BtC: Week 17

(I was going to run this on Friday morning, but nobody will be at their computer then. So, you know what? Fuck it, I’m going deep.)

Would you look at that: After a roughly 10 week absence, I managed to put together a Bang the Champ post. IT’S A NEW YEAR’S DAY MIRACLE. In the interest of full disclosure, I actually put this together earlier in the week. I’m probably sitting in a fucking ditch or a free clinic right now. But you should be able to read this at some point over the weekend. Hooray for future posting.

In this week’s BtC, we’ll be discussing any games with playoff implications. That means we won’t mention the Bears-Lions, Colts-Bills, Niners-Rams, Falcons-Bucs, Redskins-Chargers, and Titans-Seahawks games. If your local CBS or FOX affiliate is broadcasting one of those partial-birth abortions, feel free to drive to the station and give the manager a New Year’s cockpunch.

Every conceivable NFC Playoff Scenario is available here, in handy chart form. Now, to the games.

New Orleans (+7) at Carolina:

Why It Matters: Well, it doesn’t matter anymore, thanks to the Vikings’ Monday night loss. But I already wrote it, so it’s here.

Why the Saints win: Because they still have one of the top 3 passing offenses in the NFL, and Carolina’s pass defense is miserable. Plus, this game actually means something to them (edit: no, it doesn’t), and without Steve Smith, the Matt Moore-led Carolina offense is much less potent.

Why the Panthers win: Because they run the ball extremely well, and New Orleans has struggled to stop the run lately. The Saints miss Sedrick Ellis and (other defenders), and without them New Orleans won’t be able to slow down Jonathan Stewart and, if he plays, D’Angelo Williams. Also, if you thought DeMarcus Ware was dominant in the Saints’ loss to Dallas, wait until you see what a motivated Julius Peppers can do to the Saints’ offensive line.

X Factor: The Saints’ ability to slow Peppers. If New Orleans can hold Peppers at bay, the Saints should throw the ball well enough to put up 24+ points, which will be enough to win.

Pick: Carolina.

Jacksonville (+1.5) at Cleveland:

Why it Matters: Because the Jags can still make the playoffs with a minor miracle.

Why the Jaguars win: Because the Browns are epically awful and have a dead man walking as their head cocach. Jacksonville should run through Cleveland’s porous defense, and the Browns’ offense couldn’t put up 17 points on a good high school team.

Why the Browns win: Because Jacksonville can’t rush the QB or defend the pass, and that might give the Browns enough room to spring a few big plays, which could open up room for Jerome Harrison and Josh Cribbs, which could….ah, fuck it. The Browns won’t win.

X Factor: Josh Cribbs. If he can make 3 big plays on offense and special teams, Cleveland could pull this game out. Not because they’re good, but because Jacksonville isn’t anything special.

Pick: Jacksonville.

New England (+8) at Houston:

Why it Matters: Because the Patriots are playing for the #3 seed in the AFC, meaning they wouldn’t have to face the Colts until the AFC title game. And the Texans’ playoff chances still have a pulse.

Why the Patriots win: Because they’re the better team. New England’s secondary is good enough to limit Houston’s passing game, and the Texans’ can’t gash the Pats on the ground like other teams that have defeated New England have done. Houston’s secondary also has no answer for Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

Why the Texans win: Because they have the best receiver in football, and even a good secondary can’t stop Andre Johnson. Houston’s front seven can also limit the Pats’ run game, and if the Texans hit Tom Brady hard a few times early in the game, he may sit down early to ensure he’s healthy for the playoffs.

X Factor: Matt Schaub. This is the biggest game of Schaub’s career. If he can hit a few deep balls to Andre Johnson early in the game and give the Texans a lead, Bill Belichick may pull his starters and the Texans could cruise to victory.

Pick: New England.

Pittsburgh (-3) at Miami:

Why it Matters: Because both teams still have faint playoff hopes.

Why the Steelers win: Because they have the run defense to stop Miami’s running game and force Chad Henne to win the game. And Chad Henne is not capable of winning a game, especially with the group of wide receives he has.

Why the Dolphins win: Because they can pressure Roethlisberger into a few mistakes, and their running game may be able to keep the Steelers’ defense honest and allow Henne the opportunity to pick apart a poor Pittsburgh secondary.

X Factor: Chad Henne and the Miami wide receivers. Pittsburgh’s secondary hasn’t recovered from the loss of Troy Polamalu (spelling). If Miami runs the ball effectively early in the game, Henne should have open wide receivers down the field.

Pick: Miami.

N.Y. Giants (+8.5) at Minnesota:

Why it Matters: Because Minnesota needs a win to ensure a first round bye.

Why the Vikings win: Because when Brett Favre’s playing well, they’re the most complete offense in the league. And even without E.J. Henderson, they can limit New York’s ground attack, primarily because the Giants are banged up on the offensive line.

Why the Giants win: Because Brett Favre’s unpredictable, and when he’s off his game, the Vikings’ offense is one dimensional and turnover-prone. And without E.J. Henderson on defense, the Vikings’ defense isn’t dominant enough to overcome Brett’s mistakes. And the Vikings’ secondary is a fucking sieve right now.

X Factor: Brett Favre and Eli Manning. The QB with the fewest turnovers wins the game.

Pick: Minnesota.

Philadelphia (+3) at Dallas:

Why it Matters: Because the winner gets a home playoff game and possible first round bye, while the loser goes on the road in the first round.

Why the Eagles win: Because DeSean Jackson’s been nearly unstoppable, Donovan McNabb’s playing great football, and Brian Westbrook’s return has boosted the running game. The Eagles also have the defense to limit the Cowboys’ weapons outside.

Why the Cowboys win: Because Tony Romo’s mobility can negate any pass rush, Miles Austin’s been unbelievable in the second half, and Marion Barber can gash Philadelphia on the ground. DeMarcus Ware should also be able to pressure McNabb, who’s not as elusive as he used to be.

X Factor: Philadelphia’s secondary. The Eagles shouldn’t have difficulty scoring, and if their secondary can limit Miles Austin and Jason Witten and shut down Roy Williams, Philadelphia should run away with this game.

Pick: Philadelphia.

Green Bay (+3.5) at Arizona:

Why it Matters: Because the Cardinals still have an outside shot at a first round bye, and the Packers could slide to the #6 seed if they lose.

Why the Packers win: Because Charles Woodson is good enough to limit Larry Fitzgerald and make the Cardinals’ offense one-dimensional. Kurt Warner’s looked pretty mortal lately. A team with a pass rush and shut-down corner can force Warner into mistakes. The Packers possess both a pass rush and a shut-down corner, and Green Bay’s offense can outscore any team in the NFL.

Why the Cardinals win: Because Green Bay’s offensive line is horrific, and the Cardinals’ defensive line is good enough to pressure Aaron Rodgers and limit Ryan Grant. And outside of Charles Woodson, Green Bay’s defense isn’t all that good. The Cardinals should be able to move the ball even if Larry Fitzgerald is limited.

X Factor: The Green Bay offensive line. If Aaron Rodgers has time to throw, the Packers should win this game.

Pick: Green Bay.

Kansas City (+13) at Denver:

Why it Matters: Because the Broncos can still make the playoffs with a win and a loss by either Baltimore or the Jets.

Why the Chiefs win: Because Jamaal Charles has established himself as one of the second half’s biggest surprises (and the player most likely to be reached for in fantasy drafts next summer), and the Broncos sometimes struggle against the run. If Charles can bust a big run or two early in the game and force the Broncos to play from behind, Kansas City could pull off the upset.

Why the Broncos win: Because, outside of Charles and Dwayne Bowe, the Kansas City offense is a steaming pile of suck. And the Kansas City offense is better than the Kansas City defense.

X Factor: Kyle Orton. If Orton turns the ball over three times or less, the Broncos win the game.

Pick: Denver.

Baltimore (-10.5) at Oakland:

Why it Matters: Because the Ravens make the playoffs with a win.

Why the Ravens win: Because Oakland’s run defense is terrible, and Baltimore may have the most underrated RB in the league in Ray Rice (apologies to Steven Jackson). If Rice can go for over 130 yards (check) against the Steelers, imagine what he can do to one of the league’s worst run defenses in Oakland.

Why the Raiders win: Because last year the Raiders were able to go into Tampa and defeat the Bucs when Gruden’s boys would have clinched a playoff berth with a win. Sure, the outcome of that game has zero bearing on the outcome of this game. But come on: Oakland just lost to the fucking Browns. And I’m not pointing to Chaz Frye or any member of the Raider offense as a reason the Raiders are winning, and Baltimore probably won’t throw a pass in Nnamdi Asomougha’s direction.

X Factor: John Harbaugh. If his team is motivated and prepared, this game should be over by halftime.

Pick: Baltimore.

Cincinnati (+10) at N.Y. Jets:

Why it Matters: Because Rex Ryan is going pussytubing if the Jets win. Also, with a win, New York would make the playoffs.

Why the Bengals win: Because their front seven is pretty good, and their secondary is very good. When the Jets face eight man fronts, they let Mark Sanchez throw the ball. And when Mark Sanchez throws the ball, turnovers happen, especially when Sanchez faces teams with good corners. And the Bengals have two pretty good corners.

Why the Jets win: Because the Bengals may not play their starters for most of the game. Without Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson, and my man Ocho, Cincinnati’s not scoring more than 14 points, and that won’t be enough to win this game.

X Factor: Marvin Lewis. If he plays his starters the entire game, Cincinnati wins. If they’re pulled early, New York will make the playoffs.

Pick: N.Y. Jets.

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Where the Vikings Looked Like the Bears

Hey creeps, Moonlight here. I had the pleasure/misfortune of attending the Minnesota/Chicago game at Soldier Field last night after a friend invited me at the last minute. And while I'm glad it was a meaningful game with playoff implications, the weather was a little frightful and I was surrounded by Bears fans. This guy was repping the Waterboy Burbon Bowl jersey, so that made me happy:


Although the schism between Favre and Chilly was the story entering the game Favre showed up in the second half and managed to get the Vikings back in the game, getting some of the heat off his back. But like dmk pointed out, I can guarantee you one thing, he DID NOT have fun doing it. I really hope the MNF announcers weren't plugging that youthful "hes just a kid out there" bullshit because he looked miserable.

The game reminds us of APs fumble issues and raises some questions for a Vikings team that appeared to be a lock for the NFC Championship earlier in the season. Even though the Vikings only managed 2 sacks against a pathetic Bears O-Line, couldn't cover anyone (especially G-Reg), and the kickoff unit allowed 212 return yards it isn't time to write off the entire season. However, when its part of a growing trend its a little concerning.

Essentially, I'm of the viewpoint that while the Vikings would be much happier peaking in December rather than September the season isn't over. I'll just keep telling myself that and hope they get to play indoors throughout the NFC playoffs. In any case, at least "Skol Vikings" is 10x better than "Bear Down."


BTW the 64% of the degenerates who voted for the Bears STFU, the Saints lost to the Buccaneers.

TUESDAY BOOZE DAY'S STARTING EARLY

Regarding Adrian Peterson's struggles holding on to the football, Mr. Cutler put it best. Still, it's tough to win with all those holes in the secondary. Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo are already excited for the Wild Card round.

Oh, and Favre played well, even if he should have had two balls picked off on the final drive in regulation. Good for him. I still hope he dies in a violent boating accident.

pic via

We're Coming Back

Over the last two months, you may have noticed that our content has been, well, sparse. In November and December, we’ve posted 11 times, with most of the posts coming from AJR. We previously complied about 11 posts in a good week. This level of performance in the past two months has been poor - so poor, in fact, that one may call it Kahn-esque.

The reasons for our poor performance (the State revoking our probation, an Oops baby, fatness) aren't really important. What is important is that, in the next two weeks, we’re hoping to move back into semi-regular postings and the level of productivity we had in the early part of 2009. Hopefully, you'll be able to read us more often and, in the process, make yourself dumber, 15 minutes at a time, while you're at work.

Anyway, what can you expect?

- Roughly three longer (250+ words) postings per week. AJR will write one per week, dmk will write two per week. AJR’s will probably run in the middle of the week – think Wednesday or Thursday – and dmk will likely put up something on Friday and early in the week.

- Our other contributors will still throw something up when they can. They have richer lives outside the internet than I do; as such, they don't have as much time to put together mindless banter.

- Some kind of coherent method to this madness. We’ll try to get away from just making five word posts with an embedded video, particularly if we haven’t posted much that week. We also have some ideas for stuff we can write about over a long period of time….if we can make it work. I’m not really sure. I don't want this to turn us into Trade Mauer, which went bankrupt four months after it began.

- AJR’s report on Super Bowl weekend in Miami. He’s going, and he’s never been to Miami for the Super Bowl. He’s going to try getting in to the ESPN/Maxim/whatever other parties they’re having on South Beach at the time. Based off my previous experiences at the Super Bowl, AJR's attempts to get into the Super Bowl parties should go over as well as Urban Meyer's attempts to talk his family into letting him take back the UF job after he promised them they were "getting their Daddy back."

- Extensive discussion of the Vikings’ impending late-season collapse. Goddamn, I’m more excited about this than I am for the first time my 14 year old daughter has her friends sleep over.

- Some kind of live blogs, most likely for the NFL playoffs and BCS National Championship game. I know some people would rather watch a game with “people” and in a “social setting,” but the live blogs entertain me. If you don’t like them, kindly fuck yourself.

- We still accept suggestions. Please email us at icyhotsensations@gmail.com. I promise my responses will be less dick-ish than they typically are in the comments.

- If email isn't your bag of tits, you can follow us on Twitter. Or, well, just me, for the time being (Yeah Yeah. I’m on Twitter. That happened. Again, kindly fuck yourself), but Icy-Hot will have their own Twitter soon. Because Twitter was the hot new thing about 6-8 months ago, so now’s a good time for us to jump on that train. I promise both my account and the Icy-Hot account will be devoid of stuff like “Just got back from the pharmacy, the lotion didn’t get rid of the burning” and instead focus on 140 character or less observations about sports and stuff.

That’s about it. We should be ready to go next week – my employer disagrees with this, but this week’s still a Holiday weekend, as far as I’m concerned – so, if you’ve stopped checking us out, please start again.

Thank you. Have a magnificent Monday, and keep it gangsta.

Let's Call A Spade A Spade

Here's what everyone should scrutinize from the Purple's 26-7 debacle in Charlotte:

Poor Pass Protection: 4 Sacks, 10 QB Hits, Countless Hurries

Lack of Commitment to the Running Game: 4 rushes for 7 yards in the second half after 10 runs for 35 yards and a touchdown in the opening 30 minutes

Terrible Tackling: Ask Jasper Brinkley, Ben Leber and Antoine Winfield about this one.

Egomanical Quarterback: Audibled into pass plays on a couple of occasions and neither were successful. Tough to justify this change if you are not getting any protection against an aggressive Panther front seven...and you have Adrian Peterson behind you in the backfield.

Terrible Head Coach: You're going to bench your starting quarterback in a 7-6 game when you're ahead? Really?

But alas, everyone should also remember that most if not all NFL teams have one stinker game per season, and that last night's was the Vikings' shitfest.

Droppin' the Anchor: 2009 IHS CFB Playoff Semifinals

If you're new to IHS, or simply need a recap of the guidelines or quarterfinal previews, here is that link.

Last week's results:

#1 Alabama (100%) over #8 Ohio State (0%)

#2 Texas (50%) tied #7 Oregon (50%) - AJR26 rules tiebreaker in favor of UT.

#3 Cincinnati (54.5%) over #6 Boise State (45.5%)

#5 Florida (63.6%) over #4 Texas Christian (36.4%)

For this week's edition of Droppin' the Anchor, we move into the semifinals of the 2009 College Football Playoff. Our readers, all dozen of them, sided overwhelmingly in favor of the two SEC schools in their quarterfinal matchups. The other two battles, however, were extremely close and came down to the last vote cast. Cincinnati narrowly won the poll over fellow unbeaten Boise State, while #2 Texas split the vote with Pac-10 Champion Oregon. Because I took the liberty of making a decision (and also for the sake of simplicity), the Longhorns get the nod over the Ducks into the semifinals. Thus, one semifinal pits the Bearcats and Longhorns, while the other is a rematch of the SEC Championship game between Alabama and Florida. Once again, please remember to vote in the sidebar, because your votes determine who moves on.

Semifinal 1: #1 Alabama (14-0) vs. #5 Florida (13-1) (Fiesta Bowl, at Glendale, AZ)

Before these teams played on December 5th, it was widely thought that both offenses were going to struggle to move the football against the top ranked defenses in the country. That turned out to be completely wrong, as both the Crimson Tide and Gators had success marching the football. The difference was the Alabama's offense ran 24 more plays than Florida's and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes, earning almost a 2:1 margin in time of possession. Could this performance be duplicated in the rematch? I am not sure, but we did learn three things from the SEC Championship game that will loom large in the semifinal contest.

1.) Florida possesses the least amount of offensive playmakers in Urban Meyer's tenure.

If most of the country was not aware of this fact before the 32-13 beatdown at the Georgia Dome, then they definitely are now. The Gators are lacking in the skill player department on offense, which is critical because of Meyer's spread option attack. That attack, unlike 'Bama's traditional pro-style scheme, is based on mismatches in space with less athletic linebackers and defensive backs.

With guys like Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, this offense flourished and made Tim Tebow a much better quarterback than he actually is. With Jeff Demps, Brandon James and Chris Rainey, who are very good players in their own right, this offense has lacked the "homerun" ability of years past. This has forced Tebow to become a much more precise passer and decision maker. And in all honesty, when your tight end Aaron Hernandez and possession receiver Riley Cooper are two of the focal points of this offense, then there are bound to be some serious problems. Someone will have to step up for the Gators to score the upset.

(from dmk: no mention of Chris Rainey is complete without his "damn, it feels good to be Chris Rainey" and "I'm a white girl man" quotes and the accompanying stories. WHERE DA WHITE WOMEN AT.)

2.) Alabama's offensive line is among the top three in the country.

This one is tough to elaborate on, except to say that they dominated and I mean DOMINATED the line of scrimmage in most, if not all of their games this season. The Crimson Tide rank in the top-20 in sacks allowed, rushing offense, tackles for loss allowed and time of possession. Most of the success in these statistics can be attributed to the solid Alabama O-line.

3.) Carlos Dunlap and his absence was and still is the "X" factor.

The junior, and confirmed moron after his Championship game week arrest for drunk driving, was one of the best players on the Gators' star-studded defense. Without his presence against the Crimson Tide, the Gators allow more points and yards in a game than they had in the last two seasons. Would he have changed the outcome in the first contest? Probably not, but I guarantee he would have changed Nick Saban's gameplan against the Gators. Dunlap would have changed the gameplan, because he was second on the team in tackles for a loss and tied for first in quarterback sacks and there is no way he isn't noticed by the Alabama offensive coaches. His presence in the contest likely would have caused 'Bama to rollout away from his side on passing plays and also run Heisman Trophy Winner Mark Ingram the other way on the ground. So if he is eligible to play in this semifinal, I would have to believe that Alabama will find it tougher sledding on offense.

This game is a true toss-up, especially after Alabama dismantled Florida three weeks ago. Prior to that matchup, I was in the belief that the Gators defense would lead them to another SEC Championship victory and eventually the National Title. Now, even with Carlos Dunlap the Gators would be the underdogs. I think the Crimson Tide win this game behind another strong game from Mark Ingram and more importantly their defense which will make Florida a one-man team, with their only true playmaker under center.

AJR26's Pick: #1 Alabama 20 #2 Florida 17

Semifinal 2: #2 Texas (14-0) vs. #3 Cincinnati (14-0) (Cotton Bowl, at Dallas, TX)

To defeat the 2009 version of Mack Brown's Longhorns there are two key things that an opponent must be able to do, specifically on defense. The first thing a team must do in order to be successful against Texas is get pressure on Colt McCoy and dominate the line of scrimmage with their defensive line. When you look at both the game against Oklahoma and the Big 12 Championship versus Nebraska, both teams were able to make the pocket an uncomfortable place for the Longhorns' quarterback to reside. McCoy was sacked a total of 13 times in the aforementioned two contests (6.5/game), while in the 11 other games he was sacked just 17 times (1.5/game). In addition to the quarterback sacks, both the Sooners and Cornhuskers were able to record an additional 14 tackles for a loss combined. This means that in the only two games in which Texas was held under 34 points all season, the Longhorns' opponents recorded an average of 13.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Coincidence? I think not.

The other key to defensive success against Texas is to stop them on third down. In the narrow victories over the Sooners and Huskers, Texas was just 11/38 (28.9%) on third down. Against everyone else, the Longhorns were successful 50.3 percent of the time on the always crucial third down. If Cincinnati is able to follow the blueprint layed out by Oklahoma and Nebraska, then they should find themselves with a great chance to beat the Longhorns. For the Bearcats, they have been great in recording sacks and tackles for a loss, ranking in the top ten in the country in both of those catagories. On the other key, third down defense, the story changes drastically for Cinci as they rank 60th in the NCAA. This will HAVE to improve or else the Bearcats will need to score 35+ points to win this semifinal.

That being said, the strength of this Cincinnati squad all season long has been its offense. They're the sixth ranked offense in the FBS, both in terms of yards and points and they have playmakers that can outrun and outperform the Texas specialities on defense. It will, however, be extremely tough for Cinci to keep up with the Longhorns in a shootout as Texas's defense is markedly better than the Bearcats. They will have to run the football more effectively than they did all season long to keep the explosive Texas offense on the sidelines. If they somehow do get caught up in a track meet, then by no means is Cincinnati going to get run out of the stadium. Remember that Texas A&M, a team the Bearcats would be considered better than, did put 39 points on this Longhorns defense and was within three points until late in the fourth quarter.

This game could be a blowout in favor of the Longhorns or an extremely tight matchup if the Cincinnati defensive front comes to play. I believe the game with play out like the latter, with Texas earning a spot in the National Championship with a low-scoring win.

AJR26's Pick: #2 Texas 23 #3 Cincinnati 17

REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE SIDEBAR!!!!!

Probably Going to Have to Watch All of These In Their Entirety

http://tv.gawker.com/5426852/the-top-100-videos-of-2009-in-less-than-3-minutes
Thanks, Deadspin. As if I had a social life anyway. I was going to try to embed that shit but its a different video format so whatever. A few of the videos are not from 2009, but as they are definitely goodies. One I hadn't seen before that got me going was Terrel Owens. And #100, the always classic keyboard cat:


I realize its been awhile from the IHS faithful have heard from good ole Moonlight, and I can't use the internet excuse anymore. And really, its not that I'm too busy. Its just that I was planning on writing about Chicago sports since I live down here now but then had a big epiphany and realized I don't give a flying fuck about Chicago sports. In that light, I don't expect anyone else to care about reading about Chicago sports from a guy that doesn't care. Fwew. Glad thats settled. Now, lets recap some Chicago sports:

White Sox: I actually had a much better time attending a White Sox game last year over two Cubs games. As for their season Mark Burhle threw a no-no and the team eventually faded away to watch the great finish between the Twins and Tigers. A situation they found themselves in a year earlier. But at least they aren't the Cubs.

Cubs: Still suck. The team managed to go bankrupt although it was essentially a formality to sell the team easier to Joe Ricketts, the founder of TD Ameritrade. Personally, I think TradeKing is the way to go but thats just me.


Bears: Much to my dismay the Bears rid themselves of Neckbeard and opted for the Vanderbilt QB with diabetus (Spelled phonetically, the way Wilford Brimely says it).


Bulls: Victoria's Secret opened up a new store on Michigan Ave and Marisa Miller swung by Bulls practice to congratulate Derek Rose on winning an online poll for "Chicago's Sexiest Athlete" beating out the likes of cabbie destroyer Patrick Kane and the number one fan of Jay Cutler, Brian Urlacher. I can't believe Joakim Noah wasn't nominated.

Well thats all I got for now. Tune back in for some more random shit. I just had to get that Chicago stuff out of my system. Maybe next time I'll actually provide some thoughtful analysis.

Droppin' the Anchor: 2009 IHS College Football Playoff Quarterfinal Round

Last week's answers to the top ten games of the decade in headlines:

10. Oregon-Oklahoma 2006

9. Iowa-LSU Capital One Bowl 2005

8. Florida-Alabama SEC Championship 2008

7. Texas-Michigan Rose Bowl 2005

6. Miami (FL)-Florida State 2004

5. Texas-Ohio State 2005

4. USC-Notre Dame 2005

3. Ohio State-Miami (FL) National Championship 2003 (sorry dmk)

2. Boise State-Oklahoma Fiesta Bowl 2007

1. Texas-USC National Championship 2006

Last season, dmk and AJR26 outlined our thoughts about a potential playoff system for college football beginning in 2014. The likelyhood of this happening continues to increase in the court of public opinion as well as the political arena, but in the factions that actually matter there is actually a much smaller chance of any type of playoff taking place in 2014 and beyond.

That is why here at Icy-Hot Sensations, we are going to once again create our own eight team playoff to decide the 2009 National Champion. Last season, the IHS National Championship pitted Florida versus Southern California, which would have been one hell of a matchup had it occurred. Let's hope we can once again create another great matchup through your votes in the sidebar!

To refresh your memory, I have posted the stipulations of qualifying for the tournament as well as any other rules or requirements.

Stipulation 1: There will be an eight team, five week playoff beginning the first weekend of December and ending the first weekend in January.

Stipulation 2: Determination of the top eight teams will be done by methods and analysis similar or identical to the BCS.

Stipulation 3: Conferences cannot divide into divisions, as all teams will be in an eleven or twelve-team, once division league.

Stipulation 4: All Power Conference Champions are NOT guaranteed a BCS berth.

Stipulation 5: There will be a maximum of two representatives per conference.

Once again, there will be six warm weather bowl game sites that will host the six games leading up to the National Championship game. The National Championship will be held at the same site as one of the four quarterfinal games, with the title game sites on a six year rotation.

Here are your 2009 quarterfinal matchups:

Quarterfinal 1: #1 Alabama (13-0) vs. #8 Ohio State (10-2) (at Orange Bowl, Miami, FL)

On paper, this contest looks to be the most lopsided of the playoffs. The Crimson Tide staked their claim as the nation's top team after thrashing #5 Florida 32-13 in the SEC Championship game. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, finished 10-2 in the mediocre Big Ten and just sneaked into the top eight ahead of ACC Champion Georgia Tech.

Alabama is paced by the nation's top defense and arguably the best running back in college football. On defense, the Tide are allowing just 11 points per game and a paltry 241.7 yards per game to their opponents. That side of the ball boasts future NFL players at every unit, the most prominent of which is Butkus award winner Rolando McClain. The 258lb linebacker is tied for sixth in the SEC with almost eight tackles per game and has also notched four sacks and 12 tackles for a loss during his junior campaign. McClain will likely have the tough task of spying Buckeye quarterback Terrelle Pryor in this matchup. Pryor, a run first-pass second signal caller who has improved his passing prowess this season, will need to have a superstar game both running and throwing for Ohio State to move the ball against Nick Saban's battle tested D.

On the other side of the ball, Alabama running back and Heisman Trophy finalist Mark Ingram is the catalyst for an offense that at times this season has struggled to move the football and score points. The Tide has rushed for an average of 215.9 points per game with Ingram (1542 yds, 6.2 yds/carry) and freshman Troy Richardson (642 yds, 5.1 yds/carry) combining for most of those yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. The proficiency in the ground game has allowed junior quarterback and first-year starter Greg McElroy to settle into a nice groove and he has rewarded his team with stellar performances in two consecutive pressure-packed battles against Auburn and Florida.

The one and only thing that could make this game closer than many people would assume is Ohio State's ability to stop the run. Led by defensive linemen Cameron Heyward and Thaddeus Gibson, the Buckeyes were fifth best in the NCAA against the run, surrendering just 83.4 yards per game. The dominating duo of Heyward and Gibson combined for 20 tackles for loss and were seventh and eighth on the team in total tackles. Their performance, along with the rest of the Buckeye front seven, will determine if Ohio State has any chance of defeating Alabama.

Ohio State's track record against the SEC in recent seasons has been terrible to say the least. And although I do not believe they will get the victory in this quarterfinal, I do think the Buckeyes will make it interesting until the Crimson Tide pull away in the fourth quarter.

AJR26's Pick: #1 Crimson Tide 23 #8 Buckeyes 13

Quarterfinal 2: #2 Texas (13-0) vs. #7 Oregon (10-2) (Rose Bowl, at Pasadena, CA)

The champions of the Big 12 and Pac 10 tangle as the Longhorns and Ducks hookup at the Rose Bowl for the chance to move into the semifinals. Undefeated Texas enters the playoff after avoiding a Nebraska upset bid in the Big 12 championship game, winning 13-12 on a field goal as time expired. Oregon won a 38-33 decision over rival Oregon State in the Civil War to clinch the Pac 10 title and secure its spot in the 2009 playoffs.

One could make a pretty substantial argument that Texas has played just three noteworthy opponents this season and looked terrible in two of those contests. Their most impressive performance of the season came against Oklahoma State, the Big 12 team that most resembles Oregon this season. This is good news for the Longhorns as Texas's defense played wonderfully, forcing four interceptions in their 41-14 thrashing of the Cowboys in Stillwater.





Even with their relatively weak schedule, Texas is arguably the most all-around football team in the nation. In each of the three critical facets of football (offense, defense, special teams), the Longhorns have some of the best if not the best units in the NCAA. The unit which gets the most publicity is the offense, as Heisman Trophy favorite and four-year starter Colt McCoy has had one of the best careers in Texas history. The senior is 45-7 in 52 total starts and has thrown for over 13,000 yards and 110 touchdowns in his four seasons in Austin. His favorite target has been his close friend and roommate Jordan Shipley, who has over 3,000 receiving yards on 238 receptions. This season Shipley and McCoy have connected on 106 occasions for 1,363 yards and 11 touchdowns. Texas depends so heavily on McCoy and Shipley, because it's running game has lacked any consistency in 2009, which could hinder their hopes for a national championship.



Oregon features a dynamic offense led by an athletic quarterback in Jeremiah Masoli. Masoli has been a part of 27 total touchdowns and has 2725 yards of total offense this season for the Ducks. He has done a nice job of spreading the ball around in the passing game, as seven Oregon receivers have double digit receptions led by Jeff Maehl's 52. The Ducks perverbial bread is butter not through the air but on the ground. Oregon is sixth in the country in rushing, totaling over 236 yards per game this season, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Redshirt freshman LaMichael James is the team's leading rusher, as he has rushed for almost 1,500 yards since taking over for LaGarrette Blount after the season opening loss to Boise State.



The bad news for the Ducks is that the Texas defense is the top ranked unit against the run in the NCAA. The Longhorns are surrendering just 62.2 yards per game which is a miniscule 1.99 yards per carry. Only three opponents have rushed for over 100 yards in a game, none have rushed for over 200 yards, and four have been held to 10 total rushing yards or less. Needless to say, if Oregon cannot establish the run and be more physical with the Texas defensive front, the Longhorns have a good chance of winning.



Texas has struggled this season against teams with extremely strong defenses and while Oregon has an above average defense, they are not equipped like Oklahoma and Nebraska to shut down Colt McCoy and the Longhorns. I see Texas starting fast and putting this game out of reach by the beginning of the fourth quarter, with Oregon scoring a couple of late touchdowns to make the final score respectable.





AJR26's Pick: #2 Longhorns 38 #7 Ducks 27




Quarterfinal 3: #3 Cincinnati (13-0) vs. #6 Boise State (13-0) (Holiday Bowl, at San Diego, CA)


Cincinnati comes into the playoff after their incredible 45-44 comeback victory at Pittsburgh, while Boise State finished their undefeated regular season with a 42-7 win over New Mexico State. If this matchup were to actually happen, I'd bet those on the Holiday Bowl committee would be jumping for joy at this potential shootout. Both the Bearcats and Broncos feature explosive offenses that averaged 39.8 and 44.2 points respectively, in 2009, and this game would likely come down to which squad has the ball last.



This matchup for the Bearcats is possibly the worst of the eight remaining teams, outside of Alabama. The Bearcats rely heavily on their passing game, which finished 2009 ranked sixth in the nation at over 320 yards per contest. The Broncos defense, on the other hand, ranked 13th in the country in passing defense, allowing just 172.8 yards per game, while intercepting 21 total passes. This will be a classic matchup of strength versus strength and I doubt either coach will change their strategy based on its opponent. To make matters even worse for Cincinnati, their coach, Brian Kelly, just bolted to Notre Dame in an attempt to wake up the echos. Needless to say, the players were less than pleased.



For Cincinnati, that means relying on Tony Pike to lead its former head coach Brian Kelly's passing attack. Pike, who will start the playoff game, and backup quarterback Zach Collaros have combined to throw 36 touchdowns to just eight interceptions this year. The main beneficiary of the Bearcats' two effective quarterbacks has been senior wide receiver Mardy Gilyard, who ranked in the top-17 of the NCAA in receptions (6.7) and receiving yards (95.8) per game, as well as overall receiving touchdowns (11). Gilyard will undoubtedly be the focus of the Bronco defense as well as their special teams as he has three return touchdowns and is one of the best returnmen in the nation.



As far as the Broncos are concerned, they should have no problems scoring against a Cincinnati defense that has surrendered 21 points per game and an average of 36.5 in their last four. The Broncos are very balanced on offense, averaging 266 yards passing and 194.5 rushing for 2009. This balance is going to be critical against the Bearcats, because of the offensive proficiency of Cincinnati. Running backs Jeremy Avery and Doug Martin will carry most of the load in the aforementioned Bronco rushing attack and will need to get almost 40 carries combined if Boise State wants to come away victorious.



The biggest knock (which is completely warranted) on Boise State is the lack of strong opponents in their season schedule. The Broncos' schedule ranked 91st out of 120 in all of the FBS in 2009. That being said, this is the third time in four seasons which Boise State has finished the season unbeaten, and it would also be the Broncos' third entry into the eight team playoff to decide a national champion. Being a non-power conference team, I'd say that accomplishment is impressive regardless of the fact that they would not have advanced beyond the opening round in either of the first two years. Look for that to change this year, as long as the Broncos hold onto the football. You can call me crazy but I believe this will be the season that Boise State breaks through with a hard-fought upset victory over Cincinnati.



AJR26's Pick: #6 Broncos 31 #3 Bearcats 26




Quarterfinal 4: #4 TCU (12-0) vs. #5 Florida (12-1) (Sugar Bowl, at New Orleans, LA)





The #4 vs. #5 matchup of the 2009 IHS College Football playoffs provides the most intrigue, as Gary Patterson's Texas Christian squad faces Urban Meyer's defending national champion Gators. For the Horned Frogs, this will be their first true chance to assert themselves as a national championship contender. For the Gators, they will have to forget about their terrible performance against Alabama in the SEC Championship game and come ready to play against their non-power conference opponent TCU.



This game will be all about defense as TCU and Florida have the top and fourth ranked overall defenses in the country, respectively. Both teams are stingy on the scoreboard as well, as the Gators are allowing 11.5 points per game and Horned Frogs surrender just 12.4. Florida and TCU also rank in the top-25 in the country in other defensive catagories including passing defense, rushing defense, sacks, third-down defense, and red zone defense. Both squads also have individual stars across the board on defense, so the likely hood of either offense getting to 20 on the scoreboard is highly unlikely.




Offensively, the TCU and Florida are mirror images of each other much like they are on defense. They both average 35 or more points and 440 total yards per contest. Each team likes to run the football out of multiple sets, but the Horned Frogs have four rushers with 99 attempts and no ground gainer has more than the 140 of Joseph Tucker. The Gators, however, rely heavily on the legs of Tim Tebow as he has more than double the attempts than second leading rusher Jeff Demps. One thing that will be interesting to watch is how TCU quarterback and gingerkid Andy Dalton fares against the speed of the Florida secondary. Dalton, who is probably the weakest of all the quarterbacks in the playoffs, will have to make some plays through the air as well as on crucial third-downs for the Horned Frogs to put up some points.


As if the offensive and defensive equalities weren't enough, the Horned Frogs and Gators are nearly even in most special teams catagories. Florida is second in the NCAA in net punting, but TCU is 21st in punt returns and has returned two punts for touchdowns. On the other side, TCU is not a great punting team , but the Gators have struggled to muster anything in their punt return game. Finally, both teams are very good at kickoff returns and kickoff return coverage and each has "housed" one kick this year, which points to yet another even matchup at the Sugar Bowl.




What's the difference in this game? I know its cliche, but I think Tim Tebow somehow finds a way to move the ball against this TCU defense. Even though he struggled against Alabama, especially with his second half interception in the endzone, Tebow and the Florida offense moved the football when they had a chance. I do not believe the TCU offense will be as effective in terms of ball control even with their strong ground game, which will provide the Gators with more chances to grind out a low-scoring win.




AJR26's Pick: #5 Gators 17 #4 Horned Frogs 14


Playoffs Schedule:
Semifinal 1: Winner QF 1 vs. Winner QF 4 (Fiesta Bowl)

Semifinal 2: Winner QF 2 vs. Winner QF 3 (Cotton Bowl)

National Championship at Pasadena:
Winner SF 1 vs. Winner SF 2

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