BCS Standings

Alabama might be the 3rd best team in the country, maybe the 2nd best. I like Alabama. But they've had their shot. And they blew it. They missed field goals, ran a foolish trick play and couldn't score a touchdown in the biggest game of their season. Maybe they're better than Stanford, and certainly better than Boise State. But the Tide had a shot and lost. Other teams deserve a shot.

Here's the BCS rankings after this weekend's games:

1. LSU Tigers - Can't argue against this, but there's still one AP voter that selected Boise State as #1. What the fuck?

2. Oklahoma State Cowboys - 50.1 points per game, they still have to get through Iowa State, Texas Tech, and #6 Oklahoma.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide - They've beaten #8 Arkansas, #12 Penn State, but they have no offense apart from Richardson.

4. Stanford Cardinal - If they beat #7 Oregon this weekend, how can you argue against them rising to 3rd?

5. Boise State Broncos - As #15 Georgia rises in the rankings, Boise State starts looking legitimate.

6. Oklahoma Sooners - They can spoil Oklahoma State's title hopes but they lost Ryan Broyles, so that will be tough.

7. Oregon Ducks - They've only lost to the #1 team in the country.

8. Arkansas Razorbacks - They've only lost to the #3 team in the country. If they can beat LSU on 11/25, then the SEC West will have eliminated itself from the National Championship.

9. Clemson Tigers - Can clinch the ACC Atlantic with a win on Saturday.

10. Virginia Tech Hokies - Their only loss came to Clemson. Who says the ACC isn't that good?

Imagine this playoff:
#1 LSU vs. #8 Arkansas
#2 Oklahoma State vs. #7 Oregon Ducks
#3 Alabama vs. #6 Oklahoma
#4 Stanford vs. #5 Boise State

It's too bad we won't see that play out.

Bruins 4, Seguin 3, Maple Leafs 0

Thank you, Kessel.

The Bruins match up extremely well with the Maple Leaf's. Toronto's strength is offense, and the Bruins are the best team in the NHL at neutralizing a few key forwards. Just ask Stamkos and the Sedins from last year's playoffs. The B's have Chara, Seidenberg, and of course, Tim Thomas.

The Leafs also have questionable goaltending, and inept defensemen. The Bruins' forwards aren't amazingly talented (except for Seguin) but the Leafs' are so easily exploited that goals are inevitable.

Anyway, to Seguin. His first career hat-trick and he does it 25 miles from his hometown. His first goal was on the Power Play and was a great example of a scorer's ability to hide themselves in dangerous positions. It was also a prime example of Toronto's lousy defending, and the effectiveness of shifting the puck around with a man advantage.

His second goal was sheer skill and coordination.

It also came after he made a good defensive play in the neutral zone. Which is what the Bruins really like to see.

And his third goal, he just flat out beat Komisarek, then Scrivens.

Seguin had 11 goals and 11 assists last year. He's already at 7 and 7 this season. He's on pace for about 49 goals and 49 assists. He has arrived. Thank you, Kessel.

Other Bruins had great nights, of course. Lucic scored twice with an assist. He's red hot. Bergeron assisted all 3 of Seguin's goals, and I think the Bruins have solidified at least one line combo. And David Krejci actually did something, quadrupling his season point total with a goal and 2 assists. He came into this game with just 1 goal and 0 assists.

The Bruins have dominated Toronto twice this season. They match up perfectly against them, able to neutralize the Leafs' strengths and exploit their weaknesses.

They can continue to win tonight (it's so weird to have less than a week between games) as they host the very bad Islanders. They're averaging just over 2 goals per game. But they also don't allow many goals. Still, they have yet to win on the road.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Flashbacks of 2007

We all turned our clocks back an hour on Saturday night. The Giants turned theirs back 4 years on Sunday evening. The Giants shutdown the Pats offense, then won thanks to a flag route in the end zone. And even though the defense didn't allow a ton of points, they couldn't stop the big drive at the end of the game. They weren't clutch.

As bad as the defense looked on that final drive, where was the offense. I know people hate the fact that the offense seemingly needs 35 points in order to mask the defense's shortcomings. But turning the ball over 4 times isn't exactly helpful. There's no doubt that the Patriots' talent is heavily weighted on the offensive side of the ball, so when that unit foes 5/15 on 3rd downs and turns the ball over 4 times, I think they deserve some criticism.

Both of Brady's interceptions were simply bad passes. He's had a lot of those this year. He was nearly picked again. And again. He then fumbled, which wasn't so much his fault. My point is, the Giants scored 10 points off the second Brady pick, and that fumble.

Then Edelman dropped the ball on a punt return after a 3 and out.

Criticize the defense all you want, and they deserve it. It's not a well constructed unit. But can you honestly tell me that this offense has performed to the level it's capable of?

I don't think it has.

Pats are at the Jets Sunday night and that is a massively important game with the Pats, Jets, and Bills all tied at the top of the AFC East. The Patriots haven't won a big road game in a long time, and they don't get much bigger than this one.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bruins End Ottawa's Streak, Perhaps Start Their Own

Was this the turning point to the Bruins season? It could be. They did some things that we hadn't seen, at least not for extended periods of time. They won battles. They supported the puck. They took care of the puck. They scored breakaway goals. They moved the puck and their bodies well on the Power Play. They did everything with a purpose and an intent.

They also did the good things that they've been doing all year. Great goaltending. Forwards helping the defensive layers. And excellent penalty killing, which was particularly important because Ottawa has been winning thanks to their Power Play's effectiveness.

Most of all, the B's were patient. Ottawa benefited from some weird bounces (a goal off McQuaid's chest, a goal assisted by a ricochet off Corvo's back), but the Bruins didn't get flustered and stuck with their gameplan. They responded well to Ottawa's goals, and responded well after scoring their own.

The Bruins' goals were products of patience. Chara was patient on Lucic's PP goal. He held on at the point, moved into a better shooting lane, then let it rip. Lucic was patient once the rebound found his stick. He knew he had time to settle it then shoot high. He didn't panic, didn't just smack at it.

Seguin was patient on Bergeron's goal. He had options, knew Bergeron was the best one, but he waited for Filip Kuba to shift his stick before passing tape-to-tape to Patrice.

Seguin led all forwards in Time On Ice, and you can easily understand why. Not only are his offensive skills and awareness improving with every game, he's become a smart defensive player, too. In his sophomore season, he's no longer adjusting to life in the NHL. He's forcing the NHL to adjust to life with Tyler Seguin.

Five different Bruins scored goals, 12 registered a point, All four lines looked good. Chris Kelly put himself in the right spot so many times. Peverley is skating well. Lucic is getting hot (4 goals, 3 assists in last 5 games). Marchand is doing more than just pestering opponents.

In order for this to be a turning point, though, the Bruins need to build on it. Unfortunately they once again have an expansive period between games and don't play again until Saturday night in Toronto.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Champions' Ship Sinking

The B's won the Cup and returned almost the entire team intact. And maybe that's part of the problem. This team isn't playing like they have anything to prove. Guys who played with hunger last year (Marchand, Horton) aren't playing with the same ferocity every shift. Maybe it's time for some healthy scratches, maybe it's time to see guys like Caron get more ice time, maybe it's time to make a trade.

Give credit to Montreal for blocking shots (29 of them in total, Spacek blocked 7, Gill blocked 5) and for breaking up Bruins' passes, but it didn't seem like the Bruins properly respected Montreal's abilities to do so. How many passes did the B's try to slip past Montreal sticks that were already down on the ice? How many times did one sole Bruin try to carry the puck through 2 or 3 Canadiens?

The breaks in Saturday's game didn't go the Bruins' way. The Habs had the first 5 Power Plays. The B's hit a few posts in the early stages. But the Bruins didn't capitalize on things that did go their way. They failed to convert a lengthy 5-on-3 into a goal (Seidenberg's failure to keep the puck in the zone during that Power Play sums up how the Bruins' season has gone). And almost every Bruins' possession was short and ended with a whimper.

Montreal matches up well against the Bruins. Their speed allows them to get to loose pucks first, allows them to harass opposing forwards, and makes their counterattack quite deadly. The Bruins' strength is their physicality. And that was only sporadically apparent Saturday. We've seen the Canadiens fear the Bruins before. They're not afraid right now though.

And don't let Pussy Kunt Subban get under your skin. That's his goal. And yes, I would say that to Subban's face, so long as we were in a Foot Locker or at the zebra enclosure in a zoo. The sight of those black and white stripes make him go down with just a nudge.

Ference's post-Subban penalty was a bad call, but Lucic shouldn't give Subban the excuse to dive. If you're going to get a 2 minute slashing penalty, make Subban feel it for 20 minutes. And if Subban wants to play these silly games, then drive Brian Gionta through the boards in response.

The Bruins have some fundamental problems to work out. Their breakout is ugly. They're not dumping and chasing enough. They don't move the puck with any purpose. They're not imposing their style of game on the opposition.

And when is Joe Corvo going to do anything positive? he's an improvement over Kaberle, but who wouldn't be? He's been sound defensively, but hasn't contributed to the offense, and has looked tentative on the breakout.

On the bright side, the goalies are playing well. Tim Thomas doesn't look a year older, and the goals Rask allowed weren't his fault. The Penalty Kill has been reliable. Shawn Thornton is doing his job. Tyler Seguin looks like he's been in the NHL for 4 years. He's on pace for 30+ goals and 80 points. Bergeron is doing the little things, which is more than can be said for some of his teammates.

The Bruins have the talent, some of the guys are playing very well, but some individuals making mistakes and not making good plays are sabotaging the team. And they need to shape up or be shipped out.

Bruins host the Senators Tuesday night. Ottawa are 7-5 and have won 6 straight. When a hot team meets a cold team it'll either be a blowout, a turning point, or a tornado.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Steelers Dress as Patriots For Halloween, Pats Dress as Steelers

Do you know what's alarming? As ugly and painful to watch as the Pats' D was on Sunday, they were the best unit on the field for New England. They kept the Patriots in the game. They held the Steelers to 3 field goals and 2 TDs in the Red Zone. They intercepted Roethlisberger which set up an 8 yard TD drive. They were on the field for 2/3 of this game, and they played much better than the offense.

Give credit to the Steelers for doing two key things defensively: pressuring Brady (from unanticipated angles) and neutralizing Wes Welker. Brady was rarely comfortable and Welker was held to 6 catches for only 39 yards. When Welker did catch the ball, he was immediately (and forcefully) greeted by a Pittsburgh defender.

The Patriots shot themselves in the foot, too. Four false start penalties by the line (give partial credit to the Steelers' pass rushers), and they all came at key moments in drives. The Pats didn't take advantage of the penalties Pittsburgh committed, they didn't even try to run the ball, they didn't do much to stop Pittsburgh's pass rush like run some screens with Woodhead and/or Faulk. The Patriots offense was 3/10 on 3rd downs.

It was nice seeing Faulk in the backfield, he played well for being 80 years old. Gronkowski was stellar. He had more guys on him than Bibi Jones after a baseball game. And unlike Bibi Jones, he didn't go down easily. That's about it as far as good offensive performances go.

The defense did a decent job, but it was far from pretty. The blitzing was predictable. Blitzing worked for the Germans in 1940 because France didn't know where or when it was coming. The Patriots sent extra men in predictable situations, and sent them in predictable directions. And the Steelers ate them up for it.

If any team wants to move the ball against the Pats, all they have to do is run 6-10 yard curls. It's open. Every single down. Thankfully, the Pats clamped down in the Red Zone and turned possible touchdowns into field goals. If they hadn't, Pittsburgh would have won in a blowout.

Speaking of field goals. This was Gostkowski's worst game as a Patriot. One missed field goal, two botched onside kicks. He was one of many Patriots that simply didn't do their job.

Then there was the Patriots' clock management in the 4th. Instead of challenging the refs when Gronkowski appeared to catch the ball over the goal line, they wasted 1:37, taking their time to set plays up before finally scoring after several attempts.

The Pats are 2-2 on the road. Those 2 wins were in Miami and Oakland. Those 2 losses were in Buffalo and now Pittsburgh. The Patriots haven't beaten a good team on the road yet. And they play in the Meadowlands in 2 weeks. I'm more than a little concerned.

They host the Giants Sunday evening.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

College Football Picks: Week 9*

I didn't make any college football picks last week because the week before was disastrous (4-11) and picking college games has been a struggle for me all season (24-41-1). But, I'll persevere, and will finish the season. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get back to .500. I'm just glad I don't actually gamble. Although maybe I should pay someone to put bet against my picks. I could retire on the winnings.

TCU -13.5 vs. BYU
Mainstream Protestants vs. Mormons. I'll take the Protestants despite the 2 touchdown spread.

Michigan State +4 @ Nebraska
I believe in MSU. It's a shame that Boise State has a better shot at a national title bid even though the Spartans have beaten Wisconsin and play in a real conference.

Northwestern -8.5 @ Indiana
The Hoosiers have lost their last three games by 94 points.

Michigan -14 vs. Purdue
The Boilermakers are 4-3, but have yet to win a road game.

Syracuse +3 @ Louisville
SU have had a decent season and they just trounced WVU at home. Their only losses came to USC on the road, and an OT loss against Rutgers.

Arkansas -9 @ Vanderbilt
The Commodores are 4-3, but 1-3 in the conference. That one SEC win came against Ole Miss. Arkansas is not Ole Miss.

Maryland -7 vs. Boston College
This game will be an abomination to the sport. But BC has quit on the season.

Rutgers +7 vs. West Virginia
The Mountaineers are ranked almost by default. Rutgers is 4-0 at home.

Oklahoma -13 @ Kansas State
The Wildcats are undefeated, and at home, but OU typically rebounds well after their annual token loss to an inferior opponent.

Iowa -14.5 @ Minnesota
Iowa has struggled on the road, but Minnesota has struggled everywhere. The Gophers are one of the worst teams in a BCS conference.

Illinois +5.5 @ Penn State
PSU have won 7 games, but none of them very convincingly. They have a good defense, but can't score.

Georgia -3 vs. Florida (Jacksonville, FL)
The Gators have lost every game against decent opponents they've had this year.

Navy +21.5 @ Notre Dame
I'm not buying into the Irish, at least not for a 3 touchdown win.

Mississippi State -10 @ Kentucky
The Wildcats have 3 wins. Against Jacksonville State, Central Michigan, and Western Kentucky.

South Carolina -3.5 @ Tennessee
South Carolina's one loss came to Auburn. Tennessee hasn't been able to beat an SEC opponent.

Georgia Tech +4 vs. Clemson
This is a true test for the Tigers. If Tech gets their ground game going (321.1 yards per game), they can control the clock and the game.

Wisconsin -7 @ Ohio State
Yeah. Wisconsin is good, OSU isn't.

And if I go 17-0 with my picks, I'll be .500 on the year. Hooray!

It Isn't a Stanley Cup Hangover

The term "Stanley Cup Hangover" will get thrown around a lot today and I just don't think that the Bruins are suffering from one. Why? Because they didn't win the Cup in 2010, and they still had stretches like this last season. This "hangover" notion is an excuse. They're simply not playing 60 full minutes of good hockey, the offensive guys aren't providing offense, they're not taking care of the puck, and their Power Play sucks.

Sound familiar? It happened last season. A few times. Two stretches in November, another in December, a long and painful one in March, it even happened in the playoffs. Games 1 and 2 against Montreal, for instance. And these lulls were not preceded by any Cup hoisting or parades. This Bruins team sometimes doesn't put in 60 minutes of effort, they have streaky players (Horton), and they are very vulnerable to a well-executed forecheck.

It's the player's fault. They have to play better. They did so in the 1st period. They sustained possessions in Montreal's zone. Then Price made an unforced error and it was 1-0. But the 2nd period saw less pressure, the 3rd saw next to none. We also saw the Bruins making casual passes with the puck in the 3rd. That led to Montreal's game-winning goal.

And if not for Price's mistake, the Bruins get shut out. The offense isn't functioning. Somebody besides Seguin has to score. He and Peverley lead the team with 3. They have 6, the rest of the team combines for 14. The Flyers and Jets scored more than that in one game last night (Winnipeg won 9-8).

Where is David Krejci? He had a great defensive play in this game but have you noticed him at all on offense? He has 1 goal and 0 assists. He and Horton are dragging this team down. The Lucic-Kelly-Seguin line is working nicely, the Thornton line started to show more energy last night, and while Bergeron and Marchand aren't scoring, they're at least getting shots on goal. Bergeron has more shots (29) than Krejci (12) and Horton (13) combined.

There are no pure scorers on this team. This offense succeeds when they get 2nd and 3rd chance shots on goal. When they stay in the opponents' zone for prolonged periods. Last night they struggled just to enter the zone. And then after the 1st, they struggled to keep the puck in. Even with their abundant Power Play opportunities.

It's frustrating. We've seen what this team is capable of when they decide to show up. Right now we're seeing giveaways, we're seeing careless neutral zone passes, we're seeing a pair of top line forwards competing with Shawn Thornton in the Shots on Goal category (Thornton has 10).

Maybe the Bruins feel like they can wait to turn it on when it matters most. But 1/9 of the season is over and the Bruins are 29th in the NHL. And they've already played 1/6 of their home games. You need points to make the playoffs, usually around 95. You need more points to win a division and get some home playoff series (the B's were 10-3 in home playoff games, 6-6 on the road), usually around 105 points. The Bruins have 6 right now. 6 points in 8 games with no injuries to any key players.

You can't just wait until January to turn it up. What if you're still in 4th place and you lose Thomas for 3 months? How do you dig yourself out of a hole then?

It's starting to get me concerned.

They should be well motivated Saturday night in Montreal. It's not a must-win. It's a must-show-me-something-so-I-can-relax.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo