2012 NCAA Football Conference Championship Games Predictions

This week is the week of the conference championship games. These games are important because he decides who wins conferences and who makes what bowl. Also in BCS Conferences winning your game means you earn a automatic BCS Bowl Bid. I will predict and tell little about the games. I will predict the ACC, Big Ten, Conference USA, MAC, Pac-12 and SEC's championship game. 

ACC Championship Game: Florida State Seminoles vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Charlotte, NC.
The Florida State Seminoles have a record of 10-2 and 7-1 in the ACC and won the ACC Atlantic Division. Florida State and Clemson tied at the top of the Atlantic at 7-1. Florida State represents the Atlantic Division by beating Clemson 49 to 37 on September 22nd. Their two losses game at North Carolina by 1 and at home vs. Florida by 11. They are led by EJ Manuel with 2967 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Florida State is looking to make their first Orange Bowl since the 2006 Orange Bowl.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have a record of 6-6 and 5-4 in the ACC and won the ACC Coastal Division. Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Miami (FL) all tied at 5-3 on top of the Coastal Division. Georgia Tech won due to North Carolina and Miami both have postseason bans. At 6-6 they probably don't deserve to play in this game. They are led by their great running attack. They are 3rd in the nation at 323.3 rushing yards per game on average. Georgia Tech is looking to make their first Orange Bowl since the 2010 Orange Bowl.
Prediction: Florida State should dominate in this match up. Also long as Florida State controls   Georgia Tech's run game, EJ Manuel and Florida State should win this game easy. Florida his 8th in the nation in scoring offense and 7th in the nation in scoring defense. I think Florida State wins 41-14. Florida State earns the Orange Bowl bid and mostly plays the Big East Champion. 

Big Ten Championship Game: Wisconsin Badgers vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers in Indianapolis, IN. 

The Wisconsin Badgers have a record of 7 -5 and 4-4 in the Big 10 and actually came in 3rd in the Big 10 Leaders Division. Wisconsin won the division because Ohio State and Penn State are both ineligible for the postseason this year. They are led again by Montee Ball. He has 1528 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Wisconsin has won the Big Ten the last 2 years. They share the title with Ohio State and Michigan State in 2010 and beating Michigan State in this game last year. If Wisconsin wins they will make the Rose Bowl for the 3rd straight year. They lost the last 2 Rose Bowls. They were beat by TCU in the 2011 game and Oregon in the 2012 game.
Nebraska Cornhuskers have a record of 10-2 and 7-1 in the Big 10 and won the Big 10 Legends Division. Their two losses came to UCLA by 6 and Ohio State by 25 both on the road. They are led by Taylor Martinez who has 2483 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Nebraska is looking to make their first Rose Bowl since the 2002 Rose Bowl.
Prediction: Nebraska should have a easy win in this game since Ohio State was the true winner of the Leaders Division. Nebraska beating Wisconsin 30 to 27 on September 29th. I think the same will stay true in this game. I think Nebraska wins 35-21. Nebraska earns the Big Ten's automatic bid to the Rose Bowl game and faces off vs. the Pac-12 Champion. 

 

Conference USA Championship Game: UCF Knights @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane have a record of 9-3 and 7-1 in the C-USA and won the C-USA West Division. They are led by Cody Green. He has 2346 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns and 9 interceptions. They have already beat UCF 23 to 21 on November 17th. This is Tulsa's  4th Conference USA Championship game. They won in 2005 and lost in 2007 and 2008.
The UCF Knights have a record of 9-3 and 7-1 in the C-USA and won the C-USA East Division. UCF and East Carolina tied at the top of the East Division at 7-1. UCF gets to play in the game since they beat East Carolina 40 to 20 on October 4th. They are led by Blake Bortles who has 2593 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Latavius Murray has also had a good season with 964 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. This is UCF's 4th Conference USA Championship game. They won in 2007 and 2010 and lost in 2005.
Prediction: Tulsa won the first match-up of these teams and are at home since they won that game. I think the same think happens here. I think it will be a very close game like it was before. I think Tulsa win 28-24. I think Tulsa will be the 2012 Conference USA Champion.

MAC Championship Game: Northern Illinois Huskies vs. Kent State Golden Flashes in Detroit, MI.
The Kent State Golden Flashes have a record have a record of 11-1 and 8-0 in the MAC and won the MAC East Division. Kent State's only lost was at Kentucky 47 to 14 which is a bad losses due to Kentucky only having 2 wins. They have won 10 games in a row. Dri Archer has been very good this year with 1337 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. This is Kent State's first time playing in the MAC Championship game. 

The Northern Illinois Huskies have a record have a record of 11-1 and 8-0 in the MAC and won the MAC West Division. Their only loss was to Iowa 18 to 17 on September 1st. They have won 11 games in a row. They have a very offense. They are averaging 40.5 PPG which is 12th in the nation. Their defense is good to allowing 17.5 PPG which is 15th in the nation. Jordan Lynch has been good this season with 4361 total yards, 39 total touchdowns. This is Northern Illinois' 3rd straight MAC Championship game and 4th overall. They lost in 2005 and 2010 and won last season and are looking to repeat as MAC Champions.
Prediction: I think that Jordan Lynch and the Northern Illinois offense dominates in the game. I think Northern Illinois will pull the upset. I think North Illinois wins 42-31. I think North Illinois will be the back to back MAC Champion. If either teams finishes in top 16 in the BCS and finishes ahead of the Big East Champion they will receive a bid to a BCS Bowl. 

Pac-12 Championship Game: UCLA Bruins @ Stanford Cardinal. 
The Stanford Cardinal have a record of 10-2 and 8-1 in the Pac-12 and won the Pac-12 North Division. They tied with Oregon but Stanford won the North because they won head to head 17 to 14 in overtime on November 17th. Stanford's two losses came to Notre Dame on the road 20 to 13 and to Washington on the road 17 to 13. Stanford already beat UCLA to past week, to win the Pac-12 North, by the score of 35 to 17. Stanford is led by their great defense which is 11th in the nation allowing 16.9 PPG. Also Stepfan Taylor has been very good with 1364 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. Stanford looks to make their first Rose Bowl since the 2000 Rose Bowl. 
The UCLA Bruins have a record of 9-3 and 6-3 in the Pac-12. They won the Pac-12 South Division. Besides the Stanford loss their other two losses were at home vs. Oregon State 27 to 20 and at California 43 to 17.  Brett Hundley has been good this year with 3234 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Johnathan Franklin has been very good too with 1506 rushing yards which the team, and 11 rushing TDs. UCLA looks to make their first Rose Bowl since the 1999 Rose Bowl.
Prediction: Stanford beat UCLA on the road last week this week they host UCLA. I don't see why anything will change one week later. I think Stanford wins but it is a closer game this week. Stanford defense should step up again and give Stanford their first Pac-12 Title since 1999. I think Stanford wins 31-27. Stanford earns the Pac-12's automatic bid to the Rose Bowl and plays the Big Ten Champion.

SEC Championship Game: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta, GA.

The Alabama Crimson Tide have a record of 11-1 and 7-1 in the SEC and won the SEC West Division. Alabama has been very strong this year after coming off a BCS National Championship last year and are looking to repeat. Their defense is great only allowing 9.3 PPG which is 1st in the nation. AJ McCarron also has been good. He has 2507 passing yards, 25 TDs and 2 INTs. Eddie Lacy also has been good with 1001 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. This Their only loss of the year came to Texas A&M 29 to 24 at home on November 10th. Alabama's 8th time in this game. In the past seven game they are 3-4.
The Georgia Bulldogs have a record of 11-1 and 7-1 in the SEC. Both Georgia and Florida tied at the top of the SEC East Division at 7-1. Georgia won the right to play in the game due to beating Florida 17 to 9. There only loss was to South Carolina on the road 35 to 7 on October 6th. Their defense is very  good too. They only allow opponents to score 17.7 PPG which is 17th in the nation. Aaron Murray has looked good this year with 3201 passing yards and 30 passing TDs. This is Georgia's 5th time in this game. In the past four game they are 2-2.
Prediction: This is the highest ranked match-up this week with Alabama at #2 and Georgia at #3. The winner most likely will play #1 Notre Dame for the BCS National Championship. Alabama has been great all year except for the slip up vs. Texas A&M. Georgia has looked very ugly at times this year. Alabama only loss was by 5 points, Georgia was 28 points. Alabama has only allowed 20 points or more once, Georgia has allowed 20 more points 3 times. I think Alabama's defense shuts down Georgia. I think Alabama wins 20-10 and heads back to the BCS National Championship for the 2nd straight year. Regards of who wins they will look to bring home the SEC's 7th straight BCS National Championship. 

2012 BCS Rankings Update: Week 14

The seventh BCS rankings came out Sunday. This ranking is important because it decides which if a school makes a BCS bowl game or not and which two schools goes to the BCS National Title Game. I don't really like the BCS because it doesn't give every team a chance to compete for a National Title. There will be a 4 team playoff in starting in the 2014 season which is a start. I would prefer a 16 team playoff, that way if you lose you can still compete for the National Title. The top 10 stayed almost exactly the same this week. Only previously #10 Florida State lost and feel from the top 10. Notre Dame and Ohio State both finished the regular season 12-0. Notre Dame is already preparing for the BCS Title even though we won't know for sure into next week and Ohio State was to look forward to next due to their postseason ban for this season. No madder how good Ohio State is this year they will not appear in the BCS rankings due to their postseason ban for this season.

1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 12-0

Next Game: Bowl Game.

Last Game: @ USC, W 22-13.

Last Week Rank: 1st ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: BCS Title

More Information: Notre Dame's defense has looked great. They are 2nd in the nation allowing 10.3 PPG on defense. Manti Te'o has led the defense with 7 INTs and 101 tackles and is looking like a the second best Heisman candidate. It wasn't pretty for the most part but Notre Dame did what no other school could do this season (not counting Ohio State) which was go undefeated. With Notre Dame being 12-0 they will make the BCS Title even though they won't announce it until next week. They most likely play the SEC Champion (either Alabama or Georgia) in the BCS Title game. Looking ahead to the BCS Title right now I not sure if they can beat the SEC Champion but I will give my BCS Bowl predictions later on as they get closer. My Rank: 1st

2. Alabama Crimson Tide 11-1 (7-1)

Next Game: vs. Georgia (SEC Championship Game in Atlanta).  

Last Game: vs. Auburn, W 49-0.

Last Week Rank: 2nd ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: BCS Title / Unlikely to make one

More Information: Just like last year Alabama's defense is great. They 1st in the nation at 9.3 PPG allowed on defense. Alabama offense has been very good as well. AJ McCarron also has been very solid. He has 2507 passing yards, 25 TDs and 2 INTs. With the win vs. Auburn this week, Alabama clinched the SEC West and will play #3 Georgia in the SEC Title Game. If they win they most likely will play of the National Title vs. Notre Dame. If they lose they will probably miss a BCS Bowl due  to the 2 team per conference in the BCS Bowls. This game this week will be very hard but I think Alabama will win. Alabama looks to make it back to the BCS Title game and be the first team since Ohio State in 2006 and 2007 to do so. They also look like they could become the first team ever in the BCS era to win back to back National Championships and bring home the 7th straight BCS Natioanl Title for the SEC. My Rank: 2nd

3. Georgia Bulldogs 11-1 (7-1)

Next Game: vs. Alabama (SEC Championship Game in Atlanta).

Last Game:  vs. Georgia Tech, W 42-10.

Last Week Rank: 3rd ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: BCS Title / Unlikely to make one

More Information: Georgia has struggled a times this season. They did win the SEC East and will  face #2 Alabama for the SEC Title this week. Aaron Murray has looked good this year with 3201 passing yards and 30 passing TDs. If they pull the upset vs. Alabama they will most likely play in the BCS Title game vs. Notre Dame. If they lose to Alabama in the SEC Title game at 11-2 they will probably miss a BCS Bowl due to the 2 team per conference limit in BCS Bowls. I think Georgia is really good but I'm surprised their 3rd when you compare their only loss to Alabama, who lose by 5, Florida, who they beat by 8, and Oregon, who lost by 3 in OT. I don't see how Georgia is ranked higher than Florida and Oregon when Georgia lost by 28 in their only loss. My Rank: 5th

4. Florida Gators 11-1 (7-1)   

Next Game: Bowl Game.  
Last Game:  @ Florida State, W 37-26.

Last Week Rank: 4th ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: Any one besides the Title Game

More Information: Florida's defense is very strong. They are 3rd in the nation at 12.9 PPG allowed on defense. They have only allowed 20 points once this season. Florida finished 2nd in the SEC East due to their loss vs. Georgia. They took care of buisness going into Florida State and winning. With only their bowl game left their next game will probably be in the Sugar Bowl since either Alabama or Georgia will lose this week. They will probably play in the Sugar Bowl due to the Sugar Bowl losing the SEC Champion to the National Championship because of this the Sugar Bowl will get the first at-large pick and probably pick Florida. Florida has been shaky at times but they are a very good team and if they didn't lose to Georgia they would have a chance to play for their 3rd National Title since 2006 season.  My Rank: 3rd

5. Oregon Ducks 11-1 (8-1)

Next Game: Bowl Game.

Last Game: @ Oregon State, W 48-24.

Last Week Rank: 5th ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: Any one besides the Title Game

More Information: Oregon has a great at offense averaging 50.8 PPG which is 2nd in the nation. Due to their losses vs. Stanford they won't win the Pac-12 for the 4th year in the row. Marcus Mariota has been a great QB for only being a freshman just like Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M. Mariota has put Heisman like numbers with 3201 total yards and 34 total touchdowns. Kenjon Barner had a great game to cap the great regular season he had. He looks like the best RB in the nation. He is 3rd in the nation in rushing yards with 1624 yards and is tied for 2nd in the nation with 21 rushing TDs. Barner stills remains in the Heisman race. Oregon will probably play in the Fiesta Bowl and if Kansas State wins the Big 12 that will be a great game to watch. Oregon is still one of the best teams in the nation even though they won't win the Pac-12. My Rank: 4th

6. Kansas State Wildcats 10-1 (7-1)

Next Game: vs. Texas. 

Last Game: @ Baylor, L 24-52.

Last Week Rank: 6th ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: Fiesta

More Information: Their offense has been great this season, scoring 40 or more 7 times out of 11 games. They are averaging 40.5 PPG which 11th in the nation. Collin Klein continues to look like the Heisman candidate (probably not the front runner after their loss) with 3093 total yards and 34 total touchdowns.  As long as they beat Texas this week which won't be easy if they play like they did this 2 weeks ago they win the Big 12 and earn the Big 12's automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl. Kansas State is still a very good team and if they play Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl that game will be very fun to watch. My Rank: 6th

7. LSU Tigers 10-2 (6-2) 

Next Game: Bowl Game.  
Last Game: @ Arkansas, W 20-13.

Last Week Rank: 7th ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: Unlikely to make one

More Information: Like most SEC teams, LSU has a defense which is very strong. They are tied for 11th in the nation at 16.9 PPG allowed on defense. Their QB, Zach Mettenberger, has struggled at times. LSU has struggled quite a bit during their 8 SEC games. They continue to struggle only beating Arkansas by 7 points this week. At 10-2 they are unlikely also to make a BCS bowl with 3 SEC teams in front of them in the rankings. LSU is a very solid team but they will probably have to settle for a non-BCS Bowl this season. They just weren't dominate like last year's team. My Rank: 9th

8. Stanford Cardinal 10-2 (8-1)

Next Game: vs. UCLA (Pac-12 Championship Game).

Last Game: @ UCLA, W 35-17.

Last Week Rank: 8th ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: Rose / Unlikely to make one

More Information: Stanford's defense is very strong. They are averaging only 16.9 PPG which is tied for 11th in the nation. After beating UCLA this week they host UCLA again for the Pac-12 Title game which seems a little silly to me. If they win the Pac-12 they will play in the Rose Bowl due to the Pac-12's automatic bid to the Rose Bowl. If they didn't lose to UCLA I think it is unlikely they will make a BCS Bowl at 10-3. One of Stanford losses was to Notre Dame only be 3 in overtime earlier in the year. Their other loss Washington by 4 earlier in the year. My Rank: 7th

9. Texas A&M Aggies 10-2 (6-2) 

Next Game: Bowl Game.  
Last Game: vs. Missouri, W 59-29.

Last Week Rank: 9th ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: Unlikely to make one

More Information: Texas A&M has a very strong offense. They are averaging 44.8 PPG which is 4th in the nation. Johnny "Football" Manziel might be the Heisman front runner now. He has 4600 total yards and 43 total touchdowns. Those numbers are better than Klein's whose was considered the Heisman front runner. More amazingly he is just a freshman. This week he broke the SEC record for most total yards in one season. The record before was held by Cam Newton who won the 2010 Heisman. They did lose Florida by 3 to open the season and to LSU by 5 earlier in the year. They are a very good and fun team to watch. They will have to probably play in a non-BCS Bowl but it will be fun to see how Johnny Manziel can take this team over at least the next 2 seasons. My Rank: 8th

10. South Carolina Gamecocks 10-2 (6-2) 

Next Game: Bowl Game.  
Last Game: @ Clemson, W 27-17.

Last Week Rank: 12th ↑

Projected BCS Bowl: Unlikely to make one

More Information: They have looked very week at times. They lost to LSU by 2 and Florida by 33. They did beat Georgia by 28.  Thanks to the 2 team per conference limit in the BCS Bowls and 5 SEC teams are ranked higher then them, they are extremely unlikely to make a BCS Bowl. They did look impressive beating Clemson on the road this week to cap their 10-2 regular season. They will most likely play in a non-BCS Bowl even though they are a top 10 school. They should see themselves back at the top of the SEC East again next season and might have a chance to win it. My Rank: 10th

Recap of the 2012 MLB Awards

The MLB Awards are announced after the MLB Postseason. They were announced the past 2 weeks and the last one of announced on Thursday. I will go through each award and say what I think. I will talk about the MVPs, Cy Youngs, Rookie of the Years, Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers.

NL MVP: The NL MVP was won by Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants. He helped his team win the NL West and win the 2012 World Series. Posey received 20 of the 32 first place votes and 422 points. Ryan Braun, Andrew McCutchen, Yadier Molina and Chase Headley finished 2nd-5th. Posey's season was even more incredible after missing a lot of the season with an injury. Posey hit .336 with 24 home runs, 103 RBIs. He won the NL Batting Title and has led the NL in WAR at 7.2. I definitely agree with this award choice. 

AL MVP: The AL MVP was won by Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers. He helped his team win the AL Central and make it to the World Series. Verlander received 22 of the 28 first place votes and 362 points. This is the first time since 1998 and 1999 that two players from the same team won back to back MVPs. Justin Verlander won the AL MVP last season. Cabrera won the AL Batting Triple Crown. He became the first Batting Triple Crown since 1967. Cabrera led the AL in batting average at .330, home runs at 44 and RBIs at 139. Mike Trout, Adrian Beltre, Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton came in 2nd-5th. I thought that Mike Trout would win but I see why Cabrera won. This was a battle of new stats vs. old stats. Mike Trout led the MLB in WAR at 10.2 and Cabrera was 3rd in the AL at 6.9. I believe that Cabrera because he won the Batting Triple Crown which hadn't been done in 45 years.

NL Cy Young: The NL Cy Young was won by R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets. Dickey received 27 of the 32 first place votes and 209 points. He is the first Met since 1985 to win NL Cy Young. Dickey was 2nd in the NL with 20 wins, 1st in the NL with 230 strikeouts and 2nd in ERA at 2.70. He was 3rd in WHIP at 1.05 and in WAR (among pitchers) at 5.4. Clayton Kershaw, Gio Gonzalez, Johnny Cueto, Craig Kimbrel finished 2nd-5th. What made Dickey winning this award more special them some his he his a knuckle ball pitcher and it is extremely hard to master the knuckle ball like Dickey did this season. I agree with this award choice. 

AL Cy Young: The AL Cy Young was won by David Price of the Tampa Bay Rays. He helped his team win 90 games. Price received 14 of the 28 first place votes and 153 points. Price was tied for 1st in the AL in wins with 20, 1st in ERA at 2.56 and 6th in strikeouts with 205. Price was 2nd in WAR among AL pitchers at 6.4 and 4th in WHIP at 1.10. Justin Verlander, Jered Weaver, Felix Hernandez, and Fernando Rodney placed 2nd-5th. I thought Justin Verlander would win the award but the choice of David Price was not a bad choice. David Price became the first Tampa Bay Ray to win the Cy Young Award.

NL Rookie of the Year: The NL Rookie of the Year was won by Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals. Harper received 16 of the 32 first place votes and 112 points. Harper had 22 home runs, 59 RBIs and hit for a .270 average. He became the first player from the Montreal Expos / Washington Nationals franchise to win the Rookie of the Year since Andrew Dawson in 1977. He also stole 18 bases and had 5.0 WAR. Wade Miley came in 2nd and Todd Frazier came in 3rd. Harper was the #1 pick in the 2010 Draft. He helped the Nationals win 98 games and win the NL East. He has shown great potential since he was only 19 for most of the season. He should help the Nationals win for many years to come. 

AL Rookie of the Year: The AL Rookie of the Year was won by Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Trout received 28 of the 28 first place votes and 140 points. Yoenis Cespedes and Yu Darvish came in 2nd and 3rd. Mike Trout probably had the greatest rookie season of all-time. He finished 2nd in the AL MVP award. He was 2nd in the AL with a .326 BA, tied for 13th with 30 home runs, 1st with 49 stolen bases and first in WAR at 10.7. I expect that Mike Trout should be one of the best players in the MLB over the next 15-20 years. He became the first Angel to win the award since 1993.

NL Silver Sluggers:

C: Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants:

Buster Posey won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. Posey ended the season with a .336 batting average (1st in the NL), 24 home runs (2nd among NL cacthers), 103 RBIs (6th in the NL). His WAR was 7.2 (1st in the NL) and his OPS was .957 (2nd in the NL). He also won the NL MVP award. I completely agree with the award choice.

1B: Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals:

Adam LaRoche won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. LaRoche ended the season with a .271 batting average (5th among NL first basemen), 33 home runs (4th in the NL), 100 RBIs (8th in the NL). His WAR was 7.2 (2nd among NL first basemen) and his OPS was .853 (13th in the NL). I agree with the award choice.

2B: Aaron Hill, Arizona Diamondbacks:

Aaron Hill won the Silver Sluggers award for the 2nd time. Hill ended the season with a .302 batting average (10 in the NL), 26 home runs (1st among NL second basemen), 85 RBIs (1st among NL second basemen). His WAR was 7.2 (2nd among NL second basemen) and his OPS was .882 (6th in the NL). I completely agree with the award choice.

3B: Chase Headley, San Diego Padres:  

Chase Headley won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. Headley ended the season with a .286 batting average (5th among NL third basemen), 31 home runs (tied for 8th in the NL), 115 RBIs (1st in the NL). His WAR was 6.0 (6th in the NL) and his OPS was .875 (10th in the NL). He also stole 17 bases (2nd among NL third basemen). He finished 5th in the NL MVP. I agree with the award choice.

SS: Ian Desmond, Washington Nationals:

Ian Desmond won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. Desmond ended the season with a .292 batting average (1st among NL shortstops), 25 home runs (1st among NL shortstops), 73 RBIs (2nd among NL shortstops). His WAR was 3.2 (2nd among NL shortstops) and his OPS was .845 (15th in the NL). He also stole 21 bases (6th among NL shortstops). I agree with the award choice.

OF: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers:  

Ryan Braun won the Silver Sluggers award for the 5th consecutive time. Braun ended the season with a .319 batting average (3rd in the NL), 41 home runs (1st in the NL), 112 RBIs (2nd in the NL). His WAR was 6.8 (3rd in the NL) and his OPS was .987 (1st in the NL). He also stole 30 bases (tied for 9th in the NL). He finished 2nd in the NL MVP award. I completely agree with the award choice.

OF: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates: 

Andrew McCutchen won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. McCutchen ended the season with a .327 batting average (2nd in the NL), 31 home runs (tied for 8th in the NL), 96 RBIs (11th in the NL). His WAR was 7.0 (2nd in the NL) and his OPS was .953 (3rd in the NL). He also stole 20 bases (tied for 9th among NL center fielders). He finished 3rd in the NL MVP award. I completely agree with the award choice.

OF: Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds:

Jay Bruce won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. Bruce ended the season with a .252 batting average (8th among NL right fielders), 34 home runs (3rd in the NL), 99 RBIs (9th in the NL). His WAR was 1.2 (12th among NL right fielders) and his OPS was .841 (2nd among NL right fielders). I disagree with the award choice. I thought Carlos Beltran because he had a higher BA, OPS and WAR than Jay Bruce did. 

P: Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals:

Stephen Strasburg won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. Strasburg ended the season with a .277 batting average, 1 homerun and 7 RBIs. His OPS was .759 for the season and he also had 4 doubles. I agree with the award choice.

AL Silver Sluggers:

C: A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox: 

A.J. Pierzynski won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. Pierzynski ended the season with a .278 batting average (2nd among AL catchers), 27 home runs (1st among AL catchers), 77 RBIs (3rd among AL catchers). His WAR was 2.6 (6th among AL catchers) and his OPS was .827 (2nd among AL catchers). I agree with the award choice.

1B: Prince Fielder, Detroit Tigers: 

Prince Fielder won the Silver Sluggers award for the 3rd time. Fielder ended the season with a .313 batting average (6th in the AL), 30 home runs (tied for 13th in the AL), 108 RBIs (5th in the AL). His WAR was 4.5 (tied for 12th in the AL) and his OPS was .940 (4th in the AL). I agree with the award choice.

2B: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees:

Robinson Cano won the Silver Sluggers award for the 3rd time. Cano ended the season with a .313 batting average (9th in the AL), 33 home runs (tied for 8th in the AL), 94 RBIs (12th in the AL). His WAR was 8.2 (2nd in the AL) and his OPS was .929 (6th in the AL). He also finished 4th in the AL MVP. I completely agree with the award choice. 

3B: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers: 

Miguel Cabrera won the Silver Sluggers award for the 4th time. Cabrera ended the season with a .330 batting average (1st in the AL), 44 home runs (1st in the AL), 139 RBIs (1st in the AL). His WAR was 6.9 (3rd in the AL) and his OPS was .999 (1st in the AL). He also won the AL MVP and the AL Batting Triple Crown. I completely agree with the award choice. 

SS: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees:

Derek Jeter won the Silver Sluggers award for the 5th time. Jeter ended the season with a .316 batting average (5th in the AL), 15 home runs (3rd among AL shortstops), 58 RBIs (7th among AL shortstops). His WAR was 2.1 (9th among AL shortstops) and his OPS was .791 (1st among AL shortstops). I agree with the award choice.

OF: Josh Willingham, Minnesota Twins:

Josh Willingham won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. Willington ended the season with a .260 batting average (5th among AL left fielders), 35 home runs (7th in the AL), 110 RBIs (tied for 3rd in the AL). His WAR was 2.9 (5th among AL left fielders) and his OPS was .890 (8th in the AL). I agree with the award choice. 

OF: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels:

Mike Trout won the Silver Sluggers award for the 1st time. Trout ended the season with a .326 batting average (2nd in the AL), 30 home runs (tied for 13th in the AL), 83 RBIs (3rd among AL center fielders). His WAR was 10.7 (1st in the AL) and his OPS was .963 (2nd in the AL). He also stole 49 bases (1st in the AL). He finished 2nd in the AL MVP. I completely agree with the award choice. 

OF: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers:

Josh Hamiltion won the Silver Sluggers award for the 3rd time. Hamilton ended the season with a .285 batting average (11th among AL outfielders), 43 home runs (2nd in the AL), 128 RBIs (2nd in the AL). His WAR was 3.3 (12th among  AL outfielders) and his OPS was .930 (5thin the AL). He also finished 5th in the AL MVP. I completely agree with the award choice. 

DH: Billy Butler, Kansas City Royals:

Billy Butler won the Silver Sluggers award for the 5th time. Butler ended the season with a .313 batting average (8th in the AL), 29 home runs (3rd among AL designated hitters), 107 RBIs (6th among AL designated hitters). His WAR was 2.9 (tied for 1st among AL  designated hitters) and his OPS was .882 (9th in the AL). I agree with the award choice.

NL Gold Gloves:

C: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals:

Yadier Molina won the Golden Glove award for the 5th consecutive time. Molina ended the season a field percentage of .997 (2nd among NL catchers), his range factor was 8.14 (5th among NL catchers) and his caught stealing percent was .479 (2nd among NL catchers). I completely agree with the award choice.

1B: Adam LaRoche, Washington Nationals:

Adam LaRoche won the Golden Glove award for the 1st time. LaRoche ended the season a field percentage of .995 (2nd among NL first basemen), his range factor was 9.25 (5th among NL first basemen) and his UZR was 6.1 (2nd among NL first basemen).  I agree with the award choice.

2B: Darwin Barney, Chicago Cubs:

Darwin Barney won the Golden Glove award for the 1st time. Barney ended the season a field percentage of .997 (1st among NL second basemen), his range factor was 5.16 (1st among NL second basemen) and his UZR was 13.1 (1st among NL second basemen).  I completely agree with the award choice.

3B: Chase Headley, San Diego Padres:

Chase Headley won the Golden Glove award for the 1st time. Headley ended the season a field percentage of .976 (2nd among NL third basemen), his range factor was 2.67 (1st among NL third basemen) and his UZR was 6.0 (3rd among NL third basemen).  I disagree with the award choice. I believe that David Wright should have won this award. Wright's UZR was 15.4 much better than Headley's 6.0.

SS: Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies:

Jimmy Rollins won the Golden Glove award for the 4th time. Rollins ended the season a field percentage of .978 (1st among NL shortstops), his range factor was 3.83 (9th among NL shortstops) and his UZR was 4.4 (5th among NL shortstops).  I disagree with the award choice. I believe that Brandon Crawford should have won this award. Crawford had a better UZR and range factor than Rollins did. 

LF: Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Gonzalez:

Carlos Gonzalez won the Golden Glove award for the 2nd time. Gonzalez ended the season a field percentage of .982 (6th among NL left fielders), his range factor was 1.71 (5th among NL left fielders) and his UZR was -8.5 (7th among NL left fielders).  I completely disagree with the award choice. I believe that Alfonso Soriano should have won this award. Crawford led the NL in all three stats I listed. The first example of how being a good hitter can win you a Gold Glove.

CF: Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates:

Andrew McCutchen won the Golden Glove award for the 1st time. McCutchen ended the season a field percentage of .997 (2nd among NL center fielders), his range factor was 2.44 (7th among NL center fielders) and his UZR was -6.9 (9th among NL center fielders).  I completely disagree with the award choice. I believe that Michael Bourn should have won this award. Bourn had an amazing UZR had 22.4 and also had a better range factor than McCutchen. The second example of how being a good hitter can win you a Gold Glove.

RF: Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves:

Jason Heyward won the Golden Glove award for the 1st time. Heyward ended the season a field percentage of .986 (3rd among NL right fielders), his range factor was 2.30 (1st among NL right fielders) and his UZR was 22.9 (1st among NL right fielders). I completely agree with the award choice.

P: Mark Buehrle, Miami Marlins:

Mark Buehrle won the Golden Glove award for the 4th consecutive time. Buehrle ended the season a field percentage of 1.000 (tied for 1st among NL pitchers), his range factor was 2.67 (4th among NL pitchers) and his DRS was +12 (1st among NL pitchers). I completely agree with the award choice.

AL Gold Gloves:

C: Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles:

Matt Wieters won the Golden Glove award for the 2nd time. Wieters ended the season a field percentage of .991 (4th among AL catchers), his range factor was 7.92 (4th among AL catchers) and his caught stealing percent was .386 (1st among AL catchers). I completely agree with the award choice.

1B: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees: 

Mark Teixeira won the Golden Glove award for the 5th time. Teixeira ended the season a field percentage of .999 (1st among AL first basemen), his range factor was 9.19 (5th among AL first basemen) and his UZR was 10.5 (2nd among AL first basemen).  I agree with the award choice.   

2B: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees: 

Robinson Cano won the Golden Glove award for the 2nd time. Cano ended the season a field percentage of .992 (2nd among AL second basemen), his range factor was 4.82 (2nd among AL second basemen) and his UZR was 9.7 (2nd among AL second basemen).  I agree with the award choice. 

3B: Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers:

Adrian Beltre won the Golden Glove award for the 4th time. Beltre ended the season a field percentage of .974 (1st among AL third basemen), his range factor was 2.43 (5th among AL third basemen) and his UZR was 10.7 (2nd among AL third basemen).  I agree with the award choice. 

SS: J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles:

J.J. Hardy won the Golden Glove award for the 1st time. Hardy ended the season a field percentage of .992 (1st among AL shortstops), his range factor was 4.83 (2nd among AL shortstops) and his UZR was 11.4 (2nd among NL shortstops).  I disagree with the award choice. I believe that Brendon Ryan should have won this award. Ryan had a better UZR but both were very good this year.

LF: Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals: 

Alex Gordon won the Golden Glove award for the 2nd consecutive time. Gordon ended the season a field percentage of .994 (3rd among AL left fielders), his range factor was 2.12 (2nd among AL left fielders) and his UZR was 14.1 (1st among NL right fielders). I completely agree with the award choice.

CF: Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles:

Adam Jones won the Golden Glove award for the 2nd time. Hardy ended the season a field percentage of .982 (10th among AL center fielders), his range factor was 2.75 (2nd among AL center fielders) and his UZR was -6.7 (8th among AL left fielders).  I completely disagree with the award choice. I believe that Mike Trout should have won this award. Trout led the AL in UZR and hade a better fielding percentage. I have no idea how Jones won this award over Trout.

RF: Josh Reddick, Oakland A's:

Josh Reddick won the Golden Glove award for the 1st time. Reddick ended the season a field percentage of .983 (8th among AL right fielders), his range factor was 2.20 (2nd among AL right fielders) and his UZR was 17.7 (1st among AL right fielders). I completely agree with the award choice.

P: Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Rays & Jake Peavy, Chicago White Sox:

Jeremy Hellickson won the Golden Glove award for the 1st consecutive time. Hellickson ended the season a field percentage of .950 (22nd among AL pitchers), his range factor was 1.93 (7th among AL pitchers) and his DRS was +2 (tied for 14th among AL pitchers). 

Jake Peavy won the Golden Glove award for the 4th consecutive time. Peavy ended the season a field percentage of .973 (tied for 11th among AL pitchers), his range factor was 1.48 (23rd among AL pitchers) and his DRS was +4 (5th among AL pitchers).

I disagree with the award choice. I don't understand how two players won this award. I also thought Rickey Romero would led the AL among pitchers in DRS at +6 and was 6th in range factor at 1.94 should have won the award.

2012 BCS Rankings Update: Week 13

The sixth BCS rankings came out Sunday. This ranking is important because it decides which if a school makes a BCS bowl game or not and which two schools goes to the BCS National Title Game. I don't really like the BCS because it doesn't give every team a chance to compete for a National Title. There will be a 4 team playoff in starting in the 2014 season which is a start. I would prefer a 16 team playoff, that way if you lose you can still compete for the National Title. The top was shaken up a lot again after #1 Kansas State feel at home to Baylor and #2 Oregon also lost at home to Stanford in overtime. There are now 2 undefeated teams left, Notre Dame and Ohio State. No madder how good Ohio State is this year they will not appear in the BCS rankings due to their postseason ban for this season.

1. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 11-0

Next Game: @ USC.

Last Game: vs. Wake Forest, W 38-0.

Last Week Rank: 3rd ↑

Projected BCS Bowl: BCS Title

More Information: Notre Dame's defense has looked great. They are tied for 1st in the nation allowing 10.1 PPG on defense. Manti Te'o has led the defense with 6 INTs and 96 tackles and is looking like a Heisman candidate. Notre Dame hasn't looked the most impressive this year but are the last undefeated standing not counting Ohio State. Notre Dame just has one more test and if they win they should be in the BCS Title game. They travel to USC which won't be easy. If they win they should end up in the Title game vs. the SEC Champion. Notre Dame might not be the best team in the nation but assuming they go undefeated they deserve to play for the National Title. My Rank: 1st

2. Alabama Crimson Tide 10-1 (6-1)
Next Game: vs. Auburn.  
Last Game: vs. Western Carolina, W 49-0.

Last Week Rank: 4th ↑

Projected BCS Bowl: BCS Title / Sugar

More Information: Just like last year Alabama's defense is great. They are tied for 1st in the nation at 10.1 PPG allowed on defense. Alabama offense has been very good as well. AJ McCarron also has been very solid. He has 2291 passing yards, 21 TDs and 2 INTs. Just one week earlier after Alabama lost to Texas A&M the SEC thought their 6 straight BCS Title streak would end this season. Now with Oregon and Kansas State loss Alabama has already jumped back to #2 and would be in the Title Game. If Alabama wins this week vs. Auburn they will win the SEC West and will have to play in the SEC Title game vs. #3 Georgia. The winner of the SEC mostly will play in the BCS Title game vs, Notre Dame if they win or someone else if Notre Dame loses. Alabama looks to make it back to the BCS Title game and be the first team since Ohio State in 2006 and 2007 to do so. They also look like they could become the first team ever in the BCS era to win back to back National Championships and bring home the 7th straight BCS Natioanl Title for the SEC. My Rank: 2nd

3. Georgia Bulldogs 10-1 (7-1)

Next Game: vs. Georgia Tech. 

Last Game: vs. Georgia Southern, W 45-14.

Last Week Rank: 5th ↑

Projected BCS Bowl: BCS Title / Any one besides the Title Game

More Information: Georgia has struggled a times this season. They did win the SEC East and will probably have to face #2 Alabama for the SEC Title in 2 weeks. Aaron Murray has looked good this year with 2986 passing yards and 28 passing TDs. They need to win this week if they want to make the BCS Title game. They should easily beat Georgia Tech. If they pull the upset vs. Alabama they will probably play in the BCS Title game vs. Notre Dame. If they lose to Alabama in the SEC Title game at 11-2 they will have a chance to make a BCS Bowl it will depend on how the other teams finish. I think Georgia is really good but I'm surprised their 3rd when you compare their only loss to Alabama, who lose by 5, Florida, who they beat by 8, and Oregon, who lost by 3 in OT. I don't see how Georgia is ranked higher than Florida and Oregon when Georgia lost by 28 in their only loss. My Rank: 5th

4. Florida Gators 10-1 (7-1)   

Next Game: @ Florida State.  
Last Game:  vs. Jacksonville State, W 23-0.

Last Week Rank: 6th ↑

Projected BCS Bowl: Any one besides the Title Game

More Information: Florida's defense is very strong. They are 3rd in the nation at 11.7 PPG allowed on defense. They haven't allowed 20 points or more in an of their games. Florida will finish 2nd in the SEC East due to their loss vs. Georgia. After 2 easy games they have to play at #10 Florida State this week which will be very hard. If If they go 11-1 they might a make a BCS Bowl it will depend on how the other teams in the SEC finish since only 2 teams per conference can play in BCS Bowls. If Notre Dame they might sneak into the BCS Title game vs. Alabama or Georgia. I would hope that if Notre Dame losses we would have another all-SEC BCS Title game this year. My Rank: 4th

5. Oregon Ducks 10-1 (7-1)

Next Game: @ Oregon State.

Last Game: vs. Stanford, L 17-14, OT.

Last Week Rank: 2nd ↓

Projected BCS Bowl: Any one besides the Title Game

More Information: Oregon has a great at offense averaging 51.1 PPG which is 2nd in the nation. Oregon's defense isn't bad either. Their offense was finally slowed this week when due to a missed field goal in OT they were upset at home vs. Stanford. Marcus Mariota has been a great QB for only being a freshman just like Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M. Mariota has put Heisman like numbers with 2976 total yards and 32 total touchdowns. Kenjon Barner didn't have the a great game but still looks like the best RB in the nation. He is 6th in the nation in rushing yards with 1426 yards and is tied for 4th in the nation with 19 rushing TDs. Barner stills remains in the Heisman race if with another sub par game. They were looking primed to take the #1 ranking after Kansas State loss but then they lost too. This was the first time since 2007 that #1 and #2 lost in the same week. Due to their to Stanford they will need to win at #15 Oregon State which won't be easy and need UCLA to beat Stanford to win the Pac-12 North now. If they win the Pac-12 North they will host UCLA in the Pac-12 Title game in 2 weeks which won't be easy either. If Notre Dame and Florida were to both loss Oregon could still jump back into the BCS Title game and play the SEC Champion. My Rank: 3rd
 

6. Kansas State Wildcats 10-1 (7-1)

Next Game: vs. Texas. 

Last Game: @ Baylor, L 24-52.

Last Week Rank: 1st ↓

Projected BCS Bowl: Fiesta

More Information: After taking the #1 spot last week, Kansas State got destroyed by Baylor this week by 28. Their offense has been great this season, scoring 40 or more 7 times out of 11 games. They are averaging 40.5 PPG which 10th in the nation. Collin Klein continues to look like the Heisman candidate (probably not the front runner after the loss) with 3093 total yards and 34 total touchdowns. With the loss they probably have a very small chance of getting into the BCS Title by the way they lost by 28. As long as they beat Texas in 2 weeks which won't be easy if they play like they did this past week they win the Big 12 and earn the Big 12's automatic bid to the Fiesta Bowl. My Rank: 6th

7. LSU Tigers 9-2 (5-2) 

Next Game: @ Arkansas.  
Last Game: vs. Mississippi, W 41-35.

Last Week Rank: 7th ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: Unlikely to make one

More Information: Like most SEC teams, LSU has a defense which is very strong. They are 12th in the nation at 17.3 PPG allowed on defense. Their QB, Zach Mettenberger, has struggled at times. LSU has struggled quite a bit during their 7 SEC games. They continue to struggle only beating Mississippi by 6 points this week. Their last regular season game is this week. They travel to Arkansas which should be pretty easy. At 10-2 they are unlikely also to make a BCS bowl with 3 SEC teams in front of them in the rankings. LSU is a very solid team but they will probably have to settle for a non-BCS Bowl this season. My Rank: 10th

8. Stanford Cardinal 9-2 (7-1)

Next Game: @ UCLA.

Last Game: @ Oregon, W 17-14.

Last Week Rank: 13th ↑

Projected BCS Bowl: Rose / Any one besides the Title Game

More Information: This week week Stanford went to Oregon and surprised everyone by holding the Ducks' offense just 14 points and coming out with a 3 point overtime win. Stanford's defense is very strong. They are averaging only 16.9 PPG which is 10th in the nation. If they beat UCLA this week they will host UCLA again for the Pac-12 Title game. If they win the Pac-12 they will play in the Rose Bowl due to the Pac-12's automatic bid to the Rose Bowl. If they lose they won't play in the Pac-12 Title game and still could make a BCS bowl. One of Stanford losses was to Notre Dame only be 3 in overtime earlier in the year. If they didn't lose to Washington by 4 earlier in the year they might have a chance to play for the National Title. Still Stanford is a very solid team even after losing Andrew Luck to the NFL. My Rank: 7th

9. Texas A&M Aggies 9-2 (5-2) 

Next Game: vs. Missouri.  
Last Game: vs. Sam Houston State, W 47-28.

Last Week Rank: 8th ↓

Projected BCS Bowl: Unlikely to make one

More Information: Texas A&M has a very strong offense. They are averaging 43.5 PPG which is tied for 6th in the nation. Johnny "Football" Manziel might be the Heisman front runner now. He has 4161 total yards and 38 total touchdowns. Those numbers are better than Klein's whose was considered the Heisman front runner. More amazingly he is just a freshman. This week he became only the 1st freshman QB to have more than 3000 passing yards and 1000 rushing yards in a season. They did lose Florida by 3 to open the season and to LSU by 5 earlier in the year but with the win vs. Alabama some experts have them making a BCS bowl rather than Florida or LSU even though they are ranked lower. They can still win the SEC West if Auburn beats Alabama and they beat Missouri. If Alabama, Texas A&M and LSU all tie at the top of the SEC West with a record of 6-2 the winner will be the highest ranked team in the BCS since each team loss to one of the two teams and beat the other. My Rank: 8th

10. Florida State Seminoles 10-1 (7-1)   

Next Game: vs. Florida.  
Last Game: @ Maryland, W 41-14.

Last Week Rank: 10th ↔

Projected BCS Bowl: Orange

More Information: Florida State has looked strong but they had a very week schedule. They do have a strong offense and defense. They are averaging 42.9 PPG which is 7th in the nation and are only allowing 13.1 PPG on defense which is 5th in the nation. They have only played one ranked team. They beat then #10 Clemson by 12. They did fall to NC State by 1 point or else they would have a good chance to make the BCS Title game. This week they have a big statement game vs. #4 Florida.  If they win and get a few upsets they might have a chance to play in the BCS Title game. They would probably need Notre Dame and Oregon both to lose and maybe more. They will have to beat the ACC Coastal Division Champion (probably Geogia Tech) in the ACC Title game in 2 weeks. They should easily win the ACC and play in the Orange Bowl regardless of what happens in the Florida game this week. My Rank: 9th