Thursday, November 26, 2015
Ranking Week 11, Week 12 NFL games
Week 11 by level of excitement
14. Chiefs at Chargers
13. Buccaneers at Eagles
12. Redskins at Panthers
11. Packers at Vikings
10. 49ers at Seahawks
9. Cowboys at Dolphins
8. Raiders at Lions
7. Jets at Texans
6. Colts at Falcons
5. Titans at Jaguars
4. Broncos at Bears
3. Rams at Ravens
2. Bills at Patriots
1. Bengals at Cardinals
Week 12 by level of interest
16. Ravens at Browns (Monday)
15. Chargers at Jaguars (1:00)
14. Raiders at Titans (1:00)
13. Eagles at Lions (Thursday 12:30)
12. Saints at Texans (1:00)
11. Buccaneers at Colts (1:00)
10. Bills at Chiefs (1:00)
9. Rams at Bengals (1:00)
8. Cardinals at 49ers (4:05)
7. Bears at Packers (Thursday 8:30)
6. Dolphins at Jets (1:00)
5. Giants at Redskins (1:00)
4. Vikings at Falcons (1:00)
3. Steelers at Seahawks (4:25)
2. Patriots at Broncos (8:30)
Game of the Week: Panthers at Cowboys (Thursday 4:25)
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Mistakes were made in the scheduling of the New Year's Six
Who made the mistakes though? Actually, it's not that actual mistakes were made by any one party, but that some unfortunate coincidences led to our having the playoff semifinals on New Year's Eve the majority of the time. This is nothing new, although many are just finding out about it, but the semifinals will only be on New Year's Day when they're the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, which is once every three years. In the other two years of the rotation (Orange/Cotton and Fiesta/Peach) they'll be on New Year's Eve because the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are locked in at 5 and 8:30 ET on New Year's Day. I described and explained all this on my very first post on this blog, ever, way back here: http://thewhole9yds.blogspot.com/2014/01/thoughts-on-and-questions-about-college.html
Here is the full rotation (repeats in the same manner every three years):
Note that the Cotton and Fiesta Bowls will flop back and forth between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day based on whether or not they are semifinals that year. The other four bowls are locked in to their day, with the exception that the "New Year's Day" becomes Monday, January 2, when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. Beyond simply avoiding a conflict with the NFL's Week 17, it has been always the case that the Rose Bowl is on Monday, January 2, simply because the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade doesn't ever take place on a Sunday.
The timings of the games are (ET):
December 31
12:30 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (unless it's a semifinal, then Orange Bowl in this timeslot)
4 Vizio Fiesta Bowl (if Cotton or Peach Bowl is semifinal, it's in this timeslot)
8 Capital One Orange Bowl (if Fiesta Bowl is semifinal, it's in this timeslot)
January 1 (or Monday, January 2, if 1/1 is Sunday)
12:30 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (unless it's a semifinal, then Fiesta Bowl in this timeslot)
5 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
8:30 Allstate Sugar Bowl
(A quick aside: I saw many complaints on Twitter last year when the Rose Bowl ran long and delayed the Sugar Bowl to 9 ET. The complaints stated that the West Coast game should have been played second. Two things:
#1: The Sugar Bowl is played in the Central Time Zone. It was delayed from 7:30 to 8 local time. Nothing wrong with that.
#2: The Rose Bowl Game has been played at 5 ET/2 PT for decades, before the CFP, before the BCS, and before even the organization and structuring of college football on a nationwide scale! It's a tradition to have it immediately following the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, and that's not going to change)
The College Football Playoff National Championship Game will be played the first Monday that's at least a week after the semifinals. This could be as early as January 7, if the semifinals were on New Year's Eve on a Monday, or as late as January 14, if the semifinals were on New Year's Day on a Tuesday.
You'll notice above that besides the Rose and Sugar Bowl, the other four move around quite a lot based on what's a semifinal and what's not. It's understandable that the Rose Bowl, with all its tradition, especially because it's attached to a non-football event in the parade, would get locked into a specific timeslot. What about the Sugar Bowl though? And that's where the unfortunate coincidence lies, the one I mentioned in the opening paragraph.
You see, for years the SEC and Big 12 wanted to make their own tradition with the Sugar Bowl, similar to the Pac-12 and Big 10's with the Rose Bowl, with a locked-in timeslot and everything. They went ahead and signed the contract with the Sugar Bowl Committee, but they had to wait until the BCS contract expired for theirs to kick in. The unfortunate coincidence is that the CFP committee also signed contracts with the New Year's Six Bowls and also had to wait until the BCS era ended for the contracts that awarded the rotating semifinals to kick in. Unfortunately, even before the CFP signed these contracts, and likely before they had even decided how the New Year's Six system with the rotating semifinals would work, the Big 12 and SEC had already finalized their contract with the Sugar Bowl Committee to lock in that game at 8:30 ET New Year's Day. The CFP then had to work its scheduling around the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl BOTH being locked in to specific timeslots, which led to our current situation of New Year's Eve semifinals two out of every three years.
The unfortunate coincidence was that both the SEC/Big 12 coalition and the College Football Playoff committee were waiting for the BCS era to end for their different objectives, but that the objectives collided when the time finally came.
Here is the full rotation (repeats in the same manner every three years):
Note that the Cotton and Fiesta Bowls will flop back and forth between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day based on whether or not they are semifinals that year. The other four bowls are locked in to their day, with the exception that the "New Year's Day" becomes Monday, January 2, when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. Beyond simply avoiding a conflict with the NFL's Week 17, it has been always the case that the Rose Bowl is on Monday, January 2, simply because the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade doesn't ever take place on a Sunday.
The timings of the games are (ET):
December 31
12:30 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (unless it's a semifinal, then Orange Bowl in this timeslot)
4 Vizio Fiesta Bowl (if Cotton or Peach Bowl is semifinal, it's in this timeslot)
8 Capital One Orange Bowl (if Fiesta Bowl is semifinal, it's in this timeslot)
January 1 (or Monday, January 2, if 1/1 is Sunday)
12:30 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (unless it's a semifinal, then Fiesta Bowl in this timeslot)
5 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
8:30 Allstate Sugar Bowl
(A quick aside: I saw many complaints on Twitter last year when the Rose Bowl ran long and delayed the Sugar Bowl to 9 ET. The complaints stated that the West Coast game should have been played second. Two things:
#1: The Sugar Bowl is played in the Central Time Zone. It was delayed from 7:30 to 8 local time. Nothing wrong with that.
#2: The Rose Bowl Game has been played at 5 ET/2 PT for decades, before the CFP, before the BCS, and before even the organization and structuring of college football on a nationwide scale! It's a tradition to have it immediately following the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, and that's not going to change)
The College Football Playoff National Championship Game will be played the first Monday that's at least a week after the semifinals. This could be as early as January 7, if the semifinals were on New Year's Eve on a Monday, or as late as January 14, if the semifinals were on New Year's Day on a Tuesday.
You'll notice above that besides the Rose and Sugar Bowl, the other four move around quite a lot based on what's a semifinal and what's not. It's understandable that the Rose Bowl, with all its tradition, especially because it's attached to a non-football event in the parade, would get locked into a specific timeslot. What about the Sugar Bowl though? And that's where the unfortunate coincidence lies, the one I mentioned in the opening paragraph.
You see, for years the SEC and Big 12 wanted to make their own tradition with the Sugar Bowl, similar to the Pac-12 and Big 10's with the Rose Bowl, with a locked-in timeslot and everything. They went ahead and signed the contract with the Sugar Bowl Committee, but they had to wait until the BCS contract expired for theirs to kick in. The unfortunate coincidence is that the CFP committee also signed contracts with the New Year's Six Bowls and also had to wait until the BCS era ended for the contracts that awarded the rotating semifinals to kick in. Unfortunately, even before the CFP signed these contracts, and likely before they had even decided how the New Year's Six system with the rotating semifinals would work, the Big 12 and SEC had already finalized their contract with the Sugar Bowl Committee to lock in that game at 8:30 ET New Year's Day. The CFP then had to work its scheduling around the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl BOTH being locked in to specific timeslots, which led to our current situation of New Year's Eve semifinals two out of every three years.
The unfortunate coincidence was that both the SEC/Big 12 coalition and the College Football Playoff committee were waiting for the BCS era to end for their different objectives, but that the objectives collided when the time finally came.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Ranking Week 10, Week 11 NFL games
Week 10 by level of excitement
14. Browns at Steelers
13. Saints at Redskins
12. Chiefs at Broncos
11. Bears at Rams
10. Vikings at Raiders
9. Panthers at Titans
8. Cardinals at Seahawks
7. Dolphins at Eagles
6. Bills at Jets
5. Texans at Bengals
4. Cowboys at Buccaneers
3. Patriots at Giants
2. Jaguars at Ravens
1. Lions at Packers
Week 11 by level of interest
14. Chiefs at Chargers (4:05)
13. Rams at Ravens (1:00)
12. Cowboys at Dolphins (1:00)
11. Raiders at Lions (1:00)
10. Buccaneers at Eagles (1:00)
9. Titans at Jaguars (Thursday)
8. Colts at Falcons (1:00)
7. Jets at Texans (1:00)
6. 49ers at Seahawks (4:25)
5. Broncos at Bears (1:00)
4. Packers at Vikings (4:25)
3. Bengals at Cardinals (8:30)
2. Redskins at Panthers (1:00)
Game of the Week: Bills at Patriots (Monday)
14. Browns at Steelers
13. Saints at Redskins
12. Chiefs at Broncos
11. Bears at Rams
10. Vikings at Raiders
9. Panthers at Titans
8. Cardinals at Seahawks
7. Dolphins at Eagles
6. Bills at Jets
5. Texans at Bengals
4. Cowboys at Buccaneers
3. Patriots at Giants
2. Jaguars at Ravens
1. Lions at Packers
Week 11 by level of interest
14. Chiefs at Chargers (4:05)
13. Rams at Ravens (1:00)
12. Cowboys at Dolphins (1:00)
11. Raiders at Lions (1:00)
10. Buccaneers at Eagles (1:00)
9. Titans at Jaguars (Thursday)
8. Colts at Falcons (1:00)
7. Jets at Texans (1:00)
6. 49ers at Seahawks (4:25)
5. Broncos at Bears (1:00)
4. Packers at Vikings (4:25)
3. Bengals at Cardinals (8:30)
2. Redskins at Panthers (1:00)
Game of the Week: Bills at Patriots (Monday)
Sunday, November 15, 2015
College Football Playoff Scenarios: Week 12
Here's how I see it:
With the best record in the Pac-12 now having two losses, things have become simple:
If the Big 10 is won by an Ohio State, Michigan State, or Iowa team who wins out, they're in.
If the ACC is won by a Clemson or UNC team who wins out, they're in.
If the Big 12 is won by an Oklahoma State or Oklahoma team who wins out, they're in.
If the SEC is won by an Alabama or Florida team who wins out, they're in.
The door is opened for Notre Dame if:
a) a team NOT listed above wins one of those four conferences (Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor, TCU)
b) one of those four conferences' champions doesn't win out (example: Florida loses to Florida State but wins the SEC)
Let's call options a and b above "alternative results"
The door is suddenly left completely wide open, perhaps even for 2-loss teams and other chaos IF
EITHER
a) Notre Dame loses a game + a conf has alt result
OR
b) multiple conferences have alternative results
With the best record in the Pac-12 now having two losses, things have become simple:
If the Big 10 is won by an Ohio State, Michigan State, or Iowa team who wins out, they're in.
If the ACC is won by a Clemson or UNC team who wins out, they're in.
If the Big 12 is won by an Oklahoma State or Oklahoma team who wins out, they're in.
If the SEC is won by an Alabama or Florida team who wins out, they're in.
The door is opened for Notre Dame if:
a) a team NOT listed above wins one of those four conferences (Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor, TCU)
b) one of those four conferences' champions doesn't win out (example: Florida loses to Florida State but wins the SEC)
Let's call options a and b above "alternative results"
The door is suddenly left completely wide open, perhaps even for 2-loss teams and other chaos IF
EITHER
a) Notre Dame loses a game + a conf has alt result
OR
b) multiple conferences have alternative results
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Ranking Week 9, Week 10 NFL games
Week 9 by level of excitement
13. Redskins at Patriots
12. Dolphins at Bills
11. Browns at Bengals
10. Jaguars at Jets
9. Giants at Buccaneers
8. Bears at Chargers
7. Falcons at 49ers
6. Broncos at Colts
5. Eagles at Cowboys
4. Titans at Saints
3. Rams at Vikings
2. Raiders at Steelers
1. Packers at Panthers
Week 10 by level of interest
14. Jaguars at Ravens (1:00)
13. Cowboys at Buccaneers (1:00)
12. Bears at Rams (1:00)
11. Saints at Redskins (1:00)
10. Lions at Packers (1:00)
9. Browns at Steelers (1:00)
8. Chiefs at Broncos (4:25)
7. Bills at Jets (Thursday)
6. Dolphins at Eagles (1:00)
5. Vikings at Raiders (4:05)
4. Cardinals at Seahawks (8:30)
3. Panthers at Titans (1:00)
2. Texans at Bengals (Monday)
Game of the Week: Patriots at Giants (4:25)
13. Redskins at Patriots
12. Dolphins at Bills
11. Browns at Bengals
10. Jaguars at Jets
9. Giants at Buccaneers
8. Bears at Chargers
7. Falcons at 49ers
6. Broncos at Colts
5. Eagles at Cowboys
4. Titans at Saints
3. Rams at Vikings
2. Raiders at Steelers
1. Packers at Panthers
Week 10 by level of interest
14. Jaguars at Ravens (1:00)
13. Cowboys at Buccaneers (1:00)
12. Bears at Rams (1:00)
11. Saints at Redskins (1:00)
10. Lions at Packers (1:00)
9. Browns at Steelers (1:00)
8. Chiefs at Broncos (4:25)
7. Bills at Jets (Thursday)
6. Dolphins at Eagles (1:00)
5. Vikings at Raiders (4:05)
4. Cardinals at Seahawks (8:30)
3. Panthers at Titans (1:00)
2. Texans at Bengals (Monday)
Game of the Week: Patriots at Giants (4:25)
Friday, November 6, 2015
2016 Division I major conference finals schedule (men's basketball)
Saturday, March 12
ESPN
6:30 ET: Big 12 final
9 ET: ACC final
Fox Sports 1
5 ET: Ivy League playoff if nec. (only if regular season champion tied)
10 ET: Pac-12 final
Fox
5:30 ET: Big East final
Sunday, March 13
ESPN
1 ET: SEC final
CBS
3:30 ET: Big 10 final
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (delayed if nec. until conclusion of Big 10 final)
--
Old schedule (2014)
Saturday
6 ET: Big 12 final (ESPN)
8:30 ET: ACC final (ESPN), Big East final (Fox)
11 ET: Pac-12 final (ESPN)
Sunday
1 ET: SEC final (ESPN)
3:30 ET: Big 10 final (CBS)
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (CBS)
Old-old schedule (when the Big East used to be a major conference)
Saturday
6 ET: Big 12 final (ESPN)
8:30 ET: Big East final (ESPN)
11 ET: Pac-12 final (ESPN)
Sunday
noon ET: ACC final (ESPN)
2 ET: SEC final (ESPN, could be delayed until conclusion ACC)
4 ET: Big 10 final (CBS)
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (CBS)
ESPN
6:30 ET: Big 12 final
9 ET: ACC final
Fox Sports 1
5 ET: Ivy League playoff if nec. (only if regular season champion tied)
10 ET: Pac-12 final
Fox
5:30 ET: Big East final
Sunday, March 13
ESPN
1 ET: SEC final
CBS
3:30 ET: Big 10 final
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (delayed if nec. until conclusion of Big 10 final)
--
Old schedule (2014)
Saturday
6 ET: Big 12 final (ESPN)
8:30 ET: ACC final (ESPN), Big East final (Fox)
11 ET: Pac-12 final (ESPN)
Sunday
1 ET: SEC final (ESPN)
3:30 ET: Big 10 final (CBS)
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (CBS)
Old-old schedule (when the Big East used to be a major conference)
Saturday
6 ET: Big 12 final (ESPN)
8:30 ET: Big East final (ESPN)
11 ET: Pac-12 final (ESPN)
Sunday
noon ET: ACC final (ESPN)
2 ET: SEC final (ESPN, could be delayed until conclusion ACC)
4 ET: Big 10 final (CBS)
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (CBS)
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Ranking Week 8, Week 9 NFL games
Week 8 by level of excitement
14. Lions/Chiefs
13. 49ers at Rams
12. Dolphins at Patriots
11. Jets at Raiders
10. Packers at Broncos
9. Titans at Texans
8. Chargers at Ravens
7. Cardinals at Browns
6. Seahawks at Cowboys
5. Giants at Saints
4. Buccaneers at Falcons
3. Vikings at Bears
2. Bengals at Steelers
1. Colts at Panthers
Week 9 by level of interest
13. Bears at Chargers (Monday)
12. Jaguars at Jets (1:00)
11. Titans at Saints (1:00)
10. Falcons at 49ers (4:05)
9. Giants at Buccaneers (4:05)
8. Eagles at Cowboys (8:30)
7. Dolphins at Bills (1:00)
6. Raiders at Steelers (1:00)
5. Rams at Vikings (1:00)
4. Redskins at Patriots (1:00)
3. Browns at Bengals (Thursday)
2. Broncos at Colts (4:25)
Game of the Week: Packers at Panthers (1:00)
14. Lions/Chiefs
13. 49ers at Rams
12. Dolphins at Patriots
11. Jets at Raiders
10. Packers at Broncos
9. Titans at Texans
8. Chargers at Ravens
7. Cardinals at Browns
6. Seahawks at Cowboys
5. Giants at Saints
4. Buccaneers at Falcons
3. Vikings at Bears
2. Bengals at Steelers
1. Colts at Panthers
Week 9 by level of interest
13. Bears at Chargers (Monday)
12. Jaguars at Jets (1:00)
11. Titans at Saints (1:00)
10. Falcons at 49ers (4:05)
9. Giants at Buccaneers (4:05)
8. Eagles at Cowboys (8:30)
7. Dolphins at Bills (1:00)
6. Raiders at Steelers (1:00)
5. Rams at Vikings (1:00)
4. Redskins at Patriots (1:00)
3. Browns at Bengals (Thursday)
2. Broncos at Colts (4:25)
Game of the Week: Packers at Panthers (1:00)
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