Apparently I should have stuck to my guns two weeks ago when I claimed the Baltimore Ravens were a flawed two-loss team. Last week I choked on my words a bit and owned up that the Ravens look playoff-ready. However, after an ugly 13-7 loss to division rival Cincinnati, I’d like to reinstate my original assessment of Baltimore.

Nobody is going to say that the Ravens defense is overrated. The unit causes a ton of turnovers and always puts a great deal of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. However, the offense lacks any real playmaking threat and Steve McNair hardly looks comfortable in the pocket. Jamal Lewis has had a few nice games since Brian Billick took over the play calling duties from Jim Fassel, but he’s not a dominant back by any means. Look at Thursday night’s score. Sure, the field was slick and bad weather always keeps points off the board. But Baltimore faced a Bengal defense that was ranked 31st overall coming into this contest and was one cheap touchdown at the end of the game away from being completely shutout. All Cincinnati seemed to do was take away the underneath passing routes and McNair had nowhere to throw.

The Ravens will make the playoffs and may win a game with their defense and home field advantage. But that’s probably going to be it. As for the Bengals, I’m still holding judgment on whether or not “they’re back” until I see that defense play as well as they did Thursday night.

Apparently Michael Strahan forgot to change his diapers on Wednesday. Strahan went off on a female reporter in the Giants locker room when asked if he could elaborate on ripping teammate Plaxico Burress on a recent radio show.

“Come here, I want to see your face when you ask this question,” a confrontational Strahan bellowed. “You’re a responsible journalist, look me in the eye and ask this question the way you want to ask it. Look a man in the eye before you try to kill him or make up something.”

Kill him? I didn’t know you were at war Kellen Winslow.

“You know the difference between me reading your papers now and me reading your papers 10 years ago, is now I know [B.S.] when I read it,” he said. “Ten years ago, I didn’t know [B.S.] when I read it, so now I can read your papers and it doesn’t bother me because half is garbage.”

Why read it at all than Strahan?

Look, I’m not big on these sideline reporters and their terrible attempts at asking decent questions. But Strahan ripped his teammate first. The reporter just wanted a follow up, because that’s her job. For Strahan to bully a reporter because he’s upset that his team is losing has “crybaby” written all over it. Just tell the reporter that it’s an “in-house” situation and move on. You didn’t prove a point to anyone Strahan. You just came away looking like a jerk.

The Jazz shrugged off a two-game losing streak and bounced back against the Spurs, 83-75. Carlos Boozer once again dominated the glass, posting 23 points and 16 rebounds in the win. (That sound you hear is the fans in Cleveland collectively banging their heads against the wall.) Sophomore standout Deron Williams added 15 points and nine assists. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 21 points and 10 rebounds. San Antonio played without Manu Ginobili, who missed the game with a sore back.

The Cavs lost to the Knicks at home, 101-98. (Ugh.) New York shot 53% from the field behind 27 points from Quentin Richardson and 24 points from Eddy Curry. LeBron went for 27/7/6, but it wasn’t enough to carry his team to the win. This team needs Larry Hughes back…now.

Amare Stoudemire had his third straight double-double in the Suns’ 102-91 win over the Rockets. It looks like he’s finally rounding into game shape.

#1 ranked Ohio State jumped out to an early lead, but the Tar Heels fought back and took control in the second half, finally putting the Buckeyes away, 98-89. The game was part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which pits teams from the two conferences against one another.

OSU was without 7′1″ freshman phenom Greg Oden, who should be ready to play in a few weeks. During the game, there were several shots of him sitting on the Buckeye bench, and I have to say that for an 18 year-old, he looks like he’s about 30. Regardless, when the team works him into the lineup, they are going to be tough to beat.

Each week in the Pregame, I’ll provide a few players to start and a few to bench. These recommendations are based on that player’s strength of schedule (SOS) for that particular week or that player’s specific situation.

I’m a strong advocate of always starting your studs, so I won’t be telling you about LaDainian Tomlinson’s tough matchup or how Peyton Manning and company will light it up against a bad defense. Anyone can make those calls. I’ll be discussing marginal fantasy starters – guys that can start for you, but only under certain circumstances.

START

Several fringe QBs have nice matchups this week. You could do worse than BEN ROETHLISBERGER, JASON CAMPBELL and STEVE MCNAIR this week…With a matchup against the 49ers, his is a good week to start DEUCE MCALLISTER and REGGIE BUSH. JOSEPH ADDAI is a must-start with his recent performance and a nice matchup against the Titans this week…Look for MUHSIN MUHAMMAD and BERNARD BERRIAN to have productive games against the Vikings, who have had trouble defending the pass. Weather is always an issue in Chicago this time of year, so keep an eye on the forecast.

BENCH

JON KITNA, DAVID CARR, JAKE DELHOMME, BRAD JOHNSON and JOEY HARRINGTON all have poor matchups this week and should be avoided if possible…THOMAS JONES, RUDI JOHNSON, FRED TAYLOR and KEVIN JONES face good defenses this week, so choose wisely. It’s tough to bench these guys (especially RJ and KJ), but if you have a good option available, it might be a good idea…KEYSHAWN JOHNSON and CHRIS CHAMBERS have pretty tough matchups this week, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bench them if you have another decent option.

INJURY UPDATE (THURSDAY GAME)

With the season-ending injury to Chris Perry, Kenny Watson takes over as Rudi Johnson’s primary backup…Jamal Lewis is questionable after missing part of Wednesday’s practice, but is still expected to start. Todd Heap also missed part of practice Wednesday and his status for Thursday is considered a “game-time decision.”

Check back Saturday for a complete injury update. Meanwhile, feel free to post a question on our Fantasy Q & A.

In honor of the 2006 College Football Season, Bullz-Eye.com will preview an up-and-coming game of the week, each week, for the entire length of the NCAA season.

Each week a game will be highlighted and broken down by each teams strengths and weaknesses vs. its opponent. Plus, no preview would be complete without a forecasted score – you’ll find a prediction on the game at Bullz-Eye.com as well.

The SEC Championship game is what’s on the line this week as the crestfallen Razorbacks travel to Gainesville to take on the Gators. Florida needs a victory and a USC loss to possibly notch a national title appearance while Arkansas is fighting for respect after a recent loss to LSU.

On tap this week: (#8) Arkansas at (#4) Florida.

In honor of the 2006 NFL season, Bullz-Eye.com will take one contest off the schedule every week and break down each team’s strengths and weaknesses vs. its opponent. Plus, no preview would be complete without a forecasted score – you’ll find a prediction on the game at Bullz-Eye.com as well.

The Cowboys are surging and the Giants are reeling. The NFC East is quite possibly is on the line this Sunday in the Meadowlands as Dallas takes on New York.

On tap for Week 13: Dallas Cowboys (7-4) at New York Giants (6-5).

Donovan McNabb recently had reconstructive knee surgery after tearing his ACL two weeks ago in the Eagles loss to the Titans. ESPN.com is reporting that he might not recover in time for the 2007 season opener. Dr. James Andrews, who performed the operation on McNabb’s knee, said that Donovan would be out between 10 to 12 months.

Ten months would put McNabb near the start of next season, but 12 months would cost him nearly the entire ’07 schedule. Given this, one has to ponder what Philadelphia’s next move is. McNabb just turned 30 and is on his third mid-November season ending injury in the last five years. Nobody should question McNabb’s determination in trying to get back on the field. However, with the Eagles quickly slipping out of contention in the NFC, maybe Philadelphia might want to entertain drafting a quarterback in next year’s draft. Unless of course Andy Reid feels comfortable heading into next season with Jeff Garcia and A.J. Feely.

It’s sad to think that a player of McNabb’s class and attitude might never fully recover from injuries, but the Eagles eventually have to start thinking of the future.

Live and in person, I was at the Staples Center last night to witness Michael Redd’s 45-point outburst against the Lakers, helping the Bucks pull the upset, 109-105. Redd shot 16-30 from the field, including 5-9 from behind the arc, and finished with eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. He has developed into (arguably) the best pure shooter in the league and has passed Manu Ginobili on my list of the best second round picks of the last 20 years. Meanwhile, Kobe led the Lakers with 27 points, but shot just 7-23 from the field and seemed none too happy about Redd’s explosion at his team’s expense. As a longtime Bucks fan and Laker-hater, it was a great, great night - objectivity be damned.

The win puts the Bucks at 5-9, but their record is a bit deceiving. Even though the season is young, Andrew Bogut, Bobby Simmons and Charlie Villanueva have all missed time due to injury, but they’re able to join Redd and Mo Williams for some consistent action, the young Bucks should improve and make a playoff push in the second half of the season.

The Nets lost at home to the Bobcats, 96-92. I’m starting to see a trend in the New Jersey box scores. Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic all score over 20, while no other player hits double figures save Jason Kidd, who constantly seems to flirt with a triple-double. The point? There isn’t one…I’m just sayin’.

The other surprise score was Toronto’s 94-77 win against the Hornets. In fairness, NO/OKC was missing David West and Peja Stojakovic, who missed the game due to injury.

Now that Week 12 is complete, it’s time to hand out awards for the third quarter of the fantasy football season. These awards are based on performance scoring, such as this one from Antsports.com. For those players that missed games due to injury, I included those games in their per game averages. Keep in mind, I’m only looking at performances during Weeks 9-12.

QUARTERBACKS

MVP: Drew Brees (27.5 ppg)
So much for that iffy shoulder. All Drew Brees has done in the last four weeks is throw for an average of 393 yards and two scores per game. I wonder how dumb the Dolphins feel right now. During the offseason, they felt that Brees’ shoulder was a bigger risk than Daunte Culpepper’s knee. I wouldn’t want to put “Dolphins’ team doctor” on my resume right now.

Honorable Mention: Carson Palmer (24.0), Tony Romo (23.1)

Biggest Surprise: Tony Romo (23.1)
Many thought that Romo would be better than Drew Bledsoe, but who thought that he’d be this much better? In the last four games, he has averaged 281 pass yards and 2.3 TDs per game. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Honorable Mention: Matt Leinart (20.2), Ben Roethlisberger (19.5), Vince Young (19.3)

Biggest Disappointment: Eli Manning (9.9)
After a pretty nice start, the “other” Manning has fizzled of late, throwing for an average of 168 yards and 0.8 TD against 1.8 INT over the last four games. While arguments could be made for handing this award to Matt Hasselbeck or Donovan McNabb, Manning hasn’t missed any time with injury.

Dishonorable Mention: Matt Hasselbeck (4.8), Donovan McNabb (8.3)

RUNNING BACKS

MVP: LaDainian Tomlinson (40.1)
Zzzzzzzz. What? You want me to tell you what LT has done over the last four weeks. Okay, well, he averaged 161 yards from scrimmage. Not enough? Let’s see, he averaged 3.3 TDs per game. That’s enough? Good, I’m going back to sleep now.

Honorable Mention: Steven Jackson (34.2), Brian Westbrook (24.9), Willie Parker (24.3)

Biggest Surprise: Joseph Addai (22.3)
Granted, Addai won this award on Sunday night when he gained 208 yards from scrimmage while rushing for four scores against the Eagles. I definitely thought Addai would have a good second half, but I wasn’t expecting that.

Honorable Mention: Jamal Lewis (17.4), Maurice Drew (16.2), Marion Barber (15.4)

Biggest Disappointment: Edgerrin James (9.2)
Arguments can be made for several players, but no back was more disappointing in the third quarter than James, who just can’t seem to get anything going behind the Cardinals’ sketchy offensive line. Arizona had a bye in Week 9, but since then, James has gained an average of 72 yards from scrimmage with no scores. Ugh.

Dishonorable Mention: Shaun Alexander (6.3), Julius Jones (7.3), LaMont Jordan (5.6), Willis McGahee (5.4), Clinton Portis (5.1)

WIDE RECEIVERS

MVP: Chad Johnson (29.9)
Who else? Over the past four games, CJ has averaged seven catches for 151 yards and 1.3 TD and that includes a 4-catch/32-yard game against the Ravens. He had a slow start, but over the last three weeks, he’s been phenomenal.

Honorable Mention: Lee Evans (21.5), Steve Smith (20.9), Javon Walker (20.3)

Biggest Surprise: Devery Henderson (19.5)
Is this even fair? The Saints already have Marques Colston, who is the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and when he goes down with an ankle sprain, they plug in Henderson, who averaged four catches for 110 yards and 0.8 TD over the last four games. And those numbers include a goose egg against Pittsburgh in Week 10. Wowsers.

Honorable Mention: Lee Evans (21.5), Mark Clayton (15.0), Marty Booker (14.7)

Biggest Disappointment: Torry Holt (10.8)
What’s wrong with Torry Holt? After averaging 6-82-1 through the first eight weeks, Holt’s numbers took a nosedive in the third quarter, where he averaged just 5.3 catches for 55 yards and zero scores. This probably has more to do with Marc Bulger’s ribs than anything Torry is doing, but he’s still a disappointment.

Dishonorable Mention: Santana Moss (2.2), Antonio Bryant (5.5), Joe Horn (6.9), Chris Chambers (10.3)

TIGHT ENDS

MVP: Chris Cooley (14.3)
After a slow start, Cooley was cut in many fantasy leagues. Sharp owners jumped on him and over the past four weeks, he’s paid dividends, averaging 3.5 catches for 63 yards and 0.8 TD.

Honorable Mention: Todd Heap (13.1), Ben Watson (13.1), Kellen Winslow (12.9)

Biggest Surprise: Bo Scaife (10.1)
Over the past four weeks, Scaife has benefited from the absence of Ben Troupe, averaging three catches for 38 yards while scoring twice. He should be a good spot starter the rest of the way.

Biggest Disappointment: Desmond Clark (4.7)
Clark teased fantasy owners with a strong first half, but over the last four weeks he’s caught an average of 1.8 passes for 14 yards and 0.3 TD. Ugh.

Dishonorable Mention: Alge Crumpler (7.8), Antonio Gates (11.5)

In case someone has missed the action recently regarding Ben Wallace, allow me to fill you in. Bulls head coach Scott Skiles and the Chicago brass don’t allow players to wear headbands during games. It’s a dumb team rule, but it’s a rule nonetheless. Wallace apparently agreed to this rule when he robbed the Bulls of $60 million over the offseason.

In a recent game, Wallace decided to forego the team rule and wear a headband. Skiles pulled him from the court and told Wallace to take the band off or he’s not going back in. Instead of doing as his coach tells him, Wallace returned to the end of the bench, threw a fit in which every member of the Bulls coaching staff had to talk to him and then eventually agreed to take off the head gear. Skiles put Big Ben back into the game and Wallace immediately put the headband back on. The feud has continued between the coach and player and now, apparently, Wallace has stated that he isn’t sorry for the tirade.

Memo to Ben Wallace: You’re not in Detroit anymore. People don’t bow down to you like they did at the Palace and people certainly don’t “Fear the Fro’” in Chicago. You were signed in Chicago as the missing link. Now, you can’t even do the one good thing you did in Detroit, which was grab rebounds. You’re a bust so far as Bull and the Chicago media isn’t going to coddle your rocks like the Detroit media did. Get over yourself.

It’s crunch time and you might need a sanity check. Post all of your fantasy questions here.

Major developments in the top five this week. Changes are forthcoming.

Here is a look at the class and trash of the league with nothing in between:

1. Indianapolis Colts (10-1)
Previous Ranking: 1
I like how the Colts have handled Joseph Addai. Pairing him with veteran Dominic Rhodes seemed to be the right move by Tony Dungy and staff. Addai doesn’t have to carry a full load as a rookie and Indy is easing him into the season. Now he’ll have fresh legs heading into the stretch run while still being able to learn the game when Rhodes gets his carries.

2. San Diego Chargers (9-2)
Previous Ranking: 3
What impresses me about the Chargers is that they stayed afloat while Shawne Merriman was suspended for steroids or flax seed oil or something along those lines. San Diego had every opportunity to fold up shop and lose to teams like the Bengals and Broncos. The Chargers didn’t and that only proves that this team is resliant. Hopefully Philip Rivers just had a bad game last week against the Raiders, though, because SD will need his strong play down the stretch.

3. New England Patriots (8-3)
Previous Ranking: 5
It’s overstated so much, but I’ll say it again: Bill Belichick is a mastermind for winning with the talent he has. Doug Gabriel is your No. 1 receiver? Actually, the tight end Ben Watson is your No. 1 receiving threat? So now Junior Seau is out with a broken arm. First thing that comes to mind is that the Patriots are doomed with another defensive injury. If you think that, obviously you haven’t been paying attention.

4. Chicago Bears (9-2)
Previous Ranking: 2
Rex Grossman is frightful when he’s bad. I think it’s safe to say that Grossman has exceeded expectations this year, but I wonder how far away Lovie Smith’s finger is from the Brian Griese button. This is two years in a row where Chicago is teetering on good and great and it looks like Grossman is the deciding factor. Russian Roulette anyone?

5. Baltimore Ravens (9-2)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
Okay, so I might have jumped the gun last week by calling the Ravens “not that good”. Baltimore is that good, because the defense causes more turnovers than Stephen Dorff makes bad movies. And while I think the offense is flawed, Brian Billick obviously has his pulse on the play calling since he took over for Jim Fassel.

28. Cleveland Browns (3-8)
Previous Rank: Unranked
Every time I get the Browns out of this spot they get shut out by the Bengals 30-0 and then start bickering amongst themselves. This team must madden their fans with its play. Hang with San Diego, hang with Pittsburgh, beat Atlanta and then get hammered by rival Cincinnati. Yikes.

29. Houston Texans (3-8)
Previous Ranking: 29
Let me get this straight. The Texans go into New York just under a month ago and hang with the Giants when the G-Men were still winning football games. Then Houston goes into New York last week and lays an egg against the Jets. That’s not a slam on the Jets either, because that’s a good football team. That’s a slam on the inconsistent Houston Texans.

30. Arizona Cardinals (2-9)
Previous Ranking: 31
Matt Leinart threw for 400 yards against Minnesota last Sunday. Before you crown him the next Joe Montana, remember that Teddy Ruxpin threw for 400 yards on the Vikings this season too.

31. Detroit Lions (2-9)
Previous Ranking: 30
After the Lions loss to the Dolphins on Thanksgiving Day, cornerback Dre’ Bly walked away from Joey Harrington at the end of the game instead of shaking his hand. I don’t blame Bly for not shaking his hand, because he probably had to get into the locker room early for the burn treatment Harrington gave the Lions secondary when he tossed three touchdowns on them.

32. Oakland Raiders (2-9)
Previous Ranking: 31
What aggravates me about the Raiders is how well the defense actually plays on a weekly basis. That unit is young, fast and is filled with overachievers. Too bad the offense is putrid and people can’t see how decent the defense actually is.

There were a couple of surprising scores Monday night. Orlando went into once-beaten Utah and handled the Jazz, 88-75. Dwight Howard went for 21/16; he’s now averaging 16.4/13.5 on the season, leading the league in rebounds. Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 21/9. The Magic are now 11-4, have won four straight and eight of their last nine. They’ve definitely translated a strong finish last season into a strong start this season.

The other surprise was Golden State’s 111-102 victory over the Spurs. Tim Duncan showed up (22/16 with six blocks) but so did Andris Biedrins (18/15 with six blocks). That makes three straight double-doubles for the 20 year-old center from Latvia.

QUARTERBACKS

Here is a list of players that may be available on your league’s waiver wire, in order of relative value:

Tony Romo, Steve McNair, Phillip Rivers, Vince Young, Jason Campbell, Jay Cutler, David Carr, David Garrard, Aaron Brooks, Trent Green, Joey Harrington, Chad Pennington, Jeff Garcia, Matt Leinart, Alex Smith, Charlie Frye, J.P. Losman, Brad Johnson, Bruce Gradkowski

Jake Plummer is out. Jay Cutler is in. I’m not sure what to expect from Cutler, who has been pretty hyped since he entered the league this summer. But he’s got a nice schedule ahead of him (Sea, @SD, @ARI, CIN) and ten days to prepare for his first game, so he isn’t being thrown to the wolves…Don’t look now, but Vince Young is turning into a pretty good fantasy QB. Over the last three weeks he has thrown for 569 yards and three TDs, while rushing for 157 and two more TDs. His schedule is favorable over the next two weeks, but games against Jacksonville and at Buffalo loom in Weeks 15 and 16…Jason Campbell is another good option for fantasy owners still reeling from the loss of Donovan McNabb. In two starts, he hasn’t thrown for a ton of yards (314), but he has thrown two scores in each game. Plus, his schedule down the stretch looks pretty good.

RUNNING BACKS

DeAngelo Williams, Travis Henry, Wali Lundy, Ladell Betts, Sammy Morris, Cedric Benson, Arlen Harris, Maurice Jones-Drew, Leon Washington, Mike Bell, Justin Fargas, Sam Gado, Jerious Norwood, Michael Turner, Brandon Jacobs, Zack Crockett, Anthony Thomas, Jason Wright, T.J. Duckett

The Panthers elected not to update the status of DeShaun Foster on Monday, so his status is still up in the air. DeAngelo Williams didn’t perform very well (20 touches, 86 yards), but he wasn’t bad either. We all know he’ll eventually be the starter in Carolina, it’s just a matter of time. Keep an eye on Foster’s status this week…Sammy Morris took over for the injured Ronnie Brown and rushed for 91 yards on 12 carries. Brown had surgery on his hand so don’t expect him to be back for Week 13. Morris is in for spot-starter duty, but he’s got a tough matchup against a stout Jacksonville defense.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Mark Clayton, Marty Booker, Reche Caldwell, Chris Henry, Devery Henderson, Santonio Holmes, Mike Furrey, Wes Welker, Arnaz Battle, Terrance Copper, Ernest Wilford, Eric Parker, Patrick Crayton, Doug Gabriel

Thursday seems like a long time ago, but Marty Booker went nuts on the Lions, catching seven balls for 115 yards and two scores. No one knows for sure what’s wrong with Chris Chambers, but Booker is picking up the slack…It looks like Hines Ward may be out a while after knee surgery, so Santonio Holmes will be first in line for his targets.

TIGHT ENDS

Bo Scaife, Jerramy Stevens, Owen Daniels, Randal Williams, David Martin, Vernon Davis, Alex Smith, Eric Johnson

With Ben Troupe out for the year, Bo Scaife is getting even more playing time. He appears to be a favorite target of Vince Young which makes him a good backup TE at this point in the season…Jerramy Stevens keeps dropping the ball, but Matt Hasselbeck keeps throwing it to him, resulting in a 3-yard TE catch late Monday night. If you’re in a pinch, he’s still a good option despite the butterfingers.

It didn’t take Shaun Alexander long to hit is stride did it? In Seattle’s 34-24 win over Green Bay on Monday night, Alexander carried the ball 35 times for 193 yards. That’s pretty impressive for any NFL back, not too mention a guy coming off a broken bone in his foot. Matt Hasselback looked great in the second half in throwing for three touchdowns, but also showed major signs of rust. While battling snowy conditions on a bum knee, Hasselback tossed three interceptions, including one on the second play of the game, and also lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

Seattle is now 6-4 and in the NFC, that’s almost like being 10-0. After watching Alexander completely destroy a decent Packer run defense, it looks like the Bears and Cowboys will have some company at the top of the NFC pyramid. Seattle still has a ways to go with its defense, however, and if the Seahawks want to be serious contenders they’ll have to stop giving up big plays. Too many times this season the safeties will bite on a quarterback play-fake and lose a receiver down one of the seams or take poor angles in trying to tackle ball carriers. Brett Favre was able to quick-throw Donald Driver for a 48-yard touchdown pass in the second half after the Seattle secondary did a terrible job of keeping Driver contained. The run defense has been below average as well.

One more negative for the Seahawks is the atrocious play of tight end Jerramy Stevens. If he’s not dodging well-deserved knees to the groin, he’s spending most of his time dropping passes.

Here’s an un-computerized look at the top 10 teams in college football:

1. Ohio State (12-0)
Previous Rank: #1
All right Buckeye fans, here’s your chance to tell me whom you want to face come January 8th. Post now or forever hold your piece.

2. USC (10-1)
Previous Rank: #4
It took a lot for me to jump the Trojans up two spots from four to two, but after watching what USC did to the Irish last Saturday, I feel good about the decision. I honestly think that the Trojans just got caught sleeping against Oregon State. USC has a quarterback that is playing great football, two NFL-caliber wide receivers (Dwayne Jarrett is a beast) and a hard-nosed defense. Plus, Pete Carroll always has his boys ready to play in a big game.

3. Michigan (11-1)
Previous Rank: #2
I don’t know if that vaunted Wolverine defense could stop USC for four quarters. The Ohio State game proved that I think. Although something tells me Michigan beats Florida at a neutral site.

4. Florida (11-1)
Previous Rank: #3
This probably isn’t fair to the Gators to move down one spot after a win. But what has been fair to Urban Meyer’s group? Florida would have benefited from Arkansas staying at one-loss, because now a win over the Razorbacks doesn’t look as impressive. Either way, Florida is a very good football team that will probably not get the chance to show the nation what it could really do.

5. LSU (10-2)
Previous Rank: #8
Boy, did the Tigers come full circle or what? I had these guys ranked high all year and even had LSU beating Auburn and Florida earlier in the season. They muffed both of those contests and still find a way back into the top five. I’ve called LSU the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NCAA all year and I think the comparison fits.

6. Arkansas (10-2)
Previous Rank: #5
I’ll highlight the positive in the Razorbacks’ loss to LSU, because everybody knows what the negative was out of the defeat. Darren McFadden is an outstanding player. He completely kept Arkansas in that game with his impressive runs and deserves heavy consideration for a Hesiman. What an athlete.

7. Notre Dame (10-2)
Previous Rank: 6
The only way to explain what happened to the Irish in Southern Cal is that a better team flat out just smoked them. Brady Quinn is sizing up his Lions jersey right now. Start the Joey Harrington nightmares now please.

8. Wisconsin (11-1)
Previous Rank: #10
Good deal for the Badgers. Wisconsin doesn’t even play and it moves up two spots in the rankings. I know the two programs have no relation, but I get a feeling that Urban Meyer and the rest of Gator Nation is upset with this injustice as I type.

9. Oklahoma (10-2)
Previous Rank: Unranked
It took the Sooners all season to make a push back into the top ten after a ref completely shot their season against Oregon. Too bad it’s the end of the season and Oklahoma isn’t fighting for too much these days but a decent bowl. The Sooners must feel like they arrived late to a killer party because they got screwed with bad directions. But as they pull up to the party they see all the action is virtually over. Heal soon Adrian Peterson.

10. Boise State (12-0)
Previous Rank: Unranked
It’s tough to leave out a team that goes undefeated in college football. I don’t care what conference you play in, staying unbeaten is an impressive feat for any program.

The NFL Network has another Thursday game this week, and it’s a nice matchup between the Bengals and Ravens. The ACC/Big Ten Challenge kicks off this week on the ESPN networks. The feature game is #1 Ohio State vs. #6 North Carolina. The best NBA game on national television is the Jazz/Lakers battle on TNT Thursday night, though the Jazz/Spurs should be a good one on Wednesday night.

NFL
Mon, 8:30 PM: Green Bay @ Seattle – ESPN
Thurs, 8 PM: Baltimore @ Cincinnati – NFL Network

College Basketball
Tues, 7 PM: (19) Maryland @ Illinois - ESPN
Tues, 7:30 PM: Florida St. @ (13) Wisconsin – ESPN2
Tues, 9 PM: Indiana @ (10) Duke – ESPN
Wed, 9 PM: (1) Ohio St. @ (6) North Carolina – ESPN

NBA
Mon, 8:30 PM: Minnesota @ Dallas – NBA TV
Mon, 9 PM: Orlando @ Utah – local
Mon, 10:30 PM: San Antonio @ Golden State – local
Tues, 9 PM: Memphis @ Denver – NBA TV
Wed, 9 PM: Houston @ Phoenix – NBA TV
Wed, 9 PM: San Antonio @ Utah – local
Thurs, 8 PM: Detroit @ Miami – TNT
Thurs, 10:30 PM: Utah @ LA Lakers - TNT

Here are your college football players of the week.

Remember, if you feel that another player was worthy of higher honors than the two I chose, post the athlete and let me hear why you think he or they were more deserving.

Here are your top performers of the week:

Offensive Player of the Week: Dwayne Jarrett, WR USC
While there were plenty of solid offensive performances to choose from, I’m always partial to the athlete who does it on a national stage. Jarrett was phenomenal in the Trojans 44-24 victory over Notre Dame. The receiver caught seven passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns and helped propel USC into the #2 spot in the BCS rankings. There might not be a better receiver in the NCAA that uses his size to gain an advantage on a defender than Jarrett.

Defensive Player of the Week: Ben Moffitt, LB South Florida
Moffitt was great in the Bulls 24-19 upset over previously ranked No. 8 West Virginia. The linebacker recorded seven tackles and recovered a Steve Slaton fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. Moffitt was also part of a defensive effort that held Slaton and Pat White to only 60 rushing yards.

With the Trojans convincing 44-24 victory over Notre Dame Saturday night, USC has leapfrogged Michigan in the BCS standings. The Trojans now claim the number two spot behind Ohio State and now USC controls its only destiny. Beat UCLA next week and the Trojans will take on the Buckeyes in the national championship.

Given the current BCS situation, Florida is on the shakiest ground for playing for a national title. A one-loss Gator team being the odd man out won’t sit too well with Florida head coach Urban Meyer and his plea for a playoff system either. The Gators would have plenty to argue about too. Not only does Florida play in one of the toughest conferences in college football, the SEC, but also the Gators only loss was to Auburn. The Tigers were ranked No. 11 when they upset Florida, while USC’s only loss would be to an unranked Oregon State program.

Of course, one thing could fix all of this mess, but it also makes the most sense. That’s why we may never see a playoff system in college football.