In the wake of the Jay Cutler injury, his toughness/heart/desire/passion/tolerance/choice of stairs or elevators has been put into question.

We could argue all day long on whether the treatment of Cutler has been fair. I'm assuming you don't need to read a balding, over-weight former high school athlete's opinion to really put your opinion into perspective. I'm not saying this issue is as dividing as politics and the future of our country. I'm just pretty certain by this time all of us have our opinions on Jay Cutler.

The true debate on Cutler, however, should not be on whether or not Cutler is tough. I ask you to define toughness. We've all said, "That guy's tough," but what do we mean? Are you born tough? Does a parent, a coach or life instill toughness? The toughest question in our politically correct and soft society: how to mold tough kids during a time when lawsuits are around every corner?

Unfortunately, the line between toughness and stupidity can be very blurred. Grant Hill played an entire post-season series in Detroit with a stress fracture. He then missed 275 of his teams next 410 games. I say that shows toughness because he's a professional athlete and gave every thing he had to his employer and teammates.

I tore my MCL in an alumni basketball game and came back in the game. I would say that is stupid because I was a married father with a health care deductible that I then had to pay. I put my own desire to win a meaningless game ahead of the needs of my family (can you tell I'm sucking up to my wife there since she was upset when I came limping back on the floor?).

Cutler doesn't play with a torn MCL so he's not tough. If Cutler would have played with the injury but then torn his ACL, would he have been stupid for playing with the torn MCL?

Toughness isn't cheating on your wife. Toughness is making the putt to stay in the top 125 of the money list.

Toughness isn't throwing a punch at Lou Amundson. Toughness is Amundson's desire.

Toughness isn't losing to the worst team in the Western Conference when you're up 2-0 early in the second period. Toughness is winning when you're already up 2-0 and blocking out all thoughts of what you're going to do during the all-star break.

Toughness isn't sitting on a couch typing. Toughness is choosing to defend our country so talk show hosts can sit on a couch typing as if they know what toughness is.

Toughness isn't earning the big money contract so you can play in the outfield, listen to The Outfield, and come to spring training unprepared and pop-up every pitch in sight. Toughness is having a break-out season and then being sent to Tucson in the middle of a failing season while still bouncing back in the third season.

Toughness isn't a flying baseline dunk for your only basket of the game. Toughness is accepting you're in the top 5 with your own cousin of most talent-wasting players of all time and deciding to do something about it.

Toughness isn't just playing when hurt. Toughness is accepting your team can't live with you being the only player in history with 200 strike-outs in one season and never repeating the same mistake again.

Toughness isn't refusing raises for scouts and video guys just because your GM hired the wrong head coach — who then quickly recanted and put the pieces in place for Western Conference championship run. Toughness is hiring the right people and then following their plan for success.

Toughness isn't the parent who comes home wallowing in self-pity with drugs and heavy alcohol. Toughness is the exhausted father who musters the energy to play, coach or patiently help their kid with homework (I fail on the "patiently" part).

Toughness isn't slamming glass doors. Toughness is listening to the trainers in the off-season and coming into the season healthy mentally and physically.

Toughness isn't taking over a successful organization and coming in trying to show who's boss. Toughness is removing your own ego and leading the people you've been entrusted to lead without acting like you're in a war.

Toughness isn't shooting a 9 year-old girl.

Doug,

I was reading the mailbag and you replied to Daryl with a long description of why you continue to support CKW and believe he made poor choices this year but is still a good coach. Before I read it, I was falling into the group who believed our great run was a Warner thing, not a CKW thing. But after reading it I'll stay neutral. This is because like any business, success or failure at a job is based on results.

I won't state the obvious for this year but moving forward, how do you believe our coach will respond with the mess he made this season? We need a veteran QB to mentor Skelton at the least (or take snaps until Skelton or the future QB is ready). Does CKW make this a priority? Do you believe CKW has a good eye for talent at the QB position? I'm not sure. He started Leinart over Warner in 2007. With Warner clearly a better QB the Cards went into camp in 2008 with an open QB competition. Then this year he benched Leinart after 3 preseason games and went with a guy who is doing exactly what he has done his entire career. He misses, A LOT! How the coach thought it would be different is beyond me!

Here are a few other areas I believe CKW needs to be questioned.

• Without Warner it seems as though CKW was exposed a bit. His flaws came to the forefront because Warner wasn't there to hide the fact that CKW has never had a good defense. Our Super Bowl year our defense stunk, last year it stunk and well, here we are now. That is on the coach.

• Why did CKW say DA gave us the best chance to win when the exact opposite happened? Hall gave us our last win before the Denver game and in between those 2 games was 7 losses in a row with DA. Our 2 rookies gave us our last 2 wins. Hmm, strange.

• In all those losses, knowing DA is a very bad passer, we passed 65% of the time? Geez, run the ball once in a while. We were passing before we fell behind. We passed on obvious running downs. We passed our way out of a sure win against TB. All of this with DA under center. Why?

• CKW preaches accountability and competition yet very few of the guys who are obviously underperforming have gotten pulled. DA, DRC, Hightower, Porter, Dockett, etc… have all made clear errors yet none have been pulled, not even for a series. The only two who got pulled was Hightower and DA and both ended up back in the starting lineup. Hightower fumbled 2 more times after he was pulled and lost one of them. Where is the accountability? Maybe pulling some of these guys will light a fire. If not, we are obviously overpaying many of them and are in deep trouble until they are gone. (I know others have been pulled but none of the vets who the team was relying on heavily).

So I guess we'll have to wait and see how CKW responds and what personnel moves he makes, both players and staff positions. Until then we'll all have to sit and hope there isn't a work stoppage next season!

Thx man

Bobby

First let me explain why I really respect your e-mail. Your points are fantastic and they aren't presented like you know everything. At the same time it helps me explain what I think without sounding like I know everything.

I could eventually be proven wrong on my support of CKW. I believe he continually made a mistake by not running the ball this year. I thought using DA wasn't going to be the disaster it was in Cleveland because I thought CKW wasn't going to let DA really determine the outcome of games. I never dreamed the Cards would be 32nd in rushing attempts.

The tone of our show would have been much different this year if it wasn't for the Leinart "behind-the-tree" press conference. If CKW would have cut Leinart just based on performance, I would have been all over CKW all year. Everything that happened this year, I would have blamed him based on that decision. I probably wouldn't have been welcome back to the Cardinals facility every Monday. The catch is Leinart's decision to blast the coaching staff and CKW in particular forced their hand. You can't keep a camp-struggling QB on the roster who performs poorly in two pre-season games and then blast the coaches through the press.

I'll take your points one by one and give you my opinion on each.

SHOULD THEY BRING IN A VETERAN QB?

I think bringing in a veteran QB is and should be a priority but only because of the division. There are so many problems with this team. If the Cardinals were in any other division, I would say throw your hands up and develop Skelton. If he turns out to be the next Roethlisberger or Flacco and you can win early with him, great, but the important thing is to develop Skelton.

I make an exception when you're in the NFC West. This division is so terrible that an average NFL QB with a decent defense should be able to win the division. In this scenario, get the best QB you can, win the division and try to get lucky like Seattle did in the first round this year.

IS CKW A GOOD JUDGE OF QB TALENT?

I can't judge him on straight QB evaluation when it comes to watching a college player, pushing for the player to be drafted and teaching him the offense. I don't think the points you've made, however, show that CKW is a bad evaluator of talent.

One of the reasons why CKW was hired is because of his great work with Roethlisberger. The thought process was his work with Big Ben shows what he will be able to do with Leinart. The organization had a ton invested into Leinart and Matt entered the season as the starting QB. It quickly became clear to CKW that Leinart did not have the work ethic to be a solid NFL QB.

CKW is not self-employed. Anyone who has a job and isn't self-employed has a boss. As soon as CKW realized Leinart wasn't what he was looking for what was he going to do? The backlash CKW would have received from Cardinals ownership and management if Leinart was benched during camp of 2007 would have been unbearable. Even though CKW was head coach, he didn't have the authority to bench the golden child.

CKW was so smart, he knew he needed to get Warner into the game and knew he couldn't do it. Remember about four games into that season (versus the Ravens) CKW made up a scenario about the Baltimore blitz packages. CKW wanted to compete with these blitz packages with a hurry-up offense and felt Warner was more equipped to run the hurry-up.

This logic is so flawed from a smart man that there had to be more to the story. If the hurry-up works the best against the Ravens, why wouldn't you run the hurry-up throughout the game? It's not like the Ravens weren't going to run those blitz packages when Leinart and the slow offense is in. CKW didn't believe Leinart could handle the Ravens defense but knew he couldn't just bench him. He actually pulled an end around on ownership. Before the decision could really develop into a trend, Leinart broke his collar bone and was out for the season.

Of course they went into 2008 with a QB battle despite Warner being the better QB. CKW had just come off of an 8-8 season. He wasn't the be all end all yet. Ownership still wanted Leinart to be their QB. I don't think CKW had the authority to flat out bench Leinart. At the same time, if he did have the authority—and the decision didn't work—he's setting himself up for failure. Starting Warner when the organization's golden boy still hadn't had the opportunity would have been career suicide for CKW. The miserable pre-season of Leinart and the success of Warner proved to management that CKW was right. The Super Bowl run gave CKW all the clout he needed.

BENCHING LEINART FOR DA

Now look at this decision through the prism of CKW's career. The Arizona Cardinals have two non-losing seasons before CKW and they have 3 in the first 3 years of CKW's career. He's just come off of a great run as the Pittsburgh offensive coordinator and back-to-back trips to the playoffs as a head coach with an organization that was considered a dead end job for every new head coach. Why shouldn't he have immense confidence that everything he does turns to gold?

CKW gave Leinart every chance to win the QB job this year in camp. I missed only 2 practices during all of training camp. I was never impressed with Leinart. He was hesitant throughout the entire camp. He was awful in the first two pre-season games. I don't see how anyone who was at camp regularly would have been impressed with Matt Leinart.

I don't think CKW should have started DA in week 3 of the pre-season. I thought DA was terrible in Cleveland and would be terrible in Arizona. However, I don't think it was a terrible decision to start him because DA did have one good year. I have to believe CKW thought that with his ability to call games and the weapons this offense had that he could make DA into a serviceable QB. No matter how bad Leinart looked, I thought he would have played better than DA. CKW felt he couldn't win with Leinart and at least thought DA was an unknown. Not knowing about DA must have looked better than knowing everything with Leinart.

EXPOSING CKW

There is nothing I can say to defend CKW's decision to not run the football more this season. It was a terrible decision. If he was having a frank discussion with me, all he would have to say is, "the running game averaged less than 3 yards a carry, what should I do? I can't run it, punt it and turn it over to my defense."

DA wasn't good enough to do anything. With that realization, the only choice left is to run the ball more. Maybe you get lucky and force-feeding the running game might have developed a more physical attitude. I'm reaching a little because the run game was bad but eating clock, keeping the opposing offense off the field and avoiding DA turnovers is a better option than hoping to get lucky with DA.

It doesn't matter that CKW designed a great play. It doesn't matter that a receiver was open down the field. It doesn't matter that the O-line actually blocked one play well. DA wasn't good enough to execute on a consistent basis to allow the game to be hinged on his ability to make plays.

This has nothing to do with the defense. The defense was terrible and I think CKW recognized that and felt getting DA to do anything would at least let them play with the lead and might make the defense better because the opponent is playing from behind. I think CKW planned on running the football as soon as he got the lead and they rarely got the lead.

I do think too many people forget the defense was better in 2009. I didn't say it was good. It was an improvement on 2008. When you say he was exposed, though, because the defense hasn't been good doesn't seem to make much sense. I would say that it shows how good he's been as a head coach to go 8-8, 9-7 and 10-6 with a bad defense, a bad defense and an average defense.

BEST CHANCE TO WIN

At the beginning of the season, there's no way the two rookies were ready so DA did give the team the best chance to win. When Hall started, there were even more turnovers so the choice is Skelton or DA.

I'm not at practice everyday and I'm not privy to see practice film or sit in the QB meeting room. Once Hall is eliminated, how do I know whether Skelton or DA gives the team the best chance to win? It's obvious at the end of the season the answer is Skelton but we don't know when Skelton really became ready. I would have gone to Skelton much sooner only because I had so little faith in DA. DA's inability doesn't make Skelton ready but I don't care. I wouldn't be all over CKW for this aspect of the losing streak.

WHY NOT RUN MORE DURING THE LOSING STREAK?

I can't answer your question. It was clearly a case where the head coach thought the defense was so terrible, we've got to throw early in the game when they think we're going to run before the defense blows the game. At that point we're forced to throw and we don't have the element of surprise. I think this was a terrible mistake by CKW. This team is so bad I don't know if it cost them the division but it made it impossible for them to win it.

If the Cardinals don't embrace the running game in 2011, then it's not Kurt Warner who carried CKW, it was Bill Cowher.

SHOW TRUE ACCOUNTABILITY BY USING THE BENCH

I completely agree with the premise but I don't think you're really understanding the main issue. If you're going to bench someone, you're giving someone else the opportunity to take the job. If no one does, you bring in the next option. Sometimes the next option is the guy you previously benched.

DA did get benched and Hall didn't seize the opportunity. When DA failed again and CKW felt like the back-up was ready, DA was held accountable and benched again.

DRC was benched for a series in the Denver game. Right at the beginning of the game Denver attacked him and embarrassed him. The coaches jumped his butt. DRC went on to have the best game he had to that point in the season.

Hightower did get benched late in the season against Denver for fumbling. Then Wells started complaining of a stomach ailment. Jason Wright came in and played extended minutes until he suffered a concussion. Hightower came back in only because there was no one left. He went on to have his best game of the year.

I don't think Porter should have been benched because he was terrible. I think he should have been benched because he was average. He came here and cashed a check every week without offering much more than the average free agent off the street. If you're saying he should have been benched for lack of productivity I disagree because there wasn't anyone who was going to come in and do any better. I wanted him benched or at least playing time reduced for other players. I would have let D-Wash play in Porter's position. I know it wouldn't have been completely natural but who cares? I'd rather get average to below average play from a player learning a position to make him more flexible and useful than a veteran who's going to just be average.

Dockett went from being one of the most underpaid players in the NFL to one of the most overpaid in one year. For on field performance, I can't justify playing him much. However, he's such a head case that I think playing him was the right decision. If you bench him, who knows how he would react? It could have been so destructive that I don't think it would have been worth it. He didn't have a terrible season. He was just being paid to be exceptional and he was average.

THE FUTURE

Yes, the shine is off CKW and it should be. I hope my response to you, Bobby, shows that a lot of CKW's decisions made sense at the time of the decision. Those decisions must be judged on the information that was on hand at the time.

If Christopher Columbus sails to America with the information available in 1492, he's an unbelievable leader of men possessing incredible bravery and conviction. If he decides to do it tomorrow, he's an idiot.

If you've been reading the mailbag, you've seen how many people e-mail me saying CKW should be fired. People rarely e-mail under the pretense you do. Most of the e-mails I receive are from people that are angry and can't remove emotion from logic.

It's easy for us to sit back and judge 2010 through the prism of its failure. CKW is on his 3rd defensive coordinator and has yet to develop a running game in the mold of the Pittsburgh style of football. There are very solid questions that need to be answered by CKW to prove the last three years weren't a fluke.

Study the last sentence, however. Now that the season is over, it's easier to remove the emotion from it. Are Cardinals fans really that ignorant to allow one poor season to define a man with the track record of CKW? Haven't all of us made mistakes that led to a downward spiral. Let's judge him on the recovery. If that fails, I will recant on supporting him throughout the 2010 season and admit I backed the wrong horse. I'm not ready to put this horse out to pasture. I'm going to run a lot more races with him.

In honor of Ron Franklin and calling people "sweetcakes," I give you the Wednesday edition of HOTTAKES.

Michigan took too long to fire Rich Rod. I get they wanted to wait until after January 1 for his buyout to drop but he should have been gone the next day to get January recruiting going.

Jim Harbaugh should talk to Greg Schiano if he plans on staying at Stanford. Get out when you're hot because fans turn on you. Just check my mailbag for how many people think Whisenhunt should be fired.

If I'm the Cardinals, I won't pull a Ditka for Andrew Luck but I would trade my next 3 1st round picks.

The BCS championship game will be close for the 1st half. Tigers roll in the second half.

The only reason for Luck to stay is if he just loves college football more than the NFL. It's a terrible business decision to stay in school.

The Hedo signing will be a black cloud over the Suns all year.

When you're on punt block, pick up the ball and run, all other situations, fall on it.

I read Boo-ray is like Euchre. I would make serious cash playing Boo-ray then. When I run out of money though, I'm getting up from the table. I won't have a running boo-ray debt. I also won't punch you if you have a boo-ray debt with me. I just won't let you play.

I love the Jon Cena razor spots.

It's only January but the Ted Williams to the Cavs story will be the best story of the year.

What does it really mean to be the "Happy Home People?"

Although we like joking about it, what a joke Ron Franklin is. Who says "sweetcakes" or "sweetbaby?" Fine you're chauvinistic but you had no problem talking to one man about his wife who's a mayor and you have a problem with this woman?

Marvin Lewis wasn't coming back if his OC was.

Drafting Russell is the only Al Davis move dumber than firing Cable.

The last time it was this cold in Phoenix was the week of the Super Bowl. Now the national media is here for the BCS championship game and we'll get ripped again.

Why doesn't anyone talk about Zach Randolph whenever impact NBA players are a topic?

The hat AP is wearing today looks really dumb.

I loved Michele Tafoya's hog-collar tackle on Andrew Luck, but I thought she choked when she said "this camera fiasco," though. However, let's be clear, she's a much better sideline reporter than I am. I get a lot of compliments about the job I do for ASU as sideline reporter. Between you and I, I think I'm awful.

My wife put a picture of herself on my desk. That drives me crazy because I didn't ask for it.

Why is it listeners e-mail me nasty things when they disagree with me but they don't e-mail me when their predictions are proven wrong? This goes for Iowa fans in 2009 and 49er fans in 2010.

Have issues with any opinion? E-mail the mailbag. doug@ktar.com

The final standings are out for the BCS. The set-up for the DFCFP is official. We've been through the first round of the playoffs.

Bracket 1

Bracket 2

1st round games

16) UConn @ 1) Auburn

15) Nevada @ 2) Oregon

14) Okla St @ 3) TCU

13) Va Tech @ 4) Stanford

12) Mizzou @ 5) Wisc

11) LSU @ 6) OSU

10) Boise St @ 7) Okla

9) Mich St @ 8) Arkansas

Click on the below link to vote now:

Bracket 3 - The Quarterfinals

8) Arkansas @ 1) Auburn

10) Boise St. @ 2) Oregon

11) LSU @ 3) TCU

5) Wisconsin @ 4) Stanford

In case you don't know from the things I've said on air, I want a playoff in college football but I don't have a problem with the BCS formula. I just don't want it used to narrow the field from 120 to 2.

I have yet to hear any "pro current system" argument that I can't destroy on logical grounds. Of course there's one argument I can't beat and that is anyone saying they like the current system and they don't want it changed. Other than that, I'm still waiting for someone to convince me to give up my dream for a college football playoff.

I put before you the Doug Franz College Football Playoff. It's up to you to vote and advance the teams forward. We'll leave each round up for a couple days and tally the votes and then we'll move on to the next round.

The magic of the DFCFP is how it highlights the regular season more than any other system. Here's the process for coming up with the teams for the playoff.

1) Rank all D-1 (FBS) teams 1-120 (from Auburn to Akron).

2) Rank all the conferences 1-11 based on the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference. Here's the final ranking of the conferences and the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

1) Big 12 - 36.42

2) SEC - 39.92

3) Pac 10 - 42.5

4) Big 10 - 45.18

5) ACC - 53.17

6) Big East - 58.38

7) WAC - 62.1

8) MWC - 62.89

9) C-USA - 75.67

10) MAC - 90.46

11) Sun Belt - 105.67

By ranking every team, you get a true representation of the best conference by simply taking the average BCS rank of every team in the conference. This playoff system makes every college football game in the country vital because it rewards teams and conferences alike.

3) Reward the first place team in the top 8 conferences with an automatic bid. I have two goals here.

1) Big 12 - Oklahoma

2) SEC - Auburn

3) Pac 10 - Oregon

4) Big 10 - Wisconsin

5) ACC - Va Tech

6) Big East - UConn

7) WAC - Boise St

8) MWC - TCU

9) C-USA - must earn wild card

10) MAC - must earn wild card

11) Sun Belt - must earn wild card

I want to keep the regular season and conference championships sacred but I don't want other schools to make up a conference just to think they get in the playoff like the NCAA basketball tournament. Each conference has to earn their spot in the tournament.

4) Select 8 wild-card teams based on BCS rank excluding those already selected with an automatic bid. Independents—this means you Notre Dame—get no special treatment. If you're not in a conference, earn a wild card bid or join a conference.

1) Stanford
2) Ohio St.
3) Arkansas
4) Michigan St.
5) LSU
6) Mizzou
7) Oklahoma St.
8) Nevada

5) Rank the teams 1-16 based on BCS rank with no regard to status as an automatic qualifier or wild-card entry.

6) The first round is at the home of the better seed. This benefits Northern teams so the South would have to play in the elements. I think the seeding and the carrot of having a home game is a big incentive. There won't be the NFL problem of resting starters at the end of the season when your fate is known because a college team will never know their fate until after the regular season. I realize Auburn knew they were in the DFCFP before they played in the SEC Championship game but if they lost, they might drop to a 4 seed. Instead of UConn, now they would face a very hot Hokie team. While a team that's around 6th in the BCS before the final weekend could lose a home game.

7) Final Four and Championship game are played at a rotation among Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Rose.

I'm aware that after the first two rounds there are three games left at neutral sites with four bowl game hosts. This is leverage in case the Rose wants to stick to tradition. If they duck out I've got three games and three bowls. If the Rose does want to stay involved, there would be a new bowl game created for the two teams that just missed out on the playoff. This week would be Texas A&M v Alabama in Glendale.

I give you the extra bowl game just to prove that the bowls don't have to die. Texas A&M v Alabama is still a great college football game with great fans. There's actually a mini-rivalry between the teams because there's a history of each team signing away the other one's coach. We wouldn't have 35 bowl games anymore—sorry Pinstripe Bowl—but some of the big ones with tradition don't have to go anywhere.

If you're an ASU fan are you saying you wouldn't go watch the Devils against Texas in a Holiday Bowl just because it wasn't in the playoff? Coaches would still get the benefit of extra practices to prepare for the bowl game. Players would still get to enjoy the goodies they receive for participating. As for the fans, we get a real champion.

Feel free to ask me any questions or give me your opinions and I'll put it in the mailbag: doug@ktar.com

Broncos win toss and want the ball

Huge return but brought back on hold

1st & 10 DEN -12 Moreno up the gut, b-rob completely moved out of the way

INC forced pass

Went right at DRC to Lloyd. DRC completely turned around…1st down

Deep slant in front of Toler…big cushion

Moreno off tackle…no push from Dockett

@ DRC to Lloyd on 9 route back shoulder throw

Moreno at Dockett

A-Dub tips away TD…early game plan: throw @ DRC and run at Dockett

32y FG off upright good

3-0 DEN 10:36 1st Q

LSH return to -39 10:30 1st Q

Off guard one yard

Fitz didn't take care of ball for a fumble…CKW challenge

Overturned…bad call

Wright drops screen that would have gone for a 1st down

Patrick shank

DEN ball 3-0 DEN -25 9:37 1st Q

Branch held up under DBL team and Lenon came thru…3 yd for Moreno

DRC comes over Royal in most aggressive move he's made in 2 months

DRC forces a high throw…great coverage

Punt…59y…25 ret

AZ ball -38: DEN 3-0; 8:39 1st Q

Bad choice by Hightower…missed hole 0y

9 route to Breaston…good coverage…INC

Great pass from Skelton who got crunched…Breaston drop

Punt…

Moreno middle for 7…B-Rob again manhandled

TO DEN

Campbell, Porter miss tackles…Moreno 1st down

Moreno cut back gain 3

Outstanding defense. No one bought the playfake and Johnson just missed INT

TO DEN

INT Adams…Orton stared down receiver

AZ ball +23; DEN 3-0; 5:45 1st Q

Wells middle, better push for 5y

Too high for Doucett…good lob to make him fight for it…why not run and make it 3rd and short

Pass in flat…covered and behind receiver

36y FG 3-3 4:35 1st Q

Fumble just thrown up in the air…Schofield w recovery

AZ ball +41: 3-3; 3:14 1st Q

Amazing pass to Doucett dropped…stepped up after play action to avoid rush and kept his eyes down the field

Wells in 4 hole…he looks much faster than Hightower

Breaston can catch!! Gain of 2 on 3rd & 8

Punt…33y to the 1…LSH missed but AZ got lucky bounce

DEN ball -4; 3-3; 1:35 1st Q

Defense asks for noise and gives up 4y off LT

Williams holds up in dble team and D-Wash cleans up…Moreno 4y

Haggans beats RT with inside move…-10

End of 1st Q ________________________________________

Punt…8 yrd ret…50 y punt

AZ ball +47; 3-3; 14:45 2nd Q

Hightower off RG…2y gain

Skelton looked off WR and found TE…9y

Reverse to Breaston…huge block by Skelton

Off RT couldn't get outside…no one set edge and Hightower looks slow

No flag?? Breaston held on the slant

TO AZ

Seem route to Roberts…Lutui PF

48y FG Feely…6-3 AZ…11:50 2nd Q

Den ball -25

TO AZ

Dockett with pressure…INC Moreno off RT…no edge set…porter crashed inside and blew assignment…Adams missed 2 tackles

Deep for Lloyd…flag ill contact on Toler

Lenon flowed in hole the whole play…Branch wouldn't be moved

Adams missed tackle…fumble…replay doesn't have a good shot of it

AZ ball -41; 6-3 AZ; 10:55 2nd Q

Comeback to Fitz for 11

Square out to Fitz for 4

Skelton needed a little more air but Fitz was held…no call…called offensive holding

Doucett up the hash…13y…good pocket

Bad pass almost champ INT

Punt…33y…no return to 8y line

DEN ball -8; 6-3 AZ; 8:12 2nd Q

ww…Moreno 7y

quick pass to Moreno right where A-Dub blitzed from for 1st down…7y

Lenon just missed Orton on delayed blitz…11y in front of safety

ww…3y

Rhodes INT…Orton terrible pass

AZ ball +24; AZ 6-3; 6:03 2nd Q

Great catch…Skelton avoided the rush…terrible call by the ref…INC…CKW challenge

Wins challenge

Wells missed hole to the right and still picked up 6y

Ww

Roll-out but too much pressure allowed

Feely on the fake…TD

AZ 13-3; 4:02 2nd Q

DEN ball -20

Lenon shot gap and slowed play Williams finished

A-Dub was amazing…destroyed Moreno 3y

PI on Adams…very poor call

Orton roll…found no one 4th down

Punt…adams got a way with block in the back 58y punt…

AZ ball -26; 13-3; 1:44 2nd Q

Roberts square out…AZ takes off-sides penalty

Bad skelton pass

Doucett drops fast ball

Draw to Hightower…great play call…1st down

Skelton sq out to fitz…+18

Fumbled snap

Again…Sendlein leaves with cut thumb

I like the inside screen to make the FG easier

55 FG near end of half…career long

End of HT ______________________________________

25y ret

AZ ball -23; 16-3 AZ; 14:52 3rd Q

Square out to Fitz…12y

Great push by Sendlein…9y for Hightower

Hightower off RT 2y…1st down

Skelton avoids sack and runs over DB for 1st down

Hightower off LT

Bad pass great catch to fitz for 3y

Tipped pass

23y FG; 19-3 AZ; 9:40 3rd Q

51y ret

DEN ball +40; 9:30 3rd Q

Almost strikes again…Orton breaks Campbell sack for 5y

Dockett was destroyed by RT…Moreno 11y

INC…good Toler coverage

INC…late flag…Dockett got pushed…3rd down & 25

Gaffney good come back route…17y

Missed FG

AZ ball -30; AZ 19-3; 7:11 3rd Q

INC…DRAY saved INT…Fitz limps off

Wells -6

Wonderful pass to Roberts…1st down on 3rd & long

Wells middle (Sendlein) +5

Off-sides +5

Bad flip almost INT

No PI??...3rd & 10

Almost perfect pass but tipped away

Punt…41y…no ret

DEN ball -7; AZ 19-3; 4:23 3rd Q

Ww

Moreno middle…Schofield filled gap

Schofield dropped INT…3 & out

Nice return with little blocking on huge punt

60y punt 15y ret

AZ ball -41; AZ 19-3; 2:54 3rd Q

Hightower around RT…9y

Reverse to Doucett…1st down

One-step drop on go to doucett INC

Deep slant LSH…PF…ball on +27

Roll-out and then throw away…should have run

FS on Fitz

Deep ally-oop to Fitz

Punt…FG unit comes on the field…hooks 50y attempt

DEN ball -40; AZ 19-3; 1:03 3rd Q

Hand-off fumble with Orton…Campbell recovers

Reverse pass INC

Hightower over Fanaca…getting stronger…+8

TO AZ

Ww

End of 3rd _____________________________________________

Feely 49y FG

DEN ball -34; 14:47 4TH q

FS -5

INC…good pass Royal couldn't make play

Branch actually beat his man so bad he ran past the play

Stopped paying attention

AZ wins flip

Decent return

Big gain to Fitz

Telegraphed pass…DE wasn't cut by Bridges…pass knocked down

Hightower huge gain…great trap block by Fanaca

Never mind…he got blown up two plays later on a loss

DA could have picked up half on 3rd & 13 but threw between two receivers in same area…either Doucet or Fitz misread coverage

Feely 45y FG

3-0 AZ 11:14

Facemask on KO by Obiozor

1st & 10 STL -36

Bradford flushed with no contain…1 yard

Jackson cut back 4y

AZ T.O.

3rd & 5

Huge mistake by Bradford…right side was wide open and forced it into coverage to Amendola

47y punt

3-0 AZ 10:06 1st Q -12

Hightower off LT…1 yd

Great pass off play action…good block by Levi

Off-setting penalties…DRC taketh and giveth

Hightower off RT behind Fanaca pulling from left side

Wells gets nothing

Breaston sits in zone for 20 yds

Nothing for Hightower…no push

Good play call but DA threw it 100 mph on a simple dump over the middle

3rd & 10

Bad throw to open Breaston but there was traffic in front of DA

Feely 41y FG…6-0 AZ 5:26 1st Q

STL -31 on Amendola return

Rhodes saved a TD on Jackson run…Branch was destroyed on the play

Adams great open field tackle…3y gain on quick flare

Porter completely stonewalled…Gibson for 1st

TO STL 6-0 AZ 3:17 1st Q

Again Adams attacks the ball…4y

Jackson for 4 on the dive

Great coverage on roll-out…Johnson had the back completely shut down

Brown 40y FG with flag…take points off board

1st & 10

Nothing for Jackson

Another roll-out for Bradford to dump off for 5y…3rd & 3

Toler some hand fighting…close to PI

It's clear AZ special teams has no idea what's going on…wasted TO to avoid too many men

Brown 28y FG good

6-3 AZ :24 1st Q

-15

Levi and Spach seal end…Wells 16y

End of 1st
__________________________________

Wells pushes pile for 4 behind Lutui

Wells solid in blitz pick up DA threw it into ground

Breaston through his hands

Patrick 53y punt…Amendola huge return

6-3 AZ; STL +49; 13:53 2nd Q

Jackson big hole Lenon blown up…8y

Great play by Hayes to slow down Jackson…1 foot

Wonderful play call…hand off to the FB but move Jackson out for fake pitch…the pitch will come later in the game…2y & 1st down

INC…an actual QB hit

A zone blitz with Dockett covering the flat

Brown 52y FG…6-6 10:23 2nd Q

LSH KO RET -29

Off-sides…free play…duck to Breaston for 26

Dump off to Hightower…Fitz wide open

Sendlein got beat so bad he took out Lutui too

FB Bajema wide open and dropped 1st down pass

Great play by Branch…threw away blocker and made play down the line

Rhodes on a delayed blitz…Bradford was worried about A-Dub

Punt return with 10 men

6-6 6:10 2nd Q

Huge run by Hightower

Fanaca blown up

Off-sides…free play…deep to Breaston in DC…dropped

2nd & 5…nice DA roll-out…good play call…Dray just stopped running

Bridges pushed into Hightower slowing down play…-5

Sendlein very slow on the screen…he makes his block and that's a TD

Horrible INT…ball thrown to lonely safety and behind Fitz

6-6 2:13 2nd Q

Great tackle by Lenon…had to run around an in the way Dockett to make play

Bradford threw late over middle and got away with it

Wilson just gets in the way

Beautiful play call…screen left for 9y

Bradford threw it away

Great read by Bradford knowing receiver would come back on Adams

Jackson on dump off, stiff arm DRC 13y

Dockett blew up the play by jumping snap count

Wide open in end zone knocked down by Campbell

Brown 20y FG

STL 9-6 :04 2nd Q

End of half
______________________________________

Another good return for STL…bad day for special teams…-33

C didn't know snap count…he snapped it and no one else moved

Another solid roll-out by Bradford…good coaching…good tackle for Lenon…+4

High throw…Rhodes INT

STL 9-6; AZ ball +46; 13:23 3rd Q

Hightower nothing…Lutui late on trap block

Knock down pass to Doucett

31y punt -15 9-6 STL; 12:22 3rd Q

Someone just said tackled by Dockett but I WW

Lenon gets around block to stop Darby

Big play…no one had motion man…I did see a LB point at the open man

Jackson off LT 5y

ww…injured Ram

another underneath route open for 1st down

Bradford forced to run but not contained gets 1st D

Jackson off RT…nice cut-back 5y down field…27 y TD

16-6 STL; 7:40 3rd Q

LSH up left side -33

Really not paying attention now…Rams have the ball

Reverse…2nd & 17

Tipped pass caught by Gibson +7

Campbell beats RT, TE, RB for sack -35

Hall @ QB

Blitzed…Wells missed blitz…Sack

Pressure up the middle…tipped

Hall INT

Dockett shoots gap and was held

Nice to see A-Dub do something sticking Bradford

DRC fell on chance at pick gave up 1st down on 3rd & 11

Rhodes over the top of Bajema…good play

Good stutt…end of 3rd
___________________________________________

Brown 43y FG…19-6 STL…14:55 4th Q

Got back to running game +7

Bridges happy with the uniform…Hightower cut back right into DE

There were 9 in the box and Hall found FB

Hall fumbled and hurt shoulder…crowd cheers for Skelton

Hightower falls

Skelton for 20y

Skelton patiently waited over the middle for Fitz to clear

Lutui slow pulling through the hole and Hightower runs into him for no gain

Good call on IG but why did it take the ref so long to throw the flag?

FS on Levi

Good read…bad throw

Punt to -6

19-9 STL; 8:41 4th Q

Jackson middle…Williams wouldn't move

Roberts -48

Slant pattern dropped by Doucett

Jason Wright saved Skelton on good blitz pick-up…Doucett over middle

Tired of taking notes

The week 7 standings are out for the BCS.

In case you don't know from the things I've said on air, I want a playoff in college football but I don't have a problem with the BCS formula. I just don't want it used to narrow the field from 120 to 2.

I have yet to hear any "pro current system" argument that I can't destroy on logical grounds. Of course there's one argument I can't beat and that is anyone saying they like the current system and they don't want it changed. Other than that, I'm still waiting for someone to convince me to give up my dream for a college football playoff.

I put before you the Doug Franz College Football Playoff. Every week the BCS rankings will change, therefore changing the teams making the playoff. Check in each week and see how things have changed. At the end of the season, it's up to you to pick the winners of each game and set in motion the championship challenge.

If you want an explanation for the way my formula works, check the bottom of the blog.

Here's the playoff pairings if the regular season ended today.

16) UConn @ 1) Auburn

15) Hawaii @ 2) Oregon

14) Va Tech @ 3) TCU

13) Nebraska @ 4) Stanford

12) Missouri @ 5) Wisconsin

11) Boise St @ 6) Ohio St

10) LSU @ 7) Arkansas

9) Oklahoma @ 8) Michigan St

OBSERVATIONS:

3 teams from the SEC West make the DFCFP. I love the shock waves throughout the SEC when they see no Alabama and a return trip for LSU to Arkansas.

Michigan State losses two weeks ago and gets knocked out of the playoff. By virtue of tie breaker with Wisconsin, Spartans were in as Big 10 Champ and Wisconsin took a wild card spot. This week the Big 10 has three home games.

Alabama was hosting the 6/11 game two weeks ago, then they needed to travel to Stanford to play. Now they're in Glendale in the "didn't make the playoff game."

I want to make conference championships worth something so UConn gets in as the Big East Champ despite ranking 31 in the BCS. However, I don't want teams to get into a conference that's easy just to get the payday of making the playoff so only the top 8 conferences get to send their champ.

It would be hilarious to see Nebraska fans take over Stanford. It might be a 70/30 split in favor of Nebraska on the road. I think Nebraska would win and travel to Wisconsin the year before they, well, play Wisconsin in the Big 10.

Right now Hawaii is in as the WAC champ only because they have the most wins. Nevada and Boise St still have one game remaining. If Boise St wins their last game, they're back in as WAC champ and that opens up a wild card spot. Oklahoma State would then get in giving the Big 12 4 teams.

You could have a rematch of last year's Rose Bowl in the second round but that would take a Boise St win in the horseshoe and that's not happening.

Wisconsin has a great D-Line but could they handle Cam Newton on in round 3 at the Sugar Bowl?

I never thought I'd put together a 16-team playoff with Florida, Texas, Alabama and USC all uninvited.

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN:

By ranking every team, you get a true representation of the best conference by simply taking the average BCS rank of every team in the conference. This playoff system makes every college football game in the country vital because it rewards teams and conferences alike.

Here's the ranking of the conferences after week 7 of the BCS and the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

1) Big 12: 36.83

2) SEC: 40.5

3) Pac-10: 44.3

4) Big 10: 44.36

5) ACC: 55.17

6) Big East: 59.25

7) MWC: 62.44

8) WAC: 64.11

9) C-USA: 74.83

10) MAC: 86.38

11) Sun Belt: 105.44

CONFERENCE OBSERVATIONS:

I never imagined the SEC wouldn't be number one.

First conference rankings that went in "normal" order with the BCS conferences actually being 1-6.

The SEC West alone would come in at a 22.33 rank. It's amazing that the average team in any one division is a top 25 team in BCS rank. As a point of reference, the highest ranked team in the Big East is West Virginia (24).

THIS WEEK:

The WAC finishing their season will dramatically change the poll.

The Big East is guaranteed a bid (C-USA won't catch them in the conference rank) but we don't know who it will be. If UConn, Pitt and WVU all lose there's a 4-way tie with Syracuse. Champion gets to make the first attempt at stopping Cam Newton.

If C-USA wasn't weighed down by Memphis, a loss for Fresno State v Illinois could push the WAC into 9th place and elevate the C-USA champ into the playoff. It's these non-conference games that make the playoff so valuable because I'm making every game in the regular season even more important than the current system.

PLAYOFF EXPLANATION:

The magic of the DFCFP is how it highlights the regular season more than any other system. Here's the process for coming up with the teams for the playoff.

1)Rank all D-1 (FBS) teams 1-120 (from Auburn to Akron).

2)Rank all the conferences 1-11 based on the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

3)Reward the first place team in the top 8 conferences with an automatic bid.

4)Independents—this means you Notre Dame—get no special treatment. If you're not in a conference, earn a wild card bid or join a conference.

5)Select 8 wild-card teams based on BCS rank excluding those already selected with an automatic bid.

6)Rank the 16 teams based on BCS rank with no regard to status as an automatic qualifier or wild-card entry.

7)First two rounds are at the home of the better seed. This benefits Northern teams so the South would have to play in the elements.

8)Final Four and Championship game are played at a rotation among Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Rose.

I'm aware that after the first two rounds there are three games left at neutral sites with four bowl game hosts. This is leverage in case the Rose wants to stick to tradition. If they duck out I've got three games and three bowls. If the Rose does want to stay involved, there would be a new bowl game created for the two teams that just missed out on the playoff. This week would be Oklahoma State v Alabama in Glendale.

I give you the extra bowl game just to prove that the bowls don't have to die. Oklahoma State v Alabama is still a great college football game with great fans. We wouldn't have 35 bowl games anymore—sorry Pinstripe Bowl—but some of the big ones with tradition don't have to go anywhere.

If you're an ASU fan are you saying you wouldn't go watch the Devils against Texas in a Holiday Bowl just because it wasn't in the playoff? Coaches would still get the benefit of extra practices to prepare for the bowl game. Players would still get to enjoy the goodies they receive for participating. As for the fans, we get a real champion.

Feel free to ask me any questions or give me your opinions and I'll put it in the mailbag: doug@ktar.com

It's cold in the press box…Larry Bowa's here…talked for about 20 min

Good KO

SF from 20 yard line

B-Rob manhandled in the middle…Gore for 23

Good play call on flare to Gore…bad timing

Where's the OPI?...inc

FS SF…3rd & 15

Embarrassing to give up a 15 yard draw on 3rd & 15

WOW…I didn't know Porter could play football…good contain and still gave up 4

B-rob spun around again but Lenon saved him…leaves 3rd & 4

Good decision by Smith to move chains…defense is a waste of time

Bad drop by Crabtree…you spend all week to set up Lenon v Crabtree and you blow it

Two bad plays and now a good one as B-rob slipped block and got Gore for a loss

Dockett's name showing up early

Missed FG

AZ on -38 0-0 9:48 1st Q

Wells gets forced fumble

SF scored on 1st play…any safeties?

7-0 SF 9:35 1st Q

Mortar kick didn't work

AZ -31 7-0 9:29 1st Q

Thank goodness Hightower is in

Fitz in single coverage?...6y gain

Flea flicker was wide open but Levi got burnt so bad Haralson was in the pitch lane and Hightower couldn't pitch it…the play worked cause Fitz and Breaston was open

Wells with the deep wheel route

Levi standing up doing nothing as Hightower runs by…leaves 3rd & 3

Terrible pass hangs Tim out to dry…4th & 3

Jay 31y FG

7-3 SF 5:56 1st Q

D-Wash in bad lane big return SF -45

SF O-Line killing B-rob and Branch so far…Gore +9

Haggans off-side…1st & 10 SF +40

Bad hold not called vWilliams…hard corner route for 1st

Good pressure forced throw away

DRC getting lit up

Gerald Hayes completely miss read the play and got nailed by the guard in the hole…Gore +8

Westbrook +2…1st & G

T.O. SF 7-3 SF 1:36 1st Q

Good hustle by Rhodes…would have liked to see a LB stay home though

Hayes and Lenon were great on the play…leaves 3rd & G from 1

TD Dixon

14-3 SF…:29s 1st Q

LSH to 31

CB read the run and blitzed past Breaston…Tim -3

Good spot…Roberts was just short…4th & 1…should punt as much as CKW will want to go for it

SF on -22

Huge 3 & out…rip the defense for the play to this point but that was solid

Bad move Breaston going backwards on punt

AZ -17; SF 14-3; 11:16 2nd Q

DA wasn't hit and threw a duck 10 ft over the FB's head

Wells turned nothing into 2

DA 102 mph…inc

Special teams is awful tonight

SF +42; SF 14-3; 10:07

Wasn't watching…talking to Keith Law about the Tulo report

6 yard gain on a 1 step drop?

Defense is either slow or weak…Westbrook should not look this fast

SF 21-3; 7:15 2nd Q

AZ -39;

Wells LT +5

Great catch by Fitz on another bad throw

Good push…+8 for Wells

Levi hold

What an amazing play by Breaston to steal an INT

Fitz on curl but still very late delivery

Good call…he dropped the TD

Lutui took an hour to pull…3rd & 13

DA 104 mph

Jay 39 FG

SF 21-6; 2:16 2nd Q

Dan Williams is at least trying…Westbrook +6

Ooo…bad throw and tipped INT Adams

AZ +42; 1:15 2nd Q; SF 21-6

Roll-out thrown behind receiver

INC to Fitz…I guess they were not allowed to run on this drive…3 & out

Punt hits at 4 and not downed…even special teams is bad

SF -20; SF 21-6; :48 2nd Q

Dockett blown off ball by Vernon Davis

End of half

Sf 21-6

AZ punted before I had a chance to get back from bathroom

Westbrook +10 off left side

Haggans leading with helmet

Off sides on Haggans…thought it was porter

Pushing & shoving after play…why not fight back during the play

Flags again…snap infraction

Stopped paying attention

Nice come back by Haggans…gets sack

Cards deserve all the ripping they get but the block does show they care

AZ -27; SF 21-6; 8:29 3rd Q

Missed whole drive watching fight in the stands

Made 38y FG

SF 24-6; 2:38 3rd Q

AZ -37;

O-Line an abomination

TO AZ; 2:29 3rd Q

Given up on game notes…working on power poll

I hope LSH is OK since Breaston returned the kick

Why did the broadcasters say Wells was starting?...was that Haley that made the tackle on Fitz's catch?

WOW…how did that pass get into Breaston?...B2B 1st downs

Hightower and Wells in the backfield at the same time…great idea…never mind…Wells strained an ovary on the play

Look at this drive…great pass to Breaston on the slant

1st & 10 from the Red Zone…never mind…are they still in the red zone when Fitz makes a penalty?

Bad move by Hightower…he cut to the left…you can't go left because that's where Levi Brown lives

DA stood right in there and took a big hit on the pass to Doucett

3rd & 8

Good throw…Doucet has to catch that ball…jumped too early…if they lose a close game

FG good…3-0…AZ 10:45 1st Q
--------------------------------------------------------------

Touchback

What a joke this run defense is

Lucky the TE fell down or would have been another 1st down

Great blitz call by Davis

3rd & 4

PI? Looked like Adams got lucky

Give the D credit…only allowed one 1st down

Punt in end zone
--------------------------------------------------------------

AZ ball 8:20 1st Q 3-0

Huge run from tim off LT

Can DA ever throw a ball without getting the WR killed?

Tim on a dive…trying to establish the run

Dray got blown up by Hali

4th & 1

The book says to punt there but they should have went for it. Why put your defense on the field?

McBride!!!! PBP got it right…fell asleep…no footwork…completely lazy…head's not in game…he took it for granted the ball was going out of bounds
--------------------------------------------------------------

3-0 KC ball

Huge run…do they pay this run defense?

Finally a SS blitz…since Wilson can't cover anyone why not do that every play

WOW…is this defense really here to play?

Great punt
--------------------------------------------------------------

3-0 AZ ball 3:30 1st Q

Another false start

Wells got something out of nothing…PF Sendlien

3rd and 12

Incomplete to Breaston…great play by Carr

Punt…absolutely no punt coverage
--------------------------------------------------------------

3-0 KC ball 40 sec 1st Q

Bowe wide open…no safeties in the picture

1st & goal

Campbell and B-Rob stuff

2nd & Goal

A-dub on his own…great read

3rd & goal

I thought DRC was supposed to be special? Bowe took his lunch money

7-3 KC 13:35 2nd Q
--------------------------------------------------------------

KO…touchback

1st play is a pass…wouldn't mind seeing a run every now and then

Run over LG…I thought AZ paid a lot of money to bring in this supposed stud LG?

3rd & 9…couldn't handle noise…T/O AZ

Great play call on 3rd & 6…to bad it wasn't 3rd & 6

Punt…obviously they don't practice punt coverage nearly as much in the regular season as they do in training camp
--------------------------------------------------------------

7-3 KC…12:26 2nd Q ball on KC 32

Run up the gut plenty of room

Off sides Porter…he's paid enough to stop these off-side penalties

2nd & 1

Easy pass on the sail route…Hayes PF…should have been O-facemask as well

Charles over the middle…middle of the field is wide open

1st & G

How's that not PI?...never mind…replay

2nd & G

TD…Branch ended up under the uprights

14-3 10:14 2nd Q
--------------------------------------------------------------

KO…special teams is awful today

Ball on 14

YES…a 1st down run despite the score…Tim for 7 yards

2nd & 3

YES…2 runs in a row and a 1st down…someone is listening to me!!

Fitz drop

Fitz on a great throw and catch…thought it should have been a late hit

In KC territory…8:11 2nd Q

Fanaca hold…he's been worthless so far

1st & 20

DA is going to get someone killed…Doucet is frozen…he gets up but I don't understand why DA doesn't care enough to stop killing these guys

Breaston open…DA long

3rd & 20

That was 10 feet higher than any human on the field…when will this guy learn

Punt…not a good one…into end zone
--------------------------------------------------------------

14-3…KC ball…7:12 2nd Q

Dockett pushed like a rag doll by Richardson

Holding Lilja…wonder if he still lives with his parents

Nice to see a good play by Will Davis

How did Bowe get that open? Johnson or DRC was clueless on the coverage…could have been bad coaching if Bill Davis thought Johnson could really cover that much ground

Bad call on the hold…Waters tripped and fell on his man…that's not a hold

Middle open again but too far to go

Punt…barely hit in end zone
--------------------------------------------------------------

AZ ball…3:40 2nd Q…14-3 kC

INC

YES…another run…Wells for the first down

Wells up the middle…good gain

Nice roll out…run setting up the pass

Sack

Good poise…good catch for Roberts

T/O AZ…1:10…3rd & 1

Breaston drop…great pass

Punt?...why not go? You've lost 4 straight…good special teams by McBride that time
--------------------------------------------------------------

KC ball…1:10…14-3 KC

Play action from your own end zone with Cassell as your QB?

Of course the run doesn't work…Lenon almost got the safety

Brilliant 4th down play by Haley…

Halftime 14-3 KC
--------------------------------------------------------------

KO…touchback

D-Line got completely blown off the ball…O-line has a destroy attitude…kind of like I thought AZ's would this year

Charles got nothing…Branch blew up the whole play

Screen…great play call…perfect timing by QB and O-line…1st down

Good hit by adams after 4 yrd gain

Great push from right side of O-line

Middle is open again

Hayes with a monster hit on Charles

10:50…3rd Q…still 1st drive

Charles off-LT…Waters ran over Watson

Jones TD…Casey sealed off Watson

21-3…KC…9:59 3rd Q
--------------------------------------------------------------

KO…touchback

Hightower…he's running great…amazing to see them run down by 18…I'm the only guy that's happy

No push from left side…Tim lucky to get a yard

All those running plays set this up and DA blew it…great play calling all game led to a TD and DA didn't execute

Nice pass on the 3rd & 9 Slant to Breaston

1st & 10 Hightower 4 yards…Fanaca great trap block…1st time all season I've ever said Fanaca and great without saying disappointment

Wonderful mini-roll out and pass to Breaston

Random thought but DAL is home today…make who ever gets home games on T-giving travel the weekend before!

Missed two plays complaining to my father-in-law about it

T/O AZ 5:03 3rd Q

Good protection…good route…good decision…great defense

FG 29 yrd…good drive

21-6 KC
--------------------------------------------------------------

KO…touchback…good KO's today…keeps the great run backs to a minimum

Lenon destroyed that screen

4:30 3rd Q

I think it was Branch that knocked that down

3rd & 16…big down if the Cards want to win

Thrown late…Dockett got held, no flag…pass INC

Punt…good FP
--------------------------------------------------------------

AZ ball on -47…3:54 3rd Q

Wells for 4…holding…still running the football…great play calling today

What a catch…DA still trying to kill people but Breaston caught it anyway after the holding penalty

3rd & 1…enourmous conversion attempt

Wait…they moved the yellow line…they gave them the 1st on the Breaston catch

1st & 10 wells run for 5

Running right into 8 in the box…3 yards with Tim up the middle

Here's the big 3rd down…3rd & 2

Little roll-out…ARGH…Fitz was open…that's a college throw…DA can't choke on that

Whistles were blowing forever…how is that not a flag on the hit on DA…poor officiating…now they pile on DA as well…very poor officiating…now they have to punt…great display to see CKW and Grimm go at the refs…they're absolutely right

Punt…FS…great hit by McBride…he really woke up after a terrible beginning
--------------------------------------------------------------

21-6 KC…1:04 3rd Q…ball on -10

Should have been no gain but Jones gets 2

They just brought up how useless Dockett is on the broadcast

3rd & 5…good play call…KC hasn't taken a lot of deep shots…good coverage by Johnson

Another 3 and out
--------------------------------------------------------------
Punt…flag…block in back
--------------------------------------------------------------

21-6…14:46…AZ ball…-25

Good play call…thrown into double coverage…great call by ref

Lutui was destroyed…sets-up tough 3rd down

That ball didn't look anywhere near Roberts

Punt…
--------------------------------------------------------------

KC ball…21-6 KC…

WW

Charles with an easy run

Why does DRC get credit with a tackle…he got run over…Branch actually charged too far and lost contain Jones with a nice move to the left…Lenon missed a tackle

Jones with the cut back…they're just eating clock

Just took Will Davis off the field

Charles up the middle to the 6…any chance of winning must end with a FG here

Thomas with 1 up the middle

Good throw to Tucker…McBride was late in coverage…decent defense but should have been a TD

FG…24-6…8:12 4th Q
--------------------------------------------------------------

KO…decent return…ball on -21

A simple screen and DA can't throw that

Nice catch and run from Roberts…I might have to recant at the end of the year

Another catch from Roberts…never mind…Brown with a hold

1st & 20

Bout time they use Patrick…DA took a good shot

Roberts again…he's actually catching these balls

Interesting point by Lynch to compare DA to Cassel

Would have liked to see Patrick stretch that route

4th & 1

There's the Roberts that I know…right through his hands
--------------------------------------------------------------

KC ball…24-3 KC…around 5 min

WW

Great strip but his knee was clearly down.

Middle of the field has been open all day!!! Another great throw to Bowe…Haley's done a great job with him…TD

31-6…4:20…4th Q
--------------------------------------------------------------

KO…Roberts with nothing on return

DA well over Fitz's head…broken record

Good screen to Hightower…he's had a great game

Why did they wait so long to use Patrick?

3:00

Roberts…don't care since he had his big 3rd down drop

Shock…DA too high to Fitz

Another high throw…good catch by Roberts

Hurry and get the play before 2min warn

They did…good catch again from Roberts

2min warn

Again behind and high to Fitz…great catch

Roberts drop in end zone

Anyone reading the blitz?...how'd that double team work for you Fanaca?

Another miss read on the blitz by Fanaca…great catch by Hightower after the tip T/O AZ

Again high…again behind…again a catch by Fitz

T/O AZ

What an ignorant decision by DA…there's :14 seconds left…you can't throw that underneath the coverage...even if it's caught the clock runs out…if he's making a decision that dumb…he just doesn't understand the game

Had an open Breaston but where does he throw it…high, high, high

Fitz with stat TD

31-13 KC
--------------------------------------------------------------

The week 5 standings are out for the BCS.

In case you don't know from the things I've said on air, I want a playoff in college football but I don't have a problem with the BCS formula. I just don't want it used to narrow the field from 120 to 2.

I have yet to hear any "pro current system" argument that I can't destroy on logical grounds. Of course there's one argument I can't beat and that is anyone saying they like the current system and they don't want it changed. Other than that, I'm still waiting for someone to convince me to give up my dream for a college football playoff.

I put before you the Doug Franz College Football Playoff. Every week the BCS rankings will change, therefore changing the teams making the playoff. Check in each week and see how things have changed. At the end of the season, it's up to you to pick the winners of each game and set in motion the championship challenge.

If you want an explanation for the way my formula works, check the bottom of the blog.

Here's the playoff pairings if the regular season ended today.

16) Pitt @ 1) Oregon

15) Va Tech @ 2) Auburn

14) Oklahoma @ 3) TCU

13) Arkansas @ 4) Boise St

12) Michigan St @ 5) LSU

11) Alabama @ 6) Stanford

10) Oklahoma St @ 7) Wisconsin

9) Ohio St @ 8) Nebraska

OBSERVATIONS:

4 teams from the SEC West make the DFCFP while no other entire conference puts in more than 3.

Michigan State losses two weeks ago and gets knocked out of the playoff. By virtue of tie breaker with Wisconsin, Spartans are in as Big 10 Champ and Wisconsin takes a wild card spot.

Two weeks ago LSU was @ Utah, now Utah is out and LSU hosts the Big 10 Champ.

Alabama was hosting the 6/11 game two weeks ago, now they travel to Stanford to play in it.

Mizzou went from a home team against an Ohio State University to traveling to Utah to out of the playoff. Mizzou has the main beef with the playoff as they're left out for #60 Pittsburgh to get in as the Big East champ. I understand someone could say that's what is wrong with my playoff that I'm bumping the #15 for the #60. I want to make conference championships worth something so Pitt gets in as the Big East Champ. However, I don't want teams just to get into a conference that's easy just to get the pay day of making the playoff so only the top 8 conferences get to send their champ.

Conference bragging rights are on the line: Oklahoma St @ Wisconsin & Ohio State @ Nebraska.

For years northern teams have complained how southern teams could never handle traveling north so how would Arkansas handle December in Boise?

Only in the DFCFP could you ever get Oklahoma to go to TCU.

Could have a rematch of last year's Rose Bowl in the second round.

Wisconsin has a great D-Line but could they handle Cam Newton on the plains in round 2?

I never thought I'd put together a 16-team playoff with Florida, Texas, and USC all uninvited.

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN:

By ranking every team, you get a true representation of the best conference by simply taking the average BCS rank of every team in the conference. This playoff system makes every college football game in the country vital because it rewards teams and conferences alike.

Here's the ranking of the conferences after week 6 of the BCS and the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

1) Big 12: 36.5

2) SEC: 38.5

3) Pac-10: 41.5

4) Big 10: 41.55

5) ACC: 55.25

6) MWC: 59.75

7) Big East: 61

8) WAC: 62.78

9) C-USA: 79.92

10) MAC: 90.23

11) Sun Belt: 106.11

CONFERENCE OBSERVATIONS:

I never imagined the SEC wouldn't be number one.

The ACC was in the low 40's last week. Another conference loss to a D2 school (this time UNC) really hurt the conference.

Why does the Big East have an automatic bid into the BCS?

The SEC West alone would come in at a 20.67 rank. It's amazing that the average team in any one division is a top 25 team in BCS rank. As a point of reference, the highest ranked team in the Big East is West Virginia (43).

79.92 is the lowest I've ever seen C-USA.

THIS WEEK:

Watch out for Friday as Fresno takes on Boise. Boise should win but it's finally a test. If Boise wins but the game is very physical it might help Nevada pull off the upset next weekend.

Winner of Ohio State @ Iowa is in the playoff for good.

Right now Va Tech is in as a conference champ and not as a wild card. Hokies are out if they lose to Miami and the ‘Canes are in.

Sun Belt is @ Navy and @ Texas. Best chance in the history of the DFCFP to pass the MAC for the bottom.

PLAYOFF EXPLANATION:

The magic of the DFCFP is how it highlights the regular season more than any other system. Here's the process for coming up with the teams for the playoff.

1) Rank all D-1 (FBS) teams 1-120 (from Oregon to Akron).

2) Rank all the conferences 1-11 based on the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

3) Reward the first place team in the top 8 conferences with an automatic bid.

4) Independents—this means you Notre Dame—get no special treatment. If you're not in a conference, earn a wild card bid or join a conference.

5) Select 8 wild-card teams based on BCS rank excluding those already selected with an automatic bid.

6) Rank the 16 teams based on BCS rank with no regard to status as an automatic qualifier or wild-card entry.

7) First two rounds are at the home of the better seed. This benefits Northern teams so the South would have to play in the elements.

8) Final Four and Championship game are played at a rotation among Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Rose.

I'm aware that after the first two rounds there are three games left at neutral sites with four bowl game hosts. This is leverage in case the Rose wants to stick to tradition. If they duck out I've got three games and three bowls. If the Rose does want to stay involved, there would be a new bowl game created for the two teams that just missed out on the playoff. This week would be Mizzou v South Carolina in Glendale.

I give you the extra bowl game just to prove that the bowls don't have to die. Mizzou v South Carolina is still a great college football game with great fans. We wouldn't have 35 bowl games anymore—sorry Pinstripe Bowl—but some of the big ones with tradition don't have to go anywhere. If you're an ASU fan are you saying you wouldn't go watch the Devils against Texas in a Holiday Bowl just because it wasn't in the playoff? You'd still get the benefit of extra practices to prepare for your bowl game. Players would still get to enjoy the goodies they receive for participating. As for the fans, we get a real champion.

Feel free to ask me any questions or give me your opinions and I'll put it in the mailbag: doug@ktar.com

Doug's NFL Power Poll before Week 10 started. Don't blame him for his No. 1 team losing on Thursday night.

AZ wants to receive

Yes…a run for Hightower, matching the number of runs from last week…oh Ben! Hold will probably kill the drive

Sack complete breakdown by O-line

Good play to Fitz…get him involved and get more room for the punt…don't want DA trying to complete 3rd & 21 from inside 20

Nice punt but where's the coverage? It was Leach v. the world

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

0-0 12:25 1st

Quick route to Berrian, where was DRC?

SACK…Peterson completely whiffed on Porter pick-up

Good call to run after sack…Peterson middle

Favre PICK…Oh no...yelled "Look out" 3 times and "hold on to the ball" twice

Touchback…10:01

Harvin ate up A-Dub…Wilson had a great game against the Rams and has been a waste of time since

Williams took on two blockers and was in on Peterson tackle

Sack! We have a Dockett sighting!

Punt

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

Yes…another Hightower run

INT, horrible pass…oh it was dropped…Cards win challenge

Threw pass too early…let Breaston get deeper and that's 1st down

Punt…horrible coverage…punt coverage is terrible today…couldn't see who ran past the bounce

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

Dockett off-sides

Branch threw his block away and ran down the line to catch Peterson…great angle, strength and speed

Push by O-line and Peterson…A-Dub dancing and not hitting

What a hit by Paris Lenon…Gerhart never got hit like that in college

Punting on 4th & 1 inside the 50? Favre? Peterson? Bad decision…now a penalty

Punt…downed at 1…Vikes special teams killing AZ

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

0-0 3:54 1st

Hightower worked hard for 1 yard gain and avoided sack

No push at all by the O-line

3rd & 9 completion…amazing pass by DA into triangle coverage

Sendlein just got annihilated but DA stepped away for 9yrds…found Breaston

No O-line push again LSH loses one

LSH bad route adjust…little high but not a bad pass…Fitz open underneath

Punt…great move by Graham to get away from pressure…again no coverage

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

End of 1st 0-0 Minn ball

There was no one on the screen covering Berrian…Toler gave a 12 yard cushion…1st down

Good coverage by DRC…inc

Quick out to Harvin…what was Hayes doing…he fell asleep…should have been 5 yrd gain and got 25

Campbell's best play this year…penetrated…dislodged from block…stopped Peterson

Why is Favre complaining…clearly delay

Swing pass to Peterson…no one anywhere near him…TD…bad tackle angle by Toler

7-0 Min 12:17

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

TD!!! LSH wasn't touched…the whole was huge…special teams needed that

7-7 12:04

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

Bad kick…ball on 36

Someone blew up Favre on the out…it was Campbell, could have been helmet-2-helmet

Smooth from Peterson…center destroyed B-Rob

Deep ball…good throw…thought it was 6…excellent play from Rhodes

Roll-out to Lewis…Toler with tackle…just a perfect offensive play

WR screen…poor pursuit

Big hit from Porter…Peterson wiffed again…complete to Harvin…A-Dub can't cover anyone

Peterson made Dockett look silly…good play by Johnson to stop TD

Gerhart is so strong…off-right tackle

Showed blitz too early…could hear Favre "zero…zero…zero"…what a pass over Porter's head…lucky

Gerhart fell…should have been TD

Branch and Lenon stopped Peterson…don't know why they're measuring

I'd go for it…you either get 7 or DA is on his own 2…

FG good…10-7 MIN 6:24 2nd

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

Ball on 19

Off-side 1st & 5

LSH middle…I'd love to see the O-Line block someone

Wells in for first time

Good play by DA…avoided rush and threw it away from LB on Fitz back shoulder

Bad timing with Wells…again O-line does nothing

Only a 2 yard gain because Keith was destroyed with speed rush

DA changed play due to blitz…MIN dropped out of blitz and smothered Roberts…just great defensive mind games with a below average QB

Punt…decent coverage

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

10-7 2:54 2nd on 24

Reverse…perfect contain by Lenon and Davis…2nd & 18

Good pressure…forced dump off to Peterson…crap…off-sides…instead of 3rd and 17 it's 2nd & 13

Shiancoe was 3 yards down the field before the snap…FS…back to 2nd & 18

Dump to Harvin…great tackle by Adams…Dockett hurt

Big gain from Harvin but short of 1st…Alberts said 1st TO…interesting since AZ used one 4 seconds earlier

Punt…WOW what a boomer

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

10-7 MIN 1:30

What the hell was that? I've never seen Fitz that open

Nice job O-line—no one could see delay blitz because Faneca got tied up…I guess Faneca used to be really good

Fitz is really good

Stepped up in pocket very well to Fitz

Outstanding play by Sheppard…could have been big gain for Doucet

:45 seconds

Good decision by DA to run with horrible O-line

:37 seconds

Hightower did a great job picking up the blitz…good move by Roberts…congrats to a kid who's been terrible this year…nice block by Breaston…TD 14-10 AZ

With a QB as good as Favre, you don't even take one shot down the field?

End of half, 14-10 AZ

-------

Adams TD…I thought he was down…welcome to the NFL Schofield…his butt was still off the ground…great call by the officials

21-10 AZ

Dockett slow to get off block…Favre quick out

Toler again is so far off the WR

Lenon read the WR screen, was in perfect position and completely got juked…Harvin killed Rhodes

Harvin slipped but he wasn't going anywhere

FS…looked like the Cards knew about penalty and refs were going to let it go…2nd & 15

Excellent play by Porter…run a draw there with Peterson and set up an easier 3rd down…bad call

Incredible defense…AZ showed blitz from Favre's left…when protection was changed, AZ brought pressure from Favre's right…forced Favre to throw early

Punt

-----------

21-10 10:49 3rd Q

Wonderful run by Hightower…used moves and power…he's playing very well

Had hightower open in flat but smart move to run

Very poor play design…tried misdirection but there was no timing in backfield

Good play call to take a shot down the field but DA threw it way too early…can't blame him for not trusting O-line but O-line has played well in second half

Fitz drop due to good play by defense…great throw from DA but had someone underneath

Punt…terrible coverage again

---------

CPU melt down…Porter ate LT's lunch…Favre picked by Johnson

21-10 AZ

Outstanding work by O-line on 3rd down…Lutui was incredible…great catch by Breaston

DA moving well but staying calm now…just finding yards and making 3rd down easier

Great play call…MIN is getting frustrated, they sell out to get to the QB and CKW goes with a quick WR screen

Now right back to the running game…Hightower is having game of the season…easily could have fumbled after getting spun around

Moose just made a great point about Allen…where's Jared

Amazing catch by Fitz

AZ calls timeout…couldn't see play clock but there was only :21 seconds left in 3rd…why not let clock run out and save a TO

Breaston stayed very calm as the play could have been blown up…CKW having a good game

Would like to see Brown do something on Allen…inc

Big whole from the O-line…good explosion from Hightower…notice two hands on the ball…1st & goal

No hole there and Hightower still got 4 yrds

No back side block…if you're going to run that play you might need Wells to run that…CKW might run a reverse later in the game

22yd FG 24-10 AZ

--------

12:36 4th Q

Ohhh….thought it could be PI on Toler

Perfect pass to Peterson…let him run after the catch…good check down

Slant was dropped…I hope the flag isn't on Johnson…didn't see the PI camera was slow…saw it on replay

Getting worried…Brett looks comfortable

Never mind…easy tackle…Goose ripped Favre for staying with that play

Favre now taking what defense gives him

Brought four on the rush and Favre stepped up and threw back over middle…amazing throw

Favre pumped left and threw back right…great throw and the ball was dropped…no chance at a pick

Gave Favre way too much time for 6 yrd gain…#4 looks great on this drive

What was that? Almost had to take back everything I said…terrible decision by Favre

4th & 4…big play

Rush 4 and had time…Harvin for 6 yards…I agree with Bill Davis not to blitz…2 TD lead it's good to drop in coverage and hope Favre screws up

I didn't say prevent! Where's the coverage on the comeback route?

Now Favre is very comfortable…I'd blitz now in the red zone

Still brought only 4 and Peterson fought for 1st down…Favre is going right down the field

Favre's too old for that…a real life Favre bootleg…Dockett got hurt tackling Favre?

Peterson was so open in the flat and Favre forced under pressure

3rd & G

That wasn't a TD?

4th & G

Paris Lenon was outstanding stopping the TE

-------

24-10 AZ 6:18 4th Q

Just eat clock now…you know Favre's going to get a TD so eat as much clock as you can so he can't get 2

DA sneak…good call

Hightower…didn't like anything he needs to cut-back in end zone but he got out

DA was flipping out on the delay but it's only a 6 inch penalty…have some game awareness

Terrible drop…it stops the clock as well…normally I'd rip the play call but it was such a safe throw that I won't

Graham punted…I think you should take a safety there…too much risk for a block for TD

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

24-10 AZ 4:39 4th Q from AZ 40

AZ in prevent in front of Wilson…I agree with prevent when you're up by 2 TD's

Favre's amazing…handled low snap and got first down

Perfect pass to Shiancoe…I knew Favre would score

Peterson off tackle…TD with 3:34 left…if Hightower doesn't drop that pass there would be 2:50 left

24-17 AZ 3:34 4th Q

--

LSH to 24…1sst & 10

Great stuff by Henderson

MIN TO…3:24 4th Q…need 3 1st downs to win

Draw doesn't work to Hightower…I completely agree with the call but Allen just made a good play to slow the draw…it was LSH on draw

MIN last TO…3:19

Fitz runs slant and doesn't get first

Punt…good coverage…penalty…block in the back—terrible call

------

24-17 AZ MIN ball on 23 2:24 left

Huge gain but he's tackled in bounds

Terrible clock management to not get ball spiked or run a play before 2 min warning

A screen to Peterson…so smart…there's no way AZ is ready for that…first AZ blitz in 3 drives

Sack by Porter despite falling down…1:00 min left

Favre again to Shiancoe

Sneak for 1st down and flag stops clock…penalty of illegal shift

TD…Favre did it again…this defense is getting gashed

Unbelievable what defense is allowing

24-24 :27 seconds

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

No chance can DA lead this team for a FG

Sacked twice…need some grown men on this O-line

------end of regulation-------

Fitz wins coin flip

Tough throw under pressure…why not run the football…OT is not hurry up…you're not trailing…don't get emotional…get first downs…let that defense rest

Another pass and a sack…RUN THE FOOTBALL!...you're line can't stop this rush…just get first downs, move the ball and either get the FG or at least flip field position

Another sack…you have to pass on 3rd and long but that sack was set-up but the play-calling

Just heard MIN had 6 sacks going into game and 6 sacks today

Punt…

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

24-24 13:38 OT ball on Min 31

I have no doubt in my mind MIN is winning this game

Peterson and O-line gash for 30…WOW a running play in OT, what a novel concept

Another run…no flag for hold

Toler with his huge gap again and a 20 yrd gain…it's over

Another run…I didn't know you can run the football in OT

Peterson again

Peterson again

FG…ball game…27-24

The pain on this team is so palpable.

I felt it walking up the tunnel with the players after the USC game. I felt it entering the locker room with the video staff. I saw it on Dennis Erickson's face as he stared blankly at a poorly painted wall in a small storage room where his post-game radio interview was held. I felt it walking up the ramp to the team busses with ASU staff.

The loss to Wisconsin brought hope. The loss to Oregon brought optimism. The loss to Oregon State brought frustration. The loss to Cal brought embarrassment. This loss only brought pain.

It doesn't matter that USC isn't what it once was. It's the symbolism. It's the losing streak. It's the missed opportunity. It's the continual close losses. It's the feeling "we're getting closer." It's the wonder, "Are we spinning our wheels?"

I don't get into this play or that play in a game like this. No matter who lost, the losing team was going to look at about 5 plays that could have gone the other way. The teams lost a total of 10 points in the kicking game. Each team had a pick 6. Devils got a kick return TD but USC could have easily had a punt return fumble. See what I mean? Any play you try to change the outcome in ASU's favor, you could do the same for USC.

This loss just creates an empty feeling but that emptiness should not be filled with hopelessness. Capitulation to the pain is not an option. It will be tough on the kids. Stanford's not going to feel sorry for ASU. That is a physical team. Any lingering affects from the USC loss will be difficult to overcome.

Stanford will expose any flaw in ASU preparation this week. If the players or coaches spend any time in self-pity, the Stanford game could get ugly. In the four years I've lived here, I can see this is the toughest week to be a Devil. There will be fans that quit on the team. There will be questions about all the tough losses.

It will be interesting to see who will be the toughest Devil this week. Will it be a fan who decides to buy a ticket to the Stanford game? Will it be an advertiser who agrees to back the Devils for 2011 based on hope? Will it be a punter who realizes his important place on the team and in society? Will it be a kicker who makes the 2010 season start right now and forgets the past? Will it be a middle linebacker who learns to be mentally stronger? It could be a quarterback who starts to trust his reads more than he hopes. It could be a head coach that stands firm with and against his players. Maybe it's the athletic director who must endure another week of questions about the future.

Who will be the toughest Devil?

The week 3 standings are out for the BCS.

In case you don't know from the things I've said on air. I want a playoff in college football but I don't have a problem with the BCS formula. I just don't want it used to narrow the field from 120 to 2.

I have yet to hear any "pro current system" argument that I can't destroy on logical grounds. Of course there's one argument I can't beat and that is anyone saying they like the current system and they don't want it changed. Other than that, I'm still waiting for someone to convince me to give up my dream for a college football playoff.

I put before you the Doug Franz College Football Playoff. Every week the BCS rankings will change, therefore changing the teams making the playoff. Check in each week and see how things have changed. At the end of the season, it's up to you to pick the winners of each game and set in motion the championship challenge. If you want an explanation for the way my formula works, check the bottom of the blog.

Here's the playoff pairings if the regular season ended today.

16) Pitt @ 1) Oregon
15) Hawaii @ 2) Auburn
14) Va Tech @ 3) TCU
13) Stanford @ 4) Boise St
12) Mizzou @ 5) Utah
11) Ohio St @ 6) Alabama
10) LSU @ 7) Nebraska
9) Wisconsin @ 8) Oklahoma

OBSERVATIONS:

Michigan State losses last weekend and gets knocked out of the playoff.

Don't worry Spartan fans. One of the reasons you're out is Hawaii is in. The WAC has earned an automatic bid as a top 8 conference and Hawaii is 5-0 in the conference. They travel to Boise St this weekend. Once that loss goes on their record, another spot will be opened for a wild card team.

Mizzou went from a home team against an Ohio State University to traveling to Utah.

Tell me this playoff game wouldn't be huge: Wisconsin @Oklahoma with the winner going to Oregon. The power of Wisconsin v Oregon's speed.

It might be a little warm for a sweater vest in Tuscaloosa.

What a great showcase for the west coast! Stanford @ BSU. If Auburn and LSU wins, they would play twice. I think that's a great thing.

I can't believe how far some heavyweights have fallen. UGA=61; Tenn=77.

TCU and Utah meet this weekend to ensure the MWC championship bid. This playoff still ensures the regular season is still the most important thing. Win this regular season game and you've basically guaranteed a playoff spot. Lose, and you're fighting for a wild card bid the rest of the year.

I never thought I'd put together a 16-team playoff with Florida, Texas, and USC all uninvited.

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN:

By ranking every team, you get a true representation of the best conference by simply taking the average BCS rank of every team in the conference. This playoff system makes every college football game in the country vital because it rewards teams and conferences alike.

Here's the ranking of the conferences after week 6 of the BCS and the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.

1) Big 12: 32.42
2) Pac-10: 38.6
3) SEC: 38.83
4) Big 10: 41.82
5) ACC: 56.17
6) MWC: 59.56
7) WAC: 65.44
8) Big East: 66.88
9) C-USA: 76.25
10) MAC: 89.54
11) Sun Belt: 105.22

CONFERENCE OBSERVATIONS:

I never imagined the SEC wouldn't be number one. The fact that it's number 3 is shocking.

The ACC was in the low 40's last week. Another conference loss to a D2 school (this time UNC) really hurt the conference.

Why does the Big East have an automatic bid into the BCS? They are the 8th best conference by the very formula used to rank the top 2 teams.

The SEC West alone would come in at a 20.67 rank. It's amazing that the average team in any one division is a top 25 team in BCS rank. As a point of reference, the highest ranked team in the ACC is Va Tech (23) and Syracuse tops the Big East (44).

Speaking of Syracuse, only the Sun Belt and MAC have their number one team ranked lower than the Big East's number one team.

76.25 is the lowest I've ever seen C-USA.

One game to keep an eye on for the BCS and not the DFCFP is Chattanooga @ Auburn. This game will affect Auburn's seed in the DFCFP but the real effect is on the BCS. Chattanooga will bring down Auburn's ranking and place the winner of TCU/Utah in the 2 spot. Don't worry when it happens though. The winner of the Iron Bowl is still going to Glendale unless LSU does something.

PLAYOFF EXPLANATION:

The magic of the DFCFP is how it highlights the regular season more than any other system. Here's the process for coming up with the teams for the playoff.

1)Rank all D-1 (FBS) teams 1-120 (from Auburn to Akron).
2)Rank all the conferences 1-11 based on the average BCS rank of the teams in the conference.
3)Reward the first place team in the top 8 conferences with an automatic bid.
4)Independents—this means you Notre Dame—get no special treatment. If you're not in a conference, earn a wild card bid or join a conference.
5)Select 8 wild-card teams based on BCS rank excluding those already selected with an automatic bid.
6)Rank the 16 teams based on BCS rank with no regard to status as an automatic qualifier or wild-card entry.
7)First two rounds are at the home of the better seed. This benefits Northern teams so the South would have to play in the elements.
8)Final Four and Championship game are played at a rotation among Fiesta, Cotton, Sugar, Rose.

I'm aware that after the first two rounds there are three games left at neutral sites with four bowl game hosts. This is leverage in case the Rose wants to stick to tradition. If they duck out I've got three games and three bowls. If the Rose does want to stay involved, there would be a new bowl game created for the two teams that just missed out on the playoff. This week would be Arizona v Oklahoma State in Glendale.

I give you the extra bowl game just to prove that the bowls don't have to die. Arizona v Oklahoma State is still a great college football game with great fans. We wouldn't have 35 bowl games anymore—sorry Pinstripe Bowl—but some of the big ones with tradition don't have to go anywhere. If you're an ASU fan are you saying you wouldn't go watch the Devils against Texas in a Holiday Bowl just because it wasn't in the playoff? You'd still get the benefit of extra practices to prepare for your bowl game. Players would still get to enjoy the goodies they receive for participating. As for the fans, we get a real champion.

Feel free to ask me any questions or give me your opinions and I'll put it in the mailbag: doug@ktar.com

Wished hyphen would have cut back right on the KO…course my vantage point is easy on that

Wonderful to establish the run that quick

Hall actually went through his progressions

DON'T throw that pass…oh, I hope he knew it was off-sides and was taking a chance

Lot's of quick passes…good game plan

Why challenge that with 15 still on the playclock? Let your booth have more time to look at it before making your decision. I don't think they'll overturn this anyway.

Punt

Getting pressure with only 4 rushing

Forced to dump on 3rd down

Pretty long kick for a shank

0-0 11:03 in 1st

What a terrible route run by Fitz. Why did he slow down? Should Hall throw his hands up in frustration? Will Max not re-sign with AZ now that Fitz ran a bad route, Jaworski?

Excellent job looking off the zone defense by Max. He knew Wells was all he had but he never sold out the play.

Not a good pass to Larry. You can get him killed leading him too far over the middle.

Impossible to improve on that pass to Fitz—over the LB and under the safety

Great call on the reverse…even better block by Patrick

Amazing feet by Larry…Hall aimed that to make sure and almost missed it

Hall's 1st TD pass

7-0 AZ…9 plays…61y

That's one of the top 5 holds of the year on the KO

Another play by Alan Branch…the guy has been incredible…what do the Cards do with this guy? Over the course of three years he doesn't deserve any money at all for free agency. Over the course of 2010, he deserves big money.

Great tackle on 3rd down to get off the field

Andre…don't do that again…catch that bounce and go out of bounds

7-0 AZ…4:56 left 1st

All the screams for more Wells and guess who blows his assignment…Wells. I hope we can stop the demand for more Wells now. That should have been an easy pick-up. That was a young QB mistake. Hall felt the pressure and tried to make something happen when nothing was there. It takes months for a new QB to learn not to be a hero and just take the sack.

7-7…4:15 1st Q

Very conservative calls on that drive…probably a good thing.

Freeman is telegraphing the plays. When it's a run, he doesn't scan the defense because he knows he doesn't have to.

Roberts was close to a penalty. You can't fair catch and run, that's delay of game.

Wells was upset someone missed a block but I couldn't tell who it was.

End of 1st 7-7

Good pass…even though it was incomplete it would have been a Wright catch or incomplete…that's progress

Great play call and recognition to get it to Fitz for the conversion

This drive just hit a wall of penalties and bad execution

Punt……….HEY……..Hyphen with the recovery

1st & 10 ball on 16

Wright underneath the coverage for 8yds

GREAT 2nd down run when you consider Lutui was a waste on the play

Another great Wells run since no one blocked in the A gap

You better get the ball in when you pull Fitz out and bring in all that beef into the backfield…TD

14-7 AZ…4 plays…16 yds

Nice KO…touchback

Great playfake from Freeman…didn't see the D-holding

Freeman doing a better job of buying time in the pocket without bailing…it was only a 2 yard gain but better than the alternative

OUCH!...Greg Toler was snooping in the backfield

3 plays in 80 yds for the TD

14-14 8:59 2nd Q

I love it when they roll Max out…while I was typing, I thought it gained more than 4 yards.

Hall kept his eyes down field, stepped up to avoid the blitz and had great accuracy for the 1st down

What is he not seeing? There was a CB and a safety right there. Just a terrible decision.

DA's warming up

21-14 TB 6:25 2nd Q

Here's DA

I blew the call on that one. I thought it was incomplete. Huge play for DA and the Cards.

The interior of the O-line isn't getting it done. I'd love to see Fanaca play to the level of the hype.

Good play call on 3rd down. Bad execution by Sendlein. He didn't complete the block and Wright was tackled.

I agree with going for it because your defense has played well. Yes that 3 play drive was atrocious but you have to look at the whole game.

Why not call time out? Use your time outs before the 2 minute warning so you force more plays before the warning.

Big failure by the defense on 3rd down

Another big failure by the defense

Another big failure by the defense (I recant…should have kicked FG if the defense is this bad)

Great pass by Freeman, terrible drop

I didn't see the PI on the A-Dub INT

Atrocious play by the defense to allow a FG when the drive started at the 2

24-14 HT

Bad coverage but good tackle to start 3rd Q

Can't make a hole much bigger than that

Good play by Calais to shed his back

I'm going deep on 3rd & 1 if I'm TB. Take advantage of the 10 point lead.

Looked like a play fake and a roll out with deep options before the penalty…now it's 3rd & 6

Ouch…1st down

Two nice sticks on run defense for 3rd and 7

Terrible dropped pass…should have been a first down

Good punt…good return

24-14 TB…10:52 3rd

Perfect pass from DA…maybe DA should come in as a back-up every game

When you hit a $14 million man in the hands, pls catch the football

Quick screen on 3rd and 10 isn't a bad play call…every pass play before that was…RUN the football!

Ignorant play by Iwebema…the ball checked up so what are you diving for…it's not college

24-14 TB…9:22 3rdQ

Good pursuit by Dockett on the Blount comeback

Thought Dockett was going to get there…instead it's a 5 yrd gain

Outstanding play call if your offensive line is playing well. It would be nice to see the D-line do something

Even worse…Freeman has all day…Dockett is Eric Byrnes

TB just ran right at Dockett. Shows what they think of him.

This D-Line is a waste of time…Big run by Freeman

Blount's a beast…bad human being but good RB…TD

31-14 TB 4:35 3rd

Hey!!! A running play!!

I like the quick screens. Love them even more if they were run off of play-action from a successful running game.

Good play call on the Utah pass…wish Patrick hadn't made the tackle

DA looked off the safety and threw it to an area where it couldn't be intercepted…good call, good decision

A RUNNING TD! Great trap block by Patrick to make it a first down run. Good block by Fitz to make it a TD

31-21 TB…55 sec…3rd

Horrible tackle by Dockett…never mind…FMB!...TD Hayes

TB challenge but I think ball's out

31-28 TB…33 sec

There's a Dan Williams sighting. He completely stuffed a double team on his own and made the tackle

End of 3rd 31-28 TB

Still terrible pressure by the d-line but great tackle by Rhodes

FS for TB's 7th penalty…1st & 15

Good containment by LB's to keep it to a 2 yard gain

Great defensive stand…everyone needed to see that

Still 12 minutes left and TB's out of timeouts

Good return on the punt

31-28 TB….11:37 4th Q…AZ ball on TB48

So close to an INT and it becomes 1st & goal

Breaston stays down after play…just got his career high in yards

1st and 10…ball's on 12

I like the play call on the misdirection but it didn't work

Scary pass to Doucett and now he's down…took some shots to the mid-section

I hate that play call and it scores a TD. A college quick screen with a WR blocking but it worked to Fitz.

35-31 AZ…9:41 4th

Two pass plays for 1st downs

Dockett made the tackle while being held…I give him credit

3rd & 3 and the noise is coming through the glass of the press box

1st down underneath…maybe too early, they want to measure

That was horrific defense by Rhodes. He was standing flat-footed as the WR approached and didn't start running until after the WR ran by him

TD run up the gut

38-35 TB…5:13 4th

DA almost got hyphen killed. It is the QB's job to see the LB there and not to throw that pass. I'd rather have Max hall throw picks but keep receivers alive.

INT for Ruud.

Why not at least attempt to go to the end zone? There's too much time left to run out the clock.

Bad sack taken by Freeman. Now the kick is 53 yards.

BLOCKED!!

PI…good call but I can't believe how late the flag was

Almost another INT. I thought these new jerseys would make it easier to see your own teammates.

Great move by Breaston…now in FG range to tie and going for the win

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Another pick!!!!!!!!!!!!DA forced it into Fitz

What a play by Blount! That leap was incredible.

Two stuffs in front of an empty house…there's no one here

TB to punt

38-35 TB…:55 sec

Good quick dump as long as you get out-of-bounds…ball on 24

Threw to Fitz in triple coverage…thank goodness it just fell incomplete

Fumble recovery by Brown

Why is DA doing signals? It's sandlot football now. Run a play

Game over…horrible loss…Wells had 16 carries

Wished hyphen would have cut back right on the KO…course my vantage point is easy on that

Wonderful to establish the run that quick

Hall actually went through his progressions

DON'T throw that pass…oh, I hope he knew it was off-sides and was taking a chance

Lot's of quick passes…good game plan

Why challenge that with 15 still on the playclock? Let your booth have more time to look at it before making your decision. I don't think they'll overturn this anyway.

Punt

Getting pressure with only 4 rushing

Forced to dump on 3rd down

Pretty long kick for a shank

0-0 11:03 in 1st

What a terrible route run by Fitz. Why did he slow down? Should Hall throw his hands up in frustration? Will Max not re-sign with AZ now that Fitz ran a bad route, Jaworski?

Excellent job looking off the zone defense by Max. He knew Wells was all he had but he never sold out the play.

Not a good pass to Larry. You can get him killed leading him too far over the middle.

Impossible to improve on that pass to Fitz—over the LB and under the safety

Great call on the reverse…even better block by Patrick

Amazing feet by Larry…Hall aimed that to make sure and almost missed it

Hall's 1st TD pass

7-0 AZ…9 plays…61y

That's one of the top 5 holds of the year on the KO

Another play by Alan Branch…the guy has been incredible…what do the Cards do with this guy? Over the course of three years he doesn't deserve any money at all for free agency. Over the course of 2010, he deserves big money.

Great tackle on 3rd down to get off the field

Andre…don't do that again…catch that bounce and go out of bounds

7-0 AZ…4:56 left 1st

All the screams for more Wells and guess who blows his assignment…Wells. I hope we can stop the demand for more Wells now. That should have been an easy pick-up. That was a young QB mistake. Hall felt the pressure and tried to make something happen when nothing was there. It takes months for a new QB to learn not to be a hero and just take the sack.

7-7…4:15 1st Q

Very conservative calls on that drive…probably a good thing.

Freeman is telegraphing the plays. When it's a run, he doesn't scan the defense because he knows he doesn't have to.

Roberts was close to a penalty. You can't fair catch and run, that's delay of game.

Wells was upset someone missed a block but I couldn't tell who it was.

End of 1st 7-7

Good pass…even though it was incomplete it would have been a Wright catch or incomplete…that's progress

Great play call and recognition to get it to Fitz for the conversion

This drive just hit a wall of penalties and bad execution

Punt……….HEY……..Hyphen with the recovery

1st & 10 ball on 16

Wright underneath the coverage for 8yds

GREAT 2nd down run when you consider Lutui was a waste on the play

Another great Wells run since no one blocked in the A gap

You better get the ball in when you pull Fitz out and bring in all that beef into the backfield…TD

14-7 AZ…4 plays…16 yds

Nice KO…touchback

Great playfake from Freeman…didn't see the D-holding

Freeman doing a better job of buying time in the pocket without bailing…it was only a 2 yard gain but better than the alternative

OUCH!...Greg Toler was snooping in the backfield

3 plays in 80 yds for the TD

14-14 8:59 2nd Q

I love it when they roll Max out…while I was typing, I thought it gained more than 4 yards.

Hall kept his eyes down field, stepped up to avoid the blitz and had great accuracy for the 1st down

What is he not seeing? There was a CB and a safety right there. Just a terrible decision.

DA's warming up

21-14 TB 6:25 2nd Q

Here's DA

I blew the call on that one. I thought it was incomplete. Huge play for DA and the Cards.

The interior of the O-line isn't getting it done. I'd love to see Fanaca play to the level of the hype.

Good play call on 3rd down. Bad execution by Sendlein. He didn't complete the block and Wright was tackled.

I agree with going for it because your defense has played well. Yes that 3 play drive was atrocious but you have to look at the whole game.

Why not call time out? Use your time outs before the 2 minute warning so you force more plays before the warning.

Big failure by the defense on 3rd down

Another big failure by the defense

Another big failure by the defense (I recant…should have kicked FG if the defense is this bad)

Great pass by Freeman, terrible drop

I didn't see the PI on the A-Dub INT

Atrocious play by the defense to allow a FG when the drive started at the 2

24-14 HT

Bad coverage but good tackle to start 3rd Q

Can't make a hole much bigger than that

Good play by Calais to shed his back

I'm going deep on 3rd & 1 if I'm TB. Take advantage of the 10 point lead.

Looked like a play fake and a roll out with deep options before the penalty…now it's 3rd & 6

Ouch…1st down

Two nice sticks on run defense for 3rd and 7

Terrible dropped pass…should have been a first down

Good punt…good return

24-14 TB…10:52 3rd

Perfect pass from DA…maybe DA should come in as a back-up every game

When you hit a $14 million man in the hands, pls catch the football

Quick screen on 3rd and 10 isn't a bad play call…every pass play before that was…RUN the football!

Ignorant play by Iwebema…the ball checked up so what are you diving for…it's not college

24-14 TB…9:22 3rdQ

Good pursuit by Dockett on the Blount comeback

Thought Dockett was going to get there…instead it's a 5 yrd gain

Outstanding play call if your offensive line is playing well. It would be nice to see the D-line do something

Even worse…Freeman has all day…Dockett is Eric Byrnes

TB just ran right at Dockett. Shows what they think of him.

This D-Line is a waste of time…Big run by Freeman

Blount's a beast…bad human being but good RB…TD

31-14 TB 4:35 3rd

Hey!!! A running play!!

I like the quick screens. Love them even more if they were run off of play-action from a successful running game.

Good play call on the Utah pass…wish Patrick hadn't made the tackle

DA looked off the safety and threw it to an area where it couldn't be intercepted…good call, good decision

A RUNNING TD! Great trap block by Patrick to make it a first down run. Good block by Fitz to make it a TD

31-21 TB…55 sec…3rd

Horrible tackle by Dockett…never mind…FMB!...TD Hayes

TB challenge but I think ball's out

31-28 TB…33 sec

There's a Dan Williams sighting. He completely stuffed a double team on his own and made the tackle

End of 3rd 31-28 TB

Still terrible pressure by the d-line but great tackle by Rhodes

FS for TB's 7th penalty…1st & 15

Good containment by LB's to keep it to a 2 yard gain

Great defensive stand…everyone needed to see that

Still 12 minutes left and TB's out of timeouts

Good return on the punt

31-28 TB….11:37 4th Q…AZ ball on TB48

So close to an INT and it becomes 1st & goal

Breaston stays down after play…just got his career high in yards

1st and 10…ball's on 12

I like the play call on the misdirection but it didn't work

Scary pass to Doucett and now he's down…took some shots to the mid-section

I hate that play call and it scores a TD. A college quick screen with a WR blocking but it worked to Fitz.

35-31 AZ…9:41 4th

Two pass plays for 1st downs

Dockett made the tackle while being held…I give him credit

3rd & 3 and the noise is coming through the glass of the press box

1st down underneath…maybe too early, they want to measure

That was horrific defense by Rhodes. He was standing flat-footed as the WR approached and didn't start running until after the WR ran by him

TD run up the gut

38-35 TB…5:13 4th

DA almost got hyphen killed. It is the QB's job to see the LB there and not to throw that pass. I'd rather have Max hall throw picks but keep receivers alive.

INT for Ruud.

Why not at least attempt to go to the end zone? There's too much time left to run out the clock.

Bad sack taken by Freeman. Now the kick is 53 yards.

BLOCKED!!

PI…good call but I can't believe how late the flag was

Almost another INT. I thought these new jerseys would make it easier to see your own teammates.

Great move by Breaston…now in FG range to tie and going for the win

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Another pick!!!!!!!!!!!!DA forced it into Fitz

What a play by Blount! That leap was incredible.

Two stuffs in front of an empty house…there's no one here

TB to punt

38-35 TB…:55 sec

Good quick dump as long as you get out-of-bounds…ball on 24

Threw to Fitz in triple coverage…thank goodness it just fell incomplete

Fumble recovery by Brown

Why is DA doing signals? It's sandlot football now. Run a play

Game over…horrible loss…Wells had 16 carries

For the greatest nation in the World's history, Election Day is Tuesday. For the Arizona State Sun Devils, Election Day was Saturday. The players voted for Dennis Erickson for President.

It's very easy to dismiss a win against Washington State. If you're skeptical fan, you can easily ask to be awakened once ASU beats someone from any state with a capital city different than Olympia. I think this was a huge win for ASU. It tells me what the players think of Erickson.

Losing to Cal was embarrassing. Check that. Losing to Cal the way ASU lost was embarrassing. Almost everyone losses at Cal so that's not the embarrassing part. Very few players came to compete in that game. Making matters worse, Coach Erickson probably read the riot act to the players at halftime and there was very little effect.

Even with a loss to Washington State, I still would have supported Erickson for 2011. However, my argument would have lacked clarity. When a team with few wins for the last couple years gets blown out after a bye week, it's acceptable to wonder if the coach still has the attention of the players. A loss to one of the worst football teams in college football history, on your home field, following an embarrassing loss the week before shows a major problem. That problem didn't show.

It's important to see this game in the context of what Washington State was appearing to build. Every loss this year seemed to be getting closer. Every game, the Cougs were in the game longer before it was out of reach. ASU destroyed Wazzu in every aspect of the game of football. For the first time this year against a D-1 opponent, ASU got pressure rushing only four. I don't think coach Craig Bray trusts his secondary enough to rush five and six consistently. The whole key to ASU's defense is getting pressure from the front four based on the rotation. My opinion is Bray wants to rotate D-linemen so much that an O-line will wear out. Every defense rotates linemen but I've never seen anyone do it as much as ASU.

Since ASU was getting pressure early in the game before the effects of fatigue take over, that's player emotion. The players brought an intensity they haven't all year. The O-line was man-handling Wazzu. Threet was excellent with his reads and poise. The receivers only had two bad drops and actually made some plays on other throws that were difficult.

If ASU would have lost, the screams for regime change would have been very loud. I really don't know if Lisa Love could have ignored them. Obviously, her opinion is the only one that matters. Regime change would have led to the same situation. The new coach would have come in and won with Coach Erickson's players and then the program would struggle through rebuilding and ASU fans would want that coach out in 2014.

The best chance for ASU success is with Dennis Erickson in place for 2011. The players have spoken.