It's good to be Boston College

At the start of the college football season, Boston College was unranked. After this weekend, they will most likely rank either 2 or 3 in the polls.

In between, they have won 7 games. 6 of those have come against FBS teams with a combined record of 16-23, and the other win was against FCS UMass. They played one ranked team, Georgia Tech, who was ranked 15th at the time. Georgia Tech is now 4-3. Besides that, they have beat Wake Forest, NC State, Army, UMass, Bowling Green, and Notre Dame. They've played 2 games away from home.

So yes, it's good to be Boston College right now. They've beat 1 ranked team (who is no longer ranked), have won 2 road games, and have beat exactly 2 FBS teams that currently have a winning record. And yet they will jump from being unranked to being in the top 2, thanks to all of the upsets.

In my last poll, I ranked them 10th. If I make my poll again this week, they probably won't be that higher. They have a great QB, but they haven't proven much. Obviously it's become an increasingly difficult thing in college football to consistently win every week, but still, is Boston College one of the 2 best teams in college football? I find that hard to believe.

I'm not sure what the point of this is, except to say that I still don't agree that just because a team is undefeated does not mean they should be higher in the polls than 1-loss teams. I'd rather rank teams based on how good I think they are, not based on the fact that they haven't lost so far against a relatively easy schedule. But that's just me.

If they beat Virginia Tech next week on the road, I'll be impressed. Until then, I firmly believe they could be one of the worst top 3 teams I can remember. Which isn't their fault. But it is another developing storyline in what has been a fascinating college football season so far.

NFL Picks Against the Spread 2007: Week 6

My drive for .500 continues... just my quick picks this week:

Cardinals (-4) over Panthers

Rams (+9.5) over Ravens

Vikings (+5) over Bears

Chiefs (+3) over Bengals

Browns (-4.5) over Dolphins

Redskins (+3) over Packers

Texans (+6.5) over Jaguars

Patriots (-5.5) over Cowboys

Eagles (-3) over Jets

Chargers (-9.5) over Raiders

Saints (+6.5) over Seahawks

Titans (+3) over Bucs

Giants (-3.5) over Falcons

Last Week: 6-8
Season: 33-38-5

Thursday Debate: Who should be the AL Cy Young?

For the second straight Thursday Debate, let's focus on the AL Cy Young race, because there are lots of good candidates here. Much like the NL MVP race, any number of guys could reasonably win.

As mentioned a week or so ago, I like CC Sabathia to win the AL Cy Young Award. In my mind, with his peripheral numbers and league-leading amount of innings pitched, he is the best choice for this award.

But there are certainly a lot of other viable candidates. A brief rundown of them:

John Lackey - Led the league in ERA. Also had 179 K against only 52 BB.

Fausto Carmona - 2nd in the AL in ERA. Was GREAT at inducing groundballs. Sort of like a younger Chien Ming-Wang with more upside.

Johan Santana - Had a down year (relatively speaking) but still had nearly a 5:1 K:BB ratio.

Josh Beckett - Led the AL in DIPS among starters. Like Santana, a great K:BB rate.

Dan Haren - Was the leading candidate at the Break, and still had a fine year even though he tailed off a little bit. Third in the AL in ERA.

Erik Bedard - Might have been my Cy Young choice had he not gotten hurt towards the end of the year. Ridiculous K/9 rate.

Vote with your conscience.

Who should be the AL Cy Young?
	CC Sabathia
	Johan Santana
	Fausto Carmona
	Josh Beckett
	Erik Bedard
	Dan Haren
	John Lackey
	Other

College Football Power Rankings - 10/10

They're back! And better than ever. Maybe. I do my rankings a little differently... I try not to weigh too much things like whether a team had one fluky loss. That doesn't mean they're worse than teams who haven't played anyone yet. You'll see what I mean.

1. LSU - Obviously a no doubter after their comeback win against Florida. Great defense, playmakers on offense. Save a potential rematch with Florida in the SEC Title game, I think they've passed their stiffest test in the regular season.

2. California - Have to give them credit... I'm still impressed by the road win at Oregon. That's a great win. They have the offensive talent to run the table.

3. Ohio St. - They haven't really played anyone yet (depending on your thoughts on Purdue), but they've looked really good doing it. They've allowed 7.2 PPG this year. And Chris Wells is really, really good.

4. South Florida - They had a little trouble with FAU, but with wins against West Virginia and at Auburn, they get a pass. I can't realistically see them running the table, but they're a very solid team.

5. USC - Yes, it was a really, really bad loss. But USC is still a very good football team. This is a team that some (not me, but some) were calling one of the most talented teams ever before the season began. That doesn't change just because they looked really bad for one game. They're still going to be in the thick of things, I think.

6. Oklahoma - Very good win over a talented Texas team. Like USC, they hit a bump in the road, but they'll be fine. If they can get by Missouri at home, it looks like smooth sailing all the way to the Big 12 title game.

7. Oregon - One of the most talented offensive teams in the country. Not many QB-RB duos that are more explosive than Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart. If they can take care of business against Washington and Washington St., they should head into a home battle with USC in 2 weeks playing for a top 5 ranking. Maybe even more.

8. Florida - They are out of the top 10 in both polls, and I just don't understand it. They go to LSU, the consensus #1 team in the country, and have them on the ropes before losing 28-24, and they're not one of the 10 best teams in the country? I disagree.

9. West Virginia - Like Oklahoma and USC, one loss is one loss. They're still a very dangerous football team.

10. South Carolina - Kentucky was really overrated, but they still beat the #8 team pretty solidly. I'm not crazy about them, but you can't argue with what they've done so far.

OTHERS:

Boston College - It's good to be from BC right now. 3 weeks ago they were in the low-twenties. Then they beat Army, UMass, and Bowling Green at home, and suddenly they're the 4th best team in the country? (at least, according to the polls) Sorry, I don't buy it. I love Matt Ryan's game, but this is not the 4th best team in the country. Not even close.

Missouri - Great win against Nebraska... if they can go to OU and win this week, they might even be on track for the national title. Seems strange to think about.

Virginia Tech - They certainly have recovered nicely. Excellent win against Clemson.

Your thoughts? What would you change?

Fantasy Football Sleeper: Mewelde Moore

If you have an extra roster spot on your roster teams, strongly consider picking up Mewelde Moore. Right now he's the 3rd string RB for the Vikings that has been inactive for 2 of their 4 games this year. But pay no attention to that. He could be the starting RB for the Bucs pretty soon.

The Vikings and Bucs have been in talks, and it's almost too logical. Moore is a FA after this year, and he won't get much (any?) playing time behind Chester Taylor and AD. Meanwhile, the Bucs are in the middle of a playoff race, and their top 2 RBs are hurt. A deal HAS to be done. My guess is that a deal eventually does get done (with the Bucs sending a 5th rounder).

When that happens and if Moore starts, he should be a solid fantasy option. As someone that has watched every one of his games, he's solid. He's not a great RB, but he's productive. He's not a burner, but he's shifty, surprisingly tough to bring down, and he catches the ball a ton out of the backfield (which is perfect for the TB offense).

In 4 years, he has a career 4.9 YPC. Some of that is in garbage time, sure, but that's still really good. Playing mostly part-time roles, he has almost 3 catches a game for his career. He can be even more productive in that area if he gets consistent playing time.

So trust me, if you have an extra roster spot, take a look at getting Mewelde Moore. It makes too much sense for a deal not to be made, and he should be really productive if he gets playing time.

The Chicago Cubs season could not have gone any better

Let me first say that I am not a Cubs fan. I wouldn't say my dislike is enough to call me a Cubs Hater, but I dislike them.

That said, I was rooting for them this regular season. That's because back in very early June, when the Cubs were 7 games under .500 and 6.5 GB of the Milwaukee Brewers, I made the prediction that they would win the NL Central. Joe from The Sports Flow called this "a reach", (by the way, he still hasn't paid me my $5!), but at the end of the season, it was the Cubs on top of the NL Central, making my bold prediction come true.

So I was happy about that. Then, I went back to cheering against them in the playoffs... where they were promptly swept. Life is good.

NFL Picks Against the Spread 2007: Week 5

The drive to .500 continues!

Cardinals (-3.5) over Rams
I have some grave doubts about how a dual QB system will work in the long-term, but for the short-term the Cardinals are clearly a better team for it. Give Kurt Warner time and he's still in the top half of QBs in the NFL. Who'da thunk it?

49ers (+3.5) over Ravens
Sorry, just not sold on this Ravens team. Also, just in case it hasn't been said, I really think they should be starting Kyle Boller instead of McNair, even when McNair is completely healthy. It's time.

Chargers (+1.5) over Broncos
A team as talented as the Chargers can't start the season 1-4, right? Right? Not even Norv Turner is this bad. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Packers (-3) over Bears
The Bears have about half their defense out with injuries, their running game is ineffective, and there are rumors that they might be thinking about switching to their 3rd QB sometime in the relatively near future. Other than that, everything is great for the Bears.

Dolphins (+5.5) over Texans
Just a feeling. I don't like the Texans with the spread this large.

Bucs (+10) over Colts
There's a chance any or all of Bob Sanders, Marvin Harrison, and Joseph Addai could be missing this game due to injury. Even if they're not, the Bucs have a very solid defense, and an efficient offense. I don't think they'll be beating the Colts, but I think they can keep this a competitive game.

Chiefs (+2) over Jaguars
Coming into the year, I assumed the Chiefs would be a terrible team. Now I'm not so sure they can't be competitive in a suddenly mediocre AFC West. Damon Huard isn't terrible, and he has two really good targets in Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe (who has looked awesome). Larry Johnson's numbers are down, but this is in part due to the fact that they've played some teams that are good against the run. Don't sleep on the Chiefs.

Patriots (-16.5) over Browns
I'm still picking the Patriots to cover every week until they prove that this is not smart. I mean seriously, they've been KILLING teams.

Saints (-3) over Panthers
The Saints in a must-win game early in the year. David Carr is starting for the Panthers. Yes, I'll take New Orleans.

Giants (-3.5) over Jets
Honestly, I don't have the slightest clue. I'm not even going to try and pretend I do.

Seahawks (+5.5) over Steelers
I've been a big fan of the Steelers all year, but I think the Seahawks are a pretty decent team as well. I know it's in Pittsburgh, but the spread seems a little high.

Falcons (+8.5) over Titans
Don't look now, but I'm not so sure the Falcons are that bad of a football team. Joey Harrington can be a decent QB (really), and they have a solid RB duo to provide some offense balance. I know Andre Johnson was hurt, but it was an impressive win last week against Houston. I like them to cover against the Titans, who are a solid but I think a wee bit overrated.

Lions (+3.5) over Redskins
The Lions impressed me last week. I know I bashed the Bears a little in here, and they are banged up defensively, but 24 4th quarter points? That's impressive. That said, I am starting Jason Campbell in multiple fantasy leagues this week... that Lions secondary is awful.

Cowboys (-10) over Bills
No one has stopped the Cowboys yet. The spread and the fact that it's in Buffalo makes me a bit weary, but I'll stick with Dallas here.

What are your picks? Or where do you differ from me?

Thursday Debate: Who should be the NL MVP?

I touched on this a few days ago, but it's really pretty fascinating how many viable candidates there are for the NL MVP this year. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if any of a number of guys won the award, and I think there are viable arguments to be made for about 5 players, which is extremely rare.

My vote was Hanley Ramirez, as I obviously do not subscribe to the theory that a player has to be on a winning team to be an MVP candidate, because in my mind it makes no difference how good a player's team is when looking at an individual award. Other people have vastly different opinions on this, which makes for some pretty good debate.

Also, I was forced to bring back Thursday Debate due to popular demand (and by that 2 people that I personally know said I should bring it back)... not that that's a bad thing.

But I really am interested to see what you guys think... who should be the NL MVP? And why? Please vote, and leave a reason or two in the comments. I think the results could be really interesting.

Who should be the National League MVP?
	Hanley Ramirez
	David Wright
	Jimmy Rollins
	Matt Holliday
	Prince Fielder
	Albert Pujols
	Chipper Jones
	Chase Utley
	Miguel Cabrera
	Other

MLB Playoff Predictions

Yes, it is officially October. I'm studying for an Accounting test (which seems to be a constant thing for me!), so just my moderately quick picks for round 1. And I say this will full confidence and knowledge that the playoffs are an absolute crapshoot. Such is life.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Red Sox over Angels in 4 - I don't know, just not a huge fan of the Angels. I think the Red Sox are just a much better team. Their records were only 2 games apart, but the Sox Pythagorean record was a whopping 13 games better than the Angels. The Red Sox look like a pretty complete team.

Indians over Yankees in 5 - I've kind of been on the Yankees bandwagon all year, but I think their bullpen is a bit shaky. They have Rivera, and Joba has been lights out since being called up, but who else do they turn to? I think this will be their undoing.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Phillies over Rockies in 5 - The Rockies are a much better home team than they are road team (12 game difference). The Phillies are a better home team than they are a road team. I think this will be a big factor in the series. But let me say I am pretty excited for this matchup, especially seeing the Rockies back in the postseason. I'm actually really excited to see all of these new teams in the National League playoffs.

Cubs over Diamondbacks in 4 - I think the Cubs are a little more of a complete team. Better pitching, and the offense seemed to get a little better at the season went along. Plus, the Diamondbacks were outscored by 20 runs this season... they can't win a playoff series with a differential like that, can they? (ok, I pretty much just guaranteed they will. and i'm ok with that)

What are your picks?

My MLB Awards - American League

After giving my National League Awards yesterday, it's time for the AL, because such is the natural progression of things.

Cy Young: CC Sabathia (Cleveland Indians)
Sabathia sticks out slightly to me in a crowded AL race at the top. He had a great K:BB rate of 5.65:1, which best among AL starters. Another thing that gives him the edge in my book is that he had 241 IP, again leading the AL.
2. Dan Haren (Oakland Athletics)
Haren cooled off a lot in the 2nd half, but he still put together an excellent season. He had a solid K rate and BB rate, which gives him a slight edge over Lackey in my book.
3. John Lackey (Los Angeles Angels)
As mentioned, this was really close. Honestly, if you put him at #1, I'd be hard-pressed to agree. He's been a very, very good pitcher for a few years now.
4. Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox)
He was always a little overrated, but this year he really pitched up to his potential. The voters will look at the wins, but the more telling stats are the 4.85: 1 K:BB rate, and the fact that he did a solid job of keeping the ball in ballpark. And the fact that he stayed healthy is nice.
5. Johan Santana (Minnesota Twins)
He was not as good as he has been over the last 3 years, but still pretty darn effective. He struck out a solid 9.66 batters per 9 innings.


Rookie of the Year: Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox)
I think Pedroia was the best of a moderately underwhelming AL rookie class. But that shouldn't discount Pedroia's achievement, because he was very solid holding down 2B for the Sox. He was solid defensively at 2B, got on base at a very solid .380 clip, and even hit 39 doubles. A very solid year. (Ed. Note: I just realized I wrote the word "solid" 4 times in that description. I should proofread sometimes)
2. Jeremy Guthrie (Baltimore Orioles)
Surprisingly, even though he cooled off a little, Guthrie was the best AL Rookie pitcher in my book. He didn't strike out as many guys as Daisuke, but he has better control, which led to a solid 3.70 ERA and 1.21 WHIP.
3. Daisuke Matsuzaka (Boston Red Sox)
I think it's fair to say that Daisuke was a little bit of a disappointment. Still, he has nasty stuff and gave them almost 205 solid innings. He had a good K rate, but walked a few too many guys. That resulted in a 4.40 ERA.
4. Hideki Okajima (Boston Red Sox)
In 69 innings, struck out 63 batters, walked 17, had 27 holds (for what it's worth), and even contributed 5 saves. He was a key cog in the very solid Red Sox bullpen.
5. Rafael Perez (Cleveland Indians
Perez was just about as good as it got in terms of middle relievers. In over 60 innings, he had over a 4:1 K:BB ratio, and had a 1.78 ERA for the Tribe.


MVP: Alex Rodriguez (NY Yankees)
The easy choice. Playing 3B, all he did was lead the league in SLG, OPS, finish 4th in OBP, and even steal 24 bases just for good measure. Just a great, great player.
2. David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox)
He didn't do quite enough to overcome the fact that he doesn't play defense, but might have been the best hitter in the AL this year. He led the AL in OBP and finished 2nd in SLG. An underappreciated part of the Red Sox dominance this year was how very, very good David Ortiz was.
3. Magglio Ordonez (Detroit Tigers)
He cooled down a little bit in the 2nd half, but still hard to argue with the production. 2nd in the AL in VORP.
4. Carlos Pena (Tampa Bay Devil Rays)
Yes, it's a bit baffling to me as well. But check the numbers. He was absurdly good this year. OBP of .411, and he finished 2nd in the AL in SLG.
5. Jorge Posada (New York Yankees)
A late career resurgence for Jorge Posada. As a catcher, he finished 3rd in the AL in OBP, and smacked 63 XBH. Jorge is my choice for #5.

What are your picks?