All I Want for Christmas is....

A 12-2 record for Maryland basketball going into conference play....

A Humanitarian Bowl win for Maryland football....

A new defensive coordinator for Maryland football....

An exciting Bowl Championship Series season....

A healthy, rested Pittsburgh Steelers team ready for the playoffs....

For the countless key players the Capitals are missing to get healthy as soon as possible...

For the Nationals to make at least one major move this offseason....

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

Never Count the Yankees Out

After a $160 million contract to southpaw C.C. Sabathia, few thought the Yankees would be seriously contenders for any big-name hitter available on the free agent market - especially not Mark Teixeira, the top prize.

For weeks, the media followed the frenzy around Teixeira and his agent, Scott Boras. Rumors flew around daily and teams entered and left the sweepstakes. Today, December 23rd, was believed to be the day Teixeira would announce his decision. The Nationals and Red Sox were the only teams left in the running; the Orioles, Teixeira's hometown team, had fallen out last week and the Angels bowed out on Sunday.

Nationals fans anxiously awaited his decision. If they could sign him, they would have the first base position locked down for the next 8 seasons. They'd have a local hero who would be the face of the franchise and lead the young team into the playoffs in the foreseeable future.

Red Sox fans also anxiously awaited his decision. Teixeira would hold down the 1st base position, allowing them to move Kevin Youkilis to 3rd and possibly move Mike Lowell for pitching. He'd hit .300, 30 home runs, and drive in 120 runs. He'd play gold glove defense. He'd lead the Red Sox back to the World Series.

The Yankees, naturally, were brought up as a possibility in the days leading up to Teixeira's decision. No one seriously expected them to indulge in another $150+ million contract, but if there's anything I've learned in my time as a baseball fan, it's that you can never, ever count the Yankees out.

And, fittingly, the Yankees swooped in at the last minute and added 20 million dollars to the Nationals offer of 8 years, $160 million. Boras was ecstatic. For weeks he had clearly been using the Nationals and Orioles to get bigger-market teams in and it is believed the took the Red Sox final offer and shopped it to the Yankees. Teixeira finally had an offer from the team he wanted all along.

As a Nationals fan, I am extremely disappointed. I was optimistic that the Nationals would find a way to lock up the 1st baseman but knew Scott Boras was going to drag the Yankees and Red Sox into the fold. The chances were slim at best, despite Teixeira's desire to play close to home. Still, Teixeira fit too well and the possibility of a franchise player like that was enough to get fans of a 100 loss team excited.

That said, I am not about to call the Lerners cheap, or Jim Bowden a terrible GM (that may be up for debate, but for other reasons). The Lerners showed that they will spend money on a franchise player. Now, they need to look for "plan b," which could be a combination of Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson or a trade for a first baseman.

Either way, they need to do something this offseason. Nationals fans need something to look forward to and I need something to watch for when I head to Viera, Florida for spring training.

Power Rankings: Week 16

Remember what I said last week about ranking 1-5? Try doing it this week. There's only one good conclusion in my mind, and that is ...

1. Indianapolis Colts (2; +1): Go ahead, make your arguments for the Giants. Go ahead, make your arguments for the Titans. I don't care. Nobody in the NFL is as hot as this team, and I don't care how much they're winning by. Nobody else in the NFL has Peyton Manning on their team, either.

2. Tennessee Titans (4; +2): Well, that was certainly a statement without two of their top defensive linemen. I'm surprised Kerry Collins had as much time to throw all game as he did. 

3. New York Giants (5; +2): That's what happens when Brandon Jacobs is back in the lineup. Home field throughout is theirs, and they again look like the team to beat in the NFC. 

4. Carolina Panthers (3; -1): There is absolutely nothing wrong with that loss. They took New York into overtime on the day the Giants got Jacobs back. The Panthers showed they can on even the stoutest of defenses.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers (1; -4): I have no qualms about dropping them back to number 5. After all, they did lose to numbers 1-3. There offense dug itself in a big enough hole so that there couldn't be any late-game heroics from Ben.

6. Baltimore Ravens (6; 0): Every Ravens fan is already looking ahead to attempting vengeance in Tennessee after the phantom roughing the passer penalty gave Tennessee the victory in Baltimore. 

7. Miami Dolphins (7; 0): That was about as predictable as they come. Now, it's time for the 1-15 Dolphins to come full circle this season and make the playoffs.

8. New England Patriots (8; 0): You have to feel bad for the Patriots, and especially Matt Cassel. I mean, the guy had to replace Tom Brady. He did brilliantly, too, and could guide the Pats to an 11-5 record. At 11-5, they probably won't even make the playoffs, though. 

9. Atlanta Falcons (12; +3): The Falcons could get a first round bye this year? Good Lord, just give Mike Smith the Coach of the Year award already. 

10. Minnesota Vikings (10; 0): The Vikings fumbled the ball seven times and lost four of them. Meanwhile, Matt Ryan fumbles the ball and the Falcons recover it for a touchdown. Both of those things usually won't happen in games, which is why I see no reason to demote Minnesota. 

11. Dallas Cowboys (9; -2): Amazingly, the Cowboys still control their own destiny to get into the playoffs. If they do get in, they'll probably be able to beat Minnesota. Will anyone be scared of them after that, though?

12. Chicago Bears (15; +3): I know I'm going to have to change this if the Bears lose tonight to Green Bay. I think they won't though. I also think that I would like to see what Kyle Orton does in the playoffs. I know it's a long shot, but still.

13. Philadelphia Eagles (11; -2): You. Can't. Do. That. I know, I know, divisional opponent and all that, but you just can't lose that game when you're pushing to the playoffs. A lot has to go right now.

14. San Diego Chargers (20; +6): And here come the Chargers, roaring six spots ahead to number 14. When they beat Denver this week, they will have won four in a row. They will be the most dangers 8-8 team ever.

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13; -2): My, how the mighty have fallen. All of a sudden, it's an uphill climb just to the playoffs. Their defense looks older and older every week.

16. New York Jets (14; -2): Skip Bayless, you are the single worst ESPN personality there is. Please, please try and find something positive to say about Brett Favre today. 

17. Buffalo Bills (22; +5): I'm impressed with Buffalo, and I rewarded them appropriately. The season ended for them a few weeks ago, but they've turned some things around and are fighting hard. It's good to see that.

18. Denver Broncos (17; -1): Ed Hochuli gets sweet justice this week. 

19. New Orleans Saints (19; 0): Drew Brees deserves a better team around him. And no, I don't care they just won by 40+ to the Lions. 

20. Arizona Cardinals (16; -4): If they come within 10 points of the Falcons or Panthers (whoever they play in the first round), I will be as shocked as the rest of the world.

21. Washington Redskins (21; 0): Do I reward them for a win against the Eagles? No, because they lost to the Bengals the week before, and I know that Philadelphia has an affinity for choking. 

22. Houston Texans (18; -4): How differently would the season have played out had Hurricane Ike not struck them? I don't have an answer.

23. San Francisco 49ers (23; 0): I'm already predicting an open quarterback competition between Shaun Hill and Kyle Boller next year. 

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (24; 0): They could play the spoiler by showing up to one final game in Baltimore next week. It looked like they gave the Colts all they had, though, so I doubt they will.

25. Green Bay Packers (25; 0): They're going to have a high enough draft pick so that they can get an elite defensive player in the first round. They need one.

26. Seattle Seahawks (28; +2): Congratulations to the Seahawks for winning one final home game for Mike Holmgren. I just wonder what Holmgren had to say to Favre after the game.

27. Oakland Raiders (29; +2): Well look at you, Oakland. You beat the Texans after being positively annihilated by the Patriots the week before. Maybe you do have some pride in you.

28. Kansas City Chiefs (27; -1): I don't want Herm Edwards to be gone. I think he's a good coach, and his players are still playing for him. They're just too young to know how to win.

29. Cincinnati Bengals (30; +1): Will Cedric Benson be the Bengals' starting halfback in 2009? I'm not really sure, but it looks like he wants to be.

30. Cleveland Browns (26; -4): No offensive touchdowns in four straight games. Shut out by the Bengals at home. Cleveland, it's looking really bad right now.

31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): I would move the Rams up to 30 for competing in two straight games, but I can't stop staring at that point differential number.

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): One more week until my prediction I made way back in October comes true.

Division Rankings: I hate the AFC East. I think it's the most overrated group of teams in the NFL. So, how did they become tied for second in my power rankings? I have no idea, I just did the math.

1. NFC South (average rank: 11.75)

2. NFC East (12.00)

2. AFC East (12.00)

4. AFC South (12.25)

5. AFC North (17.50)

6. NFC North (19.75)

7. AFC West (21.75)

8. NFC West (25.00)

Playoff Picture Still Not in Complete Focus

Going into the last week of the season, the Titans, Steelers and Colts don't need to play a single starter. There's nothing more they can do with a win, and nothing they will give up with a loss. That being said, there are four other games (maybe only three) that will determine the other three teams that will be accompanying them in the AFC. 

For starters, the winner of the Broncos/Chargers game in San Diego will represent the terrible, terrible AFC West and be the number 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. It's a travesty that the Chargers may get into the playoffs at 8-8 while the Patriots stand a good shot at being left out at 11-5, but I digress. The San Diego/Denver winner will be the sacrificial lamb of the Indianapolis Mannings in the Wild Card Round. 

The number three seed is the Dolphins' to lose. If they go up to the Meadowlands and beat the reeling Jets, the Dolphins will be the third seed in the playoffs, no matter what happens. 

If the Dolphins lose, that opens the door first and foremost to the New England Patriots, who would become the number three seed with a Dolphins' loss and a Pats' win at Buffalo.

The only way the Jets are playoff-bound is if they win and the Bills beat the Patriots. 

The Ravens, therefore, secure the number 6 seed with a win over Jacksonville. If they don't get that, they can still become the wild card team with a New England loss.

In the NFC, meanwhile, after a week where everyone just decided to give each other a second chance, so much is clear:

The Giants don't have to play anyone next week. They locked up the number one seed with that great win against the Panthers. 

The second seed belongs to the Carolina Panthers - provided they can win in New Orleans next week. If they can't, that opens the door to the Atlanta Falcons to sneak in and grab the NFC South, making the Panthers a wild card. 

The third seed is the Vikings' to lose. They have to beat a Giants team next week that isn't playing anybody to obtain their ticket to postseason play. The Bears can only win their next two games and hope.

The fourth seed is the Cardinals. I would say they can rest their starters, but the starters have been resting while playing the past couple weeks, so putting them on the bench won't really be a difference. 

The Atlanta Falcons will most certainly obtain the fifth seed - at least. All they have to do is beat the awful St. Louis Rams for that to happen. If the Panthers, however, lose at New Orleans, and the Falcons get their win, Atlanta could take a first round bye as the victor of the NFC South. 

The sixth seed - somehow - is still the Cowboys' to lose. If the Cowboys do lose, it would belong to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the Cowboys and the Bucs lose, it would belong to the Bears, provided they win their next two. If the Bears lose one of their next two, next in line would be the Eagles. 

Thoughts from the Ravens-Cowboys Game

It's been 24 hours, and I still can't get over that game last night. There was so much to say about it, and I wanted to write about it immediately, but I just couldn't stop relishing in the victory for the Ravens. Looking back on the day, here's what I have to say about it. 

1. Derrick Mason made me proud to be a fan of the Baltimore Ravens. He is, inarguably in my mind (Rod Woodson and Shannon Sharpe supporters may disagree), the greatest free agent pickup in Baltimore Ravens history. We all saw what he did, between the adjustment he made to the ball going across the middle, getting the fumble recovery, and how he completely lost Terrence Newman while running with one arm to get open for the touchdown reception. 

He did all that after needing to helped off the field three times for re-aggravating a dislocated left shoulder, and not being able to lift his left arm up in the air at all. You could see the pain in his face with every step he took, but he persevered like none other. 

As Mason (pictured) went into the locker room with about four minutes left in the second half, the announcers said that his return was doubtful. To who? Every Ravens' fan I know knew exactly what was going to happen. He was going to go in, get a couple shots of cortisone right in the left shoulder, and be back for the second half. 

One last note on Mason. He does not have near the physical tools that Terrell Owens has. Owens is bigger, faster and stronger. Owens also cries after games, whines when the ball doesn't come to him enough, and quits on routes. Mason has had to put up with Kyle Boller, Steve McNair, and the rookie season of Joe Flacco during his four seasons in Baltimore. He hasn't complained once. He is the soul of this offense, and I can't wait to be there next week when the offense comes out of the tunnel and he is last. 

2. We knew this one was going to happen: the Cowboys lost the game, the Ravens didn't win it. At least watching NFL Network's post-game coverage would tell you that. I recognize that the Cowboys have a larger fan base than the Ravens, but come on. At least pretend that the Ravens should get equal media coverage. Instead, we got to watch Tony Romo and Owens talk for about ten minutes apiece, then watch Roger Staubach talk about a play that happened over 30 years ago. 

3. Think before you start criticizing Madden and Michaels again. Papa was decent as the play-by-play guy, but did Deion Sanders say anything productive during that entire game? Don't get me wrong, either. I love Prime Time. I have a number 37 Deion Sanders Baltimore Ravens jersey, in fact. He needs to stick to highlight shows, though, and not serve as the color guy. Marshall Faulk started off terrible and got better. He at least knew what he was talking about. Neither Faulk nor Sanders, though, can stay in one octave for an entire sentence. 

4. I thought the Ravens were going to win last night for the same reason they did win. That reason is that Tony Romo is one of the worst big-game quarterbacks in NFL history. Let's not be too quick to glorify the Ravens' defense last night. Tashard Choice has 90 yards and would have had a lot more if the Cowboys stuck the run. Owens, Witten and Austin were all open several times throughout the night; Tony Romo just couldn't hit them. 

Just to clarify, this would normally make my second point null and void, were it not for Baltimore's offense. They stepped it up in a huge way and are the reason the Ravens won this game.

 

5. If you tell me that Sam Koch is the team's MVP, I won't argue with you. How many weeks in a row is it now that Koch has been absurdly good punting the ball? He is better at putting the ball inside of the 10-yard line than anyone I've ever seen. The fake field goal sprint was amazing, too. He has played a huge role on this team, and fans should never overlook just how crucial he has been in helping the Ravens win the all-important battle of field position. 

Quick hits now ...

6. Perhaps the best part of the entire game was McGahee looking like he finally got back on track. Without Ray Rice, that could be huge. 

7. In the past 5 games, Ed Reed has six interceptions. And two fumble recoveries. And one fumble forced. And a sack. And touchdowns.

8. As bad as Matt Stover is outside of 4o yards, is there anyone better than him within 40? No.

9. I liked the volume of the "O" during the national anthem and the "HEEEEAP" during the game. I've always thought that Ravens' fans were underrated travelers. 

10. Flacco played a man's game last night. His first fumble was inexcusable. You have to know that guy's there. Nonetheless, he took a beating the entire night, and kept getting up and making clutch throws. He did hit the rookie wall a few weeks ago against Washington, ran back into it last week, and finally crashed through it this week.  

(Photo Credits: AP)

Exam Week

... Took its toll on the both of us. We apologize. New posts coming - I don't know on what yet. 

Power Rankings: Week 15

These were brutal. Ranking the top 5 hurt my head. I'll be interested to see how they compare with all the pros' tomorrow.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers (3; +2): Their defense is so good that their offense doesn't have to play well until the fourth quarter, which is exactly what's been happening.

2. Indianapolis Colts (4; +1): They have often looked nothing better than mediocre during this seven game win streak, but ... they have a seven game winning streak. They are the Steelers' main competition in the playoffs.

3. Carolina Panthers (6; +3): I didn't fully buy into them after last week because I wanted to see how they would respond from the game. They did it in amazing fashion. Steve Smith is a remarkable football player.

4. Tennessee Titans (2; -2): Are teams - finally - starting to figure out Kerry Collins? It certainly appears so. If the running game doesn't click for them, it won't matter how good their defense is. 

5. New York Giants (1; -4): Without Brandon Jacobs and Plaxico Burress, this team is not Super Bowl-bound. With Brandon Jacobs and without Plaxico Burress is yet to be fully seen.

6. Baltimore Ravens (5; -1): They have a game on Saturday night in Dallas, the last game ever to be played in Texas Stadium. If they lose that game, the sixth ranked team in these power rankings will most likely miss the playoffs. Meanwhile, the 17th is going to get a home game. Am I bitter? Possibly.

7. Miami Dolphins (8; +1): Well, slap them silly and call them the Colts. They can't win anything convincingly, but they're still winning. Im not sure anyones going to be scared of them come playoff time, though.

8. New England Patriots (9; +1): If the same Arizona and Dallas teams that showed up last Sunday show up this Sunday, then the Patriots are going to the playoffs.

9. Dallas Cowboys (13; +4): Who would have thought the defense would be carrying this team? They're playing very, very fast. 

10. Minnesota Vikings (10; 0): It's long been said that if you run the ball and stop the run well, then you will have success in this league. That saying even has an asterisk next to it saying "even if Gus Frerotte and Tavaris Jackson are your quarterbacks."

11. Philadelphia Eagles (14; +3): Boy, what a great job their offensive line did on Monday night against Cleveland. I'm sitting here watching it, and they're just fundamentally sound.

12. Atlanta Falcons (15; +3): They won a game they absolutely had to have to win. If they win out, they will more than likely be in. And then it's really time to see what Matt Ryan is all about.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7; -6): If you can't stop the run, good luck in the NFC playoffs, especially considering a first round match-up against Adrian Peterson is certainly possible.

14. New York Jets (16; +2): If they get in the playoffs, they will scare whoever plays them, because they can beat anybody when they play well. They can also lose to anyone when they don't.

15. Chicago Bears (19; +4): Great, gutsy win by the Bears, who can only hope for the Vikings to falter this week at home against Atlanta.

16. Arizona Cardinals (11; -5): This team has absolutely packed it in for the season. Well, at least it looked like that against Arizona. They will need to turn it back on in the next few games; they can't go into the playoffs that cold.

17. Denver Broncos (12; -5): The weekly trip for the Broncos from 17 to 12 and back again. See my comment for the Jets.

18. Houston Texans (20; +2): What a fantastic story for the Texans. While other teams out of it have absolutely quit (see Packers), the Texans keep fighting hard. I never expected Steve Slaton to be so good, let alone in his rookie season.

19. New Orleans Saints (17; -2): A playoff-killing loss. When the defense isn't there, all of the offensive points are for nothing.

20. San Diego Chargers (24; +4): I can not believe that they can still make the playoffs. It's absolutely embarrassing for that division.

21. Washington Redskins (18; -3): Five weeks ago, Jim Zorn was a serious candidate for coach of the year. Now, it's 50-50 he makes it to next season. Hello, Bill Cowher?

22. Buffalo Bills (21; -1): Oh, things have gotten bad in Buffalo. They choked that game away in a big way. Marshawn Lynch is still running very hard, though.

23. San Francisco 49ers (22; -1): They obviously still need a lot of help in a lot of other areas, but can the Hill-Gore-Davis trio be a good NFL unit?

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (26; +2): I didn't see the game against Green Bay, but I saw the game against Chicago, so I know the way Jacksonville's been playing. I also know that I lost in m fantasy playoffs because Garrard and Jones-Drew combined for four touchdowns.

25. Green Bay Packers (23; -2): This defense should be positively ashamed of themselves. I'm still of the belief that this season is in no way, shape or form Brett Favre's or Aaron Rodgers's fault.

26. Cleveland Browns (25; -1): Joshua Cribbs is one of the best all-around football players in the NFL today, and I am neither kidding nor exaggerating. He can run, throw, catch, return, and is fantastic on special teams coverage. Every single team in the NFL would love this guy to be on their team.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (27; 0): Here's where all the rankings become stagnant. The bottom six teams could all get the number one draft pick in any other year. 

28. Seattle Seahawks (28; 0): You expect me to have something intelligent to say about the Seattle Seahawks?

29. Oakland Raiders (29; 0): So much for "at least Oakland's defense has been playing hard."

30. Cincinnati Bengals (30; 0): One play I noted. Chad Ocho Cinco catches a pass across the middle and gets absolutely leveled by a member of the Redskins' secondary. The play didn't even count; it got taken back by a holding penalty. But Ocho Cinco got up and was fired up and in the defensive back's face. It was good to see a team have some sort of life.

31. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): I've been watching ESPN basically all day and I've yet to see anything about the Rams game. Did it even happen?

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): Calvin Johnson is awesome. Period.

Division Rankings: The NFC East takes back the top spot, and the NFC West breaks the tie at the bottom to take last. 

1. NFC East (average rank: 11.50)

2. NFC South (11.75)

3. AFC South (12.00)

4. AFC East (12.75)

5. AFC North (15.75)

6. NFC North (20.50)

7. AFC West (23.25)

8. NFC West (24.50)

Maryland Basketball: Not Last Year's Team

When I first looked at the Maryland men's basketball 2008-09 schedule, what really stood out to be was one particular seven game stretch. It lasted exactly one month, from December 7-January 7. It had the potential to make or break the Terps' season. 

And no, they didn't play UNC, Duke, or Wake during that stretch at all.

The teams that would line up to face the Terps would be, in order: George Washington, Delaware State, American, Bryant, Elon, Charlotte and Morgan State. 

Why that stretch? Because it was during that stretch last year that the team threw away its season.

Consider that Maryland was a bubble team last year. They were a bubble team despite not winning a single meaningful non-conference game (their three best opponents were UCLA, Missouri and Illinois. They lost to UCLA and Missouri on a neutral court, and then ended up beating Illinois, who ended up being terrible last year anyway.) They were a bubble team despite losing three games in their non-conference schedule that they had no business losing (to VCU, American and Ohio). All that, and if they held on to beat Clemson, they probably would have made the tournament anyway. 

Logic told me at the beginning of the season that the Terps would win at least one of their four games against UNC and Duke (They have at least one victory over those teams in every season this decade except for the 2005-06 team.) That would be the one marquee win of the year that every bubble team needs to have. 

So I stared at that stretch and just thought to myself, "This could not be any worse." You accomplish absolutely nothing by beating American, for instance. You throw your season away by losing to American, though. That's what the team did last year.

This year? No more. 

The team didn't look that set earlier in their overtime win against Vermont, but Vermont played the game of their life that game. Vermont's also not a bad team at all, and Marqus Blakely is a stellar power forward (averaging 17.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg this year, playing the position for which the Terps are having the most problems matching up). 

That was then. This team learned a lot about itself since then, including how they are supposed to play teams they should beat. I don't want to get ahead of myself, because we are only two games in during this seven game stretch. However, the blowout wins against GW and Delaware State were both very convincing. The Terps came out firing and aggressive both times. 

GW and Delaware State are two of the worst "bad teams" the Terps will play this year. If they come out playing against the next five like they did against the first two, however, they will be fine.

The huge wins against Michigan State and Michigan (them beating Duke will turn out to be huge) probably give the Terps a little lee-way for one bad loss. Hopefully, they won't even need it. 

Congratulations Men's Soccer

As the first post of the week, I would be positively remiss not to talk about the University of Maryland men's soccer team, which won the national championship for the second time in four seasons. Graham Zusi scored both of the team's goals in their 1-0 defeats of St. John's and the University of North Carolina in the semifinal and national championship game, respectively. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the College Cup.

I know a lot of you watched the game because it was on ESPN2, but I didn't get a chance to (I was at the Ravens-Steelers game). Because of that, I can't provide any analysis of the matter, but if you want to read all about it, go to http://www.blogger.com/www.umterps.com. On the first page, it also provides a link so that you can send messages to congratulate the team.

Congratulations men. You made University of Maryland students proud.

Edit: Just to add on, head coach Sasho Cirovski called this team one of the best in Maryland history last week (when they beat Creighton). The Terps were one of the best teams in the nation and deserved this title. Congrats to them. -Tyler

Teixeira Hysteria (updated)

With star pitcher C.C. Sabathia signing the biggest contract for a pitcher in history Wednesday morning, Major League Baseball's winter meetings were officially underway.

And with the top prize off the market, all the attention has been placed on 28-year old Mark Teixeira. The first baseman - a native of Severna Park, Maryland - was coveted by many teams before this week, but no offers were made.

On Wednesday, that all changed. For hours, there was rampant speculation about who had offered Teixeira a contract, and for how much. Just about every expert predicted Teixeira would sign with the L.A. Angels, the team who traded for him at this past trading deadline. The first offer he recieved, however, was from the Washington Nationals, a team rumored to have interest all offseason long. Their offer (8 years, $160 million) is still the largest offer on the table, but many believe Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos covets the first baseman so much that he will offer a contract around $200 million, exactly what Teixeira's agent Scott Boras wants.

The breakdown of the offers, via MLBtraderumors.com:

Nationals: 8 years, $160 million
Orioles: 7 years, $140-150 million
Angels: (updated) 8 years, $160 million (possibly more)
Red Sox: not concrete numbers

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles are unwilling to up their offer, despite not being the highest. This could just be a smokescreen, but it's very possible the Orioles believe Teixeira would take a hometown discount.

The Angels, apparently, will not offer an 8th year, and will look towards trading options (Paul Konerko, Jermaine Dye, or Adrian Beltre) or free agent Raul Ibanez if Boras will not budge from his 8-year contract demands. It is rumored the Angels have already dropped out of the race in favor of Ibanez or a trade.

That really just leaves the Nationals and Red Sox. Let me break down why I think Teixeira should sign with the Nationals.

First, the Nationals are offering the most money. If he wants to follow the money, right now, the Nationals have the most of it.

Second, the Nationals are close to home. It has been reported that his wife wants to stay on the East Coast (we saw how that worked for Sabathia, but in this case, an East-Coast team has a competitive offer). The Red Sox are also on the East Coast, but if you're going to sign with an Eastern team, why not play 30 minutes from your hometown?

Third, Teixeira would be the face of the franchise. In Boston, he would be just another cog in the machine, sharing facetime with David Ortiz, Josh Beckett, Jason Bay, Dice-K, etc. In D.C., he would be top dog. He would be their franchise player. Ryan Zimmerman would become the #2 offensive option and the burdens the young third baseman carries as the franchise player would be made easier.

And fourth, the Nationals are building to be a dynasty in the N.L. East. Their rotation is young and their top prospects are just beginning to see the major leagues. Thier lineup has 5 players under the age of 26, and 2 more players - Austin Kearns and Josh Willingham - under the age of 30 (28 and 29, respectively). The only starter over the age of 30 is shortstop Christian Guzman, who turned 30 in March. Teixeira would stablize the first base position for the next eight years as the young team grows.

Mark Teixeira could sign with the Red Sox, or any other team for that matter. He has a much higher chance of winning a World Series in Boston or L.A. (or New York) than in Washington. But in D.C., he'd have a chance to lead a team to a championship. He'd be a fan favorite and a wonderful story.

Time will only tell if he does decide to sign with the Nationals. But for the first time, Nationals fans have a reason to be excited in December.

Update: According to mlb.com, the Angels have decided to up their offer to match the Nationals' offer. This makes it very interesting and now throws the Angels back into the mix. Also, there are no confirmed offers from the Red Sox...is their interest just a Scott Boras' creation, used to up to offers?

Our BCS Solution: Revisited

Remember a few weeks ago, when Tony and Tyler decided to tell the world about their perfect BCS solution? Remember the outcry about how bad the ACC and Big East were? Remember "How can Maryland possibly be a final four team?" Let's revisit that. All the teams we put in were guess-work. Now that the season is over, we have the pieces to our puzzle.

Remember: What we proposed was to take out the BCS National Championship Game. We would keep the other four BCS bowls. The four winners would then go on to play in a final four of sorts. All this would mean would be one extra game for two schools, two extra games for two schools, and a whole lot of money for both.

I am proposing one different idea, though. Right now, the Rose Bowl is tied to the Pac-10 and the Big-10. The Fiesta Bowl is tied to the Big 12 champion, the Sugar Bowl is tied to the SEC champion, the Orange Bowl the ACC champion. The other three teams are selected in order of Fiesta, Sugar and then Orange. The only requirement is that the Big East champion is somewhere in there. I propose changing that order, and not making it a set one. Change it so that there's a seeding process. Regardless of conference ranks, VT is obviously the worst (we can use the BCS average for this) out of themselves, Oklahoma and Florida. So give the Orange Bowl the first choice, and then the Sugar, and then the Fiesta. 

So, we're off.

No. 1 Bowl: Fiesta Bowl

(Oklahoma (Big 12 champion) vs. Cincinnati (last place BCS team))

vs.

No. 4 Bowl: Orange Bowl

(Virginia Tech (ACC champion) vs. Alabama (first place BCS team*))

No. 2 Bowl: Sugar Bowl

(Florida (SEC champion) vs. Texas (second place BCS team*))

vs.

No. 3 Bowl: Rose Bowl

(Penn State (Big 10 champion) vs. USC (Pac-10 champion))

*Texas would probably be selected first, but the Sugar and Orange Bowl would make an agreement so that SEC wouldn't play SEC.

So, conceivably, you would have a "final four" of Oklahoma vs. Alabama, the winner of which would play the winner of Florida vs. USC. If any of those four didn't make it, the team in their place would have beaten them, deserving to be there.

Questions?

5 Things to Keep an Eye on

Sure, you have the NFL playoff races, but there's other things to keep an eye on this weekend. Here's five things I'll be paying attention to.

1. The Mark Teixeira sweepstakes. C.C. already went to the Yankees; everyone expected that. Teixeira, on the other hand, is a local boy. Both the Orioles and Nationals have expressed interest, and Teixeira has reciprocated with both. It will be interesting to see where Texeira ends up, and whether the local teams will be filling to fork over enough money to get him.

2. Maryland basketball: taking care of business. More on this later, but it's the worst time of the year for Maryland basketball. It's no longer the beginning of the season, so we're not really learning anything about the team. They no longer play anyone that will help their resume at the end of the year. It's full of Elons, Bryants, and Delaware States from here on out. None of these wins will help, but losses will devastate.

3. Pittsburgh-Baltimore: Will the emotions finally boil over? Both teams have been good all week. No players or coaches have expressed anything but mutual respect for the other team. You know it's just because they feel the eyes of Czar Goodell looking over them, though. I mean, after all, this is the same Ravens team with Bart Scott (pictured), who openly threatened to kill Hines Ward last year. It will be interesting to see whether all this emotion they're keeping inside will spill out onto the football field in terms of some 15-yard penalties.

4. Which team will get back on track: Dallas or New York? I have a feeling New York is going to destroy Dallas in this game, but that's just me. Everything I've ever said negative about Tony Romo (pictured) I will reverse if he managed to get the huge win this week. If not, I don't see Dallas winning another game. Conversely, New York has to show the league that they just ran into a Philadelphia team at the wrong time, and that the Giants are still the team to beat in this league, with or without Brandon Jacobs. We're going to learn something about both of these teams after this game.

5. We will immediately start to see the effects of the first big trade in the NBA. Forgive me, but I don't think the Wizards getting rid of Antonio Daniels for two guys who combine to average about 5 ppg is going to make that big of a difference. There was a trade that went down last night between the Bobcats and the Suns, though, that caught a lot of people's interest. Boris Diaw (pictured, left) and Raja Bell (two staples of Suns for the past few years) and Sean Singletary (whom Maryland fans know quite well) left for the Bobcats. In return, the Suns received Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley (also well known by Maryland fans). Steve Nash was visibly upset during last night's Suns-Lakers game. 

And yea, I just wrote about the NBA. 

(Photo Credits: AP)

Too Many To Count

Alexander Semin, Mike Green (pictured), Tom Poti, Chris Clark, Jeff Schultz, Sergei Fedorov, Tomas Fleishmann, Tyler Sloan, Eric Fehr, and John Erskine.

For those of you at home, thats:

41 goals, 56 assists, and a +/- rating of +28.

Wow.

The injury bug has certainly hit the Caps. Hard. Even a replacement - Tyler Sloan - got hurt. Top prospect Karl Alzner was called up to replace Sloan and suffered an injury against Columbus, but hasn't missed a game. Alexander Ovechkin has been playing phenomenal but has a nagging groin injury. Viktor Kozlov just came back into the lineup. And I'm not even counting Brian Pothier, who has been out since last spring, when Boston forward Milan Lucic gave him a concussion.

And speaking of Boston, the injury-depleted Caps take on the Eastern Conference-leading Bruins at Verizon Center in a little less than an hour. It will take a Herculean effort to continue to hold the Southeast Division lead with all the injuries, but if the Caps can make it to overtime - or even better, win - then they will have proved to me that they are finally, after years of struggling teams, done with rebuilding. It would mean that they have the depth in the organization to be able to withstand injuries. A year ago, if you told me that they would lose all these players and still compete regularly, I'd laugh at you.

Now, their depth is being shown. They're getting contributions from the young call-ups such as Alzner and Sami Lepisto (and I anticipate some chances generated by AHL rookie of the month for November Oskar Osala).

Luckily, Semin, Green, Poti, Fedorov, and Sloan are due back this week (for Sloan, tonight). They are going to need those players for the stretch run, when the playoffs are in sight. But for now, they are doing ok.

Oh, and Boston comes into DC with a 6-game winning streak. You know what happened last time they came to DC with a 6-game winning streak? A 10-2 Capitals win.

Let's hope a similar fate results at Verizon tonight.

(Photo: Washington Times)

Power Rankings: Week 14

Some shake-ups. Some calls based on appearance, not record. A little of everything this week. 

1. New York Giants (1; 0): I was mocked for calling the upset, but it happened. Because I thought it was so predictable, I kept them at number 1. They faced the Eagles at a time when nobody wants to face the Eagles. 

2. Tennessee Titans (2; 0): This team is built for the playoffs. They're the team to beat in January. 

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (3; 0): I think I'm going to go on a Tony Romo rant in a little bit, but it won't be here. In any case, the Steelers didn't deserve that one. I'm excited for Sunday.

4. Indianapolis Colts (5; +1): Finally, a blow-out. The Bengals happened.

5. Baltimore Ravens (10; +5): I've been cautious all season with them. This week they leap-frog the winning Panthers because their four losses just so happen to be to the top four teams in these rankings. 

6. Carolina Panthers (9; +3): They win big over a very good divisional opponent, but it's not enough to keep them above Baltimore. Is there any justice in this world? Everyone in the NFC South wins at home.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4; -3): If their defense couldn't tackle Carolina's running backs, how do they think they'll be able to get through the Giants in the playoffs?

8. Miami Dolphins (13; +5): I'm convinced that the Dolphins just do not have the talent to be feasibly good in the NFL. Sparano needs to be talked about more for coach of the year. 

9. New England Patriots (11; +2): I certainly don't like moving them up 2 spots, as they really don't look too hot right now. I don't know of anyone that should be above them, though. 

10. Minnesota Vikings (12; +2): They need Pat and Kevin Williams for their defensive line in the playoffs. If they have them, they could make some noise. If not, early exit.

11. Arizona Cardinals (14; +3): The Cardinals are in the playoffs! The Cardinals are in the playoffs! The Cardinals are in the playoffs!

12. Denver Broncos (15; +3): Quietly, they've won four out of five, but are now on their sixth string running back.

13. Dallas Cowboys (7; -6): And they're going to stay down here (or go lower) until the beginning of next year. Tony Romo was pathetic on Sunday. This is a team with no backbone. 

14. Philadelphia Eagles (18; +4): Every single Eagles fan in America is just saying to themselves "if we don't get in because of the Cincinnati tie ..." Congratulations Brian Westbrook, though, for becoming the franchise leader in yards from scrimmage.

15. Atlanta Falcons (8; -7): Why did I drop them 7 for a close loss to a divisional opponent? Because they're 1-4 against the top 14 teams. And the one was a win against Carolina at home. Everyone in the NFC South wins at home. 

16. New York Jets (6; -10): I don't care how much better San Francisco is playing, and that the Jets had to travel, and this and that. If they wanted to convince the world they were ready to play in the playoffs, they would have won this game. 

17. New Orleans Saints (16; -1): Eh, what are you going to do. The Jets still have the most impressive victory in the league so far this season in my opinion. The Falcons have had a better year so far. Keep winning and they'll move up. 

18. Washington Redskins (17; -1): At least they attempted to battle back against the Ravens. They just don't have enough offensively to succeed this year. 

19. Chicago Bears (21; +2): At 7-6, if they win out, they could still sneak into the playoffs. That's a rather large "if."

20. Houston Texans (22; +2): Well look who's almost at .500. They want to be taken with respect and not have another high draft pick this year. 

21. Buffalo Bills (19; -2): I guess Toronto didn't help.

22. San Francisco 49ers (26; +4): It will be a travesty if Mike Singletary is not re-hired at the end of this season. It will also be a travesty if Shaun Hill doesn't become their full-time quarterback. 

23. Green Bay Packers (20; -3): Wow, this team faded fast. From a potential playoff spot to a possible top-10 draft pick. Didn't think I'd see that one. 

24. San Diego Chargers (24; 0): I'm surprised I didn't see more headlines along the lines of "Chargers are coming back!" after they beat the Raiders. It seems it happens every other week.

25. Cleveland Browns (25; 0): If they play the Titans with this team in Tennessee 100 times, they would lose 100 times.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (23; -3): I haven't seen a more uninspired defense in my life than what I saw from the Jaguars on Sunday.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (27; 0): Week 14 just ended, and the Chiefs are 2-11. For those of you who are actually still reading this, can you tell me what I should possibly say here?

28. Seattle Seahawks (30; +2): What a terrible way for Mike Holmgren's great career to end.

29. Oakland Raiders (29; 0): Where do you go in the draft for a team young at almost every offensive position?

30. Cincinnati Bengals (31; +1): Reports are that Marvin Lewis will be back next year. That's terrible. Tell me one thing he's done in Cincinnati to deserve such tenure. 

31. St. Louis Rams (28; -3): This team beat Dallas this year?

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): If they were going to win a game this year, that was going to be it. Stafford, here we come. 

Division Rankings (I don't know why these didn't show up last week): Not a single change this week from last week, except for AFC South taking the number 3 spot back from the East. There's also a tie for last now that the 49ers are giving the NFC West its highest ranking of the year.  

1. NFC South (average rank: 11.25)

2. NFC East (11.50)

3. AFC South (13.00)

4. AFC East (13.50)

5. AFC North (15.75)

6. NFC North (21.00)

7. AFC West (23.00)

8. NFC West (23.00)

Maryland Basketball Thus Far

I was going to do this post after the Michigan State game, but then I said to myself "Eh let's see if they can do it twice in a row and beat Gonzaga." After the Gonzaga loss, I was going to write this, but said to myself "Well let's see which game was the fluke before." After the Georgetown loss, I couldn't bring myself to write this because I refused to believe they were as poor as they played. Finally, after the Michigan game, I feel we know who this team is. This is my assessment, player by player. 

Adrian Bowie (22.6 mpg, 2.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 9.4 ppg) - Adrian has played a lot this year and got himself into the starting lineup for the first time against Michigan. Like he is known to do, he has played good defense all year. He's also been a terror on the transition. In the half-court offense, though, he's really struggled. When he comes in, he plays the point, so 2 assists per game is not nearly enough for a guy who's getting 23 minutes per game. He drives to the basket well, but has also played very out-of-control at times, being second on the team in turnovers with a 1:1 assist to turnover ratio. It's good to see he's developed his jump shot. 

Jerome Burney (6.2 mpg, 1.7 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 0.7 ppg) - Something has to be going on here. By the end of last year, Burney was the first big man off the bench. This year, he's barely seen the light of day. He must have done something in practice to really make Gary angry. He's the most athletic player that Maryland has inside. During his brief stints of playing time, he's done nothing that deserves merit. 

Braxton Dupree (19.0 mpg, 4.5 rpg, 0.7 bpg, 4.2 ppg) - When you're playing bad early in the season, skipping class may not be your best option. That's what Braxton did, though, and that earned him a permanent spot on the bench for the game against the Wolverines. Not coincidentally, this was Maryland's best rebounding game by far. Braxton plays softer than any big man I've ever seen, and that includes Travis Garrison. He gets half of his shots blocked on offense, and can't catch anything that Greivis throws at him. I applaud him for getting into shape this year, but he will be annihilated when he gets into ACC season. 

Dino Gregory (12.7 mpg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 1.7 ppg) - One of the best surprises of this young season. He played 26 minutes last night, and made his case that he should be getting about that every game. He has been their best interior defender. He still has zero moves on offense, but knows his spot and won't make a bad pass. He's very undersized, but the team is undersized. He makes up for it by being far more athletic than Braxton. 

Eric Hayes (30.0 mpg, 3.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, 10.3 ppg) - I like what Eric Hayes has done this year. He has played very good defense, with the notable exception of the Georgetown game. It looks like he's definitely gotten quicker. I also like how he plays for his own shot. Unlike the previous two years, when he has the ball and he's open, he's looking to shoot, not to dish. The biggest problem with Eric right now is that his shots simply aren't falling. 28.6% from behind the arc isn't going to cut it for the year. He still has the purest shot on the team, though, so I think he's going to get it together. 

Jin Soo Kim (12.6 mpg, 1.2 rpg, 3.8 ppg) - What a cult following this guy has. He played a key role in the Vermont game, playing the power forward position in overtime, and playing it quite well. He's still learning the offense, which is completely understandable because of how late he joined the team. He's not the most coordinated of guys, so he'll be beat defensively. Nobody plays with more passion, though. When he comes in, he needs to get open more often to give him more room to shoot his beautiful three. His playing time will continue to sporadic, based on team need at the specific moment in the game.

Landon Milbourne (24.6 mpg, 4.0 rpg, 0.7 apg, 9.1 ppg) - On the whole, Landon's disappointed this year. He looked so good in the scrimmages and the early games, but has really disappeared in the past four games. I will say, though, that he stepped up in the second half of last night's game. You can't really blame Landon because he needs to be playing small forward, but it is what it is. He plays hard, which I love. He needs to shoot better and defend better. I have a feeling we've yet to see the best of Landon this year. 

Sean Mosley (16.3 mpg, 3.0 rpg, 1.3 apg, 3.9 ppg) - He's done everything right but score. He's already one of the team's better defenders, and definitely one of the team's smarter players. Sometimes the game moves too quickly for him, but he is, after all, a freshman. He finally made his first three pointer of the year last night. He started against Michigan, and I wouldn't be surprised if he continues to start for the majority of the year. He hasn't been that special, but neither have Bowie or Tucker. 

Dave Neal (19.1 mpg, 4.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 7.7 ppg) - You can knock him all you want. The fact of the matter is, Dave Neal has been awesome this year. His success has come directly because of his intelligence. At 47.5%, he has the best field goal percentage on the team because he takes the shot when it's open. He doesn't force anything. He's 9-10 from the line. He's 7-12 from three point range. He may not be athletic or big enough to play with some of the big boys in the ACC, but right now, Dave Neal deserves to start for this team. Without his play, this team would have lost to Vermont. 

Cliff Tucker (12.9 mpg, 1.7 rpg, 0.6 apg, 5.3 ppg) - He hasn't been playing well, and Gary has made it show by his decrease in playing time. He's never been the best defender, so he needs to make up for it with strong offense, which simply hasn't been there. He doesn't make too many mistakes, but his 37.5% field goal percentage won't cut it, especially with how deep this team is at guard. He probably deserves some more minutes to get himself back on track, but he's not going to get them over Mosley. 

Greivis Vasquez (33.0 mpg, 6.1 rpg, 4.9 apg, 2.0 spg, 17.9 ppg) - He is so by far and away the best player on this team this yea that it's not even close. His defense has been stellar - look at what he did to Manny Harris last night, holding him to 5-15 shooting. He still turns the ball over too much, but he has clearly improved in that aspect (averaging 3 per game, not 4). Obviously, he throws up too many shots he shouldn't, but you take the good with the bad with Greivis. He plays more than anyone because he's the best player on both sides of the ball. His free throw shooting has been better this year, and, like Hayes, I can only believe that his three point shot will start to fall more. He's also even more passionate than last year, which I couldn't even really imagine. This team will go as far as Vasquez goes. 

We're Back!

TnT will be on the air again today at 4. We have no idea what we're going to talk about yet, so listen in, start talking to us, and if you're nice enough, we'll respond.

Things You Should Know

In place of Looking Back, since I never can seem to get that done on Mondays. Out o Here's what you need to remember from last weekend, which was chock-full of sports. 

1. The Big East is really good at basketball. Oh, let's see. You have Connecticut at number 2, Pittsburgh at number 3, Notre Dame at number 7, Louisville at number 11, Syracuse at number 16, Villanova at number 17, Georgetown at number 20 and Marquette at number 25 in the latest AP Rankings.  That means, if you're keeping score at home, that the Big East has 8 teams that are better than the Pac-10's third best. Good Lord. 

2. Texas has every right to be terribly upset about what happened with the BCS. Why, you ask? Out of the three important games between the three important Big 12 teams (Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech), Texas had the closest loss (by 6 at Texas Tech). Texas also played through a stretch of playing four top 11 teams in a row. I'm not sure any other team in the country could have done that and been as successful as the Longhorns. And, oh, by the way, they beat Oklahoma. 

3. But ... You can't make an argument that Texas should definitely be in over Oklahoma. Oklahoma had by far the most convincing win of the three games. It is many people's opinions, as well, that teams should be rewarded for what they do out of conference. Oklahoma played Orange Bowl-bound Cincinnati and top 25 TCU - two opponents far superior to any that Texas had in their non-conference schedule - and beat them both convincingly. Both teams have star power, and both teams have a devoted fan base. Someone had to be left out. (But not if you had a playoff!)

4. The football team and basketball team may have had a terrible weekend, but two other Maryland sports deserve their recognition. First of all, congratulations to the field hockey team for their national championship, their third in four years. I know absolutely nothing about the field hockey team, so it would be disrespectful of me to just list stuff that you can find online yourself if you're really interested in them. They do deserve all the credit in the world, though. Second, congratulations goes to the men's soccer team for getting past the cursed third round and into the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. They beat number Cal 2-1, and will host Creighton on Saturday. Be there. 

5. NFL division races! Take your pick:

Jets or Patriots or Dolphins or Bills?

Steelers or Ravens?

Vikings or Bears or Packers?

Panthers or Buccaneers or Falcons?

It's exciting times to be an AFC East, AFC North, NFC North or NFC South fan. 

(Photo Credits: AP)

The ACC is the Second Best Conference in the Land

Well, we already know they're the second best in basketball; nobody's going to dispute that. I'm talking about football, because I have something to prove here.

The ACC is better than every conference in college football except for the Big 12.

I've been told the Pac 10, the SEC, the Big 10 and the Mountain West are all equal to, if not better than, the ACC.

Jeff Sagarin disagrees. If you don't know who Jeff Sagarin is, he is one of the most respected sports analysts of our time. He is usually uncanny with his rankings.

SI.com's Bill Trocchi disagrees. He's been the SEC's biggest supporter all year. It's not like he's an ACC homer; these were his week 1 rankings. He saw what happened this weekend though.

CBS Sports disagrees. The average ranking of ACC teams? 41. The average ranking of SEC teams? 44.75. The average ranking of Big 10 teams? 46.36. Pac 10? 57.7. Mountain West? 60.1. (The Big 12 incidentally? 45.25. Maybe Sagarin is onto something.)

But why should I let all the experts who know twice as much about college football as any of us make up your mind for you? That just wouldn't be like me. Here are my reasons as to why the ACC is the second best college football conference.

1. The bottom four teams in the ACC are twice as good as the next best "bottom four" in the country. The ACC has 10 bowl-eligible teams, two more than the next guy, the SEC. Of the two non-bowl eligible ACC teams, UVA was one win away and Duke was two. UVA, like NCST and so many other ACC schools, got off to a terrible start. Everyone remembers that 52-7 waxing by USC. They rebounded, though, to save their season and their coach's job. What other team in the country has a losing record, but has two wins against ranked opponents? Meanwhile, Duke continued to be the ACC bottom feeder, going 1-7 in conference. Duke is getting better, though, as evidenced by their victories over bowl-eligible Navy and Vanderbilt (who, by the way, finished 5th in the SEC). They are vastly superior to, say, Iowa State, Mississippi State, Indiana, Washington and San Diego State.

Bottom line: If NC ST, Clemson, UVA, and Duke played Tennessee, Arkansas, Auburn and MS ST, respectively, there's a good chance the ACC might come out with a four game sweep.

2. Outside of your top 2 teams, the ACC will beat you in almost every single matchup. What I mean by that is this.

Everyone knows nobody in the ACC will be playing in the national championship. The ACC doesn't have a Florida, Alabama, USC, Penn State, Ohio State, Utah or TCU. We will readily admit that. Give everyone a +2 in their match-ups against the ACC. I mean, after all, would a USC-BC game even be fun to watch? No. So all four of the leagues we're debating here (SEC, Pac-10, MWC, Big-10), with the exception of the Pac-10, whom VT would beat, can give themselves a +2.

You want to debate number 3 now? GT just beat Georgia. They would drub Michigan State, whose best out of conference win was against Notre Dame, of all teams. BYU wouldn't stand a chance; the only two good teams they've played all year have killed them. Oregon State? I have my doubts, but I suppose they would be the only ones out of this list to do it.

Number 4? Florida State, who just was walloped by Florida. Florida's one loss ironically came to the number 4 team in the SEC, Ole Miss, who I will admit would beat FSU. Mississippi played some real tough games this year. Their only real non-conference game was against Wake, who they lost to, but FSU lost to them, too. Outside of that, tell me FSU would not absolutely trample Cal (who lost to Maryland), Air Force (who lost to Navy) and Northwestern (who lost to Indiana).

Number 5? I'll take UNC over Vanderbilt (0-2 vs. the ACC), Iowa, Colorado State (would Colorado State get a first down in that game?) and Arizona any day. The closest of the bunch would be Arizona.

I would go on with 6 and so forth, but I think you got my drift.

3. The ACC is young. The league's best quarterback (Russell Wilson of NC ST) is a freshman. The league's three best running backs - as voted on by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association - are Jonathan Dwyer, Da'Rel Scott and Darren Evans. Dwyer and Scott are sophomores; Evans is a freshman. You can see it from all over, and it explains a lot about the ACC. At the beginning of the year, the ACC was terrible. As the season progressed, though, the young guys obviously got more experience, and every team in the league dramatically improved.

I could get into records against non-conference BCS opponents (ACC's 15-9 vs. SEC's 6-9), but I think I made my point. When you watched two ACC teams play each other, you never knew what was going to happen. You can't say that about any other conference in the land.

With Loss, Young Players Emerge

With the Maryland Terrapins' loss Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Boston College Eagles, a couple Terrapins emerged as key players next year in what will be a young receiving corps.

First, redshirt freshman Torrey Smith proved to Terps fans that he will be the #1 WR if Darrius Heyward-Bey declares for the NFL Draft (many believe that he will). Smith had 8 catches for 115 yards - 43 of which came on a long pass play that set up a touchdown by Chris Turner - as well as a touchdown of his own. Also, if he can continue to develop his return game, Maryland will only be that more dangerous next season.

Secondly, sophomore Emani Lee-Odai had 7 catches for 68 yards. Lee-Odai had some solid plays last season, but has not seen the field much this year. Saturday was his breakout game. He will fight with Smith, Ronnie Tyler, Laquan Williams, and Adrian Cannon for catches next year. The more options, the better.

And thirdly, redshirt freshman Lansford Watson had 5 catches for 31 yards. That may not seem like much, but Watson is a solid blocker and should be able to fill the void nicely for tight end Dan Gronkowski, who will have completed his M.B.A and may very well be playing on Sundays. Turner has already proved that he will throw to the tight end with some regularity - Joey Haynos had some big catches last season and Gronkowski was a key part of the offense this season. If Watson can make 5 catches a game next season, the Terps will be near the top of the ACC.

All in all, the Terrapins will be young at wideout. Heyward-Bey will most likely declare, leaving Tyler, Smith, Lee-Odai, Williams, and Cannon the (probable) top five wide-receivers. On Saturday, two of them, along with young tight end Lansford Watson, proved that they are capable of not only contributing, but making plays. Not to mention Ronnie Tyler - yet another redshirt freshman - has made key catches all season long for the Terrapins.

I know it's early to be looking forward to next season, but with a possible trip to Boise State looming, I can't help but want to overlook that (in my opinion) eventual loss.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

1. New York Giants (1; 0): You get the feeling talking to the Giants that the whole Plaxico thing is actually going to help the team. 

2. Tennessee Titans (3; +1): Thank you, Tennessee, for giving us the worst Thanksgiving game of all time.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (4; +1): That was the biggest statement of the week. They will have a tougher time with Dallas.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5; +1): Jeff Garcia was terrible and they still won. That's a good sign.

5. Indianapolis Colts (6; +1): When will playing all of these close games catch up to them?

6. New York Jets (2; -4): I could have punished them a lot more, but every team deserves one mulligan

7. Dallas Cowboys (8; +1): I'll finally say that they're back if they beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh this week.

8. Atlanta Falcons (11; +3): Their defense played excellently this week. If they can continue to play at that level, they will be a force to be reckoned with because of how consistent their offense is. 

9. Carolina Panthers (9; 0): This is why I think the number of touchdowns a player has is the single most overrated statistic in the NFL. DeAngelo Williams had four touchdowns in their win over Green Bay, and people are going on about what a performance he had. All four touchdown runs were for one yard. He averaged less than 3.5 yards a carry in that game. Any running back can carry it in from the one.

10. Baltimore Ravens (12; +2): During the next three weeks, they can shut everyone up about how they haven't played anyone. It will determine whether they make the playoffs.

11. New England Patriots (7; -4): That was a thorough beating at the hands of the Steelers. I'm surprised. With their conference record, 10-6 may not get it done for them.

12. Minnesota Vikings (13; +1): Gus Frerotte has been playing better than the mediocre quarterback he is. It's all gravy when you have the league's best player as your running back.

13. Miami Dolphins (14; +1): At 7-5, they're still really in it. They need to root heavily against Baltimore and Indy during their final push.

14. Arizona Cardinals (10; -4): All of a sudden they turn from a contender to a team that has no defense and no running game.

15. Denver Broncos (20; +5): The Broncos - once again - are the biggest movers in the rankings. We all say they will do nothing in the playoffs, but it really depends on which Broncos team shows up. It kind of reminds you of a 7-5 team in college football that plays in College Park, doesn't it?

16. New Orleans Saints (17; +1): They get moved up because their close loss to Tampa was better than the Redskins' loss to the Giants.

17. Washington Redskins (16; -1): The Redskins should be grateful the game with the Ravens was moved to Sunday night. The Ravens are 0-7 in their last seven night games.

18. Philadelphia  Eagles (21; +3): So that's what happens when you make Donovan McNabb angry. 

19. Buffalo Bills (15; -4): All of a sudden, you look at their four wins that they accumulated to start the season 4-0 and you realize that those four teams have a combined 11 wins. 

20. Green Bay Packers (18; -2): It's been said before, but I'll say it again: This season would be no different for them if Brett Favre was still their quarterback.

21. Chicago Bears (19; -2): The worst 6-6 team in NFL history? Maybe a little harsh and rash. They're not very good, though.

22. Houston Texans (23; +1): This will be easy for me. If the Texans lose, I can just flip-flop them and the Jags. The division rankings don't change at all, and everyone is happy.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (25; +2): So, I guess my Jacksonville-New Orleans Super Bowl isn't happening.

24. San Diego Chargers (22; -2): It's amazing to me that three games back with four to play people are still thinking the Chargers will make the playoffs.

25. Cleveland Browns (24; -1): Uh-Oh! With Derek Anderson out, the Browns may cross the threshold into number 26 and above territory - a threshold of sorts.

26. San Francisco 49ers (27; +1): The 49ers are playing for wins, and not for draft picks. For that you have to give both Mike Singletary and his team a lot of credit. 

27. Kansas City Chiefs (30; +3): Only down here could you move up three spots for beating the Raiders.

28. St. Louis Rams (31; +3): Only down here could you move up three spots for losing to a decent team.

29. Oakland Raiders (26; -3): At least we know now that their victory over the Broncos last week was more about the Broncos and less about the Raiders.

30. Seattle Seahawks (28; -2): They will end up with a top 5 draft pick. I'd be willing to bet Michael Crabtree will be a Seahawk next year. 

31. Cincinnati Bengals (29; -2): I would be very, very wary if I were an NFL team that was looking to pick up Chad Ocho Cinco and TJ Houshmandzadeh this offseason. I know their team is 1-10-1 and all, but goodness, could they have cared any less about yesterday's game?

32. Detroit Lions (32; 0): Calvin Johnson's awesome. So is Jeff Hanson - great kicker. It's too bad that Daunte Culpepper is no better than the 50th best quarterback in the NFL.