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The i-motion-ems success story
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Our goal: Your training success. Our path: leading technology, utmost reliability, best service. We have been able to claim this standard in just 3 years by investing a great deal of time, work and money in high-quality suit-designs, the development of electrodes with longevity and especially robust hardware for use in the studio and outdoors since 2015. However, the heart of i-motion-ems is the unique software, with the training impulse that can be dosed at the utmost individual level.
However, we wouldn't be i-motion-ems if we didn't continue working to improve ourselves and our systems. The goal: to provide the best product and the best support on the EMS-market at all times – for the best training of all times. We cooperate with sports physicians, physical therapists, personal trainers and professional athletes for this very reason. We also profit through these efforts from a worldwide network, i-motion-ems is active in over 50 countries on four continents – in the areas of sport, health, and aesthetics.
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Dr. Bernadette Loftus, MD, has served as associate executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (MAPMG) since it legally affiliated with The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) of Northern California in 2008. In this role, Bernadette is responsible for the health care of over 777,000 Kaiser Permanente members in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The Mid-Atlantic Permanente Group comprises over 1,878 physicians and staff members, over 76% of whom were hired since 2009; operates 30 medical centers in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area; and has affiliations with several top hospitals in the region.
Bernadette joined The Permanente Medical Group in 1991. She has held a number of roles at TPMG during her career, including TPMG board member and assistant secretary to the board; and physician-in-chief of the Santa Clara Medical Center, one of Kaiser Permanente's largest tertiary medical centers in California.
She serves as a voting member on the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Committee on Performance Measurement, and a member of Kaiser Permanente's National Health Policy Committee. As the founder of the annual Women in Leadership series hosted by MAPMG, Bernadette is a member of the Women Business Leaders of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation, a national nonprofit organization bringing together a peer group of senior executive women from all parts of the health care industry. Until January 2018, Bernadette was a member of the National Committee on Evidence-Based Benefit Insurance Design of the National Business Group on Health. From 2011 to 2016, she was a commissioner on the State of Maryland's Health Services Cost Review Commission, serving during the development of the Commission's successful global budgeting innovation project with CMS related to improving quality while simultaneously reducing overall cost trends for Marylanders. She has also served on the Board of Directors of the American Medical Group Association.
Bernadette is a frequently requested speaker on engendering health care evolution in pursuit of value-based health care, and utilizing successful physician leadership and employee engagement initiatives to drive performance. Her broader health care interests lie in technology-enabled population care management; leadership for rapid performance improvement; and using data and transparency to achieve the Triple Aim. Bernadette has been featured in numerous publications including "Fix It: Getting Accountability Right" by Roger Connors and Tom Smith, the world's leading experts on workplace accountability; and "Prescription for the Future: The Twelve Transformational Practices of Highly Effective Medical Organizations" by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania.
Board-certified in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, Bernadette received her medical degree with honors from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland; did preliminary general surgery residency at Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia; and completed her otolaryngology/head and neck surgery residency at Columbia University, where she was also appointed chief resident in head and neck surgery.

subset: commoncrawl


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Anthony Joshua v Joseph Parker Betting Tips
WBA and IBF heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua has the opportunity to add the WBO crown to his collection when he faces Joseph Parker at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in March in what should be a fantastic showdown.
Joshua has opened up as the 1/12 favourite to win the fight and extend his unbeaten record to 21 victories from 21 fights. Parker, on the other hand, is 6/1 to cause a big upset and come away from the national stadium in Wales with Joshua's belts.
Mickey Helliet via Twitter
Looking at the records of the two boxers, there is no question that Joshua has faced a much higher level of opponents so far in his career. Not only did he overcome one of the all-time greats of the sport in Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley in a thrilling contest last May, wins over Charles Martin, Eric Molina and Dillian Whyte are much more impressive than all Parker's CV can boast; his only real highlight is his success over Andy Ruiz to claim his title in December 2016.
Joshua is 1/4 in the boxing betting to win this fight by stoppage. All 20 of his wins so far have come by KO and TKO and it is difficult to see Parker surviving 12 rounds, therefore, if you are looking to back the WBA and IBF champion, the method of victory market is your best bet. Once Joshua connects, Parker's legs are likely to wobble and then it is only a matter of time before the fight is finished.
For those looking for a bigger price in the fight, the round betting is where you will want to play. In the first few rounds of the contest, Joshua is likely to give Parker a lot of respect as he is a world champion himself. It may pay, therefore, to look at the middle rounds in this market. AJ stopped both Whyte and Dominic Breazeale in the 7th round and that is available at a tempting 8/1 here.
There is, of course, the other option of betting on the total number of rounds. The mark for this fight is 8.5 rounds. You can back under at 8/15 and over at 11/8. Only two men have been able to go nine rounds with Joshua before, the most recent being Carlos Takam last October, therefore, the under 8.5 stands out straight away.
nzherald via Twitter
A victory for Joshua should help him secure a shot at Deontay Wilder later in 2018, when all four belts in the division could be on the line in that fight. The two men are both huge hitters, therefore, you will not want to blink if they do square off. Joshua is likely to be the favourite but the odds will depend on where the fight is held. Wembley is being discussed as an option again, however, it is only available for a small window this summer, therefore, their promoters may have to use Las Vegas, where Wilder will be the home boxer.
For now, though, all focus will be on Parker for Joshua who looks a good bet to extend his unbeaten record and add the WBO belt to his current titles in the division.


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On Changes in SEC Competition February 8, 2019Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: Aggies, Alabama, Citrus Bowl, Crimson Tide, Dak Prescott, Dan Mullen, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Fran Curci, Gator Bowl, Gators, Georgia, Jim Harbaugh, Jimbo Fisher, Johnny Manziel, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Kirby Smart, LSU, Mark Stoops, Michigan, Mississippi State, Missouri, NCAA, Nick Saban, Penn State, recruiting, SEC, Texas A&M, Wildcats
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They say that a college football team's potential for high rankings and even playoff contention is predicated on the ranking of its recruiting classes. Alabama's persistently top-ranked recruiting classes seem to demonstrate this. Yet while some things remain the same, others seem to be changing.
For several years, the SEC appeared to consist of Alabama and everybody else. The Crimson Tide had Nick Saban, who has proven to be the best college head coach in the business, while almost all other programs in the conference – with some exceptions – having been led by glorified gym teachers.
That now seems to be changing. Kirby Smart at Georgia, for example, has proven to be a most capable Saban protégé. He learned Saban's modus operandi while defensive coordinator at Alabama, and the Bulldogs' performance for the past two seasons shows that he has successfully transplanted a critical percentage of this erstwhile master's methodologies into Athens. Indeed, the 2017-2018 season culminated with Georgia playing Alabama for the national title. At the send of the 2018 season, the Bulldogs once again played the Tide down to the wire during the SEC championship game.
While Georgia has emerged as Alabama's toughest competition for conference supremacy, other intra-conference competition now gradually emerges, too. Take Florida, for example. Dan Mullen is such a skillful coach that his previous program, Mississippi State, was briefly the number one team in the country back in 2014 (Dak Prescott sure helped with that, to be sure). Now, with far more resources at his disposal, he has brought the Gators back to strength. Their 41-15 trouncing of a solid, Jim Harbaugh-led Michigan team in the Peach Bowl has demonstrated this. Both Georgia and Alabama ought to be on notice that there is a new up-and-comer on the block.
As things currently stand, Alabama has the top-ranked freshman recruiting class for 2019, and Georgia is right behind them at No. 2. But Florida is now at No. 9 (up from No. 17 the previous year), and their on-the-field improvement was clearly noticeable in the aforementioned Peach Bowl. With such a bump in the recruiting rankings, one can only imagine how highly their team rankings could improve come the Fall.
While Georgia needs to start looking over its shoulder at SEC East and border rival Florida, in the west, the competitive pressure is intensifies for Saban and Bama. Texas A&M caught lightning in a bottle with Johnny Manziel under the leadership of Kevin Sumlin (who went 51-26, not bad for an overall average program). While it remains my contention that Aggie Nation was a collective fool in jettisoning Coach Sumlin just a few years post-Manziel, they nevertheless seem to have upgraded with Jimbo Fisher, who previously had revived Florida State. Fisher did not disappoint in his first year (2018), going 9-4, winning the Gator Bowl (52-13 over NC State…ouch!), and finishing the year at No. 16.
Further improvement for the Aggies seems imminent. Last year, they finished at No. 16 in the recruiting rankings, but this year have risen to No. 4. Nick Saban's dominance of the SEC West is about to become considerably more difficult.
It gets no easier from there. Just behind A&M (who, again, is No. 4) in the recruiting rankings at No. 5 is SEC West rival LSU. All head coach Ed Orgeron needs is a more creative offense, and they could very well contend with the Tide for divisional supremacy. Until he does, Orgeron might still merit the "gym teacher" category placement.
One other proven coach of note is Mark Stoops at Kentucky. A program at considerable disadvantages compared to other SEC programs not named Missouri, Stoops has built the Wildcats up to their strongest level since the Fran Curci era. Barring some major scandal, he shall have done so through considerably more ethical means at that! His 2018 recruiting class was only at No. 30, and this year at No. 34. Yet the Wildcats finished the 2018 season at 10-3, including a win over Penn State in the Citrus Bowl, and with a ranking at No. 11. Mark Stoops thus deserves a serious award for the SEC coach to have done the most with the least.
Yes, the SEC still has its fair share of "gym teachers", but there are others who are clearly talented and have what it takes to seriously threaten Saban's legendary dynasty.
Look out for Georgia, Florida, Texas A&M, and possibly LSU as they look to start campaigns that should make for a very interesting 2019 season in SEC football.
Playoff scenarios based on the latest AP Polls (Week 8, 2018) October 18, 2018Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: Alabama, Atlanta, Auburn, Austin, B1G, Big Ten, Buckeyes, Bulldogs, Chicago, Clemson, Crimson Tide, Dallas, Florida, Fort Worth, Georgia, Houston, Hurricanes, Iowa State, Lee Corso, Longhorns, Los Angeles, Lou Holtz, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, New York, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Sam Ehlinger, San Antonio, SEC, Tennessee, Texas, USC, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia
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Week 7 in college football for the 2018 provided considerable thrills – and headaches – for fans, what with upsets abounding, especially near the top of the rankings. Unranked Tennessee taking down then-No. 17 Auburn, and unranked Virginia beating then-No. 16 Miami (Fla.) are small potatoes compared to upsets elsewhere that week.
Indeed, no fewer than four AP top ten teams went down in defeat in Week 7 of 2018. For starters, No. 17 Oregon outlasted then-No. 7 Washington, 30-27, in overtime. Unranked Michigan State toppled No. 8 Penn State on the road, 21-17. Iowa State leveraged their special night-time atmosphere to help them beat then-undefeated (and then-No. 6) West Virginia 30-14. Even more significant was No. 13 LSU pommeling then-No. 2 Georgia 36-16.
As a result of these four key upsets, Washington fell from the No. 7 ranking to No. 15. Penn State fell from No. 8 to No. 18. West Virginia fell from No. 6 to No. 13, while Georgia fell from No. 2 to No. 8.
Last year, the Bulldogs made it to the national championship game. Now, the prospect to return is in jeopardy. At least it's October and not November, meaning there is still time to recover.
Regardless, the current AP Top Ten now suggests some very intriguing playoff possibilities. These are important for the health of college football. An all-southern/all-SEC college football championship game my thrill the faithful in the southeastern region of the country, but it turns off the rest of the country. That's bad for business. If your sport starts to be perceived as regional in its nature, that hurts your national image, and prevents you from engaging the markets you need to be interested in order to ensure its long-term strength and viability. Alabama vs. Clemson and Alabama vs. Georgia thus saw a TV ratings decline, whereas Texas vs. USC (2005-'06) and Ohio State vs. Oregon (2014-'15) where perfect matchups to bring in robust, national audiences. Ohio State vs. Florida (2006-'07), Ohio State vs. LSU (2007-'08) and especially Ohio State vs. Miami (2002-'03) were decent-to-great matchups as well for this purpose. Alabama vs. Notre Dame (2012-'13) was good on paper, but the outcome of the game proved that it was a mismatch, with the Irish clearly being overrated at the time.
Start with a basic premise that it's good for business when traditional powers do well. If Georgia does well, that engages the Atlanta market, which is pretty big, in case you forgot. If Notre Dame does well, it engages the Chicago and New York City markets. If USC does well, it engages the Los Angeles market. If Ohio State and Michigan do well (either or both), that engages much of the Midwestern markets, as well as the Big Ten alums who have left the Midwest for the East Coast, the South, or the West Coast. If Texas does well, it engages the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston Markets. You get the picture.
Now, back to the Week 8 Top Ten rankings from the AP poll. At No. 1 remains Alabama. Ok, fine. With Georgia knocked out of the No. 2 spot (but still in the top ten), that allows for Ohio State to take over that position. This is good for the sport. Clemson has moved a spot to No. 3, while Notre Dame has quietly moved up to the No. 4 ranking.
Just by looking at these current top four spots, if these remain unchanged and translate directly into playoff rankings, one would have a great playoff scenario to engage a critical mass of the viewing public. Alabama and Clemson would be there to keep the South's fever pitch at maximum levels, while Ohio State and Notre Dame enjoy national audiences so as to include enough of the rest of the country as well. The Fighting Irish's ranking this time is no wishful thinking. Thoughtful analysts concur that this 2018 ND team is much stronger and more athletic than its overrated 2012 counterpart. Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd has gone so far as to observe that this is the best ND team since the Lou Holtz era. As ESPN's Lee Corso would exclaim, "Yo!"
While there is no west coast team in sight in these current rankings, that is not a deal-breaker, either. There are enough Big Ten grads on the west coast to keep those markets engaged should Ohio State make it to the playoffs. The Buckeyes, in this scenario, would represent the West Coast as well as the Midwest.
Naturally, much football remains to be played, and the remainder of the top ten shall make all efforts to crack their way into the playoffs as well. Of those currently poised for such possibilities, some of them, too, offer intriguing engagement opportunities. LSU sits at No. 5 after their ripping upset victory over the Bulldogs, and are destined for a major showdown with the Crimson Tide come Nov. 3, in Baton Rouge, no less. Michigan sits at No. 6 after their big win over Wisconsin last night. If they maintain their momentum, their Nov. 24 annual grudge match with the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor could be epic.
Meanwhile, Texas has survived another test and now sits at No. 7. If QB Sam Ehlinger stays healthy, who knows how much further the Longhorns could continue to climb? This is key to note because Texas in the playoffs engages a different market than the Southeast. The beauty of Texas in the championship game is that they can theoretically engage two markets simultaneously, as a B1G team can do vis-à-vis both the Midwest and other regions. In Texas' case, not only can a Longhorn playoff appearance pique the interest of the DFW and Houston metro areas (San Antonio and Austin don't hurt either, as that is another combined 4 million-plus people in that mini-megalopolis), but the Southeast could vicariously join in, too.
An Oklahoma (currently No. 9) playoff appearance, while a different region than the Southeast, has a limited upside. Yes, it engages the central plains, but there is not much major population there). Best case scenario is that it will interest the OU grad transplants living in the major Texas markets. The Longhorns, thankfully, have done their part, though, in making the more market-significant team better-poised for a playoff run at this point.
This is not a swipe at the SEC, or the fans therein, for a personally love southern football and identify with the South. As someone who is concerned about the national and long-term health of college football, however, perspective must be maintained. Fans in SEC country will watch the playoffs no matter who is playing. Fans elsewhere, though, will only watch if they feel they have a stake in things; that they are being represented. We have enjoyed such perfect or near-perfect matchups in the past, such as the aforementioned Texas-USC games and the Ohio State-Oregon games, for example.
Meanwhile, more big games remain, and the way things have gone thus far, more upsets are likely to occur. Teams currently in the bottom half of the top ten could claw theyr way up with help from such theoretical upsets. After all, we're halfway to regular season's end, and the stakes and urgency only intensify from here. Let's enjoy the ride, and cheer on the key wins that would help make for the best playoff matches with optimal, national appeal while we're at it!
College Football Awards, Week 4 (2018) September 23, 2018Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: Alabama, Appalachian State, Arkansas, Army, Bill Snyder, Bobby Petrino, Boilermakers, Boilers, Boston College, Cardinals, Cavaliers, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado State, Crimson Tide, David Shaw, Eastern Michigan, Florida, Fresno State, Gardner-Webb, Georgia, Hurricanes, Illinois, Illinois State, Jeff Brohm, Justin Fuente, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Luke Fickell, Mario Cristobal, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Mike Gundy, Mississippi State, Navy, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Old Dominion, Oregon, Pac-12, Penn State, Pitt, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Sam Darnold, Scott Frost, SMU, Southern Cal, Stanford, Tennessee State, Texas, Texas Tech, Toledo, Tom Herman, Trojans, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Washington State, West Virginia
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 4] unless otherwise noted.)
Wish I were him: Tom Herman, Texas
Glad I'm not him: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
Lucky guy: David Shaw, Stanford
Poor guy: Mario Cristobal, Oregon
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Bobby Petrino, Louisville
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Luke Fickell, Cincinnati
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech
Desperately seeking … anything: Scott Frost, Nebraska
Thought you'd kick butt, you did: Penn State (defeated Illinois 63-24)
Thought you'd kick butt, you didn't: Oklahoma (defeated Army 28-21 in OT)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you did: Tulane (lost to No. 9 Ohio State 49-6)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you didn't: Army (lost to Oklahoma 28-21 in OT)
Thought you wouldn't kick butt, you did: Texas Tech (defeated No. 15 Oklahoma State 17)
Dang, they're good: Clemson
Dang, they're bad: Arkansas
Can't Stand Prosperity: Virginia Tech
Did the season start? Nebraska
Can the season end? Rutgers
Can the season never end? Alabama
Play this again: No. 7 Stanford 38, No. 20 Oregon 31
Play this again, too: SMU 31, Navy 30
Never play this again: Appalachian State 72, Gardner-Webb 7
What? Purdue 30, No. 23 Boston College 13
Huh? Texas Tech 41, No. 15 Oklahoma State 17
Double Huh? Illinois State 35, Colorado State 19
Are you kidding me?? Kentucky 28, No. 14 Mississippi State 7
Oh – my – God: Old Dominion 49, No. 13 Virginia Tech 35
NEXT WEEK (Rankings are current AP, week 5)
Ticket to die for: No. 4 Ohio State @ No. 9 Penn State
Also: No. 7 Stanford @ No. 8 Notre Dame
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Pitt @ UCF
Best non-Power Five matchup: Toledo @ Fresno State
Upset alert: Texas Tech @ No. 12 West Virginia
Must win: Purdue @ Nebraska
Offensive explosion: Toledo @ Fresno State
Defensive struggle: Florida @ No. 23 Mississippi State
Great game no one is talking about: No.18 Texas @ Kansas State
Intriguing coaching matchup: Bill Snyder of Kansas State vs. Tom Herman of Texas
Who's bringing the body bags? Louisiana @ No. 1 Alabama
Why are they playing? Southern Miss @ No. 10 Auburn
Plenty of good seats remaining: UTEP @ UTSA
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Tennessee State @ Vanderbilt
Week 4 Thoughts:
Purdue has started the season as a major head-scratcher. Coming off a surprising winning season after the Hazell-era doldrums, including a bowl win, the Boilermaker faithful had high hopes for the team in 2018. Thus far, after an understandable, opening-season loss to then-ranked Northwestern, Purdue proceeded to lose squeakers at home to beatable teams, including [shudder], Eastern Michigan – a directional school. Chalk it up to an undisciplined defense and a lack of a running game. Regardless, the Boilers have their first win of the year, and, all things considered, it's a rather big one, handily defeating No. 23 Boston College 30-13. To be sure, Purdue did step it up on defense, and if they can maintain this newfound intensity on that side of the ball, there's hope for the season yet. All that said, sometimes it takes a few weeks for a good team to find its footing and thus to play up to its potential.
The team now becoming an even bigger head-scratcher is Louisville. Sure, they lost badly to Alabama, but the Crimson Tide is such a juggernaut this year that most winning-season teams will look pathetic against them. What really raised concerns was having to struggle, at home, to beat Western Kentucky – another directional school! Let us thus give the Cardinals an ex-post-facto "Thought you'd kick butt, you didn't". But now they got embarrassed, on the road to a beatable team in Virginia. At 27-3, are the Cavaliers that much better than the Cards? Is their offense that poor that they failed to punch it into the endzone, with only a sad field goal to open the 3rd quarter? A comparison of recent seasonal performances of both teams would say no, but today's score would suggest so. Here is one possible diagnosis of Louisville's under-performance. In the last few years (basically since Lamar Jackson was QB), Petrino has been fixated on "skills" players while acting as if he can get any lumbering lummox to block on the line. So, while he might have NFL-caliber talent on the wings, he has no way of executing plays. Has the time come to where Petrino would be better off as an offensive coordinator instead of a head coach? Further observation and analysis of the team's performance shall tell us yes or no.
What about USC? Before losing badly on the road to Texas last week, they were ranked and poised to compete for the Pac-12 title again. But on Friday night, they had to play hard at home to beat unranked Washington State. One possible explanation: Sam Darnold's talent at QB papered over the mediocrity of talent on the coaching staff. While I'm not a Trojans fan personally, I nevertheless recognize that when a traditional power like USC does well, it's good for college football (same goes for other traditional powers like Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, or even Miami (Fla.)). Conversely, a mediocre Southern Cal team is thus not great for college football. Let us hope that they can eventually rise back to national title contention to help keep the west coast markets engaged in the game. After all, it's never good for a sport to become regional (looking your way, Major League Baseball).
Speaking of Texas, are they "back"? And why were they ever, well, not back? This article by Pete Thamel explains the nature of why a national brand and a massively-valued program ever needed turning around in the first place (hint: turning around an aircraft carrier takes much, much longer than turning around, say, a personal sailboat). Forget, for a moment, that the program sure did not help anybody, least of all themselves, by laying an egg on the road to Maryland, and then under-performing at home the next week against Tulsa. The Longhorns' big win over USC last week might not indicate that the team is "back" as strongly as one would think due to USC's apparent mediocrity at the moment. But then again, Texas did follow up with another big win, this time over No. 16 TCU, 31-16. So the current conclusion is, if they're not "back" yet, they're certainly headed in the right direction. Onward and upward.
My Nearly Perfect Playoff Scenario November 16, 2017Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: ACC, Alabama, AP, Auburn, B1G, Baker Mayfield, Big Ten, BYU, Clemson, college football, Crimson Tide, Georgia, Hurricanes, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, NCAA, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pac-12, playoffs, poll, TCU, Utah State, Wisconsin
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The developments in this past week of college football have shaken up the polls yet again, thus further modifying the playoff projections. Given the current state of affairs, if the new AP poll is of any indication, here's how I think things could play out.
The current top eight in the AP poll is as follows:
- Alabama
- Miami
- Oklahoma
- Clemson
- Wisconsin
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Ohio State
So, based on current polling and whom the teams have yet to play, who goes into the final four of the playoffs? My scenario could lead to near-perfection.
Let's start with Alabama. Mississippi State almost beat them at home. So, the Crimson Tide is vulnerable. Nevertheless, they'll get an easy win over a cupcake in Mercer this Saturday. That leaves us with Auburn at No. 6. Strange things happen in rivalry games. Even stranger things happen in the Iron Bowl, arguably the most heated, bitter rivalry in college sports. Bama thought they would be playing for the national title until the famous "kick-six" incident of 2013, for example. Nevertheless, let us say for the sake of argument that Bama beats Auburn. On paper, this is entirely possible. Auburn will thus have three losses, and be eliminated from playoff consideration.
The Tide remains undefeated, and goes onto the SEC championship game in Atlanta. There, they play Georgia, who was briefly No. 1 before getting their asses handed to them by Auburn. Now at No. 7, they'll still give Alabama a good challenge in Atlanta. But on paper, the odds still favor The Tide. Let us thus accept the law of averages and say Bama wins. Again. Having knocked out both Auburn AND Georgia, Bama as undefeated AND SEC champs, also ranked No. 1, instantly clinch a playoff berth.
Berth No. 1 of 4: Alabama
Next up is Miami. After tearing Notre Dame a new one in Hard Rock Stadium, the Hurricanes now sit at No. 2 in the AP. They have also clinched the Atlantic Division of the ACC for the first time since the conference split into those two divisions. To remain undefeated in the regular season, they need to take out Virginia (at home) and Pittsburgh (on the road). Both are doable, obviously, though keep an eye out for the Canes having to deal with cold Pittsburgh weather in late November.
At any rate, the Hurricanes are now slated to play Clemson, currently No. 4 in the AP, for the ACC Championship. That game will be in Charlotte in early December, effectively a home game for the Tigers. IF the Hurricanes can overcome this huge challenge and triumph over Clemson, they shall be undefeated, ACC champs, and shall have clinched the second spot in the playoffs. This could actually be the most tenuous of contingencies. Nevertheless…
Berth No. 2 of 4: Miami
Oklahoma currently sits at No. 3. Aside from Iowa State, the Sooners have risen to the occasion each game, recently beating a tough TCU squad. OU quarterback Baker Mayfield is a more mature version of Johnny Manziel: someone capable of making special things happen. Despite legit challenges from strong teams within the conference, nobody can credibly take the Sooners down this year. If these shadows remain unchanged, they'll surely clinch a playoff berth.
Berth No. 3 of 4: Oklahoma
That leaves us with the last spot. In this scenario, three out of the eight are already in. Three of the remaining five are out. That leaves us with the remaining two: Wisconsin and Ohio State. "But wait," you protest, "Ohio State already has two losses, one a both recent AND embarrassing one to Iowa." A valid point you would raise, to be sure. But here's the deal. The Buckeyes' schedule is still much stronger than Wisconsin's, for one. Whereas OSU had the guts to play a tough OU squad that, as already mentioned, shall surely be playoff-bound, Wisconsin padded their schedule with Utah State, Florida Atlantic, and a weak (for this year) BYU.
Moreover, IF Ohio State shows up ready to play, they can beat anybody. Would you want to coach head-to-head against Urban Meyer? I didn't think so.
Finally, both Wisconsin and Ohio State, if both win out, are destined to butt heads in the Big Ten Championship game. They both need to beat Michigan to guarantee this scenario. Should they play each other for the B1G title, and should Ohio State actually triumph, Wisconsin shall be effectively eliminated. Why? Again, their relatively weak schedule without winning their own conference. Meanwhile, Ohio State will be the last team standing in the top eight in the current AP poll. Could winning the B1G over an undefeated team be enough to get them back into playoff contention? I would wager "yes."
Berth No. 4 of 4: Ohio State
Yes, this scenario is contingent on many factors. Change one major factor (Bama loses to Auburn, for example), and it all falls apart. Wisconsin and Ohio State's viabilities depend on both beating Michigan. Miami still needs to face Pittsburgh in the cold of late November at Heinz Field. After that, they must face down Clemson. Obviously, that's a tall order.
If, however, all these things come to pass, it would be a nearly geographically-perfect playoff line-up. Alabama would represent the south. Miami could represent urban, coastal fans of the game. Ohio State could represent the Midwest, the Big Ten, and its demographic TV-viewing juggernaut along with it. Finally, Oklahoma could represent other parts of Middle America. Indeed, the only problem with this scenario is that it lacks a Pac-12 team. If it did, we would have perfection. Too bad the Pac-12 teams ended up cannibalizing themselves this year, but that could be the case with the B1G, too, depending on how things truly do come to pass. The only way we'll know one way or the other is to keep lining them up and playing.
College Football Awards, Week 8 2016 October 23, 2016Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Army, Auburn, Barry Odom, Boise State, Bowling Green, Brian Kelly, Bryan Harsin, Buckeyes, BYU, Cardinals, Catholics, Charlie Strong, Clemson, college, convicts, Crimson Tide, Dan Mullen, Duke, FIghting Irish, Florida State, football, Houston, Howard Schnellenberger, Hurricanes, Illinois, James Franklin, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Mora, Jimmy Johnson, Kansas, Kansas State, Longhorns, Mark Richt, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State, NCAA, Nebraska, Nick Saban, North Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Samford, San Jose State, Seth Littrell, SMU, South Carolina, South Florida, Temple, Texas, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tom Herman, UCLA, UMass, UNLV, Urban Meyer, Utah, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wolfpack
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 8] unless otherwise noted.)
Wish I were him: Ed Orgeron, LSU
Glad I'm not him: Hugh Freeze, Ole Miss
Lucky guy: Bryan Harsin, Boise State
Poor guy: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State Hon. Mention: Jim Mora, UCLA
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Urban Meyer, Ohio State
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Seth Littrell, North Texas
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Tom Herman, Houston
Desperately seeking … anything: Barry Odom, Missouri
Thought you'd kick butt, you did: Michigan (defeated Illinois 41-8)
Thought you'd kick butt, you didn't: South Carolina (defeated UMass 34-28)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you did: Illinois (see above)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you didn't: SMU (defeated No. 11 Houston 38-16)
Thought you wouldn't kick butt, you did: Auburn (defeated No. 17 Arkansas 56-3)
Dang, they're good: Alabama
Dang, they're bad: Texas State
Can't Stand Prosperity: Ohio State
Honorable Mention: Houston
Did the season start? Arkansas
Can the season end? Bowling Green
Can the season never end? Louisville
Play this again: Penn State 24, No. 2 Ohio State 21
Play this again, too: No. 16 Oklahoma 66, Texas Tech 59
Never play this again: No. 7 Louisville 54, NC State 13
Close call: No. 14 Boise State 28, BYU 27
What? Temple 46, South Florida 30
Huh? Middle Tennessee 51, Missouri 45
Double-Huh? Colorado 10, Stanford 5
Are you kidding me? SMU 38, No. 11 Houston 16
Oh – my – God: Penn State 24, No. 2 Ohio State 21
(rankings are current AP (post-week 8, pre-week 9))
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Nebraska @ No. 11 Wisconsin
Also: No. 3 Clemson @ No. 12 Florida State
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Army @ Wake Forest
Best non-Power Five matchup: No. 22 Navy @ South Florida
Upset alert: No. 15 Auburn @ Ole Miss also: No. 4 Washington @ No. 17 Utah
Must win: No. 25 Virginia Tech @ Pittsburgh (Thurs.)
Offensive explosion: No. 10 West Virginia @ Oklahoma State
Defensive struggle: No. 7 Nebraska @ No. 11 Wisconsin
Great game no one is talking about: Miami @ Notre Dame
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mark Richt of Miami vs. Brian Kelly of Notre Dame
Who's bringing the body bags? No. 2 Michigan @ Michigan State
Why are they playing? Samford @ Mississippi State
Plenty of good seats remaining: UNLV @ San Jose State
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Kansas @ No. 16 Oklahoma
Week 8 Take-aways:
November maybe for everything, but we do not have to wait for November to know that one is already clear: it's Alabama and everyone else. The Crimson Tide dominated the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies yesterday, proving yet again why they deserve to be the No. 1 team in the nation.
That's right folks, this upcoming Saturday, Miami plays Notre Dame: the ol' "Convicts vs. the Catholics." This became a very marquee matchup in the 1980s, for that was a time when the Hurricanes were an up-and-coming, championship-contending program, first under Howard Schnellenberger, then continued and expanded under Jimmy Johnson. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish were as strong as ever, continuing to vie for the national title every year, and in fact did so in 1988. The "Convicts vs. Catholics" slugfests of the 1980s would be akin to, say, Urban Meyer's Ohio State team playing Nick Saban's Alabama squad. Even though both the Canes and the Irish are diminished in talent this year, the matchup is a nice nod to the more storied contests of 25 to 30 years ago.
The loss that Ohio State sustained on the road to Penn State is all the more amazing when one considers that if the Buckeyes had triumphed, it would have been their 20th consecutive road win. Depending on how long Urban Meyer stays at the helm in Columbus, the Buckeyes will no doubt be in a good position to break this record yet again. Nevertheless, the Bucks' loss is the first signature win for Penn State in the James Franklin era.
Louisville defeating NC State by such an obscene margin (the final score was 54-13) shows how dangerous the Cardinals are when they play up to their potential. Unlike last weekend against Duke, they did not have a bye week to hobble them. Make no mistake about it: the Wolfpack is a good team. The scare they put into Clemson in Death Valley, followed by an upset win over Notre Dame, demonstrates this. The conclusion to which one comes is that, at full-strength, the Cardinals can take almost any team in the nation, save Alabama. Don't believe me? Here is a thought experiment: would Louisville have offensively stagnated for such stretches as Ohio State did in Happy Valley last night? Food for thought.
Meanwhile, Texas embarrassed themselves yet again on the road. No, the margin of defeat was not great, but the fact of the matter is that this was a winnable [road] game against Kansas State. Yet the Longhorns have squandered numerous opportunities and their defense continues to struggle just as much as they did during week 1. Such a lack of improvement points to deficient coaching.
Lest this be dismissed as a rush to judgment, consider this. If a traditional power (such as Texas) has the right coach in place, the turnaround, manifest by winning games, shall be readily apparent by the second year of the coach's tenure. Consider Michigan in year two under Jim Harbaugh. Already, the Wolverines are in playoff contention. Consider that Urban Meyer in year two at Ohio State won the national championship. Consider that Nick Saban had Alabama playing back up to specs by year two of his time in Tuscaloosa, and led the Tide to a national championship by year three.
Yet it is now the third year of the Charlie Strong era at Texas, and the program continues to stagnate, if not regress. The best-case scenario is 6-6 for the year, but more realistically, expect a 4-8 record. Such a lack of improvement by now has exhausted everyone's patience, and it is the consensus conclusion that Coach Strong must go. Sorry, Charlie.
College Football Awards, Week 7 2016 October 17, 2016Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, B1G, Badgers, Baylor, Big Ten, Bowling Green, Buckeyes, Camp Randall Stadium, college football, Crimson Tide, Dan Mullen, Dave Doeren, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Hurricanes, Illinois, Jim Mora, Justin Fuente, Kansas, Kent State, Kirby Smart, Kyle Whittingham, Louisville, LSU, Mark Dantonio, Memphis, Miami, Miami (OH), Michigan, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee, Mike Novell, Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State, NCAA, Nick Saban, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Prairie View, Purdue, Rice, Rutgers, SEC, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, toilet bowl, UCLA, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Volunteers, Wake Forest, Washington State, West Virginia, Wisconsin
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 7] unless otherwise noted.)
Wish I were him: Nick Saban, Alabama
Glad I'm not him: Dan Mullen, Mississippi State
Lucky guy: Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Poor guy: Dave Doeren, NC State
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Mike Norvell, Memphis
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirby Smart, Georgia
Desperately seeking … anything: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State
Thought you'd kick butt, you did: Baylor (defeated Kansas 49-7)
Thought you'd kick butt, you didn't: Florida State (defeated Wake Forest 17-6)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you did: Kansas (see above)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you didn't: Duke (lost to No. 7 Louisville 24-14)
Thought you wouldn't kick butt, you did: West Virginia (defeated Texas Tech 48-17)
Dang, they're good: Alabama
Dang, they're bad: Kent State
Can't Stand Prosperity: Virginia Tech
Did the season start? Georgia
Can the season end? Purdue
Can the season never end? Ohio State
Play this again: No. 2 Ohio State 30, No. Wisconsin 23, OT
Play this again, too: No. 22 Arkansas 34, No. 12 Ole Miss 30
Never play this again: Army 62, Lafayette 7
Close call: No. 7 Louisville 24, Duke 14
What? North Carolina 20, No. 16 Miami 13
Huh? Northwestern 54, Michigan State 40
Double-Huh? Syracuse 31, No. 17 Virginia Tech 17
Are you kidding me? No. 22 Arkansas 34, No. 12 Ole Miss 30
Oh – my – God: Vanderbilt 17, Georgia 16
(rankings are current AP (post-week 7, pre-week 8))
Ticket to die for: No. 6 Texas A&M @ No. 1 Alabama
Also: No. 2 Ohio State @ No. 11 Wisconsin
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Middle Tennessee @ Missouri
Best non-Power Five matchup: BYU @ No. 15 Boise State Also: Memphis @ Navy
Upset alert: BYU @ No. 15 Boise State
Must win: NC State @ No. 7 Louisville
Offensive explosion: South Florida @ Temple
Defensive struggle: Mississippi State @ Kentucky
Great game no one is talking about: TCU @ No. 20 West Virginia
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jim Mora of UCLA vs. Kyle Whittingham of Utah
Who's bringing the body bags? Illinois @ No. 4 Michigan
Why are they playing? UMass @ South Carolina
Plenty of good seats remaining: Miami (Ohio) @ Bowling Green
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Middle Tennessee @ Missouri
Week 7 Take-aways:
Louisville barely escaped with a win at home to Duke. As I have said before, beware of bye-weeks, for they can be deceptively perilous to teams.
Who would have thought that the offensive explosion of the week would have been Northwestern vs. Michigan State, much less thinking that the Wildcats – underperforming all season thus far – would win?
The results of the Toilet Bowl, B1G edition, are in, and it's Rutgers that is at the abyss of that conference, having lost to Illinois, 24-7. Sarcastic congrats to the Scarlet Knights!
Ohio State proved their mettle by defeating what is perhaps the toughest Wisconsin team within my memory. Not only that, but this win was on the road, in the evening. For those "in the know," it is understood throughout the Big Ten that Camp Randall Stadium is the worst snake pit to play in within the entire conference. It is relatively the loudest, with a compact 80,000 seemingly right on top of the teams. Compound that with the fact that Wisconsin fans enjoy a certain, er, reputation throughout the league. Compound that further with the fact that night games give these already rowdy fans extra hours to get extra inebriated, hence extra loud. A night game in Camp Randall is a baptism by fire for a visiting team. Ohio State proved that they belonged in the No. 2 spot in the rankings by coming from behind, then dominating in overtime.
Yes, Tennessee lost badly to Alabama at home today, 49-10. But are we really surprised? The Volunteers have had one emotional game after another. Sooner or later, after so many games, they would experience an energy nadir as a result. Couple that with that fact that Nick Saban has the Crimson Tide rolling into a juggernaut of a team, and the loss should be seen as a minimal disgrace. As things currently stand, it is not unreasonable for Tennessee to end up 10-2 in the regular season, which is a remarkable turnaround from the doldrums in which the program found itself just a few years ago.
Oh, and it has been established that Florida and LSU will be playing after all. The catch is, they'll play it at LSU instead, on Nov. 14, and to compensate, the Tigers will face Florida on the road for two consecutive years afterward. This does not even take into consideration that to make the Nov. 14 date work, both teams had to drop would-be body bag games (hello, easy money to the teams they would have played), which is actually a big win for the fans overall. So, the SEC East will have some clarity after all. Or will it?
College Football Awards Week 6 October 13, 2015Posted by intellectualgridiron in Uncategorized.
Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Ball State, Baylor, Bill Snyder, Bob Stoops, Bulldogs, Butch Jones, Cotton Bowl, Crimson Tide, David Shaw, Florida, Gary Patterson, Georgia, Georgia State, Horned Frogs, Hurricanes, Iowa, Iowa State, Jim Harbaugh, Jim Mora, Kansas, Kansas State, Kyle Whittingham, Longhorns, Mark Richt, Matt Campbell, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Razorbacks, Red River rivalry, Red River Shootout, Red River Showdown, Sooners, South Carolina, Stanford, Steve Sarkesian, Steve Spurrier, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Toledo, Trojans, Troy, UCLA, USC, Utah, Vanderbilt, Vols, Wildcats, Wolverines
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 6] unless otherwise noted.)
COACHES Wish I were him: Kyle Whittingham, Utah
Glad I'm not him: Steve Sarkesian, USC
Lucky guy: Butch Jones, Tennessee
Poor guy: Mark Richt, Georgia
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Gary Patterson, TCU
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Matt Campbell of Toledo
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
Desperately seeking … anything: Steve Spurrier, South Carolina
TEAMS Thought you'd kick butt, you did: Baylor (defeated Kansas 66-7)
Thought you'd kick butt, you didn't: Oklahoma (see below)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you did: Troy (lost to Mississippi State 45-17)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you didn't: Texas (see below)
Thought you wouldn't kick butt, you did: Michigan (see below)
Dang, they're good: Baylor
Dang, they're bad: Miami, Ohio
Can't Stand Prosperity: USC
Did the season start? Miami, Fla.
Can the season end? South Carolina
Can the season never end? Utah
Play this again: Texas 24, No. 10 Oklahoma 17
Play this again, too: Tennessee 38, No. 19 Georgia 31
Never play this again: No. 3 Baylor 66, Kansas 7
What? No. 18 Michigan 38, No. 13 Northwestern 0
Huh? Washington 17, No. 17 USC 12
Are you kidding me? Tennessee 38, No. 19 Georgia 31
Oh – my – God: Texas 24, No. 10 Oklahoma 17
(rankings are current AP (post-week 6, pre-week 7)
Ticket to die for: No. 7 Michigan State @ No. 12 Michigan
Also: No. 10 Alabama @ No. 9 Texas A&M
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: No. 13 Ole Miss @ Memphis
Best non-Power Five matchup: Akron @ Bowling Green
Upset alert: Louisville @ No. 11 Florida State
Must win: USC @ No. 14 Notre Dame
Offensive explosion: West Virginia @ No. 2 Baylor
Defensive struggle: Vanderbilt @ South Carolina
Great game no one is talking about: No. 17 Iowa @ No. 20 Northwestern
Intriguing coaching matchup: Jim Mora of UCLA vs David Shaw of Stanford
Who's bringing the body bags? No. 3 TCU @ Iowa State
Why are they playing? Louisiana Tech @ Mississippi State
Plenty of good seats remaining: Georgia State @ Ball State
They shoot horses, don't they? Troy @ Mississippi State
Week 5 Take-aways:
What a weekend of upsets and near-upsets. One obvious near-miss: Gary Patterson's TCU almost got upset on the road to Bill Snyder's Kansas State. You just know that the old man was not going to roll over for the vaunted Horned Frogs. In the end, the near-miss cost the Frogs one spot in the rankings, as they are down to No. 3 from the No. 2 spot.
Similarly, Alabama took a while to get going at home against Arkansas. Eventually the Tide decided to start playing football, but they were down to the under-performing Hogs for too long of a time in regulation to be taken seriously as a contending team.
Now the upsets: we all knew that Northwestern was a legitimate team. Most of us thought that the Wildcats playing the Michigan Wolverines would be the game of the week. That turned out, in the end, not to be the case. Jim Harbaugh seems to be building the Wolverrines to become stronger by the week.
Then there was the upset of the USC Trojans, at home, against Chris Petersen's scrappy Washington Huskies. We were all hoping for a good game, but certainly did not foresee the the embarrassment at home for the Men of Troy – though the subsequent news of Steve Sarkesian's major alcohol problem certainly explains USC's volatile performance this season. Let us all wish a complete, sober recover for Sark as he embarks on a rehab program.
Or what about Tennessee? The poor Vols were unable to "close the deal," blowing leads to both Oklahoma and to Florida, leading to heartbreaking losses in so doing. This time around, however, they had to play from behind, and upset the heavily-favored Georgia Bulldogs in so doing. So much for Georgia's national championship hopes this year.
But let us not fool ourselves. The biggest upset of the week came in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. All of us, even the team's fans, had given the Texas Longhorns up for dead, especially after the devastating loss to TCU the previous week. Coach Charlie Strong seemed to have lost the locker room, and he was strategically flailing in terms of not having an offensive or defensive identity.
Perhaps the rival Oklahoma Sooners were just naïve enough to take the bait. The Horns looked like an entirely different team this past Saturday than they did for the entire season leading up to this fateful day. Texas drew first blood late in the first quarter, and, mirabile dictu, did not relinquish the lead for the rest of the game. Moreover, Strong somehow regained his identity, effectively playing a run-oriented, ball-control offense that left OU's defense sucking wind by late in the 4th quarter. It was just enough to hold on and to upset their heavily-favored rival. It also likely saved Coach Strong's bacon for the rest of the year. Hook 'em!
College Football Awards Week 11 November 11, 2014Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports, Uncategorized.
Tags: Alabama, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, BC, Bill Snyder, Boston College, Brian Kelly, Buffalo, Butch Jones, Cards, Cincinnati, Clemson, college, Crimson Tide, Doc Holliday, Duke, East Carolina, Florida, football, Gary Patterson, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Gus Malzahn, Horned Frogs, Houston, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Irish, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Kevin Sumlin, Kirk Ferentz, KSU, Louisville, LSU, Mark Dantonio, Mark Stoops, Marshall, Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Navy, NCAA, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Pat Fitzgerald, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Presbyterian, SEC, South Carolina, Southern Miss, Sun Devils, TCU, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Tigers, Todd Graham, Tony Levine, Troy, Urban Meyer, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Wildcats
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 11] unless otherwise noted.)
Wish I were him: Todd Graham, Arizona State
Glad I'm not him: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State (hon. mention: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame)
Lucky guy: Kevin Sumlin, Texas A&M
Poor guy: Gus Malzahn, Auburn
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Tony Levine, Houston
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: Doc Holliday, Marshall
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Desperately seeking … anything: Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Thought you'd kick butt, you did: No. 11 Ole Miss (defeated Presbyterian 48-0)
Thought you'd kick butt, you didn't: Penn State (defeated Indiana 13-7)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you did: Kentucky (lost to No. 20 Georgia 63-31)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you didn't: Wake Forest (lost to No. 21 Clemson 34-20)
Thought you wouldn't kick butt, you did: Marshall (defeated Southern Miss 63-17)
Dang, they're good: TCU
Dang, they're bad: Iowa State
You know, they're not so bad: Louisville
Can't Stand Prosperity: Michigan State
Did the season start? West Virginia
Can the season end? Buffalo
Can the season never end? Ohio State
Play this again: No. 3 Auburn 35, No. 3 Ole Miss 31
Play this again, too: No. 24 Duke 51, Pittsburgh 48
Never play this again: Marshall 63, Southern Miss 17
What? Texas 33, No. 23 West Virginia 16
Huh? No. 9 Arizona State 55, No. 10 Notre Dame 31
Are you kidding me? No. 14 Ohio State 49, No. 8 Michigan State 37
Oh – my – God: Texas A&M 41, No. 3 Auburn 38
(rankings are current AP (post-week 11, pre-week 12)
Ticket to die for: No. 1 Mississippi State @ No. 5 Alabama
Best non-Power Five vs. Power Five matchup: Temple @ Penn State
Best non-Power Five matchup: East Carolina @ Cincinnati
Upset alert: No. 16 LSU @ Arkansas
Must win: South Carolina @ Florida
Offensive explosion: Missouri @ Texas A&M
Defensive struggle: Virginia Tech @ No. 22 Duke
Great game no one is talking about: No. 14 Ohio State @ Minnesota
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mark Stoops of Kentucky vs. Butch Jones of Tennessee
Who's bringing the body bags? No. 6 TCU @ Kansas
Why are they playing? Georgia Southern @ Navy
Plenty of good seats remaining: Troy @ Idaho
They shoot horses, don't they? No. 12 Michigan State @ Maryland
Week 11 Random Thoughts:
- So many good games took place from 19:00 or later on the 8th of November. Start with Louisville at Boston College, which should not have been interesting on paper, but was, unfortunately, due to the Cardinals' inability to get it together for the first half (they did in the second). Then again, the Cards have always had their troubles with BC! But then came TCU vs. Kansas State. Bill Snyder has put together an excellent team for this year, and the Wildcats being well-coached shows on the field (especially against Auburn early on in the season). But even a good time like KSU was no match for Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs, who are making every statement they can in order to vie for the playoffs.
Or, look at Ohio State vs. Michigan State. After the Buckeyes laid an egg at home to a mediocre Virginia Tech squad, everybody was skeptical as to how good a team they truly were. Leave it to Urban Meyer to coach his talented bunch up to be more than a match for Mark Dantonio's Spartans.
But it turned out the most important game, and the one with the biggest national title implications was the Alabama-LSU game. In typical fashion, it was a defensive struggle, and just to make things even more exciting / to heighten the already high degree of urgency even further, the game went into overtime. The Crimson Tide still have a brutal slate of games ahead, but their win is certain a step in the right direction for them
- As I have noted before, Notre Dame is overrated. To be sure, I also noted (in other article) that they are enigmatic. But the overrated question mark remained; lurking, hidden, just waiting for the right opportunity to emerge. Thanks be to Todd Graham and the Arizona State Sun Devils to confirm that which us skeptics felt all along. After all, to have the Irish be among the final four, thus displacing a far-more deserving second SEC team in the process, would have been a travesty beyond words: a travesty, thankfully, that will be pre-empted before it even began.
Mack Brown's Possible Replacements November 25, 2013Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: Alabama, Arizona State, Bobby Petrino, Boise State, Broncos, Bryan Harsin, BYU, caretaker, Chris Petersen, college, Crimson Tide, Dan Hawkins, Drew Brees, football, Greg Robinson, Huskies, Johnny Manziel, Longhorns, Mack Brown, Manny Diaz, Mike Gundy, NCAA, Nick Saban, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Red River Shootout, RG3, Robert Griffin III, Steve Sarkisian, TCU, Texas, turnaround, UCLA, Urban Meyer, USC, Washington, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Will Muschamp, WKU
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Allow me to preface this article in that writing this brings me no joy at all. For the majority of Mack Brown's tenure at the University of Texas, he proved to be the perfect organizational fit for the program and the university. Moreover, he is demonstrably among the most adept coaches in college football at the 'people' side of the business. One can clearly see this in how we carries himself during the impromptu halftime interviews before he heads into the locker room to make halftime adjustments with his team. Anybody who has observed him during these interviews can vouch that he comes across as a happy gentleman to the sideline reporter for that given game, and he treats said reporter as if he or she is certainly worth his time, despite the more pressing matters that surely weigh on his mind at those given moments. Reportedly, he treats people with the same class and dignity behind the scenes/off-camera as well.
The problem, however, is that since the 2010 season, the program has clearly headed in the wrong direction. The mediocre season of 2006 was excusable, given the drop-off a defending national champion normally experiences (Alabama being an exception to the rule). The fact that they were able to return to the national title game just four years after winning their most recent one showed that the program was still among the strongest nationally. Yet starting in 2010, a precipitous drop-off in performance occurred, one that made the 2006 season look phenomenal by comparison.
Granted, not all of this is Mack Brown's fault. The downside to being one of the sexiest programs in all of college football is that you are constantly a prime target for other programs to lure away your best assistant coaches, either for lateral moves with even higher pay, or for head coaching gigs of their own, such as Bryan Harsin (erstwhile offensive coordinator, now head coach at Arkansas State) or Will Muschamp (formerly defensive coordinator, currently embattled Florida head coach). This creates a major problem of coaching continuity. How this translates into the program suffering is simple: instead of concentrating all of his off-the-field attention on recruiting, Brown and Co. have to divert part of that time and energy into hunting for suitable replacement personnel. This reduced time for recruiting analysis in turn leads to whiffing on key recruits, which partially explains the Horns' mediocre-to-weak performances in most of its big games since 2010.
Another issue is institutional arrogance, something Mack Brown could help curtail, but hasn't. He once bragged that if he were head coach at Texas in 1997, he would not have overlooked Drew Brees as possible QB for the Horns. Yet despite this boast, he clearly overlooked Johnny Manziel, and when Texas tried to recruit Robert Griffin III, they tried to recruit him as a defensive back. Let that sink in for a moment. Such institutional arrogance can most effectively be curtailed by the head coach himself, and yet the problem has yet to be addressed.
After a couple of embarrassing losses earlier in the year (one to BYU, the other to Ole Miss), we all left the program for dead. Then the unexpected happened in that instead of getting blown out by Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout (like in 2012), we had our way with the Sooners instead. Needless to say, this took us all by surprise, albeit pleasantly. We quickly got the impression that perhaps things had quickly turned out, that all it took was the firing of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz and replacing him with the more capable Greg Robinson. More wins over TCU and Kansas soon followed. We initially chalked up having to go into OT to beat West Virginia to simple things such as, A) it was on the road, and B) it was West Virginia, and team very unpredictable in terms of whether they will come out flat or with their hair on fire.
But after the undressing the Longhorns had at the hands of Oklahoma State last week, we were all shocked back into reality. There are still systemic problems in the program that have remained unaddressed. The positively embarrassing loss to Oklahoma last year left many fans grumbling that it was time for a changing of the guard, including the thoughtful writers at Barking Carnival. Even after a face-saving win over the Sooners this year, the loss to the Cowboys reminded us that glaring issues remain unaddressed, issues that will only be resolved by a change in direction of the program, which is best accomplished with a new CEO of the company.
So who are the viable replacements? In truth, more than a few names are bandied about, but for the sake of cutting through the clutter, let us reduce that relatively lengthy list to a couple of already-mentioned names, plus one or two more than people have not mentioned or are reticent to for whatever reason.
I agree with Big(g) Ern at Barking Carnival. New Texas athletics director Steve Patterson should at least ask Nick Saban and Urban Meyer if they are interested. Neither are likely to be, given their current situations, but there is no harm in asking, and confirmed "no's" from both men will put meaningless speculation from fans to rest once and for all, save for the most delusional of meatballs.
Besides, it is unlikely that Saban would leave Alabama for Texas, no matter how much money you offer him. He is 62 years old, already has a palace of a house, and is not someone who uses all that money to buy expensive toys. The reason being, he has no interest in expensive toys; he's a workaholic, and workaholics are driven by the job, not by toys. Besides, he has built an almost-bulletproof dynasty at one of the most storied programs in all of college football; how does one top that?
So who could it be? Let us start with the most obvious of names:
Mike Gundy: This could work. He's one of those coaches who is highly effective if he has tons of resources at his disposal. That might not be the most flattering of commentaries, but given that he has been back up with T. Boone Pickens' money, he has managed to do great things at Oklahoma State. Imagine what he could accomplish with the unlimited monetary back of Texas' boosters? If such possibilities stand to reason, it would be enough for us to divert our attention from his teenage-like hairline, despite being a man of 46.
Chris Petersen: This also could work. It is at this juncture that I part company with the thoughtful fellows at Barking Carnival. They seem to think that because the luster of the Boise State program is fading, that Petersen himself is by consequence a less viable candidate for the position. But the diminished national prestige of the program is not Petersen's fault. It is just that the Broncos' stock has peaked in value. Boise State has become a victim of its own success. Given that Idaho is hardly hotbed for top-tier college talent, they have to look elsewhere (mostly California) for good players. The highest-profile recruits in that region will usually choose USC, UCLA, Oregon or Arizona State over Boise State, so they have to devise a system to root out guys with enough talent to compete, but at the same time, find guys who are "tweeners" that are usually overlooked by the big boys. Then, Boise State needs to devise and offensive and defensive system that plays to the strengths of these "tweener" recruits.
At this, they have been remarkably successful until recently. What has happened is that they have become a victim of their own success. No team that is viable on a national scale wants to play Boise State anymore because they – the Broncos — could upset them, thus ruining a potential run at a national title. Worse yet, there is little incentive to play Boise State in their home stadium, since the university has done nothing to expand the stadium's capacity from its paltry 37,000 despite a solid 8 or 9-year run of success. A good deal of the team's recent success was at the hands of Chris Petersen, who would be wise to take a more prestigious job while he can before staying at BSU too long with cause his stock to irreparably dip. Petersen has proven to be a very adept caretaker CEO, and the Texas program is not in shambles – yet. Texas has good talent pieces in place, they just lack the coaching – and the A+ QB that would be becoming of such a program – to allow for the team to truly play up to its potential.
Who is a coach that has not been mentioned but has potential? One name this is always possible – though few seem to want to admit it – Bobby Petrino.
Try not to laugh. Yes, his, ahem, swordplay at Arkansas was a major black mark (or, er, scarlet letter) on his career and indeed, life, resume, but let that not obfuscate a simple fact. The guy can coach. He can also recruit, too. Yes, much like Urban Meyer at Florida, his Louisville team bordered on an inmate colony, but part of his untouchable skill set was his ability to be a captain running a tightly-run ship, not allowing any sort of wiggle room for would-be thugs to run amok. An advantage of recruiting in Texas, for Texas, is that he could bring in the highest-caliber of athletes in-state without have to run the degree of risk of bringing in potential off-the-field liabilities like he did at Louisville and at Arkansas.
But again, he can coach. Few coaches in the business seem to have the keen sense of knowing when it is the right time to pass and when it is the right time to run the ball like Petrino. Between his ability to acquire talent, manage personnel, and call plays makes him one of the most dangerous coaches in the business. Placing him with the unlimited resources of the Texas Longhorns program could potentially create a juggernaut that would rival the current dynasty of the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Yes, he is currently in his first year at Western Kentucky, but he is also incredibly mercenary. His loyalty does seem to go to the highest bidder, but by that same token, can anybody think of a better job than the Texas job? College coaches around the country recognize it without hesitation as one of the three best jobs in the nation. Translation: assuming he A) were offered the Texas job, and B) took the Texas job, what could lure him away from it? As smart as he is, he would surely have the sense to avoid the, er, swordplay that ended the good thing he had going at Arkansas.
So, in summation, Chris Petersen would be my second choice to replace Mack Brown at Texas, but Petrino would be my first. The program is not exactly down the drain yet, so a turnaround CEO might not be needed, at least not yet. If brought in soon enough, a good caretaker CEO could still bring the Horns to the level of performance fans rightfully expect.
Addendum, 12-06-13: Chris Petersen, mentioned as a potential replacement for Mack Brown earlier in this article, has since taken the Washington Huskies job vacated by Steve Sarkisian. The news was announced this morning. In truth, he is a good fit for that program. He loves the Pacific Northwest, has recruited in the Seattle area before, and is a good caretaker CEO. Sarkisian already turned the Huskies around into a well-function, 9-win-a-year organization; Petersen can now come in and keep the good thing going, just as he did after Dan Hawkins left Boise State for Colorado. In summation, this is a good hire for the Huskies.
College Football Week 3 Awards September 15, 2013Posted by intellectualgridiron in Sports.
Tags: 40 Acres, Aggies, Akron, Alabama, Arizona State, Baylor, Boilermakers, Boise State, Boston College, Brian Kelly, BYU, Central Florida, Charlie Strong, Crimson Tide, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida International, Florida State, Fresno State, Gary Andersen, Gary Patterson, George O'Leary, Georgia Tech, Greg Robinson, Hawaii, Johnny Football, Johnny Manziel, Kansas State, Longhorns, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisville, Mack Brown, Mark Dantonio, Mark Helfrich, Michigan, Michigan State, Nevada, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Oregon Sate, Penn State, Purdue, Rebels, Ron Turner, South Alabama, South Florida, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Todd Graham, USC, Utah, Utah State, UTEP, UTSA, Weber, Western Kentucky, Willie Taggert, Wisconsin, Zips
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(Note: All rankings are current AP [week 3] unless otherwise noted.)
Wish I were him: Mark Helfrich, Oregon
Glad I'm not him: Gary Patterson, TCU
Lucky guy: Todd Graham, Arizona State
Poor guy: Gary Andersen, Wisconsin
Desperately seeking a wake-up call: Charlie Strong, Louisville
Desperately seeking a P.R. man: George O'Leary, Central Florida
Desperately seeking sunglasses and a fake beard: Ron Turner, Florida International
Desperately seeking … anything: Willie Taggert, South Florida
Thought you'd kick butt, you did: No. 10 Florida State (defeated Nevada 62-7)
Thought you'd kick butt, you didn't: No. 11 Michigan (defeated Akron 28-24)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you did: Tennessee (lost to No. 2 Oregon 59-14)
Thought you'd get your butt kicked, you didn't: Purdue (lost to No. 21 Notre Dame 31-24)
Thought you wouldn't kick butt, you did: USC (defeated Boston College 35-7)
Dang, they're good: Oregon
Dang, they're bad: Florida International
Can't Stand Prosperity: Penn State
Did the season start? Texas
Can the season end? South Florida
Can the season never end? Ole Miss
Play this again: No. 1 Alabama 49, No. 6 Texas A&M 42
Play this again, too: Oregon State 51, Utah 48
Never play this again: Utah State 70, Weber 6
What? Arizona State 32, No. 20 Wisconsin 30
Huh? South Alabama 31, Western Kentucky 24
Are you kidding me? Texas Tech 20, No. 24 TCU 10
Oh – my – God: Central Florida 34, Penn State 31
(rankings are current AP (post-week 3, pre-week 4)
Ticket to die for: Tennessee @ No. 19 Florida
Best non-Big Six vs. Big Six matchup: Utah State @ USC
Best non-Big Six matchup: Boise State @ Fresno State
Upset alert: Purdue @ No. 24 Wisconsin
Must win: Kansas State @ Texas
Offensive explosion: Boise State @ Fresno State
Defensive struggle: Hawaii @ Nevada
Great game no one is talking about: Utah @ BYU, or, North Carolina @ Georgia Tech
Intriguing coaching matchup: Mark Dantonio of Michigan State vs. Brian Kelly of No. 22 Notre Dame
Who's bringing the body bags? Florida International @ No. 7 Louisville
Why are they playing? Florida A&M @ No. 4 Ohio State
Plenty of good seats remaining: UTSA @ UTEP
They shoot horses, don't they? Louisiana-Monroe @ No. 20 Baylor
Week 3 in Review:
The game that has been billed by the media and built up in the minds of many a fan nationwide certainly lived up to its billing/hype yesterday. No. 1-ranked Alabama is sure to retain atop the mountain of college football rankings after defeating the home team No. 6 Texas A&M in a thriller of a game. The key to the success of the Crimson Tide was figuring out how to contain the Aggies' QB Johnny Manziel, by not allowing him sufficient access to the outsides of the hash marks and instead forcing him inside, up the middle (both of running and throwing) as a means of containing the threat of his talents. In the end, it worked. Best of all, "Johnny Football" seemed surprisingly humble, contrite, and team-oriented during the postgame press conference. After witnessing all of his antics the previous weeks, this was a rather pleasing development. Time will tell if he truly did learn a lesson or two from this loss, or whether he will devolve back to the cocky, reckless punk he was earlier.
Other random thoughts:
A curious case of both Michigan and Notre Dame arose this past Saturday. The former team had to struggle at home to beat the Akron Zips, and only doing so in the last minutes of play. Meanwhile, Notre Dame, an ostensibly revitalized, nationally viable team under head coach Brian Kelly, had to earn – in every sense of the word – a win against a Purdue team whose performance prior to this game was suspect at best. Perhaps this strange case is a result of a hangover from big game between the two the following week. Lots of media hype and team energy went into that game, and as anybody who has any real experience in college football can tell you, one of the biggest challenges in the sport is trying to get 19-20 year-olds to play consistently week in and week out. Or, it could be at both Akron and Purdue are better than we thought they were. Concerning the latter, it could have been that the Boilers were looking past Indiana State (could you blame them?) and devoted some extra prep time to dealing with the Fighting Irish. Certainly a plausible scenario, no? What remains intriguing about this case is that, in all likelihood, Michigan and Notre Dame will be just fine. But it could also be that Akron and Purdue are on the rise from the doldrums in which both programs have been stuck for the past several years. Time will tell.
Meanwhile, Texas lost another game, this time at home, against a respectable opponent in Ole Miss. The Longhorns were supposed to have gotten things together, so we were told. After all, before last week's BYU debacle (in which they lost 40-21), they were ranked No. 15 in the nation. This week, the Rebels came into Austin ranked #25. Yet the Horns lost again, this time 44-23. It is conceivable that Texas could turn things around and that the defense could get more settled under new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson. Or, it could be that the wheels are coming off the program, and as much as Longhorn Nation likes head coach Mack Brown personally, it is time for a changing of the guard. Right now, though, things are not looking good on the 40 Acres, and the prognosis for the second Saturday in October is not that rosy, either.


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The Arizona Highways managing editor opens her 75-liter pack to show us what she needs to survive while trekking the state's trails.
Arizona Highways managing editor Kelly Vaughn isn't afraid of much. The 36-year-old mother of two has climbed daunting cliffs without cringing, confidently sidestepped rattlesnakes and bravely faced a bear or two while hiking across the state for her job. The one thing that does scare her? "I am terrified of mountain lions," she says. "I've never seen one in the wild and I'm so scared I'll run into one!" Of course, the seasoned backpacker – who's currently working on the second edition of her 2015 book, Arizona Highways Camping Guide, while growing The Land Remains, a blog and screen-printing shop focused on travel and conservation she launched with her boyfriend – would likely be just fine in a big cat encounter, especially with the aid of the vintage Norlund hatchet she carries in her massive, 75-liter Kelty Coyote pack.


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SOLD: Homewood Farm, Bury St Edmunds
Located on a quiet and private outskirt of Beck Row which offers local shops and restaurants. Just minutes from the Mildenhall town centre which offers several shops, pubs, restaurants, a Sainsbury's Supermarket, a post office, local schools, bus transportation and much more. Easy access links to Bury St. Edmunds, Newmarket, Cambridge and London.


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Auto Insurance Details - Speeding Tickets
After a speeding ticket, insurance on your automobile will go up. In some cases, the increase can be significant. There are some factors that will lead to a greater increase, and there are also ways to minimize the impact of the increases.
Factors That Increase Insurance
If you are under the age of 25, you can expect a speeding ticket to significantly increase your insurance payment. The same is true if you have a history of speeding. Individuals driving fast cars will also be subject to much higher insurance premiums after a speeding ticket; they are already assumed to be risky, and this will confirm the assumption.
How to Minimize a Ticket's Impact
You do not have to simply accept your insurance increase when you get a speeding ticket. First, you should attempt to keep the ticket off your record however possible. Hiring a lawyer may be work the expense. You may also speak directly to the judge about opting for driver's education classes in lieu of paying the ticket. If you do either of these things, the ticket and points will never hit your license. Going to court is worth the chance your arresting officer will not show up. If this happens, the ticket will be excused.


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For short river cruises, we offer a primarily French/English or German/English language cruise line.
We have put many people on these cruise that do not speak any French or German and have had no complaints. Most of the staff speak English and many Europeans speak English as well.
Croisi Europe - the French language cruise line is a bit more modest in price. They are a good value for the money though. Cabins are clean, there is private bathroom, TV, and individual ac/heat controls. On many of the newer or remodeled ships, the upper deck features French doors to the outdoors on the cabins. The rates include the cruise, port tax and meals as well as a beverage package - Soft Drinks, as well as tea, Beer, sparkling white wine, and Cocktails from the bar. Some specialty liquor has a charge. Meals are sit down and offer a single entree. The ship will try to accommodate special dietary request. Check out our Croisi dining video. There is Wi-Fi on the ship as well at no charge and there are Tablets for loan if you did not bring one. For the excursions, there will be headsets with a bi -lingual guide. Excursions are additional unless otherwise noted.
Single Supplement rates are low as well as upgrading to higher decks. Several of the ships have triple cabins with 3 lower beds.
For the German cruise line, the accommodations are a bit more upscale. The cabins are nice and on the 2nd deck the cabins feature French doors that open to the outdoors. On the new Arosa ships, they even have some balcony cabins. Several of the ships feature triple cabins, connecting cabins and Jr. Suites and Suites that hold 3 or 4 persons. The cruise line is known for its spa and features a swimming pool on many of the ships as well as nice spa facilities.
The standard rate includes the cruise, round trip transfers between the Cologne / Passau train station and the ship and the port taxes. A bottle of water per person per day in the cabin, mineral water with meals and coffee, tea and juice with breakfas, as well as a beverage package - Soft Drinks, as well as tea and coffee specialties, Beer, sparkling white wine, Cremant and Prosecco (in a glass), as well as open wines and daily recommendations from the wine menu (by the glass), Cocktails and long drinks throughout the day and evening. Free Wi-Fi available when connections available. All meals are buffet with food stations. There will be some sit down dinners available. Check out our dining video on the Arosa Cruise line.
The ships have bicycles aboard and offer many cycling excursions. The single supplement and cabin upgrades are at a great rate as well. Children 15 and under cruise free as long as there is at least 1 adult in the cabin. As an example with a trip cabin - 1 adult with 2 children under 15, only the adult pays.
For both cruise lines, the towns you are visiting are pretty easy to explore some on your own. Or you can take the excursions and take advantage of the transportation to visits not within walking distance.


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I am selling my beloved S2000 to fund another purchase. Watch is in good working condition with no scratches on the crystal. The case has no dings or dents. Comes with bracelet, watch, all box and papers.
I accepts PayPal. I have numerous references via WUS feedback section for many like priced sales. I will ship the watch via USPS priority mail. With insurance and tracking.
Feel free to email me for pics. firstname.lastname@example.com
Here's a link to my original sales add:
I'm asking $3500 OBO
Thanks for looking.


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Protect Yourself From Fake Inspection & Emission Stickers! Here's How!
In recent months, officers from the Manheim Township Police Department have seen an increase in the number of vehicles found to be displaying altered or counterfeit PA state inspection and emissions stickers. To the untrained consumer eye, these counterfeit stickers appear authentic and even have realistic security features. However, to law enforcement and certified inspection mechanics, they are easily identifiable as counterfeit.
Oftentimes these fake stickers are discovered when an unsuspecting person purchases a vehicle from a private party. The vehicle displays what appears to be a valid sticker and the seller purports the vehicle as having passed a recent inspection. It is later determined that the stickers are fraudulent and the vehicle is mechanically unsound and unsafe, leaving recent car buyers vulnerable and at risk of unsuspecting mechanical failure.
The Manheim Township Police Department highly recommends to any person seeking to purchase a vehicle from a private party, to have the vehicle checked by a certified PA inspection mechanic in order to verify the validity of inspection and emission stickers being displayed on the vehicle, and the mechanical soundness of the vehicle.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sergeant Michael T. Piacentino, W: 717-569-6401 Ext: 1583, C: 717-340-2130, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Ski season at Breckenridge
The time of year has come to break out the ski equipment and prepare to hit the slopes. For military members and their Families, the Epic Pass is available, but only until Sunday. Passes start at $149 each for active-duty military members and Family members. The Epic Pass grants access to 18 different resorts. Breckenridge is one of the local resorts included with the Epic Pass, and is situated within an easy distance from Fort Carson.
Located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Breckenridge is known for its rich mining history. It is also one of the most popular ski resorts in the Western Hemisphere.
Breckenridge has been described as virtually ski-in, ski-out. The resort offers five impressive peaks, with a total of 2,908 skiable acres, and a peak elevation of 12,840 feet. Due to its elevation, it typically has one of the longest ski seasons of any major resort in the country.
The resort is also known for operating the highest chairlift in North America. Boasting four terrain parks, a 22-foot superpipe and 11 bowls, it has a lot to offer, with varying degrees of difficulty for all skiers. The resort has 11 restaurants catering to a wide variety of tastes, ensuring you won't need to travel far for a meal.
For a unique romantic highlight, patrons are invited to enjoy a moonlit adventure with a Ten Mile Twilight Dinner Tour. The scenic Ten Mile Skiers Station is located atop Peak 9. On arrival, you will be rewarded with a beautiful starry night sky, and a delicious meal. Ten Mile Twilight Dinner Tours are scheduled this season on Nov. 21, Dec. 22, Jan. 18, Feb. 20 and March 18.
More than just a skiing destination, Breckenridge stands out due to the friendliness and welcoming nature of its locals. Below the mountain, visitors will find a charming, authentic town, which is also home to more than 200 restaurants and shops providing plenty of entertainment.
The town also offers numerous other activities and events — scenic hiking trails and reservoirs abound in the region. A charming art district which includes galleries and opportunities to participate in painting and pottery classes, offers visitors an ideal break from the slopes.
New Year's is the perfect time to visit. Visitors can enjoy the beauty of a torch light parade followed by celebratory fireworks, which can be viewed throughout the town. Naturally, New Year's Eve dinners, live music and parties will also be in full swing.
Travel distance
115 miles
Varies depending on pass
Operating hours are subject to change based on weather conditions.
Chairlift daily operating hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Gondola operating hours, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
1599 Ski Hill Rd.,
Breckenridge, CO 80424


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How to Change Encoding in Word 2007
You might get a Microsoft Word 2007 email attachment from friends, co-workers or others — especially someone from another country — that can't be read. The text file may contain unusual strings of characters, for example. Garbled text files need to be converted to a language that your computer can read. Normally, files have Unicode encoding, which is an encoding standard that applies to most languages and is how Word automatically saves files. But Unicode is not the only standard; different alphabets have different standards. For that reason, some files must be converted. With Word, you can change the encoding of an indecipherable Word document so that it displays properly.
Open the file that contains the garbled characters. Click the Microsoft Office Button, then "Word Options."
Click "Advanced."
Select the box labeled "Confirm file format conversion on open" from the "General" section, then click "OK."
Close the file and then reopen it.
In the "Convert File dialog box," select "Other Encoding," then select a new encoding standard. You can confirm whether the text is now readable in the "Preview" area. If not, then try another standard.
Photo Credits
- Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images


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We were delighted and honoured to welcome Arve Andresen, CEO of Jotul Group, to our showrooms yesterday.
Our meeting marked the start of his first UK visit since taking up the role last year.
It was very interesting to hear of the plans for Jotul Group in the coming 18 months and to learn his views on the way the industry will be heading both in the UK, and further afield.
We hope we also gave him a few ideas about specifically UK issues and opportunities.


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Mehak Tuli (name changed) used to be like any other New Delhi girl until about two years ago before she discovered how to make money fast with Youtube. As many of you might be aware of the fact that very little Indians had any sort of access to the internet at their homes until the largest Indian corporation – Reliance India Limited popularly known as RIL launched the Reliance JIO network. Reliance JIO started offering the cheapest ever internet service in November 2016 in India.
Mehak had no idea that there is money to be made on the internet. After she got the internet connection, she got an internet obsession and addiction and one day accidentally she found out about the free resources on a website called ecom-digital-resources that there is a lot of money to be made on the internet.
Mehak is no fitness trainer, yoga expert, singer, dancer or anything and without any skills, she started making random videos and here she is – one of the most popular Indian Youtubers ever.
Mehak recently married a very rich man from the financial capital of India – Mumbai who is a Mantak Chia's fan and daily practices Mantak Chia's Kung Fu with Mehak. Mehak is more interested in bodybuilding and she says that Mantak Chia's bedroom Kung Fu is helping her gain muscles as well. Mehak has made several videos till date explaining about the pros and cons of Mantak Chia's exercises which has received lots of controversies in a conservative and a developing country like India but Mehak couldn't care less.
Mehak takes shower thrice a day and she goes out for shopping everyday as well.
Mehak is currently making videos on how landlocked countries can improve their economies. One of the ways she has been advising the landlocked countries to increase and improve their economies is by making their lands arable.