What Are the Qualities of a Football Team Striker?

Every team is like a useless pack of cards if there are no good strikers because you can't win a match without scoring goals and you can't score goals without having potent strikers. The question then is who is a striker? And what are the qualities of a good striker?

A striker is a football player whose responsibility is to score goals. This simply means that if a striker cannot score goals then he should not be in the team in the first place.

Now, let's look at the qualities of a good striker or forward. A good striker should have a clear vision just like a good goalkeeper. A good striker should be able to convert any chance to a goal. But he cannot just take his chances if he cannot see very well.

A good striker should have speed. This is where counter attack comes into play. If the strikers in a team lack speed then counter attacks become useless. If you take a look at Spanish, Argentine and Brazilian national teams you will appreciate the value of speed to any striker. Spanish, Argentine and Brazilian teams are so good at counter attacks simply because they have strikers that can move with the ball so fast.

A good striker should have what I call "goal sense". This simply means that he or she should know when to use the head or leg. He or she should know when to tap in the ball. He or she should know when to pass the ball to another player that is better positioned to score the goal. He or she should also know when to be selfish with the ball.

A good striker should have inner strength, vigor, stamina, or energy. He or she should be able to surmount any kind of opposition once he or she is with the ball. Great strikers of our time such as Samuel Eto'o Fils of Cameroon and FC Barcelona of Spain, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast and Chelsea FC of England and Wayne Rooney of England and Manchester United of England are some graphic examples of strikers that have the much needed strength.

If you really want to know the latest news in the world of football, visit Football Club Transfer News [http://footballclubtransfernews.com]

England World Cup Tickets

The English national football team represents England in international association football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England, one of the four nations of the United Kingdom, has its own football team. Traditionally, England's greatest rivals have been Scotland in football history who were their opponents in the first-ever international football match in 1870.

The England team had won the FIFA Cup in 1966 when Geoff Hurst completed the only Final hat-trick to date right at the end of extra time by running onto a long ball by Bobby Moore and shooting past the German goalkeeper into the roof of the net. That great victory will always be remembered in the history of England Football team. After that England has been unable to win the title again.

Talking about the England team and its preparations for the event, one can say that since the responsibility of been the Manager of the team is given to Fabio Capello's, it has given some hope to the team, the real redemption began with the February friendly where Capello took charge of England for the first time. His brief was to firstly qualify for, and secondly get as close as possible to winning, the 2010 World Cup. He has been able to fulfil the first task to qualify for the World Cup, now England team is preparing for the World Cup.

John Terry was confirmed as the England captain in August, and will captain England in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. During his first match after being reinstated as the permanent England captain he was given a torrid time by Milan Baros and was turned far too easily when Baros scored the first goal for the Czech Republic. The match ended 2-2 with Joe Cole scoring a fortunate equaliser for England in the 92nd minute of the game.

Now when England has qualified for the World Cup, Capello has nine months to prepare to deliver England's first major title since the 1966 World Cup.

Ticket4Football.com is the most specialized and fully dedicated England WorldCup tickets website offering the best place to buy football tickets for all the football matches because you can buy your favorite World Cup tickets of your favorite football match/team online through a secured and guaranteed online booking system.

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England's Women's Footballers - 12th Best In The World?

I went to see the England Women's Football team play at the weekend.

They are currently ranked 12th in the world, so I wondered if they were worth that position...

The game was held at a local lower division ground just 20 minutes away from my home, so I thought I'd go and watch.
There were just under 4,000 people there, which is not bad for the England Women.
It's a good indication of where the game stands development-wise, but more of that later..

The match was against Northern Ireland, a qualifier for a future tournament.

So, were England any good?
Well, they were ok.

Defensively they didn't get put under much pressure, but when they did, the organisation seemed a bit lacking, and they made mistakes which will get punished when they play better teams.

Attacking wise they did create chances, but again I would be worried by the lack of clinical finishing.
That might sound a bit strange since the team won 4-0, but the first half was goalless, and Northern Ireland are ranked a good 60 places below England.
One of the England goals was an Irish own goal, and the others came when the Irish were clearly tiring towards the end.

I imagine that when they play better teams, they will be on the defensive and hanging on, but having said that, earlier in the year they did draw against both Germany and USA power nations in the International Women's game.

It will be an interesting World Cup held in China in Sept. 2007.

England have qualified for the first time, quite an achievement considering the governing body of football here only decided to support the game in 2001.

Our main problem is strength in depth, and lack of strong enough domestic competition.
It will be a long term development, bringing the juniors through, but that in turn need more media coverage to grow interest.
I hardly saw any mention of the result anywhere in the sports media here, and it's a 4-0 win for the national team!

So, are England a worthy 12th in the world?
Probably, yes.

I imagine it's an upward journey for them, and considering the England men are only 8th, the women are doing pretty well already!

Gordon Bryan is the author of 'Make Money From Sport,' a guide where he takes you through the single technique he uses again and again to profit from any sport! Find out more at: http://www.gordonbryan.com/makemoneyfromsport

Great NFL Fantasy Football Action - How to Pick Your Team

So you're now the manager of your own football team in the National Football League. You are the owner and the manager at the same time so you have twice the responsibility to maintain a winning or at least a competitive team. Even if all of this is just NFL Fantasy Football, the thrill, excitement and the satisfaction is equally the same as that of the big league. And all good team managers know what is the most important: having the best players to start with.

While it is not the end of the world if your NFL Fantasy Football team ends up with not that great a lineup. You will never know what can happen in a season. All teams can be plagued by injuries, close calls or simply have a less than lucky season. The point is, it is not impossible for your team to have a great season even if you start with less impressive players for your NFL Fantasy Football team.

How To Pick Your Team

There are a lot of things that you should consider when you're picking for players in your NFL Fantasy Football team. Research is the key term here and you have to understand what your team and players have gone through in the previous season. You will have to know your team played well the last time, if they were winning, then by how much? Who were the key players in your team and who were the ones that stepped up their game. Stats are all that important in creating the best NFL Fantasy Football team.

Do not just focus on the major players. You must also take into consideration players that fared well last season. A good team manager always has eyes for a new and shining star. You can find some great steals for players that may not be as popular as the major players, but they're impressive just the same. You'll just have to take a look at their stats and you can probably spot a trend.

Equally important with statistics are injuries. Did any of your players of choice got injured? Obviously this is vital information because unhealthy players, especially those who underwent serious injuries the previous season, may have a slow start the next season and perhaps, not contribute at all. Understanding the health conditions of all players should be at the top of the to-do list of any good team manager.

Every fantasy league has a draft, but before you participate you must already have a well-researched list of players you would want to draft for your NFL Fantasy Football team. The importance of having a prepared list for your team comes true here. If you have researched your picks well enough, then should you not be lucky enough to get your top choices, then your second picks should be composed of almost equally impressive players. Players that can contribute great performances for your team.

These are the main points on how to pick your NFL Fantasy Football team. It's a combination of having great information for your team (stats), understanding each players (know if they had a good season or if they had injuries), and having a well-prepared and well-researched roster of players that you would want playing for you.

Chris Grisham is the creator of Sportsbook Investing, the premier website for making money with nfl fantasy football. He has successfully been beating sportsbooks for years using his proven system and top sports picks based on lines, trends, angles, and years of experience. Learn about his system for FREE at http://www.SportsbookInvesting.com

Top Sports to Get You Fit

Getting fit is fun and easy. We all know that losing those extra pounds takes a lot of effort to achieve. Diet, workout and taking pills are some of the methods to get into that sexy form. Sports is an alternative way to get fit. You are losing a lot of calories when you play any rugged sports while having fun. So what are the best sports to get you fit?

Basketball
Basketball is a very physical sports. It is great for developing upper and lower body strength. Running back and forth across the court is a good cardio workout.

Soccer
The world's most popular sports is also the most health beneficial. Soccer will improve your over all stamina and endurance while improving your lower body muscles. Kicking the ball helps tone your abs and is a good heart workout.

Football
If you are looking for body conditioning and upper body strength, you got to do football. To be able to tackle your opponent, you got to have superior legs and upper body strength. Football also develops mental character as it involves, leadership, strategy, focus, intimidation and discipline.

Tennis
Tennis can develop your reflexes into another level. Tones your arms, legs and abdominal muscles. A regular game of Tennis can lower your body fat faster than doing a 1km jog. A very fun and high intensity sport.

Boxing
This is my favorite sport. Boxing is an all around body workout. It involves jogging, weaving, abdominal workout, upper body strength conditioning, footwork and many more. It is a complete workout. It improves cardiovascular health, tones every part of our body muscles and improves stamina. It is also a great fat burner. Just try punching 10 times in the air and you can already feel the heat.

In this world where health is wealth, we should always participate in any kind of physical activities to stay fit and healthy. Sports is a good alternative to exercise if you can't continue your weight loss plan. Now play your chosen sport and get fit!

About the author

Noah Mark Rodolfo is an alternative natural healthcare practitioner and is committed to bring the best health and wellness information online. Get the most updated news about health, diseases, weight loss and proper nutrition on his website at http://www.healthtalkbuzz.com.

2009 AFL Grand Final - Hitler's manic rant after discovering St. Kilda's loss to Geelong

Hitler launches a tirade of abuse when he learns that St. Kilda were beaten in the 2009 Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final. Just a bit of comedy. (From the 2004 German movie "Downfall")



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnb8ryGNlck&hl=en

The Top 10 Football Teams in London

There is much to see for those who are interested in football in London. Just to clarify for any readers of this article from outside the UK, football means the 'beautiful game', what is commonly referred to as Soccer around the world.

London has a proud tradition of famous football teams with much competition between them to be the top club. There are generally four or five London teams in the Premier League and there are many commentators who believe that this is one of the biggest obstacles to any one of them winning the league. A 'local derby' between two London football teams could produce an electric atmosphere and turn current form on its head they are so well contested.

Premier League tickets are sometimes difficult to obtain, but a bit of persistence often gets results. There are a number of ticket agencies that can get them for a price.

In the last decade, both Arsenal and Chelsea have each won the illustrious Premier League title twice and reached the final of the European Cup.

Here are some details about the top 10 football clubs in London and to avoid any accusations of being partisan, they are listed in alphabetical order:-

Arsenal

The Gunners, Arsenal have played in the top division of English football in consecutive seasons since the 1919-20 season. They have been champions on 13 occasions and achieved a unique record for modern times in 2003-04 season when they went the whole season without being beaten.

Arsenal have won the much coveted 'double' (league and cup winners in the same season) three times, in 1971, 1998 and 2002

In recent years they have moved to a new venue, The Emirates Stadium, with a 60,000 capacity. The Arsenal Museum is well worth a visit and is open every day.

Brentford

The Bees, Brentford Football Club are currently playing in Football League I. They were founded in 1889 and play their home games at Griffin Park their home stadium since 1904. Brentford's most successful spell came during the 1930s, when they achieved consecutive top six finishes in the First Division.

Since the War, they have spent most of their time in the third and fourth tiers of English football. Brentford have been FA Cup quarter-finalists on four occasions, and have twice been Football League Trophy runners-up.

Charlton Athletic

The Addicks, Charlton Athletic have seen better days. There halcyon days were in the 1930s and 40s. In recent years they have struggled after being relegated from the Premier League in 2005 and then from the Championship in 2008.

They play at The Valley just south of the River Thames in Greenwich. The club was founded in 1905.

Historically, Charlton's most successful period was the 1930s, when the club's highest league finishes were recorded, including runners-up of the league in 1937, and after World War II, when the club reached the FA Cup final twice, winning in 1947.

Chelsea

The Pensioners or the Blues, Chelsea Football Club was founded in 1905, and play in the Premier League. Chelsea have been champions three times (1955, 2005, 2006), and have won the FA Cup five times, the League Cup four times and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup twice. They reached the UEFA Champions League Final in 2008

Chelsea play at Stamford Bridge in West London and their ground capacity is 42,000.The Chelsea Museum is open most days and is well worth a visit for those interested in museums and football history.

Crystal Palace

The Eagles, Crystal Palace Football Club was formed in 1905. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where it has been based since 1924. The club is currently competing in the second tier, The Championship.

Crystal Palace's most recent successful period began in 1988-89, when the club finished third in the Second Division and were promoted to the First Division. Reaching the 1990 FA Cup Final only to lose the replay against Manchester United and finishing 3rd in the First Division in 1990-91.

Since then Palace have been relegated from and promoted to the FA Premier League on a number of occasions, their most recent relegation from the top flight was in the 2004-05 season. This is all despite the club being almost bankrupt in July 2000.

Fulham

The Cottagers, Fulham Football Club was founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Fulham are the oldest professional football team in London.

In 2009, Fulham had their highest-ever finish in the Premier League, coming 7th to qualify for Europe.

The club has produced many great British footballers including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh and Alan Mullery and Jim Langley. They play at the historic Craven Cottage, their home since 1896, a riverside ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham.

Queens Park Rangers

The Hoops or just QPR, Queens Park Rangers Football Club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London. They currently play in the Football League Championship, and their honours include winning the League Cup in 1967, and being runners-up in the old First Division in 1975-76 and FA Cup in 1982.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club was founded in 1882, and its traditional colours are blue and white. Owing to its proximity to other West London clubs, QPR maintains long-standing rivalries with several other clubs in the area, the most notable of these being Chelsea, Brentford and Fulham with whom they contest what are known as West London derbies.

In 2007 QPR was taken over by Italian tycoon Flavio Briatore and rank among the top 10 richest sporting clubs in the world. Other major shareholders include Lakshmi Mittal & F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. So watch this space!

Tottenham Hotspurs

The famous 'Spurs' side of 1961, is still reckoned by many football enthusiasts, to be one of the best football teams in English football history. They achieved the 'double' which had not been achieved at that time since Aston Villa won it in 1897.

This has given recent Spurs' teams a lot to live up to. But Spurs have a long tradition of playing good football so there are many exciting matches at White Hart Lane especially with their close North London rivals, Arsenal.

In 1963, Spurs became the first British club to win a major European trophy - the European Cup Winners' Cup. In the 1970s, they won the Football League Cup on two occasions and were the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup in 1972. In the 1980s, Spurs won several trophies: the FA Cup twice, FA Community Shield and the UEFA Cup 1983-84. In the 1990s, they won the FA Cup and the Football League Cup and in 2008, they beat Chelsea in the final of the Football League Cup. This victory means that Tottenham have won a trophy in each of the last six decades - an achievement only matched by Manchester United.

Spurs have planned a new stadium to be completed by 2012 and it is expected to be one of the best stadiums in the UK.

Watford

The Hornets, Watford Football Club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. They play in the Championship. The club was founded in 1881, and played at several grounds before moving to a permanent location at Vicarage Road in 1922, where they remain to this day. Since 1997, they have shared the stadium with Saracens Rugby Club. Watford have a long-standing rivalry with Luton Town.

The club is best known for two spells under the management of former England manager Graham Taylor. The first lasted from 1977 to 1987, when the club rose to the old First Division from the Fourth Division. Once in the highest division of English football, Watford finished second in the league in 1983, reached the FA Cup final in 1984 and competed in the UEFA Cup in the 1984-85 season.

The second period spanned from 1997 to 2001, when Taylor took the club from the renamed Second Division to the Premier League in successive seasons. Taylor is currently a non-executive director of the club, and honorary life president alongside Sir Elton John who owned the club during both of these eras and has continued a long association with the club.

West Ham United

The Hammers, West Ham United Football Club have play at Upton Park (Boleyn Ground), in East London since 1904 having been formed in 1895.

They featured in the first FA Cup Final to be held at Wembley in 1923 against Bolton Wanderers. The club have won the FA Cup three times: in 1964, 1975 and 1980. They have also been runners-up twice, in 1923 and 2006.

In 1965, they won the European Cup Winners Cup, and in 1999 they won the InterToto Cup.

Their players are considered an important factor behind England's triumph in the 1966 World Cup, as England's captain at the time was West Ham's Bobby Moore, and both goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters were West Ham players.

West Ham currently compete in the Premier League, their highest finish in the Premier League was 5th in 1998-99.

Alan Rivers was born and raised in London and now lives outside London but is a frequent visitor. His website Visit London Tips is for his own pleasure as well as for every other visitor. You may be able to obtain premier league tickets here

Youth Football Drills - Make The Fundamentals Fun!

Make Practice Fun!

Youth football drills will improve the skills of your football team. If you are the coach of a young team of eager football players, the following youth football skills will help you move the team forward into both comprehension of the stances of the on field playing game and the repetitive skills it takes to be a dedicated professional player. Youth football drills should be informative and fun, so you can keep the team players interested while they learn.

Youth Football Drills All Begin With Ready Stance:

The Ready Stance drill teaches one of the proper “ready” football stances. Line up your team into lines and shout “ready”… “stance”. Walk up and down the lines as the players crouch into their stances. Correct any players that are not in the correct position. This is one of the most important, basic football skills needed.

Quick Hit Drill:

The Quick Hit drill helps team members, such as the blocking backs and linemen, in quickly moving from the Ready Stance into a blocking position. Youth football drills, such as this one, are basic to the game. The players will make a circle and stand in their Ready Stance. On your command, the players will pop into a pass protection position, take a quick step with the outside foot, and assume the squat position ready to strike a blow. Repeat these youth football drills as needed.

Youth Football Drills With Receiver Concentration:

Youth football drills, such as this one, should ensure the receiver can get the ball, hone in on the ball, and pat attention watching the ball throughout its flight until it lands clutched in his hands. Getting hit is not a factor in this drill. Take three players holding hand shields and line them up ten yards deep, three yards apart from one another in a triangle formation. Your receiver will run a pattern specified by you, which will land him in the middle of the triangle. Once the receiver enters the triangle, your quarterback will throw a high pass that will make the receiver jump to make the catch. As the receiver touches the ball with his hands, the three players in the triangle will jam the receiver with their respective shields.

Youth Football Drills Teach Good Balance:

Good balance is important to all sports, but especially to all youth football drills. For a Good balance drill, have your team players line up across from one another on the field. Have each player grab the shoulder pads of the player situated directly in opposite from them. Each player should take turns trying to knock his “opponent” off balance. He will do this by pulling, pushing, and tipping his opponent from side to side. The opponent will get down into a low base, and move his feet around to maintain balance.

There are many youth drills for football players. Each one is meant to help youth teams learn fundamentals of the game, as well as learn the importance of playing as a team unit. By improving your team in practice, you will be giving them opportunity to overcome any obstacles on the field.

By Margarette Tustle. Read more resources on drills [http://www.ddrill.com/] at a target="_new" href="http://www.ddrill.com/">ddrill.com

How Important is an Elite Quarterback to Your Fantasy Football Team

Just how important is it to have a top tier quarterback on your fantasy football team? We have heard time and time again that the running back position is the most important slot to fill on your fantasy football team. In recent years with the emergence of the running back by committee we have begun to see the argument that a top WR may be worthy of a pick over a running back. The common belief on quarterbacks is that it is a deep position where you can still get acceptable performance from the average starter. This article will challenge that thesis and explore the fantasy football quarterback position in depth.

The one statistic that trumps all in fantasy football is the league championship. That is what we all strive for and is the ultimate measure of success. Taking a close look at my league over the last five years yields interesting results (Table 1). Every championship team over the past five years had a top tier quarterback. In fact, in three of the five sample years the championship team has had the number one ranked quarterback at the end of the season. In all five seasons, there was a never a champion without a top three quarterback. While the overall sample size is small (one league, five years) we still think the results are significant. So not only do you need to get lucky and avoid injury to win a championship, but you will also need maximum performance from the quarterback position to have a shot at the title.

Table 1.

Yr	        Player			Overall Rank

2008 	Aaron Rodger   		#2

2007 	Drew Brees			#1

2006 	Drew Brees			#1

2005 	Matt Hasselback 		#3

2004 	Brett Favre 		#1

Next we took a look at the top 25 quarterbacks from 2008 to see if we could determine a cut off between the various grades of quarterback. The goal here is to answer the question: "Do you really need to go out and draft the #1 ranked quarterback, or are their other players who can be had later in the draft with an equal chance of finishing the season in the top 3? Looking at the top 25 quarterbacks from 2008 we can separate the distribution into 5 cohorts (Table 2). There is a clear difference in performance across the cohorts. What this tells us is that ranking quarterbacks based on tier is a valid methodology. Furthermore, selecting a quarterback from the first cohort (top 5 qb) should help to ensure that you finish the year with a top 3 quarterback and a shot at your league title. Another thing the distribution really emphasizes is large difference between the top and average quarterbacks.

Table 2.

Cohort		Avg Points	  Ranking

1	                266	          1-5

2	                223	          6-10

3	                191	          11-15

4	                173	          16-20

5	                145	          21-25

Lastly, we wanted to take a look at the variability in week-to-week performance across the top 25 quarterbacks. We have already established that the top tier quarterbacks put up more points over the length of the season, but just how consistent is this performance? If the top qbs are getting their numbers in a handful of games that should not really contribute as much to consistent fantasy winning. Table 3 breaks the top 25 quarterbacks up into 5 cohorts. Analyzing the standard deviation in weekly fantasy points across the 5 buckets indicates there is no difference in variability from the top cohort and bottom cohort of quarterbacks. What that means is the best quarterbacks in the league are just as likely to have a bad game as the mid-tier/lower-tier quarterback options. However, since the top tier qb's output is consistently higher they will produce more points throughout the season. In other words, a bad game from a top qb is a lot better than a bad game from a bottom tier qb.

Table 3.

Cohort		STDEV

1	                30

2	                24

3	                34

4	                32

5	                38

So what have we learned? It appears that you need a top tier quarterback to win your league. The top quarterbacks put up more points and are no more erratic in the distribution of their scoring than an average quarterback. Drafting a quarterback projected to finish in the top 4 is a safe bet to ensure your quarterback is a top ranked player at the end of the season and you have a chance to win your fantasy football championship!

BleacherCreatureRotoTalk.com is a Fantasy Sports site intended to bring a scientific approach to player evaluation for fantasy baseball, football, basketball and now boxing! BCRT.com provides free news, statistics, and expert analysis of interesting trends which can give your fantasy team the competitive advantage it needs to crush your competition.

read more at BleacherCreatureRotoTalk.com Fantasy Football.

College Football - How to Predict When Teams Are Overrated and Due for an Unexpected Loss

When you understand how to measure the substance of a college football team, you can often predict an unexpected loss. It is more difficult to predict exactly when it will happen. When Stanford upset Southern California 24-23 last Saturday (10-6-07) many people were surprised. I was not.

No. 2-ranked USC was a perfect 4-0 coming into the game and had enjoyed 5 straight seasons of national top-4 finishes, BCS bowl appearances and Pac 10 Conference titles. Stanford was a 6-touchdown underdog, had lost 41-3 at home to Arizona State a week earlier, had lost to USC 42-0 a year ago, and finished last year with a lousy 1-11 record.

So what happened? Study these three sets of figures to identify some clues. The first is the prior week's AP Top 25 Poll, the second is Sagarin's mathematical ratings of a team's performance strength against shared opponents, and the third is Sagarin's mathematical ratings of a team's schedule strength.

The AP Poll is made up of 65 media types who follow and report on college football teams. Sagarin is Jeff Sagarin, who produces the gold standard among rating services. Sagarin's ratings represent the average schedule difficulty faced by each team, taking into account the rating of the opponent and the location of the game.

AP Top 25 Poll -                  Sagarin Rating -                Schedule Rank
1) LSU                            1) LSU                          1) Washington
2) Southern California            2) Southern California          2) Notre Dame
3) California                     3) Ohio State                   3) Colorado State
4) Ohio State                     4) Oklahoma                     4) Stanford
5) Wisconsin                      5) California                   5) Marshall
6) South Florida                  6) South Florida                6) Tennessee
7) Boston College                 7) West Virginia                7) Mississippi
8) Kentucky                       8) Arizona State                8) North Carolina
9) Florida                        9) Florida                      9) Colorado
10) Oklahoma                     10) Auburn                      10) AA Sam Houston
11) South Carolina               11) Oregon                      11) Auburn
12) Georgia                      12) UCLA                        12) Akron
13) West Virginia                13) Georgia                     13) Duke
14) Oregon                       14) Cincinnati                  14) East Carolina
15) Virginia Tech                15) Boston College              15) LA-Monroe
16) Hawaii                       16) Kentucky                    16) Florida International
17) Missouri                     17) South Carolina              17) Florida State
18) Arizona State               18) Missouri                     18) Syracuse
19) Texas                       19) Kansas State                 19) UCLA
20) Cincinnati                  20) Connecticut                  20) Brigham Young
21) Rutgers                     21) Florida State                21) Oregon
22) Clemson                     22) Boise State                  22) San Diego State
23) Purdue                      23) Purdue                       23) Washington State
24) Kansas State                24) Wisconsin                    24) Wake Forest
25) Nebraska                    25) Texas                        25) Miami (Ohio)

How could Stanford upset USC? Well, for one thing, although USC has far more talent, its talent did not show up for the game. USC's talent was "at" the game but not "in" the game.

USC was 4-0 and ranked No. 2 going into the game and Stanford was 1-3 and ranked No. 83, yet Stanford had played the 4th toughest schedule in the country before the Cardinal arrived at USC as the visiting team. USC had played the 38th toughest schedule.

You decide if this was a factor or not. I say it was a factor. Certainly, USC did not think Stanford was that tough of an opponent; the Trojans paid a big price by not being prepared. Here is another example. I have said for weeks that Wisconsin was overrated. The Badgers were 5-0 and ranked No. 5 going into Illinois while the Illini were unranked, but upset Wisconsin 31-26.

Wisconsin may have been ranked No. 5 but its Sagarin rating was No. 24 and the Badgers had played the 90th toughest schedule. Sagarin's rating for Illinois was No. 40, but the Illini had played the 39th toughest schedule.

Still not convinced? Kentucky was 5-0 and ranked No. 8 going into South Carolina and lost to the Gamecocks 38-23.

Kentucky had a Sagarin rating of No. 16 and had played the 92nd toughest schedule. South Carolina was 4-1 and ranked No. 11, had a Sagarin rating of No. 17 and had played the 47th toughest schedule.

In a clash of unbeatens, Purdue was 5-0, ranked No. 23 and hosted the Ohio State Buckeyes who beat them 23-7. Sagarin's rating for Purdue was also No. 23 and the Boilermakers had played the 124th toughest schedule. There is only 119 Division 1-A schools.

Ohio State was also 5-0 and ranked No. 4 with a Sagarin rating of No. 3 and had played the 60th toughest schedule.

Some fans and pundits put no credence in Sagarin. I put a lot of credence in the Sagarin's team ratings and schedule rank, and now you know why. I can with some accuracy predict when a team is overrated and due for an unexpected loss.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

Ed Bagley's Blog Publishes Original Articles with Analysis and Commentary on 5 Subjects: Sports, Movie Reviews, Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, and Internet Marketing. My intention is to inform, educate, delight and motivate you the reader.

Read my 11 Washington Husky articles including "Meet the Nation's Most Statistically Incredible Team - The University of Washington Huskies", "Anatomy of a Team on the Rise: Washington Will Get Over Freshmanitis and Really Thrive" and "College Football Mayhem: Flagrant Helmet-to-Helmet Shots Need to Stop Before Someone Gets Killed".

Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html