New NFL Format Standings after Week 13

Current AFC standings

1) Cin 10-2

2) Den 10-2

3) NE 10-2

4) Ind 6-6

5) KC 7-5

6) NYJ 7-5

AFC in New Format

1) Cin 10-2

2) Den 10-2

3) NE 10-2

4) KC 7-5

5) NYJ 7-5

6) Pit 7-5

Three important differences if the new format was in place. The first is the teams that make the playoffs. Teams with better records would make the playoffs. The second is the playoff race. Right now there are two races: one for the AFC South and one for the final two wild card spots. Indy and Houston have a much better chance of making the playoffs than Pittsburgh and Buffalo even though Pitt's record is better and Buffalo's is the same as those two teams.

The third difference is the division races. Currently, the only division race in the AFC is in the mediocre south. The better teams have their divisions wrapped up. Under the new format, Cincy and New England would be tied for first in the NorthEast, a division race at the highest level.

Current NFC standings

1) Car 12-0

2) Ari 10-2

3) GB 8-4

4) Was 5-7

5) Min 8-4

6) Sea 7-5

NFC in New Format

1) Car 12-0

2) Ari 10-2

3) GB 8-4

4) Min 8-4

5) Sea 7-5

6) TB 6-6

Int he new format, teams would make the playoffs based on their record. A 5-7 team would not get a better seed than a 8-4 team simply because the other teams' in the 5-7 club's division are also terrible. 

New NFL Format Standings after Week 12

Here is the updated playoff picture if the NFL had two divisions per conference. In the AFC the East and North become one and the West and South. In the NFC, it's the East and South joining and the West and North.

Current AFC Standings

1. NE 10-1 (4 game division lead)

2. Cin 9-2 (3 game division lead)

3. Den 9-2 (3 games division lead)

4. Ind 6-5 (tiebreaker)

5. KC 6-5

6. Hou 6-5

AFC in New Format

1. NE 10-1

2. Den 9-2

3. Cin 9-2

4. KC 6-5

5. Ind 6-5

6. Hou 6-5

Int he AFC, the new format would make for an exiting division race in the AFC NorthEast. And it would the race would be between a 10-1 team and a 9-2 team (instead of the only division race being between some mediocre 6-5 teams).

Current NFC Standings

1. Car 11-0

2. Ari 9-2 

3. Min 8-3

4. Was 5-6

5. GB 7-4

6. Sea 6-5

NFC in New Format

1. Car 11-0

2. Ari 9-2

3. Min 8-3

4. GB 7-4

5. Sea 6-5

6. Atl 6-5

The new format makes things fairer for more teams. The NFC NorthWest divison would be competitive at a high level. The teams behind in the playoff chase wouldn't be penalized for being int he wrong division. The teams int he current NFC East would have to earn a playoff spot by winning mroe than the other teams in the conference, not by the luck of being in a weak division.

New NFL Format Standings after Week 11

An update of the NFL standings in the division and playoff format was in use. For a more comprehensive look at the format, here's last week's post.

Current AFC standings
1. NE 10-0
2. Cin 8-2
3. Den 8-2
4. Ind 5-5
5. Pit 6-4
6. KC 5-5

AFC in New Format
1. NE 10-0 (leader of NorthEast Division)
2. Den 8-2 (leader of SouthWest Division)
3. Cin 8-2 (2nd in NorthEast)
4. Pit 6-4 (3rd in NorthEast)
5. KC 5-5 (T2nd in SouthWest)
6. Ind 5-5 (T2nd in SouthWest)

In the new format, the Colts would not get a home game in the playoffs even though they have a worse record than Pittsburgh. Instead, they would be one of eight teams 5-5 or 4-6 in the AFC, all battling for the last two playoff spots. Right now, the Colts, Texans, and Jaguars are vying for the 4th spot and the other 5-5 and 4-6 teams are aiming for the 6th spot. The current format makes no sense!

Under the current format, there are two divisions without a race and a third- the North- that is in danger of being over. Only the horrid AFC South has a true race. In the new format, The Pats aren't 5 games up; they're only 2 up. Denver would still have a 3 game lead.

Current NFC standings
1. Car 10-0
2. Ari 8-2
3. GB 7-3
4. NYG 5-5
5. Min 7-3
6. Atl 6-4

NFC in New Format
1. Car 10-0 (leader of SouthEast Division)
2. Ari 8-2 (leader of NorthWest Division)
3. GB 7-3 (T2nd in NorthWest)
4. Min 7-3 (T2nd in NorthWest)
5. Atl 6-4 (2nd in SouthEast)
6. TB 5-5 (T3rd in SouthEast)

In the new format, the Giants would not even be in playoff position because they have a worse conference record than the other 5-5 teams, Tampa Bay and Seattle. The new format makes the division races and playoff chases more competitive.

The NorthWest Division race would be incredibly competitive down the stretch. Atlanta would have a shot at home field advantage int he playoffs if they play well. Mediocre teams wouldn't get a home playoff game.

New NFL Division Format

It's time to revive my annual crusade to change the NFL playoff format by combining division, Here's the plan: The NFC South and East divisions would be combined. The NFC North and West would be another division. In the AFC, the North and East would come together and so would the AFC South and West.

Teams in the same current divisions would play each other twice while teams would play the other four teams in their new division once. Four games would be played against teams in the opposing conference in the same current four year rotation. The remaining two games would be against teams in the same conference but different division.

Current AFC standings:
1) NE 9-0
2) Cin 8-1
3) Den 7-2
4) Ind 4-5
5) Pit  6-4
6) Buf 5-4

AFC in New Format:
1) NE 9-0
2) Den 7-2
3) Cin 8-1
4) Pit 6-4
5) Buf 5-4
6) NYJ 5-4

Currently, three division races are all but over already. The fourth division is the AFC South where the first place team is 4-5. The new format would currently oust the Bengals from the bye, but it would make the AFC NorthEast division very competitive at the highest level. Eliminating a losing team from having home field advantage in a playoff game makes up for the slight to the Bengals . In the new format, the Colts would be out of the playoffs and the Jets, who have a better record than the Colts, would be in.

Current NFC standings:
1) Car 9-0
2) Ari 7-2
3) Min 7-2
4) NYG 5-5
5) GB 6-3
6) Atl 6-3

NFC in New Format:
1) Car 9-0
2) Ari 7-2
3) Min 7-2
4) GB 6-3
5) Atl 6-3
6) NYG 5-5

The NFC is why I created the new format. Green Bay would get a home playoff game instead of the Giants, who are a game and half worse than the Packers. The NorthWest division race for a bye spot would be very competitive. Let's take a look:

NFC NorthWest division race in new format:
1) Ari 7-2
2) Min 7-2
3) GB 6-3

Also, more teams would be in the playoff hunt. Right now, 4-5 teams are two games back from making the playoffs (unless they're in the NFC East). Under the format, all 4-5 teams (Was, TB, STL, Sea, Phi, and Chi) would be just a game back of the playoffs. NO would be a game back and SF only a game and a half back. It would be a very exciting 10-team race for the last Wild Card spot. Instead it's a 3 team race for the weakest division.

Another Obnoxious Pound-for-Pound List

Here is the updated version of my obnoxiously unnecessary and utterly superfluous list of the top 10 pound-for-pound boxers. The previous list was posted on December 22.

1. Wladimir Klitschko (64-3, 53 KOs) [Previous Rank: 2]
2. Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs) [PR: 3]
3. Manny Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) [PR: 4]
4. Roman Gonzalez (44-0, 38 KOs) [PR: 8]
5. Miguel Cotto (40-4, 33 KOs) [PR: 9]
6. Adonis Stevenson (27-1, 22 KOs) [PR: 6]
7. Sergey Kovalev (28-0-1, 25 KOs) [PR: 7]
8. Gennady Golovkin (34-0, 31 KOs) [PR: 10]
9. Saul Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) [PR: NR]
10. Andre Ward (28-0, 15 KOs) [ PR: NR]

Exiting the list:
Floyd Mayweather (49-0, 26 KOs) [PR: 1]
Juan Manuel Marquez (56-7-1, 40 KOs) [PR: 5]

My Rotation

1. Oddisee - A List of Withouts
2. Nicky Jam - El Perdon
3. The Narcicyst - Fly Over Egypt
4. Anita Trijoux - Avaricia
5. Blueprint - Perspective
6. Talib Kweli - Nice Things
7. Sagol 59 - Lech Kadima
8. Talib Kweli - G.U.R.U.
9. J. Alravez - Junto Al Amanecer
10. 360  - Child

2016 NBA Predictions

East
1st round: Was, Atl, Cha, Bos
conference semis: Mil, Tor
conference finals: Cle over Chi 4-2

West
1st round: GS, NO, Mem, Sac
conference semis: Hou, OKC
conference finals: LAC over SA 4-3

NBA Finals
Cle over LAC 4-2

Take a look at this awesome NBA preview for this season!

American Exceptionalism and the Self-Perceived Victimization of White Christians

In the U.S., when a Muslim extremist commits a terrorist attack, it reflects poorly on all Muslims, but when a white Christian commits a terrorist attack, it doesn't get attached to all white Christians. Only the individual is to blame. Part of it is the majority gets to make the rules, but it also has to do with the idea of American exceptionalism. This has been true since Winthrop's notion that America is a "city on a hill" in the 1600s. Americans can't accept that the fabric of this culture can be linked with violent acts of white supremacy and Christian extremism. It's why Ronald Reagan was so popular with white Christian conservatives. His policies are not much different than John Boehner's, but he was able to feed into our self-perception as a moral nation.

If we blame a group for the act of an individual, we must do it with all acts. Dylann Roof is a symptom of a subculture that encourages the self-perceived victimization of the majority because minority groups are gradually asserting themselves as worthy of value just as Nidal Malik Hasan is a symptom of a subculture that feels marginalized and believes violence is the path to rectify the situation. Yet cultures do not commit violent acts; individuals do. Violence should create a moment for cultural self-reflection and dialogue with others, not hate-filled insularity.

20 Minutes in the Life

Last week I was teaching at an academic summer camp. I had a 7 year old student who wasn't the strongest speller. I read her essay phonetically and it sounded very funny to the other students. No one was laughing harder than the little author, who giggled so much, she peed in her pants. She demanded that I call her parents and have them pick her up. Of course, there were only five minutes left of class and her grandmother was habitually early.

On my way home from class, I stopped at 7-11. I was waiting in line when a metro bus driver sauntered to the front of the line. "Excuse me, sir. I'm in line," I declared. Most people would apologize sheepishly and get to the back of the line.

"I didn't know what you were doing. Maybe you were playing the lottery," the man said a little too curtly for my liking. "This is where the line starts," I said incredulously. The man got behind me and began muttering, "The line is the line." I wanted say, "yeah, the line is the line. The line isn't where you think the line should be," but instead I just chuckled to myself at his inability to understand societal norms.

I got in my car and and turned out of the 7-11. A middle aged woman decided that she should cut a turn and nearly rammed into me head first even though I was all the way on my side of the road. Then she gave me a dirty look as if I had come out of nowhere. I only appeared like I came out of nowhere because that heifer wasn't looking where she was going!

Today, my wife and I bought a house. At the settlement company- a well renowned settlement company- they offered us beverages. I asked for orange juice. The expiration date on the juice was August 13, 2015!

The Top 10 NBA Players

Top 10 NBA Players Now
While this list consists of the top 10 players now, the past is taken to account, but it is not a list of the best players who happen to be active. Previous ranks posted on June 28, 2014.

#	David (PR)	Mike (Previous Rank)
1	LeBron (1)	LeBron (2)
2	Westbrook (6)	Curry (5)
3	Curry (10)	Harden (6)
4	Paul (3)	Westbrook (9)
5	Harden (NR)	Paul (3)
6	A. Davis (NR)	A. Davis (8)
7	Griffin (8)	Lillard (NR)
8	M. Gasol (NR)	M. Gasol (NR)
9	Aldridge (NR)	J. Butler (NR)
10	J. Butler (NR)	Griffin (7)

Top 10 NBA Careers Among Active Players
You're making a list of the ten best players in NBA history, but there's one caveat; you can only include players who played during the 2014-15 season. These are our choices, taking the players' entire careers into account. Previous ranks posted on June 28, 2014.

#	David (PR)	Mike (Previous Rank)
1	Duncan (1)	Duncan (1)
2	Kobe (2)	Kobe (2)
3	LeBron (3)	LeBron (3)
4	Garnett (4)	Garnett (6)
5	Dirk (5)	Dirk (6)
6	Wade (6)	Wade (4)
7	Durant (8)	Paul (NR)
8	Parker (9)	Pierce (7)
9	Paul (10)	Bosh (8)
10	Carmelo (NR)	Parker (10)

Top 10 NBA Franchise Players
This list is about which players you would pick to start a franchise right now. They must have played in an NBA game. Previous ranks posted on June 28, 2014.

#	David (PR)	Mike (Previous Rank)
1	A. Davis (3)	A. Davis (3)
2	LeBron (2)	LeBron (2)
3	Durant (1)	Durant (1)
4	Westbrook (9)	Curry (6)
5	Curry (6)	Harden (7)
6	Harden (NR)	Westbrook (9)
7	Irving (8)	Paul (4)
8	Griffin (5)	Lillard (NR)
9	J. Butler  (NR)	J. Butler (7)
10	K. Leonard (10)	Griffin (8)