Golden Football Rankings

Welcome to the Home of the Golden Football Rankings
MONDAY MORNING, November 9, 2009
November 9 Baseball Magazine – Paul Dean's Rough Start
Saints-Panthers Comments [11/8]
Golden College Rankings after Ten Weeks
LSU-Alabama Comments [11/8] - The football gods smiled on the Tide.
November 8 Football Magazine - Seven INTs, Seven FGs | My Week 10 Picks [10-12]
Golden NFL Rankings after Eight Weeks – Saints Back on Top [11/3]
November 1 Golden Basketball Magazine [11/1]

My live NFL Game: Panthers @ Saints
My pictures from earlier games

Golden College Rankings after Ten Weeks

Complete Golden Rankings after Ten Weeks

LSU is the only team to drop out of Top Ten (to #14). No change in conference rankings.

Golden Top Ten

Team

Average

Last Week

BCS

1. Florida
2.71

1

1

2. Alabama
2.63

3

2

3. TCU
2.50

5

4

4. Texas
2.47

4

3

5. Cincinnati
2.20

7

5

6. Iowa
2.14

2

10

7. Boise State
2.10

8

6

8. Georgia Tech
1.96

9

7

9. Oregon
1.82

6

13

10. Ohio State
1.72

17

11

Golden Conference Rankings
Conference
Avg.

Last Week

SEC
0.626

1

Big East
0.601

2

PAC 10
0.431

3

Big 10
0.365

5

Big 12
0.328

4

ACC
0.220

6

Mountain West
-0.135

7

WAC
-0.533

8

CUSA
-0.651

9

Sun Belt
-0.959

10

MAC
-1.069

11

Largest jump from last week: Kansas State +19 | Largest drop: Washington -18
Toughest schedule so far: Washington | Easiest schedule: Ohio
Golden College Rankings Rules for 2009

LSU-Alabama Comments [11/8]

A bitter defeat in Tuscaloosa. I'm proud of the team's effort. The coaching staff had an excellent game plan against a team that may well win the BCS Championship. But the football gods smiled on the Tide so that we'll always be left wondering what might have been. Consider:

LSU played without its starting TE Richard Dickson.

LSU played over half the game without starting QB Jordan Jefferson.

LSU played Q4 without its top RB, Charles Scott.

LSU played much of the game without LB Perry Riley, who would have helped corral Ingram.

Patrick Peterson left the game three times because of cramps. (More on that below.) During one of his absences, Julio Jones got loose for the go-ahead TD.
Note: Yes, I'm aware that Alabama has lost several key players for the season. But it's easier to replace a player in advance of a game than to do so during the heat of battle. And the Tide didn't lose its QB and top RB.

The officials missed three calls blatantly in Alabama's favor.

In Q2, a rusher led with his helmet into Jefferson's chest. No flag thrown. It should have been 15 yd for hitting helmet-first and a first down. Instead, LSU had to punt.

In Q4, a Bama rusher put his hand on/in the facemask of the OG and pushed him back at least five yards right in front of referee Thomas Ritter. Again, no 15-yd penalty. LSU had to punt.

And, of course, the much-discussed INT by Patrick Peterson. Cox Sports showed a replay Saturday night from ground level on the LSU sideline behind the play. Peterson clearly had his left foot well in bounds. Why did neither official see that? If they had called it an INT, would the replay official have upheld that call on the field as well? (More on this call and SEC officiating below.)

Questions for Les Miles:

WHY DO YOU GO FOR TWO BEFORE Q4? It was dumb to try for two when leading 15-10 in Q3. There's too much football left to know whether a two-point conversion is wise at that point. Kick the point for 16-10. Then, in Q4, Saban won't go for two because the TD would have put them up 19-16. So they kick the point for 20-16, then kick a FG for 23-16. You're still only a TD and PAT behind, not 9 points behind. SIMPLE RULE ALL COACHES SHOULD FOLLOW: NEVER GO TO TWO UNTIL Q4, EVEN IF YOU MISS A PAT EARLY.

WHY IS A PLAYER OF PATRICK PETERSON'S CALIBER HAVING CRAMPS IN GAME 9 OF HIS SOPHOMORE SEASON? Shouldn't his conditioning regimen prevent that?

WHY DID LEE LINE UP UNDER CENTER SO MUCH? Isn't he more comfortable in the shotgun and the spread formation? When he first came into the game, you ran four wides, three on one side. Why didn't we see more of that formation, especially when we fell behind in Q4?

DON'T WE HAVE ANY D LINEMAN WHO CAN REPLACE ALEM WHEN IT'S OBVIOUS THE OPPONENT IS RUNNING THEIR PLAYS RIGHT AT HIM? He's only 254.

Questions for SEC Commissioner Mike Slive and Director of Officials Rogers Redding:

Mr. Commissioner, you can fine the coaches all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you have MAJOR problems with your officials. And I'm not talking about their competency, which has been clearly damaged by replays and by your own admission in suspending one of your crews. If you read the SEC blogs and fan postings, which I'm sure you don't, you'll find widespread QUESTIONING OF THE INTEGRITY OF YOUR OFFICIALS. Yesterday's marquee game gave more fuel to the conspiracy theorists who are convinced that THE OFFICIALS TILT CALLS IN FAVOR OF FLORIDA AND ALABAMA BECAUSE IT IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE LEAGUE TO MAKE SURE THEY GO UNDEFEATED AND MAKE BCS BOWLS, WITH ONE OF THEM IN THE BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. This is not just coming from the disgruntled fans of one or two schools but has spread across most of the conference. LSU fans had not joined in the chorus because the Tigers had not been victimized yet. But they will now. When the game was stopped to replay the Peterson INT, I knew the gutless SOB (Gerald Hodges) in the replay booth wouldn't overturn the call on the field, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN INT IN THE FIRST PLACE SINCE PATRICK WAS CLEARLY INBOUNDS WITH TWO OFFICIALS LOOKING AT IT FROM FRONT AND BACK.

Does the replay official see the same video footage that nationwide viewers see? Or does he get feeds from the in-house television system? The replays on the large screens in the end zones at Tiger Stadium are from the Cox Sports cameras which are part of Cox's taped presentation of each game on Sunday night. I believe Alabama has a similar setup since Cox has shown Alabama Network replays in the past. If the replay official sees only the home team's in-house telecast views, isn't that a setup that invites questions about the integrity of the system? Why can't the replay official see all the views, the in-house ones and the CBS or ESPN angles as well? CBS announcer Gary Danielson, after looking at his network's replays, decided that Peterson had made an INT. But did Mr. Hodges see those views? Here is what the official SEC Instant Replay Policy says:
"All reviewable video comes direct from either the television network broadcasting the game (CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN2, Lincoln Financial) or other TV production facilities that meet established conference standards."
It's that "other TV production facilities" that raises questions.

I know that Redding is a Georgia Tech grad because the Georgia fans are convinced he has told his officials to get their team since the Florida game of 2007 (hence the excessive celebration call in the LSU game). And I know that officials are not assigned to call games of their alma maters (which is why Steve Shaw doesn't do Alabama games). But there is a rumor that MOST OF THE SEC OFFICIALS LIVE IN ALABAMA. In the 2006 LSU @ Auburn game, which had the ridiculous picking up the flag for interference in the end zone because "the ball was uncatchable" (which was certainly true since the receiver had been tackled by the D-back), it was pointed out that several of the officials on that crew lived in Alabama and were therefore subject to pressure from their neighbors for calls they made or didn't make against Auburn. So, Mr. Commissioner, WHY NOT PUBLISH A BREAKDOWN OF THE STATES IN WHICH YOUR OFFICIALS LIVE? I don't mean a listing of each official and his hometown (which is clearly not wise in order to avoid harassment of them) but something like "13 live in Georgia, 25 live in Alabama," etc. And if a disproportionate number of them live in Alabama or any other particular state, isn't that a problem that needs to be addressed? The fact that an official lives in the state of one of the school's involved in the game doesn't mean he will be biased, but it sure opens him to added criticism when he makes a crucial call in favor of his home state school. Shouldn't the officials assigned for each game be residents of states other than those of the competing schools (as well as not being alumni of either school)? If that means mixing up crews from week to week, then so be it. The current system of keeping crews together all year isn't producing high quality officiating.

Prediction: Alabama 20 LSU 10 - FOLLOW-UP

To win, Tigers must create points on D or special teams and not allow the opponent to get easy points from their D or special teams. One hope is to exploit Alabama's 110th-ranked kickoff coverage team. LSU DID CREATE POINTS ON SPECIAL TEAMS BY PUNTING INSIDE THE 10, WHICH LED TO THE SAFETY. HOWEVER, HOLLIDAY WAS A NON-FACTOR.

Tide is greatly helped by their bye week after several lackluster performances. Saban has had two weeks to prepare O and D for biggest game yet for Bama with new wrinkles on both sides of the ball. LSU must be prepared to survive opening onslaught on the road. BYE WEEK PROBABLY HELPED TIDE BE FRESHER IN Q4 AND HOLD LSU SCORELESS.

LSU in a sense had a bye week last week also. You don't think the Tigers spent the entire week preparing for Tulane , do you? So Miles/Crowton should have some tricks up their sleeves too. LSU O WAS AGGRESSIVE AND DID A REASONABLY GOOD JOB OF USING ALL THE WEAPONS AT THEIR DISPOSAL. WHERE WAS ALL THIS AGAINST THE GATORS?

I see the game as close at halftime but Tide D shuts out Tigers in second half as Florida did. LSU SCORED 8 POINTS IN Q3 BUT NONE IN Q4.

As with most tight games, it will probably come down to which QB plays better. Both are first-year starters. McElroy has been in a slump but should play better after a week off. Jefferson, two years younger than his counterpart, is improving and needs to execute a game plan that allows him to utilize the tools he has on his side, especially the top-notch receiving corps. If LSU has a mind set to protect JJ from mistakes, they will have little chance against one of the best D's in the nation which has flummoxed the likes of Snead of Ole Miss and Mallett of Arkansas. JJ PLAYED BETTER THAN MCELROY BUT WAS KNOCKED OUT OF THE GAME LATE IN Q2.

I hope WR Julio Jones doesn't have his best game of the season, despite close attention from Chavis's D. Julio is healthy now and itching to hurt the Tigers as he did last year in BR. CB Patrick Peterson will have his hands full. Who wins this matchup will play a key role in determining who wins the game. PETERSON DID A GREAT JOB BUT UNFORTUNATELY WAS NOT ON THE FIELD WHEN JONES BROKE LOOSE FOR THE WINNING TD.

Hopefully, Miles will not be too hard-headed about running the ball. [Remember Auburn in 2006? After scoring only three points in three quarters, the O finally started to pass and moved downfield only to be thwarted by a ridiculous pass interference non-call in the EZ, then end the game inside the five.] Use the pass to set up the run, not vice-versa. It will be interesting to see if OT-turned-FB Thomas Parsons helps the running game. LSU RAN BETTER THAN EXPECTED. THE O LINE HAS IMPROVED CONSISTENTLY. THE GAME PLAN CALLED FOR A BALANCED ATTACK.

My predicted score above may be too high. This could be like the 2005 game in Tuscaloosa: 10-10 going into OT with LSU winning 16-13. Alabama was undefeated going into that game also. THE PREDICTED SCORE WAS A LITTLE TOO LOW. THE MARGIN OF 10 WAS ONLY ONE POINT OF THE FINAL MARGIN.

Will Russell Shepard finally throw a pass? Wouldn't it be great if he imitated Tim Tebow who, in his freshman year, did a basketball jump pass for a TD against LSU after running the ball every time he had taken the field in previous games. NO PASS FROM SHEPARD. HE DID MAKE SEVERAL GOOD RUNS IN THE Q3 TD DRIVE.

LSU is 3-0 on the road this year. If the Seattle/Athens Tigers show up, they have a chance. If the Starkville Tigers take the field, no chance. THE ATHENS TIGERS PLAYED A VERY COMPETITIVE GAME AGAINST ONE OF THE THREE BEST TEAMS IN THE NATION.

Week 10 picks [10-12]

Boise State over Louisiana Tech +21 X
Broncos roll on.

San Diego State +24.5 over TCU X
Frogs looking ahead to Utah.

Iowa over Northwestern +16 X
Hawkeyes finally have an easy time.

Vanderbilt +35 over Florida
Distractions,letdown against UGa dampen UF.

Wake Forest +16 over Georgia Tech
Deacons got practice against triple option against Navy earlier this year.

Stanford +7 over Oregon
Cardinal coming off bye week, Ducks off great effort vs USC.

Miami over Virginia +13.5
Canes get revenge for Orange Bowl-closing rout two years ago.

Pittsburgh over Syracuse +21.5
Orange in disarray.

Oklahoma over Nebraska +5.5 X
Sooners more talented on both sides of ball.

USC over Arizona State +10 X
Trojans bounce back.

Houston +1 over Tulsa
Why is the Golden Hurricane favored?

Penn State over Ohio State +3.5 X
Lions win D battle at home.

Central Florida +36 over Texas
Longhorns take a more relaxed approach to a late-season non-conference game.

Wisconsin over Indiana +10.5 X
Badgers celebrate being ranked again.

New Mexico +27.5 over Utah X
See TCU above.

BYU over Wyoming +13
See Wisconsin above.

Cincinnati over Connecticut +17 X
Huskies crippled in body and spirit.

Navy +11 over Notre Dame
Midshipmen usually play Irish close.

Alabama over LSU +7.5
See comments above.

Iowa State +7.5 over Oklahoma State X
ISU gets QB back.

Washington State +32 over Arizona X
Wildcats looking ahead to four big remaining games.

California over Oregon State +7 X
Bears on a roll again.

Golden NFL Rankings after Eight Weeks

Saints back on top.

**Top Five**
Team	Record	Avg.	Last Week
1. New Orleans	7-0	2.58	2
2. Indianapolis	7-0	2.29	3
3. Denver	6-1	2.07	1
4. Minnesota	7-1	1.81	4
5. Cincinnati	5-2	1.50	5

Biggest rise: Baltimore +6 | Biggest fall: Arizona -6
Complete NFL Rankings | NFL Ranking Rules

Everyone's picking on the AFC and NFC West Divisions, the only two with negative averages.

**Division Rankings**
	Division	Avg.	Last Week
1	AFC North	0.415	1
2	NFC East	0.156	4
3	NFC North	0.132	2
4	AFC South	0.092	5
5	AFC East	0.089	3
6	NFC South	0.054	6
7	AFC West	-0.239	7
8	NFC West	-0.667	8