SportsJudge.com to Provide Free Dispute Resolution Services to Fantasy College Football Invitational

On January 1, 2010, SportsJudge.com announced that it would begin providing free fantasy dispute resolution services to any fantasy sports league that donated 15% or more of its league entry fee to a SportsJudge.com approved charity.

In this spirit, SportsJudge has agreed to serve as the pro bono arbitrator to the Fantasy College Football Invitational--a fantasy college football league comprised of twenty industry writers, editors and analysts.

A link to the league's inaugural draft results is available here:

Off Season-Off Topic: Big Ten Expansion

Well, my friends, we find ourselves at an odd spot within the realm of fantasy football. With league champions freshly anointed, coaching changes in progression and the draft far off, it’s much too early to make predictions. Sure, I could make a conjecture or two, but let’s face it whatever I do say will either be (a) forgotten and/ or (b) amended due to the football shuffle that occurs during the coming months (and I’m not talking about anything conjured up by “Sweetness,” “Punky QB,” or “Samurai”) So what is there to talk about, well this is when I get to be a bit selfish with my choice of topics (as if I wasn’t already) and get to discuss those things especially near and dear to my heart. This week it’s the Big Ten. More specifically, the Big Ten expansion.

As many of you have already heard, there are many rumors circulating that the Big Ten is looking to expand. I, for one, whole heartedly support this move. For far too long have we Big Ten supporters suffered from shorter seasons, lack of conference Championship game excitement, and ridicule for our illogical name. But who should join? Here’s a quick glance at the current contenders.


Pitt:
Pros: Location, location, location. Evident by its name, the University of Pittsburgh is conveniently nestled in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania, placing squarely within Big Ten country. Thus, travel costs incurred by the universities, and fans alike, for all sports would be on par with what they are currently expending. Now, you may not think this is a big deal, but think about it. While football programs are not usually pinching their pennies when it comes to travel, lesser funded sports such as lacrosse, soccer and field hockey, which play many more games per year, aren’t as fortunate. As a result, the closer the schools are grouped together, the better it is for the majority of college athletics. Academically, Pitt fits in nicely with the rest of the Big 10 school s as it is a major research institute. With regards to athletics, adding Pitt would make two enormous contributions: (1) boost Big Ten basketball, and (2) giving PSU back its natural rivalry. Seriously, this charade with MSU needs to stop! No one cares. That Land Grant Trophy is fugly and I never want to see it again. Lastly, adding Pitt would seriously add to my entertainment as my father and I have agreed that if PSU and Pitt were ever to play again, we would get tickets, don our respective team’s apparel, and fight in the parking lot. This needs to happen.
Cons: Although, it’s conveniently located, the urban campus setting doesn’t really go with the land grant image of the Big Ten; but then again neither does OSU. Also, there are some grumblings that adding Pitt doesn’t make financial sense. Basically, the arguments are that (1) because Pitt is located in southwest PA, the Big Ten would not gain any further television markets because the area already shows OSU and PSU games, and (2) because Pitt cannot consistently filled is 65,050 capacity stadium, while OSU, PSU and Michigan regularly fill their 100,000+ stadiums, it would actually be Pitt who would benefit from addition and the Big Ten would be better off adding Notre Dame or Mizzou.

Notre Dame:
Pros: Notre Dame is located in the heart of Big Ten country and for that significance please refer to above because I am far too lazy to retype it. Also, as much as I hate to say it, Notre Dame is a crown jewel of college football and acquiring it would not only entail bringing in a prestigious school rich in tradition and history, but also an enormous fan base who is notoriously loyal. Evidence: (1) Despite their recent mediocrity, the Fighting Irish closed out their 2009 home schedule with their 212 consecutive sellout of their 80,795 capacity stadium…..Eat your heart out Pitt, (2) who doesn’t like Notre Dame just a little bit because of Rudy.
Cons: Since Notre Dame currently has a lucrative contract with NBC and has no troubling scheduling, Notre Dame could come at a high cost to the Big Ten, if they were willing to come at all.


Mizzou:
Pros: Mizzou fits in the Big 10 as a land grant university and a major research institute and geographically it makes sense as its both close and would provide a natural way to divide the Big 10 into East and West divisions. Hypothetically, West would contain Minnesota, Mizzou, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern and Wisconsin, while East would contain Michigan State, Michigan, OSU, PSU, Indiana and Purdue. Thus preserving the rivalries of Wisky-Minnesota and OSU-Michigan. Furthermore, Mizzou seems winning to consider the idea of joining and Missouri’s Governor has even suggested creating reciprocal tuition agreements with Big 10 schools, if it would join, like the one currently in place with Kansas.
Cons: Mizzou would be like a stranger to the Big 10 and some question whether the academic level is on par with the Big Ten (I’m not saying it, I’ve just read it several places), but I’m not familiar enough with Mizzou to make that judgment.


Rutgers:
Pros: On the rise (relatively) and could expand the Big 10 market into the New York/New Jersey area.
Cons: That market is too small to make the Big 10 salivate. Also, the Big 10 should be looking for a bigger name in college football to add who is more consistent. (My feelings on adding Rutgers are illustrated by the photograph to your right)



Nebraska:
Pros: Nebraska is almost everything the Big 10 is looking for. It fits the Midwestern flavor of the Big 10, is a land grant school, and is contiguous with current Big 10 states. Also, it brings the positives of Notre Dame (rich in history and tradition, huge fan base) without the pesky uppity-ness of being “too good for a conference.” Also, like Mizzou, adding Nebraska would create the natural East-West division which still preserves rivalries.
Cons: Doesn’t quite fit in with the Big 10 academically, I’m not putting down a Nebraska education, it’s just not known as a research institute.


Other names floating around: Texas (yes, Texas), WVU, Boston College and Maryland.

The House Takes on the BCS

As Matt mentioned yesterday, earlier this week the U.S. House of Representatives took further action on H.R. 390, which has a goal "To prohibit, as an unfair and deceptive act or practice, the promotion, marketing, and advertising of any post-season NCAA Division I football game as a national championship game unless such game is the culmination of a fair and equitable playoff system." [Bill Text Here]

This bill was introduced in January 2009 and the action this week, 11 months later, was that the Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection subcommittee sent the bill to the full Committee on Energy and Commerce.    From there it needs to be voted out of committee and sent to the House floor.  If it passes there, the bill needs to go through the Senate and signed by President before it becomes law.  If it gets that far, the bill doesn't take effect until January 31, 2011.

The bill has a very long way to go before it becomes law - if we ever get to that point - but let's try to examine why Congress has chosen this topic as something to spend its valuable time on.  The text of the bill identifies college football as interstate commerce and therefore under the direct jurisdiction of Congress.  Given that, Congress certainly has the right to address this topic, but aren't there more pressing things for Congress to deal with? 

I've always been skeptical of Congress getting involved in sports and I don't think this is any different.  However, since our representatives have taken little action on initial hearings on other sports related inquiries (i.e. steroids), I can't imagine this bill will make it out of committee, let alone see the President's desk.  Can you imagine a debate on the House or Senate floor about the pros and cons of a college football playoff?  Neither can I.... thankfully. Let's hope Congress gets back to other issues and leaves sports alone. 

NCAA Football: Conference Championship Weekend Craziness

Well, it is a bittersweet time of year. When the NCAA football season has pretty much ended, it is the first sign of what I believe is the most depressing time of year: the off season. We must now savor the sights of Bowl Season before hanging up the shoulder pads until spring practice. But even though the end of the season is upon us, the last week or so proved to be one of the most exciting in all of 2009, filled with record-breaking performances, tearful losses, and some darn good football.
ACC
In a 39-34 loss to Georgia Tech, CJ Spiller logged over 300 all-purpose yards and setting an ACC Championship record of 234 yards rushing, with 4 TDs. With how important Spiller is to his Clemson team, and how good he is, there is definitely an argument to be made that he should have been a finalist for the Heisman. Overall it was an exciting game, lading GT a spot in the Orange Bowl.

While Clemson will be playing in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 27, Florida State seemed to have had a visit from the Bowl-Fairy, receiving an invitation to the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1. This is (obviously) due to Bobby Bowden’s request that his final game be played in the State of Florida, against the team he started his major college football career with back in 1965 as an assistant, and took over the Head Coaching position in 1970. Wise decision, seeing as the Gator Bowl sold out within 2 hours of the announcement on Sunday night.

Big XII
A heart breaker if you’re a ‘Husker, a miracle if you’re a ‘Horn. Nebraska almost did what many thought would be impossible, but almost only counts in horseshoes. Colt McCoy played the cool-cowboy this weekend, as he got his team in place for a game-winning field goal with only 1 second remaining, and without a sense of urgency. Nebraska thought they had the game, the conference, and a BCS bid in hand, but McCoy casually shot that down with a floater-pass out of bounds, stopping the clock with just enough time for Hunter Lawrence to get the job done. And even though McCoy had a terrible performance throwing for only 184 yards and 3 INTs, he is one of the 5 players invited to NY for the Heisman presentation, and will be playing in the BCS Championship game. One-man wrecking-crew Ndamukong Suh logged 12 tackles and 4 sacks for Nebraska in the loss, but will join Colt McCoy in NY as a Heisman finalist.

PAC-10
LaMichael James ran for 166yds and three scores in a 37-33 Oregon victory over Oregon State for the PAC-10 title. LaGarrette Blount made his return to the field after sitting out for the now-infamous sucker-punching of Boise State LB Byron Hout in the season opener. But that’s not even the big news from the PAC-10 this weekend.

In one shocker, Washington destroyed No. 19 Cal 42-10. QB Jake Locker accounted for 5 TDs for the Huskies, as the Cal continued to miss stud-RB Jahvid Best. Washington had nothing to play for but pride, seeing as they will not be bowling this year. Cal will be playing Utah in the Poinsettia Bowl on Dec. 23.

Possibly the biggest news is Arizona’s upset of USC 21-17, as the Wildcats ended 2009 second in the conference, received their second consecutive bowl invitation, and recorded their best regular-season record in a decade. On the other end of the spectrum, USC had their worst season since Pete Carroll took the helm, and their first non-BCS bowl in 7 years.

SEC
Nothing big happened in the SEC this weekend. Other than No. 2 Alabama beating No. 1 Florida for the SEC Championship and a berth in the BCS Championship against Texas. Tim Tebow (literally) cried as Mark Ingram made his final argument for why he should win the Heisman, rushing for 113yds and 3TDs. Greg McElroy showed that he had a little Tim Tebow inside of him, as he went 12 of 18 for 239yds and a TD against the No. 1 defense in the nation. But along with his offensive productivity, McElroy showed that he had the leadership (and blocking skills) and other intangibles for him to ensure a trip to the National Championship, and was later rewarded with the SEC Championship MVP. But most impressive, was the Alabama rushing crew ended with a total of 251 rushing yards against the UF defense, most rushing yards allowed since Urban Meyer showed up in Gainesville.

As a consolation, UF will play in the Sugar Bowl against a (likely) coach-less Cincinnatti, seeing as Brian Kelly (who has enough of an Irish-sounding name to be head coach in South Bend) met with Notre Dame officials this past Tuesday. And after being named a finalist for the Heisman for the third time, Tim Tebow will be up against Mark Ingram one more time, but this time for a spot in the record books.

2 Minute Drill
Here are a few blurbs about how this week was crazy in other ways…..

-Regular season officially ends this weekend with Army v. Navy.

-No. 21 Houston defeated by Eastern Carolina for the Conference USA Title. Case Keenum went 56 of 75 for 527yds and 5TDs (43 total in ’09), but also threw 3INTs (9 total in 2009).

-Tennessee allegedly sending hot girls to high school football games to recruit players. Seems like an effective strategy, albeit against the NCAA rules.

-Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate, two of the best in the nation at their respective positions will enter NFL Draft.

-Congress closing in on NCAA Playoff: House of Representatives subcommittee within the Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation that would make it illegal to promote any NCAA football game as the ‘National Championship’ unless it is following a single-elimination tournament.

[Editor's Note: Rob Burckhard will discuss this topic in further detail at 5pm today.]

NCAA Fantasy Finals: Keep the stat-quo or make some changes?

This is it. Do or die. After blowing out my opponent by over 50 points last week, I have made it to the finals. I am competing for bragging rights, for pride, and for the (metaphorical) trophy. I am up against the team that had handed me my only loss on the season, and this being my first time making it to the finals, I am a little hesitant about making any moves on my roster. After debating with myself, I hoped there’s not much to do now but set my lineup, eat some turkey, and wait for the games to start. Or so I thought.

Eating turkey and waiting for the games to start was the easy part. Setting my lineup, not so much. Turns out my two stud QBs, Joe Webb and Kellen Moore will both face tough opponents this weekend. Moore and Boise State will face a Nevada team that is 7-0 in the WAC, and has won 8 straight games. Moore must show up big or risk losing not only the conference championship, but a BCS bid as well. On the other hand, Joe Webb tries to log one last W that would bring UAB to a bowl-eligible 6-6. This would be so much easier, if I could pick up Trevor Harris out of D-II Edinboro, who went 50 of 76 for 630yds and 7TDs (2 rushing)…in only his second game back from knee surgery. But because I couldn’t be so lucky, and because of the rushing and passing potential, I am going to stick with Webb. This should make for an interesting fantasy matchup, seeing as my opponent is starting Case Keenum, making this a battle of the top-2 fantasy players of 2009.

I had to do a bit of work on my team in other areas, seeing as both James Cleveland and Naaman Roosevelt, two of the top-15 WRs in the nation are at best questionable this weekend. Averaging over 8 receptions per game, if Cleveland is listed as injured, it will surely hurt my productivity this week. This, along with early reports stating Roosevelt will not be playing on Friday night, cause some concern. In order to quash that, I dropped Roosevelt and was somehow able to pick up Dexter McCluster from Ole Miss.

What’s great about McCluster, is the fact that he’s a RB listed as a WR, and only needs 97yds against Mississippi State in order to eclipse the 1,000yds on the season, making him the sixth-best fantasy WR in the nation. Chances are, you won’t get as lucky as I did, seeing as he is started in 90% of leagues, and owned in 94% on CBS. Starting Golden Tate and Danario Alexander, and with the addition of McCluster, my starting WRs make up three of the top-6 WRs in the nation. Hopefully this will ensure victory and year-long bragging rights.

Unfortunately, my backfield is in a similar position. Top-10 RB Bernard Pierce, who has been extremely productive averaging over 20FPts for 2009, will sit out as Temple plays Ohio for the MAC East title. Additionally, even though Darius Marshall will be back after sitting out last week with a knee injury, the Thundering Herd showed that they had plenty of depth at RB and would play the man with the hottest hand. This makes starting Marshall a risky move. In order to avoid such a risk, I dropped Pierce and picked up Frank Goodin out of Louisiana-Monroe. I have mentioned Goodin several times this season, and finally have the chance to utilize his talents, albeit in the last fantasy matchup of the season. If any of you need assistance at RB, Goodin is the way to go since he is owned in only 6% of leagues.

This is the season to be thankful, and I sure am thankful for college football, the internet, and thus, NCAA Fantasy football. Lets hope I can be thankful through the offseason. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

NCAA Admissions Standards and Athletes: A Look at the Blurry Line Between Athletes and Students

[Guest writer Tae Phillips takes an in-depth look at NCAA admissions standards for athletes and the real cost of college athletic powerhouses.]

For my opening post here on SportsJudge Blog, I want to share a bit of insight on something that I wrote on while I was law school. We are a little over halfway through the college football season (amazing how time flies) and this topic is probably last on anyone’s mind. For instance, my beloved Crimson Tide is #3 in the BCS and I am already looking at flights to Pasadena and figuring out how I can lowball people on Christmas gifts so I can have more money to upgrade my seat in the Rose Bowl on January 7. People in the Midwest are dreaming Heisman for Jimmy Clausen. On the west coast, fans are crunching the numbers more than an MIT honor student trying to figure out how Boise can sneak into the championship game or whether USC can ride Matt Barkley’s right arm to a hometown BCS showdown. And people on the east coast are…well nothing (sorry ACC fans, just joking).

What people definitely are not thinking about, myself included, is how these guys got into school in the first place? And whether or not they are the reason why Joe Middle Class Somebody is going to community college or working for the man straight out of high school.

I won’t bore you with the ridiculously confusing NCAA standards on admission for student-athletes. I’ll sum it up for you and save you the trouble: It’s not hard to get in. Now, granted, the NCAA sets its own admissions standards, and each individual school and conference has the freedom to fashion their own. The NCAA standards are the bottom threshold only. But, a closer look at the admissions standards for each individual school shows that there is a different standard for student-athletes and regular students.

Although it is a well-known fact that student-athletes can push the limits of a school’s admissions standards, there have been only a few actual documented cases. However, they represent an accurate cross-section of the situation as a whole. For example, Chris Washburn was one of the best college basketball players of his era in the mid 80s at N.C. State. The average SAT score for admitted students his freshman year was 1030. Chris Washburn’s SAT score was 470. Kevin Ross, the subject of a lawsuit in the early 90s famous for coining the term “negligent admission,” was admitted to Creighton despite scoring in the bottom 5th percentile of ACT test takers.

In addition, this policy of admitting student-athletes who are on the bottom fringe, or even below, college admissions standards is not present at only large state universities. Student-athletes are gaining advantages in admissions at academically elite schools like Georgetown, Stanford, and Ivy League schools. So the next time you hear a Vanderbilt, Northwestern, or Duke fan say, “Yeah well we have less to work with because of our academic standards….,” they are right. They do have less to work with, but they are still reaching below their academic standards to try to field competitive teams.

Why is this happening? The recent boom of recruiting, booster involvement, pressure on head coaches, and the fact that college athletics is the biggest money making asset that a school has, all contributes to this issue. Honestly, who has more power at USC? Is it the admissions director, or is it Pete Carroll and his 85-90ish percent winning percentage at the school?

So what’s all the fuss about? Everyone’s happy. Fans are happy because their teams are winning. Coaches are happy because they get great talent. Schools are happy because they’re making tons of money. Who is the only possible person who might not be happy? Well, it might be the person who didn’t get into “X” University because that spot went to an athlete.

I won’t bore you too long with black letter law Constitutional Law, God knows I wasn’t a big fan of it when I was in law school so I doubt that the general person off the street will be enamored by it either. The Equal Protection Clause is your guiding principle. Everyone has a general knowledge of this Constitutional provision. Without getting too technical, basically, all people should be treated the same. Now, judicial scrutiny comes in different levels when it comes to Equal Protection. Basically, any type of racial classification is subject to strict judicial scrutiny, meaning that any type of racial classification is going to have to meet high thresholds in order to be upheld as Constitutional. Race is classified as a “protected class.” The US Supreme Court has declined to ever include University admissions in any type of “protected class.”

The US Supreme Court has not been completely silent on issues relating to higher education. In 1957, the case of Sweezy v. New Hampshire established the “academic freedom” doctrine, allowing schools to have wide discretion in what is taught, who is admitted, etc. There have also been several affirmative action based cases, notably Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1968) (striking down racial quotas in a medical school class); Gratz v. Bollinger (2003) (striking down a points-based admissions policy giving points based on race); and Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) (upholding law school admission policy that did not utilize racial quotas).

So, we know that judicial scrutiny is not going to be as high for classifications based on athletic ability as it is for racial classifications. But, really, what’s the difference? There is a class allotment at every school in the country. Athletes are given a certain number of these spots. Athletic scholarships, for all intents and purposes, are forms of quotas.

There are many arguments made for giving preference to athletes. I have heard arguments that it is an indirect form of racial diversity. Well…is the minority who excelled in the marching band getting a drastic break in his SAT score like the DB who runs a 4.4 40? I have heard arguments that athletics is just one of many factors that may give a boost to an applicant. But it is clear that athletics is getting an unusually heavy boost.

As one school official said, “I’m waiting for some father or mother who is a lawyer to take some institution to court on this (because their child wasn’t admitted despite having much higher test scores).” There is room for people to come forward and challenge the current system. In today’s world, where everyone is always feeling wronged and anyone is capable of suing anyone else for anything…is it just a matter of time before this becomes an issue? For every spot in a freshman class that an athlete takes, someone else with a better or similar academic record is going to receive a rejection letter.

To check out the full article I wrote on this topic, you can go here

- Tae Phillips

Week 7 - Still Sticking with Smaller Schools' Studs

QB Update

Ok, so I was wrong about Christian Ponder…again. The Seminoles’ QB had a career day, going 26 of 36, throwing for 358yds and 5TDs in a loss to Georgia Tech (45 fantasy points). But, I don’t take back what I said about inconsistency – as a result of the obvious up-and-down play of the rest of the team. Even though he is a top-15 fantasy QB, I would play him with caution (not this week – FSU is on a Bye).

Aaron Opelt threw for 85yds and 0 TD, but received an injury to his throwing shoulder in the first quarter and will likely not be in the lineup in Week 7. Even if he does play, I would be hesitant as a result of the injury, and with the multitude of options in NCAA Fantasy, its kinda fun to switch it up and try new guys.

On that note, I gave Kellen Moore a shot last night. Honestly, the main reason is because of Boise State’s need to blow out Tulsa in order to impress the BCS voters. (Not to mention Tulsa’s 48^th-ranked pass defense). Well, even though the Broncos failed to blow Tulsa away, Moore went 21 for 29 with 187yds and 3 scores. He landed me a pretty good 25 points, to give me a pretty good start to this week. We all know about the recurring (read: nagging) Boise State controversy – they can’t get into the BCS Championship because of their schedule – which makes Moore someone to look out for throughout the remainder of the season…he has the potential to put up big numbers against weaker opponents.

Tight Ends

Until I saw on the Bottom-Line on ESPN, I didn’t realize I had failed to talk about TEs. I had been playing Caz Piurowski out of FSU, who was a top-10 fantasy TE up until he suffered a season-ending knee injury on Saturday against Georgia Tech. I would have liked to grab Dorin Dickerson out of Pitt, but he was already taken in my league. Dickerson seems to be able to find the end-zone, recording 7TDs and 230yds on the season, so take him if you can.

Instead, I am going with Jesse Rack out of Buffalo who, along with Naaman Roosevelt provide the primary red-zone targets for Zach Maynard. Buffalo is not doing so hot this year, but they play Akron (0-2, 1-4) this weekend, so it could end up being beneficial. Again, the obvious risk is if Maynard has a terrible passing day, I could shoot myself in the foot going with both Rack and Roosevelt. But, I’ll give it a shot and let you know.

Running Backs

Obviously, if you can grab fantasy production-machine Jacquizz Rodgers out of Oregon State (13TD on almost 700yds), do it! But if not, Darius Marshall panned-out for me in Week 6. He ran for 98yds and 2TDs, giving me 21pts. Even though Marshall plays a solid West Virginia squad, I’m going to keep Marshall in my active lineup, because he seems to be the Thundering Herd’s go-to guy.

But, you might also want to consider either of a pair of RBs from a surprising 5-1 Idaho. This scary dual-headed monster plays a Hawaii team that’s dead-last in the WAC. Both Princeton McCarty (125yds/16att/TD) and DeMaundray Woolridge (93yds/18att/2TD) put up some competitive fantasy numbers, although Woolridge has 8TD on the year. If you’re a risk taker, pick ‘em both up, but that seems too rich even for my blood.

Just some things to think about.

College Fantasy Football Week 6 Preview – Look to the Non-BCS teams For Studs

A couple weeks ago, I spoke all high and mighty about Florida State Football and the ‘brilliance’ they were about to show. I was wrong. Christian Ponder didn’t pan out, and it showed on my total score for weeks 4 and 5. Even though he went 29-for-42 and 341yds against Boston College, he had no TDs. (And don’t even get me started on the USF game). I think he is one of the best QBs FSU has seen in a long time, but the rest of the offense is not giving enough support for him to be a viable fantasy QB. And with all the coaching distractions going on around Tallahassee this week, I doubt it will get much better. So, it’s time for me to take my own advice, and not choose players based on my love for a particular team.

My next move for QB is Aaron Opelt out of Toledo. Other than the Zips’ game against Ohio State, Opelt has thrown for no less than 319 yards, eclipsing the 400 yard mark twice. After rushing for 109yds against Colorado, Opelt also showed he could get the job done on the ground. He seems to be a fantasy machine. Along the same lines, Eric Page (WR – Toledo) seems to be a good candidate as well. I have both won and lost many games based on starting a QB/WR combo, so its risky business, especially in pay-leagues. But, the Opelt-Page combo looks pretty nice this week against a 2-3 Western Michigan.

With big-time-scorers Golden Tate (WR – Notre Dame) and Mardy Gilyard (WR – Cincinnati) both on out a bye-week, you should also take a look at a pair of WRs from upstate New York: Mike Williams from Syracuse (averaging 125yds and a TD per game) or Naaman Roosevelt from Buffalo (nearly 600yds on the season). Page, Roosevelt and Williams are my 3 wideouts this weekend – we’ll see if I have to eat my own words.

My latest pick-up in the backfield is Darius Marshall out of (none other than) Marshall. The Herd travel down to the Big Easy to take on Tulane, who have allowed over 200 yards three times this season. I’m hoping that Marshall can take exploit this weak defense and rack up the points for me. I picked up Marshall instead of Toby Gerhart out of Stanford, only because of the Tulane defense. Gerhart’s 650yds and 8TDs on the season are pretty impressive, but you never know what might go on over there on the West Coast and in the PAC-10. Finally, another viable (yet not-quite-proven) candidate for one of my starting RB positions has been Frank Goodin out of LA-Monroe. Goodin has 8TDs, finding the end-zone three times against both Florida International and Texas Southern. He seems to be somewhat inconsistent (only 62yds and 0TDs against Arizona State in week 3), but hopefully Goodin will be able to capitalize against a 1-3 Arkansas St. this weekend.

Lessons learned since my last appearance 2 weeks ago: I am taking my own advice and staying away from “my” team’s players – they let me down both as a fan and as a fantasy coach; so be careful. Additionally, I am concentrating more on the smaller schools’ studs. They are definitely the ones at the top of the stat-sheets. Play the numbers; they don’t lie.

Fanhood and Fantasy: The splendors and spoils of drafting the home team

Just like any other fantasy team, you have to play for the points in college. Being from one of the states where football reigns supreme, college football in Florida reigns supreme. Now, this could be my opinion, maybe go as far as I say as my bias, but it seems to me that college football is a fan favorite down here. The problem with this, is that many times fantasy coaches will base their team off of what Bobby/Jimbo or Urban Meyer do on the field. Sometimes, these choises can be real good, but other times it fails to translate into points on the computer.

1. Don’t pick a player just because they’re on your team……most of the time.

Tim Tebow is big down here (as all over the place), but I doubt anyone out there has picked up Christian Ponder out of Florida State – and they’re both top 10 fantasy QBs. In fact, only 6% of owners on CBS have picked him up. Ponder put up some stellar numbers against BYU last week. Everyone thought that FSU would get embarrassed, but Ponder (21 of 26, 195yds, 2 TDs, passing; 77yds rushing on 11 attempts) scored 32 points and led the Seminoles to a big (read: huge) win. He laid down 31 points in week 1 against UM, and if it weren’t for that terrible game, in the rain, against Jacksonville State, Ponder might be a top 5 QB.

2. Leave your comfort zone; go to California.

Obviously, everyone knows who Jahvid Best is. If you hadn’t before last weekend, you sure do now after 5 TD on 131 yds rushing against Minnesota. Best is a beast, and you cant go wrong with him. But, you also might want to check out Fresno State RB Ryan Matthews. After 234 yds on 19 attempts and finding the endzone 3 times against Minnesota, the most impressive part of him was the ability to break a big play not once or twice, but all 3 TD runs were over 60 yards. I don’t see either RBs slowing down soon.

3. Offenses win games; Defenses win championships.

The National Champs and the Runner-Up have 2 of the best defenses in the nation. Florida is pretty good. They’re consistent. And even though they only have 4 INTs and 4 sacks, they have allowed only 672 yds all season. Yes, one of those teams was barely a notch-above a high school team, but even in their SEC schedule, I see the Defense scoring consistent points. Keep an eye out for Oklahoma. 12 sacks + 9 takeaways – (only) 670 yds allowed = a real good squad. But, a team that some – but might not all – would have guessed to dominate is Boise State. They own the WAC (and your fantasy league) and will continue to do so.

4. The moral of the story.

Use your knowledge of your team and its schedule…but don’t let your fanhood get in the way of your fantasy success.

SportsJudge.com PTI: Tim Tebow

[Editors Note: Welcome to the first edition of SportsJudge.com's take on PTI. On a bi-weekly basis, SportsJudge.com authors, Chris Stanley and Adam Primm, will take on a PTI type debate about a topic of their choosing. Chris and Adam are friends, roommates, and Ohio State law students. Interstingly, they kicked their coverage off with a man that helped break the hearts of millions of Buckeye fans across the nation, Tim Tebow.]

Chris Stanley: I want to preface this by saying that I think Tim Tebow is a great football player and a great person. I really appreciate athletes who use the spotlight to be role models and influence society in a positive way. Tebow definitely has my respect both on and off the field. I just get tired of hearing about how wonderful he is. If you watched any games last year I am sure you heard Tebow getting praised left and right. How many times did you see the interview where he rambled on about how he would never let the Gators lose again? How many times do we have to hear Urban Meyer tell us how good Tebow is and how there has never been a coach-player relationship that has been so positive in the history of mankind?

All of these things were very annoying to me, but we have seen this type of treatment before (see Brady Quinn’s Heisman campaign). But what really became ridiculous, what REALLY irritates me, is when the announcers in all of the Florida games act like the Gators are a one-man show. “Did you see that tackle on the kick-return? I will tell you who made that play possible…TIM TEBOW. He gave an amazing pep talk in the huddle right before the kick which inspired (insert random unimportant non-Tebow Florida Gator player here) to make that tackle. Man this kid is great. Lets put up a big statue of him when he gets back from his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance ceremony. Enough already. Florida has many great players and while Tebow is the leader of that team, give them some credit too.

Adam Primm: I agree with you that the media needs to stop with Tebow. The only knock I have on Tebow is that the media won’t stop talking about him, and honestly, they don’t need to. Tim Tebow’s accomplishments, both on and off the field, speak for themselves, and they speak loudly. In three seasons, Tebow has won 2 national championships, one as a key offensive weapon and one as the do-it-all quarterback. In between those two seasons all he did was win a Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, the first in NCAA history. That season, Tebow became the first player in college football history to run and pass for 20 touchdowns in the same season.

As a freshman, Tebow was second on the team in rushing as the backup quarterback. Ponder that for a minute and think of how absurd it sounds.
When he won the Heisman as a sophomore, Tebow finished the season with 29 passing touchdowns and only 6 interceptions leading to the second highest quarterback rating in the country (177.8) and 3132 yards. On the ground, Tim added 838 yards (on only 194 carries) and another 22 touchdowns. That’s 51 touchdowns in only 11 games, a total that surpassed that of 87 Division 1-A TEAMS.
Last year as a junior, Tebow threw for 30 touchdowns against only 4 interceptions (that’s 59 TDs against only 10 interceptions in 2 seasons for those of you keeping track) while throwing for 2746 yards and rushing for 673 yards and 12 touchdowns while sharing touches on the ground with 3 other 600 yard running backs.
Tebow is obviously showing how good he is on the field.

The speech that you condemn is one of the reasons I like Tebow so much. He put himself out there and assured the fans and the media that he would be responsible for the Gators this season and he would not let them lose. I can’t remember the last time I saw a professional or college player show that much passion. By putting himself out there on national television all season, he also deflected attention from the rest of the team and put it on himself. While some may see this as selfish, I see it as Tebow being the consummate leader. After the Gators suffered a disappointing loss, Tebow deflected the harsh criticism from the rest of the team and put it on himself, like a true leader. However, when the Gators win, you never see or hear Tebow say “look at me, I won this game.” Instead, he, correctly, deflects praise to his team. As a 21 year old college student, he has already recognized the importance of accepting blame and sharing praise. As a leader, he also understands the need to motivate his teammates. Some may see him getting into the special teams huddles as annoying, but let’s be honest, those gunners are either pumped up to make the tackle because of it or are scared to face him on the sideline if they miss the tackle. Emotion, whether intensity or fear, can be a strong motivator. While Tebow is not responsible for making the tackle, he is the emotional leader of the Gators, and he does everything he can to pump up his teammates to try to increase their play.

While I could see Tebow being a successful H-back in the NFL, I don’t know why the NFL draft gurus do not see Tebow as a future quarterback.
• Strong, accurate arm, check
• Upper and lower body strength that shows the ability to shed tacklers and fight through injuries, check
• Scrambling ability, check
• Maturity and leadership, check
• Heart and desire, check
If my team didn’t already have Ben Rothlisberger at quarterback, Tebow would be one of three quarterbacks (including Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford) in this year’s draft or currently in college that I would want on my team.

One more thing about Tebow: how many Heisman trophy winners that have won two national championships return for their senior season and don’t bolt to the NFL for the money? Also, how many spend the off-season on mission trips to Southeast Asia? I have heard people say that it is just a show and that he can’t really be like that, but let’s be honest. If it was just a show, Tebow would be spending a week in Texas or Florida building a house through Habitat for Humanity for a week, he wouldn’t be spending extended time anywhere overseas. In an era when young athletes are “making it rain” at night/strip clubs and raising pit bulls to kill each other, why are we criticizing Tebow for his passion, heart, and commitment to helping others?

In an era where athletes are more likely to get arrested then they are to graduate, Tim Tebow is a breath of fresh air. He is a hard-working, successful athlete who is committed to finishing his education at Florida while also honoring what he sees as a responsibility to help others. While the media is overbearing in how much they fawn over Tebow, let’s not punish this young man for the attention they give him. Tebow is not working for the attention; he is just being himself and we should appreciate the accomplishments of this talented athlete, both on and off the field.

Chris Stanley: A few points. First, would you go pro if everyone worshiped you in college? I do appreciate his accomplishments and I am not trying to punish him in any way. But come on, how much of this do we have to take? You said “when the Gators win, you never see or hear Tebow say “look at me, I won this game.” Instead, he, correctly, deflects praise to his team.” The reason Tebow doesn’t deflect praise is because he doesn’t have to. The media is all over it before it even happens. Are you telling me the Gators don’t have any special teams players who can motivate themselves? And do you really think those guys go out there “afraid” of what Tebow might do to them if they don’t make a tackle? Come on man. Hey Adam, have you ever considered applying for a job with ABC? I think you would be perfect for their Saturday night games when Tim Tebow plays on national television. What is his team called again?