Week 12 2016 Score Report

Full week last week, the last two byes this week.

• 42.0625 PPG in a defense-heavy week this week.  Average for the 12 weeks:  45.033 PPG
• Home teams were 9-7 this week, making 100 wins for the home teams this year -- 100-71-1.
• Over and spread were both 8-8 this week.  Only three straight-up upsets, though.
• For the year:  Over:  Six games over .500 (slight Vegas edge).  Against the Spread:  .500 exactly.  Straight Up:  105-61-1.
• Team with more penalties was actually 6-4 this week.  63-85 for the year.
• Four Cliffhangers, Five Last Chance Misses, 4 Non-Competitive Games.
• 37 Cliffhangers and only 42 Non-Competitive Games out of the 177 played.

Current Playoff Booking:

• Road to the NFC title appears to go through Dallas (10-1).  2 1/2 games up with five to play on Seattle (7-3-1, #2)
• Detroit and Atlanta both are 7-4 and would have to play and host Wild Card Weekend.  Detroit is now #3 by virtue of conference game record (5-2 vs. 5-3)
• Giants are the #5 at 8-3 (second best record in the conference, but #5 because the best is in their division), Washington #6 at 6-4-1, over both Minnesota and Tampa at 6-5.
• Washington at Detroit, Giants at Atlanta

AFC:

• The tiebreaker at #1 has flipped.  New England now has it over Oakland (both 9-2) because of conference record.  (7-1 vs. 6-1)
• Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Houston are all 6-5 and leading their division.
• First breaker to take care of is Baltimore and Pittsburgh:  (BAL 21 - PIT 14 Week 9, second game in Week 16)
• So now take care of Baltimore and Houston:  Baltimore #3 on conference record.  (6-2)  Houston #4 (4-4).
• Kansas City #5 at 8-3.  (Making both #5s ahead of SIX divisional leaders, five divisions and the tie for one of them.)
• Miami and Denver at 7-4:  Miami #6 and Denver OUT by conference games.  (5-3 vs. 4-3)
• Kansas City at Houston.  Miami at Baltimore.

And then there's this dirty-hit artist from Notre Dame...

This joker probably has either played his last game at Notre Dame or is probably being promoted to starter for next season.

Jerry Tillery's last game as a sophomore (Notre Dame went 4-8, there may be a coaching change) was punctuated by two ejection-level fouls.

This first one was for kicking the head of USC's Aca'Cedric Ware after Ware was targetted (with ejection!) by another Notre Dame player.

And then this about 1:45 later!

It's moments like this I begin to question why the police don't get involved sometimes.  He DEFINITELY tried to main the second player.  He was only flagged for the second foul, but NOT ejected.

I'm getting genuinely worried about this Penn State shit now!

They made the Big 10 title game yesterday with Ohio State's win over Michigan and their win over Michigan State.

Jim Harbaugh is FURIOUS at the officiating, and ESPN's Mike Greenberg had SEVERAL Tweets yesterday questioning the officiating.

That was a rigged game, ladies and gentlemen.  No way around it.  I haven't gotten into the meat and potatoes of it, but we are now three wins from the last bastige of decency leaving the sports playing field forever.

It is clear that The Powers That Be want Penn State involved in the CFP this year, and, with Alabama being perceived unbeatable, it gets real interesting.  I could easily see the angle here, and it's looking bad.

Last odds on VegasInsider.com had Penn State at 50-1 at sportsbook.ag.  As of November 1, Penn State was 300-1 at the Westgate.

If I had enough money to be meaningful right now...

If you don't think the NFL is rigged, explain the 2016 Detroit Lions to me...

This isn't normal, people.  It isn't.

The Detroit Lions are, as of Thursday's win over the Vikings, probably going to win the NFC North.

They have done so with each and every one of their 11 games being within or at 7 points (the old-school "within one score) as of that win.  Never happened before in the NFL.

Also:  Thursday's Double Cliffhanger (tying FG within 2 minutes, winning FG at the gun after a pick) was their SEVENTH Cliffhanger of the year.

Yeah, that happens in random chance...

And, this too:  When Pittsburgh beat Indianapolis in a non-competitive game Thursday night, it marked only the second game since the late Sunday games of the week before last (22 games in all!) that was non-competitive, with no margin 8 points or within at the 4th quarter.

Keep believing, Football Nation America.

Fine Friday Week 11: You're Supposed To Eat The Bird, Not Give It

• Cincinnati Bengals:  Vontaze Burfict now a TWO TIME LOSER this season, on top of the three-game suspension...
• And Seattle Seahawks:  Doug Baldwin:  $12,154 for flipping the bird.  Burfict into the stands, Baldwin at his offensive coordinator.
• With that, and largely due to Burfict, Cincinnati has a larger check to throw the league:  $50,000 for their accumulated fines.
• Washington Redskins:  Su'a Cravens:  $9,115 for a facemask.
• New York Giants:  Olivier Vernon:  $18,231 for roughing the passer.
• Houston Texans:  Johnathan Joseph:  $24,309 for unnecessary roughness.
• Minnesota Vikings:  Tom Johnson:  $18,231 for unnecessary roughness.
• Buffalo Bills:  Jerry Hughes:  $9,115 for an attempted headbutt.
• San Francisco 49ers:  Rod Streater:  $9,115 for a low block.
• And we finally have it (Actually, we had it last week, but didn't see it until this week.)  Every team in the NFL has now been fined:
• New Orleans Saints:  Over the last two weeks, Kenny Vaccaro is now a TWO TIME LOSER:  $9,115 for roughing the kicker this, $9,115 for unnecessary roughness last week.
• New Orleans Saints:  Also, Vonn Bell:  $9,115 for unnecessary roughness.

Another Year, Another Reason The NCAA Needs To Give Up

Another BCS Championship participation nullified, as the NCAA has finally nullified Notre Dame's two big seasons, where (almost on cue with the announcer who was suspended after saying Notre Dame needed thugs or the like to get back relevant), the team went 21-5, including 12-0 until the narrative went out from under them and Alabama ate them alive in the title game Which No Longer Exists.

And now, word coming that Missouri may be about to join them.  Academic Fraud.

Yet, nothing on Penn State and less on Baylor.  Yeah...

Another week, another NFL PED suspension...

In fact, two of them:

• The Dallas Cowboys are really racking up a big check to send to the NFL:  Rolando McClain gets strike three and a year.
• Chicago Bears get their second in two weeks:  Jerrell Freeman, 4 games for PEDs.

If you're on the "Rigged for Seattle" train, this might be your best avenue.

EDIT TO ADD 11/24 12:10 PM PST:

•  Pittsburgh Steelers:  Karlos Williams:  10 games for his second failure of the season.

Williams becomes the THIRD NFL player to get at least two drug suspensions in this season.