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Final Four: UCLA North Carolina Georgetown Memphis Book it!

Given a bizarre twist, LSU isn't losing again until the new year, if at all. The last two games for the Tigers are against Mississippi (last in the SEC) and Arkansas (WAY down from what many expected). Moderately contain Darren McFadden in the last week, and they advance to the SEC championship game to play a team out of the SEC East (likely Tennessee) that isn't as solid as the Tigers. For West Virginia to have a legitimate national title spot, one thing must happen: Oklahoma loses to Texas Tech or Oklahoma State, and then have a ticked-off Sooner squad win the Big XII. That, my friends, is West Virginia's ticket to a national championship. It's not impossible, but it's unlikely. That is, if West Virginia beats Cincinnati and Connecticut, of course...

I never thought this day would come! Finally, bowl projections that, for the most part, make some freaking sense! Again, these were made before Arizona and Brady Leaf defeated Oregon. Basically, all one has to do is slide Kansas into Oregon's spot, and this list is still quite feasible. Again, Saturday could change all this. However, this is the first bowl prognostication I've seen this year that I could actually see happening. Kudos to Rivals!

I had a small, nagging feeling that Oregon was a one-man show. The Ducks folded like a house of cards when Dennis Dixon exited the game, to the 9th-ranked team in the entire Pac-10, no less. I congratulate Arizona on the victory, and I look forward to seeing how Kansas will handle the 2nd-ranked jinx, I mean spot...

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] You can tell by my avatar who i'm a fan of! [/ QUOTE ] Absolutely disgusting... [/ QUOTE ] Second!

Davidson's just a very talented team. They're led by Stephen Curry, the son of Dell Curry. If I'm not mistaken, they return all their starters after going 29-5 last season, keeping it very competitive against Maryland in last year's NCAA tournament. This team will be a threat to win 30 games, and could foreseeably be this year's "George Mason". They're that good.

That'll do it. North Carolina survives the scare! North Carolina-72 Davidson-68

Still 31 seconds to go. Probably will, but not so fast...

That's definitely a plus. I'm buried in debt as we speak, and I'm just into my first year of law school (which was as expensive as four years of undergrad). It's almost extortion.

6:27 to go Davidson-59 North Carolina-56

I must say, I was very close to Rule 9(b) when Virginia put forth that "effort" in Wyoming. I'm truly glad I didn't have to. Speaking about the game itself- 10:45 to go in the game: Davidson-47 North Carolina-46 Hmmm...

Haha! First sentence had me worried for a bit! Fair enough, then. Check out the Simmons article, though. Not just for his rules of fandom, but just in general. He's a great writer.

You've got my respect!

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Sorry, I'm a one-school man. It just appears that about 80% of Hokie football fans magically morph into Tar Heel fans during the Christmas season. I'm not flaming, I'm just saying that you very seldom ever see this out of any other fanbase. Do you think someone from Ohio State would say: "It's basketball season, time to cheer on the Hoosiers!"? Of course not. You adopt a school, you stick with them through thick and thin. Kinda like family. I guess I'm in the minority on this. [/ QUOTE ] I Agree 100%! Lets go Hokies Basketball! I'm a VT student so i'm supporting every VT team. That Jeff Allen looks like he could be a stud. Deron Washington is going to make a highlight play every night! Whats not to like! I thought it was funny last year when UNC came to Blacksburg, a lot of VT students were wearing UNC basketball gear. Well... I guess you know what happened next. It always irks me when people have different "favorite" schools for different sports. It irks me more when the two schools are in the same conference. One of my roommates cheers for Duke basketball... anyone looking for an apartment? [/ QUOTE ] Post of the week, baby. For the treatise on bandwagon-jumping, look up Bill Simmons. I refer you to this column, rules 18 and 19 (the rest of the column is also great) with regards to bandwagon jumpers: http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020227 To my friend hokie07: I respect the fact that you have a fairly good reason why you support different schools, and you stick to your guns. Good form. However, the only thing I would wonder about is this: your three favorite teams can conceivably play one another at some point (in fact, North Carolina and Virginia Tech are forced to play one another). How would you divy your alliances then? That's my last point.

Sorry, I'm a one-school man. It just appears that about 80% of Hokie football fans magically morph into Tar Heel fans during the Christmas season. I'm not flaming, I'm just saying that you very seldom ever see this out of any other fanbase. Do you think someone from Ohio State would say: "It's basketball season, time to cheer on the Hoosiers!"? Of course not. You adopt a school, you stick with them through thick and thin. Kinda like family. I guess I'm in the minority on this.

[ QUOTE ] I am liking Carolina's chances VERY much this year. With the mixture of the experience that the Tar-Heels have, along with the pressure defense that Roy seems overly excited about this year, I really like our chances. [/ QUOTE ] I thought you were a Hokie fan! Booo, bandwagon! North Carolina will be the class of the ACC this year. With a little luck, Carolina may shoot for 30 wins and a national title this year. I wish the Tar Heels the best, except when they come to Hooville.

It's set to the tune of the Illinois fight song: "Illinois Loyalty" However, I'm not sure of the words, outside the first two verses: "We're loyal to you, Graham High! To the gray and maroon, Graham High!"

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Yeah, it's crazy. There are still aspects of this generally peaceful town that we can't put back together since April. Those shots were fired, there has been a brandished firearm (no, it wasn't marcus... most likely) and two assaults in the last week. Very not like this town. [/ QUOTE ] Well, FSU fans were in town this past week...that should explain some of it...* *For those slow of mind...THIS WAS A JOKE...that is all... [/ QUOTE ] The Miami players that read this article will wonder, "Why didn't Harris fire back?" [/ QUOTE ] Well, that is rule number one on Shannon's team policy: no guns! They showed the list of Shannon's team policies during the game, and "NO GUNS" was first on this list, above no cell phones in classes and no tardiness. Gotta love the Thugicanes.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Peyton Manning #1 best college player ever? No freaking way If they say so, I will lose all respect for whoever picked these people [/ QUOTE ] ive already lost respect with Jim Brown at #18. Doug FLutie will probably be #1 just cause he sometimes is in the booth with them, and just by going on their earlier choices... [/ QUOTE ] That did it for me with that lunatic "Top 25" poll as well. My money's on Herschel Walker, but with the goons at ESPN ranking them, it sure wouldn't surprise me who they placed at the top.

[ QUOTE ] Harmonix representatives have suggested, "If you can play the drum parts on hard, you can pretty much play the drums [in reality]."[ [/ QUOTE ] Of course Harmonix representatives will say that: it sounds great, and it's incentive to buy the game. Perfect marketing! I know that "Guitar Hero" is a blast, and "Rock Band" is probably three times as fun, given the features. I'm certainly not a guitar man, and I love it. That point is well taken. However, to say that a video game will help someone to learn to play a real instrument isn't true, and I've heard it far too many times from too many people. Far too many intangibles involved with the real instrument. Ask my old college roommate, who mastered Guitar Hero II, and can't play guitar to save his life. Too many late nights listening to him try...

[ QUOTE ] Yes the guitar has 4 "solo" buttons at the top. And they say if you can beat the drum part on medium you can play almost any song in real life [/ QUOTE ] I respectfully disagree. This is much along the line of "Guitar Hero". In "Guitar Hero", if you master that game, it honestly translates very little to any real life skill in playing the guitar. What guitar is going to have five fretboards (instead of the common seventeen) you push down like buttons? Also, what guitar is going to have one lever you push in lieu of four to six strings? It may help *slightly* in deciphering rhythms, but since the real guitar has strings you strum with a plectrum instead of a lever you move back and forth, that honestly might go down the tubes also. Don't even get me started on chords. This drum set in "Rock Band" appears to be a little more sophisticated than the guitar in "Guitar Hero". Here are the websites to compare the drums. "Rock Band" drumset: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Band_(video_game) Actual drumset: http://www.arbiter.co.uk/cb/news/cb_sp_series_drum_set_250406/cb_sp_series_drum_set1000.jpg There are three more drums, and as many as two more cymbals, given the format you need given your repertoire. Likewise, this doesn't teach you anything about technique on how to actually play drums (for the band people, the precise grips required). Again, this might help *slightly* with rhythm, but again, the setup for a drum set is far, far different than what "Rock Band" gives you, so any gain is negated. I've been a part of bands for 11 years. I am very sure of what I'm talking about.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] thing is when they clinch the playoffs will they sit the starters... i'd say they won't and go for the undefeated season but who knows [/ QUOTE ] No they won't. That would be the logical thing to do. This season, Belichick has something to prove with the whole "Spygate" thing. He has the talent on the team to win out, and I think that's what he will do. [/ QUOTE ] Ding, Ding, Ding!!! We have a winner! [/ QUOTE ] It won't matter after Sunday Night. This will be a non-issue. [/ QUOTE ] I don't quite see how it would be a non-issue until much later in the season, if at all. The Patriots, in all likelihood, are going to win by three scores or more against a Buffalo team that nearly lost to the Dolphins. Likewise, the Dolphins will again fall, this time to Philadelphia by two scores. Status-quo, baby.

[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] thing is when they clinch the playoffs will they sit the starters... i'd say they won't and go for the undefeated season but who knows [/ QUOTE ] No they won't. That would be the logical thing to do. This season, Belichick has something to prove with the whole "Spygate" thing. He has the talent on the team to win out, and I think that's what he will do. [/ QUOTE ] Ding, Ding, Ding!!! We have a winner!

If I weren't working against a deadline, I'd give more detailed answers: Yes, the Patriots will go undefeated. No, Miami will win exactly one game: December 2nd against the New York Jets.

I would frankly love to see Groh win coach of the year, especially since it looked like Groh wouldn't last half a season after that Wyoming debacle. The competition so far includes Jeff Jagodzinski, Frank Beamer, and Tommy Bowden. However, I place what Groh has accomplished this season above the rest, given the talent he has to work with and given his ability to turn a horrific start into a nice ending. Also, Chris Long is the most polished defensive player in the ACC, in my opinion. He leads the conference in sacks and tackles for loss; he also has a safety and an interception to his record. The game against Virginia Tech will be one heck of a dogfight. Two susceptible offenses that may now be starting to hit their strides, against two solid defenses in the top 20 nationally. I can't wait. I said in an earlier post that the bowl scenarios would become clearer after this weekend. Here's a good analysis of how I see it shaping up: 1. If Virginia beats Virginia Tech, and wins the ACC title game, Virginia gets the Orange Bowl. 2. If Virginia beats Virginia Tech and loses to Clemson in the ACC title game, Virginia should get the Peach Bowl; Clemson would be Orange Bowl-bound, and by virtue of our win over Virginia Tech, the Peach Bowl would give Virginia the nod; the Peach Bowl has historically been more willing to accept teams that might not travel as well as others. 3. If Virginia beats VT, and loses to Boston College in the ACC title game, Virginia should still likely make the Peach Bowl; Virginia would be 7-2 in-conference, and the biggest threat for Virginia, Clemson, would be 5-3, a game and a half behind. Clemson/Virginia Tech goes to the Gator Bowl. 4. If Virginia loses to Virginia Tech, but Clemson has advanced to the ACC title game, the ACC title winner takes the Orange Bowl, the ACC title game loser takes the Peach Bowl, and Virginia ends up in the Gator Bowl; the only feasible competition to this is Boston College, and the powers that be are not likely to take a team which has lost three of its last four games by this point. 5. If Virginia loses to Virginia Tech, but Boston College has advanced to the ACC title game, the winner of the ACC title game goes to the Orange Bowl; the loser, even if it is Boston College, would still go to the Peach Bowl. Clemson would go to the Gator Bowl (who has historically been swayed by teams that travel quite well); Virginia would go to the Champs Sports Bowl. I'm no Stewart Mandel, thank God, but this is how I see it running down.