Musings on the World of Football

Here are my thoughts after a big football weekend:

---The Colts and Saints remain perfect after road victories yesterday over the Ravens and Bucs, respectively. So, which team is better? I say the Colts. For my money, Indy is the best team in the NFL. Peyton Manning may have been a little shaky yesterday, but he is still one of the best QB's ever. The Colts also have a stellar defense, led by Dwight Freeney, to match that prolific offense. The Saints, on the other hand, may not even be the best team in the NFC. New Orleans has looked a little too sluggish against mediocre teams this season, something that may come back to haunt them in the playoffs.

---What a terrible week for the Bengals and Steelers. The two AFC North powers struggled mightily against two AFC West laughingstocks. Cincinnati followed last week's big win at Pittsburgh with an inexplicable loss to the Oakland Raiders, and the Steelers were stunned in overtime against the Kansas City Chiefs. Yikes!

---I think the Bengals need not worry. The Steelers, meanwhile, have some cause for concern. Not only did they lose a crucial game to a lesser opponent, but they also lost Ben Roethlisberger in the process. The prognosis of Roethlisberger's injury is unknown, but Mike Tomlin and company better be hoping and praying that it is not serious. Making matters worse, backup QB Charlie Batch is also injured and will be sidelined for the next six weeks. If Roethlisberger can't go on Sunday, third-string QB Dennis Dixon will take the snaps, and that will not bode well for Pittsburgh.

---Huge win for the New York Giants yesterday against the Falcons. The G-Men won for the first time in well over a month, and it was a win that keeps their playoff hopes alive. However, Tom Coughlin has to be slightly worried about the way in which the Giants blew yet another 14-point lead in the fourth quarter. There are simply too many savvy veterans (Eli Manning, Osi Umenyiora, Brandon Jacobs) on this team to continuously allow teams to come back late in games.

---The rookie of the year award is all but locked up by the Vikings' Percy Harvin. Harvin is an electrifying playmaker on offense and special teams, and he is a big reason why the Minnesota Vikings are Super Bowl contenders.

---So you're telling me that these Dallas Cowboys, a team that had one of the ugliest wins in recent memory yesterday against the lowly Washington Redskins, have a shot at going to the Super Bowl? I don't think so.

---Yesterday was a painful day to be a Niners fan. Most importantly, the 49ers lost at Lambeau Field against the Packers, falling to 4-6 and essentially destroying any realistic hopes at making the playoffs. But there was another reason why yesterday's loss was especially hard to swallow, and that was the quarterback battle between Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers. San Francisco selected Smith with the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, passing on Rodgers even though Rodgers was a Bay Area guy who had a terrific collegiate career at Cal. Four years later, Smith is mired in mediocrity, while Rodgers is thriving on a winning team.

---Yesterday's 32-3 shellacking of the floundering Denver Broncos was big for the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are the clear favorite to win the AFC West, and I expect them to do some damage in the playoffs. Phillip Rivers may be a whiny diva, but there is no denying that he is a first-rate quarterback. And LaDanian Tomlinson is quietly having a nice season while accepting a lesser role in the Chargers offense. All eyes are on Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and New England in the AFC, but it would be foolish to discount Norv Turner's Chargers.

---On to college football now, where Charlie Weis' job at Notre Dame is very much in jeopardy. I believe Weis has poured his heart and soul into his job as head coach of the Fighting Irish, but I also believe it is time to make a change. Notre Dame is a program rich in football tradition, and Weis' 35-26 record at Notre Dame is undoubtedly disappointing.

---The big names that are likely to surface for the Notre Dame coaching vacancy if Weis does indeed get fired are likely to be Florida's Urban Meyer, Alabama's Nick Saban, and Cincinnati's Brian Kelly. Those are all formidable candidates, but if I were the A.D., I would strongly consider Fresno State's Pat Hill. Hill is a splendid coach with great football instinct, and I don't think he would be at all flummoxed by the high pressure and expectations of Notre Dame football.

---What a great Big Game between Cal and Stanford, as Shane Vereen carried the Golden Bears to victory. As a Cal fan and Bay Area native, I am of coursed biased, but I honestly feel that this is the most underrated rivalry in college football. Cal-Stanford is every bit as intense, every bit as entertaining as Ohio State-Michigan and USC-Notre Dame.

---Oregon and Oregon State will meet one week from Thanksgiving for a Civil War for the ages, a game that will determine who is going to the Rose Bowl. My gut call: Oregon State pulls off the slight upset.

---And finally, the holiday season is a time for joy, so why does the horrible BCS have to come and dampen the mood?