1 - They lost to a very good team in Alabama and they tried to come back. It looked like the Dawgs just didn't show up in the first half. Losing to a Top 10 team isn't bad though.
10. USC (1) 2-1 - They were on the road and got beat. So they fell a ways. Now they have to prove that the loss was a fluke but they will be hard pressed to return to number 1.

Almost there:

• Utah (-) - They are 5-0 but need to keep winning to make the top 10.
• Texas Tech (-) - At 4-0 they haven't played anyone substantial yet. Once they do they could be a top 5 team.
• Florida (3) - Of the top 5 upset last week they were the worst because it was at home. They need to rebound and with their schedule could return to the top.
• Auburn (-) - Only loss is to a strong LSU team. Keep winning and they will leap some of the other teams.
• Ohio State (-) - They have the chance this week to beat Wisconsin and move back into the top 10.

Gone from the list:

• East Carolina (-) - Another loss has eliminated them from any future consideration on this list.
• Wake Forest (-) - Losing to Navy at home was unacceptable. Will have to win consistently before they return.

A Week of Upsets!

What isn't to like about College Football?

For the second season in a row there appears to be no real dominant team.

And apparently no dominate teams at all.

9 of the top 25 lost this week. Albeit 3 of them to other ranked teams. But that still leaves 6 teams losing to unranked teams.

Including 1 USC and 4 Florida losing games to unranked teams.

Navy won their first game over a ranked opponent since 1985! Unbelievable

Every weekend there are games that are worth watching....even if they don't look like it before hand. Examples.....USC at Oregon State and Mississippi AT Florida.....IN THE SWAMP!

Let's look around the conferences:

SEC:

• Alabama is obviously the team to beat in the conference. And their schedule is manageable. My main concern is some of the trap games. They play teams they SHOULD beat in between each tough game. Watch out Tide!
• Georgia will lose another game or 2 this season. They haven't looked like a top 5 team all season and won't be until next year at best.
• Florida has a tough schedule but could get through it. They need to find a running game and play better in all their games.
• Vanderbilt gets to prove themselves this weekend when they host Auburn. They are 4-0 and seem to be solid but can they really compete in the SEC? Time will tell.

Big 12:

• Oklahoma is arguably the best team in the country. They dominated a solid TCU team Saturday night. The schedule is manageable with most of their tough games at home. But other than TCU they haven't been challenged too much...it is coming soon enough!
  
• Missouri has a very manageable schedule and could possibly make it to the Big 12 title game undefeated. But they need to start playing defense.
• Texas seems to like winning 52-10 as they have done it now 3 different times. They have a tough schedule ahead though. After this week against Colorado they get 4 games in a row against currently ranked teams.
• Oklahoma State has very hard schedule with games @ Missouri, @ Texas, @ Texas Tech, and home for Oklahoma. I would be surprised if they win any of them. 4-4 in Big 12 is best possibility.

Big Ten:

• Penn State is the class of the conference. They have 4 of their next 5 on the road beginning with Purdue in West Lafayette this weekend. Should be favored in every game except Ohio State game and really should win all their games.
• Terrelle Pryor has not proved anything to me yet. Yes he can run but teams will shut that down soon...maybe this weekend with Wisconsin. After that they host Penn State which could be for at least the Rose Bowl bid.
• Michigan State has the pieces to be the third best team in the conference but they absolutely need to be more consistent.
• Wisconsin and Illinois were very disappointing this past weekend. Illinois can move the ball with anyone but can't stop anyone else moving it. And Wisconsin has the opposite going....they play good defense but can't score points.

ACC:

• Maryland is better than people thought but I still think they will lose 2 or 3 games this season. This week is a classic trap game...after a good win and before a tough opponent they could have a let down against UVa.
• Virginia Tech got a big win at Nebraska this weekend. It is a much better team with Taylor at quarterback. They have a very manageable schedule and could win the rest of their games.
• Wake Forest had a bad loss against Navy. Clemson lost to Maryland. Still a lot of questions in this conference.

Pac 10:

• USC is still a top 5 team in the nation. The problem is always their focus. Could it be that Pete Carroll is too laid back? His teams always have a bad loss it seems.
• Oregon can prove themselves this weekend against USC. If they can get out of there with a win they should win all their games and go to the Rose Bowl.
• Arizona hasn't proved anything yet. They will get their chance soon enough.
• California is a good team. They have been kind of flying under the radar so far. The loss at Maryland had many factors including a noon start Eastern time...9 am local time for the players. They could surprise some teams in the coming weeks.

Big East:

• There really isn't much here. This conference is worse than a couple non-BCS conferences.
• South Florida could go undefeated and they won't play for the National Title unless everyone has at least 1 loss and the big teams have 2. But they will probably lose at least 1 game....they always do.
• UConn is good in the Big East but in any other BCS conference they wouldn't be in the top half.

Elsewhere:

• Notre Dame got a big win against Purdue. Their schedule is set up that they could go either 9-3 or 10-2 and we still won't know much about them. The team is obviously improved over last year's team but put them in the Big Ten and they MIGHT go 3-5 in the conference.
• East Carolina was obviously a pretender. They just don't seem to be playing hard anymore.
• The Mountain West Conference is good. Utah and BYU should meet at the end of the season with a BCS bowl bid on the line.
• Rice has an incredible offense but their defense is missing about 11 players it seems. Texas beat them up good and that win I think is pretty good.

Check back later for my Top 10 and then later this week for my weekend preview. Another good weekend coming up.

Verb's 2008 MLB Awards

The season has come down to its final game tonight and it will actually decide everything potentially in the AL Central. Awesome! The rest of playoffs are decided so look for our playoff predictions coming this week on the podcast. Today I am going to tell you who should and shouldn't be considered for post season awards and tell you who I would vote for if I was so worthy of such an honor. Lets start in the National League.

NL MVP:

Who should get votes:

-Albert Pujols - The man is a machine and he played on a sub-par team and kept in the race for 90 percent of the season. He had more extra base hits then strikeouts and his slugging and ops were off the charts.

-Ryan Howard - 48 home runs and 148 rbi's. His team won a division championship too.

-Carlos Delgado - 38 home runs and 115 rbi's and can hit in the clutch. Was really hot late in the season but his team did not win a division champion or even a wild card.

Who is being talked about and I don't really know why:

-Manny Ramirez - He hit .396 and had 53 rbi's in 53 games for the Dodgers but that all the games he played in the NL this year. I refuse to give this award to someone who only played a third of the season in that respective league.

-CC Sabathia - See Manny Ramirez.

Who was really good but shouldn't be in this conversation:

-Lance Berkman

-Hanley Ramirez

-Johan Santana

-Brad Lidge

Winner: Albert Pujols

NL Cy Young:

Who should get votes:

-Tim Lincecum - 17-5 with 252 strikeouts for a bad team. His ERA was 2.66. That's really really really good!

-Johan Santana - 16-7 with 206 strikeouts for the Mets. His ERA was 2.53 and his team was winning most of the season and his bullpen was awful all of the season. He was dominant down the stretch and kept the Mets in the race for a long time.

-Brandon Webb - 22-7 with 183 strikeouts on a team that was winning the division until late September. 3 bad starts late in the season really hurt his ERA and his chances.

-Brad Lidge - 41 for 41 in save opportunities. I always struggle giving this award to a closer however.


Winner: Tim Lincecum

NL Manager of the Year:

Who should get votes:

-Lou Piniella - the Cubs had the best record in the league.

-Tony LaRussa - this team was supposed to be bad and were in way into September.

-Charlie Manuel - his team could have quit but Charlie kept them going and now he is a division champion again.

Winner: Lou Piniella without question!

I would do the Rookie of the Year awards but I don't really know what makes a guy a rookie in baseball so I'm not going to do that one.

Onto the AL...

AL MVP:

Who should get votes:

-Justin Morneau - .302, 23 home runs, 129 rbi's for a division champ!

-Dustin Pedroia - He did everything for the Sox this year. No stat really stands out but you have all heard that he did everything for this team including hit clean-up for 4 games.

-Josh Hamilton - .304, 32 homers and 130 driven in. The Rangers didn't win the division but that's because Anaheim was really good.

Who was really good but shouldn't be in this conversation:

-Francisco Rodriguez

-Miguel Cabrera

-Carlos Quentin

-Grady Sizemore

Winner: Josh Hamilton!

AL Cy Young:

Who should get votes:

-Francisco Rodriguez - 62 saves beat the former saves record by 5. 2.24 ERA. Unreal!

-Cliff Lee - Out of nowhere to win 22 games for a bad Cleveland team. He had a 2.54 ERA and 170 strikeouts. That's really good!

-Roy Halladay - 20-11 with a 2.78 ERA. 206 strikeouts and deserved a better record.

-Diasuke Matsuzaka - 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. He was injured for some of the season but still pitched great when healthy.

Winner: Cliff Lee barely of K Rod!

Manager of the Year:

Who should get votes:

-Joe Maddon - Won a division in Tampa

Winner: Joe Maddon and no one else should get a single first place vote!

Rookie of the Year is going to be Evan Longoria from Tampa and that's who I would vote for but again I don't know what the rules are for this so I don't know who else should get votes.

So there ya have it, the standouts from this year in baseball. MVP's, Cy Young's and the best managers around. The Playoffs are going to be great. Hopefully I can out-pick my counter-part during October.

Gettin Loose...9/26

Since I am the resident NASCAR expert, well, I am supposed to be anymore, you can't tell by the fantasy standing right now, I am going to be doing a weekly post about anything and everything that has to do with the coming week in NASCAR. Probably give you a top 10 or so and some predictions for the weekend and if anything else big happens I will talk about that too.

If you have any questions relating to NASCAR just email it to me and I will definitely address right here on the homepage of the blog on Fridays.

I know there is only 8 weeks left in the season so you are probably asking why start now and there are two reasons. One is that its chase time so what better time to start and two this is a good practice season for next year so I can go racing with all of you when they get to Daytona in February.

So lets drop the green flag on Gettin Loose and get after it!

This week's stop for NASCAR is Kansas Motor Speedway in the heartland of America. Greg Biffle is the hottest guy on the circuit right now being that he has one the last two races and has jumped all the way to a tie for second in the points with Jimmie Johnson just behind Carl Edwards. If you read my only other post on NASCAR I actually picked Carl to win the points so that is not unexpected to me. Biffle's strong runs however are but I don't see him stopping this week. Greg has been great on this track in the past and I definitely think he will be vying for his third straight win come Sunday afternoon.

Some other drivers that I think will contend this weekend are Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Johnson and Carl Edwards.

Clint Bowyer loves these flat D shaped ovals so I can definitely see him running well. Jeff Gordon has won here twice in the past and needs a strong run to stay in contention. Kyle Busch has to run well one of these weeks, right? Jimmie Johnson runs good at every track, especially when its crunch time and Carl Edwards, I just feel is dialed in right now and will definitely be there at the end.

The driver I think will win this weekend's race however is Tony Stewart. Stewart won this race in 2006 and is flat-out due to win. I think this is a track Tony is good at and he would love to get one final win for Gibbs before he leaves to start his new team next season.

The top story off the track this week was Red Bull racing parting ways with A.J. Allmendinger and signing Scott Speed to take over the 84 car next season. I am not sure if this is a huge deal only because team Red Bull isn't a serious player yet in NASCAR so I am really not sure if anyone would do well in this car. From what I understand Speed has been doing well in the truck series and is a young, brash, volatile personality that Red Bull likes. Fair enough, I guess. Sprint Cup and truck are two totally different animals however. Allmendinger has never really impressed me but from watching some shows on tv this week he has impressed some people in the garage, so I expect he will get a ride next season. The 41 car in the Ginassi stable is the most likely place according rumors circulating right now.

Now onto my top ten heading to Kansas!

10. Matt Kenseth - A second last week has him moving up, so a strong run this weekend is much needed.
9. Jeff Gordon - 7th place last week helps but he needs a few good runs in a row to really make any noise.
8. Kyle Busch - Two bad finishes but before that he was the man and that counts for something.
7. Tony Stewart - He has been consistent and if I'm right this weekend he will be right there.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr. - All he needs is a few good runs because this team is right there and wants it bad.
5. Kevin Harvick - 8 straight top 10's. Who knew? I did and he is right there as well.
4. Jeff Burton - Another incredibly consistent year. Just needs a win and we would be talking way more about him.
3. Jimmie Johnson - 2 straight titles and 10 points away makes it seem crazy that I have him at number 3. Tells you something about the top 2.
2. Greg Biffle - 2 chase races, 2 wins.
1. Carl Edwards - Even with Biffle winning two in a row he is still winning the points and this weekend should be another top 5 run.

Like I said fans, if you have any questions or think my top 10 is crazy send me an email at jumpingoffsides@aol.com. I will talk to you next week when we are on our way to the Talladega!

NFL Week 4 Preview

Bye weeks officially start this week (not counting Balt/Houston in week 2) so teams are getting a rest this week.

And there are some players getting a couple weeks.....Plaxico.

There are some intriguing matchups this week even with 6 teams off.

Let's take a look at some:

Minnesota at Tennessee

Which team is for real? Which defense is better? Which offense is worse? Which running game is better?

Those are all questions that should be answered after this game. I think it is a more important game for the Titans since they can keep their 2 game lead in the division. Even with a lose I don't think they will lose ground in the division as the other teams will lose as well.

This game might be one of the shortest ever as well. Both teams are going to run the ball about 40 times and the final score could be something like 13-6 or something like that.


Green Bay at Tampa Bay

Can the Packers rebound from the Dallas loss? Is Tampa for real? Can Tampa run the ball or will Griese throw it 67 times again? Will the loss of Al Harris doom the Packers?

This game matches former division rivals in the old NFC Central. Both teams are 2-1 and looking good this year again. Both teams won their divisions last year so that really shouldn't be a surprise.

Green Bay gives up like 5.5 yards per carry so I expect the Bucs to run all day long. And Ryan Grant is finally healthy but against the Tampa D, I don't like it.

I think the Pack struggle mentally to get over the Dallas loss, plus playing in Tampa is not that easy.


Washington at Dallas

Which Redskin team shows up? Will the Cowboys be over-confident? Can Campbell keep up the good play?

If Dallas wins they take an even more commanding lead in the division. If the Redskins pull out the upset they will be in second behind the Giants for the division. A VERY important game....obviously.

The Redskins have been a much better team over the past two weeks but now get a team clicking on all cylinders. Can they hold up? The Cowboys need to avoid a letdown after a big win last Sunday night over Green Bay.


Baltimore at Pittsburgh

Is Baltimore for real? Which D is better? Can Flacco lead the team to more wins? Can either team run against the other?

I think Baltimore is 0-2 because of their record more than any real talent. But I also think Pittsburgh is banged up and will have a hard time getting anything going.

Whichever team can run more will have an advantage in this game. Willie Parker is out for the Steelers so Mr. Fumble Rashard Mendenhall will have to carry the running game. But Willis McGahee has an eye problem and might not play. Interesting game. Should be low scoring but who knows with these two.


My Picks:

• Cleveland at Cincinnati - Bengals are beginning to click on offense, that will continue against hapless browns
• Minnesota at Tennessee - Titans are the better team and will win at home
• Denver at Kansas City - Kansas City is just bad. I think Huard is okay but the defense can't stop Cutler and Co.
• San Fransisco at New Orleans - Tough game to pick. Brees' targets are falling each day. SF D will win game.
• Arizona at NY Jets - Jets haven't proven anything to me yet. Arizona played okay in Washington and okay will be enough in NY.
• Green Bay at Tampa Bay - at home I like the Bucs. I think the Pack are better overall but not playing at 100% right now.
• Atlanta at Carolina - Atlanta will win some games against bad teams....Carolina is not a bad team.
• Houston at Jacksonville - Jacksonville gets a break here against a bad Houston team
• San Diego at Oakland - San Diego is a top 5 team against a bad team in Oakland
• Buffalo at St. Louis - Buffalo hasn't been tested yet and this week won't be any different
• Washington at Dallas - Dallas is better and at home.
• Philadelphia at Chicago - Even without Westbrook the Eagles will win. McNabb is too good.
• Baltimore at Pittsburgh - Ravens offense won't move the ball at all.

I am 19-12 so far. I hope to be 32-12 after these picks. Call your bookie. But remember that these are straight up picks.

Verb's Thoughts:

Here we go again, picking the NFL games straight up. I am confident in my partner that if you take his picks to your bookie you will be fine. I can't guarantee anything from me but remember last week I did go 14-2. I don't know what my total was from the first week we did it but I am sure I am doing pretty good overall. Lets get on with this week and see if I can't top last week.

Cleveland at Cincinnati
Minnesota at Tennessee
Denver at Kansas City
San Francisco at New Orleans
Arizona at New York Jets
Green Bay at Tampa Bay
Atlanta at Carolina
Houston at Jacksonville
San Diego at Oakland
Buffalo at St. Louis
Washington at Dallas
Philadelphia at Chicago
Baltimore at Pittsburgh

There ya have it folks. I expect the idea of "what comes around goes around" will eventually catch up to me because I did so well last week so like I said before no guarantees here just hope that they make it seem like I know kind of what I am talking about.

Confidence Pool Picks, 9/26

Here are the confidence picks that are in right now.

Remember if you want to participate you have until Saturday at noon for college games and Sunday at 1 for NFL games.

College Games:

Purdue at Notre Dame
Verb-------ND--------3
GM--------ND--------3
Wifey------Purdue----2

Navy at Wake Forest
Verb-------Wake------4
GM--------Navy------1
Wifey------Wake------6

Tennessee at Auburn
Verb------Aub--------5
GM-------Aub--------5
Wifey-----Aub--------5

Virginia Tech at Nebraska
Verb-----Neb--------2
GM-------Neb-------2
Wifey-----VT--------1

Illinois at Penn State
Verb------PSU------6
GM-------PSU------6
Wifey-----PSU------4

Alabama at Georgia
Verb------Bama-----1
GM-------UGa------4
Wifey-----UGa------3

Tiebreaker (Bama/UGa total score):
Verb--------34
GM---------48
Wifey-------38


Pro Games:

Minnesota at Tennessee
Verb-------Tenn-----6
GM--------Tenn-----5
Wifey------Tenn-----6

San Fransisco at New Orleans
Verb-------SF-------3
GM--------SF-------1
Wifey------NO------1

Arizona at NY Jets
Verb-------Jets-----1
GM--------Ari------2
Wifey------Jets-----2

Green Bay at Tampa Bay
Verb-------GB------4
GM--------TB------3
Wifey------GB------3

Washington at Dallas
Verb------Dal------2
GM-------Dal------6
Wifey-----Dal------4

Philadelphia at Chicago
Verb------Phil-----5
GM-------Phil-----4
Wifey-----Phil-----5

Tiebreaker (Wash/Dallas total score):
Verb---------47
GM----------44
Wifey--------48


So there are the picks and surprisingly Verb didn't go chalk!! And no we didn't talk about what our picks were going to be. The fact that our college games are almost identical doesn't mean anything!

GET YOUR PICKS IN!!

USC goes DOWN!

I guess someone forgot to tell the Beavers that they don't have a chance.

And someone forgot to tell the Trojans to actually show up and play their best.

Oregon State won 27-21 last night at home over the consensus #1 team USC.

Unfortunately I didn't post my opinion on USC previously so here it is. (I know it doesn't come of as good since they already lost)

I (still) do think USC is the best team in the country but I am not convinced. All they had done before last night is beat a bad Virginia team and beat a below average Ohio State team. And then last night they couldn't beat a team that (honestly) hasn't been very good this season.

USC bought into all the hype before this game. Some people (Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio) were calling this the best USC team of recent memory. Saying that they were better than the Leinart and Bush teams of years past. I never thought that was true. I KNOW USC is good but Sanchez had not played in a big game yet and McKnight is NOT Reggie Bush. Not even close!

But I still think USC is very very good. And by losing early they shouldn't lose again. I won't be surprised if they do but they shouldn't. Now they are awake and realize that EVERYONE is gunning for them.

They lost early, so they have plenty of time to get back to the top. You can bet that they will probably be the top rated 1 loss team and can make the national championship game if they win out.

But now this weekend becomes even more important for some teams. With USC losing that means Oklahoma (vs TCU) and Georgia (vs Alabama) have the chance to prove themselves and move into the top spot.

And this was a HUGE game for PSU. Because they weren't going to jump USC if the Trojans had gone undefeated. But now USC has a lose and it is to a team that PSU embarrassed 45-14 a few weeks ago. And now PSUs game against Illinois is that much bigger.....if they win (which they will) they could jump USC in the standings and end up in the top 10 and in position to make it to the title game.

So what if that sounded a little homer like. PSU is good and the country is going to see it this weekend!

Verb's Thoughts:

I will be the first one to step up and a test to the fact that my friend did say that Oregon St. does have a chance to win this game. I am not sure he straight up predicted it but he did say this is a game USC should look out for!

Week 5 College Preview

This is a decent weekend for college football. There are 2 really big games that will either help clear up the national picture or will make it worse.

Once again I am going to pick 10 games. So far in two weeks I am 15-5.

Let's get it started:

Purdue at Notre Dame
3:30 Saturday NBC

This is a big game for Purdue. They are 2-1 now with PSU coming next week and then they go to OSU the following week. I wouldn't classify it as a trap game though due to the rivalry at play here.

Notre Dame doesn't need this as bad as Purdue but if they win they could be looking at 7 or 8 wins this year.

Purdue has one of the worst defenses in the Big Ten and their offense is very questionable. Fortunately for them though Notre Dame's offense isn't very good either.

I think being at Notre Dame and with a poor defense that Purdue struggles here. I will be rooting for Purdue but I have to take Notre Dame here.

Irish 24-17


Virginia Tech at Nebraska
8:00 Saturday ABC

VT has a very one dimensional offense which isn't really a good thing here. 10 years ago this would have been two great run offenses going against each other but now it isn't.

The past few years I would easily take VaTech here but now it is a harder decision. Nebraska hasn't played anyone yet but they have beaten who they played.

Virginia Tech runs the ball well but so does Nebraska. But the problem for VaTech is that they don't stop the run very well. They are allowing 4 yards a carry while Nebraska is getting 5.4 yards a carry.

I think Nebraska runs it right at VaTech and kinda runs away with it.

Huskers 31-17


22 Illinois at 12 Penn State
8:00 Saturday ABC

This is obviously the first real test for PSU and luckily they get it at home. After this they have 4 of the next 5 away from Happy Valley. Which really equates this to a must win for the Lions.

Illinois is a good team but I think they might actually be over rated at #22 in the country.

These teams are the top 2 scoring offenses in the Big Ten with PSU averaging 52.8 and Illinois getting 36.3. And in yardage they are top 2. So is it going to be a shootout?

Well.....

Illinois is also 1 of the WORST defenses in the conference. They are last in points per game allowed with 30 and second to last in yardage with 371.3. But the key stat....they give up 4.5 yards per carry. And PSU averages 6.5 yards a rush.

Royster and Green combine for around 250 yards Saturday night and the Lions roll!

PSU 45-17 *homer pick*


8 Alabama at 3 Georgia
7:45 Saturday ESPN

I really wish this game was on earlier so that I could see most of it. But I will obviously be watching the other game most of the time.

Alabama loves to run the ball. In fact they average 5.9 yards per carry and they only pass for 150.8 yards per game.

Which is unfortunate because Georgia only gives up 2 yards per carry but can't really stop the pass.

Georgia gets a bye week next week and then plays 4 straight against tough competition. If Alabama wins this game they are the favorite to win the SEC West instead of LSU.

Neither team can stop the pass and both teams stop the run really well. The key here is that Alabama CAN'T pass but Georgia can.

Dawgs 31 Tide 20


A few more to call your bookie about:

Colorado at FSU - FSU looked TERRIBLE last week. And Colorado got a big win against WVU at home. But I don't think Colorado is as good as Wake so I will take the Noles again.

24 TCU at 2 Oklahoma - TCU is good but OU is great. If this game were at TCU I think I would have to take a harder look but being in Norman makes it easy. Sooners all the way.

Navy at 16 Wake Forest - Either FSU has a great defense or Wakes offense is BAD. I think it is a little of both. And I actually like Navy this year again. I take the Midshipmen in an upset this weekend.

Tennessee at Auburn - Tennessee's loss to UCLA looks worse and worse every week that UCLA gets destroyed. And Auburn's offense showed that it can move the ball last week. So the obvious pick here is Auburn. Go ahead take the Tigers.

North Carolina at Miami - This is tough to pick. UNC was good and then they lost to VT last week. Miami is unknown to me. They looked bad against Florida a couple weeks ago and other than that they haven't shown me anything. But I got burned last week by UNC so I take the Canes at home.

Maryland at 20 Clemson - For Clemson this is a slight trap game since they have Wake coming in next week. And Maryland is a confident group right now. And they have won 2 of their last 3 at Clemson. I think they make it 3 of 4 here. Take the Terps over the over ranked Tigers.


Recap:

ND over Purdue
Nebraska over VaTech
PSU over Illinois
UGa over Bama

FSU over Colorado
OU over TCU
Navy over Wake
Auburn over Tenn
Miami over UNC
Maryland over Clemson

The Best of the Worst!

We talked last night on the podcast (which you have to listen to because its awesome) about what the worst franchise in professional sports was and I had some ideas but right now I am going to break it down in the 4 major sports of the worst and maybe the second worst in each.

Lets start with everyone's favorite, the NFL!

The worst franchise in my opinion in the NFL is the Detroit Lions. It may just be that because they are in the news for this right now that its easy to pick them but 1 playoff game in 57 years. Are you serious? The last good quarterback they had and this is very questionable was Scott Mitchell. Herman Moore was awesome and Barry Sanders could've been the best running back ever but he quit in his prime maybe because he just didn't want to play for the Lions anymore. If that is the case I think this just validates my argument even more. Its not like Detroit is a city for losers, the Red Wings, Pistons and Tigers have all won championships. The Lions have never even been close! Oh and by the way, its doesn't look like its going to happen anytime soon either!

The only other two that may take the cake here are the Oakland Raiders, although they have been to a few Superbowls, and the Arizona Cardinals because they have never really played an important game either. I may put the Houston Texans into this argument in a few years but they are too young right now to have in here. The Cleveland Browns left and came back so that creates a big grey area so I will leave them alone here also.

Lets move on to Major League Baseball.

This one is harder because baseball has been around for so long and each team has made some sort of run in their long histories so I am going to go with recent histories here and say that there are three that are really close to bottom and really hard to split.

The three are the Texas Rangers, the Kansas City Royals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. None of these teams have even been close to competitive in the last 15 years. I think I would have to put (my favorite team) Texas at the bottom because they have never played for a world series ever! The other two have won some even though they were a really long time ago. It depresses me to write this actually but I still hold out hope that someday maybe I will get to see a game in Texas in October.

The Rays were close too but with the season they have had this year it makes the last 5 years of waiting all worth it down at the Trop.

Now to the Hard courts and no not Tennis, the NBA.

Charlotte is too young of franchise for me to group them in here so that leaves 3. I am still debating as I type but the three are: the Memphis (formerly Vancouver) Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Clippers and the New York Knicks. Willis Reid may save the Knicks here again, actually, wait, he is coming out of the tunnel now and yes, Willis Reid just kept the Knicks out of the bottom of this list. The leaves is up to the Grizzlies or the Clippers for last place here. Lets go to the Lottery for this one. We will spin the big wheel and just see what comes out. What do we have? Well fans, the Clippers had the highest percentage chance of being the worst franchise in the NBA but well, the balls were spun and just like always the team with the highest percentage didn't win and the Memphis Grizzlies came out as the worst franchise in the NBA with the Clippers coming out second.

Whats the 4th major sport you ask? Its Hockey you idiots, well its really the NBA on this website so you better get used it!

GM is the resident hockey expert here fans so he may know better then I. I am just getting into it and really do like it so lets give it a shot.

OK, from my limited knowledge of the game I am going to go with the Florida Panthers here. I will be totally honest about something. I went to nhl.com and actually had to hold my mouse on some of the logos because I didn't recognize them to match them to the teams.

So, there were some teams like the Predators and the Thrashers and the Blue Jackets that in my mind are too young to even consider here.

The Panthers are it and here is why. They have only made the playoffs like once or twice in their existence and it didn't seem last year like they are close to making it soon. There are no other franchises that have had this long of a time of losing and not really doing anything to change it. Again the GM will be able to give you more information on this if you would like it but for now this is my decision and I am sticking too it!

So there ya have it, the worst franchises in the 4 major sports!

Congratulations! (I think)


The GMs Thoughts:

NFL - Oakland is the worst mainly because Al Davis is an idiot. If he wasn't there maybe the team would be relevant because there is some good tradition. He is running this team into the ground currently and I don't know if they will come back until he is gone.

MLB - I would have to say the Kansas City Royals are the worst. My reason would be that they don't even produce any young talent. At least Pittsburgh has traded away some younger guys that have helped other teams. The Royals can't do anything right.

NBA - Currently I have to go with the Knicks. They are a joke and aren't getting any better soon.

NHL - Hockey is tougher but I think I will go with Toronto for right now. This could and probably will change by the end of the year. But I look more at the state of the franchise more than history or recent success. And Toronto doesn't have real good prospects currently. LA, St. Louis, and Florida were considered but they are all developing good players and could actually make the playoffs this year.

Incentive to compete!

GM and I decided that we needed to edit our format for the confidence pick game. See, we really really want some viewer/reader interaction and this was one way for us to get it. Let you pick against us and see who does better.

We are still going to do this and we still really really want you guys and girls to pick against us but we realized our scoring format we flawed.

Here is the old way of scoring:

We were just going to total the amount of points earned by correct game picks and keep a running total. If we kept it the way it was, anyone joining from here on out would be at a big disadvantage because we would be so far ahead.

So we came up with a way for all of you to join but still have a chance to win at the end of the season.

Here is the new way of scoring:

First of all, we are dividing it up into college and pro. In other words if you only want to pick the pro games, then you will only be factored in on the pro scoreboard and the same goes for college.

Second of all and more importantly, if there are 10 people involved one week, the person that earned the most confidence points for the week will receive 10 points toward their season total. The person who finished with the second most will earn 9 points toward their season total and so on with the person finishing last getting 1 point.

For example, I won the first week so I would receive 2 points towards my total because there were only 2 participants. The more participants, the more points can be earned.

Thus, we need your picks. We think this could be something that is a lot of fun and could become very competitive. If we can get enough people we talked about giving out prizes for first place and maybe second. So send in your picks with a "UserID" of sorts so that we can really get this going. Then tell your friends so they can do it too!

Oh and there will be tiebreaker's too. The first tiebreaker will be number of games right. If you are tied with someone in points than the person will more games right will get more points. And if there isn't a clear winner after that than we will use the combined score guess. Each week there will be a game that you are asked to give us the total points scored in the game. That pick will be used as the second tiebreaker. If it is still tied after that then we will figure it out then.

Episode 2

Just posted our second Podcast!

You can listen to it here or click the link in the right sidebar.

This one is a little longer. About 45 minutes of sports from your favorite hosts.

Topics we covered:

• Recap of NFL week 3
• Recap of NCAA FB week 4
• Discussed our NFL power rankings
• Talked about the top quarterbacks in the NFL today
• Looked at the baseball standings and gave thoughts on the World Series
• Looked ahead to the upcoming week of Football games
• Gave you a few players to fill in on your fantasy football picks
• And we gave our opinions on the worst franchise in sports

If you have any comments on the show, you can leave them here or email us. Thanks for reading and please listen....you will like it.

Pick These Games

Think you can do better than Verb and the GM?

Prove it!

Here is a list of this week's games for the confidence pool:

College:

Purdue at Notre Dame
Navy at 16 Wake Forest
Tennessee at 15 Auburn
Virginia Tech at Nebraska
22 Illinois at 12 Penn State
8 Alabama at 3 Georgia

tiebreaker - total points in Alabama/Georgia game

Pro:

Minnesota at Tennessee
San Fransisco at New Orleans
Arizona at NY Jets
Green Bay at Tampa Bay
Washington at Dallas
Philadelphia at Chicago

tiebreaker - total points in Washington/Dallas game


Get your picks in via email (jumpingoffsides@aol.com) or comments before noon on Saturday. We will post the weekly results on the left sidebar. Please include a name so that we can put something beside your results.

rules: pick the winner of each game and then give your confidence rating to each. 1-6 for each pro and college. 1 is your least confident pick and 6 is your most confident pick. questions, email them to jumpingoffsides@aol.com

A Look Around the NFL

First I have to give my associate Verb his due.

He actually went 14-2 this past week.

And he is up in the confidence pool 34-28.

How did I do?

Let's just skip that and take a look around the league.

• AFC East: Who would have picked Miami destroying the Patriots? Not me obviously and yes that was 1 of the 2 that Verb missed. Cassell didn't play well and the Pats D couldn't stop the Dolphins. Elsewhere the Jets look lost and the Bills pulled out another victory. The Bills scare me though because while they are 3-0 they could just as easily be 1-2. And I have heard that Trent Edwards is a top 10 quarterback right now and I am not convinced yet. The 3 teams Buffalo has beaten....Seattle, Jacksonville, and Oakland......a combined 3-6 after 3 weeks. Not impressive.
• AFC North: The Steelers need an offensive line apparently. That was the first real test for the Steelers after playing Houston and Cleveland and they failed miserably. Fortunately for the Steelers they have a good defense and it helped them save face Sunday afternoon. Baltimore is technically winning the division right now but that is only temporary. Cincinnati looked much better this past weekend and if they can get anything out of their defense the offense surely has potential.
• AFC South: Tennessee is being considered as one of the best teams in the league right now and I don't know yet. They have played Jacksonville, Cincinnati, and Houston......combined record of 2-6. Just like the Bills...show me something against a good team. Indianapolis is hurting right now. If they can get healthy for the second half they could make a run. They are in every game with that offense though. Jacksonville is still a decent team but they aren't operating on all cylinders right now. They ran successfully against the Colts but Syracuse could run on the Colts. Houston is bad......somewhere between last season and this season they lost all their confidence.
• AFC West: I think the Chargers are the best team in the division but the Broncos control their own destiny as of now. The Raiders are an after thought and the Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the league. When LT gets healthy the Chargers are going to go on a nice roll. I would be surprised if they finish worse than 11-5 and wouldn't be surprised at all if they go 13-3. Denver is going to have to outscore their opponents since their defense can't stop anyone right now.

• NFC East: How strong is this division? Philly is in last right now! And some people think Philly is the 2nd best team in the NFC. Dallas is probably the most complete team in the league. The Giants are a team to keep an eye on, I don't think they can beat the Cowboys and the Eagles would be tough for Eli but watch em. The Redskins are the weakest link in the division but could probably win a few other divisions around the league.
• NFC North: The Packers took a hit this weekend in two ways. One they got handled by the Cowboys which builds the Boys confidence and hurts the Packers confidence and two they lost Al Harris for the season. That is a huge loss because their nickelback, Williams, has looked lost at times on the field. The Packers D is going to change alot. The Vikings under Gus Frerotte won their first of the year and look better. The Bears lost at home to the Bucs but remain a solid team. And because this is an NFL post we won't mention the Lions who aren't really an NFL team this year.
• NFC South: This is really a 3 team race right now with the Saints barely holding on. If the Saints don't get some defense soon than it will be a 2 team race between Tampa and Carolina who both have good defenses and solid offenses. Atlanta is surprising some people but they aren't going to do much better than 6-10. I really don't know who I like out of this division right now. If the Saints can hold on until they get healthy on offense I think they could take the title, but I don't know if they can hang on for a few more weeks.
• NFC West: There really isn't much to talk about here. The Seahawks are kind of like the Saints, if they can hang on and get healthy they should win the division. But the 49ers are improved and the Cardinals are playing good right now. I definitely think the Cards are the best team right now but they better keep winning while Seattle is struggling because once the Hawks are healthy they will resume winning. And the Rams......well they are the same as the Lions....see above.

It has been a great season so far and there are always good games to come. Injuries are starting to take a toll around the league though. Westbrook and McNabb are both banged up in Philly, Willie Parker is hurt in Pittsburgh, Harris in Green Bay, and Shockey in New Orleans. As well as all the players that were already injured going into the week.

Who would have thought that the division leaders in the AFC would be Buffalo, Baltimore, Tennessee, and Denver 3 weeks into the season??

Verb's Thoughts:

14-2, really? God, I knew I was smart but I didn't think I was that smart. Oh and no one in the world (even Miami) picked them to beat New England.

I think GM is spot on with his review of the league. I am a lot higher on the Titans and Bills then him and I understand the schedule arguement but they can only beat who they play and they have and its just building their confidence and I think it will continue all season long!

NFL Power Rankings

GM seems to be doing an excellent job at breaking down college football and ranking that top teams in the country. I do applaud you sir as you seem to be spot on.

I am going to start doing a top 10 but for the NFL instead of college every Tuesday. Lets see how it goes the first couple of weeks and then maybe I will start some divisional stuff and what not. Here we go!

After Week 3 top 10 (starting with 10, I love countdowns):

10. Washington Redskins - They play in the best division in football. Right now they are in last place but that doesn't mean anything. They would be the best team in some divisions and the second best in every other. This team has it together and look out if Jason Campbell really figures some stuff out.

9. Green Bay Packers - They would be like 3 or 4 if they would've beaten the Cowboys. They didn't and the game was at home. Ryan Grant really needs to start playing better at running back because Rodgers, Driver and Jennings are playing great. They defense is playing very good too but without a little ball control its hard to completely shut anyone down.

8. San Diego Chargers - I know, I know they are 1-2. They lost on a miraculous throw by Delhomme and then to the Broncos on 2 pt conversion. You will see that to me that is not a bad loss. They just beat the Jets last night big and Tomlinson isn't even full strength. Rivers has been great and I think this team will just keep moving up this list.

7. New York Giants - Eli is playing well and the defense is doing alright with all of their key losses. Its been a very work-man like 3-0. They barely beat a bad Bengals team at home in overtime. I may have them higher if they had a bigger win. They are good but not great yet. Brandon Jacobs needs to step up a little bit.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers - They would have been higher except the offense looked really bad against Philly on Sunday. Philly's defense is good but they made the offensive line of the Steelers look like high school players. Once they sure the line up they could move up this list.

5. Philadelphia Eagles - Again, the lost to Dallas is what has them outside the top 3. The offense looked great until Westbrook went down and then it went to hell. I know McNabb was hurt for a little bit in there too but 2 guys can't make that much a difference and you be a Superbowl caliber team. The defense is great and that puts them in the top 5.

4. Buffalo Bills - Sunday's win would have been a loss every year for the past 10. Not this year! The defense is playing great, Marshawn Lynch is a stud and Trent Edwards just manages the game. The special teams is back also. This is a team to really watch in the AFC as they could make a deep run into the playoffs. I like this team A LOT!

3. Tennessee Titans - Its crazy but this team really has no offense and they are winning games. Kerry Collins the quarterback. Chris Johnson is fast but he is still a rookie, and LenDale White still really fat and I don't know any of their wide receivers but they are 3-0. That shows how good this defense really is. Probably the best in the league and it wouldn't surprise me if it stays that way all season. This team is flat-out good!

2. Denver Broncos - 3-0 and really fun to watch. Jay Cutler is a great quarterback and Brandon Marshall may be the best receiver in the league. They have 3 running backs that are good I think and two good tight ends. That's a lot of weapons and oh don't forget Eddie Royal. The defense is another story but this team has shown they can win some shoot-outs and don't expect that to stop anytime soon.

1. Dallas Cowboys - This offense is just as good as Denver's and the defense is much better. This is the most complete team in the league right now. They have beaten two teams that are in my initial top 10. Marion Barber is a stud running back and that opens it up for Owens and Witten. I am sure they are going to lose a few games but it won't be many.

So there it is, my initial top 10. I think I did an ok job so look for again next week when I post a new top 10. There are a few teams on the brink of making it and bye weeks are starting so it could definitely fluctuate weekly.



GMs Thoughts:

I am not sure I agree with all your picks. Not necessarily who is in the top 10 but the order they are in. Tennessee and Buffalo have opponents that are a combined 5-12 through 3 weeks. That seems to explain their 3-0 starts. And the Broncos have gotten nothing but good breaks so far. And the Chargers have gotten nothing but bad breaks. But like I said....the list is fine....the order seems questionable to me.

The After Week 4 Top 10

1. USC (1) - They didn't play but that doesn't hurt them right now since no one else really played anyone either. But they better hope the PAC 10 improves or their wins won't keep them in first on my list.
2. Oklahoma (2) - The same goes for them as USC but the Big 12 will give them enough to be 1 or 2 if they win em all. This week they get a good TCU team.
3. Florida (3) - They beat Tennessee on the road but I don't consider Tennessee to be a good enough opponent to pass OU or USC. They get Mississippi at home this week and that won't do it either. But there are plenty of chances down the road.
4. Georgia (5) - Moving up one spot this week has just as much to do with them winning at ASU and Missouri struggling with Buffalo. Georgia looked good but need to get better quick with Alabama coming in this weekend.
5. Alabama (7) - They destroyed Arkansas on the road and have looked pretty good each week. This week is huge for the SEC. They jumped Missouri because of their troubles and Wisconsin cause they didn't play so they can't move up.
6. Wisconsin (6) - They didn't play and I don't think they should be penalized cause of it. They go to Michigan this week which should be an easy win.
7. Missouri (4) - Struggling against Buffalo just shouldn't happen. Their defense is really not very good and it needs to get better soon. They are off this weekend before going to Nebraska.
8. Texas (NR) - They destroyed a decent Rice team and were close before. ECU and USF struggling helped them jump into the top 10. They are home for Arkansas this week which shouldn't be difficult.
9. LSU (NR) - It was touch and go for a while but they pulled out a huge road win against Auburn. The offense didn't look to good but the defense was top notch. Mississippi State comes to town this week.
10. BYU (10) - They haven't really beaten anyone else yet but they shut down a team they should in Wyoming. It isn't necessarily who you beat but how you win the one's you should.

Almost there:

• Penn State (NR) - They get a test this weekend with Illinois coming to town but the top 10 is solid and is going to be tough to penetrate. If they embarrass the Illini they could make a case.
• Ohio State (NR) - They need to start controlling teams that they should. They have let Ohio hang around and then Troy this week. If they do it in the Big Ten they won't get out with a W.
• South Florida (9) - When you struggle with FIU you are going to drop. Unfortunately they don't get to improve their standing much this week as they go to NC State. They will have to make a statement to move up.
• Wake Forest (NR) - After winning at FSU they are moving up. They need to show they are a good team and continue to win. Navy visits this weekend and it won't be easy.
• Texas Tech (NR) - They better start playing some real games soon. They have only played 2 FBS teams this year and they are Nevada and SMU. They are off next week and won't move up but they are close.
• East Carolina (8) - The loss to NC State kills their BCS dreams but this team is still good. It took a road game and overtime to lose a game. Now they have to show they are worthy and rebound against Houston.

You can view my rankings all week in the sidebar to the right. And just in case you have never seen it before, the number in parentheses is last weeks ranking.

Around the College Football World

I actually didn't do to bad just making my picks for Saturday since I went 7-3 but my confidence picks weren't very good and we just aren't going to talk about that right now.

Instead lets look at what happened in College Football on Saturday.

Some observations:

• If Terrelle Pryor makes the same throws against a team like Penn State or Wisconsin he is going to have 4 interceptions instead of 4 touchdown passes. They weren't very good passes and I think OSU and it's fans are in for a surprise come Big Ten season.
• The SEC is the best conference but I would be really surprised if a team makes it through undefeated. There are a few really good teams but I don't see a great team in the conference.
• The PAC-10 is weak. UCLA got blown up again this weekend and Oregon got rocked by Boise St. If it wasn't for USC this would probably be the worst conference in football.
• Even though the ACC is down, the games are still very competitive.

Now let's look around the conferences (ranked in order of strength):

1. SEC - Georgia is the highest ranked but I don't think they will win the conference. Alabama is strong and Florida is fast. But Georgia should have destroyed ASU Saturday night and while they did win convincingly I don't think they dominated the game. LSU and Auburn need more offense if they hope to compete in the conference. How about Vandy? 4-0 and looking for their first winning season in 25 years. I am rooting for them.
2. Big 12 - The conference is top heavy but there are enough at the top to put this conference ahead of some others. OU was off this week but are still the class of the conference and maybe the country. Missouri needs to find some defense, they had trouble stopping Buffalo this weekend. Texas beating Rice that badly was impressive because Rice is a decent team. There are some pretenders amongst the top teams in the conference and they will be exposed in the coming weeks when they play within the conference.
3. Big 10 - There are 3 teams here that are good, OSU, Wisconsin, and PSU. Iowa, Illinois, Purdue, and Michigan State are close. And Michigan, NU, Indiana, and Minnesota are trailing by a lot. The conference slate begins this weekend and PSU will finally be tested. OSU failed their only test and continue to fail in what should be easy games. Wisconsin passed their test and look like a solid team that needs to play better on offense. This conference is (in my opinion) PSUs to lose this year, but they have a brutal October with @Purdue, @Wisconsin, Michigan, and @ OSU in 4 consecutive weeks. IF they get through that without a loss the conference is theirs.
4. ACC - The reason this conference is this low is because there isn't a team that is competing with the big boys. FSU looked BAD! this weekend and the highest ranked team left is Wake who was #18 last week before beating FSU. The games are competitive and fun to watch but they don't mean anything in the National Title scene. Virginia Tech looks much better with Taylor at qb. Don't look past Georgia Tech, they hung 38 on a Miss St team that held Auburn to 3 last week.
5. PAC 10 - Like I said before, if it wasn't for USC this may be the worst conference. And I could see the argument for putting the PAC 10 ahead of the ACC but to me there has to be more than 1 team that is competitive and no other team has stepped up yet. Oregon got beat at HOME! UCLA got dominated again. ASU couldn't keep up with Georgia even though the Bulldogs travelled across the country to play. USC is the class of the conference and SHOULD win all their games this year because I don't see a team that can beat them in the conference except themselves.
6. Big East - The problem here is the best team in the conference, South Florida, had trouble with FIU this weekend. And I don't think they are that good. If they are the best team in the conference, which they are, than the conference does not deserve a BCS bid. WVU lost again and is now 1-2. Pitt beat Iowa but I don't know how big that is. UConn beat Baylor but again, is Baylor any good? And Rutgers is now 0-3 after losing to a good Navy team. This conference needs help.
7. Elsewhere - East Carolina's hopes for a BCS game are gone after losing to NC State in overtime. Utah managed to win their test game at Air Force. The Mountain West is probably a better overall conference than the ACC or Big East but won't get noticed because it isn't a BCS conference. TCU could sneak up on OU this weekend. Notre Dame is not any good but could surprise this weekend against Purdue.

That's what I think of the College Football world right now. I will be back picking games again this week and I plan on going 10-0 so get your money ready.

Start Em/Sit Em for Week 3

Are you wondering who you should play or not play this week?

Then you came to the right place.

Take my advice and you should win your league!

START EM:

QB:
Jay Cutler - going up against New Orleans means he should have another huge day.
Drew Brees - going up against Denver means he will be playing from behind all day and will be throwing the ball all over.
Matt Hasselbeck - going up against St. Louis is going to give him a chance to get back on track

RB:
Brandon Jacobs - Cincinnati can't stop the run so Jacobs should have a big day.
Falcons RBs - Kansas City is TERRIBLE against the run, Turner and Norwood may be worth starting.
Julius Jones - St. Louis isn't good at stopping the run and Jones had a big day last week when he got most of the carries....he will have another good day today.

WR:
Wes Welker - Miami has the worst pass defense in the league and Cassel seems to like throwing to Wes.
Torry Holt - Seattle hasn't been able to stop anyone yet so capitalize on a good matchup for Holt.
Anthony Gonzalez - The Jags pass defense isn't strong and Peyton has always loved a good fast slot receiver.

Sleepers:
QB - Matt Cassel - Like I said, Miami is BAD against the pass and Cassel didn't look terrible last week.
RB - Selvin Young - He should break a couple of long runs against a poor Saints defense.
WR - Bryant Johnson - Solid game last week and now he goes up against the Lions high school quality defense.


SIT EM:

QB:
Carson Palmer - The Giants play good pass defense and the Bengals O hasn't performed well yet this year. Sit him if you have a decent backup until he proves they are able to move the ball.
David Garrard - If he is your starter he should already be on the bench but the combination of a bad run defense and decent pass defense of the Colts mean sit him for this week for sure.

RB:
Willie Parker - The Eagles run defense is one of the best in the NFL and with the Eagles O moving and scoring like they have, Big Ben will have to pass to stay in it.
Earnest Graham - The Bears run D is good and the Bucs pass offense isn't enough to scare the Bears secondary. Expect a lot of 8 guys close to the line.

WR:
Roy Williams - 49ers secondary has only allowed 1 touchdown through 2 games and Williams isn't even the best option on the team anymore.
Chad Johnson - You shouldn't be playing him anyway considering his shoulder but against the Giants D he isn't going to do anything.


Advice to live by!

Its comes down to the Singles

I know, I know, its Sunday and you guys and girls wanna hear about football. Well if you scroll down just a little bit you have GM's and I's picks and a little summary of the big games and stuff. That's awesome, I love football and I going to win for the second straight week picking the games.

Enjoy!

I want to preview the other important event going on the weekend in the sports world (again). The Ryder Cup singles are today and the US is up 9-7. We need to get to 14.5 before they get to 14. We can do it and I am going to preview every match and tell you who its going to win and when its going to be all over with the cup coming back to America.

Sergio Garcia vs. Anthony Kim
-The kid doesn't know any better and Sergio is going to feel the pressure, Big Time! 3&2

10-7 USA

Paul Casey vs. Hunter Mahan
-They both played ok yesterday but Mahan was hot before that. Match is halved.

10.5-7.5 USA

Robert Karlsson vs. Justin Leonard
-Arguably the two MVP's so far. Karlsson is just better and wins 2&1.

10.5-8.5 USA

Justin Rose vs. Phil Mickelson
-Phil knows what he has to do but so does Justin. The best match of the day skill wise. 2&1 and Azinger gets really nervous.

10.5-9.5 USA

Henrik Stenson vs. Kenny Perry
-Perry has prepared for this for two years and doesn't let us down. 3&2.

11.5-9.5 USA

Oliver Wilson vs. Boo Weekley
-If not Leonard then Boo is the MVP and just continues the Boo train. 4&3.

12.5-9.5 USA

Soren Hansen vs. J.B. Holmes
-Holmes has been the worst American player so far. 4&3.

12.5-10.5 USA

Miguel Angel Jimenez vs. Jim Furyk
-I just believe Furyk is better and will play better here. Furyk puts us on the brink of victory. 3&1.

13.5-10.5 USA

Graeme McDowell vs. Stewart Cink
-McDowell is good. Cink is good. They both can putt the lights out and that's huge. Match is halved.

14-11 USA

Ian Poulter vs. Steve Stricker
-Poulter has been just as good as Karlsson but I think Stricker is the better captains pick here and Faldo hears about it for years to come. 2&1 and the Cup is ours.

15-11 USA

The rest of the matches thus wouldn't matter because we will be celebrating for the first time in 10 years!

USA!

USA!

USA!

Week 3 Here We Are

So far my college picks aren't going that well so let's move on to the NFL.

Many questions were answered last week but plenty still remain.

We still don't know who the teams to beat are in either conference.

Green Bay has looked good against sub par competition, Philly looks good but lost at Dallas, so does that make the Cowboys the class of the NFC? I am not sure yet, let's see how they play on the road.

Denver has won their first 2, the Steelers have won 2 against bad teams, and the Pats are still 2-0 and SHOULD be 3-0 after playing Miami this week. But don't sleep on the Chargers.....2 tough losses against 2 good teams.

I am curious to see these games this weekend:

Pittsburgh at Philly:

How good are the Steelers? They have beaten the Browns and Texans but this is a different kind of test. Philly played really well at Dallas and looks like they are for real. Their defense didn't play very well but the offense carried them last week. Something tells me the defense is going to step up this week and help the offense out.

Dallas at Green Bay:

Last year's game was great. Can this year's be that good? This will help figure out the NFC as this is really Dallas's first road test since the game in Cleveland doesn't really count and the Packers are playing their first good team of the season. This should be a high scoring game with lots of lead changes.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis:

Are the Jags going to go 0-3? Can the Colts stop the run at all without Bob Sanders? Can the Jags run the ball with a beat up offense? Lots of questions here which should mean a good game that settles some things in the AFC South. If the Titans and Jags win then the Titans would have a 2 game lead after 3 weeks....who would have thought!


Now for my picks:

Kansas City at Atlanta
Oakland at Buffalo
Tampa Bay at Chicago
Houston at Tennessee
Carolina at Minnesota
Miami at New England
Cincinnati at NY Giants
Arizona at Washington
Detroit at San Fransisco
St. Louis at Seattle
New Orleans at Denver
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
Cleveland at Baltimore
Dallas at Green Bay
NY Jets at San Diego


Let's see how I do this week after going 10-5 last week. Not too many surprises last in these picks other than maybe StL over Seattle. And I am not confident in my SF pick, this could be Detroit's first win. And the KC/Atlanta game is almost impossible to pick since neither team is very good so I will just go with the home team.

Call your bookie....you should since you probably have to make up for today....sorry!

Verb's Thoughts:

Just because I beat him last week and well because I did so well in the confidence pick pool yesterday I will try again this week to out-pick my counterpart in the NFL across the board. Remember fans, the important ones are the confidence picks, these are just for fun and bragging rights!

Here we go:

Kansas City at Atlanta
Oakland at Buffalo
Tampa Bay at Chicago
Houston at Tennessee
Carolina at Minnesota
Miami at New England
Cincinnati at NY Giants
Arizona at Washington
Detroit at San Francisco
St. Louis at Seattle
New Orleans at Denver
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
Cleveland at Baltimore
Dallas at Green Bay
NY Jets at San Diego

So it seems we differ on more then just one game this week! Thats good, that means I just get to win by more then one this week! Boo Ya!

Episode 1

Click here to listen to episode 1 of Jumping Offsides. (or click in the sidebar)

In this episode we cover:

A little golf, although not really....you have to listen to understand;

College football, we looked at big games and big teams;

Pro football, we preview and pick the big games;

Fantasy football, we give you sleepers that could help you win your games this week;

and

Baseball, we talked about the division races and Ned Yost getting fired.

Check it out!!

How Confident Are You?

This week Verb and I are going to start a new game.

Nothing that hasn't been done but we are competing against each other and who ever else wants to compete.

We are going to pick games and give them confidence rankings.

Each week we will pick 8-12 games, pro and college, and pick the winner and confidence ranking. We will separate the rankings between pro and college since I know college better than pro and Verb knows pro better than college.

This week we are picking 6 pro and 6 college games.

Here are the games and our confidence ranking:


LSU at Auburn
GM------LSU----- 3
Verb-----Auburn-- 1

Wake Forest at FSU
GM------FSU------5
Verb-----Wake-----3

Florida at Tennessee
GM------Tenn------1
Verb-----UF--------5

Georgia at ASU
GM------UGa-------4
Verb-----UGa-------6

VT at UNC
GM------UNC-------2
Verb-----UNC-------2

Notre Dame at MSU
GM------MSU-------6
Verb-----MSU-------4


Carolina at Minn
GM------Car--------2
Verb-----Car--------5

New Orleans at Denver
GM------Denv------6
Verb-----Denv------6

Jacksonville at Indy
GM------Indy-------3
Verb-----Jax--------1

Pittsburgh at Philly
GM------Philly------4
Verb-----Philly------4

Dallas at Green Bay
GM------GB---------1
Verb-----Dallas------3

NY Jets at San Diego
GM------SD---------5
Verb-----SD---------2


Check in and look at the sidebar after Monday night's game to see who did what and who is winning. And if you think you can do better....email your picks to jumpingoffsides@aol.com and submit your picks. From here on we will announce which games we are choosing on Wednesday so that you the reader can submit your picks. Be sure to include a name so that we can put you on the sidebar as well.

Bring it home guys!

The Ryder Cup starts today and I don't think the United States has won in like 20 years or something. Ok, it hasn't been that long but its been awhile. Not since Justin Leonard's 90 footer last century has the U.S. won.

The best part about it is that this year seems like the most unlikely chance we have had in years. No Tiger means no fear from the Europeans. They have Sergio, Padraig, Justin, and Robert just to name a few. I would be willing to bet you know at least 3 out of 4 of their last names. We have Phil, Jim, Anthony and Stewart. Name 3 out of 4 of their last names!

You get my point.

This year they have more star power then we do.

Ya know what though, I have faith. I think we can do it! I have 3 reasons why and then after that the guys actually have to do the rest of the work.

1. Tiger hates the Ryder Cup. I think its a good thing he isn't playing because the rest of the team can just go out and play. The spotlight and expectations are all on the Europeans. Its going to help guys like Anthony Kim, Stewart Cink and Hunter Mahan a lot!

2. We have the home course advantage. They are playing at Valhalla in Kentucky. The style of play is much different and I am sure Paul Azinger has the course set up just perfect for our guys.

3. We have to win at some point, don't we? I mean just the law of averages says that there is a 50/50 chance of winning every time you play a game. We haven't won in a long time so we are due. I know this isn't a very legitimate reason why we should win but that is why I said the rest is up to the guys out there on the course. From my chair, I can only help so much!

USA!

USA!

USA!

I just have a feeling that we are going to get to 14.5 before they do!

Another Round of College Picks

After my successful 8-2 week last week I figured I would do it every week. Let's hope I have some idea of what I am talking about.

6 LSU at 10 Auburn
7:45 ESPN

This is probably going to be the lowest scoring game of the weekend. Watching Auburn's offense fail to do much of anything against Mississippi State doesn't bode well for this game against LSU. The only thing Auburn has going for it is LSU is playing its first real test and first road game with a new quarterback.

But I think Auburn is WAY overrated and I am taking The Bayou Tigers in this one. LSU 24 Auburn 10


18 Wake Forest at 24 Florida State
7:00 ESPN2

I think Florida State is back this year and is looking to hand out some payback for getting beat the past 2 times they have played. Unfortunately the Seminoles haven't had a chance to prove themselves yet this year and this will be the first big game for this young team. Wake Forest is not the same team it was the past 2 years either though. Which makes the task even easier to Florida State.

Take the Noles 34-17


4 Florida at Tennessee
3:30 CBS

Watch out for Tennessee. UCLA beat them in the first game but that doesn't mean they aren't good. UCLA was at home and was down and in trouble before coming back. It could have been anything from UCLA being better (doubtful after getting destroyed by BYU) and Tennessee being tired and on the road. But is Florida susceptible to being beat right now? I am not convinced they are good enough on offense but it should be enough for this game. Right?

I don't think so. I think the Vols pull the upset 27-21


3 Georgia at Arizona State
8:00 ABC

Arizona State got embarrassed last week and Georgia just squeaked by. But it was probably enough to get the Bulldogs on track and paying attention. And the Sun Devils were caught looking ahead and weren't focused. So who do you take? A team that won on an opponents field even though it was a close game or do you take the home team who lost to the big underdog last weekend?

I take the higher ranked team even on the road. I think this game will go a long way to prove if Georgia is as good as they supposedly are and I think they win big 35-20.


Some other games to watch:

Virginia Tech at North Carolina
UNC is coming off a HUGE win at Rutgers and Virginia Tech is really just a shell of it's former self. Take the Heels at home.

Notre Dame at Michigan State
ND got a big win against Michigan last week, can they follow it up by upsetting Sparty? No, Javon Ringer should have about 200 yards in this game.

20 Utah at Air Force
This is the Utes last real road test of the season and if they win they can continue on their path to a BCS game. Air Force gets to play spoiler in this one if they want. I don't think they want to, the Utes win.

Iowa at Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh lost to Bowling Green and Iowa is still an unknown quantity. I would say home field advantage would win out here but Pitt already lost at home this season. So I will take the Panthers anyway. I really don't think Iowa is any good this year.

Troy at 13 Ohio State
This shouldn't really be on here as it SHOULD be a rout but I don't like how OSU is coming into this game. They almost lost to Ohio and then got destroyed by USC and they AREN'T going to get Beanie Wells back this weekend. I will still take the Buckeyes but they should be on upset alert.

9 Alabama at Arkansas
Alabama should win this easily as Arkansas is not very good this year. But once again you have to be concerned of a team that has nothing to lose and is trying to prove itself. But not this game either, the Tide rolls big.


Let's recap:
LSU over Auburn
FSU over Wake Forest
Tennessee over Florida
Georgia over Arizona State

North Carolina over Virginia Tech (in football!)
Michigan State over Notre Dame
Utah over Air Force
Pitt over Iowa
Ohio State over Troy
Bama over Arkansas


I am pretty confident again this week so call your bookie and make your picks!

Bad Timing

I know that football is the hot topic right now and it should be and will be until February but something happened this past week in another sport that burns my rear.

See, baseball is coming down the home stretch now and the pennant races and wild card races are heating up. I start to get back into baseball around this time because for some crazy reason I love the playoffs. Baseball in October is great!

In the American League, the Rays are only up 1 game on the Red Sox, and the White Sox are up 2.5 on the Twins. The West is already decided with the Angels wrapping the division up some time in May I think. The Red Sox or Rays have the wild card pretty much wrapped up being that Boston is 7 games up right now.

In the National League, The Phillies gained a half game lead last night over the Mets in the east and the Dodgers now have a 4.5 game lead over the Diamondbacks. The Cubs are 9 up in the central so you can pretty much chalk that one up. The race for the wild card is as close as the race for the east is with the Mets holding a half game lead over Milwaukee and 3 over Houston.

Its going to get heated down the stretch!

Now here is my beef fans. If you were a fan, would you want your team to fire your manager when it had the wild card lead in the middle of September. My personally, Hell no! What were the front office people of the Brewers thinking when they fired Ned Yost? I can understand, its a win this year attitude, but THEY WERE! They had the wild card lead. Its not like they were in last place. The Cubs are the best team in the National League and the second best team in all of baseball and that's only by a half game right now. It would be hard to be ahead of them right now and to be honest, the talent isn't there for those idiots to expect that.

Yost was doing a great job this year in Milwaukee. He didn't deserve that at all. Milwaukee has since fallen out of the wild card. I think it would be incredibly hard for those players to have to go through that this late in the season.

I just think it was a terribly wrong move to make and I hope Ned Yost gets another job in baseball soon because he deserves it!

Will the Mets fall apart again and miss the playoffs for the second straight year?
Will the Rays complete the dream regular season and win the AL East?
Will the White Sox give both sides of Chicago something to look forward to other then Kyle Orton?
Will the Brewers make it without Ned Yost?
Will Manny be the same in L.A. during the playoffs as he was in Beantown?

Its going to be interesting to see how all these races turn out but once the playoffs are annouced you can count on me to give you my predictions on what will happen during the playoffs.

Week 2 is Behind Us

My picks didn't go that well this weekend. I didn't do bad but I didn't do good either.

10-5.......which isn't bad but Verb went 11-4 and that just isn't right.

So what did we learn about the NFL this weekend:

• AFC East: Even without Brady the Pats are still the team to beat in the division. They went into New York and beat the Jets who were considered the main threat. Buffalo could beat the Pats but I still consider the Pats the favorites. But their running game is going to have to step it up.
• AFC North: I thought the Browns weren't going to be any good and so far I am right. The Steelers should win that division easily. The Ravens and Bengals are going to duke it out for last place and the Browns will be lucky to make it to 8-8.
• AFC South: The Jaguars have fallen hard so far this season as they are now 0-2 and looking up at Indy and Tennessee in the division. The Titans could be trouble with Collins at quarterback. It is reminiscent of the Ravens and Bears Super Bowl teams. Peyton is going to need to score a lot of points this year to protect his defense.
• AFC West: I think the Chargers are going to surprise some people the rest of this season. In week 1 they lost on a last second play and in week 2 they needed a bad call to bury them. The Chargers are still the team to beat in the division. But they are going to need help to catch the Broncos since they are 2 games behind now. The Chiefs and Raiders will be picking in the top 5 in the draft.
• NFC East: The best division in football. I think the Cowboys and Eagles are still the class of the division with the Giants right behind them and the Redskins getting better each week. I wouldn't be surprised to see both wild card teams come from this division. The division championship is still up for grabs though.
• NFC North: This is turning into a pretty competitive division. The Packers should be considered the favorites right now but the Bears are right there with them. And if the Vikings could get any consistent quarterback play then they could compete.
• NFC South: The Panthers are looking like the team to beat right now. The Saints need a defense, ANY defense, and the Bucs need an offense. Until one of those two things happen, AND the Panthers stay healthy then they should win the division.
• NFC West: The Seahawks receivers are dropping like flies. They lost two more this week. And Coach Holmgren said Branch and Engram would not be back until at least week 5 so I would expect them to sign some sort of veteran receiver this week. Other than that this division is still wide open. The Cardinals are the best team right now but that could change each week.

Next week I am sure the picture will get even clearer as Dallas goes to Green Bay and other teams try to stay undefeated against presumed weaker opponents.

Verb's Thoughts:

I would just like to let everyone know that even though we picked at the same time we were not in the same room. I found it very amazing that we picked every game exactly the same except for one.

One that I got right. Yes fans, I was 11-4! I had 106 confidence points as well and even though this is my first week doing this, I think thats a lot. I will be picking less games from now so it will easily be the most I get all season but its sure a heck of a start.

The GM's look around the divisions is on point. The only disagreement I have is that in the AFC West, I think the Broncos have turned into the team to beat with injury concerns about Tomlinson.