Sunday, September 30, 2007

DFC VIII Week Six Games

Picks received from:
Halpert, Tom Johnson, Tebe, Jenn Ernst, Justin Fisher, Drew Morris, Demastus, Sarah, Yours Truly, Tyler Campbell, Trey, Tad, Jonathan, Lori, Eddy Jr, Scott, Zack, Ryan Sherman, Mikey and Garrett

We enter Week Six in DFC VIII, with 40 games down, 8 games here, and 48 more to go... and once a year, in the middle of the season, there's just a weekend that has too many good college games to pass up. So, with apologies to NFL lovin' Matt Halpert, this is just that weekend...

In the spirit of ABC and ESPN, we give you... (INSERT SUPERLATIVE) SATURDAY

THURSDAY GAME
#8 Kentucky Wildcats at #11 South Carolina, 630pm, ESPN
Its been a while since "#8" and "Kentucky" were written in the same sentence, unless Scott Latta was writing a joke column. But here they are, in the top ten for the first time since 1977... fitting, after a weekend where half the ranked teams lost and Jason Duren gets off the weekly win schneid, at 52 weeks in the league (thats right, he finally gets a win)

SATURDAY GAMES
#10 Oklahoma Sooners (4-1) at #19 Texas Longhorns (4-1), 230p. ABC
Somehow, the Red River Shootout lost a little luster since Oklahoma practically gift wrapped a W in a pretty bow, handing it to Colorado (they gave up 20 unanswered points!), and since Texas just... well, just stunk. Against Kansas State. Again.

#12 Georgia Bulldogs (4-1) at Tennessee Volunteers (2-2), 230p, CBS
I would not have picked this game for this weekend, except Tennessee's at home. Not that that means much anymore, since this is the SEC, but then again... this IS the SEC. Cause, Tennessee can't beat the #12th ranked Dawgs, much like Auburn couldn't possibly...

#16 Virginia Tech Hokies (4-1) at #22 Clemson Tigers (4-1), 5p, ESPN
Sigh. One of the announcer guys said it best this weekend, when discussing Clemson's loss to an inferior Georgia Tech team. If Clemson is ever going to be taken seriously as a national contender, like their fans so eagerly want, then they are going to have to start winning the games they are supposed to win.

#20 Cincinnati Bearcats (5-0) at #21 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-1), 6pm, ESPN2
What kind of world are we living in where South Florida, Cincinnati and UConn are the undefeated teams in a BCS Conference like the Big East?

#9 Florida Gators (4-1) at #1 LSU Tigers (5-0), 7pm, CBS
The big pick on this will be LSU... I'm guessing 90% of the DFC will go that way, though I'm totally yelling Geaux Gators. Yes, its at night, yes its in Death Valley, and yes, its against the newly crowned #1 team in the land, but Florida lost, they will lick their wounds and take care of an LSU team that's not as good as people think. Heck, did you hear Tim Tebow doesn't wear a helmet for protection? No, Tim Tebow's helmet wears Tim Tebow for protection.

#4 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) at #23 Purdue Boilermakers (5-0)
Its been a while since we picked a Purdue game... its really been a while since we had a reason to. Remember, Ohio State is really only #4 because everyone else lost and they had nowhere else to go but up.

#25 Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-1) at #17 Missouri Tigers (4-0), 815p, ESPN2
Most of the time I can fluff my way through a decent paragraph about two teams, even if I don't know a whole lot... this time? I got nothing... Pick 'em.

TieBreak Game:
Oh, let's go crazy with it... Florida vs LSU, total points scored.

Friday, September 28, 2007

DFC VIII Week Five Results

If you see a problem with your record, email me, so I can get it adjusted before I send out the results on Tuesday!

Game Results:
#18 South Florida 21, #5 West Virginia 13
#9 Wisconsin 37, Michigan State 34
#6 California 31, #11 Oregon 24 (tiebreak game)
Auburn 20, #4 Florida 17

NFL Games
Buffalo 17, NYJets 14
Oakland 35, Miami 17
Tampa Bay 20, Carolina 7
Seattle 23, San Francisco 3


The Week That Was
I mentioned it last week, about Jason Duren's drought, having not winning a week in his career... well, he did it this week. He takes home his first win at 5-3, a tough win. This is what you call "winning ugly"

Rookie Clif Render, my frat brother from Troy U (who also won this weekend, thanks), takes 2nd place, while Zack Graves comes rolling into 3rd, also at 5-3. Tom Johnson gets 4th, and Justin Fisher gets 5th, both at 5-3, while at 4-4 is Drew Morris in 6th, Matt Halpert in 7th, James Hawbaker in 8th, Tyler Campbell in 9th, and rounding out the Top Ten is Tebe Shaw.

The Rest:
4-4: Ty Coffey, Gary "The Idol" Eubanks, Sarah Hasha, Yours Truly, Tim Wasyluka
3-5: DMOsborne, Mackey, Barney, Jenn Ernst, Demastus, Trey Cartledge, Tad "The Dynasty" Roose, Jonathan Osborne, Lori Beirne, Eddy Jr, Ryan Sherman, Gina "Wife of the Dynasty" Roose, Mikey Nipp and Joey Thornell
2-6: Matt Latta, Jason Turnbow, Big Eddy, The Unmighty Gainey, Scott Latta, Daniel Powell, Garrett Cheney

THE STANDINGS (heading into Sunday)
The Roose Conference
North Division
Matt Latta, 24-16 (13.6)
Matt Halpert, 23-17 (8.25)
Ty Coffey, 21-19 (13.8)
Ken Mackey, 21-19 (14.4)
DMOsborne, 17-23 (11.5)
Tom Johnson, 17-23 (25.8)

MidCentral Division
Justin Fisher, 25-15 (13.0)
Jennifer Ernst, 24-16 (13.75)
Tommy McLeod, 22-18 (13.0)
Jason Turnbow, 19-21 (14.4)
Tebe Shaw, 19-21 (16.8)
Jason Barnette, 18-22 (14.0)

West Division
Gary Eubanks, 24-16 (14.0)
Drew Morris, 23-17 (5.25)
Jason Duren, 23-17 (12.0)
Eddy McBroom, 20-20 (8.5)
Sarah Hasha, 19-21 (24.75)
Jason Demastus, 15-25 (27.2)

LATTA CONFERENCE
East Division
Mark Gainey, 22-18 (10.0)
Clif Render, 23-17 (16.0)
Tyler Campbell, 21-19 (11.25)
Yours Truly, 21-19 (21.2)
James Hawbaker, 20-20 (11.5)
Trey Cartledge, 19-21 (11.4)

South Central Division
Jon Osborne, 27-13 (12.75)
Tad Roose, 25-15 (11.0)
Zack Graves, 25-15 (13.0)
Scott Latta, 24-16 (11.0)
Lori Beirne, 22-18 (7.25)
Eddy Jr, 17-23 (10.8)

South Division
Daniel Powell, 22-18 (16.5)
Michael Nipp, 22-18 (11.2)
Garrett Cheney, 20-20 (18.2)
Gina Roose, 22-18 (16.0)
Ryan Sherman, 23-17 (17.2)
Tim Wasyluka, 20-20 (10.5)
Joey Thornell, 13-27 (5.8)

DFC Power Poll updated Top 12
Rank, Rec, (TBA) (Last Week)
1) Jonathan Osborne, 27-13 (12.75) (1)
2) Tad Roose, 25-15 (11.0) (3)
3-tie) Zack Graves, 25-15 (13.0) (6)
3-tie) Justin Fisher, 25-15 (13.0) (7)
5) Scott Latta, 24-16 (11.0) (4)
6) Matt Latta, 24-16 (13.6) (2)
7) Jennifer Ernst, 24-16 (13.75) (5)
8) Gary Eubanks, 24-16 (14.0) (9)
9) Drew Morris, 23-17 (5.25) (NR)
10) Matt Halpert, 23-17 (8.25) (NR)
11) Jason Duren, 23-17 (12.0) (NR)
12) Clif Render, 23-17 (16.0) (NR)
dropped out: Ryan Sherman (12), Mark Gainey (6), Tommy McLeod (11), Daniel Powell (10)

The Bottom Five
33) Eddy McBroom, 17-23... 34) DMOsborne, 17-23... 35) Tom Johnson, 17-23... 36) Jason Demastus, 15-25... 37) Joey Thornell, 13-27

Lies, Darn Lies & Statistics

  • Tad Roose holds the record of consecutive weeks at 4-4 or better, which L,DL&S has often talked about, mostly because its so impressive. How impressive? Consider that the longest active streak was at 18, held by Tad's better half, Gina. She was working on 19 weeks when this past weekend happened. Her 3-5 weekly record snapped that streak at 18, giving the newest longest active streak to Gary "The Idol" Eubanks, who has 17.
  • Incidentally, Mark Gainey is 2nd on this list (DFC III to V), with 35 weeks, Justin Glenn is 3rd with 21 (DFC IV to VI), while Tommy McLeod is still 4th all time with 19 weeks (DFC I to II). Gina had moved her way up to 5th tied with DMOsborne with 18 straight (and as we mentioned, Gina's streak has been stopped). Gary can tie Gina & DMO this week, tie Tommy the following week, and own 4th all time the following, with 3rd all time on his radar.
  • For Gary to break Tad's record, he'll have to stay 4-4 or better from this coming week until Week Ten... of DFC X. That's season 10 for you in Knoxville. In 2009. That's provide he doesn't pull a Barry Sanders and retire at the top of his game.
  • One more Eubanks thought... he does own one record, that being number of weeks in the DFC before his first losing record. DFC Powers like Drew Morris had his first in Week 5 of his rookie year, Tad Roose went 3-5 in Week 6 of his rookie season, Eddy Mc went 2-6 in Week 7, even Mark Gainey went 2-6 early in his rookie season. Gary? He's never been below 4-4 his entire rookie year, and the first five weeks of this season, making 17 weeks. This is something I've never actually looked at before, and it looks like 2nd place all time on this list belongs to none other than Jason Turnbow, who went ten weeks during his rookie season last year before going 2-6 in Week 11. Of course, that's no solace to Turnbow's horrible start so far this year.
  • What about 5-3 or better? An even more impressive record... The Mighty Mark Gainey still holds that record at 14 weeks. As much as I liken the 4-4 or better record to DiMaggio's streak (its just so impossible), I see 5-3 or better like Ripken's streak. Delivering week in and week out. In 2nd place all time? Big Eddy Mac with 12 weeks (DFC III, Wk 5 to DFC IV, Wk 3) and in 3rd, Yours Truly (DFC VI Wk 7 to DFC VII Wk 4). The current longest streak? Zack Graves. Three weeks.
  • Jason Duren did in fact win the week this time, at 5-3. Just an example of how tough this season has been thusfar. Only two others have done it, that being Yours Truly (DFC VII, Week 7) and Big Wookiee, way back when (DFC I, Wk 9).
  • The 400 regular season win club just added one more member, as Jennifer Ernst (429), Yours Truly (414), Matt Latta (407) and Tommy McLeod (403) welcomes David Mark Osborne, who, when Seattle beat San Francisco, collected his 400th win. Next up? Tom Johnson at 396, Michael Nipp at 393, and Daniel Powell at 389.
  • Big Tim Wasyluka gets his 300th win this weekend, while Garrett is beating Tyler to 200 currently at 179 vs. 175.
  • Last year's rookies gain on 100, as Gary "The Idol" Eubanks leads the race with 86 total, and Zack Graves is at 83.
  • Joey Thornell, joining late, is no longer in last place on the all time win list. With 13 wins now, he passes Willis Watkins with 12, though Joey has one more loss than Willis, so in baseball stats, they are technically tied overall.
  • What about 500? It almost seems like an unthinkable amount of wins... though Jennifer Ernst is 23 away, while Yours Truly is 39 away. More on this one as the number draws nearer.
  • In college wins, Eddy Jr is 5 away from 200, Lori is 6 away, and in pro wins, Jason Duren is 4 from 100, and Ty Coffey is 7 from 100.
  • Though you'll be getting the mid-season report, and the annual mid-season grades following next week's results, here's who's leading the other catagories not named "Champion", "MVP" or "Rookie of the Year"....
  • Jon Osborne, Zack Graves and Tad Roose (who is the defending College Title Champion) all lead the college title race at 17-7, while Michael Nipp, Jason Duren and Clif Render lead the pro race at 11-5. The Pro Title Champion is Matt Latta, who is 9-7, tied with 8 others. The TieBreak Average title leader is Drew Morris, who holds an impressive 5.25, ahead of even Joey Thornell (5.8) who came in late. Big Eddy, who won the TB Title last season at 9.09, is 5th, behind Drew, Lori, Halpert and Joey.
  • The DFC Power Poll came into play in DFC IV, and since then, there have only been 18 people to be perched at the #1 spot in 53 possible weeks (counting this past week). Out of those 18, only 9 of those have been at #1 for at least two weeks in a row. Strangely enough, Gary "The Idol" Eubanks is the only DFC'er in the history of the DFC Power Poll to be at #1 for two non consecutive weeks in the same season (Wks 3 and 6 last year).
  • The unofficial record for number of consecutive weeks is currently held by two people, Tad Roose and David Mark Osborne, both staying atop the standings for 6 straight weeks. In second is Mark Gainey, and now Jon Osborne, both with 5. Jonathan Osborne is one week away from a piece of the #1 spot in the record, and two weeks away from being at #1 the longest. Mark Gainey actually holds the record of number of total weeks spent at #1, with 7, while Jonathan is 2nd with 6. So these next two weeks are pretty important, record wise, for Osborne. And he's still never made the playoffs.

Next week's results: The mid-season report card, who's up, who's down, who get an A, who gets an F and everything in between. Only on the blogsite.

Week Seven results: We bring back the "If the Playoffs Began Today" feature each week

Week Nine and beyond: Full standings, including TBA, College Record, Pro Record and more. Cause I have a free hour, and you are more impressed with the number of stats than you are what the stats actually are.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

DFC VIII Week Five Games

College Games
all games are listed central time, and ranks from the AP Poll

FRIDAY NIGHT GAME
#5 West Virginia Mountaineers at #18 South Florida Bulls, 7pm, ESPN2
The best team in Virginia takes on the 2nd best team in Florida. Seriously, these Bulls are pretty darn good. They were good enough to topple highly ranked WVU last season, and USF knows what its like to beat ranked teams (Auburn?)

SATURDAY GAMES
#6 California Bears (4-0) at #11 Oregon Ducks (4-0), 230pm, ABC
I was feeling really good about this game until Oregon's defense gave up 30 plus points to a freakin' Tree (that would be Stanford). But, the game is in Autschwitz Stadium, and the Ducks do have the St. Louis Rams mentality from their Super Bowl year--give up as many as you want, just score more than they do.

Michigan State Spartans (4-0) at #9 Wisconsin Badgers (4-0), 230p, ABC
Is there any reason Michigan State is unranked? I thought after their beating of Notre Dame (yes, it was Notre Dame) they'd surely get in... because honestly, Wisconsin hasn't been all the impressive in their four game run. (After looking again, they are ranked #23rd in the Coaches Poll)

Auburn Tigers (2-2) at #4 Florida Gators (4-0), 7pm, ESPN
So, I guess this is a gimme, huh? And it was last year too, when Auburn beat Florida, and the LSU was a gimme for LSU when... Auburn beat LSU. That's the thing about Auburn--they are always capable of beating the top teams. Its the crappy teams they struggle with.

NFL GAMES
NYJets (1-2) at Buffalo Bills (0-3), 12pm CBS
Ey yi yi... could it get any worse than a crappy Jets team against a crappier Bills team?

Oakland Raiders (1-2) at Miami Dolphins (0-3), 12pm, CBS
Why yes, yes it can... in the form of a really crappy Raiders team (who pulled a Denver time out to win against Cleveland) against a really, really crappy Fins team. Pick 'em.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-1), 305pm, Fox
That's right, its for supremecy in the NFC South! David Mark Osborne's favorite boys, the Bucs, are back for DFC VIII to wreak havoc on all of our seasons! Seriously, though, is John Gruden even any good? He won the Super Bowl with Dungy's players... and they've sucked since then. Just wondering.

Seattle Seahawks (2-1) at San Francisco 49ers (2-1), 305pm, Fox
And this one is for supremecy in the NFC West! Shaun and the Hawks against Alex Smith and the Niners! (this is how I fill up this space when I really have no clue)

TieBreak Game
Oregon vs California, total number of points scored. (used your drop yet?)

Saturday, September 22, 2007

DFC VIII Week Four Results

THRU SATURDAY'S GAME

College Games
#2 LSU 28, #12 South Carolina 16
#21 Kentucky 42, Arkansas 29

#22 Georgia 26, #16 Alabama 23 OT (tiebreak game, 49 pts)
UCLA 44, Washington 31

NFL Games
NYJets 31, Miami 28
Oakland 26, Cleveland 24
Seattle 24, Cincinnati 21
Tennessee 31, New Orleans 14

The Week That Was
When his respectability is questioned, The Mighty Gainey responds. He responds this week winning his sixth career week (only the 2nd to do so) with a 7-1 record. James Hawbaker is one of several this week to rebound after a rough start to the season, as he goes 7-1 for 2nd, while Jason Turnbow gets 3rd at 7-1.

Tad "The Dynasty" Roose is 4th at 6-2 (while nailing the tiebreak), while in 5th Just Fish gets a 6-2 mark. Jonathan Osborne continues his run for the MVP title at 6-2, for 6th, while Sarah Hasha has a great 6-2 week, for 7th, and Tommy McLeod and Zack Graves tie for 8th at 5-3. Rounding out the top 10 is Big Eddy at 5-3.

The Rest:
5-3: Matt Halpert, Mackey, Tom Johnson, Jenn Ernst, Gary Eubanks, Demastus, Scott Latta, Ryan Sherman, Daniel Powell, Gina "Wife of the Dynasty" Roose
4-4: Matt Latta, Tebe Shaw, Drew Morris, Jason Duren, Yours Truly, Tyler Campbell, Clif Render, Trey Cartledge, Tim Wasyluka, Mikey Nipp
3-5: DMOsborne, Barney, Lori Beirne, Garrett Cheney, Joey Thornell
2-6: Eddy Jr, Ty Coffey

THE STANDINGS
ROOSE CONFERENCE
Rec, (TBA)
North Division
Matt Latta, 22-10 (11.0)
Matt Halpert, 19-13 (11.0)
Ken Mackey, 18-14 (17.25)
Ty Coffey, 17-15 (12.75)
DMOsborne, 15-17 (12.5)
Tom Johnson, 12-20 (27.25)

Mid Central Division
Jennifer Ernst, 21-11 (16.5)
Justin Fisher, 20-12 (10.0)
Tommy McLeod, 20-12 (17.33)
Jason Turnbow, 17-15 (13.0)
Jason Barnette, 15-17 (10.0)
Tebe Shaw, 15-17 (19.33)

West Division
Gary Eubanks, 20-12 (12.5)
Drew Morris, 19-13 (7.0)
Eddy McBroom, 18-14 (5.0)
Jason Duren, 18-14 (13.25)
Sarah Hasha, 15-17 (24.75)
Jason Demastus, 12-20 (25.75)

LATTA CONFERENCE
East Division
Mark Gainey, 20-12 (7.67)
Clif Render, 18-14 (16.75)
Tyler Campbell, 17-15 (12.33)
Yours Truly, 17-15 (21.0)
James Hawbaker, 16-16 (13.33)
Trey Cartledge, 15-17 (10.5)

South Central Division
Jon Osborne, 24-8 (7.0)
Tad Roose, 22-10 (11.25)
Scott Latta, 22-10 (13.0)
Zack Graves, 20-12 (11.33)
Lori Beirne, 19-13 (7.0)
Eddy McBroom Jr, 14-18 (11.0)

South Division
Daniel Powell, 20-12 (13.0)
Ryan Sherman, 20-12 (17.25)
Michael Nipp, 19-13 (12.75)
Gina Roose, 19-13 (18.0)
Garrett Cheney, 18-14 (16.5)
Tim Wasyluka, 16-16 (8.0)
Joey Thornell, 10-22 (3.5)

The DFC Power Poll Top 12
Record, (TBA) (Last Wk Rank)
1. Jon Osborne, 24-8 (7.0) (1)
2. Matt Latta, 22-10 (11.0) (2)
3. Tad Roose, 22-10 (11.25) (5)
4. Scott Latta, 22-10 (13.0) (3)
5. Jennifer Ernst, 21-11 (10.0) (6)
6. Mark Gainey, 20-12 (7.67) (NR)
7. Justin Fisher, 20-12 (10.0) (NR)
8. Zack Graves, 20-12 (11.33) (9)
9. Gary Eubanks, 20-12 (12.5) (8)
10. Daniel Powell, 20-12 (13.0) (12)
11. Tommy McLeod, 20-12 (16.5) (NR)
12. Ryan Sherman, 20-12 (17.25) (11)
dropped out: Lori Beirne (4), Drew Morris (7), Michael Nipp (10)

The Bottom Five...
33. Sarah Hasha (15-17)... 34. Eddy Jr (14-18)... 35. Tom Johnson (12-20)... 36. Jason Demastus (12-20)... 37. Joey Thornell (10-22)

Lies, Darn Lies & Statistics

  • As I mentioned, The Mighty Gainey won another week in his long, storied, championshipless career. He's got 6, as does Jennifer Ernst. Right behind Mark and Jennifer (who actually shared a week's win last season) is Michael Nipp, Matt Latta and Wookiee Fulaytar each have 5, while Big Eddy, Scott, Drew Morris and Tad Roose each have 4.
  • Yours Truly has 3, with 66 regular season weeks coming between my first win (Week 11 in DFC I) and my most recent (Week 7 in last season). It took 68 weeks to get three. Ty Coffey managed to get 3 in five regular season weeks. Is there no justice?
  • Who's still waiting for a win during the week? James Hawbaker is one. In this, his third season, he's approaching 20 weeks without a win. Even though he won Rookie of the Year in DFC VII, Gary Eubanks has yet to be crowned weekly champion, like most of last season's rookies, like Turnbow, Ryan Sherman, Mackey and Barney.
  • Waiting the longest? In 52 regular season weeks (that, of course, being Week 1 to Week 12 of any given DFC season), counting the one just finished, Jason Duren is still waiting for his name atop "The Week That Was" listing, while the record is currently held by Sarah Hasha--64 weeks and counting.
  • Oh so close to 400 regular season wins, DMOsborne stalls out this week, 2 shy. However, Tommy McLeod got his 401st career win, also passing DMO to become the 4th winningest DFCer ever.
  • Tom Johnson is still 9 away, and Michael Nipp is 10 from 400. The Wasyluka is 3 from getting to the 300 mark, while Sarah Hasha is 20 wins away.
  • Garrett Cheney and Tyler Campbell continue their race to 200, with Garrett at 177, while Tyler is at 173.
  • I just saw two music videos, one for T.I.'s newest, and the other for Amy Winehouse. I'm not sure I see what the big deal is about either, though with Amy Winehouse I must admit, she has grown on me since I first heard her. T.I. however sounds like a no talent butt clown. I can rap just as good as he does. He also has weird lips. It does make me want some crunk teeth, though. Maybe I'll just borrow Big Eddy's.
  • Looking at college, its hard not to notice how strong Jonathan Osborne has been this season, becoming the last person to have single digit losses this season (he's at 24-8) and has finished in the weekly top ten three of the four weeks of the season, including 2 of them in the top 3. His strong college showing has pulled him into a tie for 11th all time in college, with Big Eddy. They are both 217-114 lifetime, and only 3 wins behind Tom Johnson for that 10th spot
  • This is significant, because the only DFCers to get in the top ten of the three major catagories--All Time, College and Pro, who were not part of the original 11 have been Big Eddy and Tad Roose. This is obviously because those of us who were a part of DFC I have at least a full season of wins and losses to draw on, so for Eddy, Tad and Jonathan to be approaching those win totals tells you something.
  • The TBAs were released this week, and yes, those lifetime stats are kept as well. I figure its got to take at least three full seasons to get an accurate reading, and with that being said, Tim Wasyluka has the lowest lifetime TBA at 11.73. In 2nd is Mark Gainey with 11.98, 3rd is Yours Truly with 12.18, 4th is Tyler Campbell (12.36) and 5th is Jon Osborne (12.49).
  • If you don't use a three season litmus, you can toss James Hawbaker's one and a partial season in there... and he becomes number one with 11.69.
  • The worst? Jason Demastus with 22.4, though Trey Cartledge's 25.5 in his rookie year last year won't help him stay out of the bottom of this list.

Monday, September 17, 2007

DFC VIII Week Four Games

College Games
#12 South Carolina Gamecocks at #2 LSU Bayou Bengals, 230p, CBS
Steve Superior takes his Carolina team down to Death Valley. Its been a rough DFC season so far... anyone venture to pick SoCar? Because 90% of the league will go LSU.

#21 Kentucky Wildcats at Arkansas Razorbacks, 5p, ESPN2
Did you see Kentucky take on Louisville... great game. Same with Arkansas & Alabama. However, how great is it that Kentucky is ranked and the Hogs aren't?

#22 Georgia Bulldogs (2-1) at #16 Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0), 645p, ESPN
O'Nicka bin Lyin was a good coach, we knew that... and in beating Arkansas, they proved they can blow a 21 point lead, but still keep composure. The real question is, now, how hungry is Georgia?

Washington Huskies (2-1) at UCLA Bruins, 915p
Formerly ranked UCLA, beat down by Utah (!), takes on Willingham's Huskies, who ended Boise State's winning steak, but got beat down by Ohio State. So, who loses 2 in a row? Who gets ranked?

NFL Games
Miami Dolphins (0-2) at NYJets (0-2), 12p, CBS
Oh, who doesn't love a good pillow fight?

Cleveland Browns (1-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-2), 305p, CBS
So, are the Browns any good? They had to score 51 to beat the Bengals, and still refuse to put in Brady Quinn. And Oakland? They actually almost beat the Broncos. Almost.

Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) at Seattle Seahawks (1-1), 305p, CBS
Both teams lost games they were supposed to dominate (Bengals to the Browns, 'Hawks to the Cards) and now stumble in facing a 1-2 record.

Tennessee Titans (1-1) at New Orleans Saints (1-1), 730p, Monday night, ESPN
Should be a great battle of quarterbacks and teams that should be better.

Tiebreak Game
Total points scored, Georgia vs Alabama

Saturday, September 15, 2007

DFC VIII Week Three Results

TROY UNIVERSITY 41, OKLAHOMA STATE (A BIG XII SCHOOL) 23 (just sayin...)
#5 Florida 59, #22 Tennessee 20
Alabama 41, #16 Arkansas 38
Michigan 38, Notre Dame 0
#21 Boston College 21, #15 Georgia Tech 10

Houston 34, Carolina 21
San Francisco 17, St. Louis 16
Green Bay 35, NYGiants 13
New England 38, San Diego 14 (tiebreak game, 52 total points)

The Week That Was
Boy... this was another hard week for everyone. And, unbelievably, Senator Reverend Ty Coffey won again. His second week in a row ends at 6-2. Furthermore, he nailed the tiebreak at 52, which hasn't happened in a while. Matt Latta comes up just short, in 2nd, also at 6-2.

Continuing the "Year of the Underdog", Trey Cartledge logs a top five finish at 3, with 6-2, while Michael Nipp goes 6-2 for 4th. Rounding out the top 5 is Jennifer Ernst, in 5th, at 6-2.

Lori Beirne is 6th and Daniel Powell is 7th, both at 6-2. In 8th is Clif Render, Joey Thornell gets his first top ten finish for 9th, and in a three way tie for 10th, Matt Halpert, Drew Morris and Scott Latta, all at 5-3.

Also Finishing:
5-3: Tommy McLeod, Jason Duren, Demastus, Sarah Hasha, Yours Truly, Tyler Campbell, Tad Roose, Zack Graves, Ryan Sherman, Garrett Cheney
4-4: Mackey, Tebe Shaw, Barney, Gary "The Idol" Eubanks, Big Eddy, Jonathan Osborne, Eddy Jr, Gina Roose
3-5: DMOsborne, Justin Fisher, The Mighty Gainey, Hawbaker, Tim Wasyluka
0-8: Big Tom Johnson

The Standings
FULAYTAR CONFERENCE
North Division
Matt Latta, 18-6
Ty Coffey, 15-9
Matt Halpert, 14-10
Mackey, 13-11
DMOsborne, 13-11
Tom Johnson, 7-17

MidCentral Division
Jennifer Ernst, 16-8
Tommy McLeod, 15-9
Justin Fisher, 14-10
Jason Barnette, 12-12
Tebe Shaw, 11-13
Jason Turnbow, 10-14

West Division
Drew Morris, 15-9
Gary Eubanks, 15-9
Jason Duren, 14-10
Eddy McBroom, 13-11
Sarah Hasha, 9-15
Jason Demastus, 7-17

ROOSE CONFERENCE
East Division
Clif Render, 14-10
Mark Gainey, 13-11
Tyler Campbell, 13-11
Yours Truly, 13-11
Trey Cartledge, 12-12
James Hawbaker, 9-15

South Central Division
Jon Osborne, 18-6
Scott Latta, 17-7
Lori Beirne, 16-8
Tad Roose, 16-8
Zack Graves, 15-9
Eddy Jr, 12-12

South Division
Michael Nipp, 15-9
Daniel Powell, 15-9
Ryan Sherman, 15-9
Garrett Cheney, 15-9
Gina Roose, 14-10
Tim Wasyluka, 12-12
Joey Thornell, 7-17

The DFC Top 12 Power Poll
Last week's ranking in ( )
1. Jon Osborne, 18-6 (1)
2. Matt Latta, 18-6 (2)
3. Scott Latta, 17-7 (3)
4. Lori Beirne, 16-8 (7)
5. Tad Roose, 16-8 (5)
6. Jennifer Ernst, 16-8 (NR)
7. Drew Morris, 15-9 (8)
8. Gary Eubanks, 15-9 (6)
9. Daniel Powell, 15-9 (NR)
10. Zack Graves, 15-9 (11)
11. Michael Nipp, 15-9 (21)
12. Ryan Sherman, 15-9 (10)
dropped out: Justin Fisher (4); Mark Gainey (9)

The Bottom Five
31. Hawbaker (31)... 32. Sarah Hasha (33)... 33. Joey Thornell (35)... 34. Jason Demastus (34)... 35. Tom Johnson (29)

Lies, Darn Lies & Statistics

  • What a terrible start to the year. Absolutely terrible. In the East Division alone, if the playoffs started today, rookie Clif Render would win the division at 14-10... and would end up with the 10th best record in the conference.
  • Gina "Wife of The Dynasty" Roose extends her 4-4+ weekly record to 19 weeks, but the more startling stat is that the record of 5-3+ weeks, currently held by Mark Gainey at 14 weeks (Wk 11 of DFC IV thru Wk 12 of DFC V) is in no danger... the current longest streak? Scott Latta at 3 weeks.
  • Speaking of The Mighty Gainey, could it be that he's not as Mighty as he once was? For the first time in his five seasons, he followed up a 4-4 record (Wk 2) with a losing record (Wk 3). At 7-9, its the worst 2 week, regular season performance of his career.
  • Where the heck did Ty Coffey come from? Harking back to last season, Ty has now won three of the last five regular season weeks. Its the best stretch since Jenn Ernst reeled off 3 weekly wins in four weeks back in 2003 (DFC IV)
  • Looking at all time regular season numbers, Matt Latta becomes the third player (behind Yours Truly and Jenn Ernst) to hit 400 wins. Lori Beirne crossed 300 this weekend, and even though he's had a poor season thusfar, James Hawbaker hit 100 career wise.
  • Course, its not all great news... Lori's 300 win mark was also marred by her 200th loss all time.
  • Its a season tradition by now... who can put Willis Watkins back into last on the all time list? His brief DFC stint left him at 12-26, and rookies Justin Fisher, Clif Render and Matt Halpert all passed him this weekend. This leaves only latecomer Joey Thornell, with 7 wins currently, to pass Willis and put him back into 51st place all time.
  • Toss in all the playoff wins and losses, and the list changes a little. Jenn, Yours Truly, DMO, Drew, Tad, Big Eddy, Daniel and Tommy are your Top 9, while Michael Nipp is in 10th, at 398 all time. He's 2 away from the all time 400 list, and at 386, he's 14 away from the regular season 400 club.
  • Its fun to watch the wins and losses mount, and players pass the retired folk... but sometimes, you see a current player pass another current player. Its the small things, really. Maybe it will only be for a week or two, but Scott Latta leaps over Mark Gainey in the College standings, taking 13th place all time.
  • Men of the DFC, take note. After three long seasons, a girl now sits atop all three major catagories--All Time, College, Pro--since Tom didn't get his picks in. This is unofficial, as the email might have been lost, but as it stands now, Jenn Ernst moves into 1st in the Pro ranks.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

DFC VIII Week Three Games

College Games
#22 Tennessee Volunteers (1-1) at #5 Florida Gators (2-0), 230p CBS

Go Gators! Go Gators! Go Gators! Go Gators! Go Gators! Go Gators!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish (0-2) at Michigan Wolverines (0-2), 230p ABC
In 8 years of the DFC, I never thought I'd say this... but Notre Dame vs Michigan... in this week's Crap O'The Week. Pick 'em.

#16 Arkansas Razorbacks (1-0) at The Alabama Crimson Sabans (2-0), 545p ESPN
Run DMC comes into Bryant-Denny to finally challenge the Tide, after the Tide put away powerhouse Vandy and national contender directional Carolina. Of course, Arkansas only boasts a win, however non-convincing, over Troy.

#21 Boston College Golden Eagles (2-0) at #15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-0), 7pm ESPN2
I can imagine this game being like, 70 total points and a whole lot of passing yards... which is why I'm sure as not heck choosing this game for the tiebreak this week.

NFL Games
Houston Texans (1-0) at Carolina Panthers (1-0), 12pm CBS
The poor Texans... watching Reggie Bush burn up the yard in New Orleans, while Mario Williams sits, paid happily.

San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at St Louis Rams (0-1), 12pm Fox
The 49ers beat the Cards (who doesn't) ugly on Monday night, facing a far superior Rams team.

Green Bay Packers (1-0) at NYGiants (0-1), 12pm Fox
This game intrigues me... only because I'm wondering if the Giants are as big of a mess as I think they are, if Manning is as overrated as I've always thought he was, and if the Pack just got really, really lucky in their last second field goal win over the Eagles on Sunday.

San Diego Chargers at New England Patriots, 715pm, NBC
This is the game that will prove whether Moss was the answer to another dynasty for the Patriots, or if San Diego is as good as LDT makes them out to be

Tiebreak Game
Total points scored in San Diego/New England game

Saturday, September 08, 2007

DFC VIII Week Two Results

Used Tiebreak in Week One:
Matt Halpert, DMOsborne, Jenn Ernst, Barney, Drewski, Big Eddy, The Mighty Gainey, Tyler, Hawbaker, Jonathan Osborne, Lori, Zack, Daniel, Wasyluka

This week's soundbites/trash talk from email:
"The Wolverines come to their senses. Need I remind you that my Bulldogs lost to I-AA Maine 3 weeks before beating a ranked Florida team!" --Justin Fisher
"LUS's coaches are pretty obnoxious too. Current coaches, not past ones" --Ryan Sherman, on LSU... excuse me, LUS's fans
"Vandy beats 'Bama" --Zack Graves
"I'm gonna say that last week sucked" --Sarah Hasha

THE WEEK THAT WAS...
In one of the worst weeks in DFC history, Senator Reverend Ty Coffey pulls out his second win of his career, and if you date back to Week 11 of last year, then the 2nd in four regular season weeks. He survives the carnage that was this week by pulling out a 6-2 mark, edging out Jonathan Osborne, also at 6-2

Michael Nipp continues his comeback road by coming in 3rd at 5-3, while in 4th Scott Latta goes 5-3, and Daniel Powell and Gary "The Idol" Eubanks tie for 5th. In 7th is Justin Fisher, in 8th is Lori Beirne, and tied for 9th is Eddy Jr and Drew Morris.

The Rest
4-4: Matt Latta, Matt Halpert, Mackey, Jason Duren, Jenn Ernst, The Mighty Gainey, Gina Roose, Ryan Sherman, Garrett Cheney, Tommy McLeod
3-5: DMOsborne, Barney, Turnbow, Big Eddy, Yours Truly, Tyler "Sexy Beast" Campbell, Clif Render, Trey Cartledge, Zack Graves, and finally, Tad Roose
2-6: Tom Johnson, Tebe "Michigan" Shaw, Jason Demastus, Tim Wasyluka
1-7: Sarah Hasha, James Hawbaker

Late Addition
Joey Thornell, manfriend of Alissa Kelly, who is daughter to one Pastor Calvin Kelly, has entered The DFC late in the season, and will join up in the DFC South. He managed to pick his four Sunday NFL games, of which he went 2-2, but will end the week at 2-6, and will take an 0-8 for week one. This means Joey will start at 2-14.

This was done three seasons ago with James Hawbaker, who entered the league late. As with James, Joey will not be eligible for the playoffs this season, so you can say he's "red-shirted" for the first year. He will be eligible for Rookie of the Year, however, if we see fit to crown him such. Also, the 14 losses due to games he didn't get a chance to pick will be removed from his all-time stats beginning next year, but will be kept this year to keep the games even.

STANDINGS
ROOSE CONFERENCE
North Division
Matt Latta, 12-4
Matt Halpert, 9-7
Mackey, 9-7
Ty Coffey, 9-7
DMOsborne, 8-8
Tom Johnson, 7-9

MidCentral Division
Justin Fisher, 11-5
Tommy McLeod, 10-6
Jennifer Ernst, 10-6
Jason Turnbow, 8-8
Jason Barnette, 8-8
Tebe Shaw, 7-9

West Division
Gary Eubanks, 11-5
Drew Morris, 10-6
Eddy McBroom, 9-7
Jason Duren, 9-7
Sarah Hasha, 4-12
Jason Demastus, 2-14

LATTA CONFERENCE
East Division
Mark Gainey, 10-6
Clif Render, 9-7
Tyler Campbell, 8-8
Yours Truly, 8-8
James Hawbaker, 6-10
Trey Cartledge, 6-10

South Central Division
Jon Osborne, 14-2
Scott Latta, 12-4
Tad Roose, 11-5
Lori Beirne, 10-6
Zack Graves, 10-6
Eddy Jr, 9-7

South Division
Ryan Sherman, 10-6
Garrett Cheney, 10-6
Gina Roose, 10-6
Daniel Powell, 9-7
Michael Nipp, 9-7
Tim Wasyluka, 9-7

The DFC Power Poll Top 12
1. Jonathan Osborne, 14-2
t-2. Matt Latta, 12-4
t-2. Scott Latta, 12-4
4. Justin Fisher, 11-5
5. Tad Roose, 11-5
6. Gary Eubanks, 11-5
7. Lori Beirne, 10-6
8. Drew Morris, 10-6
9. Mark Gainey, 10-6
10. Ryan Sherman, 10-6
11. Zack Graves, 10-6
12. Tommy McLeod, 10-6

The Bottom Five...
30) Tebe Shaw... 31) James Hawbaker... 32) Trey Cartledge... 33) Sarah Hasha... 34) Demastus...

Oregon 39, Michigan 7
South Carolina 16, Georgia 12
Florida 59, Troy 31 (not DFC, game of interest)
Penn State 31, Notre Dame 10 (not DFC, game of interest)
South Florida 26, #17 Auburn 23

#2 LSU 48, #9 Virginia Tech 7, (tiebreak game)

Green Bay 16, Philadelphia 13
San Diego 14, Chicago 3
Dallas 45, NYGiants 35
Cincinnati 27, Baltimore 20

Lies, Darn Lies & Statistics

  • All good things must come to an end, I guess. After 45 weeks of 4-4, 5-3, 6-2, 7-1 and a couple of 8-0s, and 2 DFC championships, Tad "The Dynasty" Roose clocks in with a 3-5 mark for the week. The longest such streak in DFC history was ended late Monday night when Cincinnati stopped Baltimore with a minute left.
  • The next longest active streak? None other than Gina "Wife of The Dynasty" Roose, who just finished her 18th week of at least 4-4.
  • Yours Truly finally got my 400th win all time when LSU beat Va Tech, but Matt's 4-4 week got him one game closer to my #2 all time ranking. He now sits 6 back, at 395 football games picked correctly.
  • Big Mackey got his 53rd win all time, passing not only Angie Mark Osborne, but also the legendary Brooke DeRamus to take 37th on the all time list.
  • Looking at college rankings, Tim Wasyluka climbs another spot up the all time ranks, getting 17th from Justin. Tim now has 182-118 record, to Justin's 180-133.
  • Both Garrett Cheney and Tyler Campbell pass DeuceBowl I Champion Shawn Sharp. Garrett is 24th at 105-81, Tyler is 25th 102-84, leaving Shawn in 26th.
  • She won Rookie of the Year in DFC VI, and Gina Roose is looking like it. She's not only passed Tebe, Barney, Hawbaker, Ryan Sherman and others in their 3rd year in college standings, she's ahead in all time regular season wins, and only trails Barney by 2 in pro picks.
  • Big Tom Johnson has pretty much held at least a share of #1 in the NFL section of the DFC for almost four years, but his lead is almost gone. After going 0-4 this first NFL week, Jennifer Ernst is only 1 back, Yours Truly is 6 back, and both Matt and DMOsborne is 7 behind Tom.
  • With Tom at 169 wins, Daniel is back in 9th with 148 wins. The 10th spot is the interesting spot, however, with Tad holding for now with 138 wins. Right behind him, however, is Drew with 137, while Jonathan Osborne, who has never been in the All Time Top Ten in any catagory, has 136.
  • Two weeks in, who's up? Ryan Sherman is way up, holding strong atop the DFC West, as is Jonathan Osborne, at 14-2.
  • Who's staying up? Gary Eubanks leads the West, Drew Morris is keeping pace as always, and Matt Latta is picking up where he left off last year.
  • Who's down? Tebe Shaw, the defending MidCentral Division champ, doing his best Michigan impression.
  • Who's staying down? Demastus, at 2-14, though an 0-8 in Week 1 will do that to you.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

DFC VIII Week Two Games

Times CST.

College:

Oregon Ducks (1-o) at Michigan Wolverines (o-1), 230p, ABC
Meeeechigan is the talk of the country, though not in a good way. How fired up will they be? Or do they really, honestly, just suck? By the way, if I'm Michigan, I'm totally firing the scheduler guy... why not Furman? Why not The Citadel? Why not a team that stinks, not the TWO TIME defending I-AA Champion!!

South Carolina Gamecocks (1-0) at 11. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0), 445pm, ESPN2
After the Chickens win this past week, beating La-Laf by a scorching score of 28-14, Spurrier called his team "an average bunch of stiffs". Now they travel between the hedges.

South Florida Bulls (1-0) at 17. Auburn Tigers (1-0), 8pm, ESPN2
The USF Bulls are the team to watch in the Big East, so sayeth all those who make college football predictions. And I'm chalking up Auburn's escape over K-State to a slow start, like they usually do. Is it any wonder that I'm shoutin' "Go Gators!"?

9. Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0) at 2. LSU Tigers (1-0), 815pm, ESPN
V-Tech is the new America's Team, especially with the tragedy in April... I saw the highlights of the pre-game against East Carolina--very tough, moving stuff. However, I don't expect LSU to be too sympathtic. I've heard LSU fans are pretty obnoxious.

NFL Games:
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers, 12pm, Fox
Favre, starting his 564th straight game, in his 32nd season! I found out his middle name might be Testaverde.

Chicago Bears at San Diego Chargers, 315pm, Fox
Matt Halpert said he would have a tough time with this game... Bears defense versus LDT. So.... pick 'em.

The New York Football Giants at the Cowboys of Dallas, 715pm, NBC
T.O. starts another year, this time, moving beyond the Parcells Expirament disaster. And the odds are pretty good that Coach Coughlin might actually kill someone in practice.

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals, 6pm, ESPN (Monday Night)
If the Bengals can spring bail for their offensive line, they might have a shot at this game.

TieBreak Game
Total points scored in VA Tech/LSU game