2012 After Week 16

We're down to the last game of the season. Here are the standings headed to the final week.

Week 16

Team...Record...Point Differential

1. Atlanta Falcons.......(13-2)...(+125)
2. Denver Broncos........(12-3)...(+157)
3. Houston Texans.........(12-3)...(+97)
4. New England Patriots..(11-4)...(+198)
5. Green Bay Packers.....(11-4)...(+100)
6. San Francisco 49ers.(10-4-1)...(+110)
7. Seattle Seahawks......(10-5)...(+160)
8. Baltimore Ravens.......(10-5)...(+60)
9. Indianapolis Colts.....(10-5)...(-42)
10. Chicago Bears..........(9-6)...(+96)
11. Cincinnati Bengals.....(9-6)...(+65)
12. Washington Redskins....(9-6)...(+38)

-------------------------------------------------

out Minnesota Vikings......(9-6)...(+28)
out New York Giants........(8-7)...(+50)

The Giants loss to the Ravens last week knocked them out of playoff position. Their spot is filled by the Redskins, who were victorious over Philly. The last week of the season features two matchups between top twelve teams: #3 Houston at #9 Indianapolis and #8 Baltimore at #11 Cincinnati. If the season were to end today, the Colts would have return trip to Baltimore in the wild card round.

2012 NCAA First Round Playoff-Florida-40, Clemson-0

Gillislee ran for 167 and a TD in the victory (Getty Images)

December 15, 2012

Weather-72 degrees, 2 mph E

Gainesville, FL-Florida's offense played mistake-free and ran the ball well all afternoon while their defense pitched a shutout in a victory over Clemson, 40-0. The Gators churned out 284 yards on the ground, led by RB Mike Gillislee, who ran 29 times for 167 yards and a TD in a workhorse effort that symbolized the level of commitment from the Florida squad. Despite being blanked on the scoreboard, the Tigers managed 336 yards, but every time they threatened to score, the Florida defense was there to turn them away.

The Florida running attack also got solid outings from Trey Burton (63 yards, 2 TD) and Matt Jones (35 yards, TD). The Gators are assured of hosting an NCAA Quarterfinal from The Swamp next weekend.

Clemson Tigers.....(10-3)-0-0-0-0-0
Florida Gators.(12-1)-3-13-14-10-40

UF-Sturgis 33 FG
UF-Sturgis 37 FG
UF-Jones 26 run (Sturgis Kick)
UF-Sturgis 30 FG
UF-Burton 24 run (Sturgis Kick)
UF-Gillislee 4 run (Sturgis Kick)
UF-Burton 20 run (Sturgis Kick)
UF-Sturgis 39 FG

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
Cle-Ellington-21-80-0 (222-1,111-8), McDowell-9-59-0 (85-483-5), Boyd-17-26-0 (174-518-9), Howard-1-2-0 (35-139-2)
UF-Gillislee-29-167-1 (264-1,271-11), Burton-8-63-2 (32-229-4), Jones-5-35-1 (54-294-3), Driskel-16-19-0 (124-423-4)

Passing
Cle-Boyd-22-13-169-0-0 (399-264-3,719-34-13)
UF-Driskel-22-11-194-0-0 (238-151-1,665-11-3)

Receiving
Cle-Hopkins-3-43-0 (72-1,257-16), Watkins-3-36-0 (60-744-3), Brown-3-33-0 (23-366-0), Ford-3-20-0 (34-431-8), McDowell-1-37-0 (2-60-0)
UF-Dunbar-3-82-0 (34-388-4), Hammond-3-52-0 (23-325-3), Reed-2-24-0 (46-576-3), Burton-1-14-0 (18-178-1), Gillislee-1-14-0 (16-160-1), Andrades-1-8-0 (3-13-0)

2012 NCAA First Round Playoff-Stanford-31, Oklahoma-24 in OT

Taylor scored the game winner (AP)

December 14, 2012

Weather-47 degrees, 5 mph NNE

Stanford, CA-A ferocious pass rush from the Stanford defense was the difference as the Cardinal hung on against Oklahoma, 31-24 in OT. The Cardinal defense managed 12 sacks, as Landry Jones ran for his life most of the evening. Jones took a beating, yet managed to complete 24 of 40 for 322 yards and 3 TD to keep the Sooners in the game. Stanford QB Josh Nunes battled Jones throw for throw, completing 25 of 51 for 425 yards and 3 TD. Cardinal RB Stepfan Taylor was outstanding all season, and he maintained his spectacular play in this one, gaining 211 yards from scrimmage and scoring twice, including a 9-yard TD in overtime that gave Stanford the lead.

When Oklahoma tried to answer in OT, Jones was swarmed under by the Stanford pass rush and the Sooners went 4 and out. Stanford will advance to next weekend's quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.

Oklahoma Sooners.(10-3)-10-7-0-7-0-24
Stanford Cardinal.(12-2)-7-7-7-3-7-31

OU-Brown 19 pass from Jones (Hunnicutt Kick)
SU-Taylor 49 pass from Nunes (Williamson Kick)
OU-Hunnicutt 33 FG
OU-Stills 30 pass from Jones (Hunnicutt Kick)
SU-Montgomery 24 pass from Nunes (Williamson Kick)
SU-Pratt 16 pass from Nunes (Williamson Kick)
OU-Shepard 15 pass from Jones (Hunnicutt Kick)
SU-Williamson 39 FG
SU-Taylor 9 run (Williamson Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
OU-Williams-17-99-0 (177-1,004-11), Clay-7-23-0 (90-534-6), Millard-2-1-0 (31-171-0), Jones-12-(-84)-0 (25-(-187)-0)
SU-Taylor-22-71-1 (324-1,513-13), Wilkerson-5-11-0 (50-204-1), Nunes-11-(-3)-0 (38-71-3)

Passing
OU-Jones-40-24-322-3-1 (547-356-4,316-32-11)
SU-Nunes-51-25-425-3-1 (286-149-2,068-13-8)

Receiving
OU-Brown-7-66-1 (73-888-5), Saunders-5-90-0 (58-856-3), Stills-4-67-1 (79-964-12), Williams-4-55-0 (33-356-1), Shepard-3-39-1 (44-617-4), Clay-1-5-0 (15-95-1)
SU-Taylor-6-140-1 (44-410-3), Terrell-5-78-0 (36-521-4), Patterson-4-62-0 (19-299-2), Montgomery-4-42-1 (27-229-1), Ertz-3-60-0 (69-897-6), Young-2-27-0 (10-101-0), Pratt-1-16-1 (2-18-1)

2012 NCAA First Round Playoff-Texas A&M-41, LSU-20

Malena rushed for 140 and 2 TD (Martinez/Getty Images)

December 14, 2012

Weather-61 degrees, 10 mph ESE

Baton Rouge, LA-The Aggies exploded for 28 points in the fourth quarter to put away LSU, 41-20. Texas A&M RB Ben Malena rushed for 140 yards on 17 carries and scored twice in the fourth quarter. Heisman Trophy QB Johnny Manziel brought the Aggies back from 13-6 down to a 20-13 lead by throwing touchdowns to WR Mike Evans on back-to-back possessions in the second half. Texas A&M ran for 272 yards against LSU, eventually wearing down the Tigers front in the fourth quarter.

The Aggies advance to next week's quarterfinal round.

Texas A&M Aggies.(11-2)-3-3-7-28-41
LSU Tigers........(10-3)-3-3-7-7-20

TAM-Bertolet 50 FG
LSU-Alleman 43 FG
TAM-Bertolet 21 FG
LSU-Alleman 40 FG
LSU-Hill 43 run (Alleman Kick)
TAM-Evans 6 pass from Manziel (Bertolet Kick)
TAM-Evans 11 pass from Manziel (Bertolet Kick)
TAM-Michael 25 run (Bertolet Kick)
LSU-Landry 3 pass from Mettenberger (Alleman Kick)
TAM-Malena 48 run (Bertolet Kick)
TAM-Malena 29 run (Bertolet Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
TAM-Malena-17-140-2 (147-892-9), Michael-7-69-1 (95-486-13), Manziel-22-49-0 (206-1,230-19), Williams-8-14-0 (67-349-4)
LSU-Hill-20-68-1 (150-699-11), Hilliard-2-13-0 (82-469-6), Ware-10-4-0 (101-362-1), Ford-1-2-0 (70-395-3), Mettenberger-8-(-19)-0 (49-(-186)-0)

Passing
TAM-Manziel-17-11-141-2-0 (417-284-3,560-26-8)
LSU-Mettenberger-37-18-235-1-0 (366-211-2,724-12-6)

Receiving
TAM-Evans-4-46-2 (79-1,068-7), Hicks-3-32-0 (10-92-0), Nwachukwu-2-40-0 (25-444-6), Swope-2-23-0 (66-832-7)
LSU-Boone-4-86-0 (28-420-4), Dickson-4-50-0 (9-119-0), Landry-4-31-1 (56-567-5), Beckham-3-38-0 (43-711-2), Wright-2-18-0 (20-260-0), Jacobs-1-12-0 (6-70-0)

2012 After Week 15

Only 2 games left in the 2012 season. Here are the standings.

Week 15

Team...Record...Point Differential

1. Houston Texans........(12-2)...(+114)
2. Atlanta Falcons.......(12-2)...(+112)
3. Denver Broncos........(11-3)...(+135)
4. San Francisco 49ers.(10-3-1)...(+139)
5. New England Patriots..(10-4)...(+191)
6. Green Bay Packers......(10-4)...(+52)
7. Seattle Seahawks.......(9-5)...(+131)
8. Baltimore Ravens........(9-5)...(+41)
9. Indianapolis Colts......(9-5)...(-49)
10. Chicago Bears..........(8-6)...(+81)
11. New York Giants........(8-6)...(+69)
12. Cincinnati Bengals.....(8-6)...(+62)

------------------------------------------------

out Washington Redskins....(8-6)...(+31)
out Minnesota Vikings......(8-6)...(+11)

Once again, the same twelve teams are in playoff position that were in place last week. This week, there are 2 matchups between current playoff teams: #11 New York at #8 Baltimore and #4 San Francisco at #7 Seattle. If the season ended today, the best wildcard playoff may me a rematch of last season's real-life playoff clash between the Giants and Packers, or perhaps a return to their ancestral home for the Colts, visiting the Ravens.

2012 NCAA First Round Playoff-Alabama-52, Northern Illinois-3

McCarron throws for 390 and 4 TD (AP)

December 14, 2012

Weather-73 degrees, 8 mph S

Tuscaloosa, AL-The Crimson Tide demonstrated just how prepared they are to repeat as National Champions by crushing Northern Illinois, 52-3. Both sides of the ball prospered against the Huskies out of the MAC conference. Offensively, Alabama gained 580 yards and scored 42 first-half points. On defense, the Crimson Tide limited the NIU offense to 149 yards and 3 points. Alabama QB A.J. McCarron completed 21 of 28 passes for 390 yards and 4 TD. T.J. Yeldon gained 115 yards rushing to pace the Crimson Tide running game, scoring twice. Eddie Lacy ran for 61 yards and caught passes for 76 yards, including a 64-yard TD that gave Alabama a 14-3 lead.

Alabama will host an NCAA Quarterfinal Game next weekend.

Northern Illinois Huskies.(12-2)-3-0-0-0-3
Alabama Crimson Tide...(13-1)-14-28-3-7-52

Ala-Williams 8 pass from McCarron (Shelley Kick)
NI-Sims 28 FG
Ala-Lacy 64 pass from McCarron (Shelley Kick)
Ala-Yeldon 61 run (Shelley Kick)
Ala-Yeldon 8 run (Shelley Kick)
Ala-Bell 2 pass from McCarron (Shelley Kick)
Ala-Norwood 69 pass from McCarron (Shelley Kick)
Ala-Shelley 44 FG
Ala-Drake 10 run (Shelley Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
NI-Settle-14-54-0 (115-507-5), Lynch-29-23-0 (300-1,794-19), Daniels-7-20-0 (72-452-9), Harris-8-12-0 (63-238-4)
Ala-Yeldon-16-115-2 (170-1,115-13), Lacy-18-61-0 (202-1,243-16), Drake-6-16-1 (45-289-6), McCarron-7-(-2)-0 (55-(-7)-1)

Passing
NI-Lynch-12-5-40-0-0 (365-227-3,002-24-5)
Ala-McCarron-28-21-390-4-1 (314-212-3,059-30-4)

Receiving
NI-Ashford-1-15-0 (31-369-1), Eakes-1-11-0 (9-279-0), Schepler-1-8-0 (4-73-1), Daniels-1-5-0 (19-197-2), Settle-1-1-0 (5-21-0)
Ala-Norwood-4-111-1 (30-506-5), Cooper-4-80-0 (56-974-9), Lacy-3-76-1 (23-248-2), Williams-3-41-1 (24-207-4), Jones-3-33-0 (28-361-4), Bell-2-19-1 (19-450-4), White-1-19-0 (9-124-2), Johnson-1-11-0 (5-45-0)

2012 After Week 14

Three games left to go. Here are the standings.

Week 14

Team...Record...Point Differential

1. Houston Texans.......(11-2)...(+102)
2. Atlanta Falcons.......(11-2)...(+78)
3. New England Patriots.(10-3)...(+198)
4. Denver Broncos.......(10-3)...(+118)
5. San Francisco 49ers.(9-3-1)...(+132)
6. Baltimore Ravens.......(9-4)...(+58)
7. Green Bay Packers......(9-4)...(+44)
8. Indianapolis Colts.....(9-4)...(-37)
9. New York Giants.......(8-5)...(+103)
10. Seattle Seahawks......(8-5)...(+98)
11. Chicago Bears.........(8-5)...(+89)
12. Cincinnati Bengals....(7-6)...(+41)

-----------------------------------------------

out Pittsburgh Steelers...(7-6)...(+14)
out Washington Redskins...(7-6)...(+14)

The same twelve teams are still in playoff position this week, with a general tightening of the strings after both #1 and #2 lost. This may be the best week of games all season, as there are five different matchups involving current playoff teams: #8 Indianapolis at #1 Houston, #4 Denver at #6 Baltimore, #9 New York at #2 Atlanta, #7 Green Bay at #11 Chicago, and #5 San Francisco at #3 New England.

2012 NCAA First Round Playoff-Georgia-73, South Carolina-21

Murray threw for 415 yards and 6 TD [Presswire]

December 14, 2012

Weather-65 degrees, 3 mph S

Athens, GA-South Carolina played Georgia close for a quarter, but a 27-point second quarter helped put away the Gamecocks, 73-21. Georgia QB Aaron Murray completed 23 of 32 passes for 415 yards and 6 TD, spreading the ball to 8 different receivers. The Bulldogs rolled up 682 yards offense against South Carolina. Todd Gurley ran for 161 yards and 2 TD, while Keith Marshall added 120 yards and 3 TD.

South Carolina was unable to generate a running game, finishing with only 60 yards on the ground. Georgia will host a quarterfinal game next weekend.

South Carolina Gamecocks.(10-3)-14-0-7-0-21
Georgia Bulldogs......(12-2)-13-27-14-19-73

SC-Lattimore 24 pass from Shaw (Yates Kick)
UGA-Marshall 1 run (Morgan Kick)
SC-Ellington 6 pass from Shaw (Yates Kick)
UGA-Brown 61 pass from Murray (Kick Missed)
UGA-Brown 8 pass from Murray (Kick Missed)
UGA-Bennett 22 pass from Murray (Morgan Kick)
UGA-Marshall 55 run (Morgan Kick)
UGA-Conley 69 pass from Murray (Morgan Kick)
SC-Cunningham 5 pass from Shaw (Yates Kick)
UGA-Gurley 68 run (Morgan Kick)
UGA-Gurley 9 pass from Murray (Morgan Kick)
UGA-King 6 pass from Murray (Morgan Kick)
UGA-Marshall 39 run (Kick Missed)
UGA-Gurley 18 run (Kick Missed)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
SC-Lattimore-20-33-0 (163-695-11), Miles-4-21-0 (103-379-2), Shaw-20-4-0 (141-343-3), Davis-1-2-0 (53-277-2)
UGA-Gurley-20-161-2 (219-1,421-18), Marshall-13-120-3 (122-843-11), Malcome-1-1-0 (58-273-2), Murray-14-(-15)-0 (69-(-86)-3)

Passing
SC-Shaw-33-19-201-3-3 (235-155-1,933-18-10)
UGA-Murray-32-23-415-6-2 (385-254-3,881-37-10)

Receiving
SC-Moore-3-51-0 (11-190-2), Lattimore-3-33-1 (29-206-1), Sanders-3-27-0 (39-466-7), Ellington-3-18-1 (41-582-7), Byrd-2-28-0 (14-331-2), Miles-2-18-0 (18-186-0), Cunningham-2-11-1 (24-298-1), Anderson-1-15-0 (14-279-5)
UGA-Lynch-4-80-0 (25-474-2), King-4-72-1 (43-918-9), Bennett-4-51-1 (28-396-5), Conley-3-102-1 (21-308-5), Brown-3-79-2 (30-548-6), Gurley-2-14-1 (17-127-1), Marshall-2-8-0 (10-60-0), Rome-1-9-0 (12-161-2)

The 2012 NCAA Football Tournament

Once again, we've reached the holiday season, which means it's time to use the BCS to rank the top teams in college football for the 3rd annual NCAA football tournament. These games will be played over the next several weeks leading up to an NCAA Championship Game. The Alabama Crimson Tide are the defending champs and return this season as a #2 seed. Here is the schedule for the first round.

2012 NCAA Football Tournament

First Round

Friday, December 14, 2012
#10 South Carolina (10-2) at #7 Georgia (11-2), 11:30 am
#15 Northern Illinois (12-1) at #2 Alabama (12-1), 3 pm
#9 Texas A&M (10-2) at #8 LSU (10-2), 6:30 pm
#11 Oklahoma (10-2) at #6 Stanford (11-2), 10 pm

Saturday, December 15, 2012
#14 Clemson (10-2) at #3 Florida (11-1), 11:30 am
#16 Nebraska (10-3) at #1 Notre Dame (12-0), 3 pm
#12 Florida State (11-2) at #5 Kansas State (11-1), 6:30 pm
#13 Oregon State (9-3) at #4 Oregon (11-1), 10 pm

The first round features a border war between South Carolina and Georgia to open it up and an in-state showdown between Oregon and Oregon State to close it out. The tournament features a record 6 teams from the SEC, 3 from the Pac-12, 2 each from the Big 12 and ACC, and 1 each from the MAC, Big 10, and the independents. In the past, I would wait for the actual date on the calendar to play the game, but I will use previous weather data to give each day the proper weather if the scheduled date has not passed IRL.

1957 NFL Semifinal-Detroit Lions-20, New York Giants-14

The 1957 Detroit Lions

January 5, 1958

Weather-28 degrees, 16 mph SSW

Detroit used a savage ground attack to keep the Giants off the field and advance to the NFL Championship Game, 20-14. The Lions ran 72 plays to the Giants 49, controlling the ball for 36 minutes of game time. John Henry Johnson led Detroit with 74 yards on 18 carries. Howard "Hopalong" Cassady ran for 71 yards and caught a pair of short touchdowns from Tobin Rote. In all, Detroit managed 218 yards on the ground, 1 more yard than the Giants gained from their entire offense.

Detroit travels to Cleveland next Sunday for the NFL Championship.

New York Giants.(8-6)-7-0-0-7-14
Detroit Lions..(9-4)-7-0-3-10-20

Det-Cassady 3 pass from Rote (Layne Kick)
NY-Gifford 14 pass from Conerly (Agajanian Kick)
Det-Layne 20 FG
Det-Cassady 10 pass from Rote (Layne Kick)
Det-Layne 17 FG
NY-MacAfee 1 pass from Conerly (Agajanian Kick)

Rushing (season totals in parentheses)
NY-Webster-10-54-0 (158-549-6), Gifford-11-25-0 (162-629-6), Rote-1-11-0 (3-25-0), Epps-2-3-0 (69-289-0), Conerly-1-0-0 (20-20-1)
Det-Johnson-18-74-0 (147-695-5), Cassady-11-71-0 (84-321-3), Gedman-11-33-0 (78-311-3), Rote-8-33-0 (78-399-1), Hart-3-6-0 (27-105-0), Reichow-1-1-0 (3-10-0)

Passing
NY-Conerly-18-9-132-2-0 (274-151-2,059-13-11)
Det-Rote-20-12-95-2-1 (197-88-1,165-13-11)

Receiving
NY-Gifford-3-41-1 (49-693-5), Rote-2-29-0 (30-442-3), MacAfee-2-10-1 (20-284-3), Schnelker-1-42-0 (23-510-5), Webster-1-10-0 (33-373-1)
Det-Middleton-3-37-0 (21-331-2), Cassady-3-29-2 (28-354-5), Junker-2-7-0 (24-312-4), Reichow-1-15-0 (18-230-3), Johnson-1-4-0 (21-145-0), Gedman-1-4-0 (11-139-0), Doran-1-(-1)-0 (34-623-5)

2012 After Week 13

Three quarters of the way through the season. Here are the standings.

Week 13

Team...Record...Point Differential

1. Houston Texans.......(11-1)...(+130)
2. Atlanta Falcons.......(11-1)...(+88)
3. New England Patriots..(9-3)...(+170)
4. Denver Broncos........(9-3)...(+105)
5. Baltimore Ravens.......(9-3)...(+61)
6. San Francisco 49ers.(8-3-1)...(+118)
7. Chicago Bears..........(8-4)...(+96)
8. Green Bay Packers......(8-4)...(+37)
9. Indianapolis Colts.....(8-4)...(-41)
10. New York Giants.......(7-5)...(+78)
11. Cincinnati Bengals....(7-5)...(+42)
12. Seattle Seahawks......(7-5)...(+40)

----------------------------------------------

out Pittsburgh Steelers...(7-5)...(+24)
out Tampa Bay Buccaneers..(6-6)...(+48)

After Week 13, Tampa Bay's loss dropped them from playoff position, while Seattle's win at Chicago put the Seahawks back into playoff position. The Patriots and Broncos found themselves in bye positions after Baltimore and San Francisco lost over the weekend. The only matchup involving current playoff seeds in Week 14 is the Monday night tilt featuring #1 Houston at #3 New England.