College Football 2011 - Week 7.....

A perfect 6-0 week for the first time this year. This week has four match-ups of ranked teams, including the battle for Michigan. Enjoy.

Week 7 games (Home team in CAPS)

Michigan (#11) over MICHIGAN STATE (#23) - This will be a tough game for the Wolverines on the road in East Lansing, but Denard Robinson will be too much for the Spartan defense.
Baylor (#20) over TEXAS A&M (#21) - Robert Griffin had 8 incompletions last weekend, but he'll bounce back from that down week and lead the Bears to a tough road victory over an Aggie team that is starting to hit some bumps.
Oklahoma State (#6) over TEXAS (#22) - A tough stretch here for Texas with their second straight game against an opponent from their neighbor to the north. The Cowboys might be able to match the Sooner output against the Longhorn defense.
OREGON (#9) over Arizona State (#18) - Looks like LaMichael James is out with the dislocated elbow, but the Ducks will tighten the ship and beat the Sun Devils who are looking to sneak the the Pac 12 upset.
Florida over AUBURN (#24) - The Gators, along with Florida State and Miami are not ranked for the first time in many years. Something tells me the Gators get it together and knock off the Tigers on the road.
Ohio State over ILLINOIS (#16) - Another "not sure why", but I think Illinois is vulnerable and this is the week they get knocked off by a Buckeye team licking their wounds after blowing their second half lead last week against Nebraska.

Week 6: 6-0
2011 season: 25-11

College Football 2011 - Week 1.....

The college football season starts tonight and for college sport fans and the NCAA it could not come soon enough after this "summer of scandal". Add the conference movement going on and it is just too much noise for college sport fans. Unfortunately, they will be the stories throughout the year, especially with many of the top teams being a part of this stories.

As for on the field, the consensus seems to put Alabama and Oklahoma in the BCS Title Game. Can Alabama keep the Championship in Charles Barkley's home state for a third straight year? Will Oklahoma give one last boost to the Big 12, before it possibly goes away? What about the BCS Buster in Boise State? I don't know the answers and look forward to seeing it played out each Saturday.

Now onto the field for the week one match-ups.

Week 1 games (Home team in CAPS):

NOTRE DAME (#16) over South Florida - I'm buying into the ND hype and expect to see them in a BCS game in January. Skip Holtz leads USF into the place where his dad coached, but will come up short in his upset bid.
South Carolina (#12) over East Carolina University (Charlotte) - The Ol' Ball Coach has a team which is getting some buzz to get out of the SEC and possibly be a championship contender. Stephen Garcia is back at QB, while Marcus Lattimore stars at running back to lead this offense for the Gamecocks. Game is in Charlotte, but could feel like a SC home game.
TCU (#14) over BAYLOR - Texas Christain may not be as good as they were the last two seasons, but they will still be a force and could work their way into the BCS mix. Gary Patterson is considered one of the best coaches in college football and after last year's graduating losses, he will show his mettle and get the Horned Frogs back to a big bowl game.
MARYLAND over Miami - Too many distractions down in Miami and the Terps will take advantage of those problems in their ACC home opener. Randy Edsall gets his first ACC coaching win on Labor Day night.
Oregon (#3) over Louisiana State (#4) (in Dallas) - The marquee match-up of the opening weekend has a bit of tarnish on it due to the investigation at Oregon, but more so because of the legal troubles of some of LSU's best players, including starting quarterback, Jordan Jefferson. The Ducks will be lead by sensational running back LaMichael James and the rest of their high powered offense.
Boise State (#5) over Georgia (#19) (in Atlanta) - Boise State is back for another shot at the crown jewel and their first, and possibly biggest test, will be against the big, bad SEC representative in the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are ranked, but that may be a bit of a "SEC boost" helping them into the early Top 20. The game is in Atlanta, but the Broncos showed last year that they don't shy away from a hostile "neutral" crowd when they faced Virginia Tech in Washington, DC. Kellen Moore is back at QB for Boise and will lead the Broncos to the victory.

Lessons Learned - The SportsFan Buzz (7/7/2011).....

So now the Oregon Ducks football program has caught the NCAA's eye after a story has surfaced about possible violations revolving around a scouting service. I don't care about the allegations as much as I want to see how Oregon's staff handles it. Will Coach Chip Kelly learn from the Jim Tressell mess at Ohio State and make sure he holds nothing back? Also, Bruce Pearl tries to explain those "couple of misstated answers" he gave to the NCAA.

The SportsFan Buzz: July 7, 2011 (right click to "save as target")
You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

College Football 2010 (Championship Week).....

College football has finally arrived at its final week with a few rivalry match-ups and the conference championship games. Auburn and Oregon are sitting with the BCS championship in front of them, but they can't trip up looking forward to January 10, 2011 and forget about this week's opponents. By Sunday night we will know the match-ups for the BCS games and all the other postseason bowl games.

Week 14 games:

ARIZONA (#23) over Arizona State
Auburn (#2) over South Carolina (#19) --- SEC Championship
Virginia Tech (#15) over Florida State (#21) --- ACC Championship
Oklahoma (#9) over Nebraska (#13) --- Big 12 Championship
Oregon (#1) over OREGON STATE
USC over UCLA

Week 13: 2-4
2010 season: 49-25

College Football 2010 (Week 13).....

Last full weekend of games before we get to the conference championship weekend and there is a nice full slate of games (five overall) involving ranked teams. Plus there are quite a few rivalry games as the regular season winds down these next couple of weeks. With the holiday, quite a few of these games take place on Friday, so instead of fighting those shopping crowds, grab some leftovers and find the couch and your clicker.

Week 13 games:

ALABAMA (#9) over Auburn (#2)
OREGON (#1) over Arizona (#20)
Boise State (#3) over NEVADA (#19)
ARKANSAS (#12) over LSU (#6)
Oklahoma State (#10) over OKLAHOMA (#14)
North Carolina State (#21) over MARYLAND

Week 12: 5-1
2010 season: 47-25

College Football 2010 (Week 12).....

The craziness of the BCS just keeps on giving as TCU is now being "punished" because their victory over an undefeated Utah team two weeks ago has been written off after Utah got stomped at Notre Dame. No, we don't need a playoff (Very good article about a football playoff in last week's Sports Illustrated.). Many of the top teams are off this week, as we only have four match-ups involving Top 25 teams and none with both teams higher than eighteen. What we do have starting this week are the traditional year-end rivalry match-ups.

Week 12 games:

Ohio State (#8) over IOWA (#21)
Nebraska (#9) over TEXAS A&M (#18)
Arkansas (#13) over MISSISSIPPI STATE (#22)
Virginia Tech (#14) over MIAMI (#24)
Stanford (#7) over CALIFORNIA
North Carolina State over NORTH CAROLINA

Week 11: 4-2
2010 season: 42-24

College Football 2010 (Week 11).....

Well, things are starting to get clearer with regards to the possible BCS champion at the end of this season. It looks like it is down to seven possible teams with Auburn and Oregon controlling their own paths to the championship game, while TCU and Boise St. wait and hope for one of the top two to fall and let them in. Then sitting further on the outside, LSU, Ohio St., and Wisconsin's only hope it a complete collapse from those top four teams.

Very slow week as there are only two match-ups this week that involve Top 25 teams and all those teams are outside the Top 10.

Week 11 games:

ALABAMA (#11) over Mississippi State (#17) - Alabama gets knocked out of the National Championship debate in losing to LSU. Have to wonder if they will be up for MSU, but I think that Nick Saben gets them ready and back on the winning path.
FLORIDA (#24) over South Carolina (#22) - The battle for the SEC East crown. Coach Spurrier would love to get the victory over his old team in The Swamp, but coming off the bye will be a plus for the Gators and they take down the Gamecocks and get their season back on a positive note.
Oregon (#1) over CALIFORNIA - Now it is just up to Oregon to keep rolling and while early in the season this looked like it could be trouble, this now looks like it could get ugly.
AUBURN (#2) over Georgia - Auburn must make sure they don't look ahead to their Black Friday meeting against Alabama and if this game was on the road, I might be worried, but because it is a home game, Cam Newton and the Tigers roll over a disappointing Georgia team.
Iowa (#13) over NORTHWESTERN - Iowa can look back at two tough losses on the road to a "what could have been", but they need to take this Northwestern team seriously as they play tough Big Ten football. The Hawkeye defense is just too tough and they get the road victory.
Virginia Tech (#16) over NORTH CAROLINA - This is not the same Virginia Tech team that came out of the gate 0-2 and while North Carolina has played respectfully despite all their problems, they are missing too much talent to keep up with the Hokies.

Week 10: 2-4
2010 season: 38-22

Tournament No Shows - The SFB Podcast (11/8/2010).....

Florida State kept their top women soccer players home and did not send them to the ACC Tournament because they wanted to be fresh for the NCAA Championship. It cost them money and a scolding from the ACC "higher-ups", but I wonder in the big picture if FSU was wrong in their thinking and will other teams maybe do this, but maybe not in such blatant ways.

Plus, I will admit that I have been just browsing the NASCAR races and the standing as they wrap up their season, but after yesterday's race in Texas they have gotten my attention. Jeff Gordon and Jeff Burton got into a fight and Jimmie Johnson replaced his pit crew in the middle of the race. I'll take a look at what I have been missing this NASCAR season. Plus another college football weekend is in the books and the baseball free agency period started. Did you notice? Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: November 8, 2010 (right click to "save as target)
You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

College Football 2010 (Week 10).....

This is really turning out to be a very fun college football season and the Oregon Ducks are leading the way with how they attack opposing defenses with all their offensive weapons. Then we have Cam Newton leading the Heisman race while leading the Auburn Tigers towards the top of the rankings. The Tigers match-up with Alabama later this month looms large and will greatly influence the final BCS standings.

Who were those impostors in the Spartan green jerseys? Michigan State gets knocked out of the conversation by getting smacked down by a good Iowa team. I thought they had some magic on their side this season, but that was quickly smothered by that Hawkeye defense.

Another great slate of games this week as we will have five match-ups of top 25 teams, including two non-BCS teams facing off when TCU travels to Utah.

Week 10 games:

North Carolina State (#23) over CLEMSON - Living here in Raleigh for most of the last 18 years, I have followed the Wolfpack pretty closely and this sets up as a "break your heart" game for Packer Backers, but I'll put my faith in them to keep this good season rolling.
Baylor (#22) over OKLAHOMA STATE (#19) - Big win for Baylor over Texas in Austin and this is another big test on the road. I like their quarterback Robert Griffin to have another big game.
SOUTH CAROLINA (#18) over Arkansas (#17) - Steve Spurrier knows something about quarterbacks and keeps the Razorback offense in check to get another tough SEC victory.
ALABAMA (#5) over LSU (#12) - I still think Alabama is the best all-around team in the country and they put LSU to the side as they march their way towards that showdown with Auburn alter in the month.
STANFORD (#10) over Arizona (#13) - Arizona has been quietly winning games and now has this showdown with the Stanford Cardinal. This would be one of the biggest wins in recent Wildcat history, but I think the Stanford offense is better with Andrew Luck and will get the PAC 10 victory.
TCU (#4) over UTAH (#6) - A knockout game for one of these two "BCS-buster" teams. Even though they are traveling, TCU is used to this "big game" atmosphere with their recent history and keeps the Utes offense under control to squeak out a close victory.

Week 9: 3-3
2010 season: 36-18

College Football 2010 (Week 9).....

Last Saturday marked the third week in a row where the #1 team in the country lost a road conference game. The latest victim was Oklahoma dropping their game to an undefeated Missouri team. This week it is Oregon on top of the polls traveling to face USC, while the BCS #1 is Auburn and take it to the road against Mississippi State.

Now let's see if I don't fall off the perch after last week's 6-0 record.

Week 9 games:

Oregon (#1) over USC (#24)
Auburn (#3) over Mississippi State
Michigan State (#5) over Iowa (#18)
Nebraska (#14) over Missouri (#7)
Florida State (#16) over North Carolina State
Michigan over Penn State

Week 8: 6-0
2010 season: 33-15

College Football 2010 (Week 8).....

For the second week in a row we saw the #1 team in college football fall. Wisconsin made sure Ohio St. didn't get comfortable at the top of the heap and ran all over the Buckeye defense. Now Oregon is the top team in the land, but will they hold it, or will we see another upset at the top? Plus another week of good top 25 match-ups.

Week 8 games:

Oregon (#1) over UCLA
Oklahoma (#3) over Missouri (#18)
Auburn (#5) over LSU (#6)
Michigan St. (#8) over Northwestern
Wisconsin (#10) over Iowa (#13)
Nebraska (#14) over Oklahoma St. (#17)


Week 7: 3-3
2010 season: 27-15

Sorry Agent - The SFB Podcast 10/19/2010

Josh Luchs tells us he decided to open up to Sports Illustrated so that his reputation was not defined by his suspension of his agent's license. He seems to be sweeping under the rug his 20 years of breaking rules and feels he did right to provide for his family. After reading his account, I come away with a much different feeling as to why he told his story.

Plus for the second straight week the top college team lost as Ohio State fell to Wisconsin and now it's Oregon's turn at #1, while Boise St. just waits its turn for the big boys to fall. Also a look at the MLB League Championship series through the first few games. Enjoy.

The SportsFan Buzz: October 19, 2010 (right click to "save as target)

You can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
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The SportsFan Buzz is on Facebook.
Follow The SportsFan Buzz on Twitter.

Voice over talent provided by Morgan Thomas.

College Football 2010 (Week 6).....

Alabama sure looks like the best team in college football as they crush their rival Florida Gators, while my favorite team to watch are the very exciting Oregon Ducks. Meanwhile Denard Robinson is turning into a player I want to watch and normally I don't look at individual players in the college game. Four match-ups of ranked teams this week, including a couple of in-state rivalries and two SEC match-ups.

Week 6 games:

Alabama (#1) over South Carolina (#19) - Maybe the "Old Ball Coach" can have his Gamecocks pull the upset over Alabama, but after seeing the Tide dismantle Florida last week, I think it will take a perfect effort and I just don't see it happening.
Michigan (#18) over Michigan State (#17) - What a game for the state of Michigan as both teams come in ranked and undefeated, which not many predicted at the start of the season. This will be another video game shootout with both offenses going up and down against these defenses. Denard Robinson makes the plays to lead the Wolverines over Sparty.
Miami (#13) over Florida State (#23) - Another in-state rivalry game, but Miami has too much speed on both sides of the ball and handles the Seminoles.
Notre Dame over Pittsburgh - Notre Dame has been looking good on offense and gets a win in a game that should be close and entertaining.
Florida (#14) over LSU (#12) - Both teams have been shaky all year, but more so for LSU and I think this is the game they finally get their first loss of the year. Florida bounces back from getting whipped last week against Alabama.
Stanford (#16) over USC - The USC defense is young and a little slow. Not a good match-up against a Stanford team that is hurting after blowing a 21-3 lead and getting outscored 49-10 the rest of the game against Oregon.


Week 5: 4-2
2010 season: 22-8

College Football 2010 (Week 5).....

Alabama showed that they are not giving up their position as the #1 team in college football without a big fight in their comeback (thrown to them by Ryan Mallett) win over Arkansas. It doesn't get any easier as they get Florida coming down for a visit. A good week of ranked match-ups between conference opponents.

Week 5 games:

Oklahoma (#8) over Texas (#21) - The Longhorns were embarrassed at home by UCLA and would love to spoil Oklahoma's year in their annual "Red River Rivalry" game. Unless Texas all of a sudden finds a running game, this should be the Sooners' year to win this attraction at the Texas State Fair.
Wisconsin (#11) over Michigan State (#24) - One of two Big Ten conference games between two ranked teams. Wisconsin has struggled as of late and this game is in Lansing, but the Badgers are a better team than the Spartans and will get a tough Big Ten win.
North Carolina State (#23) over Virginia Tech - Nice road win for NC State last week against Georgia Tech. When the Wolfpack show up among the ranked teams and that usually that means a letdown for my local team. This year just feels a little different and they play well at home against Virginia Tech and keep the nice start rolling along.
Alabama (#1) over Florida (#9) - Yes, I picked against the Tide last week, but I will not do that two weeks in a row, especially with this game at home. Florida has not looked great in their games and will struggle this week against Nick Saban's Alabama defense, in what could be a preview of the SEC Championship.
Oregon (#4) over Stanford (#9) - A showcase of the Pac 10's best two teams and it does not include USC. Andrew Luck and Stanford will try to keep up with the high flying Ducks' offense, but Oregon being at home will be the difference in this matchup that has the possibility of looking like a video game with all the scoring these two teams can generate.
Iowa (#17) over Penn St. (#22) - Both teams need the victory after some lackluster performances. The Hawkeyes have the Nittany Lions at home and that is the reason I favor Iowa in this matchup.


Week 4: 4-2
2010 season: 18-6

College Football 2010 (Week 1).....

While I love watching college football, predicting the end of year Bowl match-ups in August is not on the top of my list of favorite things to do, as depending on 18 and 19 year olds to do what you think they will for a whole season is virtually impossible. That said, here are some of the teams I am keeping my eye on as the season gets started.

Alabama - Can they repeat or will Mark Ingram's knee injury be enough to hurt the Tide in the tough SEC ?
Florida - How will life be PT (Post Tebow)?
Auburn - Will they be the team to sneak up on league and make the Iron Bowl interesting again.
LSU - Again, they need to find offense to go with the defense. Les Miles on "hot seat"?
Ohio St. - Can Terrelle Pryor step up and show everyone what we saw at season's end?
Wisconsin and Iowa - Two teams who are going to be very good again this year.
Penn St. - Joe Pa without glasses?
Texas and Oklahoma - The "Big 2" will again battle it out for supremacy of the Big 12 South.
Nebraska - Will the Cornhuskers represent the Big 12 as its BCS champion in their swan song season?
Florida St. - The Jimbo Fisher era starts. Will the ghost of Bobby Bowden hover over it?
Miami - Is this the year they put together a whole season?
Virginia Tech - Will the Boise St. game define their season?
North Carolina - How will the off-field questions effect a team that was poised for good things before the NCAA came calling?
Oregon - Seemed to clean out the "problems" on the roster and look like the head of the Pac 10 class. December 4th OSU match-up could be for the state and Pac 10 titles.
Oregon St. - See December 4th match-up above. Who scheduled TCU & Boise St. in first 3 weeks? Will they bust the "BCS Busters"?
USC - Did Pete Carrol leave at the right time? Will Lane Kiffin get his players to forget the bad taste of NCAA sanctions?
Boise St. - If they can't beat Virginia Tech in Washington, DC Labor Day weekend (a virtual VT home game), will the "I told you so" chant be deafening?
TCU - Open with Oregon St, then it is "who are they" for the remainder of the schedule.
Notre Dame - Will it be different with Brian Kelly at the helm? The schedule is again a brutal and may lead to a record not reflective of their improvement.

Week 1 games:

NOTRE DAME over Perdue - The Kelly era starts well.
USC (#16) over HAWAII - USC's Bowl game as they get a trip to the Islands.
TCU (#6) over Oregon St. (#24) - TCU takes advantage of being at home.
LSU (#21) over North Carolina (#18) (in Atlanta) - The off field distractions hurt the Tar Heels.
Virginia Tech (#10) over Boise St. (#3) (in Landover, MD) - Best game of the opening weekend. "Home" game for VT gives them slight edge.
MICHIGAN over Connecticut - Just a hunch that Michigan gets back on the winning track.

This & That (Monday 11/9/09).....

A Podcast of this column with an expanded take on events can be downloaded here.

The SportsFan Buzz: November 9, 2009


--- What a difference a week makes in college football. After praising Oregon for its big win over USC and how they could play with anyone in the country, they come crashing to earth with a 51-42 loss to Stanford. Add to it #4 Iowa losing to Northwestern 17-10, and you have two "National Title" dreamers awakened from their sleep.

What about Charlie Weis and Notre Dame? Losing to Navy, 23-21, for the second time in three years, and both in South Bend. Besides knocking them from a any possible BCS bowl game, it could been the final nail for Weis' time at ND. Not sure that an upset win over Pittsburgh this weekend would do anything to sooth over these wounds.

TCU moved up to fourth in the BCS standings, with Cincinnati and Boise St. sitting behind them and all three hoping that the top three (Florida, Texas and Alabama) will fall to upsets in the next week or two.

--- Normal hockey schedule this past weekend, and there were no unusual uniforms were on display. The Capitals are still playing well with Alex Ovechkin sidelined (7-1-2 in last ten games), while the hottest two teams over that same time period are the New Jersey Devils (8-2) and San Jose Sharks (8-1-1).

The biggest story coming out of the weekend was the Carolina Hurricanes losing goalie Cam Ward for the next 3-4 weeks when a skate (either Rick Nash's or one of his defensemen) accidently cut him on his upper left leg. While it looked like a "normal collision" in the crease, Ward sprawled on all fours, before trainers arrived and helped him from the ice. That was when the small pool of blood was noticeable on the ice.

This is the second time in the past three years Ward has suffered a cut. The last time came in 2007 against the New York Rangers at MSG.

With bodies flying around and players falling to the ice in corner piles, the NHL is lucky that more of these injuries do not occur on a regular basis.

--- In the NBA, The Boston Celtics are still off to their hot start at 7-1, with a point differential of 14.1 in their eight games. That is over six points better then the next best team, the Miami Heat (at 5-1), and just shows how important Kevin Garnett is to the Celtics, and how his presence greatly helps their team defense.

The Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers are pacing the Western Conference at 6-1 records.

Seems like Allen Iverson is upset with his playing time with the Memphis Grizzlies. Iverson, averaging over 12.3 a game, but playing only 22 minutes a game. Iverson, who knew he would be coming off the bench when signed by Memphis, would like more playing time. Not even ten games in and AI is already causing headaches.

--- Discussion that came up on my Facebook page. Joe Namath, Hall of Famer or overrated?

My take is that if he was playing in any other city, we would not be discussing his greatness, or lack there of. Style and charisma, and being in New York, helped boost this above-average, at best, quarterback into the superstar status.

What do you think?

--- Buccaneers are the last team to get a win as they beat the Packers 38-28. Aaron Rodgers again sacked a half dozen times in the loss. Good for Tampa Bay, as no team should go 0-16 (said same about Detroit last year). I feel sorry for the punishment Rodgers has endured this season, and there is still eight games to go. Packers need to get this settled soon, or it will be another lost season.

Excuse me Bengal fans, but is there room on your bandwagon? Cincinnati impressed in their 17-7 win over the Ravens. Cedric Benson again went over 100 yards rushing against that Baltimore defense, and the Bengals defense bothered Joe Flacco all day. I thought the defense was in trouble when they lost Antwan Odem, and they have been fine. We will see now that they lost WR Chris Henry how the offense responds, but all signs this year point to them chugging along. Up next for them will be Pittsburgh.

And yes, I like Chad Ochocinco's "bribe" attempt of the referee. While I thought he talked too much when the team was losing and he was not doing well, I do enjoy his playful antics and his having fun.

Excuse me Bear fans, but I am leaving this wagon. A 41-21 loss at home? The Bear defense was awful, plain and simple, and Tommie Harris getting ejected a minute into the game did not help. Bears problem on offense is that they need a top notch wide receiver. Kurt Warner goes from five interceptions last week, to five TD passes this week. Cardinals winning on the road, which is a turnaround from last year.

Colts hold off Texans 20-17, as Kris Brown misses a 42 yard FG to tie the game. Peyton Manning through 40 first half passes in the game, but Houston hung tough. The Texans and had the 4th quarter lead, but could not put the game away, allowing the Colts to come back and win. That is the difference between a veteran team that knows how to win, and a younger team learning how to get victories.

Vince Young and Chris Johnson lead the Titans to a 34-27 win over the 49ers. San Francisco still needs more time, but I do like the core of their offense. They just need to sure up the defense, and get a little "older". This two game winning streak is making people ask if Young can be the future of the Tennessee franchise. I say he can be as long as he has big #28 running the ball behind him.

The Saints are sloppy on offense (2 turnovers), allowed rushing yards (182), and fall behind again (down 11 at halftime) for the third week in a row, this time to Carolina, but right the ship in the second half to beat the Panthers 30-20. The New Orleans defense scored for the 7th time this season, which is one more TD then the Browns have scored all year. Next up are the Rams and Bucs, who have 2 wins combined, so a 10-0 start for the Saints is a real possibility.

The Cowboys took control of the NFC East with a 20-16 win over the Eagles. Dallas executed a few more plays, including the winning 49 yard TD pass from Tony Romo to Miles Austin, in getting a tough road win against a division rival. Neither team was able to run, but the Philadelphia being on 4 for 12 on third down, while Dallas went 7-15, was a big factor in the Eagles loss. Both teams have tough games ahead as the Cowboys go to Green Bay, while the Eagles go to the west coast to play the Chargers.

Speaking of the Chargers, they drove 80 yards in 1:46, capped off by a Philip Rivers to Vincent Jackson touchdown pass, to stun the Giants 21-20 in the Meadowlands. That is the fourth loss in a row for New York, and puts them behind the Cowboys and Eagles in the NFC East standings. The Giants picked off Rivers and returned it to the Charger 4 yard line with 3:14 to go. After a holding call on first down (a game killer), and a no gain pass after the penalty, Giant coach Tom Coughlin decided to play it safe and run Brandon Jacobs twice to force San Diego to use their timeouts, and set up a field goal that put the Giants up 20-14. Too much time for Rivers & Co. The Giants played well, but this loss will sting more then the previous three because the game was theirs for the taking.

The Giants will be off next week for their bye, along with the Texans, so we will have an almost full slate of games back in the NFL. Thank goodness, as I do not like bye weeks. Also, weekly Thursday night games start this week, when Chicago goes to San Francisco.