MARK'S PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

Wild Card Round:
Indianapolis @ San Diego (Sat 8 PM)
Colts 27, Chargers 6
-The Colts enter the playoffs as the league's hottest team. The Chargers come in on the momentum of defeating the Broncos in week 17 to win the West, and are probably the first 8-8 team to ever have a home playoff game. The key to beating Indianapolis is pounding them with the run, and LaDanian Tomlinson has been a huge disappointment this season. Combine that with the fact that Norv Turner refuses to use Darren Sproles enough, throw in the Colts tough pass D versus Philip Rivers, and the Indianapolis offense against a shaky Charger's D, and you have a recipe for a potential blowout.

Baltimore @ Miami (Sun 1 PM)
Ravens 20, Dolphins 14
-Miami got into the playoffs thanks to great coaching, an offense based on trick plays and unusual formations, not committing turnovers, and most importantly, Brett Favre, who singlehandedly affected the seasons of four different teams (only one of them positively): the Jets, Packers, Patriots, and Dolphins. Despite the great story the Dolphins have been, I don't see their offense of trickery working effectively against Baltimore. I see a consistent Ravens offense combined with a defensive touchdown leading them to victory.

Divisional Round:
Baltimore @ Tennessee
Titans 10, Ravens 3
-The Joe Flacco-Kerry Collins QB matchup combined with two great defenses, points should be at a premium in this one. And despite the fact that the last game the Titans played prior to this was a pathetic 23-0 loss to the Colts in week 17, I still think they're a better team than the Ravens.

Indianapolis @ Pittsburgh
Colts 20, Steelers 16
-The Colts beat the Steelers in the regular season thanks to some boneheaded plays from Ben Roethelisberger. I'll still take Peyton Manning and crew over the vaunted Steelers D, and I would not be surprised in the slightest if Roethelisberger made some more boneheaded plays.

AFC Championship
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Colts 31, Titans 9
-Just a terrible matchup for the Titans. Collins should get shut down compeltely by a rejuvenated Colts pass D - the only shot Tennessee has in this one is Chris Johnson and Lendale White each running for over 100 yards. Manning and the Colts offense can pick apart an overrated Titans defense.








Wild Card Round:
Atlanta @ Arizona (Sat 4:30 PM)
Falcons 34, Cardinals 28
-A suspect Atlanta secondary could make this game much more winnable for Arizona than most people think. However, an even more suspect entire Cardinals' defense should not be able to stop the Turner/Ryan combo on offense. If the fumbling/interception throwing Kurt Warner shows up instead of the MVP-caliber one, it could get ugly fast for the Cards.

Philadelphia @ Minnesota (Sun 4:30 PM)
Eagles 22, Vikings 18
-I actually had no idea that Brad Childress had been a former assistant to Andy Reid - it is the absolute perfect explanation for his entire retarted coaching style. This should be the ugliest game of the weekend by far, and is going to be one of those classic "who wants it less" games, where each team is constantly just making mistakes and being completely inept until evenutally someone just has to win the game. A Vikings home field advantage could come into play, but I think Childress is still slightly dumber than Reid, and Philly is a bit more talented. Oh, and did I mention it's Tavaris Jackson vs. Donovan McNabb? I don't care what people say, McNabb is still a solid QB.

Divisional Round:
Philadelphia @ New York
Giants 27, Eagles 13
-This should be a cakewalk for the G-men, who given a healthy Brandon Jacobs should have no troubles moving the ball effectively against the hapless Eagles.

Atlanta @ Carolina
Panthers 27, Falcons 20
-I was very tempted to pick the upset in this one, but I think John Fox is too smart to let a rookie quarterback beat him in the playoffs. The gameplan? Stop Michael Turner and make Ryan beat you himself - the most overlooked storyline of the Falcons season has been Michael Turner. Without him they would be lucky to win eight games, and Ryan definitely would not have won offensive rookie of the year.

NFC Championship:
Carolina @ New York
Giants 13, Panthers 3
-A rematch of the fantastic week 16 game that the Giants took in OT, I see another great game between the two teams for the NFC title - this time with much less offense. A consistent Giants run game led by Brandon Jacobs will give New York it's second NFC title in a row. Of course, the entire playoff run changes if he gets hurt again.






SUPER BOWL XLIII:
New York Giants: 17
Indianapolis Colts: 13
-It's a media orgy and my worst nightmare: a Manning v. Manning Super Bowl. This would be even worse than the Colts/Bears game a few years ago, in which I couldn't decide which team I wanted to lose more. Despite the fact that Eli Manning is the most overrated QB in the league, the Giants run game matches up perfectly against the Dungy-created paper mache defensive front of the Colts. Jacobs, Ward, and Bradshaw should tear the Colts' front seven apart - the only thing that will keep the Giants scoring down will be red zone ineptitudes and turnovers by Eli. The Giants as back to back champs, ugh. Good thing my picks are always wrong!

LET'S NOT GET CARRIED AWAY

The Patriots season came to a frustrating end yesterday, even after New England shut out the Buffalo Bills, 13-0. Both the Dolphins and Ravens won, giving them the remaining two playoff spots over the Pats. So despite an 11-5 season, Bill Belichick and company will be watching the postseason from home.

While it is extremely frustrating that New England will not be playing into January for the first time in six years, let's not get carried away with the "flaws in the system." Yes, I do know that an 11-5 team was eliminated before a matchup between a 7-8 team and an 8-7 team for a spot in the playoffs. In past years though, other teams have gotten screwed out of the playoffs simply by being in a tougher division too. It's really not that big a deal. These things have a way of balancing themselves out in the long run.

In retrospect, the job Belichick and the other New England coaches did was simply amazing. Losing a franchise quarterback in the first quarter of the season, and then losing important pieces for significant time just didn't effect them the way it does most teams. That has to be a credit to the coaching staff.

If only former Pats assistant Eric Mangini had done as good a job with the Jets. Then maybe the Patriots would be preparing for a showdown with Ravens next Sunday at Gillette Stadium. And the "Mangenius" would still have a job.

EVAN'S PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

Well, our regular season predictions didn't exactly play out how we had hoped. No matter, it's time to move on anyway. Now that the playoff matchups are set (minus the Pats...stupid Jets), let's predict how it will all turn out.





Wild Card Round:
5. Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at 4. San Diego Chargers (8-8)
Colts 31, Chargers 24

6. Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at 3. Miami Dolphins (11-5)
Ravens 24, Dolphins 21

Divisional Round:
6. Baltimore Ravens (11-5) at 1. Tennessee Titans (13-3)
Titans 27, Ravens 16

5. Indianapolis Colts (12-4) at 2. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
Steelers 34, Colts 31

AFC Championship:
2. Pittsburgh Steelers at 1. Tennessee Titans
Steelers 24, Titans 20







Wild Card Round:
5. Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at 4. Arizona Cardinals (9-7)
Falcons 24, Cardinals 16

6. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1) at 3. Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
Vikings 20, Eagles 17

Divisional Round:
5. Atlanta Falcons (11-5) at 1. New York Giants (12-4)
Giants 30, Falcons 13

3. Minnesota Vikings (10-6) at 2. Carolina Panthers (12-4)
Panthers 24, Vikings 6

NFC Championship:
2. Carolina Panthers at 1. New York Giants
Panthers 27, Giants 24








SUPER BOWL:
Carolina Panthers: 24
Pittsburgh Steelers: 20


And if these predictions don't come true, then they'll be just like all the other picks I've made this season.

THE PREDICTIONS REVISITED SIMPSONS STYLE

With the NFL season winding down, and only a few teams still vying for playoff spots, now seems like as good a time as any to revisit our picks from earlier in the season. Let's take a look, with some help from our friends The Simpsons, at whether or not our predictions will come true.
Here are my picks, and here are Mark's picks.

Homer: Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I've seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!
This one is for both Mark and my prediction that the Buffalo Bills will win the AFC East. In reality, it is the other three teams in the division that are still hoping to be crowned champions. After a 5-1 start, the Bills faded big time. And now, with JP Losman quarterbacking the club, they will be watching the postseason from home yet again.

Homer: I'm like that guy who single-handedly built the rocket & flew to the moon. What was his name? Apollo Creed?
To both Mark and I once again, for getting the easiest picks right! We both had the Steelers, Titans, Giants, and Cardinals winning their respective divisions. We both picked San Diego to top the AFC West as well, which can happen with a home win against the Broncos in week 17.

Bart: Milhouse, what happened?! You were supposed to be watching the factory!
Milhouse: I was watchin'. First it started to fall over, then it fell over.
This quote goes to the team both of us picked to win the NFC North, and Mark picked to win the Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers. The Pack improved to 5-5 with a 37-3 drubbing of Chicago back on November 16, but have gone 0-4 since then, losing to the Saints, Panthers, Texans, and Jaguars. The only thing fitting at this point would be to close the season with a home loss to the Detroit Lions. I guess we'll just have to wait and see on that one.

Moe: Call this an unfair generalization if you must, but old people are no good at everything.
I'm starting to think Moe might be on to something...since I picked Jeff Garcia, Derrick Brooks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the NFC South, and then the Super Bowl. Wrong. The Falcons win in Minnesota yesterday clinched them a playoff spot, and knocked the Bucs out of the playoff picture.

Mr. Burns: I don't like being outdoors Smithers, for one thing, there's too many fat children.
To the dome-dwelling Indianapolis Colts, the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs and winners of one of the two coveted Wild Card spots. I predicted the Colts to finish in this spot exactly, while Mark had Denver and New England owning the last two seedings.

Homer: I am so smart! I am so smart! S-M-R-T! I mean S-M-A-R-T...
And the final quote belongs to me for picking the Carolina Panthers to miss the playoffs entirely. In fact, the Cats were one gust of wind in the Meadowlands from securing the number one seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Despite the loss to the Giants, Carolina will still get a first round bye.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE AFC...

Just when it looked like the Patriots might be eliminated from the AFC East race, the Jets laid an egg. New York, needing a win in Seattle to create a two team race for the division, lost 13-3 to the Seahawks at a snowy Qwest Field earlier today. Had the Jets beaten Seattle, coupled with the Dolphins win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and it would have been mathematically impossible for New England to win the AFC East. Now, a Patriots win in Buffalo next week and a Jets victory over Miami will make the Patriots divisional champs once again.

The Pats are tied with the Dolphins at 10-5, with the Jets following them at 9-6. Miami travels to the Meadowlands to take on the Jets in Week 17. New England is not out of the woods yet though. If the Fish beat New York next week, they win the division. If Baltimore, which currently owns the sixth and final playoff spot, also wins, the Pats will be left out in the cold.

The Ravens closed out Texas Stadium with a bang, beating the Cowboys 33-24. If the Ravens win in Jacksonville next week, they win the second wild card spot. The Colts clinched the other wild card spot and the fifth seed by beating the Jags last week. It's extremely confusing, with so many teams with good records. Hopefully, this will help:

PATRIOTS WIN AFC EAST IF:

• They beat Buffalo
• Jets beat Miami
  

PATRIOTS WIN WILD CARD IF:

• They beat Buffalo
• Ravens lose to Jacksonville

Keep in mind that no 11-5 team has ever been left out of the playoffs. While one 11-5 or 10-6 team is guaranteed to miss the postseason, either Denver or San Diego will make the playoffs at 8-8 or 9-7. The Chargers hold the tiebreaker over the Broncos, so if they win next week and Denver loses, the Bolts will win the AFC West. Any way you slice it, one good team will be watching the playoffs from home.

*Quick Note: The Broncos play the Chargers next week in San Diego. It is, essentially, a one game playoff for the AFC West title.

EVEN WITH WINS, PATRIOTS NEED HELP

Right when it looked like the Patriots would be alone atop the AFC East, JP Losman fumbled the ball. The Bills quarterback was hit by Jets safety Abram Elam, who knocked the ball loose just as Losman was attempting to throw it. Shaun Ellis recovered and took the pigskin into the end zone, giving the Jets a 31-27 lead with 1:54 to play at the Meadowlands yesterday afternoon. Of course, they held on to beat the Bills by that same score. Meanwhile down south, the Dolphins seemed to be getting manhandled by San Francisco, but the 49'ers just couldn't get the ball into the end zone. Even though they ran 79 offensive plays, 37 more than Miami, the Dolphins narrowly escaped, 14-9.

So, as the Pats kicked off their game in Oakland yesterday, it was another must win. Against the Raiders, it was over early. New England's offense dominated the overmatched Oakland D, with the Patriots gaining 277 yards on the ground. Matt Cassel threw a career high four touchdown passes in the 49-26 victory, including two to ex-Raider Randy Moss. So after another Sunday, the Patriots find themselves in the exact same spot, tied with the Jets and Dolphins atop the AFC East.

Unfortunately for New England, they are third in the tiebreakers, so winning out won't necessarily guarantee a playoff berth. If the Jets and Dolphins, who play each other in week 17, both win next week, the Patriots can not win the division. With Indianapolis poised to grab the first wild card spot, the Pats would need a Baltimore loss to sneak in as the sixth and final seed. Baltimore plays at Dallas next week, and at Jacksonville to close out the year.

No team that went 11-5 in the regular season has ever missed the playoffs. But with the Dolphins playing well, and the Jets playing Seattle next week, it looks like that may just happen. Hopefully one of them will lose, and the other will lose in the final regular season game. At this point, that just doesn't seem very likely. The Pats best chance to make it appears to be a Ravens loss. Of course, if they lose to either Arizona or Buffalo, whatever happens outside of Foxboro doesn't really matter.

FIXING THE BCS

President-Elect Barack Obama told ESPN's Chris Berman that he thinks College Football should switch to a playoff system instead of the ridiculous computer based system that is currently in place. Many have been calling for this change for years. How can you really decide who is the best team without playing it out on the field? It's crazy and flat out stupid, but from the NCAA's perspective, it actually makes sense. First and second round games of a playoff won't bring in the revenue that five major BCS bowl games would. So they leave it alone and let the computers decide who the best team is.

Now I admit, there are many questions with the playoff format. For one, how do you decide who gets in? Who gets home field? Are all playoff games held at neutral sites?

Here is my proposal for a playoff system in College Football:

The playoff bracket should have eight teams comprised of the champions of the six major "BCS" conferences, and two wild card spots. These spots, as well as the seedings, are determined by the BCS Standings.

Taking a look at the current BCS Standings, here are how the seeds would look if the season were to end today.

1. Alabama (SEC Champions)
2. Texas Tech (Big XII Champions)
3. Texas (Wild Card)
4. Florida (Wild Card)
5. USC (Pac-10 Champions)
6. Penn State (Big 10 Champions)
7. North Carolina (ACC Champions)
8. Pittsburgh (Big East Champions)

So the matchups would be 1. Alabama vs. 8. Pitt, 2. Texas Tech vs. 7. UNC, 3. Texas vs. 6. Penn State, and 4. Florida vs. 5. USC. The first round games would be played at the home stadium of the higher seeded team. The semi-finals and finals would be at neutral sites and would rotate each year between the five BCS Bowls.

So you could see something like Alabama vs. Florida in the semi-finals from Tempe, Arizona, in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Then Texas Tech vs. Texas at the Orange Bowl in Miami for a chance to play for the National Championship at the Rose Bowl.

As for the question of when to play all these games, the answer is quite simple. Don't have a month off between the regular season and the post-season. Have two weeks off to rest, and then let the playoffs begin. Problem solved.

The current BCS system is flawed and stupid and needs to be changed. This idea may not be perfect, but it sure is a hell of a lot better than what we have now.