SEC West 1-2-3 in BCS Standings; Tony Stewart beats Carl Edwards, wins Sprint Cup Championship by Virtue of Tiebreaker

"Upset Saturday" allowed several teams on the outside looking in to move closer to a shot at playing for the BCS Championship Game. The new standings are as follows:

RK	TEAM	RECORD
1	LSU	11-0
2	Alabama	10-1
3	Arkansas	10-1
4	Oklahoma State	10-1
5	Virginia Tech	10-1
6	Stanford	10-1
7	Boise State	9-1
8	Houston	11-0
9	Oklahoma	8-2
10	Oregon	9-2
11	Kansas State	9-2
12	South Carolina	9-2
13	Georgia	9-2
14	Michigan State	9-2
15	Michigan	9-2
16	Wisconsin	9-2
17	Clemson	9-2
18	Baylor	7-3
19	Penn State	9-2
20	TCU	9-2
21	Nebraska	8-3
22	Notre Dame	8-3
23	Georgia Tech	8-3
24	Auburn	7-4
25	Texas	6-4

In racing news, Tony Stewart closed out the 2011 season by winning Sunday night's rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Carl Edwards, who entered the final race with a four point lead over Stewart, finished 2nd. The final points standings were tied at 2,403, so the points championship went to Tony Stewart in a tiebreaker decided by most wins (Stewart: 5; Edwards 1). Ironically, all five of Stewart's wins came in the final ten races.

Can you say domination? The SEC can

USC upset No.4 Oregon Saturday with a 38-35 win on the
road. But the upsets didn't stop there, Iowa State beat No. 2
Oklahoma State Friday, setting up Saturdays' chaotic mess. Aside
from Oregon losing to USC, NC State beat No. 7 Clemson, and
No. 22 Baylor beat No. 5 Oklahoma. (Photo by
Steve Dykes / Getty Images)

Wow, what an exciting weekend in college football. The schools that "had no chance," from Iowa State to USC, proved all doubters wrong, winning on the big stage (in several locations) in what's come to be known as "Upset Saturday" in college football. But on a good note for the SEC, the losses leave yet another mark on an historic resume for the conference. Check this out:

LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas are likely to hold the first three spots in the BCS, respectively. This is the first time since 1971 that the top three teams have been from one conference. However, this marks the first time the big three have been from the same division in the history of college football.

The new and updated BCS rankings, updated to reflect the losses of those ranked near the top, will be released tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN's weekly BCS Countdown Show presented by Vizio.

Mark Sanchez and his Jets fly past Chargers: NYJ to face Indy for AFC Title

Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and the visiting New York Jets upset the San Diego Chargers 17-14 Sunday afternoon in the AFC Divisional Playoff game in front of a crowd of 69,458 at Qualcomm Stadium.

San Diego (13-4) started the day's scoring with a 13-yard touchdown strike from Philip Rivers to Kris Wilson early in the second quarter.

A defensive struggle ensued, with the teams trading possessions and heading into the locker room with the Chargers up 7-0.

New York (10-7) drove 31 yards on their first possession of the second half but were held to a field goal as Jay Feely nailed a 46-yarder to bring the deficit to four.

The rest of the third quarter was nothing short of a pick fest. Mark Sanchez was intercepted by San Diego's Quentin Jammer before Rivers threw it right back to the Jets' Darrelle Revis.

Following a Jets punt that pinned the Chargers at their own two yard line, Rivers again threw an interception.
This one proved costly, as Dustin Keller eventually reeled in a two yard pass from Sanchez as the fourth quarter started to put the Jets on top 10-7.

After a San Diego punt, Jets tailback Shonn Greene blasted the Chargers for a 53-yard touchdown run to extend the New York lead to 17-7.

The Chargers would drive to the Jets' 22-yard line before Nate Kaeding missed his third field goal of the day.
Prior to the game, Kaeding had made 20 straight field goals and 67 straight from inside the 40.

San Diego would finally manage a touchdown with 2:20 remaining, as Philip Rivers scampered in for one yard to bring the Chargers back to within three.

But the onside kick attempt failed, and the Jets made history. The win marks the first time the Jets have won two postseason games since 1982.

New York will travel to Indianapolis next week to take on the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship.

Indianapolis (15-2) advanced to the AFC Championship with a decisive 20-3 win over the Ravens on Saturday.

The two teams collided earlier this season, with the Jets taking a 29-15 victory over the Colts in a controversial game in which Colts head coach Jim Caldwell sat most of his starters to rest them for the playoffs.

The difference in that game and next weekend's?

The winner of this one goes to the Super Bowl.

Young Sanchez will face the task of leading his hot squadron of Jets into Indy's Lucas Oil Stadium—one of the National Football League's toughest venues for visiting opponents.

The AFC Championship kicks off Sunday, Jan. 24 at 3:00 PM ET and will be televised nationally by CBS.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/327941-sanchez-jets-bolt-past-chargers-nyj-to-face-indy-for-afc-title

Lane Kiffin a Perfect Fit for USC

The old saying goes, "Home is where the heart is."

Lane Kiffin proved just that Tuesday evening with the announcement of his fast-lane bolt out of Knoxville for Los Angeles.

The truth is, Kiffin is a perfect fit for USC—a university nestled in a town filled with movie stars and unnecessary drama.

Returning to California, a state where he attended Fresno State University, coached at USC as an offensive coordinator, and held the head coaching job for the Oakland Raiders, it's safe to say that Kiffin is now finally "back home."

In a drama filled one-year stint at the University of Tennessee, Kiffin's pretty boy image never really set well with the Volunteer faithful, and neither did his antics.

Most, if not all, of the spotlight the 34-year-old coach brought to Rocky Top was negative, as the country watched him violate recruiting rule after recruiting rule and even make the comment that he was proud of the attention he and the school were garnering.

Even rapper Lil Wayne inserted a lyric about Kiffin into one of his latest tracks on his new mix-tape No Ceilings , saying he would "...talk (insert expletive) like Lane Kiffin."

Kiffin responded in a Twitter update that thanked the rapper for "boosting our street cred."

The bad-boy persona he brought to Tennessee also affected the Southeastern Conference.

The SEC, a conference accustomed to having older, proven coaches in place at its 12 member institutions, also dealt with the consequences of Kiffin's actions during the past year, as every headline that popped up outside the southeastern United States seemed to include something along the lines of, "More Drama in the SEC. What's next?"

It's easy to understand the pain Tennessee fans are feeling today after being betrayed.

But isn't that what actors and imposters do? Really, think about it.

Kiffin never had intentions on staying at Tennessee for a long-term period.

The Knoxville school was just a mere stepping stone for a man that will now live just a few blocks from Hollywood.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/325295-kiffin-a-perfect-fit-for-usc

Former Auburn Quarterback Dameyune Craig Lands Job as FSU Quarterbacks Coach

Former Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig has been hired by Jimbo Fisher to serve as Florida State's next quarterbacks coach.

Craig played quarterback under head coach Terry Bowden at Auburn from 1993-1997.

He started his junior and senior seasons on the Plains, leading the Tigers to an Independence Bowl victory over Army and a Peach Bowl victory over Clemson.

In Craig's final season, Auburn won 10 games and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference, but fell short to highly favored Tennessee 30-29 in the SEC championship game.

Before his record-breaking career as a quarterback at Auburn, he won two state championships at Mattie T. Blount High School in his hometown of Mobile, Ala.

He sat two years behind starter Patrick Nix at Auburn but eventually won the MVP of the annual A-Day game and then the starting job.

Upon graduation from Auburn, Craig played in mostly a back-up role for the Carolina Panthers from 1998-2001. He then fell off the depth charts and was traded among three other professional teams in 2002 before calling it quits for his playing career.

Craig has since coached in both the college and professional ranks, including stints at LSU, Miami, Tuskegee, and most recently at South Alabama, in various roles.

The 35-year-old father of two will recruit the Mobile area, as a huge portion of Florida State's players come from the southwest Alabama and northwest Florida belt.

In his other coaching jobs, he's quickly made a name for himself as one of the country's most prolific recruiters.

The coach joins new FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher's staff—a hire that's unique.

Fisher was Craig's offensive coordinator during his career at Auburn, a fact Craig commented on during a recent interview with the Mobile Press-Register .

"Coach Fisher has been a major part of my life from the moment I met him," Craig said. "He coached me at Auburn, but he even recruited me when he was at Samford, but they didn't think they could (sign) me. So when he went to Auburn (as an assistant coach), I was the first person he called.

"It's going to be exciting to learn football from him, and being a part of his staff...I'll get a chance to learn from one of the best, if not the best, offensive minds in the country.

"That's exciting. I'll get a chance to work with him and learn from him. I'll be able to get under his wing and become a better coach. It's a great situation for me."

The hire adds to a staff that looks poised and highly capable of bringing FSU back to the top of the college football ranks.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/327008-former-auburn-quarterback-dameyune-craig-lands-fsu-job