In Memory of Stefanie Spielman & In Support of Her Cause

I am sitting here right now both humbled and saddened as I type this post, having just heard the news of Stefanie Spielman’s passing and then spending a good part of my early morning reading up on her story.

There were a variety of options for morning posts today, but everything else seemed woefully insignificant when stacked up against the story of Stefanie Spielman.

If you are unfamiliar with Stefanie, she was the wife of Ohio State legend Chris Spielman. She was also a woman who spent more than decade of her life dedicated to leading the fight against breast cancer and to helping improve the lives of those who were living with the disease and their families.

Unfortunately, breast cancer claimed the life of Stefanie Spielman yesterday. She was 42 years old.

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Open Letter to RichRod: Please Deliver a Win Over Ohio State

Dear Rich Rodriguez,

The University of Michigan players, alumni, and fans have been dying for a win over the hated Ohio State Buckeyes. Please give us a win in what is clearly a “trap game” for the Buckeyes this Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 12:00 pm in Ann Arbor.

The Buckeyes have secured a Rose Bowl appearance and the Big 10 Championship. With all of that already in the bag for them before this game….you never know.

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Thanksgiving Day Football TV Schedule: NFL and College Football

Today is the third Thursday in November, which means one thing and one thing only to me and many of you reading this: we are now officially one week away from the greatest meal of the year.

We are also one week away from a day when it is generally accepted in most households that the TV will be tuned to football all day long.

And, of course, we’re one week away from being able to share a wonderful day with friends and family and let them know that we are thankful for their presence in our lives.

But you don’t need our help with that. You’re here for one thing and one thing only: the Thanksgiving Day TV schedule for the NFL and college football games that will accompany our turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and eventual food coma.

Let’s get right to it.

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College Football TV Schedule and Point Spreads – Week 12 (November 21st)

Getting a jump start on next week’s college football TV schedule and point spread post because I don’t want to have to worry about it tomorrow night. Peyton v Brady will have my attention.

Anyway, the schedule is not filled with marquee matchups (Ohio State-Michigan is the headliner, if that tells you anything) but certainly could still be a pivotal week in the overall landscape of the season if any of the top teams stumble.

All will be favored by double digits though, so don’t hold your breath.

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SEC Championship Game Betting Preview: Alabama v Florida

The NCAA football schedule hits Week 12 and already attention is focused on the SEC Championship game, to be played a couple of weeks from now. It will, barring a complete disaster, be a matchup between the #1 Florida Gators and the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide.

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Three Tennessee Football Players Arrested for Armed Robbery

This has got to be one of the dumbest things I’ve seen a while.

Three University of Tennessee football players, including much-heralded freshmen Nu’Keese Richardson and Janzen Jackson, were arrested this morning and charged with armed robbery. (Thanks for SEC Rivals for the tip.)

I don’t have confirmation on this yet, but charges of extreme idiocy and operating a human body without a brain could also be forthcoming.

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College Football Point Spreads and TV Schedule for Week 11, November 14th

How’s this for a one-week swing.

Last week, Iowa was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, #4 in the BCS, and being talked about as a potential BCS championship contender.

This week, they have an injured quarterback, a loss to Northwestern on their resume, are now out of the top 10, and are 13.5 point dogs to Ohio State.

So much for that BCS title, huh Hawkeyes?

Let’s look ahead to Week 11 with this week’s college football TV schedule and point spread table.

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NFL and College Picks for November 7th and 8th

The Guru still lives up to his name in the pro game, being 17-11 for the season so far.

Still not so hot with college though. 12-16-1 in a disappointing year so far.

Click here to see Jerod’s picks from earlier this week and then follow after the jump for this week’s college and NFL picks.

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Notre Dame-Navy Preview

This Saturday, the 19th ranked Fighting Irish will take on their long-time rivals, the Navy Midshipmen.

Notre Dame’s game last week against Washington State was the first boring game the Irish have played all year as they swamped the Cougars 40-14. Even though it was a boring, one-sided game, I was happy.

For one time in the season the Irish dominated a team they should have dominated.

This week the Irish play the Midshipmen in a rival that began in 1927. The Irish have a 71-10-1 edge on the rivalry.  The Irish had a NCAA record of 43 straight wins against the Navy, but that was broken in 2007 when the Midshipmen won in OT. Even though the rivalry has been one-sided both teams hold this game in high regard. Both teams respect each other, and that’s what gives this game a little extra meaning.

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Feel Good College Football Story of the Week: WAC Hires PR Firm to Help Boise State Get BCS Bid

In Major League Baseball, teams in the race looking to make a late-season push will make a deadline deal to improve their roster. Case in point: the Phillies acquiring Cliff Lee.

In the NFL, teams looking to overcome longshot playoff odds get inventive with their playbook, like the Miami Dolphins did last year in using the Wildcat to power them to a playoff berth.

In college basketball, coaches will often loosen the reins on talented freshman during the second half of the season in an effort to unleash the potential of their teams, hoping it sparks a March run.

In college football, our national paragon of amateurism and integrity, schools and conferences hoping to achieve their postseason goals actually seek areas outside of their actual performance on the field to get a leg up on their competition.

Today’s example is Boise State, via the WAC, which has reportedly hired a PR firm to help the Broncos in their quest to make the BCS.

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Tennessee’s 4-4 Record Reflects the Two Different Teams Kiffin Has Put on the Field This Season

Standing at 4-4 on the season, the Lane Kiffin Project has been somewhat successful.

The Volunteers have put two different teams on the field this year: one has been reminiscent of last season’s mediocre squad, with a sputtering offensive attack; the other has been a motivated SEC contender that can play with any team in the nation.

A week ago, the Vols had a chance to knock off one of the top teams in the country in Alabama. Tennessee dropped the game 12-10 after a last second blocked field goal by Alabama’s gargantuan defensive tackle Terrence Cody. Finishing games in the fourth quarter has been an Achilles heel for Kiffin’s squad.

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College Football Point Spreads and TV Schedule – Week 10 (November 7th)

The college football Week 11 TV schedule and point spreads, for the week of Saturday, November 14th, have been posted!

Follow the link to view the college football TV schedule and point spreads for the week of November 14th.

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The plot is beginning to thicken, as they say, now that the calendar has turned to November.

Florida, Texas, and Alabama still appear to be the class of college football, with people still wondering exactly how good teams like Iowa, Boise State, and TCU really are.

And then there are the Oregons — teams written off because of an early season loss that have rebounded — who are charging up the top 25 and looking to play spoiler, if not outright BCS party crasher.

Let’s look ahead to Week 10 and the tv schedule and point spreads for Saturday, November 7th. LSU-Alabama is obviously the biggest game on the schedule, but there are some other ones that you’ll want to keep your eye on as well.

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Link of the Day: Stewart Mandel on Computers and the BCS

We’re a little light on the updates today, but we’ll have something special for you later this evening or tomorrow morning: an interview with Jimmy Traina of SI.com’s Hot Clicks.

As a preview, I want to highlight a great line a few minutes ago in a story that I found while making my way towards today’s Hot Clicks (starring the lovely Minka Kelly). The line is from SI.com college football Stewart Mandel and sounds like the kind of observation we’d hear in a Jerry Seinfeld stand-up routine.
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Sports Agent Corner: UFL vs CFL, “Runners”, and the Stay-or-Go Debate

(Editor’s Note: The Sports Agent Corner is our periodic Q&A with Dallas-based sports agent Gary Glick of Synergy Sports, Inc. Learn more about Gary and see his list of past and present clients at the Synergy Sports website.)

MSF: Give us an update on your players currently on NFL rosters.

Gary Glick: Interesting year so far.  We had several that were released and several doing well.  One of the ones to watch is Mike Adams at Arizona (#27).  He is small at 5’8” but has been very effective on special teams and is a very sure tackler.

MSF: How does the beginning of the UFL influence your  landscape? Is this a place where you are going to actively direct your clients who cannot make it on an NFL roster right now? Is the UFL immediately on par, better than, worse than the CFL?

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College Football Point Spreads and TV Schedule – Week 9, October 31, Halloween Night

The college football Week 11 TV schedule and point spreads, for the week of Saturday, November 14th, have been posted!

Follow the link to view the college football TV schedule and point spreads for the week of November 14th.

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It’s time to look ahead to this Saturday with this weekend’s college football TV schedule and point spreads.

The majority of this weekend’s games will be played on October 31st, which is, of course, Halloweeen. With top teams like Florida, Iowa, and Texas all being favored by nine points or more, their fans are certainly hoping that Saturday does not turn out to be a night of terror.

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