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Tournament Time 1/30

Tournament Time

It’s not even February, but bubble season has begun. Here’s a breakdown of tournament teams by conference:

ACC

Lock: Duke, UNC

Probable: Florida State, Virginia

Work to Do: NC State, Maryland                            

Big 10

Lock: Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin

Probable: Indiana, Purdue

Work to Do: Illinois, Minnesota

Big 12

Lock: Missouri, Baylor, Kansas

Probable: None

Work to Do: Iowa State, Kansas State

Big East

Lock: Syracuse, Marquette, Georgetown

Probable: UConn, West Virginia, Notre Dame

Work to Do: South Florida, Louisville, Cincinnati, Seton Hall

 Pac-12

Lock: Haha None

Probable: Someone has to win the conference

Work to Do: Washington, California, Oregon, Colorado, Stanford, Arizona

SEC

Lock: Kentucky, Florida

Probable: Mississippi State, Vanderbilt

Work to Do: Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama

Mountain West 

Lock: San Diego State, UNLV

Probable: None

Work to Do: New Mexico, Wyoming

 Atlantic-10

Lock: None

Probable: Temple

Work to Do: UMass, Xavier, LaSalle, St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, Dayton

 CAA

Lock: None

Probable: No one has separated themselves from the rest of the pack

Work to Do: George Mason, VCU, Drexel, Old Dominion

Others 

Lock: Murray State, Creighton, St. Mary’s

Probable: Wichita State, Harvard, Nevada, Southern Miss, Harvard, Gonzaga
Work to Do: Memphis, Cleveland State, Oral Roberts, Middle Tennessee, BYU, Long Beach State

Here are some big games that could shake up the field of 68:

Monday:
Missouri at Texas

Tuesday:
Michigan State at Illinois
Vanderbilt at Arkansas
Kansas State at Iowa State

Wednesday:
UConn at Georgetown
Indiana at Michigan

Thursday:
Gonzaga at BYU

Saturday:
Ohio State at Wisconsin
Kansas at Missouri
UNC at Maryland
South Florida at Georgetown
Florida at Vanderbilt
UNLV at Wyoming
Indiana at Purdue
Virginia at Florida State
Marquette at Notre Dame
Middle Tennessee at Denver
Old Dominion at George Mason
Iona at Manhattan

Sunday:
Michigan at Michigan State

Enjoy this week's games!

Deciphering the ACC

Before the season, the take on the ACC was Duke, Carolina and everybody else. Many people still believe this. Let's take a look at the ACC standings. Each team has played 2 conference games and only two teams are 2-0. Here's a hint, I mentioned them earlier. Only two teams lost both conference games, leaving eight teams at 1-1. Did it only take two games for UNC and Duke to separate themselves from the rest of the pack? Let's take a look through the rest of the ACC teams and see if we can figure out this mess.

Boston College was picked to finish last in the ACC. All five of their starters are freshmen and their team has nine total. A finish 11th or higher would certainly be a big surprise. Remember folks, this team has lost to teams such as Holy Cross, UMass, Boston U, Saint Louis, and URI. Everyone expected them to lose badly to UNC, but to beat Clemson on national TV is a shocker. Clemson isn't regarded as one of the ACC's top teams, but they had just come off a 20 point win against Florida State. FSU has had a disappointing start to the season, but they were the clear-cut #3 team in the ACC at the beginning the year. They are a strong defensive and rebouding team, but they have struggled to put points up on the board. Their record is 10-6, but those losses are to good teams like Florida, Michigan State, UCONN, and Harvard (yes, they're good now).

NC State is another team that has the potential to finish right behind Duke and Carolina, but they are very inconsistent. They have a balanced scoring attack, with five players averaging between 12 and 14 points per game. State beat Texas and a good Maryland team, but lost to 8-8 Georgia Tech at home. Georgia Tech is also very inconsistent. Some of their bad losses include Mercer, Fordham, and Tulane. Then, they almost beat Duke and win at NC State. Georgia Tech is led by first-year coach Brian Gregory. The Yellow Jackets play in Philips Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks, because they are currently constructing a brand new arena.

The Hurricanes of Miami are 0-2 in ACC play, but that's because their first two games were at UVA and at UNC. Miami was picked to finish 5th in the ACC. They are 9-6, but 5 of those 6 losses were true road games and they played a tough non-conference schedule. A plus for Miami is that Reggie Johnson is finally healthy and he gives them the big, strong post player they need to compete. Virginia Tech is the other 0-2 team in the ACC. They came into conference play 11-3, winning the games they should have won and losing the games they should have lost. Tech gave Syracuse a good game at Madison Square Garden and was within 5 points with five minutes to go in the game. The Hokies are led by Erick Green who averages 16 points per game and shoots almost 50% from the field. They have struggled to find a second consistent scorer. Only one other player on the team averages double digit points. With losses to Wake Forest and Florida State, Tech appears to be heading towards a finish in the bottom half of the ACC.

Wake Forest has already matched last year's ACC wins total. After a 1-15 year, the Demon Deacons are much improved. Travis McKie and CJ Harris both average over 17 points per game and combine for over half of the team's scoring. Don't expect a huge turnaround in ACC play. They are on their way to another finish in the bottom half of the league, but with the ACC's parity, who knows? Wake Forest's ACC loss was against Maryland. Maryland's 11-4 record looks good, but they have only played one ranked team, Alabama, who is no longer ranked. The Terps are led by sophomore guard Terrell Stoglin. He averages over 20 points per game and will likely be an ACC first team player. Maryland also has a talented 7 foot 1 freshman center from Ukraine named Alex Len. He averages around 12 points and 8 rebounds per game, plus averages 2.4 blocks per game. Len missed the first nine games of the season and the Terps are 5-1 with him in the lineup. Maryland looks to be heading in a good direction, but with 2 games against UVA, UNC, and Duke it is tough to tell where they finish in the conference.

So, I have talked about every team in the ACC, except for one. There's a reason why I waited until the end to mention the Cavaliers of Virginia. This is because I believe they are the definite third best team in the ACC. We should not be talking about who is going to finish third in the ACC, we should be talking about who is going to finish fourth. The team is off to its best start since the Ralph Sampson era. The reason for their great start is defense. UVA is one of the country's top teams in scoring defense. Virginia played Duke right down to the wire at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the toughest place to play in college basketball. Though they lost be three, they proved that they can compete with the top teams in the league. The score was 61-58. Duke averages over 80 points per game and UVA held them to their lowest point total of the season. By scoring 61 points, Duke became only the second team all year to score more than 60 points on Tony Bennett's stingy defense. UVA's best player Mike Scott is one of the country's most underrated players and a lot of UVA's success relies on him. He averages 17 points per game and shoots nearly 60% from the field. UVA is a good free throw shooting and three point shooting team thanks to players such as Sammy Zeglinski, Joe Harris, and Malcolm Brogdon. UVA plays UNC twice, but the rest of their games are very winnable. Third-year coach Tony Bennett should a candidate for coach of the year. Expect UVA to finish in the top three in the ACC and get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007 and only the third time since 1997.

Predictions:

1. North Carolina
2. Duke
3. Virginia
4. Florida State
5. NC State
6. Miami
7. Maryland
8. Virginia Tech
9. Clemson
10. Georgia Tech
11. Wake Forest
12. Boston College

Between teams 4 and 7, and teams 8 to 11, you might as well pick from a hat, that's how much of a mess the league is in. This will likely be the ACC's last year with 12 teams, as Syracuse and Pittsburgh join for the 2012-2013. Then there will be more than 2 elite teams every year. Until then, enjoy the ACC's parity and make sure to watch some basketball this weekend.

Should the ACC beware of UVa?

The Virginia Cavaliers have been criticized for their weak non-conference schedule this season, during which the Wahoos pulled off a 13-1 record, with the lone loss to TCU at the Paradise Jam Tournament in the Virgin Islands. However, Tony Bennett's squad got solid wins at Oregon and LSU, as well as a convincing win at home against then-ranked 14th Michigan. As the season has transitioned into conference play, we have seen UVa take on two tough ACC competitors in Miami and Duke; in these two games, the Cavs put up solid performances, and as a result I think it's safe to say that the Wahoos belong in the top tier of the ACC. Although both games came down to the wire, the 'Hoos proved that rather than breaking down in adverse situations as they have in the past, they are now a team that will not back down and will not let up, and this is why UVa's competitors should not take this team lightly.

Last season, the Cavs lost two heart-breaking games to the Miami Hurricanes, both of which ended in OT. Furthermore, the second meeting between the two teams last season came in the first round of the ACC Tournament; the 'Hoos gave up a 10 point lead with 40 seconds to go in regulation, then subsequently lost in stunning fashion by seven in OT. After putting up a dominant defensive showing in the first half of this season's match-up, the Hurricanes were once again able to come back and give themselves an opportunity to steal another win from the Cavs. However, this time, UVa stepped up to the challenge and closed the game out with their impressive and stout defense--one of the best in the country. Miami is undoubtedly a tough team to beat, but the Cavs finally got their game together and put away a good team.

Following the close victory against Miami, the Cavs faced an even tougher test in Duke, at Cameron Indoor. One of the top defenses against one of the top offenses in the nation. The Blue Devils pulled it out at home, but just barely. The 61-58 loss for the 'Hoos is a really tough one to swallow, however, it is an extremely encouraging loss. Tony Bennett knows his team better than anyone, and for him to claim that they didn't execute in all facets against Duke is quite the statement. The 'Hoos got off to a good start in the game, mainly as a result of Mike Scott's performance. Scott dropped 16 points in the first half--just as many as the rest of his teammates combined--to boost his team to a 4-point halftime lead. UVa held Duke to only two 3-pointers in the first half, which was a major defensive key for the Wahoos going into the matchup. Additionally, the Blue Devils had absolutely no answer for Mike Scott in the first half, as he went 7-10 shooting. The second half was a bit of a different story for both teams however. Duke stepped it up defensively, limiting the number of open looks for the Cavaliers, especially for Mike Scott. Austin Rivers and Seth Curry put up solid second half performances, but I think the key for Duke was the spark provided by the Plumlee brothers. UVa's defense somewhat broke down early in the second half, which allowed Rivers and Curry to get good looks inside to the brothers. Although UVa lost this game, so many positives came as a result; the depth of this team has been a very important discussion as of late, particularly because of the departure of two more class of 2010 recruits--James Johnson and K.T. Harrell. However, Bennett got some really valuable bench production from freshmen Malcolm Brogdon, Paul Jesperson, and Darion Atkins, and especially from sophomore Akil Mitchell, who ignited the 'Hoos and kept their opportunity to win alive with a late put-back slam. Defensively, the Cavaliers could not have done that much better. I think the key in determining the game was the play of UVa's senior guard Sammy Zeglinski. Zeglinski came into the game averaging nearly 10 points per contest; however, to put it simply, he laid an egg in this one. Zeglinski went 0 for 8 from the field, and got a number of good looks. You can't blame the guy for the loss--it happens to every athlete. If this game was played at a neutral site, I think the advantage goes to the 'Hoos.

The Cavaliers may be one of the most underrated teams not only in the ACC, but in the nation, and to nearly pull off an upset at Cameron solidifies the fact that UVa is a force to be reckoned with. A major proponent of this team's success has been Mike Scott. He is one of the most underrated players in the nation, averaging 17 points and nearly 10 rebounds a game. After his stellar performance against Duke, he has to be considered a top candidate for the ACC Player of the Year Award, and he should definitely be considered a candidate for the Wooden Award. Scott and much-improved big man Assane Sene have combined to form an extremely reliable post defense. Furthermore, his dominance on the court has allowed Joe Harris and Sammy Zeglinski to get even more looks from the outside as a result of double-teams implemented against him. At this point, UVa needs that third consistent scorer behind Scott and Harris, and that player has to be Sammy Zeglinski. He is a dangerous, yet streaky scorer, and it is absolutely necessary that he becomes that consistent spark for the 'Hoos in order for this team to continue its success.

The biggest surprise to me has been the bench play for this team. Freshman Malcolm Brogdon, in particular, has been the 6th man for this team, averaging about 7 points per game. Brogdon is a smart and mature player, and he is going to be a huge factor for the Cavaliers this season. In addition to Brogdon, we have seen increased minutes for sophomore Akil Mitchell and freshman Darion Atkins, who will both comprise the front court for Virginia in the coming years. These two big men are very athletic and have made a number of highlight plays this season. Last but not least, I think freshman Paul Jesperson--who dropped his redshirt status as a result of the two transfers--finally has his sea legs under him, as he has put together two straight solid efforts against tough ACC teams. I expect Jepserson's role as a sharp shooter to increase as he becomes more comfortable on the court--don't forget: he has only played 5 games thus far.

Ultimately, this is still a young, but well-coached team, and I expect them to continue successfully throughout the remainder of the season.

The Dominance of SEC Football: When Will it End

January 4^th, 2006. Rose Bowl. Texas vs. USC. Vince Young vs. Matt Leinart. Texas beat USC 41-38 in one of the greatest championship games of all-time. What’s the significance? Look at the NCAA champions since then:

2006- Florida

2007- LSU

2008- Florida

2009- Alabama

2010- Auburn

2011- Alabama

You guessed it. They are all from the Southeastern Conference. Everyone knows the SEC is the best football conference in America, but how come no other conference has been able to beat them in the championship game? Well this year, the BCS chose two SEC teams to play for the title, ending any hopes of breaking the streak. The SEC dominated college football this year. At one point in the season, LSU was #1, Alabama was #2, and Arkansas was #3. Not only are those three teams from the SEC, but they are from the SEC West. Luckily, the BCS has a rule that one conference cannot have more than one at-large BCS bid. If they didn’t have this rule, Arkansas and South Carolina could have easily played in a BCS game this year.

Will this dominance continue? You would have to think so. With all of these big bowl wins, the SEC is bringing in much more money than any other conference. The SEC won six bowls this year, more than any other league. This source of revenue, plus the revenue from television contracts is being split between the conference’s twelve schools. This benefits everyone from champions Alabama to 2-10 Ole Miss. The more money these schools have, the more effectively they will continue to recruit and obtain the nation’s top players.

Another reason why the SEC will continue to dominate is because of conference realignment. The Big East is in shambles. The Pac 10 added Colorado and Utah to become the Pac 12. The Big 12 lost some good teams and added TCU. The Big 10 added Nebraska to make a 12-team conference. The ACC added Syracuse and Pittsburgh to make 14. Notre Dame is still independent. What did the SEC do? They added Missouri and Texas A&M. The best high school football players are in Texas. Now, these players can choose to stay in the state of Texas and play in the best conference in America. This is certainly a game changer for years to come.

While the SEC is emerging, many of college football’s great programs have been recently declining.

Florida State was a powerhouse in the 1990’s, winning titles in 1993 and 1999, while losing in the title game in 1996 and 1998. Those two losses were to Florida and Peyton Manning’s Tennessee, both SEC teams. FSU has still kept its streak of bowl appearances, but has not made a run for the title since they won it all in 1999.

The University of Miami was a powerhouse in the 1990s and early 2000s. They won it all in 2002 and were runner ups in 2001, 1994, and 1992. Since their championship, Miami has not been impressive and chose not to enter a bowl game this year. They are also dealing with serious NCAA allegations.

The University of Nebraska has been one of the nation’s most successful college football programs. They won back to back titles in 1994 and 1995, and also won a shared national title in 1997. Since 2001, Nebraska has taken a step back in the Big 12, thanks to Oklahoma and Texas, and will move on to the Big 10.

It’s fair to call Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State great college football schools. Notre Dame won a title in 1998, Michigan won it all in 1997, and Penn State won a championship in 1986. Since their titles, none of these schools have been back to the championship game.

Since 2003, Ohio State and Oklahoma have each had two chances to beat an SEC team in a national title game. Ohio State lost to Florida in 2006 and LSU in 2007. The combined margin of defeat was 41 points, so neither game was close. After a 6-7 season and facing serious NCAA allegations, the Buckeyes will likely remain out of the national title spotlight for awhile. Oklahoma lost to LSU in 2003 and Florida in 2008. To add to Bob Stoops’s frustration, they lost to USC in 2004. They have come so close, that you figure they will be the team to end the SEC’s streak. Before they start thinking about winning a title, they need to back the title as Oklahoma’s best team. This year Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma 44-10, won the Big 12, beat Stanford to win a BCS bowl, and will finish the season as the nation’s #3 team.

The SEC has a good chance to extend their streak to 7 as LSU is the preseason favorite for the 2012 season. Alabama is losing a lot of players, but they will be very good, as will Georgia, South Carolina, and Arkansas.

If you look at this year’s final AP poll, the top 7 includes three SEC teams, three Pac-12 teams, and Oklahoma State. Oklahoma State will definitely need to rebuild, now that Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon are gone. Stanford will certainly drop off now that Andrew Luck is likely to go to the NFL. This leaves #4 Oregon and #6 USC as the top two non-SEC teams. Oregon returns quarterback Darron Thomas and the defense will be improved from last season. Losing star running back LaMichael James to the draft is a huge loss. The guy ran for over 1800 yards and that’s with missing two games. Oregon has another runningback who might be faster and better than James. His name is DeAnthony Thomas aka the Black Mamba. Not only is he a good runningback, he was Oregon’s leading receiver, and is a serious special teams threat. As for USC, they flew under the radar this season. They went 10-2, won at Oregon, and lost in triple overtime to Stanford. Their two year post-season ban is now over and star quarterback Matt Barkley and all Pac-12 safety TJ McDonald are both returning to USC for their senior seasons.

There is no way the SEC will get two teams in the title game again next year. That was an incredible feat, but I think it will not happen again until the BCS changes to a playoff system. 

2012 Prediction

Championship: LSU vs. Oregon

Barring a major surprise, USC and Oregon will meet in next year’s Pac-12 championship game. This game will have conference championship implications, but it could be a virtual play-in game for the national title.

The offseason is just beginning, but 2012 should be another great year for college football.

Wild Card Weekend

Let's look ahead to a Wild Card Weekend that features many storylines, including two regular season rematches, and the first playoff matchup featuring two rookie quarterbacks.

AFC:

#3 Houston Texans (10-6) vs. #6 Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)

Saturday, 4:30 NBC

In the end, their Week 17 home losses meant nothing. Change those losses to wins and we still have the same matchup. These teams met Week 14 in Cincy, where TJ Yates threw for 300 yards and threw a game-winning TD pass with six seconds left to beat Cincinnati 20-19. The Bengals were up 16-3 at half, but in only his second start, Yates led the Texans to a big road win that clinched their first ever division title.

The Bengals played in the NFL’s toughest division and went 5-3 on the road, but have struggled in games against good teams. Cincinnati went 0-7 against teams in the playoffs. That’s right, they’ve lost all their games to playoff teams and went undefeated against teams who did not make the postseason. In a way that is very impressive. All the top NFL teams slip up at least one week to a team they are better than. The Packers lost to the Chiefs. The Saints lost to the Rams and the Buccaneers. The 49ers lost to the Cardinals. The Patriots lost to the Bills. All four of the Ravens losses were to non-playoff teams, including the Jaguars and Seahawks.

What does this mean? Will the Bengals lose because they are playing a team in the playoffs? The thing about these seven losses is that most of them were close. All but one of their losses was by less than eight points. This includes one game against the Steelers, two against the Ravens, one against the 49ers, one at Houston, and one at Denver. There is a very similar trend with the 9 wins of Cincinnati. Only one of their wins was by more than 10 points. You would hope for more blowout wins playing the likes of Cleveland twice, Indy, Buffalo, Jacksonville, St. Louis, and others.

The Texans will come out fired up, playing their first playoff game in franchise history, as will their fans. With two quarterbacks playing their first playoff game, it will come down to who is more composed. It is going to be very close and won by the team that commits the least amount of turnovers.

Prediction:

Bengals 23, Texans 20

#4 Denver Broncos (8-8) vs. #5 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

Sunday, 4:30 CBS

Don’t look at their seeds, look at their records. The Broncos come into the playoffs losing three straight, while the Steelers have won 6 of their last 7. The Steelers are huge road favorites, despite injuries to Mendenhall and Ryan Clark. Ben Roethlisberger will play, but he will be nowhere close to one hundred percent. I feel like he is always playing with injuries, so I don’t think this will be a major problem. Plus, the Steelers shouldn’t need Big Ben to make too many big plays. The loss of Rashard Mendenhall is tough as the only healthy ball carriers on the roster are Isaac Redman and rookie John Clay.

This will not be a high scoring game with the Steelers defense. They are the best against the pass and eighth against the rush. Sure, losing Ryan Clark, the team’s leading tackler, will help the Broncos a little bit. But, the Steelers have only given up more than 10 points once since Week 10. I don’t see Tebow, McGahee, and the offense putting up enough points to win this game. Someone tell Elway it’s time to get another QB.

Expect an ugly, low-scoring game, with a lot of punts, sacks, and low yardage plays. Look out for Antonio Brown on special teams to make an impact for the Steelers.

Prediction:

Steelers 23, Broncos 13

NFC

#3 New Orleans Saints (13-3) vs. #6 Detroit Lions (10-6)

Saturday, 8 NBC

This has to be the most exciting game of wildcard weekend.  The Saints are the league’s hottest team, winning eight straight with Drew Brees breaking records left and right. The Saints are undefeated at home and had the best offensive season of all-time, but don’t count out the Lions. In Week 13, the Lions went to New Orleans and lost to the Saints by only 14. It’s funny saying only 14, but the Lions played one of their worst games of their year. They were without Ndamukong Suh, and defensive backs Chris Houston and Louis Delmas. The Lions rushed for under 100 yards and Megatron had a below average performance. Their defense held the Saints to seven points in the second half. They dominated time of possession, but what killed them were their 107 penalty yards on 11 penalties.

If the Lions can limit their penalties and get pressure on Brees with Suh, this will be a down to the wire game. Matt Stafford had a terrific year and with Calvin Johnson at wide receiver, anything is possible. It was only three years ago that Lions went 0-16 and the franchise is going to be excited to play in its first playoff game since the 1999 season. It’s hard to find a major flaw in New Orleans. They have a solid run D and their pass defense ranks 30^th, but with their offense, that hasn’t been a problem.

Both teams are going to score a lot of points and put up big numbers through the air, but the difference will be the running game. The Lions will need to establish a running game with Kevin Smith in order to win this game. I just don’t see that happening. The Saints surprisingly have the sixth best rushing offense in the NFL. Darren Sproles set an NFL record this year for all-purpose yards and expect him to be the difference maker.

Prediction:

Saints 38, Lions 27

#4 New York Giants (9-7) vs. #5 Atlanta Falcons (10-6)

Sunday, 1 FOX

This game may not involve two quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Matt Stafford, but an Eli Manning-Matt Ryan matchup isn’t too shabby. Remember when Eli said that he was an elite quarterback and is on the same level as his brother, Brady, and others. Well he proved that. Eli threw for over 4900 yards and set an NFL record with 15 fourth quarter touchdowns. Matt Ryan is having his best season with 29 touchdowns and set career highs in passing yards and passer rating. Both quarterbacks have two solid receivers. The Giants have the best receiver duo in the NFL with Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Nicks and Cruz both had over 1000 yards receiving. The Falcons have Roddy White and Julio Jones. White was one of two receivers in the league to have 100-plus targets and he also led the NFL in targets. Julio Jones missed four games and battled numerous injuries, but still almost had 1000 yards receiving.

Both teams have a great passing attack, but only the Falcons have a consistent running game. Atlanta runningback Michael Turner had over 1300 yards on the ground on 301 carries. New York doesn’t have a feature back, but Ahmad Bradshaw is expected to get the bulk of the carries, along with Brandon Jacobs and DJ Ware. In fact, the Giants are last in the NFL in rushing. This puts a lot of pressure on Eli to make plays with his arm. Although, the running game takes some of the pressure off Ryan, there is a lot of pressure on him to win. Ryan has yet to win a playoff game in Atlanta. They were the number one seed last year and lost to the Packers in the divisional round.

The Giants have Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora, and Jason Pierre Paul on the defensive line. Atlanta has a physical offensive line and Michael Turner. The winner of this battle is going to win this game. I am taking the proven playoff team in this one.

Prediction:

Giants 28, Falcons 27

If these predictions turn out to be right, then these would be the matchups in the divisional round.

AFC:

Bengals at New England

Pittsburgh at Baltimore

NFC:

New Orleans at San Francisco

New York at Green Bay

Enjoy Wild Card Weekend everyone.

Who is the NFL MVP?

This season's NFL MVP Award has been under hot debate, especially since the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers lost to the mediocre Kansas City Chiefs. For the first 10 games of this year's regular season, Aaron Rodgers was the front-runner for the award, having thrown for 2,869 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions through those 10 games. Let's put it this way: he put up quite a few fantasy points. However, the numbers don't stop there; Rodgers kept the pace up throughout the remaining six games--one of which he didn't even play in. He finished with 4,643 yards and 46 touchdowns--a stat which allowed him to become the first Packer to throw for more than 45 touchdowns in a season. Oh, and he only threw 6 interceptions--in 16 games.

Alongside Rodgers, Tom Brady is right up there in the hunt for the MVP Award, as usual. Like Rodgers, Brady put up some ridiculous stats, as he threw for 5,235 yards, which would have broken Dan Marino's record of 5,084, had Saints quarterback Drew Brees not broken it first. Additionally, Brady threw 39 touchdowns and led his Patriots to yet another AFC East title.

The final candidate--Tim Tebow-- ...wait, I mean Drew Brees, set the new record for most passing yards in a season with 5,476 yards and tossed 46 touchdowns as well. Brees was a machine during the team's last seven games of the regular season (all wins), during which he had two 5-touchdown performances, and threw for no less than 300 yards in each of those games. Brees has led the Saints to the recapturing of the NFC South title, and poses a major threat to any team he will face in the playoffs, especially considering the way he closed out the regular season.

Choosing one of these three fine quarterbacks will be quite the challenge; however, I must argue that Aaron Rodgers should NOT win the award. Throughout the regular season, the Packers relied on nothing but the passing game. Upon the end of the Week 17, the Packers finished 27th in rushing yards per game, and 3rd in pass offense, behind the Patriots and the Saints (surprise, surprise). In addition to the fact that the Packers were limited to a pass-heavy offense this season, it seems that they could have survived without Aaron Rodgers. In the last regular season game for the Pack, backup quarterback Matt Flynn out-dueled the Lions' Matt Stafford in a 45-41 shootout victory, in which he threw for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns. Are you kidding me? To me, this clearly shows that the Packers would have been relatively well-off without Rodgers. Whereas, on the other hand, the Saints and the Patriots could not have done much without their star quarterbacks.

Ultimately, at this point, I think the NFL MVP Award has to go to Drew Brees. Thus far he has done nothing but take care of business, and has done so in such a routine manner. To further his case, Brees broke records and put up phenomenal numbers, in addition to the Saints' 6th-ranked rush offense. The fact that Brees was able to put up the stats that he did, while managing the 6th best rush offense in the NFL is absolutely ridiculous, and that is why he should win the award.

Numbers from the 2011 NFL Regular Season

Week 17 of the NFL was one to remember. The Bengals and Broncos, who seemed to be in must-win situations in Week 17, both lost at home and still made the playoffs. The Jets choked. The Raiders and the Cowboys had a chance to clinch their divisions with a win, but both failed to do so.

Before we look ahead to this year’s NFL playoffs, let’s look back at some statistics from the NFL regular season.

Quarterbacks:

2011 was the year of the quarterback. The single season mark for passing yards was set by Dan Marino in 1984 with 5084 yards. Over 25 years later, the record was finally broken by Drew Brees (5476) by nearly 400 yards. Brees’s numbers overshadow another great season by Tom Brady who also broke Marino’s record by throwing for 5235 yards and finished fourth in touchdowns and third in QB rating. Aaron Rodgers, the leading candidate for this year’s NFL MVP, potentially could have also broken Marino’s record had he not sat out the Packers’ final game against the Lions. Speaking of the Lions, Matt Stafford finally remained healthy for an entire season. He threw for over 5000 yards, over 40 touchdowns and has the Lions in the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

In 2010, Philip Rivers led the NFL with 4710 yards. This year he threw for nearly the same amount of yards (4624), but finished sixth in passing yards. In 2011, there were 10 quarterbacks who threw for over 4000 yards. In 2010, neither Brady nor Rodgers surpassed 4000 yards. Only 5 quarterbacks did.

Best QB Duel:

Many records were broken during the Week 17 matchup between the Lions and Packers. The Packers already clinched the number one seed and the Lions already clinched a wild card spot, but had a chance to move up to the five seed with a win and a Falcons loss. Matt Stafford threw for 520 yards and 5 touchdowns. His 520 yards was the most by a quarterback all season eclipsing Tom Brady’s 517 yards in week 1. For the Packers, the 2008 seventh round draft pick Matt Flynn kept pace with Stafford and led the Packers to a win. Flynn threw for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns. He became the first Packers QB to throw for 6 touchdowns in a game. Not Aaron Rodgers, not Brett Favre, not Bart Starr. It was the first time opposing quarterbacks each threw for 400-plus yards and 5-plus touchdowns. Stafford and Flynn’s combined net passing yards also set an NFL single game record.

Runningbacks:

2011 was not a kind year to runningbacks. Jamaal Charles got a season-ending knee injury in mid-September, Darren McFadden didn’t play in any games after October, and Fred Jackson’s breakout season was cut short as he missed the final 6 games of the season. Other notable RBs who dealt with injuries this season include Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, Peyton Hillis, and Demarco Murray. Also, it looks like Rashard Mendenhall tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the playoffs for the Steelers.

So who had a good year? Maurice Jones Drew was the only tailback to average over 100 yards a game and finished with 1606 yards. He was the lone bright spot for the Jaguars who finished 5-11 and surprisingly third in the division. The Jaguars passing game is not very good, so many teams load the box to try and stop MJD. Also, the Jaguars are usually down in games and therefore need to throw the ball more. This makes it hard for MJD to be effective sometimes. Put him on a consistent playoff caliber team and he would be an MVP candidate.

No other runningback eclipsed 1400 yards, but Ray Rice (1364), Michael Turner (1340), and Lesean McCoy (1309) all had solid seasons.

Top Performaces of 2011

Week 7 (Rams-Cowboys): DeMarco Murray  25 rush   253 yards   1 TD

Week 12 (Cardinals-Rams): Beanie Wells   27 rush    228 yards   1 TD

Week 15 (Dolphins-Bills): Reggie Bush  25 rush    203 yards   1 TD

Wide Receivers

Arguably the NFL’s top receiver, Andre Johnson missed most of the season due to injury. This gave room for others to make a name for themselves. Calvin Johnson had a monster year with a healthy Matt Stafford and led the league with 1681 yards and 32 catches of 20-plus yards. Wes Welker had another great year for the Patriots. He finished second in yards (1569), and led the league in receptions (122) and yards after catch (707). Another receiver who had a great season was Victor Cruz. The Giants signed him even though he had zero career receptions and gave him playing time right away. He became an immediate big play threat, finishing third with 1536 receiving yards and averaging almost 19 yards per reception.

Top Performances of 2011

Week 17 (Lions-Packers): Calvin Johnson   11 rec     244 yards   1 TD

Week 3 (Bills-Patriots): Wes Welker   16 rec       217 yards      2 TD

Week 17 (Lions-Packers): Jordy Nelson   9 rec      162 yards     3 TD

Other Notable Numbers

Gronkowski vs. Graham

The record for receiving yards in a season by a tight end is 1290 by Kellen Winslow in the year 1980. Both Rob Gronkowski (1327) and Jimmy Graham (1310) broke Winslow’s record. Gronkowski had 17 touchdown receptions, which led the NFL and set a new record for a tight end. The previous record was 13 held by Antonio Gates in 2004 and Vernon Davis in 2009.

Penalties

The 1990 Kansas City Chiefs had the record for penalties (158) and penalty yards (1304). Those records were broken by this year’s Raiders. They had 163 penalties and 1358 penalty yards. With this lack of discipline, it’s amazing that they were only one win away from the playoffs.

Total Offense

The 2000 St. Louis Rams held the record for total offense in a season with 7074 yards. That offense had Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt, and Marshall Faulk. The Saints broke this mark recording 7474 yards of total offense.

Field Goals

David Akers kicked a total of 44 field goals this season breaking the record of 40 set by Neil Rackers in 2005. To top it off, he threw a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree on a fake field goal against the Rams, helping them clinch the number 2 seed in the NFC.

Rushing Defense

Since the NFL moved to a 16-game schedule in 1978, 11 teams have allowed only 4 rushing touchdowns in a season. The San Francisco 49ers broke this record, only allowing 3 rushing touchdowns all season, including 2 in their final game against the Rams.

2011 was a record breaking year and don’t be surprised to see more records broken in the playoffs and in the 2012 season.