TEAMS THAT DIDN’T SHOW UP IN WEEK TEN

So let’s clear one thing up immediately. We think that Coach Belichick made the right 4th down call on Sunday night. If you can not gain 2 yards in that situation then you do not deserve to win the game. New England dominated the game up until the 4th Quarter when Manning destroyed their secondary. We look forward to a potential AFC Championship rematch that is unless someone else disturbs this, Bengals or Chargers anyone?

So here we are again our black list for Week 10:
1. Dallas Cowboys – This was a shock to say the least! Green Bay coming off a loss to Tampa Bay and Dallas coming off a win over Philadelphia, so obviously Dallas would win easy; and that is why they play the games! This game was 3-0 Green Bay heading into the 4th Quarter. What is going on? Dallas and Green Bay are two teams that we would hate to face in the playoffs, if only they can get out of their own way.

2. Denver Broncos – Kyle Orton gets hurt and the team crumbles to the Redskins. This is the Denver that we thought we would have this season. The Chargers vs. Broncos match-up this week will determine the division leader. Could Denver lose a 4th straight game? Yes, we believe so.

3. Buffalo Bills – Tennessee is hot, however the Bills need to be in this game. Chris Johnson is amazing and giving AP a run at the rushing title this year and Vince Young all of a sudden is back in the picture for the future of the Titans. Did you see the Titans owner flicking off the Bills fans? TO is upset at the team and running his mouth. I think the Bills are sliding into the guaranteed win category of teams.

4. Atlanta Falcons – The injury to Turner affects the outcome of the game and Matt Ryan is struggling through a sophomore slump. This team needs to be in the hunt and steal a few wins. There is room for concern with this team.

5. Chicago Bears – We were in San Francisco covering this game live and after 4 INT’s for Cutler they still had a chance to beat the 49ers, and then came INT #5. Not that Cutler is to blame for all of the picks, however where is the running game? The 49ers looked amazing against the rush. The Bears look ugly right now and we think this is a surprise to most of us.
We have been getting bombarded with requests to trash on at least 5 college football teams every week in addition to our NFL TEAMS THAT DIDN’T SHOW UP. So due to popular demand here you have it.

TEAMS THAT DIDN’T SHOW UP WEEK 11

1. #9 USC – Well you saw this coming a mile away. USC loses 21-55 to Stanford and Southern California is panicking! How did USC fall this far, reference the 2009 NFL Draft (QB and Defense gone)? The Pac-10 is there for Oregon’s taking, is there a slip up in the Ducks future? We think so.

2. #14 Miami – We love this team, however there was nothing to love in their game against UNC on Saturday (losing 24-33). This team seems to throw a hail mary every other play and where is the defense? We think this team will be better next year.

3. #16 Utah – Lost 28-55 to #4 TCU, at least make it a game Utah. Another Top 25 fraud is identified. Terrible game, however we will take TCU against any team right now. Any team.

4. #24 South Florida – Lost 0-31 to Rutgers. Terrible loss during the week that was forgotten about by Saturday. South Florida caught a ton of buzz last year, however this year they have turned out to be just a fad, fading out of style.

5. #15 Houston – Lost 32-37 to UCF. We predicted this game and sure enough Houston will not show up for a major Bowl game this year outside of Texas.

WEEK TEN NFL POWER RANKINGS

-This is how we like them after Week Seven at http://www.ifanyoneasks.com/
1. Indianapolis Colts –This week will tell us if the Colts are the team to beat

2. New Orleans Saints –This team is exciting and pulls through in the clutch

3. Minnesota Vikings –Favre, AP, Harvin and the D are pulling through

4. Pittsburgh Steelers –The hottest team at the moment, watch out

5. New England Patriots –This is the week to regain the top slot

6. Dallas Cowboys –Seems to be getting hot at the right time

7. Cincinnati Bengals –Sweeps the Ravens, the Bengals must prove it this week

8. San Diego Chargers –Philly in town this week, it will be a showdown

9. Philadelphia Eagles –Must win a difficult game in SD this week

10. Arizona Cardinals –Hot & Cold, easy schedule will help them finish strong

11. Baltimore Ravens –Flacco, Rice and Mason must turn it up this week

12. New York Giants –This team is dropping and it is getting ugly fast in NY

13. Miami Dolphins –This team is so much better than their record

14. Denver Broncos –They are who we thought they were = not so good

15. Atlanta Falcons –Shy away from the difficult wins and could fall short

16. Houston Texans –One missed FG away from OT, always short of winning here

17. New York Jets –Kind of forgotten about during their BYE week

18. Tennessee Titans –Welcome back, look out AFC

19. Green Bay Packers –What is going on here, no O-Line, no DEF = no Wins

20. Carolina Panthers –Running game is gaining speed, but no passing will kill it

21. San Francisco 49ers –It is time to prove 49ers and Thursday we will be there, live

22. Seattle Seahawks –Second half against the Lions shows that there is still fight left

23. Jacksonville Jaguars –4-4 team and MJD is the man that carries this team

24. Chicago Bears –Seem to be fading fast and Cutler was not the next big thing

25. Buffalo Bills –TO is out, the team is sputtering and now Vick for 2010?

26. Washington Redskins –Terrible, however could rebound against Denver

27. Detroit Lions –Vikings this week, it is not getting any easier Lions

28. Kansas City Chiefs –Can prove it this week against the terrible Raiders

29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers –Can we make it two in a row Tampa, we think not

30. Oakland Raiders –Losing to KC will justify this slot

31. St. Louis –How can a team be this bad with Stephen Jackson in the backfield

32. Cleveland Browns –Wow, this is unbelievable, no QB, no team, no coach



Teams That We Currently Disagree On



• Denver Broncos (IAA=14, ESPN=7) –We are not for sure why we are dumping on Denver so quick; however we think that the team is heading down hill.

• Atlanta Falcons (IAA=15, ESPN=9) –The Falcons do not feel like a top ten team to us. Ryan and Turner have been inconsistent this year.

• Tennessee Titans (IAA=18, ESPN=23) –Chris Johnson and Vince Young have this team performing well and we think they could reach .500

• Chicago Bears (IAA=24, ESPN=19) –The Bears should show their weaknesses on Thursday night for all to see against the 49ers or they may make us reconsider.

TEAMS THAT DIDN’T SHOW UP IN WEEK NINE

We normally provide ten teams that didn’t show up to their weekly game, however this week we were pretty satisfied with the NFL action. Detroit and Carolina could have provided better second half play and the San Diego/NY Giants game was weak for the first two quarters, but come on in this season this could have been the best week.

So let us congratulate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their first win of the season. For one week Josh Freeman looks like the QB of the future and all is right with one of the Bay teams. Note we said one…

1. Green Bay Packers –The loss to the Vikings carries with it a week long hang over. We liked the Packers to start this season. Could this be a one week mistake similar to the Eagles losing to Raiders or will this start a NY Giants 4 game losing streak? Statistics sometimes do not translate to wins Aaron Rodgers. When building an offense it starts with the offensive line and right now Green Bay needs one.
2. Chicago Bears –And all of a sudden the Vikings look like a one horse race to win the division. Where is the Bears defense? When Bears play bad they play real bad! This game was over in the first half and the Denny Green parodies made Whisenhunt’s post game better than the actual game. Improving the offense with Cutler made the defense worse? How is this possible? Saturday Night Live is lucky that they no longer have the “Da Bears” skits in the rotation because there would be several heart attacks.
3. Baltimore Ravens –As much as we love the entertainment of OchoCinco we would have loved to see Ray Lewis or Ed Reed rip is head off after trying to bribe the refs with a dollar. Sure enough in this game it felt like the villain won and Flacco is all of a sudden looking like a second year QB. I hate to think that Tennessee and Baltimore may have the same record in a few weeks.
4. Washington Redskins –Something in us all thought just maybe Daniel Snyder’s comments and Jim Zorn’s pleas to save his Head Coaching job may have ignited some play on Sunday. Nope, no it did not and all of sudden Dallas looks like the class of the NFC East thanks to Miles Austin and Tony Romo (Mr. November).

So there you have it, four unlucky teams. We can criticize Andy Reid and Tom Coughlin all we want for playing for FG’s instead of TD’s, however when do we point the finger at the 11 guys on defense that allowed Rivers and Romo to produce winning TD’s. The defenses of old (see Chicago & Baltimore above) seem to be just that “of old”. As it sits there are very few defenses to admire, that is until we tune into MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (Pittsburgh at Denver). Steelers and Broncos defenses please do not let me down tonight.

What To Watch This Weekend

We can not all own DirecTV, however if you are a sports fan how could this not be a “must have”. Take note if I move out of my apartment, the first question I will ask is, “Can I install DirecTV?” If this is a “No” then I will pass on the rental. So there you have it a word from our sponsor DirecTV.

As a special request for our readers that have full time jobs and a life outside of sports, we will do our best at pointing out the specific events that they should DVR or clear time out of their schedule to check out.

Saturday (Pacific Times):

12:30pm #9 LSU at #3 Alabama
-We admit LSU let us down with a boring game against Florida earlier this season. We did not see any potential for offense for LSU, however their Defense looked amazing. Will LSU pave the way for Iowa to slip into the #3 slot? We don’t think so.

12:30pm #15 Ohio State at #11 Penn State
-We are not for sure what to expect from Ohio State, or the Big Ten for that matter. So this will be a great match-up and will be an even match-up. We like the home team.

5:00pm #20 Oklahoma at Nebraska
-A lot of “What if’s” apply to this game. What if QB Sam Bradford was healthy for this season for OU? What if Nebraska beat Virginia Tech earlier in the year and was ranked? Still this Big 12 match-up will get nasty. We like the home team.

Sunday (Pacific Times):

10:00am Ravens at Bengals
-We have a redemption game here for the Ravens, who lost earlier this season to the Bengals in a nail biter. I think this win could make the Ravens an official contender or could make us a believer of the Bengals.

1:15pm Chargers at Giants
-We love this match-up for several reasons. The NY Giants are struggling. San Diego does not travel well and are off to the traditional slow start. This could be the loss that eliminates one team from the playoffs. Is it too early to say that? Maybe.

5:20pm Cowboys at Eagles
-Who is the best team in the NFC East? This game will provide the answer. We have doubted the Eagles all year and promoted the Cowboys, was this a mistake? We are preparing our concession speech.

Summary:
At a minimum reserve your time slots for LSU/Alabama and Cowboys/Eagles. These games should provide for great break room debates at work this week!

WEEK SEVEN NFL POWER RANKINGS

-This is how we like them after Week Seven at www.IFanyoneASKS.com

1. Indianapolis Colts –This could be our Super Bowl champion this year
2. New Orleans Saints –We are not totally sold on the Saints defense
3. New England Patriots –When Brady is on his game, this team is hard to beat
4. Denver Broncos –Surprise team of the year, will earn it with upcoming games
5. Pittsburgh Steelers –Win over the Vikings secured that the Steel City is back
6. Minnesota Vikings –The Vikings secondary worries us
7. New York Giants –NY Giants could not pull it off against Arizona
8. Arizona Cardinals –Coming up at the right time and the easy schedule starts
9. Cincinnati Bengals –What a surprise, will it continue we think it just may
10. Baltimore Ravens –This team is better than their record indicates
11. Dallas Cowboys –Big win over Atlanta, if Romo is on, then Dallas will win
12. Philadelphia Eagles –We are concerned that the lack of a running game
13. Green Bay Packers –Vikings game this week will tell us a lot about the Pack
14. Miami Dolphins –The Wildcat team is better than their record
15. New York Jets –The running game will win games of NY Jets, not Sanchez.
16. Atlanta Falcons –There are concerns here
17. San Diego Chargers –Finally the Chargers have a big win, only against KC
18. Houston Texans –This team is unpredictable, but good, how good we don’t know
19. Chicago Bears –Laid an egg against the Bengals this week
20. Buffalo Bills –Quietly surviving some tough games and may move up
21. San Francisco 49ers –Alex Smith is back and so is Frank Gore
22. Seattle Seahawks –BYE week came at the perfect time and they should move up
23. Carolina Panthers –Missing a QB and it could be a Kyle Boller situation here
24. Washington Redskins –Stop fumbling the football and throwing INT’s & win
25. Tennessee Titans –What a struggle here, so much talent and no wins
26. Jacksonville Jaguars –MJD is for real and the Jaguars will do ok this year
27. Oakland Raiders –Unpredictable, what will happen with the Raiders, no clue
28. Detroit Lions –This team is gaining & we think another win this year
29. Kansas City Chiefs –How are the Chiefs this bad and why is LJ talking again
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers –Not for sure if there is more than 1 win this year
31. St. Louis –Could beat a team or two if they get out of their own way
32. Cleveland Browns –Sickness, QB problems, Coaching issues, this is really bad

Teams That We Currently Disagree On

• Miami Dolphins (IIA=14, ESPN=19) –Miami is a team that has been close to beating New Orleans and Indianapolis and just missed, we like them to rebound
• Atlanta Falcons (IIA=16, ESPN=11) –We thought Atlanta was exposed this week and they could tumble further
• Jacksonville Jaguars (IIA=26, ESPN=21) –Did everyone forget that Jacksonville almost lost to the Rams in Week 6, this team is questionable

TEAMS THAT DIDN’T SHOW UP IN WEEK SEVEN

Parody in the NFL has been hard to find this year with point margins increasing and the division between the good and bad teams is huge. The strange thing is that there have been some surprises namely Cincinnati and Denver for the good teams list and Tennessee and Carolina for the bad teams list. So let’s have a look at the bad teams because everyone is talking about the good teams.

1. Chicago Bears- Wow, did anyone see this coming? How about Cedric Benson? Talk about payback. Where was Jay Cutler? The Bears defense? Matt Forte? Why is no one answering? Hey Bears you better figure it out or the Lions will beat you!

2. Atlanta Falcons- Going into the week we all felt that this game would be one of the best and then the Falcons went cold, very cold. Now everyone is jumping on the Cowboys bandwagon, may want to wait on the Falcons there are problems brewing.

3. Oakland Raiders- We admit we thought that the Raiders could be ok, strong defense, a few big offensive plays and another win similar to the Eagles victory could happen from time to time. The NY Jets killed this momentum and we doubt it will regenerate.

4. Carolina Panthers- Ouch, what is going on here? Why are they still playing Jake Delhomme? Run Stewart and Williams every play, there you have it. Just do not pass anymore. A reverse every eight plays to Smith works for a pass play.

5. Kansas City Chiefs- We thought that the Chiefs would give San Diego some trouble on Sunday, but nope all we received was a mouthful of Larry Johnson being an idiot as usual. Matt Cassel looks to be an early bust and the team is a mess.

6. Washington Redskins- Watch the highlights, the fumbles and interceptions have got to go not Jim Zorn. The defense played excellent and Philly tried to keep it close. The Redskins are terrible on offense.

7. Cleveland Browns- The flu catches the team and it showed on Sunday. There is nothing good going on here. It is hard to see the Browns winning this year.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- And the British may never go to an NFL game again with this type of performance. What happened to Tampa Bay? Terrible team, challenging a group of teams for no wins.

9. St. Louis Rams- Is Indianapolis that good? I thought that the Rams played well against the Viking last week, excluding several bad turnovers. The Rams should change their name to the Stephen Jackson’s because that is the only player on this team.

10. Minnesota Vikings- Two turnovers taken to the house for TD’s! How is this possible? The Steelers defense is good, but that good? We think not, the Vikings play Green Bay this week and need to win this one on the road to get back up there in the top teams talk with Indianapolis, New Orleans and Denver.

WEEK FOUR NFL POWER RANKINGS

After our WEEK 3 review BYE Week we bring back the Power Rankings by popular demand.

NFL Power Rankings
-This is how we like them after Week Four at www.IFanyoneASKS.com

BIGGEST GAINER = Denver Broncos (+10)
BIGGEST LOSER = Dallas Cowboys (-10)

1. New Orleans Saints (+2) -BYE
2. Indianapolis Colts (+5) -@Tennessee, this is the best 0-4 team and should fight.
3. Minnesota Vikings (BUY +2) -@St. Louis should be an easy win.
4. New York Giants (BUY -3) –Oakland, another easy win for NYG!
5. Baltimore Ravens (-3) –Cincinnati comes in for a battle!
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (BUY -2) -@Detroit should be an easy win for the Steelers!
7. Philadelphia Eagles (BUY-1) –Tampa Bay, this will be an easy win.
8. New England Patriots (+7) -@Denver, time to bring the Broncos back to reality.
9. Atlanta Falcons (-1) -@San Francisco and catching the 49ers at a bad time.
10. New York Jets (+4) -@Miami and we like Miami whether they have a QB or not.
11. San Francisco 49ers (+9) –Atlanta, who saw this coming as the game of the week.
12. Green Bay Packers (-2) -BYE
13. Chicago Bears (+5) –BYE
14. Denver Broncos (+10) –New England, great match-up to prove their record.
15. Cincinnati Bengals (+6) -@Baltimore and should get a taste of reality.
16. Arizona Cardinals (-4) –Houston comes to town and it will be a shoot out.
17. San Diego Chargers (-6) -BYE
18. Miami Dolphins (-2) –NY Jets and this is the win Miami needs to get.
19. Dallas Cowboys (-10 BUY) -@Kansas City, the Cowboys need this win.
20. Houston Texans (-3) -@Arizona, this is the game that will make the early season.
21. Tennessee Titans (-8) –Indianapolis, this could be a strange season for Tennessee
22. Carolina Panthers (=) –Washington comes to town and the Panthers need to win.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (+3) -@Seattle and they need to show up to make it.
24. Buffalo Bills (-5) –Cleveland, the Bills need to get moving in the right direction.
25. Seattle Seahawks (-2) –Jacksonville, this is EVEN in Vegas and could be a game.
26. Washington Redskins (-1) -@Carolina and they need to get this one to stay alive.
27. Detroit Lions (+3) –Pittsburgh, once again another terrible game.
28. Kansas City Chiefs (-1) –Dallas, KC is a terrible team & could surprise this week.
29. Oakland Raiders (-1) -@NY Giants, do not waste your time watching this one.
30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1) -@Philadelphia, also another bad game.
31. Cleveland Browns (=) -@Buffalo, this is a must win for both teams.
32. St. Louis (=) –Minnesota, and this could be over within the first half.

Teams That We Currently Disagree On

• Pittsburgh Steelers (IIA=6, ESPN=15) – We like Pittsburgh to turn around and start to climb the charts; we may be overly excited this week.
• Denver Broncos (IIA=14, ESPN=8) – Even at 4-0 we are not totally sold on Denver and their upcoming tough schedule should prove this doubt.

TEAMS THAT DIDN’T SHOW UP ON WEEK FOUR

So here at www.IFanyoneASKS.comwe took a BYE WEEK in Week Three reviews and a lot has changed, but our format has not. We will be listed as the only team for Week Three that did not show up and the others will be left alone.

During Week Four we caught some bad games. The Dallas at Denver game was probably the best and it only included three TD’s. Pittsburgh tried it’s best to make the ending of their game against San Diego entertaining, however could not help the Chargers out enough. I think the best is yet to come and tonight Packers at Vikings will make up for a poor week.

1. Tennessee Titans – 0-4, this is one more loss than the Titans had all of last year. Did losing Haynesworth destroy this defense? Is Kerry Collins really too old at this point? We can not figure it out Tennessee, every week we try to resurrect you and you disappoint, well you made it to the top finally…of the losing column.
2. Buffalo Bills – In Week One we thought we would see an exciting team in Buffalo, boy were we wrong. We thought getting Lynch back would be another weapon to bring to battle. Nope, this team will struggle.
3. St. Louis Rams (3rd Appearance) – 3 for 3 for this list and they should be here every week. Zero points scored; please do not select Stephen Jackson on your fantasy team as long as he is a Ram.
4. Oakland Raiders – JaMarcus Russell and Al Davis together are ruining this team. It is hard to have any hope for the Raiders. This team will be a strong member of the list of terrible teams.
5. San Diego Chargers (2nd Appearance) – This is a surprise, we were not alone in thinking the Chargers could be a contender this year, however we thought they would have a running game and defense and at this point they do not have either.
6. Dallas Cowboys – Is Denver this good? Is this Romo’s last year? We think the answer could be “Yes” in both cases.
7. Kansas City Chiefs – The game against the NY Giants was over before it started. If you watched this game you could see that Kansas City is far from a win and this division is looking better and better for Denver.
8. Seattle Seahawks (2nd Appearance) – Once again Seattle is plagued with injuries and problems. At least TJ Housh showed up for the game this week; however with the 49ers rolling this is going to be a tough year in the Northwest for their beloved Seahawks.
9. Detroit Lions – Stafford gets injured and the team went on pause letting Chicago run away with this one as soon as they kicked off to Knox in the second half. Come on Detroit please do it, do it for the economy and do it for the Tigers that will be crushed on Tuesday by the Twins.
10. TIE Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2nd Appearance) & Washington Redskins (2nd Appearance) – Both teams need to review what they are trying to accomplish with this year. This game was a snoozer and we would pick any of the TOP 25 D1 College teams to beat these teams.

NFL Fantasy Football Market After Week Two

So in looking back on our selections after Week One I feel that I could have dropped my starting RB’s and done better with Bush & Bell.

1. Darren Sproles – 150 total yards & 1 TD = 21 points; Sproles did not prove it on the ground and if we take away the long TD he has a bad day. Good Flex RB when LT is hurt.
2. Nate Burleson – 46 total yards = 4 points; kind of a Week 2 bust, but during the course of the season he could be a solid #3 WR.
3. Kevin Faulk – 11 total yards = 0 points, ouch keep him deep on the bench until New England comes back.
4. Dustin Keller – 22 total yards & 1 TD = 8 points, Not bad, the TD saved us. We still like Keller for your starting TE slot.
5. Michael Bush – 52 total yards = 4 points, Bush could have done better. We will continue to follow Bush, however McFadden looked better in Week 2.
6. Jeremy Shockey – 49 yards = 4 points, back to reality for Shockey.
7. Mike Bell – 95 total yards & 1 TD = 14 points, Solid pick, however the injury towards the end of the game could hurt his status and help Pierre Thomas slide back in coming off his injury.
9. Devery Henderson – 71 yards = 7 points, Need a TD and this would have been great.
10. Benjamin Watson – 23 yards = 2 points, Not what we wanted for Week 2.

We want to list LeSean McCoy (Eagles) in the #1 slot, however he was picked in all five leagues that we participated in this year, so he is too known to fill the sleeper slot.

1. Brent Celek (Eagles) – It is time to admit that this guy slipped under your draft radar despite all the fantasy mags promoting this up & coming TE. Get on board with this ship.
2. Steve Smith (NY Giants) – Eli Manning is looking great. Plaxico who? I like the young NY Giants WR’s.
3. Mario Manningham (NY Giants) – See Above
4. Johnny Knox (Bears) – There is nobody else for Cutler to throw to, so here’s Johnny. Let’s give him a shot.
5. Ted Ginn Jr. (Dolphins) – Alright, easy, we not a huge fans of Ginn (dropped 2 TD’s last game), but he is the easy #1 WR for Miami, so we will be forced to like him.
6. Kelley Washington (Steelers) – He is in the #3 slot for Pitt and looks confident. With the Steelers lacking a running game, Washington could be what Breaston is in Arizona.
7. Michael Sims-Walker (Jaguars) – He is now the #2 in Jacksonville with Williamson out for the year. Since Jacksonville will be playing from behind all season look for Sims-Walker to see a lot of throws his way.
8. Jabar Gaffney (Patriots) – Could be the #3 in New England and with Welker having injury problems it makes sense to invest in Gaffney.
9. Correll Buckhalter (Broncos) – Moreno has not shown me much in the first two games, I think it would be a good idea to consider Buckhalter. He may never make the final game day fantasy football starter cut, but there could be a match-up during Bye week that justifies a start for Buckhalter.
10. Dantrell Savage (Chiefs) – Kansas City deactivated Jamal Charles for Week Two and Savage benefited, with LJ struggling Savage could be the RB in favor of the new coaching staff.

WEEK TWO NFL POWER RANKINGS

Just to give you an idea of how competitive the NFL is right now six out of our top ten teams lost in Week Two. We went 8-8 for our BUY & SELL predictions and just missed the playoffs; our hope is that Week Two will turn out differently.

Here is an overview on what we called right:

Philadelphia Eagles (SELL) – Lost to New Orleans should rebound with Kansas City scheduled for Week 3.

New Orleans Saints (BUY) – Caught Philly at the right time. This team looks for real after two easy wins.

Indianapolis Colts (BUY) – The good teams always find a way to win and this was the week of the Manning’s proving their value.

Atlanta Falcons (BUY) – This team is strong and the upcoming games against New Orleans will be huge.

Buffalo Bills (BUY) – Buffalo is looking like a solid divisional contender with New England struggling and Miami 0-2. Will this division flip-flop and the Jets and Bills take over the top slots?

Washington Redskins (BUY) – Trying to duplicate the Bengals vs. Denver classic of week one, a win is a win even if you can not score a TD.

Carolina Panthers (SELL) – This team has to be concerned. Their division is getting better and they as a team are getting worse.

St. Louis Rams (SELL) – This can be the Lions (2008) team that we can bet against every week.

Here is an overview on what we missed on:

Pittsburgh Steelers (BUY) – Jeff Reed missed two FG’s and we have a loss against Chicago.

Green Bay Packers (BUY) – Ouch loss to Cincy at home, OchoCinco doing the Lambeau Leap, tough week.

New England Patriots (BUY) – The NY Jets pull this one out and we now need to question whether New England is as good as people think.

Tennessee Titans (BUY) – Where’s the defense? Is Houston that good? This is the best 0-2 NFL team.

New York Jets (SELL) – We thought the Rex Ryan era was overhyped, we were wrong.

Chicago Bears (SELL) – Cutler proves that this team will be as unpredictable as he is.

Houston Texans (SELL) – What a difference a week makes! 34 points put up against Tennessee, once again, are the NY Jets that good?

Cincinnati Bengals (SELL) – Right when we thought the days of Cincy were done and they would give up, CedBen and the Bengals sneak a victory in Green Bay.

NFL Power Rankings
-This is how we like them as of Week Two at www.IFanyoneASKS.com

BIGGEST GAINERS = Houston Texans (+8) & Cincinnati Bengals (+8)
BIGGEST LOSERS = Seattle Seahawks (-7) & Washington Redskins (-7)

1. New York Giants (BUY +5) -@Tampa Bay on SUN, easy win!
2. Baltimore Ravens (BUY +3) -@Cleveland on SUN, easy win!
3. New Orleans Saints (+5) -@Buffalo on SUN, Offensive delight
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (-1) -@Cincinnati on SUN, I like Pitt to rebound
5. Minnesota Vikings (-3) -San Francisco on SUN, Game of the Week?
6. Philadelphia Eagles (-5) -Kansas City on SUN, Rebound game
7. Indianapolis Colts (+3) -@Arizona on SUN, This is a great match-up
8. Atlanta Falcons (+4) -@New England on SUN, It is time to prove it
9. Dallas Cowboys (-5) -Carolina on MON, Romo can you do it?
10. Green Bay Packers (BUY -3) -@St. Louis on SUN, Rebound game
11. San Diego Chargers (=) -Miami on SUN, SD Run Def better be ready
12. Arizona Cardinals (+7) -Indianapolis on SUN, Beautiful match-up of QB’s
13. Tennessee Titans (=) -@NY Jets on SUN, Reversible team records
14. New York Jets (=) -Tennessee on SUN, Must win for the Titans
15. New England Patriots (-6) -Atlanta on SUN, The old vs. the young
16. Miami Dolphins (+6) -@ San Diego on SUN, Wild Cat Fever!
17. Houston Texans (+8) -Jacksonville on SUN, Riding the Texans rollercoaster
18. Chicago Bears (+3) -@ Seattle on SUN, Cutler is picking it up
19. Buffalo Bills (-2) -New Orleans on SUN, Bills Defense must be ready
20. San Francisco 49ers (-5) -@ Minnesota on SUN, Can Gore keep it going?
21. Cincinnati Bengals (+8) -Pittsburgh on SUN, Usually a tough game
22. Carolina Panthers (+1) -@Dallas on SUN, Tough match-up, Barber Injured?
23. Seattle Seahawks (-7) –Chicago on SUN, Hasselbeck’s health is a concern
24. Denver Broncos (+3) -@Oakland on SUN, The worst 2-0 team could be 3-0
25. Washington Redskins (-7) -@ Detroit on SUN, Struggled against St. Louis
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (-6) -@ Houston on SUN, Which Houston will show up
27. Kansas City Chiefs (-3) -@ Philadelphia on SUN, Philly is angry
28. Oakland Raiders (=) -Denver on SUN, Could the Raiders sneak another win?
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (SELL -3) -NY Giants on SUN, Admire the Giants
30. Detroit Lions (+1) -Washington on SUN, this is their chance to get that win
31. Cleveland Browns (SELL -1) -@Baltimore on SUN, this should be a blow-out
32. St. Louis (SELL =) -Green Bay on SUN, GB gave one to Cincy

TEAMS THAT WE DISAGREE ON (Look Back)
Score: ESPN 3, IAA 1, Tie 1 (IAA Record 1-3-1)

• Dallas Cowboys (IAA=4, ESPN=13) – ESPN was more right than us on this one; however that game could have went either way.
• New England Patriots (IAA=9, ESPN=2) – IAA wins this one, we had some concerns here.
• Minnesota Vikings (IAA=2, ESPN=8) – We will call this a tie for now.
• Chicago Bears (IAA=21, ESPN=15) – ESPN wins, Chicago beats Pittsburgh.
• Kansas City Chiefs (IAA=24, ESPN=30) – ESPN wins, Kansas City lost to Oakland.

Teams That We Currently Disagree On

• San Francisco 49ers (IAA=20, ESPN=13) – This could go either way based on the outcome at Minnesota. We are a little concerned that SF is better than we think.
• Dallas Cowboys (IAA=9, ESPN=15) – This team almost beat the NY Giants and had it not been for some strange INT's, tune in Monday night.
• New York Jets (IAA=14, ESPN=8) – We are still not comfortable saying the Jets are back, so they will get their chance against Tennessee this week.
• Arizona Cardinals (IAA 12, ESPN 18) – The game this week with Indi will be an entertaining one.

TEAMS THAT DIDN’T SHOW UP IN WEEK TWO

Well would you look at this a topic that looks very similar to last week’s Monday entry? I am sensing a pattern here and perhaps a column that you can rely on weekly here at www.IFanyoneASKS.com. We try to keep you guessing, but I find that when the Monday morning alarm clock goes off for the gym (lie) there are at least ten NFL teams that we hate due to a poor Sunday showing, and here they are:

1. New England Patriots (Repeat Offender) – Really, really are the NY Jets that good? I guess so; they laid the smack down on a Patriots team that many picked to be in the Super Bowl. Look out AFC your conference is a mess with Pittsburgh and New England losing this weekend.

2. Seattle Seahawks – Frank Gore goes for over 200 yards and this game was not even close. So much for a divisional showdown, where is the run defense Seattle? Could you be the true sleeper team bust instead of Houston?

3. Kansas City Chiefs – Sure let’s go and give Matt Cassel a truckload of money to be the next Steve DeBerg (7 Career NFL Teams including the Chiefs) and only put up 10 points on Oakland. Either the Raiders are really good or teams play them really bad?

4. Green Bay – The preseason darling shows some weaknesses against the Bengals. This is funny given the strong defensive performance Week One. It is a strange day when an old rival Cedric Benson comes in and beats you instead of Carson Palmer.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars – We at least thought the game against Arizona would be competitive with Arizona struggling a bit. I can see why there are ticket sales struggles in J-ville, the team doesn’t wanna be at the game either.

6. Cleveland Browns – I thought this game would bring back memories of Bernie Kosar and John Elway. We could gather to see a great game from two struggling franchises; however Denver is 2-0 and leading its division without Cutler and little from Marshall. Who saw that coming?

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Should I just reserve a spot on this weekly list for Tampa? I think so after seeing that every NFL team is marking this game as an extra BYE week. We thought that they could come to life with a solid running game and hold Buffalo on defense a few times. We were wrong.

8. Philadelphia Eagles – For the first half we thought Philly just may have a shot and then Brees destroyed them in the second half. When will the city of Brotherly Love offer some to McNabb? This team is not the same without him.

9. St. Louis Rams (Repeat Offender) – We avoided picking this game because the Rams always play the Redskins tough, however 7 points scored in two games is not gonna fly with us. St. Louis what is going on, we will see you here weekly with Tampa.

10. Washington Redskins – We always try to throw down a winning team that lucked out and here we find the Redskins this week. They could not punch in a TD against the Rams? Seattle put 28 points on them the first week and we get a dud from the ‘skins. Good luck against your division (0-6 this year).

NFL Fantasy Football Free Agent Market

Every week we at IFanyoneASKS.com would like to support the NFL players that most Fantasy Football owners passed on during draft day. We all know of the first round studs blowing it up in the first week, Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson come to mind, however there is always that sleeper pick that defines you as the fantasy football expert and should you have selected one of the following guys in your draft you look like an expert in Week One.

1. Darren Sproles – I was in a fantasy football draft in San Diego and Sproles went in the first round with the #12 pick. The room erupted in laughter, but this owner may have the last laugh as LT may be finished.
2. Nate Burleson – A Viking WR castaway is starting to develop in Seattle and could challenge TJ Housh for the top WR. He will continue to gain value as long as Hasselbeck stays healthy.
3. Kevin Faulk – Alright we have never been particular fantasy football fans of New England’s four RB-by-committee approach, but Faulk looks to be someone you can count on each week in a flex spot.
4. Dustin Keller – For some reason a young or struggling QB’s best friend is a great TE. Keller fits the mold for Sanchez.
5. Michael Bush – I had trouble telling Bush and McFadden apart on Monday night and that is good thing for Bush because his price tag is much lower and TD’s could be higher.
6. Jeremy Shockey – So he flopped last year and we forgot about him this year in the draft, however 2 TD’s in the first week is making a case for comeback player of the year.
7. Mike Bell – Pierre Thomas is injured and Bush is more of a slot receiver on the Saints. In walks Mike Bell, will he produce against non-Detroit teams we will see?
8. Willis McGhee – I still like McGhee, not as a top 20 RB, but he feels like a Chester Taylor option for the Ravens and a good bye week replacement for your starters.
9. Devery Henderson – The Saints WR’s scare me a bit, however I like the value in Henderson. He could be good for 80 yards and a TD while only making two catches.
10. Benjamin Watson – With all of the TE’s on the New England roster Watson grabs two TD’s in the final ten minutes of the game to challenge Shockey for this week’s top TE. We are sure he will not produce this in the next game, but what do we know?

When completing research for this article we stumbled across ESPN’s NFL Power Rankings (One Day After IFanyoneASKS.com) and reviewed some key disagreements.

TEAMS THAT WE DISAGREE ON

• Dallas Cowboys (IAA=4, ESPN=13) – We feel that Dallas will beat the Giants this week and this ranking will come closer.
• New England Patriots (IAA=9, ESPN=2) – This team in vulnerable right now in our opinion, if they lost to Buffalo would they still be as high?
• Minnesota Vikings (IAA=2, ESPN=8) – Minnesota has an easy schedule to start the year and this could serve as momentum to carry them through to the playoffs.
• Chicago Bears (IAA=21, ESPN=15) – We did not like what we saw on Sunday night; this team has some injuries and lack of WR’s that could hurt them.
• Kansas City Chiefs (IAA=24, ESPN=30) – We like what we saw for three quarters out of KC and with Cassel coming back we believe that the coaching staff and management team from New England can turn this franchise around.

WEEK ONE NFL POWER RANKINGS

It takes a big man to admit that he is wrong and an even bigger man to laugh at that man. Today I would like to apologize to the Bills and Raiders for reserving my final two spots of “Teams That Didn’t Show Up in Week One”. I would like to replace the #9 and #10 slots with the following: Leodis McKelvin (Buffalo Bills) and New England Patriots/San Diego Chargers.

I hate to pick on McKelvin and I am sure Bills fans are use to their hearts being ripped out of their chest, but that fumble easily cost Buffalo the game. I appreciate the effort and the fight for extra yards, but sometimes taking the knee wins the game. I learned this from Westbrook in the past and if you had him on your fantasy football team you remember his famous play. Alright I will leave this alone.

New England and San Diego were everyone’s favorites to win it all and they barely beat two of the bottom ten teams on Monday night. I’m a little concerned. I see weak offensive lines and vulnerable defenses. We will see if this continues.

So I was all set today to write an article about which is better the “Anticipation of the NFL Season” or “The Actual Season” and after last night I want to leave this topic alone. I was glued to the TV during both Monday night games and enjoyed every minute. I was set to write up a valid argument that the offseason drama outperforms the actual season and then there is Buffalo and Oakland providing some fight.

There was a certain feel last night to the Chargers at Raiders game that felt like a “Fight Club” back alley brawl that you say to your wife and kids I could take those guys and really be thinking thank God I am not on that field right now. It was violent in Oakland, there was true hate and emotion on the field and it took until the last game of week one to really connect with me.

So with injuries plaguing some of our favorite playoff picks this year, here is one guy hoping for some NFL drama as the middle of the pack gains on the top feeders.

NFL Power Rankings-This is how we like them as of Week One at www.IFanyoneASKS.com
1. Philadelphia Eagles (SELL) -New Orleans on SUN, Injuries to QB & OT
2. Minnesota Vikings (HOLD) -@Detroit on SUN may struggle
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (BUY) -@Chicago on SUN, Polamalu INJ
4. Dallas Cowboys (HOLD) -NYG on SUN, will be the game to watch
5. Baltimore Ravens (HOLD) -@San Diego on SUN, win and they move up
6. New York Giants (HOLD) -@Dallas on SUN, new stadium opening in Dallas
7. Green Bay Packers (BUY) -Cincinnati on SUN, should win and win big
8. New Orleans Saints (BUY) -@Philadelphia on SUN, timing is right
9. New England Patriots (BUY) -@NY Jets on SUN, should bounce back
10. Indianapolis Colts (BUY) -@Miami on MON, Rebound game
11. San Diego Chargers (HOLD) -Baltimore on SUN, Early must win game
12. Atlanta Falcons (BUY) -Carolina on SUN, timing is right to invest
13. Tennessee Titans (BUY) -Houston on SUN, should win easily
14. New York Jets (SELL) -New England on SUN, should come back to reality
15. San Francisco 49ers (HOLD) -Seattle on SUN, this is an even match-up
16. Seattle Seahawks (HOLD) -@ San Francisco on SUN, you call it
17. Buffalo Bills (BUY) -Tampa Bay on SUN, Bills DEF should win this one
18. Washington Redskins (BUY) -St. Louis on SUN, Rebound game
19. Arizona Cardinals (HOLD) -@Jacksonville on SUN, not for sure what to expect
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (HOLD) -Arizona on SUN, you call it on this one
21. Chicago Bears (SELL) -Pittsburgh on SUN, ouch bad time, the INT total grows
22. Miami Dolphins (HOLD) -Indianapolis on MON, not for sure what to expect
23. Carolina Panthers (SELL) -@Atlanta on SUN, this could get ugly
24. Kansas City Chiefs (HOLD) -Oakland on SUN, low scoring affair here
25. Houston Texans (SELL) -@Tennessee on SUN, this could be a huge loss
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (HOLD) -@Buffalo on SUN, tight match-up
27. Denver Broncos (HOLD) -Cleveland on SUN, hopefully there is some Offense
28. Oakland Raiders (HOLD) -@Kansas City on SUN, can they finish games
29. Cincinnati Bengals (SELL) -@Green Bay on SUN, O-Line is in trouble
30. Cleveland Browns (HOLD) -@Denver on SUN, tight match-up for poor teams
31. Detroit Lions (HOLD) -Minnesota on SUN, this game is sometimes close
32. St. Louis (SELL) -@Washington on SUN, if they could go lower, they would

Teams That Didn’t Show Up in Week One of the NFL Season

Nothing like playing Monday morning NFL Quarterback, but it was so clear that there were a few teams that did not show up this past Sunday. I think I was there with the majority of you saying, “What the hell?” So let’s bash on some failed week one teams.

1. Carolina Panthers – Wow, either Philly is that good or Carolina is still hurting from the beat down that Arizona laid on them in the playoffs last year. This game was over before half; in fact the starters for Philly left the field in the 3rd Quarter. This felt like a preseason game. Look out Carolina this could be a disaster season.

2. Houston Texans – Everyone was picking Houston as their sleeper team in the National media and they were right they were fast asleep on Monday and made Mark Sanchez look like the next Tom Brady. Coach Rex Ryan (New York Jets) looks brilliant and Jets fans are probably booking Super Bowl tickets this morning.

3. St. Louis Rams – So if you are a fantasy football player there is always that mid-1st round pick that you may have landed and Stephen Jackson joins your team. You try to justify it, however this team is garbage and Stephen can only do so much year after year. I just feel bad great baseball city wanting some football.

4. Jay Cutler & The Bears WR’s – Whoops, this is not a team, but it was hard not to sit back and wonder if Chicago ran any passing plays in the offseason. At one point I felt like Cutler was trying to throw interceptions because he was upset. The bad luck of the Cubs may have rubbed off on this one and let’s never crown a new player the King of Chicago sports until he has produced on the field.

5. Cincinnati Bengals – How bad was the Cincinnati vs. Denver game? It was terrible and the sports gamblers cringed as we watched one of the craziest finishes unfold with Denver on the winner’s side destroying the point spread. This team looked as bad as expected and if they won that game the Broncos would be in this slot.

6. Denver Broncos – See above, I’m just angry at how things played out with McDaniels, Cutler and Marshall. Use to support this team when John Elway was running the show.

7. Steelers Running Game – Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall this one goes out to you. I thought that the Steelers were a hard nosed grind it on the ground football team? What happened? Big Ben did and now this team looks a lot like a Kurt Warner led team or the New England Patriots or the Colts. Funny thing is, does Pitt even need a running game to win?

8. Arizona Cardinals – There could be arguments to see the Dolphins, Browns or Buccaneers in this slot, however Arizona really let us all down on Sunday and I think we kind of saw it coming. This team did not look like a near Super Bowl champion from last year. When Tim Hightower is your leading WR, there are problems on the O-Line.

9. & 10. Buffalo Bills & Oakland Raiders – I am saving the bottom two slots for teams that should let us down as expected tonight. I hope that I am wrong, I really do for the sake of competition, but a T.O. led Bills team and an Al Davis led Raiders team spells disaster for me.

Week Two In College Football

So we are hours away from another college football filled Saturday and as a time honored tradition followed called “how to waste the work hours before 5:00pm” I pull up the college football schedule to see what family and friend events I may have to miss so I can cuddle with my TV for exciting games from the best sport (no offense soccer).

And to my dismay, only two games are of any interest, these being Notre Dame at Michigan and USC at Ohio State and that is it. Yes, I enjoyed the Clemson at Georgia Tech game on Thursday night, however it faced off against the first NFL game: Tennessee at Pittsburgh, so it was hard to watch both and I do not support the DVR option for live sporting events. So after this review, I had to ask myself, “Why are the college match-ups so weak in the first two weeks?”

I think big teams are scared that one loss to a ranked opponent is way worse than a win over a poor, non-BCS squad. We have seen time and time again how Ohio State puts it in cruise control after a game or two that is competitive. That is why USC is on the schedule so early year after year. Has this one loss against the only decent team they play (sometimes two adding Penn State) hurt their National Championship run? No it has not and who is to blame?

The system, when will college football get a playoffs system? Obama asked for it, please deliver it! I try to avoid this consistent debate every year and I come back to it. On a year where we may see Boise State and a good BYU team run the table I will hate it if we do or do not see one of these teams get a shot at winning the title. So get ready for Grandma Catherine’s pumpkin pie and whatever random friend’s bar crawl birthday it is tomorrow, because you only have two games to watch.

College Football Week One Recap

So Week One is in the books and what did we learn in this first week? That Florida’s best rivalry is far from over, that Oklahoma’s season will be plagued by injuries caused by an aggressive BYU team and that Oregon’s star running back LeGarrette Blount traded in a promising NFL future for maybe a career as a wrestler for the WWE.

Next week we will see Michigan and Notre Dame play to prove that one team is still relevant and the other is a year away from relevance. Also we have Ohio State (barely beat Navy) playing USC (True Freshman Quarterback) that looks extremely entertaining. So let’s take a look back to see how www.IFanyoneASKS.com showed you the way to the great game or led you astray.

TOP TEN COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES TO WATCH IN WEEK ONE

10. South Carolina 7 at North Carolina State 3 (Thurs 9/3 at 4PM PST)
- This game under performed, however I feel South Carolina showed how an SEC team needs to play defense, it is just too bad that a Spurrier led team can’t play offense, very strange.

9. Missouri 37 at Illinois 9 (Sat 9/5 at 12:40PM PST)
-Another poor game, looks like losing Chase Daniels, Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman is not a problem for Missouri and what happen to Juice (Illi QB)? This was a poor showing at home Illinois.

8. Maryland 13 at California 52 (Sat 9/5 at 7:00PM PST)
-This continued the first week of poor games, however this game clearly proved that CAL is in a good position to bump USC out of the driver seat of the Pac-10 this year.

7. Miami (FL) 38 at Florida State 34 (Mon 9/7 at 5:00PM PST)
-Best game of the week in my opinion and I think this makes all of college football proud. Two solid programs, two great QB’s, however two weak defenses, will this win put Miami back in the National Championship picture? Not if they lose one of the next three games (Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma).

6. Minnesota 23 at Syracuse 20 (Sat 9/5 at 9AM PST) OT
-Probably the forth best game of the week and it ended in a Paulus INT to lose in OT, had the movie producers been around they would have changed that to a Paulus TD to win in OT, but turns out we have a poor economy and the happy moments are in the Twin Cities for now.

5. Nevada 0 at Notre Dame 35 (Sat 9/5 at 12:30PM PST)
-Could Notre Dame be for real or is Nevada just that bad? This is a great outcome to aid in the promotion of the Michigan game this week, however this game severely under performed in the five slot.

4. Oregon 8 at Boise State 19 (Thurs 9/3 at 7:15PM PST)
-The game wasn’t much to watch, however Blount made the game National News with his post game antics. I really want to know what the DE from Boise State said to him, oh and Boise State will go undefeated this year and make a bowl game.

3. BYU 14 at Oklahoma 13 (Sat 9/5 at 4:00PM PST)
-The “what if’s” gang makes an appearance, what if Bradford did not get hurt? What if Oklahoma’s top WR played? What if…blah, blah, blah, BYU won this game and will now make a run to slip into a BCS Bowl game this year. OU fans better start worrying or planning for next year because their schedule is not getting any easier.

2. Georgia 10 at Oklahoma State 24 (Sat 9/5 at 12:30PM PST)
-I thought this game was ok, however it struggled to keep my attention with only a few big plays deciding the outcome, not exactly what I had in mind for the #2 slot.

1. Alabama 34 at Virginia Tech 24 (Sat 9/5 at 5:00PM PST)
-For the most part this game delivered, Alabama now becomes a contender and we await the start of the SEC schedule for the Crimson Tide.

Teams To Watch List:

Tennessee (New Crazy Coach Kiffin) beats Western Kentucky 63-7 no surprises here.

USC (True Freshman QB) beats San Jose State 56-3 could the 19 year old QB be the answer?

Michigan (Coming off an 8 loss season, over-practicing player’s scandal) beats Western Michigan 31-7 little lower scoring, however this is a huge win heading into the Notre Dame game.

Games We Missed On:

Navy 27 at Ohio State 31: Wow, this game was thrilling if Navy ties this game up at 29, would we have seen a different outcome, this should change the point spread more towards USC’s advantage this week when facing Ohio State.
Northern Iowa 16 at Iowa 17: Two blocked FG’s in a row! You gotta be kidding me Northern Iowa! You blew it! This could have been the upset that nobody called, however it is a “nice shot, better luck next year” game.

Two other games that are worth a mention Baylor over Wake Forest and LSU over Washington, so we missed on 2-4 games, not bad for the first week back.

College Football Week One

Life is full of choices and starting on Thursday (9/3/09) we will have to make a huge decision on how to allocate our College Football viewing for Week One. It is tough to navigate through the Week One schedule so let me be your guide to the match-ups that make the most sense to steal some productive hours away from the desk.

TOP TEN COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES TO WATCH IN WEEK ONE

10. South Carolina at North Carolina State (Thurs 9/3 at 4PM PST)
-This was a simple pick. It is the first game. It is a SEC vs. ACC border game and we will get to see our favorite coach to hate Steve Spurrier crying on the sidelines

9. Missouri at Illinois (Sat 9/5 at 12:40PM PST)
-These teams could pull a surprise upset or two in their conferences, I think win one will be a start on the right foot

8. Maryland at California (Sat 9/5 at 7:00PM PST)
-I’m told that RB Jahvid Best will be the best RB in the nation and CAL will give USC trouble in the PAC-10. Oh really, well we will see starting game one

7. Miami (FL) at Florida State (Mon 9/7 at 5:00PM PST)
-How is this #7? It should be #1, but the ACC has struggled to gain relevance over the past five years (sorry Virginia Tech). As a fan I want this game back on the top and hopefully 2009 will be the start

6. Minnesota at Syracuse (Sat 9/5 at 9AM PST)
-Some would say why this game? When a former Duke PG starts at QB less than six months removed from March Madness with no college football game experience can I make a sweeter story line for a movie or will we get a “I told you so” with Minnesota rocking the ‘Cuse

5. Nevada at Notre Dame (Sat 9/5 at 12:30PM PST)
-Am I the only one that remembers last year’s terrible ND team? Hey Lou Holtz take some meds, I think Nevada has a shot in this one like San Diego State did last year in the opener. This could be a closer game than experts expect

4. Oregon at Boise State (Thurs 9/3 at 7:15PM PST)
-I am a sucker for the blue turf and I think the boys of Boise should be in line for an undefeated season, that is if they get past Oregon

3. BYU at Oklahoma (Sat 9/5 at 4:00PM PST)
-It is funny listing OU as a potential upset victim after highlighting Boise State. One of the top five teams needs to get an early scare and I feel this game will provide it

2. Georgia at Oklahoma State (Sat 9/5 at 12:30PM PST)
-This game is huge, it will set off the SEC vs. Big 12 argument proper and everyone says Georgia will quietly be productive this year. I like where OKstate is going, but will it be enough

1. Alabama at Virginia Tech (Sat 9/5 at 5:00PM PST)
-Obviously the top game of the week. Everyone is telling us tune in and I agree. This game should provide some excitement

Teams that we excluded that could be interesting are Tennessee (New Crazy Coach Kiffin), USC (True Freshman QB) and Michigan (Coming off an 8 loss season, over-practicing players scandal). Terrible match-ups, but enticing storylines, if I overlooked a game or two let me know, throw the beer on ice I will be attending San Diego State at UCLA.

NBA: Ricky Rubio Stays In Spain For Two More Years

Who is Ricky Rubio? Why are we talking about a young kid staying Spain? If you are asking this you clearly missed the 2009 NBA Draft this year. The Minnesota Timberwolves decided to draft two PG’s in the first round this year with Ricky Rubio (Pick 5) and Jonny Flynn (Pick 6).

So what happens when a player delays joining a NBA team? Well thanks for asking. The Timberwolves will continue to own the rights to Ricky Rubio, so if any NBA team has interest in Rubio they will have to present a deal that makes sense for them to trade off his rights. This is great for the buzz that Rubio received recently, however will it hold strong as a long term investment or be a waste of a pick with a guy that only wanted to move to the United States if it involved locating to Miami or LA.
This brought to attention famous draft picks that refused to sign with the team that selected them. The most recent example that I can provide is Eli Manning. Eli was drafted by San Diego and then traded to the New York Giants. The Chargers used these picks to bring in Philip Rivers and Shawn Merriman. So who got the last laugh, maybe the Giants with one Super Bowl in the books since the trade or the Chargers with a leader on Offense and Defense? What do you think?

An even deeper dig would be when John Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts and then traded to the Denver Broncos. Should I even ask who received the better side of this trade? Baltimore received the following: QB Mark Herrmann, OL Chris Hinton, and OG Ron Solt. Denver enjoyed the two Super Bowl wins I am sure.

So while the two examples provided do not look terribly pretty for the Timberwolves. I guess the hope of new head coach Kurt Rambis is that they will get a trade similar to the Chargers/Giants and far from the Baltimore/Denver deal.

Welcome to Sports Takes By Wade Jay

Welcome to Sports Takes By Wade Jay (Website Birthday 9/1/2009). This will be a place where you can go for information regarding Football, Basketball and a few other sports highlights.

I have served as a contributing writer to www.onmissionSD.com. You can also find me commenting on www.areavoices.com/goethe/ and of course you can find me on Twitter @wadehaviland.

So opening summary aside, I thought it would be a solid first article to highlight the Top Five Reasons "To Follow This Blog" and Top Five Reasons "Not To Follow This Blog" so you can make an informed decision when organizing your bookmarks.

TOP TEN REASONS "To Follow This Blog"

5. You can disagree, criticize and insult the opinions on this blog and it will be appreciated

4. I have tried time and time again not to pay attention to sports and find that it sucks me back in after a short period of rejection, that is the definition of addiction

3. I started playing fantasy football in 6th grade, using newspapers on Monday morning to select a winner amongst my Middle School friends

2. If reviewing sports websites, watching sports on TV and listening to sports radio were a job I would be a California Home Owner or Millionaire (same/same)

1. I change into my favorite sports team jersey when the game is on even if I am at home alone

TOP FIVE REASONS "Not To Follow This Blog"

5. I am not a former NFL QB or NBA PG or even a successful NCAA athlete, so it may be hopeless to consider a job at ESPN or a major sports network

4. I am not a journalist with a fancy Harvard degree and do not have any published work floating around on Amazon.com

3. I take credit for a father that played football for The U (Miami), two brothers that play/played football for Minnesota (Gophers) and a sister that was a swimmer/diver at West Point (Army), yet do not have any on field experience past high school

2. I'm sort of a homer when it comes to Minnesota and San Diego sports, so if you hate both area sports this could be your first place to get rid of the "Mondays" before your morning coffee

1. I enjoy statistics and predictions, so there will be some high level algorithms that may be interesting only to Math geeks and Financial Analysts

In summary, if you can look past my shortcomings and elevate my advantages I look forward to spending five minutes or less a day with your morning website checks delaying productive work time. Welcome to the website and please share this link if you like or hate it to anyone that cares.