Notes From the Gridiron

For Notre Dame fans, losing to Navy has to be like finding a gray hair growing from your balls. Despite years of denial, it's indisputable evidence that forces you to finally accept that you no longer are what you used to be...

I suppose things could be worse. You could be like me and root for the one team that actually lost to Notre Dame this year. On the bright side, at least UCLA fans won't have to suffer the embarrassment of watching the Bruins lose to a Mountain West team in a bowl game this year. (Tho they did get that out of the way by losing to Utah in September. Geez, pull the plug on this season already...)

Despite routing Nebraska to remain undefeated, Kansas is still only at #4 (up from #8) in the BCS polls behind one-loss teams LSU and Oregon. Granted, LSU and Oregon may be better teams than the Jayhawks, but what is the point of being in a BCS conference if being one of the last two undefeated BCS teams doesn't entitle you to play in the BCS championship game? Could this finally be the scenario that gets commissioners thinking about an eight team playoff?...

Deja Vu all over again. How about this possible scenario: LSU beats Ohio State in the BCS championship game to win the coaches title, meanwhile in the Orange Bowl Kansas beats either Virginia Tech or West Virginia to finish the season undefeated and take the AP crown. Fortunately for the Bayou Bengals, Kansas doesn't get the same media love that USC does, so the alumni won't need to spend any money on billboards this time around...

Darren McFadden and Adrian Peterson set rushing records this weekend with dominant performances and the future looks bright for both players. The Vikings will be in the playoffs in 2008 under the leadership of Peterson and their new quarterback, Donovan McNabb. Meanwhile, McFadden will perennially be in the Super Bowl hunt when he is drafted #3 overall by the New England Patriots, courtesy of the inept San Francisco 49ers...

The beatdown Philadelphia received at the hands of their nemesis, the Dallas Cowboys, was a clear signal that it's time to rebuild in Philadelphia. Donovan McNabb will be cut at the end of the season, and the Kevin Kolb era will begin. The next few years might be rough for Philly fans, but if they need help coping, Andy Reid knows where you can score something to make you forget about your troubles...

All seven western division teams that played yesterday lost. With the Chiefs, Chargers, and Seahawks all division leaders at 4-4, this might finally be the season that a 7-9 team makes the playoffs. If it happens in the AFC, there's even the possibility that a 7-9 Chargers team could be in the playoffs while a 9-7 or 10-6 Ravens, Titans, Browns, or Jags team stays home. Not that it really matters since a Colts/Patriots AFC Championship game is inevitable...

For all of Norv Turner's faults, the one thing he is supposedly adept at is developing a quarterback. Unfortunately for Chargers fans, Philip Rivers has regressed from last season to this one. He's thrown for fewer yards per attempt this year, almost has as many INTs already this year that he did last season, and his passer rating is ten points lower. Turner is playing the role that Paul Hackett did at USC, and things are setting up nicely for Pete Carroll to step in and look like a savior after this season's debacle. All he needs is to bribe agents to send the best talent his way and it will be SC-level dominance all over again.