WEEKEND FOOTBALL PREVIEW

Even with a slow week in football, Andrew Jacobsen returns with another WEEKEND FOOTBALL PREVIEW:

What a week huh? We elected a new president and…well…ummmmmmmmmm…hmmmmmm…what else? Geez. I can’t think of anything. Yeah, sure it was a big week because of the election and everything that happen on Tuesday BUT…

It was a boring week in sports. Seriously. What BIG news stories happen this week in football? Yeah, the #1 college football team lost….again. That wasn’t tremendously unexpected though. BIG NFL news? Brady Quinn starts for the Browns and plays well in his first start. Really? That’s the biggest NFL news all week? Ugh! How boring. Looks like we are in a little bit of a mid-season lull. I mean, I can only hear people complain about the BCS for so long before I want to blow my own head off. You know?

Well, with nothing for me to comment on here, lets get to the games.

College ‘ball

Alabama/LSU – On paper, this has the makings of a very interesting matchup. Nick Saban returns to LSU…and they still haven’t gotten over him leaving down there. They would like nothing better then to beat Saban and take down the #1 team in the country and likely ruin Alabama’s shot at a national championship. Will that happen? I don’t think so. But still, it would be something if it did, which makes this game a “must watch.”

Penn St./Iowa – I still, despite being at #3 in the latest BCS, think that Penn St. is in control of their own destiny to the national championship game. I still don’t think any team in the SEC or BIG-12 (certainly both) will finish undefeated. Therefore, this could be the biggest test left for Penn State and a undefeated season. Personally, I want Penn State to lose. I still don’t think they are a top 5 team in the country. Go Iowa!

Oklahoma St/Texas Tech – WOW! What happen? How did two virtually ignored programs in the BIG-12 all the sudden ascend to a point to where they are the “must watch” college football game of the weekend? Crazy huh? Must watch…well…not if you live on the pacific coast. Instead, we will have to sit through another USC beat down of a mediocre Pac-10 team (Cal). Oh boy! Once again I will not be able to watch maybe the best game of the weekend. I HATE YOU PAC-10! I HATE YOU!

[Editor's Note: Again with people bashing the Pac-10! This is ABC's fault. They had every opportunity to move the USC game to 12:30 and leave 5pm alone. But everyone loooooves to put down the West Coast. Enough!]

The Pros

One game in the books already (a pretty good game at that) and a good number of interesting matchups this weekend…

NO/ATL – Geez. Who would have thought at the beginning of the year that this matchup would be a pivotal game in the race for division leader in the NFC South? I sure didn’t…nor did I thin the Falcons would have a better record then the Saints at this point of the season. Falcons have kind of quietly been a very, very good team this year. Interesting QB matchup here too with Brees going against the NFL Rookie of the Year (so far), Matt Ryan.

[Second Editor's Note: Am I the only one who thought the Falcons were going to be vastly improved this year? It's not like the Bucs or Panthers posed any legitimate threat to dominate the South. Just saying...]

BUF/NE – What the hell happen to my Bills? I was drinking the Bills kool-aid two weeks ago (after beating SD) but now they have dropped two in a row. Both teams are tied atop the AFC East and this game could go a long way in determining who wins that AFC East.

TEN/CHI – Welcome back Rex Grossman…ohhhhh, how we have missed you. Seriously, its great to have him back, right? And against the leagues best defense nonetheless…what a treat! I think its going to be good times watching the highlights of this one Sunday night…probably will be the funniest thing on TV all night. Can the Titans remain undefeated?

INDY/PIT – Once again, another one of those ‘must win” games for the Colts. Seriously, how many of those can one team have in a season? The Colts still aren’t right. I mean, they barely beat a weakened NE team at home last week. Now the get the Steelers who will likely be without Big Ben AND Willie Parker. Two teams that are a shell of their former selves. Sounds like a great game to watch to me!

NYG/PHIL – Oh yes…another NFC east battle. Can’t forget this one. Eagles seem to be getting healthier after a tough time of it there in October. It’s a crowded division but the Giants can once again create a good amount of separation between them and the teams trying to catch them with a win here…and on the road. Should be a good one to end the day with on Sunday.

Welp..thats it I guess. Have a great weekend everybody and enjoy the games.

Andrew Jacobsen

Our New Chief: Barack Obama

I could have gone with a snappy title, but it's time to offer my thoughts straight up tonight.

Barack Obama, at about 11pm ET, clinched the Presidential Election to become our next United States President. It's a huge win for Obama, a big win for Civil Rights, and a great win for the Democrats.

The biggest winner of all is America. Record turnout in many states and precincts. What a great tribute to the spirit of America and to its youth, who responded greater than ever before. America truly came together and raised its voice, shouting "individuals like us truly CAN make a difference."

I certainly hope, in the future, it doesn't take a series of catastrophic events to make the American Populace vote. However, it is touching indeed to see the nation celebrate in joy and glee. Certainly, for the McCain camp, it wasn't all joyful, but for those of you voting McCain, hold your head up high! Your vote, no matter where it went, is appreciated, respected, and wanted.

Let us hope that the mudslinging we normally see in political media can take a back seat for a little while, as America celebrates... America!

Steelers: best defense in the NFL! (all precincts reporting)

What's in a defense?

Six sacks
Six points allowed
and one mean flurry of hard hitting tackles!

Imagine that! In a game that determines the election 15 out of 16 times, the Steelers DOMINATED on Defense and didn't look back. They took a team that hadn't thrown an interception in 12 games and forced TWO of them.

If there was any question who had the fiercest defense in the NFL, it was whisked away in an avalanche of Terrible Towels this Monday. What a fantastic performance by the venerable Steelers defense against the Washington Redskins! The Redskins are no slouch either. Going in they allowed the 8th fewest points in the NFL and owned several statistical defensive categories.

The Titans appear to be the best defensively, but while they manage to beat up lousy teams like Kansas City, Houston, and Cincinnati, the Steelers clashed with all the big boys: Philadelphia, New York, and now Washington. In those three games, the Steelers held its opponent to 15, 21, and 6 poitns respectively.

Hard hitting comes with a price, and tonight it could have been the health of Big Ben Roethlisberger. Hopefully, Roethlisberger's shoulder injury isn't serious, but that said, Byron Leftwich did rather well off the bench. The Steelers are poised to make a huge run, and if they do, it will be on the shoulders of their dynamite defense!

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Speaking of elections...

Many of you are familiar with how the Redskins' last home game before a Presidential Election determines the winner. If the 'skins win, the incumbent party wins, Senator John McCain to be exact. If they lose, the other party wins, in this case Senator Barack Obama.

The Obama campaign was sure to set aside its differences and become Steeler fans for a night.

Did anyone get a chance to watch Chris Berman's interview with both candidates at halftime? I thought it was rudimentary, but effective. Berman isn't much of an interviewer, but he asked three basic questions to both men. Both of them gave good answers and gave a touch of their personal side in between.

I think it's important to distinguish these candidates as human beings. Too often we associate a nominee with an ideal or a platform, but we lose sight of the fact that these are people, just like any of us.

Whatever happens, I hope ALL of you make it to the polls tomorrow and cast your vote for President! Don't forget to vote on your local issues and propositions. It is our honor and privilege, earned through the sacrifice of many men and women. Let's do our nation a favor and make a difference. Bottom line: GO VOTE!!