Week 13 NFL Power Rankings: Packers Remain Perfect

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. James Jones (pictured above) had a huge game in Detroit on Thanksgiviing. Can the defending champs do the unthinkable and complete a perfect season?

By Wesley Kaminsky

With five games to go in the 2011 NFL season, the Green Bay Packers have remained undefeated and got past their biggest test on Thanksgiving with ease. That defense, which was supposed to get lit up against a high-powered Lions offense didn’t by any means, as they picked off Matthew Stafford three times.

And that Aaron Rodgers guy? He continued to play at an MVP level as he threw for 307 yards, and two touchdowns. Can any team in the NFC stop the Packers from returning to the Super Bowl? It’s going to be pretty difficult to try to do that at Lambeau Field during the playoffs. Aside from the Saints, I can’t see any team winning there.

The Packers have had the top spot of these power rankings since Week 1, and they don’t look like they are going to give it up anytime soon.

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Food for Thought 11-29-2011

Photo courtesy of nunesmagician.com. In my opinion, Syracuse has no choice but to fire their legendary coach, Jim Boeheim (pictured above).

By Josh Kramer

I love sports just like millions of other people across the globe.  Sports are something that I confide in.  Something that is always there no matter the time of year or the time of day.  There is always some sort of sport going on.  Sports are a universal langauge that everyone has an opinion on.  I have always been a person who believes in the purity of sport.  A person who believed that sports were about competition, sportsmanship, and fair play.  And sure sports do embody these wonderful attributes.  But sadly, especially over the past couple of months, I have realized just how much sports are first and foremost about money, and riddled with scandal.

Now I am not a naive person.  I realize scandal has been going on since the beginning of time and sports have never been above it.  But lately, scandal has smacked the sporting world in the face.  People thought the Tressel bonanza at Ohio State was big news.  But in the grand scheme of things, college kids selling their memorabilia and getting some free tattoos and cash was not a big deal.  Then little Nevin Shapiro shook up the U.  And these horrific acts seemed to be the end of the world.  It wasn’t.  A couple of weeks ago, Happy Valley became an “Unhappy” place.  Jerry Sandusky ruined the name of one of the most prominent figures in sports and brought down a very prestigious academic institution.  Sadly though, the Sandusky case, though horrible, may just be the tip of the iceberg.

Bye Bye Boeheim

Weekly Nickel 11-28-2011

Photo courtesy of raleighdurham.about.com. Can North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams (pictured above) rally his team to a huge victory over Kentucky in Lexington Saturday?

By Josh Kramer

What a past week in sports.  Wild NFL action.  Rivalry weekend for College Football.  Big time College Basketball upsets.  A shocking out of thin air NBA Labor agreement.  And a return of the NHL’s biggest star.  It will definitely be tough for this upcoming week to top last week.

Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The Return of the Mack.  Hockey’s biggest star has returned to the ice, and appears ready to pick up right where he left off.  The hockey world got a momentous gift, when Sid “the Kid” Crosby took the ice for the first time in over 11 months.  With Ovechkin’s stardom waning, the NHL has been thirsting a star for the better part of six months.  That void appears to have been filled with the “Return of the Crosby.”  Talk about the strong getting stronger.  Pittsburgh already possessed the best record in hockey.  Now they just added the best player a quarter of the way into the season.

Week 13 was jam-packed

Photo courtesy of toledoblade.com. Yesterday was likely the last game of the Luke Fickell (pictured above) era at Ohio State. He will be a hotly sought after commodity in the very near future.

By Josh Kramer

Rivalry weekend is always a very highly anticipated one.  The state of Ohio goes to war with the state of Michigan, South Carolina divides, Georgia goes up for grabs, and of course there is the “Iron Bowl.”  Thanksgiving time is all about the food, family and of course football.  Come Saturday, the spotlight is focused on the collegiate ranks.

Fickell era ends

-Surprisingly, the one rivalry game today that really lived up to the hype took place in Ann Arbor.  I for one expected the Wolverines to blow the Buckeyes out, despite OSU’s recent dominance in “the Game.”  I was wrong.  Ohio State put up a heck of a fight, and nearly pulled it out.  Had Miller put the ball somewhat on the money to DeVier Posey late in the 4th, Ohio State would have made the “Big House” their house, yet again (heading into yesterday, Michigan had gone 2,925 days without defeating the Buckeyes at any venue).

NFL Week 12 Predictions

Photo courtesy of getsportsinfo.com. Eli Manning (pictured above) wants to prove that he is one of the NFL's elite QBs. He will get his chance against Drew Brees and the Saints on Monday Night.

By Josh Kramer

America’s favorite division, the NFC East, seems to be in the midst of a real down year.  Tim Tebow continues to shock the world.  And the injury bug has hit in full force.  We are well over half-way through the NFL regular season and the fun is just beginning.

As has become the tradition, we are once again having “TheSportsKraze Pick’em Challenge.”

The participants this season are as follows:

TheSportsKraze (TSK) (defending champion)-Josh Kramer-Founder/Editor-In-Chief of “TheSportsKraze” and former ESPN intern.

CV3-Chad Vordenberge-An elite high school wide receiver and a very successful business owner.

CB-Craig Baker-A former collegiate baseball player and current special education teacher.

DC-David Clark-A dedicated sports fan who was coached by TheSportsKraze on his fraternity flag football team.  After playing for TheSportsKraze, he has developed a slow but steady motivation to show his coach who the real pick’em champion is.

After Week 11, here is the scoreboard.

CB-102

TSK-108

CV3-100

DC-98

Week 12 Slate:

College Football Week 13: This is where things get mean

Photo courtesy of alaskanhawg.com. Can Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson (pictured above) help the Razorbacks turn the BCS world upside down on Friday?

By Josh Kramer

The College Football season is finally hitting the stretch run.  Rivalries galore fill the Thanksgiving weekend, while the BCS is in as much chaos as I can ever remember it being in.  This weekend could potentially be the weekend where the BCS gets exposed worse than it ever has.  What if Arkansas beats LSU?  Then what do you do?  But let’s focus on what actually is rather than the “what ifs.”  The slate this week is packed with great games and also will be the final showcase session for many Heisman hopefuls.  Week 12 was a wild one, but Week 13 has the makings of being one of the all-time greats.

Here are the marquee matchups.

Arkansas at LSU:  Tigers by 10

Week 12 NFL Power Rankings: Bears Win Fifth Straight, Lose Jay Cutler

Photo courtesy of bearsgab.com. Jay Cutler (pictured above) will likely be sidelined for the rest of the regular season. How will the Bears respond without their offensive leader?

By Wesley Kaminsky

Last week it was Matt Schaub who was lost for the season with a foot injury, just when the Texans looked like they were getting it all together. A week later, it’s Jay Cutler who will likely miss the remainder of the regular season with a broken thumb on his throwing hand that will require surgery. This couldn’t come at a worse time for a Bears team who have five straight games and look like a legitimate threat to the Packers. Now, that talk will have to wait, as the Bears turn to Caleb Hanie, and pray he can lead them back to the playoffs.

1. Green Bay Packers (1, won 35-26): 10-0. Next up, the Packers get their biggest test of the season yet: In Detroit, on Thanksgiving. (Next game: at Detroit)

Food for Thought 11-22-2011

Photo courtesy of sports.yahoo.com. Vince Young (pictured above) did his best Tim Tebow impression on Sunday night, leading the Eagles to a huge victory over the rival New York Giants.

By Josh Kramer

We are nearing turkey day which can only mean one thing.  Football is out in full force.  The games on Thanksgiving Day are sure to impress, with a family reunion set to take place in Baltimore and a goliath showdown between two of the NFC’s elite in the Motor City.  And let’s not forget about the wild weekend that turned the BCS upside down in terms of College Football.  There is so much to talk about and so much going on.  Here is what has my attention.

Vince Tebow?

-I am still astonished by what Tim Tebow has been able to accomplish.  But on Sunday night, I had the chance to watch another once very highly touted quarterback do his best Tebow impression at MetLife Stadium.  Vince Young, the man who coined the infamous “Dream Team,” backed up the talk with a big time victory against the division leading Giants.

But the real question is, how did he do it?

Weekly Nickel 11-21-2011

Photo courtesy of sacbee.com. Thanksgiving will be a family reunion of sorts for the Harbaugh family as Jim Harbaugh (left) leads his 49ers into Baltimore to take on John Harbaugh's (right) Ravens.

By Josh Kramer

It is safe to say that last week was absolutely a wild one in the wide world of sports.  The College Football world was turned upside down, while the NFL was highly entertaining as always.  College Basketball is back in full force, while the MLB off-season awards were doled out.  Plus the NASCAR Sprint for the Cup came to a wild conclusion.

Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

Week 12 was swell

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Brandon Weeden (pictured above) and the magical run by the Oklahoma State Cowboys came to an end on Friday during what has been an extremely emotional week in Stillwater.

By Josh Kramer

Week 12 was predominantly filled with blowouts, with a few major upsets sprinkled in.  Now the top three teams in the country will come from the SEC.  More specifically, the amazing SEC West.  The season is starting to come to an end and the BCS picture continues to become clearer…just kidding.

Another one bites the dust

-Heading into this week there were three undefeated teams in all of the land.  Now we are down to just two.  In shocking fashion, Oklahoma State, who led by 17 points and were playing with heavy hearts, went down to a Iowa State team that is still under 500 in Big 12.  What are the chances?  Who really saw this coming?

-With Oklahoma State biting the dust, the BCS now finds itself with a major dilemma.