The Nonsense Math Doesn’t Like Stanford

Here are your BCS rankings. They are opaque and indecipherable. They indicate little, but they somehow are the ultimate arbiter for which two teams may play for a championship. ESPN involving Craig James and Skip Bayless in the unveiling offered the precise level of seriousness and decorum they deserve. This will fluctuate wildly, but, as of this week, it looks as though Dabo and David Shaw better work on their stump speeches. Taking no account of victory margins. Brilliant.
1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
4. Boise State
5. Clemson
6. Stanford
7. Oregon
8. Kansas State
9. Oklahoma
10. Arkansas

Publicist calls report of alleged T.O. suicide try 'not factual'

Terrell Owens did not try to commit suicide Oct. 6, when his assistant placed a 911 call and authorities took the free-agent receiver to the hospital, his publicist said Thursday night.

Earlier Thursday, TMZ.com released audio of the emergency phone call, in which the assistant told a 911 operator in Los Angeles that Owens had ingested pills, was unresponsive and might have tried to kill himself.

"Terrell Owens absolutely did not attempt suicide nor did he attempt to overdose on pills on October 6, 2011," Owens' publicist, Diana Bianchini, said in a statement. "Reports released today claiming he did are completely false and were made in relation to a 911 call his assistant made that evening. The facts are that she arrived at his home that evening after he had already taken a sleeping aid to fall asleep. He was unresponsive because of this.

"Unaware that he had taken a sleeping aid prior to her arrival, his assistant became concerned and decided to call 911. When the ambulance and police arrived, Owens was responsive and was not held in the hospital. Reports released with the 911 call today are misleading and not factual."

Owens' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, didn't respond to messages regarding the report.

The report surfaced two days after Owens staged an hour-long workout in Calabasas, Calif., to show teams that his surgically repaired left knee -- he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the spring -- was healthy enough to let him play. No NFL teams showed for the workout.

"As one can see from his workout televised this past Tuesday, he is strong both mentally and physically as well as 100% focused on playing football," Bianchini said.

Owens, a 15-year veteran, spent last season with the Cincinnati Bengals and finished with 72 receptions for 983 yards and nine touchdowns. He ranks second on the NFL's all-time list in receiving yards (15,934), is tied for second with Randy Moss in touchdown catches (153) and is sixth in receptions (1,078).

Vikings CB Cook charged with felony domestic assault

Minnesota Vikings cornerback Chris Cook was charged Tuesday with trying to strangle his girlfriend, leaving her with a bloody nose and lip in an alleged attack that jeopardizes his status with the team.
Cook, 24, was charged with felony domestic assault by strangulation, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Cook was arrested early Saturday and released from custody Tuesday on $40,000 bail. He is barred from contact with the alleged victim and cannot leave Minnesota, which would prevent him from traveling with the Vikings to Sunday's game at Carolina.
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the Vikings on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 9:30 p.m. ET.
» NFL Network scheduleCook has a court appearance set for Wednesday afternoon.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is reviewing the matter. Such charges often bring suspensions, per the NFL's personal-conduct policy.
Cook issued a public apology to the Vikings and his fans Tuesday afternoon on Twitter.
"My apologies to the fans! Vikings ownership, coaching staff, my teammates and friends and family!!" he wrote.
Cook also sent out the following tweet: "There's always two sides to a story!!"
According to the complaint, Cook became upset early Saturday when he found out his girlfriend of 10 months had spoken to an ex-boyfriend. The woman told police that Cook threw her on the bed at his Eden Prairie home, got on top of her and grabbed her neck with an open hand, constricting her ability to breathe.
The woman freed herself by grabbing Cook's hair, the complaint said. Cook then struck her in the ear, sending her crashing into a wall. As the woman ran to the living room, he grabbed her neck again and squeezed it.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said at a news conference that Cook answered the door to the house, and officers found the woman with a bloody nose and upper lip. She had marks on her neck and hemorrhaging in her eye, Freeman said, consistent with victims of strangulation. State guidelines call for a sentence of a year and a day, he said.
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Authorities haven't disclosed the girlfriend's identity,according to the Star Tribune, and Freeman said the alleged victim has been cooperating with the investigation.
Cook's attorney, David Valentini, told reporters his client was "of course" remorseful and "not happy" about the situation.
Cook is "upset he's sitting (in jail)," Valentini said Tuesday afternoon. "He's upset he missed the game (Sunday against the Green Bay Packers). He's upset with the whole incident." Freeman noted that case but said, "As far as we're concerned, there's no record."
Cook's most recent arrest is his second in the last eight months. He was found not guilty of brandishing a firearm earlier this year after allegedly pulling a gun on a neighbor in his home state of Virginia.
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier had a talk with Cook during the offseason to reiterate the importance of staying out of trouble off the field, and the second-year pro emerged as perhaps the most reliable cornerback on the field during the team's 1-5 start.

Remember all the talk about all those undefeated teams

Remember all the talk about all those undefeated teams and how there would be chaos when they made it through the season undefeated? It seems to happen every year. Six or seven weeks in, we think we know everything, yet in a moment it all goes down the drain. Saturday was one of those moments.
The chaos came late, with one big upset happening in an evening game and the other taking place after a lightning delay, pushing the conclusion deep into the night. Wisconsin was the first to drop, and did so in dramatic fashion as Michigan State converted a tip-drill Hail Mary for the win. Just a few hours later, it was No. 3 Oklahoma's turn, with Texas Tech hanging on for dear life in a three-point win. Just as we all predicted.
What's it all mean? Expect Oklahoma and Wisconsin to fall, obviously. But which teams will jump up in the standings? It seems likely Boise State will get the short end of the stick, with Stanford and Clemson taking advantage of the miscues atop the rankings.
Here's a look at the scores that mattered on Saturday.
No. 1 LSU 45, Auburn 10. Even without its suspended starters, LSU was flat dominant again. The Tigers continue to look every part of their No. 1 ranking.
No. 2 Alabama 37, Tennessee 6. Of course, Alabama is on a collision course with LSU, making for one hell of a game in two weeks. Two dominant defenses and teams full of talent in a battle for the No. 1 spot? Not going to find many people not looking forward to this.
Texas Tech 41, No. 3 Oklahoma 38. So much for that. Oklahoma shot itself in the foot, Texas Tech played out of its mind and the Sooners' BCS Championship went down the drain while half of America was sleeping. Good morning!
No. 4 Oklahoma State 45, Missouri 24. Justin Blackmon exited early for precautionary reasons (concussion, reportedly), but it didn't matter. Oklahoma State is still off to the races, but that fun Bedlam matchup we were all looking forward to looks a little less intriguing right now.
No. 5 Boise State 37, Air Force 26. Yes, Air Force is a difficult matchup to prepare for. And yes, Boise State did survive at home. But this one was far from convincing and didn't earn the Broncos any style points.
No. 16 Michigan State 37, No. 6 Wisconsin 31. Nothing needs to be said. Just watch this over and over.
No. 7 Clemson 59, North Carolina 38. We're just going to have to confront the reality of Clemson being a top-five team.
No. 8 Stanford 65, Washington 21. At this point, it seems only Oregon will test Stanford in a huge Pac-12 North matchup. This was supposed to be the test for the Cardinal. Instead, it was a clinic as Stanford dismantled the Huskies.
No. 9 Arkansas 29, Ole Miss 24. Again, no style points here. Arkansas had to rally, but still came away the win. It wasn't pretty by any means, though.
No. 10 Oregon 45, Colorado 2. Oregon had this in the bag by halftime and let up. So close to a shutout!
No. 11 Kansas State 59, Kansas 21. And now we have to deal with Kansas State in the top-10. College football is a scary place.
No. 12 Virginia Tech 30, Boston College 14. This was a game at halftime and Boston College even led! So much for that.
No. 13 Nebraska 41, Minnesota 13. At least the game was entertaining. No, not because of superb play or execution; Minnesota is a ball of comical mistakes.
Syracuse 49, No. 14 West Virginia 23. Almost forgot about this one, but what in the world, Holgo? The Big East is on fire, you guys.
No. 17 Texas A&M 33, Iowa State 17. Steele Jantz was benched, which is the biggest tragedy in all of this.
No. 19 Houston 63, Marshall 28. Would love to see Case Keenum and the Cougars in a BCS game just for the balls-to-the-wall, throw it all around offensive explosion.
No. 21 Penn State 34, Northwestern 24. Where in the hell did this Penn State offense come from? And where did the defense go? Whose team is this?
Miami 24, No. 22 Georgia Tech. It was fun while it lasted, Yellowjackets.
Purdue 21, No. 23 Illinois 14. It was fun while it lasted, Zook.
And here's a look at the polls. The BCS Standings preview will be along shortly. This is what the BCS looked like last week.
RKTEAMRECORD
1LSU7-0
2Alabama7-0
3Oklahoma6-0
4Oklahoma State6-0
5Boise State6-0
6Wisconsin6-0
7Clemson7-0
8Stanford6-0
9Arkansas5-1
10Oregon5-1
11Kansas State6-0
12Virginia Tech6-1
13Nebraska5-1
14South Carolina6-1
15West Virginia5-1
16Michigan State5-1
17Texas A&M4-2
18Michigan6-1
19Houston6-0
20Auburn5-2
21Penn State6-1
22Georgia Tech6-1
23Illinois6-1
24Texas4-2
25Washington5-1
Here's a look at last week's AP Poll. The latest poll will be released around noon on Sunday.
RKTEAMRECORDPTS
1LSU (41)7-01452
2Alabama (11)7-01411
3Oklahoma (6)6-01372
4Wisconsin6-01252
5Boise State (1)6-01218
6Oklahoma State6-01186
7Stanford6-01164
8Clemson7-01064
9Oregon5-11020
10Arkansas5-1946
11West Virginia5-1778
12Kansas State6-0762
13Nebraska5-1748
14South Carolina6-1690
15Michigan State5-1610
16Virginia Tech6-1597
17Texas A&M4-2467
18Michigan6-1442
19Auburn5-2374
20Georgia Tech6-1281
21Houston6-0238
22Washington5-1221
23Illinois6-1207
24Georgia5-2144
24Arizona State5-2144
Here is last week's USA Today Coaches' Poll.
RKTEAMRECORDPTS
1Oklahoma (31)6-01426
2LSU (15)7-01410
3Alabama (12)7-01403
4Wisconsin (1)6-01262
5Stanford6-01222
6Oklahoma State6-01173
7Boise State6-01172
8Clemson7-01028
8Oregon5-11028
10Arkansas5-1931
11Nebraska5-1775
12South Carolina6-1765
13Michigan State5-1690
14West Virginia5-1688
14Virginia Tech6-1688
16Kansas State6-0678
17Michigan6-1458
18Texas A&M4-2415
19Georgia Tech6-1396
20Houston6-0359
21Illinois6-1260
22Penn State6-1253
23Auburn5-2202
24Washington5-1174
25Arizona State5-286

What's Harbaugh's deal? Ask Jim Schwartz

DETROIT -- It's too bad Pete Carroll wasn't here to provide commentary for Jim Harbaugh's postgame display.
Then things might really have gotten out of hand.
Carroll, famously miffed at Harbaugh when their teams met in the Pac-10 a few years back, was safely away on the Seattle Seahawks' bye week. That left Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz alone to take issue with Harbaugh's behavior during the customary handshake that followed the San Francisco 49ers' emotional victory at Ford Field.
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There's no excuse for Jim Schwartz's stunning overreaction after the Lions' first loss, Kevin Seifert writes. BlogAnd Schwartz wasn't pleased.
"I went to congratulate coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way," Schwartz said. "And then I didn't expect an obscenity at that point, so it was a surprise to me at the end of the game."
Harbaugh, for his part, admitted to being a little too exuberant, caught up in the moment. He grabbed Schwartz's hand in exaggerated fashion and forcefully slapped the Lions' coach on the back with his other hand.
"I was just really revved up and that is totally on me," Harbaugh said."I shook his hand too hard. I really went in and it was a strong, kind of a slap-grab handshake, kind of like the same as I had been doing with (special-teams player Blake) Costanzo and some of the other guys. That was on me. A little too hard of a handshake there."
Harbaugh ran away following the handshake. Schwartz tried to catch up with him. It appeared as though words could have been exchanged, but nothing was clear for sure. Harbaugh's players then shielded Schwartz.
"I don't know what he was saying," Harbaugh said.
Of course, Harbaugh had no reason to be upset. His team won.
"I was not agitated," Harbaugh said. "Very happy with the win. Thrill of winning. Great feeling of victory."
Harbaugh said he caught up with Schwartz in the tunnel and acknowledge the overly aggressive handshake, but there was no apology.