Baily's Sports & Stuff

If anything, the Bay Area is known for sports. The Cal Golden Bears and the Stanford Cardinal highlight the college football teams, but the Bay Area's primary bowl game highlights a lot. Let's take a look at the Emerald Bowl situations. According to director Gary Cavalli, the game is looking to pin Florida State or Boston College against Stanford, Cal, or USC. My pick can be seen on my bowl projections here (different blog). For Florida State to go, they need to just not be picked by other bowls. It is the same situation for BC, who just needs Meineke Car Care and Music City bowl officials to think Bobby Bowden would draw a larger crowd coaching in his final game. For USC, they need to lose to Arizona and they would need Emerald Bowl officials to think USC would draw a larger crowd then other teams. However, with 2 other Bay Area teams that is unlikely. Cal needs a USC win, a win over Washington, Oregon State to beat Oregon and for Emerald Bowl officials to pick Cal

This Sunday has hosted some of the best games and performances of the 2009 NFL season. But, it has also had some of the most memorable finishes and plays in the NFL. Let's take a look. Seattle rode Justin Forsett's legs to a 27-17 win over division rival St. Louis. Forsett ran for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns. Carson Palmer threw for 110 yards and a touchdown and the Bengals defense powered Cincinnati to a 16-7 win over Cleveland. Alex Smith threw for 2 touchdown passes and in the second half the 49ers had 6 sacks and allowed 0 points in a 20-3 win over the Jaguars. Brett Farve threw for 3 touchdowns and the Viking defense forced 3 turnovers in a 36-10 win over division rival Chicago. Clint Sessions helped put the game away with his 28 yard pick-6 to help Indianapolis overcome a 17-0 deficit to beat Houston 35-27. The Colts are now 11-0. Darrelle Revis returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown to give the Jets some momentum that helped them beat Carolina

Bowl season is only a week away from being announced, but not all match-ups are obvious. Let's pick the games for the final time. EagleBank: Bowling Green vs. Marshall Texas: Iowa State vs. Navy International: Rutgers vs. Temple Holiday: California vs. Nebraska Cotton: Oklahoma State vs. LSU Emerald: Florida State vs. Stanford Sun: Arizona vs. Missouri Las Vegas: Oregon State vs. BYU Poinsettia: USC vs. Utah Humanitarian: UCLA vs. Nevada St. Petersburg: South Florida vs. Central Florida Capital One: Penn State vs. Ole Miss Insight: Oklahoma vs. Minnesota Little Ceaser's: Central Michigan vs. Middle Tennessee State Independence: Texas A&M vs. Kentcuky Gator: Miami vs. West Virginia Chick-Fil-A: Clemson vs. Tennessee New Mexico: Fresno State vs. Wyoming Armed Forces: Air Force vs. SMU New Orleans: Troy vs. Southern Miss Papajohns.com: Georgia vs. Connecticut Alamo: Michigan State vs. Texas Tech Champs Sports: North Carolina vs. Northwestern Hawaii: Id

1 Florida 2 TCU 3 Texas 4 Alabama 5 Cincinnati 6 Boise State 7 Oregon 8 Ohio State 9 Virginia Tech 10 Penn State 11 Houston 12 Miami 13 Oregon State 14 Iowa 15 Georgia Tech 16 California 17 Pittsburgh 18 LSU 19 Nebraska 20 Wisconsin 21 Arizona 22 Clemson 23 BYU 24 Stanford 25 USC Others Central Michigan, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Missouri, Ohio, Air Force, Bowling Green, Troy, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, Utah, Nevada, North Carolina, Arkansas

Charles Woodson has been considered a candidate for the defensive MVP award, and today's performance on Thanksgiving Day will improve his stock. Just another thing Packers fans can be thankful for. Woodson intercepted 2 passes, and he stepped in front of a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it to the house to seal Green Bay's Thanksgiving Day victory at Detroit to take the lead in the Wild Card Standings. Aaron Rodgers continued his dominance by throwing for 348 yards and continued his great playing by throwing 3 touchdowns and making some amazing throws, like his bomb to Donald Driver that set up Donald Lee's touchdown. Donald Driver caught a 73 yard pass that set up the tying score to start the second that made it 7-7, and then up 13-7, Driver caught a 7 yard touchdown where he never lost his focus even after a hand went by the ball. Driver was awarded the Galloping Gobbler award by being the best player in the Thanksgiving Day game. The Lions have lost their

Well, it's Thanksgiving Day. And Thanksgiving means football from the sites of Dallas, Detroit, and this year the other D, Denver. And Texas and Texas A&M collide as A&M looks to clinch a bowl berth and Texas looks to keep it's BCS Title hopes alive. Let's break up the match-ups. Green Bay vs. Detroit The last time these 2 teams played, the Packers amazing defense led them to a 26-0 shutout at Lambeau. But now, all that matters is how Matthew Stafford's and Calvin Johnson's injuries will affect them and how they will fare against a Packer defense that allowed 0 points vs. Detroit and 7 points versus Dallas. Aaron Rodgers has been able to find receivers and he has picked most passing defenses apart. I don't look for a shootout like Detroit's 38-37 win over Cleveland last week or Green Bay's 37-26 Thanksgiving win here in 2007, but I like Green Bay to win 27-10. Oakland vs. Dallas The Cowboys only had 3 days to practice after their emotio

1 Florida 2 Texas 3 Alabama 4 TCU 5 Cincinnati 6 Boise State 7 Georgia Tech 8 Pittsburgh 9 Oregon 10 Ohio State 11 Clemson 12 Virginia Tech 13 Penn State 14 Oregon State 15 Miami 16 Houston 17 Nevada 18 Iowa 19 Oklahoma State 20 California 21 Nevada 22 LSU 23 Mississippi 24 Utah 25 Nebraska Others Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, Stanford, BYU, Central Michigan, Air Force, Missouri, Temple, Navy, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Arkansas, Bowling Green, Troy, South Florida,

25th ranked California has been up and down all year, and after a 31-14 loss to Oregon State where Jahvid Best suffered a severe concussion, they beat Ariozna 24-16. However, Stanford is coming off wins over USC and Oregon, but they could eb on upset alert. Let's preview the game. Toby Gerhart has been considered a Heisman candidate by some, but he could have a tough time against Cal's secondary, who held Keola Antolin to 78 yards on 19 carries. That means that Stanford could have to turn to freshman quarterback Andrew Luck and receivers Ryan Whalen and Chris Owusu. But, Cal has a very bad pass defense, so that could be enough for Stanford. Jahvid Best will be out, but Shane Vereen ran for 159 yards versus Arizona last week so the Cardinal secondary could face a challenge. But Kevin Riley made some freshman mistakes, and he threw 2 interceptions last week so that could give the Card a break. Stanford's pass defense could give Cal fits with Bo McNally and Richard Sherm

Well, it's that time of year. Bowl season is nearing and it's time to predict the matchups. Get ready for bowl madness predictions. New Mexico: Idaho 27, Wyoming 14 Las Vegas: Stanford 34, Utah 23 St.Petersburg: Connecticut 30, Central Florida 24 New Orleans: Troy 20, East Carolina 23 Poinsettia: Air Force 16, USC 35 Holiday: Cal 33, Nebraska 31 Emerald: Oregon State 41, Boston College 27 Sun: Arizona 37, West Virginia 24 Hawaii: Nevada 41, UCLA 28 Outback: Wisconsin 23, Auburn 20 Capital One: Penn State 24, Mississippi 16 Little Ceaser's (Motor City): Central Michigan 34, Minnesota 31 Alamo: Northwestern 27, Oklahoma 24 Rose: Oregon 45, Ohio State 31 Sugar: Florida 30, TCU 28 Orange: Cincinnati 41, Georgia Tech 38 Fiesta: Boise State 35, Iowa 31 BCS Title: Alabama 24, Texas 20 Texas: Navy 31, Duke 10 GMAC: Florida State 40, Northern Illinois 28 International: Temple 26, Rutgers 38 Gator: Kansas State 19, Miami 34 Meineke Car C

When you look at a player to describe how good they are, there is usually one main category: points. Jerome Dyson impressed those people in that, and those NBA scouts who look for everything. Dyson scored 12 straight points, shot 14 for 15 from the free throw line and put up 23 points in Uconn's win over Hofstra. He also had 4 assists and 2 steals, in addition to the fact that he played great defense. Center Alex Oriakhi scored only 8 points, but he also grabbed 14 boards and swatted 4 balls. However, Dyson was the main part of Uconn forcing 11 Hofstra turnovers and an average of 32.9 percent from the floor. Connecticut shot 41.5 percent from the floor. Connecticut will face LSU in the NIT early-season tournament.

Tulsa has been picked to win the C-USA by many people, and Jerome Jordan and Ben Uzoh provide many reasons. Maybe they didn't shoot that well going 24 for 59, 40.7 percent from the floor, but their defense did play well enough to win. Jerome Jordan finished with 19 points and scored 15 of Tulsa's 25 first half points in Tulsa's 59-45 win over Arkansas-Little Rock in the ESPN 24 hour College Hoops marathon. Both teams started slow and it was a defensive battle, but Jerome Jordan stole the show with 15 first half points as Tulsa nursed a 25-20 halftime lead. In the second half Jordan struggled but the rest of the team shined and Tulsa then took a 40-26 lead. The Golden Hurricane kept their lead and won 59-45. Tulsa held the Trojans to a percentage of only 32.7 percent from the floor. Ben Uzoh scored 9 and Donte Medder came off the bench to score 10 as Tulsa improved to 3-0. Hoops marathon fact: Since 6:00 PM ET tip-offs, the range from the lowest points to the hig

Trailing 20-6, Kevin Ubiles and Siena needed to come up with some way to score points on the swarming defense of Northeastern. They had only scored 6 points in 13:30. The defense and Ubiles provided that first half spark they needed to stay in the game and win it. Siena's man-to-man defense sparked a 12-0 run that cut Northeastern's lead to 20-18, but an amazing floater at the buzzer put NE up 26-20 at the half. But, Siena got off to a great start off of the break, and they took the lead. Then, leading 51-45, Northeastern held the ball a lot and had great ball possession. But the Saints D helped keep the game at that score and then they took a 10 point lead and held on for a 59-53 win. Northeastern went 22 for 63 from the floor, 34.9 percent while Siena went 20 for 52, which is 38.5 percent. Northeastern is 0-1 while Siena improved to 2-0.

Well, it's that time of year. The 24 hour hoops basketball tip-off marathon is here. While some may be looking ahead to match-ups like Memphis-Kansas or Gonzaga-Michigan State, why don't you enjoy some games like Temple-Georgetown or Northeastern-Siena. Let's recap and preview the action. Cal State Fullerton 68, UCLA 65 2OT UCLA was trying to make a case for the Top 25. Being left out just short, UCLA hasn't made a case. Aaron Thompson scored 22 points, Jacques Streeter had 11 and hit a key 3 pointer in double oveetime and Cal State Fullerton upset UCLA for their first win at Pauley Pavillion over the Bruins. Cal State Fullerton played great defense and took a 10 point lead, but Malcolm Lee and Michael Roll helped force the game into overtime. UCLA had a chance to win on the last shot. Both teams hit a 3 pointer in overtime, and the game went into double OT. The Titans scored twice as Aaron Thompson and Jacques Streeter gave CSF a 5 point lead. Then, up 68

Well, Stephen Jackson may have got his wish to be shipped out of the Golden State, but yet another team may not be the playoff contender Jackson was looking for. Stephen Jackson and Acie Law were shipped to Charlotte for Raja Bell and Vladmir Radmonavic, who are now Warriors. The Warriors took this offer instead of Cleveland's offer of Wally Scrazberiak and Delonte West. The Warriors were said to have accepted because it would help their payroll and that the 2 players would give them depth at the guard slot. Stephen Jackson wanted to be shipped to Cleveland, New York, Dallas, San Antonio, or Houston, but he has to be happy with this deal. He wanted out of Golden State: and that's what he got. Golden State has made trades in the past few years that have shipped away stars like Jason Richardson, Jamal Crawford and Jackson for less talented players but with a lower salary, and that seems to be working for free agency. Golden State signed Corey Maggette partly because o

1 Florida 2 Texas 3 Alabama 4 TCU 5 Cincinnati 6 Boise State 7 Georgia Tech 8 Pittsburgh 9 Ohio State 10 Oregon 11 Clemson 12 LSU 13 Virginia Tech 14 Wisconsin 15 Air Force 16 Arizona 17 Penn State 18 Oregon State 19 Stanford 20 Miami 21 Houston 22 Rutgers 23 Nevada 24 Iowa 25 Oklahoma State Others Oklahoma, Utah, USC, California, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, BYU, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Temple, Navy, Georgia, Missouri

Michigan State vs. Purdue: Keyshawn Martin's 86 yard kickoff return set up the game winning field goal that helped Michigan State become bowl eligible in a 40-37 win over Purdue. Also, trailing 34-23, Kirk Cousins hit B.J Cunningham, who broke a tackle and then scored. A big gain on an end-around also set up Cousins' TD pass to Blair White. MSU also returned a fumble for a touchdown on the opening play. Dexter McCluster scored 4 touchdowns and his ability to break tackles powered Ole Miss by Tennessee 42-17 to clinch a bowl berth. Brynn Harvey's 3 touchdowns, and late score put Houston away as Central Florida upsets the Cougars 37-32. Georgia Tech clinches ACC Coastal division, Clemson steps closer to ACC title bid as both teams win big.

1 Florida 2 Texas 3 Alabama 4 Cincinnati 5 TCU 6 Boise State 7 Georgia Tech 8 Pittsburgh 9 Arizona 10 Ohio State 11 Miami 12 Houston 13 Clemson 14 Oregon 15 USC 16 LSU 17 Utah 18 Iowa 19 Virginia Tech 20 Penn State 21 Air Force 22 Wisconsin 23 BYU 24 South Florida 25 Oregon State Others Tennessee, Texas Tech, Rutgers, Temple, Kansas State, Stanford, Michigan State, Nevada, Auburn, Richmond, Oklahoma, Boston College, California

Maybe it's the fact that Oregon was looking ahead at a trip to Pasadena or the fact that Stanford just gets lucky on letdown games but whatever it is, Stanford outplayed Oregon and won. Toby Gerhart showed his ability to break tackles by bulging through the line for 3 touchdowns and 200+ yards by leading Stanford to a 51-42 win over 4th ranked Oregon, opening up the race for the Rose Bowl. Chris Owusu returned the opening kick to the Oregon 16, and Stanford scored a FG off of that. He had some other decent returns as well and caught a 31 yard touchdown. Andrew Luck threw for 2 touchdowns. The Ducks fell to 5-1 in the Pac-10 and 7-2 overall, while Stanford became bowl eligible and improved their record to 6-3 and 5-2 in the Pac-10. Next week Stanford looks for their 2nd straight win at the Coliseum against USC, while Oregon takes on Arizona State.

1 Saints 2 Colts 3 Vikings 4 Broncos 5 Bengals 6 Patriots 7 Eagles 8 Ravens 9 Steelers 10 Cowboys 11 Texans 12 Falcons 13 Chargers 14 Dolphins 15 Packers 16 49ers 17 Panthers 18 Cardinals 19 Giants 20 Jets 21 Bears 22 Bills 23 Seahawks 24 Jaguars 25 Rams 26 Raiders 27 Titans 28 Lions 29 Chiefs 30 Redskins 31 Browns 32 Buccaneers Week 9 Games Of the week and predictions: 11 Texans 20, 2 Colts 23, 9 Steelers 23, 4 Broncos 27, 8 Ravens 24, 5 Bengals 21

The time goes by in New York, with every single Yankees fan waiting. When is New York going to get back on the national stage. They will wait no longer. Hideki Matsui hit a homer, a double and a single and knocked in 6 RBI's as New York cruised to a 7-3 win in Game 6 to clinch the World Series title. Mark Teixeira knocked in an RBI as well, and Andy Pettite pitched a great game, only allowing a sacrifice fly. But, when he left early (he only got 3 games rest), the Yanks turned to the bullpen to save the game. Dasamo Marte struck out Utley and Howard, and then Rivera came in. He ended the inning at 7-3. Then, in the top of the 9th, the Yanks got 2 outs, and then allowed a walk to Rollins, who stole second. But a Shane Victorino groundout sent the Phillies home and the Yankees to the top. This is New York's 27th title and their 40th appearance, and their first since 2000. The Yankees are my pick for all-decade team, winning in 00 and 09 and losing in the World Series

Jim Boehiem knew that after a disappointing Sweet 16 exit, the team might not have all of that same talent. But he never pictured it to go down this way. Christopher Johnson scored 22 points, including the go-ahead 3 pointer and Laurence Ekperigin scoed 20 and grabbed 11 boards as D-2 Le Moyne stunned Syracuse, who is ranked 25th in the USA Today Poll. Wes Johnson scored 34, including a 3 from the corner that put Syracuse ahead with 22 seconds left. Johnson responded with a 3, and a free throw put Le Moyne on top. "We've got an experienced team", Le Moyne coach Steve Evans said. But, it is just an exhibition game, but it could end up having an impact on Syracuse later in the year. The Orange start their season with Albany and Robert Morris at home, then they go on the road to face 11th ranked Cal in a tournament.

Monday: Chris Chambers is released by the Chargers. Tuesday: He signs with the Chiefs. Chambers, the veteran that was acquired at the 2007 trade deadline by San Diego from Miami has had a rough season, with only 9 catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. Coach Norv Turner said they dropped him because of the emergence of WR Malcolm Floyd and their need to find a starting linebacker for Sunday's game against the Giants. Chambers should be a top target for Matt Cassel and will try to help turn Kansas City back into a winner.

The New York Yankees were feeling the pressure. Alex Rodriguez was up with men on first and third. What did he do? He hit an RBI Double with 2 outs to put the Yankees ahead 5-4, and then Jorge Posada knocked in 2 runs to make the score 7-4. The Yankees stopped Philadelphia cold, and the Yankees took a 3-1 series lead with 2 games at home. The Yankees have won 3 straight. Cliff Lee pitches for the Phillies tomorrow night, and A.J Burnett goes on the mound for the Yankees. This is the Phillies last home game of the year no matter what. The game is at 4:57 PM PT, 7:57 PM ET.

Las Vegas Bowl: Washington 20, 18 Utah 16 Emerald Bowl: 19 USC 44, Boston College 10 Poinsettia Bowl: 22 Air Force 28, Oregon State 23 Sun Bowl: 13 Arizona 26, Notre Dame 21 Holiday Bowl: 20 California 37, Kansas State 20 Rose Bowl: 4 Oregon 38, 8 Iowa 31 GMAC Bowl: Florida State 37, Temple 24 Eagle Bank Bowl: SMU 35, Duke 27 Music City Bowl: Auburn 23, North Carolina 21 Meineke Car Care Bowl: South Florida 34, Wake Forest 24 Champs Sports Bowl: 23 Virginia Tech 33, Michigan State 20 Gator Bowl: 12 Pittsburgh 34, 15 Miami 31 Chick-Fil-a Bowl: 17 Clemson 44, Tennessee 24 Orange Bowl: 5 Cincinnati 41, 9 Georgia Tech 38 Texas Bowl: Kansas 23, Navy 17 Independence Bowl: Texas Tech 41, Arkansas 28 Insight Bowl: Texas A&M 42, Michigan 27 Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma State 38, Michigan State 35 Cotton Bowl: 10 South Carolina 31, 21 Oklahoma 24 Fiesta Bowl: 2 Penn State 27, 7 Boise State 24 St.Petersburg Bowl: Rutgers 45, Southern Miss 23 New Orleans Bowl: Marshall 24, Troy 23

1 Florida 2 Texas 3 Alabama 4 Oregon 5 Cincinnati 6 TCU 7 Boise State 8 Iowa 9 Georgia Tech 10 LSU 11 Penn State 12 Pittsburgh 13 Arizona 14 Houston 15 Miami 16 Ohio State 17 Clemson 18 Utah 19 USC 20 California 21 Oklahoma 22 Air Force 23 Virginia Tech 24 Notre Dame 25 Wisconsin Others BYU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, South Florida, Texas Tech, Rutgers, West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Temple, Michigan State, Auburn, Nevada, Richmond, Duke