UVAObserver

Tazewell - 74 Richlands - 67 FINAL

I think the Bills win outright even with Mahomes playing. Packers -3.5 seems to be a steal, though.

I quite enjoy this time of year. The same 6-8 people pumping up the M7 to be better than the 1970s ACC, and like clockwork, every January/February, the golden child of the M7 suddenly getting run off the court. It’s almost as if the unreliability of 15-18 year old kids might show up a time or two over the course of a season!

I’d lay money on Graham +20...

Gate City lost quite a bit from last year’s team, and they still went 4-6 (even with stealing a game against Richlands). There’s some young talent there, but I think they’re 2-3 years away from being a challenge in the M7. They’re on a better track than they were under Akers, which is progress. Lee was 0-10 last year and doesn’t project much better, if any at all, this year.

There are 6 teams in 2D that are truly “playoff caliber” this year. Graham, Tazewell, Richlands from the SWD. Central, Ridgeview, and Union from the M7. Unfortunately, there’s only 4 playoff teams this year. Though the Region has yet to vote on the playoff format, the option that has the most traction now is taking the Top 2 from each district and cross-bracketing them in the 1st round. Under that proposal, 1 solid team from each district would be left home. Central’s the presumptive favorite to come out of the Region. IMO, the 3 next best teams are the SWD teams, in some unpredictable order. Tazewell returns by far the most, though they’ve recently begun to taste success. Graham lost by far the most, but still has athletes aplenty. Richlands has been breaking in a new coaching staff, and deals with some losses and some internal chemistry of their own. Then there’s Ridgeview and Union, in some order. Ridgeview has the most talented player on the field, but Union probably is a little bit deeper. That M7’s 2nd spot is much like the SWD’s ordering: you can make a good case for any of those teams. Also worth watching is Marion, but for macabre reasons. They’re probably going to be “2001 John Battle” level bad, which is sad for a program that is capable of putting together some really strong years. The cupboard is as bare as I’ve ever seen for a 2A team. IMO, if they can crack double digits on the scoreboard this season, that should be considered a resounding success.

That 250-foot difference in travel time is a killer. 😉 I get what you mean though, particularly with gate revenue in rivalry matchups.

That game was really ugly early. Actually surprised the deficit ended up being 20. Graham’s clearly the best in the SWD this season.

Shelby Valley benefitted from the fact that the vast majority of EKY teams are downright awful. That being said, power points and power points, and there is no RPI/SOS component to it. Smart scheduling to pile up power points, but inadequate to prepare for the 2D playoffs. Burton falls into that boat a little as well, with the Cumberland being...well...not very top heavy or deep. I think Bluefield, in an average year, outclasses Pikeville, but it is admittedly close. The two others, I totally agree.

There will be some talent that remains, but that’s a substantial loss for sure.

The federally-issued ID would be linked with a person’s residency. If the person were to change residency, the person would need to update the address with the Social Security Administration. The localities would still be conducting the vote at precincts as established in accordance with federal and state law. Presumably, as the ID is scanned, if a person not at the correct precinct, the scanner notifies the election official of the correct precinct based upon the address of record. It would require some technological integration, but this is 2021, and we need to leave the 1950s mindset.

Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 places the “times, places, and manner” of federal elections squarely on Congress. Though states would hate it, if Congress tied some appropriation to the bill to make it “optional”, then every single state would hit it like a shark hitting a baitfish. My proposals, which are admittedly not sufficiently detailed: (1) All civilians, excluding those living abroad, shall be entitled to an early voting period not to exceed 30 days. (2) All types of voting by mail are immediately abolished, except that members of the armed forces and civilians living abroad may be entitled to vote by mail for a period not to exceed 60 days from the date of the election. (3) Voting registration is hereby abolished. In so doing, all American citizens who have reached the age of majority shall be eligible to receive, and shall obtain, a federally-issued identification card. Such card shall be used as identification for all citizens who wish to vote. (4) If a person loses, misplaces, or is otherwise not in possession of the identification card, a card issued by the Social Security Administration or valid passport issued by the State Department shall be valid for purposes of voting. (5) The vital statistic of death shall hereafter be considered a federal record subject to NARA, and the several states shall provide such records to or update such records for NARA for verification within 7 days of the date of the election. All votes shall be verified against the federal registry of NARA, and all votes found to be cast by a person deceased after the casting of such vote shall be declared invalid. (6) All ballots otherwise not cast by mail shall be pre-canvassed by 11:59 PM on the day of the election. Federal funding shall be made available for provision of contemporary tabulation technology for all localities to ensure compliance with federal law. (7) At least 1 member(s) of each political party represented on the ballot may freely, without obstruction, observe the pre-canvassing procedure, and may be permitted to be as close as 3 feet to the officials conducting the pre-canvassing while such activity occurs. That should about take care of Election Day issues, I’d think. You ensure that the vote is as open as possible but restricted to only living American citizens. It puts more burden on the feds, but adds relatively less to the localities administering the election.

A wee bit tougher than Jenkins and Shelby Valley, KY!

Yep. Solidly AA. That should be a fantastic game.

Nope, that’s the one.