STOP – This data has been updated for the entire season in this entry. Enjoy.

For prior CSRs, check the links at the bottom of this entry. I’ll do one final update of the CSR before the bowls commence – mostly there are rivalry and conference championship games left at this point, with only Washington-Hawaii as an OOC game that matters. Here are the results as of games completed Saturday, November 24, 2007:

Comments on each conference follow, in alphabetical order:

• ACC – Strongest part of the resume? 22 games against BCS-level competition. Chink in the armor? Lowest overall OOC win percentage.
• Big East – Strongest part of the resume? Winning record against the SEC. Chink in the armor? Sub-.500 record against BCS-level competition.
• Big 10 – Strongest part of the resume? Best win rate against BCS-level competition. Chink in the armor? Good conferences don’t lose to I-AA teams.
• Big 12 – Strongest part of the resume? Overall OOC win rate. Chink in the armor? Worst OOC record against BCS-level competition.
• Pac 10 – Strongest part of the resume? Only 2 games against I-AA teams. Chink in the armor? Losing record against Notre Dame, 1-2 on the season.
• SEC – Strongest part of the resume? 32-1 OOC record against the little guys. Chink in the armor? Break-even record against BCS-level competition.

Based on performance to date, on the field, the conference ranking should be:

1. Pac 10 – The gap between the top 3 conferences isn’t that large, I could make an argument for any of them to be at the top. The Pac 10 gets the nod on two positives, BCS-competition win rate and not scheduling as many I-AA teams.
2. Big 10 – No, you can’t be serious putting the Big 10 #2 you Ohio State homer. On balance, the Big 10 has the strongest BCS-level competition win rate and comparable records against the little guys as the SEC, thus they get the nod at #2.
3. SEC – This conference is great against the sisters of the weak, but when playing teams with equivalent facilities and financial power, the record speaks for itself, 7-7. If the SEC had scheduled fewer I-AA patsies or had a winning record against BCS-level competition, it would be #2 or perhaps even #1.
4. Big 12 – This conference is solid, but not spectacular. The BCS-level competition win rate sub .500 keeps it in the lower half of the rankings, for now.
5. ACC – Now for the whining, while the ACC has a lower OOC overall win rate and no patsy win rate than the Big East, it did play the largest number of games against BCS-level competition and at least managed a .500 record.
6. Big East – Yes, I know the ACC has a worse overall OOC win rate; win big in the bowls and move up if it bothers you that much.
7. Notre Dame – Charlie Weis says “for the first time in 15 years, we’ve won our last 2 games.” Whatever gets you through the night Charlie…

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Come back next week for a pre-bowl update of the Conference Strength Report. Prior reports are available below:

• Yes, I skipped November 17th. So shoot me.
• CSR: Through November 10, 2007
• CSR: Through November 3, 2007
• CSR: Through October 28, 2007
• CSR: Through October 21, 2007
• CSR: Through October 13, 2007
• Original Conference Strength Report: Through September 27, 2007

From the Santa Fe Reporter via StephenYears.com:

The portable nuclear reactor is the size of a hot tub. It’s shaped like a sake cup, filled with a uranium hydride core and surrounded by a hydrogen atmosphere. Encase it in concrete, truck it to a site, bury it underground, hook it up to a steam turbine and, voila, one would generate enough electricity to power a 25,000-home community for at least five years.

The company Hyperion Power Generation was formed last month to develop the nuclear fission reactor at Los Alamos National Laboratory and take it into the private sector. If all goes according to plan, Hyperion could have a factory in New Mexico by late 2012, and begin producing 4,000 of these reactors.

Though it would produce 27 megawatts worth of thermal energy, Hyperion doesn’t like to think of its product as a “reactor.” It’s self-contained, involves no moving parts and, therefore, doesn’t require a human operator.

“In fact, we prefer to call it a ‘drive’ or a ‘battery’ or a ‘module’ in that it’s so safe,” Hyperion spokeswoman Deborah Blackwell says. “Like you don’t open a double-A battery, you just plug [the reactor] in and it does its chemical thing inside of it. You don’t ever open it or mess with it.”

Read more…

Welcome Stumblers! I hope you enjoy this entry – if you like it please give it a thumbs up, hang around a little bit, and check out my other content. We have a very easy RSS subscription to keep you in the loop. Thanks for dropping by and I hope you enjoy your visit.

It would seem I’m in a silly place today, so here’s another. Apparently, one can get the image above on a T-Shirt. My daughter and I watched The Princess Bride recently and she liked it I think. We were at the San Francisco Zoo last week and she asked if a Capybara was a Rodent of Unusual Size!

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It certainly is a Rodent of Unusual Size…

Attribution: Mondo Birra


I saw this yesterday and nearly died laughing. I don’t know why exactly, but it tickled me somehow and maybe it will you too.

LSU and the SEC departed the national championship picture this week. Notre Dame won for the second week in a row. Hawaii is the last unbeaten. Missouri is in a one game playoff against Oklahoma to enter the MNC likely against at least this week, West Virginia if the human voters don’t reorder their ballots – which could happen, witness the Michigan vote last year.

OSU Opponent Watch

• Youngstown State (7-4) – Season complete.
• Akron (4-8) – Played Central Michigan at home, lost 32-35. Conclusion: Expected Loss
• Washington (4-7) – Played Washington State at home, lost 35-42. Conclusion: Unexpected Loss
• Northwestern (6-6) – Season complete.
• Minnesota (1-11) – Season complete.
• Purdue (7-5) – Season complete. Bowl TBD.
• Kent State (3-9) – Played Buffalo at home, lost 23-30 in OT. Conclusion: Unexpected Loss
• Michigan State (7-5) – Season complete. Bowl TBD.
• Penn State (8-4) – Season complete. Bowl TBD.
• Wisconsin (9-3) – Season complete. Bowl TBD.
• Illinois (9-3) – Season complete. Bowl TBD.
• Michigan (8-4) – Season complete. Bowl TBD.

Buckeye opponent’s records after the 13th week, 73-70. Ohio State is going to the Rose Bowl, at worst. Depending on how voters view West Virginia, the Buckeyes will either be 2nd or 3rd in the BCS rankings this week. Michigan, Illinois, Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue are awaiting their bowl destinations. Iowa and Northwestern, though eligible, are not likely participate in the post-season.

Quick Hits from Around College Football

And then there was one, Hawaii knocked out Boise State at home to remain perfect, win the WAC, and secure a berth in a BCS bowl – provided they can beat Washington next week. Florida International maintained its perfect zero win season with one game remaining against North Texas next week.

Projected BCS Top 5: West Virginia, Missouri, Ohio State, Georgia, and Virginia Tech.

Game of the week? Arkansas ran over LSU 50-48 in multiple OTs.

Mismatch of the week? West Virginia ran by Connecticut 66-21.

My Special Top 12 rankings: (Why Top 12? That’s where you need to be to get into BCS contention.)

1. Missouri – Outlasted Kansas.
2. Ohio State – Season complete.
3. West Virginia – Hammered Connecticut.
4. Kansas – Lost to Missouri.
5. USC – Beat Arizona State.
6. Georgia – Beat Georgia Tech.
7. Illinois – Season complete.
8. Oklahoma – Beat Oklahoma State.
9. Virginia Tech – Beat Virginia.
10. Wisconsin – Season complete.
11. Arizona State – Lost to USC.
12. Hawaii – Beat Boise State.

My Special Bottom 5 rankings: (Why bottom 5? If you finish there you should be relegated to I-AA) Wonder of wonders, Notre Dame played itself out of the Bottom Five – I wouldn’t have predicted that.

1. Florida International – 0-11 Lost to Florida Atlantic.
2. Idaho – 1-11 this season. Lost to Utah State.
3. Southern Methodist – 1-11 Lost to Memphis.
4. Mississippi – 3-9. Lost to Mississippi State
5. Minnesota – 1-11 Season complete.

In the coming week I’ll post a Conference Strength Report and Weekend Update Sports edition.