The Hunt for October, MLB hits a home run with new ten team playoff

Playoff time. The most exciting time in all of sports.

But perhaps, even more exciting is that final run at the end of the season to make the playoffs.

If you are not following the MLB playoff race this season, you are missing out. The MLB has done an amazing job at turning the last few weeks of the long 162 game season into something really exciting and special.

When first hearing about MLB adding the 5th playoff team to the AL and NL, AKA the 2nd Wild Card team, I was skeptical, I think we all were. However, we are in year one of the new playoff system and it is awesome!

Unlike in the NHL and NBA where 16 teams make the playoffs, there is excitement at the end of the season in MLB. In NHL and NBA teams can clinch top four playoff spots close to two or more months before the season is over. That leaves us fans to watch bad teams fighting it out for 7 and 8 seeds to close out the year.You put that together with a two month, four round playoff and by the time we hit the finals, the teams are so worn down, you are not seeing the best from the teams.

What MLB has done is brought excitement back to the end of the season and continuing right into the playoffs. No baseball fan will ever forget game 162 last season. The Rays vs. The Yankees, The Red Sox vs. The Orioles, The Cardinals vs. The Astros & The Braves vs. The  Phillies.

Four games in one night that will go down in MLB history and will be forever etched in the minds of those of us that watched them. Even if our teams were winners or losers, we will always remember" Game 162, 2011" .  

I remember the Rays vs. Yankees game was on ESPN TV and the Red Sox vs. Orioles game on ESPN3.com. I had them both going at the same time and watched as the Red Sox blew their lead and lose the game. Just two minutes later, Evan Longoria drills a home run in extra innings just over the left field wall in walk off fashion to send the Rays to the playoffs.

Awesome.

A moment so big in Tampa Bay Rays history, they made a monument of it right where the baseball landed.

No way baseball could top that night one year later, right? With the new five team playoff rules, they are well on their way to doing it again.

With as little as nine games left in the regular season, teams are just now clinching playoffs spots, not two months early like in other leagues. Baseball is putting an emphases on the importance of winning your division and having a secure playoff spot.

Don't win your division? That is fine, you are now one of two teams playing in the unpredictable one game Wild Card Playoff.

How exciting is that? Teams, like the Braves, may have all ready clinched a playoff spot, but it is not time for them to rest players and give up on the season. They have the chance to keep fighting and win their division and skip that unpredictable one game Wild Card Playoff. This is what makes baseball exciting.

Rewards for the teams that have earned it in the regular season and an uphill climb for the teams that were good, but not the best.

Much like the FCS Playoffs in College Football. They have a 24 team playoff with the top 8 teams earning a first round bye. That is so exciting because it gives teams that earned it, a playoff shot, and teams that earned it more, a bit of a rest. Just like in the NFL.

Love FCS Playoffs, Love NFL Playoffs and right now I am loving MLB playoffs.

Just Six games are left in the 2012 regular season, Only two teams have clinched their division out of six, only four teams out of ten have guaranteed a playoff spot, and with six games to go, 14 MLB teams still have a chance to make the playoffs.

What a time to be a fan of Baseball.

Well done Bud. You other leagues...*cough* NBA,NHL,FBSFOOTBALL *cough* can take notes from MLB.

Less is more.

Gaming World - 2027 Troy Trojans - Conference USA Championship Game

Conference USA Championship time. The Troy Trojans vs. The UTEP Miners. You all know what happened last time Troy played UTEP, but if you don't ---> (UTEP Game Recap)

Well this was championship game time. The Trojans were dead set on not letting this team have their way again and go to overtime. #2 Troy was was ready for this game!

If you have looked at the stats in the past blogs, you can see that just like Troy, UTEP has a top offense in college football too.

Just look at how Troy compares to UTEP in every stat. We both rank in the top 4 in every single offensive stat except rush offense. How crazy is that? Even both of our defenses are ranked in the top 14 of the nation. We are both almost equal in every single way. It is so easy to see now at the end of the year why we went to double over time back in week 4.

I remember back when I was a student a Troy University and taking the coaching basketball class with Troy basketball coach Don Maestri, that he told us when he was a high school coach he coached a game with a team that was going to be playing in the Super Dome. To make sure his team was not caught up in the moment and overwhelmed by the big arena, he took them though the dome the day before the big game in order to see it and get all the ohhhs and awwws all out of their system.

I took his advice to heart and have done that with my Trojans every time we get to this game. Due to the success of Conference USA, their championship game was held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. One of the biggest and most awe-inspiring stadiums in the world today. More than 100,000 fans have the chance at any given day to pack this stadium.

This will be my 6th time coaching a game in this stadium, but for many of these Trojan players, it will be their first time playing in this massive stadium. Troy holds a 4-1 record all time in Cowboys stadium and we have achieved that record using the Coach Maestri method. I took the team on a tour of the stadium the day before the championship game so they could see it and get all the excitement out of their systems.

It was Saturday at noon. Game time. #2 Troy vs. #19 UTEP with a shot at the National Championship on the line. I don't think that I mentioned this before, but you know Oklahoma Sooner head coach Bob Stoops? In 2027 he is the head coach of UTEP.

Things got going pretty slow for both teams as both defenses played tough. Troy broke though first in the first quarter when running back Bryan Rhoden completed a long Troy drive with a three yard touchdown run.

Two minutes later, Troy quarterback Alonzo Roberts drilled receiver Chad Gordon in the back of the end zone for a 16 yard touchdown pass. 14-0 Troy. 

When we last played UTEP earlier this season, it was the Miners that got off to a quick start and forced our offense to fight back in the fourth quarter in order to take it to overtime. This time around, a quick start is what I preached to my team, and they listened.

It was all defense in the second quarter up until the final minute...then it all broke loose. Roberts hit receiver Kyle Kidd on a short slant rout that he would break all the way to the end zone. It was a 62 yard touchdown for Roberts. 21-0 Troy.

55 seconds later, UTEP would finally get points on the board when Miner quarterback Corey Conception hit Andrew Dean on a 66 yard touchdown pass. 

It was now 21-7 in favor of the Trojans with just six seconds left on the second quarter clock. My philosophy as a coach has always been if there is time left on the clock, take a smart shot. 97% of the time this results in zero points, 2% of the time this results in an interception and 1% of the time good things happen. UTEP kicked the ball into the end zone and I told my kick returner, no matter where you are on that field, fair catch the football, DO NOT RETURN IT. Returner Chad Gordon listened.

We had the ball at our own 20 yard line with six seconds left of the clock. Hail Mary time. Well won't you believe who won the pony? It was us. That 1% happened in the Conference USA Championship game as Roberts threw the football up into a crowd of cardinal, silver, black, blue and orange. Trojan receiver Adam Rodgers came up with the football and scampered the rest of the way into the end zone to complete an 80 yard touchdown pass. 28-7 Troy at the half.

I told this team in the locker room they better not give up on this UTEP team and I continued to pound the double overtime game into their heads. It must have worked.

We received the football to begin the third quarter and scored in just 24 seconds. Gordon scored on a 45 yard touchdown pass from Roberts. 35-7 Troy.

Later in the quarter, Gordon brought in his third touchdown pass of the football game, this one from six yards out. 42-7 Troy.

We flat out dominated the Minors in this rematch. No one could have predicted this blowout following the double overtime game in the Sun Bowl earlier this season. Not even me.

59 seconds into the fourth quarter Roberts found the end zone for the sixth time when he hit Kidd from 12 yards out. Kidd and Roberts both broke NCAA passing and receiving records on this day, and we will get into more details of the broken records at the end of the season. 

I never thought I would say this against #19 UTEP and Coach Bob Stoops, but it was time to take the starters out of the game and run down the clock. 

Some of the Troy students that made the trip to Arlington for the big game.

The numbers say it all for Alonzo Roberts. What a time for this big time player to step up.

For the fifth time in my seven year coaching career at Troy, we were Conference USA Champions! Sitting on the shelf next to the two Sun Belt titles I won as offensive coordinator at FAU. (History of Coach Burck)

Check out what our defense did to one of the top offensive units in the country. Pure domination.

A look at the school passing records that Roberts has broken. 73 passing touchdowns and 5,918 passing yards.

All of the career Troy records that have been broken this year. The crazy thing about the career record that Kyle Kidd broke...he is only a Junior! Imagine what kind of damage he can do in 2028 if he does not go to the NFL early.

Here is a look at the all time NCAA Passing and receiving records that fell in the UTEP game. What a special season this has been. 

To finish out this blog, a look at where our individual Trojans rank among all other college football players this season. Make note of all the UTEP players on these lists.

Here is how everyone finished up in Conference Championship week:

Troy - Conference USA Champions

WKU - Sun Belt Champions

North Carolina - ACC Champions

Navy - Big East Champions

Alabama - SEC Champions

Air Force - Pac 12 Champions

Wisconsin - B1G Champions

Central Michigan - MAC Champions

Fresno State and Oregon State each shared the Mountain West Championship with 5-2 conference records. 

Utah State won the WAC Championship in 2027 with a 5-1 Conference record.

And last...but not least, #1 TCU finished their season a perfect 12-0 to win the Big XII Championship.

Two Trojans named NCAA Conference Championship week players of the week. More then well deserved!

Up next for the 2027 Trojans is the season end awards and the ESPN Bowl Selection show. Will we be heading to the BCS National Championship game for the second time in three years to take on TCU in the Super Dome? Only one way to find out...tune into the next blog!!

#2 Troy Trojans 2027 Season - (13-0), (10-0)

W - vs MTSU - 72 -6

W - vs Rice*   - 51-24

W - at Tulane*- 42-13

W - at UTEP*- 44-41 (OT 2)

W - vs Houston* - 50-18

W - at Memphis* - 59-31

W - vs Southern Miss* - 24-19

W - at ECU* - 49-28

W - vs UCF* - 45-28

W - vs Notre Dame - 66-13

W - vs FAU* - 59-10

W - at #13 Florida - 38-24

Week 14 - BYE

W- Conference USA Championship Game vs. #19 UTEP - 56-7
Week 16 - Bowl Season

Week 3 NFL Thoughts - Broncos, Cardinals & Jets

Jets @ Dolphins

So remember how back in week 1 I talked about how much I respected Rex Ryan and said how I really enjoyed the kind of coach he was?

Well now I am starting to understand why Jets fans are annoyed with him. Being a 1st year Jets fan, I have watched all three Jets games this season and now I can see why people are getting annoyed with Rex.

I know the man knows what he is doing, but it is so frustrating sometimes.

I do not understand why you go to all the effort to trade for Tim Tebow only to have him sit on the bench on goal line situations. Yes they did use him once and it resulted in a big loss of yards. But as the announcers on the game said "the Jets are making Tim Tebow too predictable"

It is the same stuff every time he comes in the game. Its no wonder the other team's defense is keying on it the moment he comes in.

Not sure if this will work in the NFL, but someone should send Rex and Tony Sparano a copy of what ULM was doing on Friday to Baylor with a two QB system and see if they can try some plays with both Tebow and Sanchez on the field at the same time. When I say on the field at the same time, I mean in the backfield, not with Tebow at receiver and Sanchez hitting him in the head with a football.

Some thoughts from @RealSkipBayless on twitter that I agree with:

"Jets use Tebow on 3rd-3 as RECEIVER? Covered but Sanchez fires bullet, hits Tebow in helmet before turns head. NOT WHAT HE DOES. Just dumb."

"Sanchez missed more than hit - 47%. Pretty awful. 2 INTs. But kicker let him off hook, helped save Rex from a week of "It's Tebow Time!"

"Best Jets play of 1st half - Tebow 1st down run on fake punt 4-3 from own 25. Led to FG. But Jets down 10-3. Come on, Rex, UNLEASH HIM."

Like always, got to agree with my man Skip, UNLEASH TEBOW! No reason to have traded for him to have him sit on the bench like this. As I said in my week 1 blog "This Jets offense is fun to watch with the QB's swapping in and out"

After a week 1 blow out, the Jets have gone back to being predictably boring offense and it showed once again this week.

*Monday morning blog update*

Just to add to my point, from ESPN's Mike and Mike in the morning, diehard Jets fan Mike Greenberg had this to say on twitter:

@Espngreeny: My disappointment w/ #Tebow is in how uncreative it has been. Aside from the fake snap, anyone could have called every play he's run. #Jets

Jets got lucky to win this one. They can, and I know they did, thank their defense, the Miami kicker and a poorly timed icing the kicker timeout as reasons they snuck away with a win. 

Texans @ Broncos

Lets go ahead and continue with the bad news before we get to the good news.

This game started out great! Then went down hill.

Everyone can get some blame on this game, the defense early on for letting Matt Schaub throw the ball all over the place, the offensive line for not giving Manning enough time to throw the football and the receivers for dropping passes like crazy and not getting open.

A part of me hopes this mess continues in the weeks to come so people can really start to realize what I have said all along about Tebow; he really did not have it easy with this team.

Same problems from last season keep creeping up, like dropped passes and a poor o-line that helped contribute to poor production on offense at times when Tebow was QB.

It did not help one bit either that players like Tracy Porter and Willis McGahee got hurt. Stuff like that will really slow a team down and thoughts are with them as they battle though these injuries.

Peyton tried to do his best "Tebow" AKA 4th Quarter comeback, for the second week in a row and was not successful. I feel like the reason the Broncos got rid of our last QB was because they did not want to wait until the fourth quarter to win games.

Yet here we are, a new year and a new quarterback and it is the some old song and dance, scrambling to win games at the last minute.

I said it in another blog and I will say it here...Peyton, I respect you and think you are one heck of a football player and I know you are trying hard with this team...but you picked the wrong team. You should been in...

Eagles @ Cardinals

...Arizona enjoying this success. What a start to the season for the Arizona Cardinals! With all the QB talks and problems this team had...who saw this coming? I didn't.

The Cardinals are 3-0 for first time since '74, before any current Cardinals were born. Vonnie Holliday, the oldest, was born in '75.

That says something right there.

"The most underrated defense in the NFL" did it again. They punished Michael Vick and the Eagles offense and did not allow the 2-0 Eagles to score a single touchdown. How about the play from the defense at the end of the 2nd quarter? The 93 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.

How awesome was that? That one play turned this game from a possible 17-10 game going into the 4th quarter into a 24-0 game. That is how big that play was.

While the D continues to be great, lets show some love to the offense. One player I am really starting to enjoy watching is running back Ryan Williams from Virginia Tech. He stepped in for an injured Chris Wells and rushed the football 13 times for 83 yards.

QB Kevin Kolb did his part too, 17/24 for 222 yards, 2 Touchdowns and no interceptions. 

Player of the day goes to all around good guy Larry Fitzgerald. One of the nicest and well spoken people you will ever know. Fitz had 9 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. He always seams to show up and play big when the Eagles are in town. Flitz became the youngest player in NFL history to 700 receptions. Congrats Larry, you deserve it.

Peyton Manning - Did he make the right choice?

Yes I know. "Only time will tell if Peyton made the right choice"

And sure, I may be jumping the gun just a little bit writing this just two weeks into the 2012 NFL season.

But as a Broncos fan first and foremost and a Cardinals fan second, the thought keeps running through my head.

Peyton Manning is on the wrong team.

I love the Denver Broncos and I always will no matter what they do. (Even after getting rid of my favorite QB since John Elway played the game)

However, every time I see Manning in a Broncos uniform I just keep thinking. "This is not right".

Who knows? Maybe I will be proved wrong in a couple of years, but deep down, until I see Peyton hold up a Super Bowl trophy in blue and orange, I will continue to think Peyton should be in red and white.

We could also sit here and debate the fact that the 49ers look like one of the best teams in football and that is where Peyton should have gone to win a Super Bowl and yes that is true, but I think Coach Jim Harbaugh does best with young QBs and pushing them to the next level (Andrew Luck & Alex Smith). Not sure how he would do with a seasoned vet like Peyton, who rightfully so, is dead set in his own ways.

That brings us to Arizona. How could Peyton not see it? Does he have he own personal reasons for going to Denver? Sure. But the Cardinals have been here before and Peyton should have noticed that.

Pop Quiz. Name one of each of retired and current players. Who is/was an old veteran Superbowl winning quarterback at the end of his career forced to join a new team by no choice of his own? Who does that sound like?

Kurt Warner & Peyton Manning.

4 years ago, with the same kind of quarterback, in the same situation that Peyton is in, the Arizona Cardinals went to a Super Bowl. How do you pass that up?

I feel like the Cardinals are ready for Superbowls. They have one of the most underrated defenses in the entire NFL.

Don't think so? Look at what they did to Tom Brady last week on the road. Four sacks and close to 20 incomplete passes. Brady did not have a passing touchdown until two minutes to go in the fourth quarter. For that matter, the entire Patriots team was held to just four field goals though the first 58 minutes of the football game. When was the last time this happened?

Look at what they did to the Seahawks in week 1. They held Marshawn Lynch to 85 yards rushing on 21 attempts and no touchdowns. One week later he rushed for 122 yards on 26 tires and a touchdown against a Cowboys team fresh off a win over the 2-1 Superbowl champion Giants. Check these numbers out.

PTS

17.0
(5th)

YDS

320.5
(13th)

PASS YDS

218.0
(11th)

RUSH YDS

102.5
(14th)

Ok, ok, I hear you yelling at me, Peyton could care less about defense right? Sure he likes to see low scores on the other side of the scoreboard, but he is an offensive guy.

People talk big about how great the Denver Broncos offensive line is. I just don't see it. Watch this and tell me if this looks like a good O-Line?

How many times did Tebow drop back only to have pressure right in his face? This against the Dolphins

So far in 2012, Peyton has been sacked five times in two games. The combination of Kolb & Skelton has been sacked one time a piece.

Arizona also has great receivers who are just waiting for a good QB to arrive so they can shine.

Larry Fitzgerald and Todd Heap. Peyton has veteran players right there. But Peyton also likes the young players. Early Doucet and Andre Roberts are right there.

Sure he would have had no idea that the Cardinals were going to draft Michael Floyd from Notre Dame, but I am sure the Cardinals front office would have told him they were going that rout in the draft.

Two Veteran Receivers, two new players with NFL experience looking to break out and a young gun.

So to recap, great defense, good offensive line, receivers waiting to break out...put all that together with a head coach that has recent superbowl experience in talking an old QB at the end of his career to the promise land, throw in an awesome indoor stadium, four games a year against the Rams and Seahawks and I just don't know how Peyton passes up Arizona.

The Cardinals are a team on the verge of a Superbowl. I just feel it.

The only missing piece of their superbowl puzzle is a great Quarterback.

PTS

20.0
(27th)

YDS

249.0
(30th)

PASS YDS

175.0
(30th)

RUSH YDS

74.0
(28th

Peyton could have been that puzzle piece. For now I will continue to wonder...Did Peyton make the right choice?

Again, only time will tell if he made right right choice, but for right now, I will continue wonder and think if this would have been in Peyton's future with a trip to the southwest.

Gaming World - 2027 Troy Trojans @ Florida

This is it. The final game of the 2027 regular season. What better way to see what this Troy team is made of than with a trip to the Swamp to play a ranked SEC team. We have done this in the past, big wins over ranked teams like Texas and Oregon to end the season. This is the first of a 2 and 1 series we set up with the Gators. Florida will come to Troy in two seasons in 2029 and Troy will go back to the Swamp in 2030.

After a really good week of practice, I knew this team was ready to pull this off. We are the #2 ranked team in the nation and in a playoff-less college football world, we were just three "playoff" wins away from a National Championship; @ Florida, Conference USA Title game & National Title game.

As you can see, talent wise, Florida has us beat. Not stat wise. You can see how we out rank Florida in every stat but rush offense and pass defense.

And so we arrive at a sold out and LOUD Ben Hill Griffin Stadium AKA "The Swamp"

Florida won the coin toss and kicked the ball off to us. We moved the ball well down the field but had to punt the football to the Gators. 

For this game I knew we could not pass the ball all over the place on this Florida defense. I knew we had to change things up with and show up with a strong running game. The one thing I knew the Gators could not prepare for, because no one had seen it from us all season. There was no game tape on a Trojan running game all season. We have one, we just saved it just for this game.

The Gators quickly took their first possession of the game and marched down to knock in a 23 yard field goal. 3-0 Gators.

After the score it took the Trojans just 18 seconds for us to turn things around and take our first lead of the game. QB Alonzo Roberts connected with WR Chad Gordon on a post rout that he broke for a 64 yard touchdown. We would go on to add a field goal at the end of the 1st quarter. 10-3 Troy.

At this point the sold out swap got loud and Florida took over this game. Three long drives that ate up 75% of the clock in the quarter gave the Gators 17 points to our 7 in the 2nd. 20-17 Florida.

It was time to rally the troops at half time. We had played Florida so strong at this point and I just knew we could pull out the win. I told my defense simply "Do your part and play full speed at 100%. If you hold this team down, I just know that the offense can come though and win this game. It is time for the defense to step up and control this game."

The words must have spoke loud and clear to the Trojan defense, because the Gators did not score a single point in the second half. 

A 63 yard touchdown run by RB Bryan Rhoden followed later in the quarter by a 23 yard TE Kyle Kidd touchdown catch quieted the swamp and helped give us, the Troy Trojans, its 2nd 12-0 season since I have been coach.

What can I say? The game plan worked to perfection. Florida had no way to prepare for a running game from us. No way to study our run game on film as we had used none all season. So we waited until now to throw it at them. 128 yard on 12 carries with 2 touchdowns for Bryan Rhoden. Gators did not see it coming. However, if it was my choice, players of the game would go to each member of the Trojans defense. They won this game for us.

There it is! The 2nd Troy win over an SEC school since I took over as coach. #13 Florida goes down!

Roberts looks primed and ready to become Troy's 2nd Heisman Trophy winner.

Here is at least one member of out defense that gets credit for the big Florida win! Matt Webster named Conference USA Defensive player of the week.

There it is. TCU #1 & Troy #2. Just one win each away from the showdown.

Down below is just some of the final numbers from the Trojans in the regular season when compared to the rest of the nation.

66 Touchdowns and 10 Interceptions. Shattering the Troy all time passing Touchdown record and setting his eyes on many NCAA passing records. What a season.

This is it. Just one game separates the Trojans from going back to the National Championship for the 2nd time in three years. The rematch of the 44-41 double overtime game from week 4. Troy vs. UTEP for the conference championship at Cowboys Stadium! #2 vs. #19! 

#2 Troy Trojans 2027 Season - (12-0), (9-0)

W - vs MTSU - 72 -6

W - vs Rice*   - 51-24

W - at Tulane*- 42-13

W - at UTEP*- 44-41 (OT 2)

W - vs Houston* - 50-18

W - at Memphis* - 59-31

W - vs Southern Miss* - 24-19

W - at ECU* - 49-28

W - vs UCF* - 45-28

W - vs Notre Dame - 66-13

W - vs FAU* - 59-10

W - at #13 Florida - 38-24

Week 14 - BYE

Week 15 - Conference USA Championship Game vs. #19 UTEP
Week 16 - Bowl Season