Playoff Keeper Selections

Casey Keepers

Randy Moss

Terrell Owens

Dallas Clark

Patriots Defense/Special Teams

Andrew Keepers

Brandon Jacobs

Bobby Engram

Donald Driver

Jason Witten

Nick Folk

Chris Keepers

Tom Brady

LaDanian Tomlinson

Wes Welker

Chris Cooley

Mason Crosby

Brett Favre

Ben Keepers

Joseph Addai

Stephen Gostkowski

Greg Jennings

Ben Watson

D.J. Hackett

Fantasy, Letter to Mizzou fans, Playoffs

"Dreaming is a passive state. We talk here all the time with our players, 'You can dream or you can pursue.' This is the product of our players and our coaches pursuing this goal and working hard to obtain it." – KU Head Coach Mark Mangino (Dallas Morning News)

First, a quick look at the standings:

Old Kids Record Week 13 result
Winckler 8-4 Loss v Inoculators
Pollard 7-5 Needs 9 pts from McGahee to beat Smurfs
Inoculators 7-5 Win v Winckler
Smurfs 4-8 Up 8 and out of players v Pollard
JQ’s 4-8 Two left down 4 v Wannabees

Young Kids Record Week 13 result
MHC 8-4 Needs 29 to beat Zou
BFTB 8-4 Down 5 with Moss/Pats D v Outlaws
Wannabees 5-7 One left up 4 v JQ’s
Outlaws 5-7 Up 5 with Welker left v BFTB
Zou 4-8 Up 28 on MHC

"We have to put this one in the mix and look at it. If you go to a plus-one, you’re going to have years in which it is just very, very appropriate. You’re going to have years where it may not be so appropriate. ... The only way to solve that is to have a flexible format and just make sure that we look at the standings and then decide how to finish the year." - BCS chief and Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive (Boston Herald)

Second, projected standings after tonight’s game:

Old Kids Record Week 13 result
Winkler 8-5 Loss to Inoculators
Inoculators 8-5 Win vs Winckler
Pollard 7-6 Loss to Smurfs
Smurfs 5-8 Win vs Pollard
JQ’s 5-8 Win vs Wannabees

Young Kids Record Week 13 result
MHC 9-4 Win vs Zou
BFTB 9-4 Win vs Outlaws
Wannabees 5-8 Loss to JQ’s
Outlaws 5-8 Loss to BFTB
Zou 4-9 Loss to MHC

"I think that's one of the things that made this such a fascinating year. The brass ring was there for a lot of different people to grab, and sometimes they did and sometimes they didn't." – Mike Slive (Dallas Morning News)

Finally, projected playoff picture:
One Seed: BFTB
Two Seed: Winckler
Three Seed: MHC
Four Seed: Pollard

"A two-loss team compared to a one-loss team was probably the most pressing thing that we looked at." - Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms (Associated Press)

A Letter to Missouri fans

Dear Mizzou fans,

You seem mad and I don’t understand why. What is Kansas playing for that Missouri is not? It’s not like Kansas made the playoffs. It’s not like Kansas is making millions of dollars off this game (Keep in mind, all the money Oklahoma and Kansas makes off of their games goes to the Big XII to be distributed to all the schools). Kansas favorite place to recruit is Texas – the Orange Bowl is in Florida. What is it that Kansas is playing for?

“There is a prestige with going to a BCS bowl,” you say. No there is not. I’m not hearing a clamoring from fans begging to keep the BCS and its bowl system. I did hear at the beginning of the season fans getting excited to watch the Orange Bowl in January. Rivals.com has the Cotton Bowl ranked as the sixth best bowl to watch – three spots ahead of the Orange bowl. No cares about the Orange Bowl. No one would have cared about the Orange Bowl if Missouri made it. Heck, there are many people who don’t care about the BCS National Championship game and that game is the only game left that matters! And don’t you think that more people will want to watch a game featuring your offense and Darren McFadden on New Years Day than tuning in two days later (a Thursday no less) to watch Virginia Tech and Kansas?

Some of you say, “Kansas gets the edge in recruiting.” Mark Mangino and his staff lives and dies in Texas. The Orange Bowl is in Florida. Missouri loves recruiting in Texas and will be playing in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Even if Kansas does have an edge here, Missouri OWNS Kansas in every other recruiting category. This “exhibition game” will not cripple your program’s future.

The reality is KU and MU fans should both be mad about one thing: We don’t get to play for a National Championship. Kansas is 11-1 and wasn’t even close to playing for a championship. Missouri was 10-0 against all other teams not named Oklahoma and doesn’t get to play for anything.

There is no reason to be made about playing in the Cotton Bowl and there is no advantage to playing in the Orange Bowl. Get over it, win your bowl game, add a few more kids to your Top 25 recruiting class and go win the Big XII next year. If you do that, you’ll end up in a BCS game and, unless it’s the National Championship game, you’ll realize that playing in the Fiesta Bowl means crap.

From,
Ben Nielsen

A Workable Playoff System

What is the difference between Ohio State and Kansas? Really? Both are 11-1 and benefited from weak schedules. What’s the difference? “Well, Ohio State won the Big XII,” you may say. Big deal. The Big Ten was terrible this year. One poll has the Big Ten ranked last out of the six BCS conferences. And Ohio State didn’t go undefeated in their conference and didn’t play a conference championship game. Neither Kansas or Ohio State had big wins. Each beat traditional powerhouse schools that had down seasons (Michigan and Nebraska). If anything, you could argue Kansas is a better team because their loss (Missouri on a neutral site) was better than Ohio State’s (Illinios at home).

“The” Ohio State does not deserve to be in the championship game. Then again, no one does. This is why we need a playoff.

To help with this model, let’s take a look at the other NCAA football divisions do:

NCAA Division I-AA: 16 Team Playoff
Playoff lasts four weeks. Maximum games (regular season plus full playoff schedule) a team could play is 15. I could not determine how teams were chosen. No bye weeks, high seed is host institution. Championship game is on neutral field. Championship game scheduled for December 14.

NCAA Division II: 24 Team Playoff
Playoffs last a total of five weeks. Maximum games a team could play is 16. Schools are divided into four regions. Essentially, top six teams from each region make the playoffs. Top two ranked team in each region gets first round bye. Higher seed in the match-up hosts the game. Championship game played on neutral field. Championship game scheduled for December 15.

NCAA Division III: 32 Team Playoff
Playoffs last five weeks. Maximum games a team could play is 16. Schools are divided into four regions. Essentially, top eight teams from each region make the playoffs. No byes. Higher seed hosts the game. Championship game played on a neutral field. Championship game scheduled for December 15.

These three systems tell me the following:
1) It is possible to have an 11 game season, a conference championship game and a four week playoff and be done before January.
2) Having the playoffs coinciding finals week doesn’t seem to bother the other divisions.
3) It is feasible to have a system that doesn’t end in February.
4) All teams could have a legitimate at winning the National Championship.

My playoff would work like this:
Sixteen teams total. The 11 conference winners make the playoffs. The BCS determines the five at-large teams and the playoff seeding. Additionally, no more than three teams from a conference can make the playoffs.

Under this system, the seeding would look like this:

Top half of bracket
16 Florida Atlantic vs 1 Ohio State
9 West Virginia vs 8 Kansas
13 BYU vs 4 Oklahoma
12 Florida vs 5 Georgia

Bottom half of bracket
15 Central Michigan vs 2 LSU
10 Hawaii vs 7 USC
14 Central Florida vs 3 Virginia Tech
11 Arizona State vs 6 Missouri

Preferably, the USA Today Coaches Poll would be eliminated from the BCS formula. The Harris Poll and computer polls would make up the BCS formula with each carrying equal weight. This would obviously effect the results above.

Why USA Today poll would be eliminated is the subject of tomorrow’s blog.

Teams eliminated from the playoffs prior to the championship game would be eligible for – but not required to be in - the “major” bowls (Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar, Cotton, Capital One and Gator).

Games would start as early as this weekend. If that were so, you could actually have a bye week between the semi-finals and the championship game and still be done by January 5.

The four “big” bowls (Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta) would rotate between being on Championship game day. The rotation would be two years on, two days off.

Example:
Saturday, December 8
16 Florida Atlantic vs 1 Ohio State
9 West Virginia vs 8 Kansas
13 BYU vs 4 Oklahoma
12 Florida vs 5 Georgia
15 Central Michigan vs 2 LSU
10 Hawaii vs 7 USC
14 Central Florida vs 3 Virginia Tech
11 Arizona State vs 6 Missouri

Saturday, December 15
Kansas vs Ohio State
Georgia vs Oklahoma
USC vs LSU
Missouri vs Virginia Tech

Saturday, December 22
Oklahoma vs Ohio State (neutral site)
Virginia Tech vs LSU (neutral site)

Monday, December 31
Gator Bowl
Capitol One Bowl

Tuesday, January 1
Cotton Bowl

Wednesday, January 2
Sugar Bowl

Friday, January 4
Orange Bowl

Saturday, January 5
11 a.m. CDT – Fiesta Bowl
3 p.m. CDT – Rose Bowl
7:30 p.m. CDT – LSU vs Ohio State (neutral site)

There it is. I solved the world’s problems.

Fantasy Football Playoff FAQ

Who qualifies for the playoffs?
Four teams will qualify for the playoffs. To qualify, a team must have A) won their division or B) be one of two of the best remaining teams (by overall record) to not win their division. The two non-division winning teams can come from the same division.

Seeds will be determined as such:
First Seed: Division winner with the best record.
Second Seed: Other division winner.
Third Seed: Best remaining overall record to not win their division.
Fourth Seed: Second best remaining overall record to not win their division.

Tiebreakers are as follows:
The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head match-up records between the teams in question followed by total overall regular season points. The final tiebreaker will be a one-game playoff on Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version).

Rules for the Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) game are as follows:
A winner of a best-of-three coin flip will be allowed to choose which team he plays with and will be the “home” team (the coin shall be a standard United States quarter; an agreed upon coin between the two tied league members can replace a quarter if said quarter is not available). The loser of the coin flip will choose a team second and will be allowed to declare the gameplay settings as it relates to quarter length, difficulty setting and weather setting. All other gameplay settings will be on DEFAULT.

If there are multiple teams who are tied for the final spot, a round-robin Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) playoff will be conducted. Gameplay setting will remain the same as the ones stated above. If there is a tie for the best record, a one-game Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) playoff will be conducted. Gameplay settings will be the same as the ones stated above.

Division records will not be used as a tiebreaker because not all teams played everyone in their division. For example, Pollard’s Bonecrushers did not play the Kansas City Inoculators this season (I hope to change this for next season).

If the playoffs were to start today (Saturday, December 1) the seeds would look as such:

Seed One: Money Hungry Centaurs
Seed Two: Team Winckler
Seed Three: Better at FF than FB I hope…
Seed Four: Pollard’s Bonecrushers

How does the postseason draft work?
The draft will take place at a time most convenient for the persons involved. If a time cannot be agreed upon, the second seeded player will select a date and time. All other playoff contenders will have to adjust to that time. If a playoff contender(s) cannot make the draft, a non-playoff member (or non-member if no member can fill in) will draft for said playoff contender(s).

The draft will be live, just as the one at the beginning of the season. Participating in the draft via AIM or on the phone is acceptable.

The roster as it relates to starting spots and bench spots will remain the same as the regular season. The total roster size will be sixteen (16) players.

Each playoff team is allowed to keep up to six (6) players on their current roster to carry over into the postseason. Keeping a player will not cause a team to lose a high round draft pick in the Playoff Draft. If a team so chose to keep four players, for example, the said team will draft in the first twelve (12) rounds and then his draft will be complete. His spot in the drafting order will be skipped over once said team exit’s the draft.

Note: The Playoff Draft will not affect keepers for the next year’s regular season. If a non-playoff team has a player drafted in the Playoff Draft, the non-playoff team still owns the said player’s rights for the 2008 season should the non-playoff team decide to keep said player. In other words, playoff rosters are solely for the playoffs.

The draft order will have a “fixed” first round and then begin a “snake” draft in the second round.

Example:
Round One
Pick 1) Seed One
Pick 2) Seed Two
Pick 3) Seed Three
Pick 4) Seed Four

Round Two
Pick 1) Seed One
Pick 2) Seed Two
Pick 3) Seed Three
Pick 4) Seed Four

Round Three
Pick 1) Seed Four
Pick 2) Seed Three
Pick 3) Seed Two
Pick 4) Seed One

Round Four
Pick 1) Seed One
Pick 2) Seed Two
Pick 3) Seed Three
Pick 4) Seed Four

Round Five
Pick 1) Seed Four
Pick 2) Seed Three
Pick 3) Seed Two
Pick 4) Seed One

Round Six…

…

Round Sixteen
Pick 1) Seed One
Pick 2) Seed Two
Pick 3) Seed Three
Pick 4) Seed Four

Note: This decision was made in order to reward the team with the best records (sort of how the NFL reward the top two teams in each conference with a first round bye). This decision is up for debate should there be a significant outcry for change.

Will there be playoff free agency?
No, there will NOT be playoff free agency. What one drafts is what one gets.

What about trades?
No, trades are also NOT allowed during the playoffs. Once again, what one drafts is what one gets.

How will rosters be set?
Each playoff team will have their own thread on the league page. The first post will show the team’s roster. The team owner is then responsible for posting their starting lineup before a stated deadline. Changes can be made up to that deadline. The lineups will then be recorded by the League Manger and then e-mailed to every member of the league.

Deadlines for setting rosters for this season’s playoffs are as follows:
First Round: Friday, January 4 at 11:59 PM
Second Round: Friday, January 11 at 11:59 PM
Third Round: Saturday, January 19 at 11:59 PM
Fourth Round: Saturday, February 2 at 11:59 PM

What is the scoring system?
Points will be awarded just the same as during the regular season. Updated scoring totals can be found at the league page and will also be e-mailed to all league members prior to the beginning of the next round.

The stats and play-by-play from NFL.com will be used as the official source when calculating points.

Who will be calculating the points?
The League Manager will calculate the points. However, errors made by the League Manager can be challenged by any league member, whether they are in the playoffs or not. It is suggested that all playoff teams calculate their own points during the playoffs to be sure no errors are made by the League Manager.

Will it be head-to-head match-ups still?
No, it will NOT be head-to-head match-ups. Instead, it will be total points accumulated throughout the entire playoffs. The team with the most total points will win the playoff.

What if there is a tie at the end of the playoffs?
If there is a tie between two (2) teams, a one (1) game playoff of Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) will be played using the two Super Bowl teams. The playoff team with the highest seed from the fantasy playoffs will choose which team he wants. The lower seed from the fantasy playoffs will be stuck with the other team.

If there is a tie between three (3) teams, a Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) tournament will be conducted. The top seed from the fantasy playoffs will choose between the two Super Bowl teams or one of the two defeated Conference Championship teams. The next highest seed from the fantasy playoffs will have the second choice, followed by the lowest seed from the fantasy playoffs. A round-robin tournament will be played ( round-robin is where all three teams will play each other once). The team with the best record wins. If there is a tie for first, those two teams will play in a one game playoff of Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version).

If there is a tie between four teams, a Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) tournament will be set up. The one (1) seed from the fantasy playoffs will play the four (4) seed from the fantasy playoffs, followed by the two (2) seed from the fantasy playoffs playing the three (3) seed from the fantasy playoffs. The two winners will then face each other for the championship. The AFC/NFC Championship game teams will be used in the tournament. The top seed from the fantasy playoffs will have first pick, followed by the second seed from the fantasy playoffs , the third seed from the fantasy playoffs and, finally, the fourth seed from the fantasy playoffs.

If there is a tie in an individual Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) playoff game, another game using the same two teams will be played. This will continue until a player wins a game.

The highest seed in the fantasy playoffs will be the home team in the Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) playoffs.

The individual games will be set on All-Madden. There will be 5 minute quarters. All other game settings will be set to DEFAULT. The most recent roster update from XBOX Live will be used for the games. Customized user playbooks will NOT be allowed.

There must be at least three (3) league members present at the time the Madden 2008 (XBOX 360 version) games are played. The three present members may consist of the two contending playoff teams and one witness.

The games will be played by the players earliest convenience. The playoff game CANNOT be played on XBOX Live.

The result of the games will be reported to the League Manager where he will then post it on the League Page and blog. E-mail notifications will also be sent.

Any questions, suggestions, complaints or deeply held grievances? Please comment on this blog post or on the League Page post “Playoff Blog Reaction”.