Football Future-see Week 5

RECORD:

Week 1..........7-1

Week 2.........4-1

Week 3 ....... 3-1

Week 4 ....... 2-3

Week 5 .......4-3

TOTAL.......20-9

2 OHIO STATE AT ILLINOIS CORRECT

The Buckeyes stand at the same spot they started the year, and QB Terrell Pryor is playing some pretty good football. From the outside, this doesn’t look like much of a challenge. The Illini are not exactly the class of the Big Ten.

FINAL SCORE: Ohio State 37, Illinois 14

21 TEXAS VS 8 OKLAHOMA (NEUTRAL SITE) CORRECT

The Red River Rivalry. This game is interesting in that, as a neutral site game, the tickets are split between the two schools, and the stadium is divided at the 50 yard line. The dynamic created by this split, when the opposing team is driving the field, can be frustrating to players. Texas is coming off a loss to UCLA. Oklahoma is ranked higher than they should be, according to many football pundits. This game brings out the best in both teams… usually.

FINAL SCORE: Oklahoma 27, Texas 21

11 WISCONSIN AT 24 MICHIGAN STATE INCORRECT

This will be an interesting game. Another Big Ten matchup. Wisconsin, I think, can play with any team in the country, but they have those games that should be easy wins which turn out to be hard-fought clashes. I hate to say it, Wisconsin, but this might be one of those hard games.

FINAL SCORE: Wisconsin 24, Michigan State 20

GEORGIA AT COLORADO INCORRECT

I’ve picked Georgia to win close games the last two weeks. They’ve lost both times. Colorado is currently on a self-promotion drive, celebrating their “consensus” National Championship from 1990. Colorado has one or two good players, but Georgia is getting back their game-changer: A.J. Green. Georgia, if you let me down again, I might not pick your games anymore, if that’s counted as punishment.

FINAL SCORE: Georgia 24, Colorado 17

7 FLORIDA AT 1 ALABAMA CORRECT

Alabama is still #1, even after the scare at Arkansas. Florida is another one of those teams that might be ranked higher than they should be. The Gators are still the team to beat in the SEC East, and with Georgia down and South Carolina not looking as strong as they once did, Florida should still take the East. Alabama may have trouble later from Auburn, that to me that looks like their biggest challenge in the West.

FINAL SCORE: Alabama 26, Florida 20

9 STANFORD AT 4 OREGON CORRECT

The Gameday crew will be at Oregon this week, for what looks like the game of the week. Standford, led by QB Andrew Luck, is a good team. I think Oregon, though, could be anybody, anywhere. The Ducks are a force to be reckoned with.

FINAL SCORE: Oregon 31, Stanford 21

16 MIAMI AT CLEMSON INCORRECT

The Hurricanes are ranked 16th in the nation, and some people are questioning that placement. Miami is 2-1, with their only loss a 12-point stumble against #2 Ohio State. Clemson, though, is an absolute spoiler team. The Tigers will choke almost every season, but they’re going to take someone down with them. Interestingly enough, this is the second straight game in which Clemson has played the #16 team in the country. Two weeks ago Clemson lost to Auburn 27-24 in OT. I think this qualifies as an upset, but remember, this game is in Death Valley.

FINAL SCORE: Clemson 24, Miami 21 (possibly in OT)

Football Future-see Week 4

RECORD:

Week 1..........7-1

Week 2.........4-1

Week 3 ....... 3-1

Week 4 ....... 2-3

TOTAL.......16-6

1 ALABAMA at 10 ARKANSAS CORRECT

The top-ranked Crimson Tide go up against the Gunslinger Ryan Mallett, who I've heard mentioned as a Heisman candidate, but take that with a grain of salt, that Shoelace kid a Michigan is good. Mallett has yet to play a defense like 'Bama's. Georgia played them tough last week, and but for a fifty-yard TD, would've forced overtime. Alabama won't allow that.

FINAL SCORE: Alabama 27, Arkansas 21

24 OREGON STATE at 3 BOISE STATE INCORRECT

I said that Oregon State was going to beat either TCU or Boise State, and I picked Boise because their defense isn't nearly as tough as TCU's. I'm going to stand by that, even against my better judgment.

FINAL SCORE: Oregon State 20, Boise State 17

GEORGIA at MISSISSIPPI STATE INCORRECT

Georgia hasn't lost at Starkville since 1951. Georgia has also never lost its first two SEC games under Mark Richt, but they have this year. Don't look for that trend to continue.

FINAL SCORE: Georgia 30, Miss. State 17

12 SOUTH CAROLINA at 17 AUBURN INCORRECT

The War Eagles... er, Plainsmen, er, Tigers... uh... er... the identity-crisis ridden team from Auburn, is looking quite good. Then again, South Carolina has a really good running back. I don't know that Auburn can stop the kid.

FINAL SCORE: South Carolina 24, Auburn 13

22 WEST VIRGINIA at 15 LSU CORRECT

Those other Tigers... also known as the Bayou Bengals... have surprised me this year. I feel like they've out-performed. Their definitely a dark horse team, as far as I'm concerned. West Virginia now looks like the favorite in the Big East, which is kind of like beating up on a group of junior varsity teams.

FINAL SCORE: LSU 27, West Virginia 20

Football Future-see Week 3

RECORD:

Week 1..........7-1

Week 2.........4-1

Week 3 ....... 3-1

TOTAL.......14-3

12 ARKANSAS AT GEORGIA INCORRECT

Georgia lost 17-6 last week, failing to even reach the endzone against South Carolina. Arkansas is steadily climbing the Top 25. Of course, Georgia is back home, and they are a different team between the hedges.

FINAL SCORE: Georgia 24, Arkansas 21

8 NEBRASKA AT WASHINGTON CORRECT

Nebraska travels to Washington, where they very well could lay an egg. Don't look for it, but expect Washington to give the Huskers a run.

FINAL SCORE: Nebraska 17, Washington 13

10 FLORIDA AT TENNESSEE CORRECT

The tenth-ranked Gators travel to the Vols. Neyland Stadium is a tough place to play, but the Ducks last week rolled up 48 points. The Gators offense hasn't completely clicked yet, but they will.

FINAL SCORE: Florida 42, Tennessee 17

MISSISSIPPI STATE AT 15 LSU

The Bulldogs of Mississippi State go to the SEC version of Death Valley. LSU is playing better than expected, but Les Miles is still on the hot seat.

FINAL SCORE: LSU 40, Miss State 20

AIR FORCE AT 7 OKLAHOMA CORRECT

Air Force has a potent offense, and last week they took down the Cougars of BYU. Oklahoma looks a wee bit better after scraping by Utah State in week one. Look for a close game.

FINAL SCORE: Oklahoma 30, Air Force 24

***UPDATE***

Well, Georgia has cost us yet again. It might be of little solace to anyone, but I did get Georgia's score right, I just missed Arkansas's score by ten. Also, the final in the Oklahoma game was Sooners 27-24. Nebraska laid a beating on Washington, and Florida trounced Tennessee.

Post #300

I made it to 300. Looking back to July 10, 2006, I can see that this blog has come a long way. Since I started writing The Right Wing I've graduated college, bought a new car, moved out, started a good job, traveled to Kansas for a month. I've done a lot.

POLITICS:

My political view hasn't really changed. I'm still conservative. In fact, I'm probably more Libertarian than when I started the blog. I really feel like the government should leave us all alone. Sadly, the government got bigger under Bush, and it's getting bigger everyday under Obama. I make it no secret, I feel the Obama is on his way to being the worst president ever. I have buckets of respect for the Office. And I wish Obama the best, and I truly hope the a Republican victory in the midterm elections will moderate Obama as it did Clinton, but I'm not holding on to hope.

SPORTS:

My view on sports, unlike my political view, has changed drastically. I still follow hockey, the NFL and college football. But let's talk motorsports. I once followed NASCAR and no other racing types. But then, in July of 2008, I came across Formula 1. I had heard my friend Robert talk about F1 for years, and I mostly ignored him. That day, though, I saw what he was talking about. If you've followed the blog since then, you'll know that I'm now hooked on F1.

WORK:

When the blog began I was working at a sign and print shop in Buford. Then, in June of 2009, I started working for General Dynamics. I get to travel and work with the military. No complaints.

So that's they story of The Right Wing. I've been doing this for 300 posts over a little more than four years. Maybe we'll have 300 more.

That aside, I feel remiss to not say anything on this, the ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks. On this day, nine years past, we awoke to a bright Tuesday morning. All was right with the world, as far as most Americans were concerned. Little did any of us know that, at 47 minutes after 8 that morning, our world view would change irrevocably.

I recall sitting in the parking lot at Gainesville College, listening to the start of the Neal Boortz show before going to class. That's when the news broke that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. Initially it was said to be a small plane, but a quick run to the CNN website proved that wrong.

Students gathered in the AV Room and, as the librarian turned on the TV, the second plane struck the towers. I had no clue what was happening or why. I was in my insulated little world. But on that morning, the bright September morning, nineteen Saudis changed my world view.

I went to my teachers for the day, told them that I was going home, and went home. I walked next door to my grandparents, and along the way I heard on the radio that the Pentagon had been hit. Each successive news story tore away a little more of my insulation. We were being exposed to the world.

As I walked through the door my grandmother asked me what was going on. As I tried to explain the news footage changed from the anchor to a shot of the towers, and the first tower was collapsing. It didn't take much more time before the second tower collapsed.

I honestly can't recall when I heard about Flight 93 going down over Shanksville, PA. I was completely shaken. I stared at the devastation on the TV, wondering why it had happened. Then, later in the day, one of the news channels showed footage from the Middle East, and one of the first things they showed was an older-middle-aged Palestinian woman dancing and celebrating in the streets. That's when my bloodlust set in. I hate that it did, but it happened. I was angry.

I quickly calmed, and now with the addition of a few years, I have come to understand things better. Still, though, those of us who remember that day had our lives changed forever.

Football Future-see Week 2 (Post 299)

RECORD:

Week 1..........7-1

Week 2.........4-1

TOTAL.......11-2

The Games:

Michigan at Notre Dame CORRECT

Michigan leaves the Big House for this game. Both teams are seemingly in revival years, returning to the prominence they once enjoyed, or at least that's what they'd have you believe. Michigan took down UConn last week. Notre Dame knocked off Purdue. So what happens this week?

Final Score: Michigan 27, Notre Dame 24

17 Florida State at 10 Oklahoma CORRECT

FSU travels to the Sooners this week, one week after laying 59 points on... whoever it was they played. Oklahoma barely escaped Utah State. Is this an upset?

Final Score: Oklahoma 26, Florida State 20

22 UGA at 24 South Carolina INCORRECT

Georgia is short handed without AJ Green, who was suspended for four games (retroactive) for selling his jersey to what the NCAA deemed was an agent. South Carolina has never beaten Georgia at home under Spurrier. Will they?

Final Score: Georgia 24, South Carolina 21

12 Miami at 2 Ohio State CORRECT

Miami at Ohio State looks like the game of the week. The Hurricanes are a team of potential, the Buckeyes are a known good. Still, as good as they are in the regular season, OSU better hpe they don't meet an SEC team in the bowls.

Final Score: Ohio State 30, Miami 24

18 Penn State at 1 Alabama CORRECT

'Bama put 48 on San Jose State last week. Penn State score 44 points. Neither team will do that this week. Expect a defensive game, but no surprises.

Final Score: Alabama 28, Penn State 17

***UPDATE***

Well, Georgia lost, so already we know this won't be a perfect week. But upsets abound. #13 Virginia Tech fell to FCS power James Madison and #15 Georgia Tech dropped a game against Kansas, who lost 6-3 in week one... to North Dakota State.

***UPDATE 2***

I'm 3-1 through 4 games. Scary, considering I picked Michigan over ND 27-24 and the final was 28-24.

***UPDATE 3***

Well, it's over. 4-1.

An NFL Preview, A Formula 1 Review

This is a two-fold post. The NFL season kicks off Thursday. Formula 1 goes to the storied Monza Circuit Sunday. So let's review Formula 1 first.

Back in July, Formula 1 returned to the Hockenheimring for the first time in two years. The race saw Scuderia Ferrari return to form, as three-quarters through the race Felipe Massa held a slim lead over Fernando Alonso. Then came a radio message that would echo for the rest of the race. Massa's race engineer, Rob Smedley, announced, "Fernando is quicker than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?" Massa then stoically pulled over and allowed Alonso to pass.

Smedley then said, "Good boy. Try to keep up. Sorry." The race ended with Alonso atop the podium and Massa second. Immediately cries went up to the FIA. Ferrari had used team orders, which are not allowed. The stewards, being the upstanding citizens that they are, leveled a $100,000 fine on the team, and it was announced that Ferrari would face a meeting of the World Motor Sports Council on September 8.

Well, today was meeting day. All around the internet speculation was flying as to what punishment Ferrari would receive. Would they be stripped of the driver's and constructor's points from Germany? Would they be banned from the Constructor's Championship for the year? Well, since the FIA is often accused of being Ferrari International Assistance, the punishment meted was laughable.

The WMSC decided that the punishment already handed down was sufficient. So now, for the low, low price of $100,000 any F1 team can issue team orders and alter the outcome of a race, and tick off myriad fans, and expect no more than a light flap on the wrist.

Typical.

******

Now, on to football. It's NFL Prediction time.

Last year the Saints "stunned the world" and "overcame Katrina" do win the Super Bowl. Honestly, and I feel sorry for those that lost so much during that time, but at some point you have to stop using a five-year-old storm as a prop for your city. Anyway, let's look at the divisions and the predicted order of finish. An asterisk beside a team name indicated predicted Wild Card team.

AFC North

Baltimore

Pittsburgh*

Cincinnati

Cleveland

AFC East

New England

New York Jets

Miami

Buffalo

AFC South

Indianapolis

Houston*

Tennessee

Jacksonville

AFC West

San Diego

Denver

Kansas City

Oakland

NFC North

Green Bay

Minnesota

Chicago

Detroit

NFC East

Dallas

Philadelphia*

New York Giants

Washington

NFC South

Atlanta

New Orleans*

Carolina

Tampa Bay

NFC West

San Francisco

Arizona

Seattle

St. Louis

So here's our playoff teams, in a predicted order of seeding.

AFC

1. Indianapolis

2. Baltimore

3. San Diego

4. New England

5. Houston

6. Pittsburgh

NFC

1. Atlanta

2. Green Bay

3. Dallas

4. San Francisco

5. Philadelphia

6. New Orleans

As you can see, we have some surprises. Yes, I think Atlanta can be the Number 1 seed in the NFC. The schedule is favorable, with 10 games in a dome, and all their toughest games seemingly at home. The other surprise is Houston. The Texans have never made the playoffs, but this seems like the year. Matt Schaub is a good quarterback, and Arian Foster looks like the real deal at running back.

So let's predict some conference title games.

AFC Championship

Indianapolis vs Baltimore

NFC Championship

Atlanta vs. New Orleans

The AFC Championship match is no surprise, but the NFC game might be. Atlanta and New Orleans play twice every year. Both times in domes. Why not a third time?

Super Bowl XLV

Atlanta vs Baltimore

The Super Bowl this year will be the battle of the birds. Atlanta's offense will be rather high powered by season's end. Baltimore has added multiple weapons on offense. The Raven's are known for their swarming defense. Atlanta has ayoung, up-and-coming defense. Should be a good game.

Some Notes on Football

Well, with the exception of the Boise State - Virginia Tech game that is in progress as of this writing, Week One of College Football is in the books. Seems then a good time to review the high and low points for each conference.

Big East:

High Point - Syracuse and South Florida win... big. South Florida's next game is Florida, which will be a big test for them. Syracuse probably won't be all that great for the rest of the year, but it only takes 6 wins to reach a bowl game.

Low Point - UConn and Pitt both lose. These are the flagship programs of this conference. UConn has been a program on the rise, but they ran into a revitalized Michigan squad Saturday. Pitt faltered on Thursday, setting a tone for this conference. By the way, Pitt was the #15 team in the nation. They lost to an unranked.

ACC:

High Point - Florida State comes out of the gate in a big way for Jimbo Fisher. All in all, so far, the ACC teams that should win have won.

Low Point - It could be argued that the low point is occurring as I type this, since VaTech has already given up 10 points to Boise, and the Broncos are driving yet again. But so far the low point is UNC, who lost multiple starters to suspension just before the game with LSU.

Big XII:

High Point - Oklahoma State swarmed out of the gate, demolishing poor Washington State 65-17.

Low Point - Kind of a dual low point for the conference. Oklahoma won, but they played very poorly, beating Utah State 31-24. The lowest point so far is the fact that North Dakota State took down Kansas 6-3.

Big Ten:

High Point - Michigan steamrolled UConn 30-10. The Wolverines were rededicating the Big House, and thi was a great way to do so.

Low Point - Illinois built a lead against Missouri that they were not able to hold. The Tigers came back in the second half to disappoint the Illini.

PAC-10:

High Point - Oregon's 72-point victory over New Mexico. The Ducks look like the team to beat in a top-heavy PAC-10.

Low Point - USC coming within a hair's width of losing to Hawaii. The Trojans, stifled under a two-year bowl ban, are playing for pride.

SEC:

High Point - This will definitely sound like a cheer for the home team, but Georgia played a great game in dismantling Louisiana-Lafayette 55-7. The new 3-4 Defense that Todd Grantham installed played great all day, Aaron Murray rocked at QB, as did back-up freshman Hutson Mason. And the kick coverage problems I worried about early in the game sorted themselves out.

Low Point - There are three low points for the SEC, sadly. These are not ranked in any particular order.

1. Florida's offense never once found a rhythm against Miami of Ohio. The Gators won, but it was not pretty.

2. LSU might have beat UNC, but they played a very sloppy game.

3. Lowest of all, though, is Ole Miss. The Rebels dropped a double overtime game 49-48... to Jacksonville State. Shame.

The Return of Football Future-see

Well, I'm sitting here with a vicious head cold. But it struck me the other day that the last time we did a Football Future-see addition was 2008. Of course, we did a bowl edition in 2009, but that's still the 2008 season. So let's bring back the Future-see. That year we went 57-22 over the course of a year.

Remember our rules for this little game. We pick five games a week, opening week is ten games, bow edition is ten games. We pick winner and loser, and just for fun, we give you a predicted score.

Let's get to the games.

21 LSU vs 18 UNC (Neutral Site) CORRECT

This is the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic, played in the Georgia Dome. LSU is seemingly a team on the decline in the SEC West, and at the moment North Carolina is facing some possibly stiff penalties from the NCAA, and may be without several players. UNC's defense was supposed to be great, but that is unfortunately where most of their penalized players will come from.

Final Score: LSU 24, UNC 16

15 PITT at UTAH INCORRECT

Pitt is currently the front-runner to win the Big East this year, which is about like saying you're going to win the Tri-County Beauty Pageant. Utah is going to the PAC-10 next year, but this year they aren't even ranked, which is odd to some, but not unexpected in the world of college football. I mean, a couple years back they beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Final Score: PITT 28, Utah 20

ILLINOIS vs MISSOURI (Neutral Site) CORRECT

This is a state border rivalry, but it has a new undertone to it this year. Missouri wanted to join the Big Ten along with Nebraska. The Big Ten, though, skipped over Mizzou and took the prettier sister, Nebraska. So Missouri is now upset with the Big Ten, and guess which conference Illinois plays for.

Final Score: Missouri 30, Illinois 20

24 OREGON STATE vs 6 TCU (Neutral Site) CORRECT

This may turn out to be the biggest game of the weekend. Oregon State plays both TCU and Boise State this year, and I can't help but feel that they are going to win one of those games. The Beaver's RB, Jacquizz Rodgers, will rip up the Broncos, who are known more for their offense than defense. TCU, though, is a defensive ball club.

Final Score: TCU 24, Oregon State 21

UTAH STATE at 7 OKLAHOMA CORRECT

Let's be honest, this game probably won't be much of a challenge for Oklahoma, but then again, Appalachian State took down Michigan a few years back. Still, not likely.

Final Score: Oklahoma 54, Utah State 10

PURDUE at NOTRE DAME INCORRECT

Notre Dame, for the last few years, has been a trendy pick to win the national title, only to finish the year 7-6 or so each time. Notre Dame is also breaking in a new coach. Purdue may have a chance to take down the Irish, which is actually what I'll predict. Call it going out on a limb.

Final Score: Purdue 24, Notre Dame 20

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE at 16 GEORGIA TECH CORRECT

Georgia Tech starts the year in the top 20, but teams are learning how to defend Paul Johnson's option offense. The only thing is, for SC State, they've never even seen Paul Johnson's offense. Okay, maybe they have, it won't matter.

Final Score: Georgia Tech 56, SC State 14

MIAMI (OH) at 4 FLORIDA CORRECT

Just like Utah State and SC State, Miami of Ohio doesn't really stand much chance here. Florida will be breaking in a new QB, who although never having taken a meaningful snap, is somehow already being considered for the Heisman. I don't get it.

Final Score: Florida 63, Miami(OH) 17

LOUISANA-LAFAYETTE at 23 GEORGIA CORRECT

Georgia is in the same condition as Florida, breaking in a new QB. But Georgia's QB is a redshirt freshman, while Florida has at most two year service from Brantley. LA-Lafayette doesn't have much of a chance.

Final Score: Georgia 49, LA-Lafayette 14

3 BOISE STATE vs 10 VIRGINIA TECH (Neutral Site)

This is the big game of the week, Monday night, Fed-Ex Field. That means this is a virtual home game for VaTech, as Boise State's home field is over 2100 miles further from FedEx Field than Blacksburg. Boise State is needing to make a statement in this game, later in the season against Oregon State, and they'll have to decimate the WAC to play in the National Championship game. Sadly, we don't see it.

Final Score: Virginia Tech 28, Boise State 27

***UPDATE***

Well, Pitt has already cost us the chance at 10-0, as if that chance ever existed. But to be honest, I never make it easy on myself.

***UPDATE #2***

Through six games, I'm 4-2 on the picks. By the way, what happened to Ole Miss? How does an SEC school lose to Jacksonville State?

***UPDATE #3***

Alright, nine games in and the record stands at 7-2.

Stupidity All Around

Do people not see how stupid this is? Glenn Beck wants to have a rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, as a means of "restoring honor." As it happens, the day that Beck wishes to have his rally is the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Of course, this can only mean one thing: Glenn Beck is an evil, bigoted, racist jerk.

No, we don't even have to worry about what Beck's message is, he's a white guy trying to speak on the same day (albeit 47 years later) that a civil rights hero spoke. That jerk!

I mean, doesn't Glenn Beck know that we are now in a post-racial society, and that we have been ever since Barack Obama ascended to the White House. I mean, Valerie Jarrett told us that Obama would be 'ready to rule from day one.' Glenn Beck should know better. Race doesn't matter anymore, so this stupid white conservative needs to shut up.

That's stupidity.

Not That Leader: Revisited

"Obama is an eloquent speaker. And that’s what is so confusing. He speaks just well enough to hide his true intentions. He never truly commits to one thing or another. It’s a master stroke in politics, but if the American voter would open their eyes just a little bit, they’d see the truth behind what he’s saying. They’d realize that Obama is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Sure he looks good on TV, but we’re not electing a public speaker, we’re electing a leader.

And frankly, Obama is not that leader." - The Right Wing, October 16, 2008

I wrote that nearly two years ago, as Barack Obama was making his push to be President. As you know, hopefully (unless you've lived under a rock for some time), Mr. Obama succeeded in his quest. Now, eighteen months into his presidency, we can look back.

To revisit the above quote, consider Obama's speaking ability. When he has a teleprompter or a prepared speech, he is one of the best speakers since Kennedy (take your pick, they all seem to get people to like them). However, when Obama is sans teleprompter, his speaking ability trails off to awkward teenager trying to pick up a date.

Still, speaking ability alone does not a president make. Often, presidents are judged on the merit of their tenure in office. So let's examine the Obama high/low point list:

1. Economic Stimulus. Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress passed $787 Billion in stimulus spending. Key to remember in this matter is that a majority of the Democratic congress subscribes to Keynesian Economics. A (very generalized) overview of Keynesian economics states that if you have no money, just keep spending until money magically appears in your account. This is exactly what Congress did. Instead of trying to save our money, or putting our money into the private sector, which is the backbone of our economy, Congress decided that they knew better than us and became a sweeping government takover of health care, the auto industry, and (if reports are true) eventually individual, private 401(k) accounts.

2. Health care reform. If you saw any of the town hall meetings, you'll know that most Americans were against the health care plan. They may have supported health care reform, but not the version that Obama came up with. Then, when a reporter asked Nancy Pelosi what part of the Constitution authorized Congress to pass such reform, her indignant answer was "Are you serious?" Pelosi later topped herself, saying that we had to pass the bill to find out what was in it.

3. The Tea Party. This thing has been the bane of liberalism since April of 2008. I've written a few times about the TeaParty and the mostly negative portrayal it has had in the media. Just peruse back a while on this blog to find those things. Of course, the media will have you believe that the Tea Party is merely the offshoot of a racist nation that despises having a black man in the White House. I give the Tea Party more credit than that.

4. Immigration. Arizona authored a law that enforced the federal law, while almost exactly mirroring the language of the federal law. Then, the federal government sued Arizona. Their case: Arizona was usurping federal authority. Apparently, the federal government does not have to enforce their own laws, but you better not dare to try to enforce those laws, because the Fed will sue you. Nevermind that the majority of Americans side with Arizona in this debate, desiring to stem the tide of illegal immigration, the federal government cannot anger those illegal immigrants, or as they now call them "displaced foreign travelers."

Obviously that's not all. In fact, we've barely scratched the surface. The media is still trying to convince people that a Senator who never one completed a full term in any office is possibly the best president ever. His opponents would have you believe that he is the worst president ever.

I'll say this: I don't think he's the worst, and he's far from the best. I still think he's an inexperienced Socialist looking for a chance to fundamentally transform America into a socialist utopia.

United States Grand Prix: A Guess

Austin, Texas.

Click on the link there and take a look at one of my many guesses as to what a Grand Prix circuit outside Austin, Texas could look like. The group that is bringing Formula 1 back to the United States recently revealed the site of the Grand Prix. Try your hand at designing a circuit there.

Grand Prix-viewing the Magyar Nagydíj 2010

It's been over a year since Felipe Massa was very nearly killed at the Hungaroring. Click on the word there to watch of video of one of the scariest accidents you'll ever see. With hindsight being 20-20 and Massa being alright and actually winning the German Grand Prix, (Okay, so team orders forced him to move aside and give Alonso the victory, but more on that later.) we can actually talk about the most frightening aspect of this video, the on-board telemetry. Just watch after the spring hits Massa's helmet, when he simultaneously applies full brake and full throttle.

So, back to team orders. Ferrari has been poster child of team orders. Many years ago, Ferrari ordered Rubens Barrichello out of the way to allow Michael Schumacher to win. Schumi, out of shame, moved the 2nd-Place Barrichello to the top step of the podium. At Hockenheim this year, Massa was leading the race, but currently trailing in the points well behind Alonso (who was well behind leader Hamilton). Rob Smedley, Massa's race engineer, delivered the worst coded message ever, "Alonso is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that?"

Massa rather blatantly oved out of the way, and then on the podium and in the post-race conference, the Ferrari drivers looked like a couple going through some rather serious marital problems.

Which brings us to Hungary this year. The race, this Sunday, will feature two teams going through some great mechanical days, but seriously dysfunctional family issues. Red Bull, and Ferrari, have some driver issues to sort through.

Current duel championship leader, McLaren, is still out in front after a disappointing German Grand Prix. No one really knows just what McLaren will decide about the blown diffuser, but the Hungaroring is usually good to the Woking-based team.

So let's predict a podium:

1. Lewis Hamilton - McLaren Mercedes

2. Mark Webber - Red Bull

3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes

You'll note that the third spot on the podium goes to a driver who has been kind of struggling this season. Rosberg, though, appears poised to break through.

A Way Too Early Football Prediction Post

Alright, know from the outset that this is a completely unnecessary blog post. Training camps for both college and the NFL haven't even started yet. But, that's what makes this fun.

College Football

We'll start with the big six conference rankings.

6b. Big East: The Big East is down yet again. Yes, there are some good teams here, but I really don't see them as much of a threat to the top five.

6a. Mountain West: That's right. Right now I have a non-BCS conference ranked ahead of a BCS conference.

5. ACC: The ACC is scary. I mean, it really isn't a good conference. Beyond Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, UNC, and FSU, there isn't much here.

4. Big Ten: The Big Ten is adding a team next year, bringing their total up to twelve. I told you those guys up north couldn't count.

3. Pac-10: The Pacific coast conference has good teams. Unfortunately, USC, their flagship program, is now under a two-year bowl ban.

2. Big XII: This is the last year for the Big XII. Next year Colorado departs for the Pac 10 (with Utah) and Nebraska is running to the Big Ten.

1. SEC: Until someone knocks them off the top, there is no reason to pick against them.

Conference Winners:

Mountain West: TCU

Big East: UConn

ACC: Virginia Tech

Big Ten: Ohio State

Pac-10: Oregon

Big XII: Texas

SEC: Alabama

BCS Bowl Games:

Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Wisconsin

Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. TCU

Fiesta Bowl: Texas vs. Boise State

Orange Bowl: Virgina Tech vs. UConn

National Championship: Alabama vs. Ohio State

NFL PREDICTIONS:

AFC Championship Game:

Baltimore vs. Indianapolis

NFC Championship Game:

Atlanta vs. Dallas

Super Bowl:

Atlanta vs. Baltimore

Call us crazy, but a Matt Ryan versus Joe Flacco Super Bowl will be a lot of fun to watch.

Another Review of those F1 Predictions

June 17th:

Driver's Champion: Lewis Hamilton

He'll rebound in a big way, especially when we get to the European part of the calendar.

Constructor's Champion: Ferrari

Those red cars are fast.

Most wins on the season: Fernando Alonso

I'm thinking he'll win five races, while Hamilton will eventually win four.

First Driver to be Replaced: Karun Chandhok, HRT

I'm think that Jose Maria Lopez or Sebastian Bourdais may find their way into the race seat opposite Bruno Senna.

Will Bernie go away at season's end?

No. Unfortunately no.

Who will fill the race slot vacated by the defunct USF1?

Most likely Stefan GP. I can't see Epsilon Eusakdi, or Prodrive moving in.

Alright, so that's what we said in March of this year, after only one race. We're now eight races in and things have certainly changed. So let's view the new and updated predictions for the 7/16 mark of the season...

Driver's Champion: Lewis Hamilton

He'll rebound in a big way, especially when we get to the European part of the calendar. Remember us saying that earlier and back in March. Well, Lewis has taken two of the first three European races. Valencia at the end of the month looks good for McLaren as well.

Constructor's Champion: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

While Ferrari was our original pick, it looks as though those red cars aren't as good as we thought. Yes, Alonso is reaching the podium, but with nowhere near the consistency that Button and Hamilton are reaching it.

Most wins on the season: Lewis Hamilton

Lewis is already halfway to what I predicted he'd win, and we aren't even to the midpoint of the season. I'm starting to think Lewis may take home five or six wins.

First Driver to be Replaced: Karun Chandhok, HRT

I'm think that Jose Maria Lopez or Sebastian Bourdais may find their way into the race seat opposite Bruno Senna. That was our original pick and we're sticking with it. Chandhok, even in one of the new backmarker cars, is consistently running upwards of 4 to 7 seconds of the leader's pace. In F1, he might as well be walking as going that slow.

Will Bernie go away at season's end?

No. Unfortunately no. In fact, I hear he's looking at a vacation home in Austin, Texas.

Who will fill the race slot vacated by the defunct USF1?

Trick question, doesn't look like the FIA is going to let anyone else in.

So, what's right, wrong, and new?

Driver's Champion: Lewis Hamilton

That's right, we're sticking with Lewis for the title. He's not only consistent, but he's showing the aggressiveness that made him champion in 2008, only now he's coupled it with the maturity of a few seasons.

Constructor's Champion: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Also sticking with McLaren for the Constructor's title. Lewis is driving very well, and Jenson just overcame a P14 in qualifying by driving the wheels off at Silverstone and getting to P4 at the end.

Most wins at the end of the season: Lewis Hamilton

Yes, Webber has 3 now and Lewis only has 2. But Lewis drives well at Hockenheim and Spa, two of the next four races.

First Driver to be replaced: Karun Chandhok, HRT

We are partially right on this one. Bruno Senna was replaced by Sakon Yamamoto at Silverstone, but Karun will be replaced for the next few races by Yamamoto. Although, Renault is stirring the rumor mill with stories about Vitaly Petrov.

Will Bernie go away at season's end?

Still no. In fact, that kooky old man is now threatening to pull the Monaco Grand Prix. Yeah, that'll go over well with fans.

There was a question about USF1's spot. We just don't care anymore.

Today is the Future!!!

Well, today is the day that Marty McFly arrives from 1985. He drove the DeLorean up to 88 miles per hour, and with that, he entered the history books.... or did he leave them... no, wait, he wrote them.... I dunno!

No, just kidding. It was actually 2015, and this is just photoshopped. Still fun, though.

European Grand Prix Preview (Qualy Blog)

Formula 1 rolls into Valencia this week. I have the Formula 1 game on the Wii, and this is a very fun track to drive, but watching a race here has the high possibility of being boring. It is a narrow, bendy track, but it does not flow like Montreal does.

Today we'll review the qualifying sessions.

Alright, we'll pick this up with Q1 already finished. Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, and the Renault of Robert Kubica battled for the top of the time sheet in this session. The eliminated drivers from Q1 include:

24 - Bruno Senna (HRT)

23 - Chandhok (HRT)

22 - Glock (Virgin)

21 - Lucas Di Grassi (Virgin)

20 - Kovalainen (Lotus)

19 - Trulli (Lotus)

18 - Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber)

Q2

In Q2, several cars hit the track as the session began. Fernando Alonso quickly found his way around a Scuderia Toro Rosso car. At the 9:15-remaining mark of Q2, Sebastian Vettel threw in a 1:38:015, the fastest time of qualifying so far.

Kubica, at 8:17, went to P3 for the session. He is currently the focal point of rumors that have Mercedes Grand Prix offering him a 3-year deal starting next season, to replace living legend Michael Schumacher.

With six minutes to go, Jenson Button was fastest through the speed trap, at 312.9 km/h.

Vitaly Petrov, with less than five minutes to go, is still in the top ten. Say what you will, the Russian rookie has been quite impressive this season. As an aside, Petrov lives in Valencia.

17 - Alguesuari (STR)

16 - De La Rosa (Sauber)

15 - Schumacher (Mercedes)

14 - Liuzzi (Force India)

13 - Sutil (Force India)

12 - Rosberg (Mercedes)

11 - Buemi (STR)

The drivers knocked out in Q2 are bracketed by the Scuderia Toro Rosso team. Interestingly, both Merc cars are out, with Schumacher right where he was when we left Montreal, staring up at the Force Indias.

Q3

Ten drivers remain, with Vettel and Webber fastest out of Q2. But now, we have a ten car shootout for pole position. Four cars hit the track almost immediately at the start of Q3.

To give you an idea of how large this track is, we're three minutes into the session and Alonso is only halfway through his first lap (not counting the recon lap).

Four minutes into the session, Lewis Hamilton landed the first 1:37 lap time. Webber immediately went faster.

The McLarens and Red Bulls have dominated the front row all year, and it looks like that will continue. Watching these teams play strategy against each other is really quite awesome. It goes to show you just how much difference there is in .035 seconds.

A lot of the drivers in qualifying are running the Bridgestone super-soft tyres.

10 - Petrov (Renault)

9 - Barrichello (Williams)

8 - Hulkenberg (Williams)

7 - Button (McLaren)

6 - Kubica (Renault)

5 - Massa (Ferrari)

4 - Alonso (Ferrari)

3 - Hamilton (McLaren)

2 - Webber (Red Bull)

1 - Vettel (Red Bull)

Sebastian Vettel returns to pole for the first time in five races. Lewis Hamilton's last lap in Q3 was aborted after a brief slip caused him to lose momentum.

Barrichello and Hulkenberg, both Williams drivers, put in even times, but Hulkenberg was granted position by virtue of putting in his time first.

As the drivers pulled into the pits and the top three qualifiers went to the press room, it was awkward that Webber would not even acknowledge Vettel. Obviously there is still some animosity from the Turkish Grand Prix.

CONTROVERSY BREWING

Red Bull is crying foul, saying that Ferrari circumvented the in-season testing ban by having Fernando Alson turn several laps in the F10 at the Fiorano circuit. Ferrari, though, says the event was a media day, and that no test data was recovered.

PREDICTIONS

Valencia is a circuit that rewards patience, something that Lewis Hamilton doesn't often have. But Lewis also claims to have "unfinished business" at the street circuit.

So, the predicted podium is this:

3. Fernando Alonso

2. Mark Webber

1. Lewis Hamilton

Recapping the F1 Prediction from March

Driver's Champion: Lewis Hamilton

He'll rebound in a big way, especially when we get to the European part of the calendar.

Constructor's Champion: Ferrari

Those red cars are fast.

Most wins on the season: Fernando Alonso

I'm thinking he'll win five races, while Hamilton will eventually win four.

First Driver to be Replaced: Karun Chandhok, HRT

I'm think that Jose Maria Lopez or Sebastian Bourdais may find their way into the race seat opposite Bruno Senna.

Will Bernie go away at season's end?

No. Unfortunately no.

Who will fill the race slot vacated by the defunct USF1?

Most likely Stefan GP. I can't see Epsilon Eusakdi, or Prodrive moving in.

Alright, so that's what we said in March of this year, after only one race. We're now eight races in and things have certainly changed. So let's view the new and updated predictions for the 7/16 mark of the season...

Driver's Champion: Lewis Hamilton

He'll rebound in a big way, especially when we get to the European part of the calendar. Remember us saying that earlier and back in March. Well, Lewis has taken two of the first three European races. Valencia at the end of the month looks good for McLaren as well.

Constructor's Champion: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

While Ferrari was our original pick, it looks as though those red cars aren't as good as we thought. Yes, Alonso is reaching the podium, but with nowhere near the consistency that Button and Hamilton are reaching it.

Most wins on the season: Lewis Hamilton

Lewis is already halfway to what I predicted he'd win, and we aren't even to the midpoint of the season. I'm starting to think Lewis may take home five or six wins.

First Driver to be Replaced: Karun Chandhok, HRT

I'm think that Jose Maria Lopez or Sebastian Bourdais may find their way into the race seat opposite Bruno Senna. That was our original pick and we're sticking with it. Chandhok, even in one of the new backmarker cars, is consistently running upwards of 4 to 7 seconds of the leader's pace. In F1, he might as well be walking as going that slow.

Will Bernie go away at season's end?

No. Unfortunately no. In fact, I hear he's looking at a vacation home in Austin, Texas.

Who will fill the race slot vacated by the defunct USF1?

Trick question, doesn't look like the FIA is going to let anyone else in.

Post 293: College Football Expansion Revisited

We'll probably revist this topic several times over the next few weeks, and if you notice, we are now within a touchdown of 300 posts.

It appears as though Nebraska is going to the Big Ten, which, in a case of horrifyingly bad math, give the Big Ten twelve teams. If they stop there, then it would seem that the seismic shift that was predicted might be stopped.

But, Notre Dame has once again began conversating with the Big Ten, which could potentially render a thirteen team conference. If that happens, then Missouri is back on the table to create a 14-team Big Ten (at which point the conference name has to change).

While all this has been happening, the PAC-10 screamed out "Screw it!" and now looks poised to offer invites to Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Colorado. The university of Texas, arguably the biggest pawn in this crazy chess game, is nearly 800 miles from the nearest current PAC-10 school, and is a whopping 1300 miles from the Pacific coast. There is no way the conference can keep the name PAC, it just doesn't work.

And then, just to keep the soap opera going, Texas A&M is supposedly in hot and heavy talks with the SEC, which is by far the better fit for them than the PAC-10. That would put the Aggies 925 miles away from their farthest in-conference competition.

Stay tuned, kids. This is getting fun.

***Formula 1 Update***

We haven't done this in a while, but it is time for a Formula 1 update.

The fast cars journey to Montreal this week. This will be the first time I've seen them race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The last time they were at this particular track Lewis Hamilton decided that he wanted to be parked where Kimi Raikkonen was parked, so he just pushed him out of the way... er, well, he plowed into him.

Now is different. The Red Bulls, so dominant this year in qualifying, have fallen victim to several reliability issues, and just plain driver stupidity. At Turkey, with Webber leading and Vettel following, the younger driver decided he was tired on P2 and wanted P1. The resulting kerfuffle cost Vettel a race finish and dropped Webber to P3, giving Hamilton a win and Button P2, a McLaren 1-2.

I emailed Tom Bowles at Sports Illustrated with a comment. And darned if he didn't put it up in his new mailbag article.

Post 292: College Football Expansion

There's been a lot of talk lately about the possibility of the biggest conferences in college football expanding. The Big Ten (which already has 11 teams) was the primary suspect to get the ball rolling, so to speak. There are three scenarios being bandied about by the talking heads:

Scenario 1: The Big Ten adds 1 team, making 12. The four possible teams being talked about are Notre Dame, Missouri, Nebraska, or Rutgers. I pitched the idea several years ago that the Big Ten needed to push for another team (Notre Dame) and split into the Hayes and Schembechler Divisions.

Scenario 2: The Big Ten adds three teams, creating two 7-team divisions. Take three of the four teams listed above to create this scenario.

Scenario 3: This scenario would unleash nuclear war on the college football landscape. The Big Ten would add five teams, creating a 16-team superconference. You would see Missouri, Nebraska, Rutgers, Syracuse, and then a mystery team (rumors state Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Pitt, West Virginia, etc.)

Should scenario three come to pass, then watch for the response of the PAC-10 and the SEC. In conversation with several friends and co-workers, it is an understood fact that if the Big Ten goes to 16 teams, then the SEC will respond, and respond BIG. Should the SEC require four more teams, then it become interesting.

The SEC could look west, trying to lure Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and OK State into the fold. They could play for Texas, Texas A&M, and then go east and north, claiming Virginia Tech and possibly Florida State, Miami, or South Florida.

Personally, I think VaTech's defense style is better suited to the SEC than to the ACC.

The PAC-10 is already talking to Colorado, if reports are to be believed. I can see CU going to the PAC-10. I can also see the conference that is home to USC calling up Boise State. That would give them 12 teams, enough for a conference title game.

So, if Scenario 3 happens, this is how we here at the Right Wing think college football will look.

Big Ten (Becomes Big 16) (adds 5 teams)

Hayes Division

Ohio State

Missouri

Nebraska

Michigan State

Minnesota

Iowa

Indiana

Northwestern

Schembechler Division

Michigan

Penn State

Notre Dame

Rutgers

Syracuse

Wisconsin

Purdue

Illinois

The Big Ten starts this apocalyptic domino effect by gutting the Big East, adding Syracuse and Rutgers. The Big XII loses Nebraska and Missouri. Independent Notre Dame realizes that their reasons for staying independent are, at this point in time, archaic at best.

PAC-10 (Becomes PAC-16) (Adds 6 teams)

North Division

Washington

Washington State

Oregon

Oregon State

Boise State

Colorado

Utah

South Division

USC

Cal

Stanford

UCLA

Arizona

Arizona State

Texas Christian

BYU

Our vision of the future for the PAC-10 see TCU, Utah, and BYU joining from the Mountain West, and Boise State joining from the WAC.

Southeastern Conference (Adds 4 teams)

East Division

Georgia

Florida

South Carolina

Tennessee

Kentucky

Vanderbilt

Virginia Tech

Auburn (moves to East)

West Division

Alabama

LSU

Arkansas

Mississippi State

Ole Miss

Texas

Texas A&M

Oklahoma

As you can see, we take three of the four Big XII teams and add them to the SEC West, moving Auburn to the East Division, which adds Virginia Tech.

So we've seen the Big XII and the Big East effectively gutted. The ACC loses a powerhouse in VaTech. So what do these conferences do?

Atlantic Coast Conference (adds five teams, loses VT)

Atlantic Division

Clemson

Boston College

Maryland

Florida State

Wake Forest

NC State

UConn

West Virginia

Coastal Division

Georgia Tech

Miami

North Carolina

Duke

Virginia

Louisville

Cincinnati

South Florida

Note that we foresee the ACC completing the destruction of the Big East. The ACC will strive to not be left out of the superconference discussion.

Big XII (loses 6 teams) (adds 6 teams)

South Division

Oklahoma State

Baylor

Texas Tech

UNLV

Fresno State

Houston

North Division

Kansas

Kansas State

Iowa State

Air Force

Wyoming

Colorado State

The remnants of the Big XII reconstitue the conference by raiding the Mountain West, taking Air Force, Wyoming, UNLV, and Colorado State. They also tackle the WAC, gaining Fresno State. The final spot falls to Houston of Conference USA.

Should this nuclear scenario happen, the conference rankings, as we see them, look like this:

1. SEC

2. Big Ten (Big 16)

3. PAC-16

4. ACC

5. Big XII

How did it come to this?

To set the mood for this entry, please listen to this song while reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkT2wW3-1jQ

Now, I look around and wonder how it ever got this bad. I mean, there's thousands upon thousands of gallons of crude oil spilling into the gulf everyday, and the President is off raising money for a senator that will in all likelihood be voted out. He even planned to go back to Chicago instead of figure out, or at least give the appearance of trying to figure out, what to do in light of this crisis.

Then, this arrogant narcissist of a president has the gall to say that he takes full responsibility for the clean up. Sure, after Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal begged for federal permit to dredge up barrier islands to protect the marshes, permit he was denied, now that BP has pushed through the "top kill" method (that may or may not be working), Obama swoops in to claim responsibility. He even plays the sympathy card, saying that his daughter asked him if he had plugged the hole yet. As if Lord Almighty Barack* was going to walk on water to the site of the spill, dive down and plug the hole with his own will.

Nice move, though, Barry. Way to capitalize on the situation.

Meanwhile, the world sits on a razor's edge while Europe screws around economically, threatening to push us all back into the dark ages. I read the other day that one false move in Europe could send the world into an unrecoverable economic spiral. I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of having Europe dictate my future.

Heck, I'm sick and tired of out-of-touch politicians in Washington dictating my future. You want to know why so many incumbents are going to lose in November? Because Obama, Reid, and Pelosi has pushed as hard as they can to turn a right-of-center nation into a Euro-socialist paradise where the private sector offers little in terms of compensation and the government hands out everything.

The government has crammed unpopular bill after despised bill down the throats of the American people, and when we rise up and say that we don't like it, they call us seditious. Well guess what, we freakin' elected you. You answer to us, not the other way around. You don't like, well, no one made you run for office in the first place. You can't take the heat, then get out of our kitchen.

The backlash is coming. So go ahead, keep calling the tea partiers a bunch of racists. Keep calling anyone who disagrees with Obama seditious. Deval Patrick, a few days ago, said that the opposition to Obama was borderline seditious. Woody Allen said that Obama should be made dictator so that he can accomplish "more good" faster. Allen also said that he wished the Republicans would just get out of the way and stop trying to hurt (poor, little, sensitive) Barack**. (I added the poor little sensitive line. I'm tired of people telling me that the Republicans are hurting Barack. ***)

By the way, where in the crap was this "sedition" talk for the eight years of ridicule and anger directed at George W. Bush? Oh, I guess it was okay because he wasn't a caring, beneficent, sort-of-a-god like Obama.

Keep trying to pitch socialism to a capitalist nation. I don't condone violent revolt, but the similarities between what the Obama Administration is currently doing, and what the government of King George III in the late 1700s did astounds me.

Keep oppressing the opposition and see what happens.

Don't tread on me.

*I feel better in knowing that the text spelling out Barack's name on my computer here said the name was misspelled. One of the suggestions for the correct spelling: Barabbas.

For those of you not in the know, Barabbas was the prisoner (read: actually guilty) that was pardoned so that Christ could be crucified.

** Heh, there it is again.

***Third time's a charm!

Design Your Own Race Course III: A Course in Every State and US Territory

That's right, we're going to try and design a road course in Every state.

Alabama

Located just three miles west of Fort McClellan. A nearly 3.5 mile, 20-turn monster.

Alaska

Designed along the runways of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. 4.4+ miles, roughly 18 turns. I don't know if we'll see a track this long again.

American Samoa

The airport of American Samoa is actually built on man-made peninsulas going out into the ocean. This is perfect for a race course. The 3.74 mile course looks very simple, but its 11 turns can be deceptively tricky. A good course for overtaking.

Arizona

I'll confess, it's harder than you think to find a place to design a track in Arizona. We found a spot for this 18-turn, 1.5 mile course to the southeast of Tuscon.

Arkansas

So there's this field about 30 miles south of Pine Bluff. Good place for a 1.97 mile, 16 turn road course.

California

The Pacific Coast along northern California was begging for a road course. We deliver. This 3.02 mile, 16-turn course has a Shangai-esque straight that measures nearly three-quarters of a mile.

Colorado

The first "Figure 8" track we've designed. This 2.25 miles, 18 turn track uses an existing bridge. It's located just outside Colorado Springs.

Connecticut

Connecticut is another of those states in which it is difficult to design a track.

Delaware

This track is designed just outside the small town of Farmington. It comes in at 2.54 miles and 19 turns, with one incredibly sharp hair pin.

District of Columbia

The Nation's Capital course is a 2.8 mile, 16-turn street circuit blazing through the National Mall and around the Washington Monument.

Florida

The 2.1 mile, 20+ turn track outside Tallahassee seems a good place. Sure Florida has Homestead, Sebring, and the Streets of St. Pete.

Georgia

There's a field outside Maysville, GA that holds a rather Bahrainesque track. This tracks comes in at 20-turns and 2.01 miles.

Guam

The small island nation of Guam gets a race course right by the sea. This 17-turn, 2.95 mile course slopes down to the ocean. Very picturesque.

Hawaii

A road circuit in Hawaii seems easy, right? Not really. This 1.75 mile track seems better suited for MotoGP than for something like F1 or the BTCC.

Idaho

This 20-turn, 1.5 mile track was designed around Boise State's famous blue turf football field.

Illinois

When I saw the town in Illinois named Oblong, I knew it would be a great place for a track. This 2.53 mile, 16-turn track is reminiscent of the Formula 1 course at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Indiana

You would think that any track designed in the state of Indiana would have to be near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but this track is just outside Gary, Indiana. It's one of the longer tracks in our design archive, coming in at 2.95 miles and roughly 24 turns.

Iowa

Located about three miles west of Pleasantville, Iowa is this 2.2 mile, 13-turn track with almost no elevation change.

Kansas

Near Junction City, Kansas is a course shaped like a #3, which is, appropriately, not 3 miles long, but only 2.89 miles. This course has 13 turns.

Kentucky

The Kentucky course is one of the longest we've designed. It's 3.9 miles and 15 turns with one of the longest, sweepingest curves we've got to offer.

Louisiana

Call us crazy for all these tracks on college campuses, but here's another. This time on the campus of the University of New Orleans. This track is 3.33 miles and 17 turns.

Maine

Near the Presidential retreat of Kennebunkport is this track. It's almost exactly 2 miles in length with 13 turns and a Sepang-style straight-hairpin-straight combo.

Maryland

Just for fun!

Massachusetts

If anyone would appreciate fast cars on a tricky course, it would have to be the kids at MIT, right? The Boston road course runs on the MIT campus and measures 3.597 miles with 10 or 11 turns, depending on how you count the hairpin.

Michigan

A race course on the UP? You bet. This course is 2.58 miles and 18 turns.

Minnesota

A street course in Minneapolis seemed fitting. This time it's 2.18 miles and a rockin' 23 turns.

Mississippi

The Mississippi road course is located just outside Memphis. It checks in at 2.13 miles, 23 turns, and is one of my personal favorites.

Missouri

The 2.43 mile, 17 turn St. Louis Street course goes by the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium.

Montana

Montana is so big that it's hard to find a good place near enough to a population center for a track. This circuit checks in at 3.35 miles and 15 turns.

Nebraska

The Nebraska circuit comes in at 3.5 miles and a mere 8 turns.

Nevada

This course is located just outside Reno, Nevada. It weighs in at 3.27 miles and 10 turns, and is actually farther west than Los Angeles.

New Hampshire

Just north of the White Mountains State Park is this "shark" shaped road that makes a perfect "Nordeschleife" style track. This is 3.5 miles and 17 turns of rambling through the forest.

New Jersey

This circuit is inspired by the Catalunya circuit in Spain. It measures 3.69 miles and has 14 turns. The prominent feature of this track is a straight the measures nearly one mile.

New Mexico

The NM Road Course at Roswell checks in at 3.49 miles and 14 turns.

New York

I really wanted to do the New York circuit on Manhattan Island, but it truly was not feasible. This island, though, works very well, as it would nicely house this 21-turn, 3.27 miles street circuit.

North Carolina

The 3.3 miles, 15 turn North Carolina road course sits near Lowe's Motor Speedway.

North Dakota

Just outside Fargo is the North Dakota road course. Its 3.3 miles and a total of 13 turns.

Northern Marianas Islands

Located on a tiny string of island in the western Pacific Ocean, the best we could do is a 2.05 mile, 20-turn oceanside track that treks through a small bit of forest/jungle.

Ohio

The Ohio Circuit is outside Mt. Gilead, around Straits Lake. It's only 1.82 miles but its 18 turns are tricky.

Oklahoma

The Streets of Oklahoma City come to life on this course, measuring 2.09 miles and 22 turns.

Oregon

At 3.37 miles and 12 turns, the Oregon Course treks through Milwaukie, just northeast of Lake Oswego.

Pennsylvania

The 3.46 miles, 14 turn Pennsylvania road course is located about ten miles northeast of Fredricksburg.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico checks in with a 3.9 mile street circuit.

Rhode Island

The tiny state of Rhode Island gets a course. The 2.12 mile 14-turn track is located just outside Providence, but then again, in Rhode Island, what isn't?

South Carolina

The South Carolina circuit houses 16 turns over 2.7 miles on a small island in Charleston.

South Dakota

The South Dakota speedway is located about ten miles east of Mount Rushmore. It comes in at 1.98 miles and 13 turns.

Tennessee

At 11 turns over 3.52 miles, the Tennessee Circuit rests in the woods north of Chattanooga.

Texas

The Texas Circuit combines the best of road courses with the best of NASCAR. It measures a whopping 4.36 miles with 12 turns.

Utah

16 turns in only 1.875 miles seems a tight fit, but the Utah course should be fun.

Vermont

The 2.83 mile, 14 turn Vermont Circuit has to be one of my personal favorites.

Virginia

Located about five miles southwest of Smithfield is the Virginia road course. It runs about 2.7 miles and 19 turns.

Virgin Islands

This course is very similar to Monaco. At 18 turns and 3.15 miles, the Virgin Islands course runs through the forest, through town, along the ocean, and up a hill.

Washington

Located very close to the Pacific Coast is this circuit in the beautiful state of Washington. This track checks in at 2.27 miles and 17 turns with a decent amount of elevation change.

West Virginia

Another road course on a college campus, this time West Virginia University, and once again going by the football stadium. This tracks weighs in at 1.75 miles and 17 turns.

Wisconsin

Green Bay was the only logical place for this track. It's rather long, roughly 2.9 miles and less than 10 turns.

Wyoming

The simplest track we've designed is the Wyoming Road Course. It is nearly an oval, with only 12 turns, none measuring more than 90-degrees. Overall length on this track is 2.48 miles.

2010 NFL Draft Day(s)

This year the NFL Draft is spread out over 3 days, starting tonight with Round 1. Rounds 2 and 3 take place tomorrow night, and the last four rounds take place Saturday.

I will probably watch all of it.

I love the draft. It's like Christmas for me. I usually try to provide you with at least a mock draft of the first ten picks. And so here we go:

1. St. Louis – Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

Picking Bradford makes a certain amount of sense for the beleaguered Rams. The team has really lacked a franchise-type quarterback since Kurt Warner was shown the door. Honestly, the Rams can’t go wrong here in the top three. The next two players picked will be franchise guys for their respective teams, assuming all plays out and no one becomes a Ryan Leaf style draft bust.

Alternate Picks: DT Ndamukong Suh, DT Gerald McCoy

2. Detroit – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

So the Big XII goes 1-2 in this draft. Suh is a beast, and with a little more polish he’ll be one of the better defensive players for many years. Again, Detroit can’t go wrong here. Picking Suh, or even taking McCoy will give them franchise players on both sides of the ball.

Alternate Picks: QB Sam Bradford, DT Gerald McCoy

3. Tampa Bay – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

McCoy will be the first underclassman taken in 2010. Like Suh, he’s a beast. Many actually pick him as a stronger player at the moment than Suh, although the Nebraska DT will likely have a better career (according to those in the know).

Alternate Picks: DT Ndamukong Suh

4. Washington – Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State

Alright, so the Big XII has pushed out the first 4 picks of this draft. In all honesty, I don’t want to say that Washington will take Okung. Nothing against the man, but I actually see the ‘Skins trading out of this pick and moving down to take Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen at a more reasonable spot in the first round. Of course, this move doesn’t come with certainty, as you’ll see in the latter half of the top 10.

Alternate Picks: Trade down for QB Jimmy Clausen

5. Kansas City – Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa

Bulaga’s draft status has fallen a bit lately, but I still think the Chiefs make the reach to provide some protection for QB Matt Cassell.

Alternate Picks: S Eric Berry

6. Seattle – C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson

Spiller has, lately, been drawing comparisons to Chris Johnson, the electrifying RB of the Tennessee Titans. The best RB in the ACC will go in the top 10, I’m pretty sure. Seattle has been in need of a RB since Shaun Alexander fell from grace. This looks to be a pretty solid first draft for Pete Carroll.

Alternate Picks: QB Jimmy Clausen, S Eric Berry

7. Cleveland – Eric Berry, S, Tennessee

The best Safety in the draft looks to go top 10, and Cleveland could really use some defensive help. Of course, don’t put it past Cleveland to jump up to Number 4 and grab Clausen if the price is right. The Browns need a QB as well.

Alternate Picks: Trade up for QB Jimmy Clausen

8. Oakland – Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

Oakland really, really, really, wants to put the embarrassment that is JaMarcus Russell as far behind them as possible. What better way to do that than to grab one of the better QBs in this fairly deep QB draft. Of course, Al Davis is 865 years old and a wee bit senile. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes Tim Tebow or Dez Bryant here instead.

Alternate Picks: WR Dez Bryant

9. Buffalo – Joe Haden, CB, Florida

Buffalo has several needs, and Haden fills one of them. He’s the best CB in what is truly a weak CB draft. Look for someone to pull the trigger on this guy early.

Alternate Picks: WR Dez Bryant, ILB Rolando McClain

10. Jacksonville – Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida

This is a Washington style pick. I really think that Jacksonville trades out of this spot and moves down so that they can grab Florida QB Tim Tebow. Tebow seems a logical pick for the Jags.

Alternate Picks: QB Tim Tebow, QB Jimmy Clausen

And for the hometown folks:

19. Atlanta – Brandon Graham, DE, Michigan

The Falcons have to address several issues on the defensive side of the ball. Graham is just the continuation. Signing CB Dunta Robinson was the start.

Alternate Picks: LB Sean Weatherspoon, C Maurkice Pouncey

Design Your Own Race Course II

The Grand Prix Course of Georgia

Here's a course I designed recently.