First of all, I've been touting the Super conference thang for over almost two decades.  The current Conference structure (or what WAS the current structure during my young adult hood - featured a Big 10 with only 10 schools, the Big 8 (which became the Big 12), the Pac 8 which has become the Pac dozen or so, an SEC and the Southwest Conference.  Those alignment were dictated by travel limitations, among other things.  But rumor has it it's the 21st Century.  So 4 "SCs" with 16 teams each is just fine with me.  I'd ben looking at 8 conferences with 10 teams each so this is actually a little smaller.  But it'll work if it comes together correctly.  And nobody allows Big East extra points.

But for THIS season?

1.  LSU.  I'm conviced.

2.  Stanford.  Or is it just luck?

3.  Oklahoma. 

4.  Boise State.

The rest?  Alabama (who'll lose to LSU).  Oregon.  Wisconsin who's played an AWEFUL schedule to date.

Buckeyes?  Not in the top 20.  I see loses to Nebraska, Wisconsin and maybe even to the school up north.

FWIW the #9 ranked Polar Bears were upset by Muskingum this week.  Musta' been looking ahead to NEXT week's game with the Purple Raiders.

So Saturday I wandered over to Wally World and spent $30 on the cheapest combo heart rate monitor / stop watch they had.  Quite satisfied with the purchase.  Took it out for a spin Sunday.  Remembering the old MHR=220-age formula I quickly calcuated my MHR (167) and my top end workout range (85%=142).  DIS appointed.  After a mile I was clicking along at 155 and at the 1.5 mark I was at 166.  Disaster. 

Finished the run (<31) showered and sulked. Then hit the 'net.  Seems the OLD formua has given way to a half dozen NEW MaxHR formulas.   All the new ones peg me over 170.  The highest gives me a 173.6.  So that's what I'm using.  That, and the Zoladz method to rate workouts.  So Monday I took a step back.  Sunday's run was 4x<5 so I went back to 4x<4.  Just like the day before I stayed pretty much in the 155-166 range but THIS time I felt GOOD about it instead of fretting about "maxing out."  

Tuesday was 4x<5 and fast enough but didn't feel good.  So re-evaluation.  I NEEDED speed.  So Tuesday I drove over to the local Jr. Hi.  400m all weather.  Probably 10-15 years old.  Shot.  But open 24-7 and nobody to bother me.  Ran my Cooper test.  2400m in 12 minutes.  Came home and hit the web.  Reread the brianmac.com coaching site.  Rejiggered my approach.  Here's the deal.  I  am STILL really in need of roadwork.  But I WANT speed.  So I'll continue the roadwork as I have been, same progression.  After a good day I take the next step.  After a BAD day I have 3 options: day off, track, weights.   Some day's off will be dictated by real life.  Next track visit will be some time trials.  400m/200m/100m.  Then a dozen workouts in Phase 1 training, then retest.  

That's the plan for October/November.  If I'm making good progress I may jump to Phase 2 in December and begin to fantasize about Indoor meets.  Wish to hell I still lived< 800m from Capital's field house.   Otherwise it's two more months of Phase one.  If weather sux and little progress is made, sometime in late winter I'll give up the racing ghost for the year and look to 2013 to return to racing.  Time will tell

Here’s Jay Leno:

After saying the jobs bill is paid for, President Obama now says that it will be paid for by raising taxes over 10 years. I can’t figure out if he’s the kind of guy who makes infomercials, or the kind of guy who falls for infomercials.

seen on Facebook:

“Obama is great at math. He divides the country, subtracts jobs, adds debt and multiplies misery.”

IIRC this has been applied to every president since Andy Johnson.

I try to find some way of working some VERY basic understanding of microeconomics, it's impact on macroeconomics, and a basic understanding of human rights, into each class.  This quote serves as part of that base.

J.E. DYER: My Money: I Deserve To Keep It All. “If any of us doesn’t deserve to keep everything he has earned, then that man is a slave. Alternatively, he is less than human; he has no moral standing, and no unalienable rights inhere in him. He is like a farm animal.”

I've been doing HS and college (fwiw the ONU Polar Bears just won the first OT game in school history - a squeeker over Otterbein) so here the title games for the NFL:

Patriots will host the Ravens

Packers will host the Saints

Then the Saints will lose to the Pats over in Indy.

Jets, Steelers,  Cowboys and Eagles will be in the mix.

AFC Division winners:  Patriots, Ravens, Titans, Chargers.  WC: Jets & Steelers

NFC:  Eagles, Saints, Packers, and who cares from the west.  WC: Cowboys & Bears.

The Atlantic’s Daniel Indiviglio explains with a handy chart: