Internet Videos » the competition used to be in the past.

We all know that Dallas and New England are currently the favorites to meet in Super Bowl LI. But being a Super Bowl favorite isnt just about winning games. Its also about being ahead of your competition.New England is the Super Bowl favorite right now, even though the Patriots have the same record as Oakland and are one game behind Dallas. Thats because both Oakland and Dallas face more competition than the Patriots do.For Oakland, the competition is for a division title. The Raiders have only a one-game lead on the Chiefs, and they have to play in Kansas City in two weeks. So while the Raiders may be tied for the best record in the AFC, they also have only a 59 percent chance of winning their own division. Making it to the Super Bowl will be a lot tougher as a wild card. Oakland, Kansas City and Denver all have much worse Super Bowl odds than New England does because only one of them can win the AFC West.For Dallas, the competition is for the conference championship. Despite the quality of the rest of the NFC East, the Cowboys are pretty safe with a two-game lead on the Giants. They get the NFCs top seed in 82.5 percent of our simulations this week. But even with home-field advantage, the Cowboys will face a lot of tough opponents on their way to the Super Bowl. Four of the top five teams in Football Outsiders weighted DVOA ratings right now are NFC teams (New England is the other). The Cowboys chances of making the Super Bowl are lower because Seattle and Atlanta also have a strong chance of making it.Thats why the Patriots win the Super Bowl in 25.4 percent of our simulations right now, and Dallas in only 21.3 percent of simulations. Seattle wins 11.7 percent of the time, Atlanta 9.9 percent, Oakland 8.9 percent and Kansas City 6.2 percent.Youll find our playoff odds for all 32 teams below. For a full explanation of how we calculate each teams playoff odds, see the bottom of the article.AFC PLAYOFF PREDICTIONSFAVORITES1. New England Patriots (9-2)Odds of making playoffs: 98.9 percentThe Patriots still look like the class of the AFC, but their pass defense may prove to be a problem come playoff time. New England ranks fourth in defensive DVOA against the run, but 28th against the pass. The biggest issues are the pass rush -- the Pats are dead last in adjusted sack rate -- and coverage of shorter passes. They rank 29th in DVOA against tight ends and 25th against running backs as receivers. Fake Nike NFL Jerseys . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. https://www.chinajerseysnfl.us/ . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in. Cheap NFL Jerseys China . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. NFL Jerseys China . Pedro scored from a pass by Lionel Messi in the 33rd minute and added two more goals in the 47th and 72nd after Valdes saved his second penalty in four days following his stop in Wednesdays 4-0 over Ajax in the Champions League. After firing the most successful football coach in the history of the program, LSU needs a home run hire.There should be no shortage of interest for what has become one of the best gigs in big-time college football, but upgrading from Les Miles is far from a sure thing. LSU could be forced to wait on the coaches at the top of its wish list if schools such as Texas and Southern California enter the market.Lets say theres a coach at Houston who may have a choice at Texas, Southern Cal or LSU, former LSU coach and Big Ten Network analysis Gerry DiNardo said, making a-not-so subtle reference to Tom Herman. What does he do?Every job has pros and cons, and coaches will have preferences and family ties to influence decisions, but generally, they are all looking for a chance to win championships.Theres a few jobs in this country that regardless of what your competition does, you can win a championship, DiNardo said, citing Alabama, Ohio State, USC and Texas among those that qualify.Someone has to slot LSU in there, said DiNardo, who went 32-24-1 for the Tigers from 1995-99. Some coach has to say, `Regardless of what anyone else does, I can win a championship at LSU. It doesnt matter if Alabama is rocking and rolling, LSU is the best job.Or at least a better job than what the coach already has. It was a relatively easy choice for DiNardo to go from Vanderbilt to Baton Rouge back in the mid-1990s, even though the Tigers had just gone through six straight losing seasons.LSU and its fans are not likely to be satisfied with a similar hire this time around. Since 2000, LSU has been one of the elite programs in college football.Nick Saban followed DiNardo and LSU blossomed along with the SEC. Since 2000, Oklahoma and Ohio State are the only Power Five conference programs that have more victories than LSU. The Tigers four SEC titles since 2000 match Alabama for the most. Miles took over for Saban and won 114 games in 12-plus seasons, including the 2007 national championship. Only Charlie McClendon (137) won more games than Miles at LSU, but it took him seven more full seasons to do it.I felt, however, that this program needed a change, and the change was necessary to give the players the best opportunity to succeed, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva said Monday.Miles problems started with the 2011 national title game loss to Alabama. The Crimson Tide has won threee of the last four SEC titles and two more national championships since then.ddddddddddddThe path to championships at LSU currently goes through arguably the greatest dynasty ever in college football.Charlie Mac used to say to me: `I could never beat Alabama. Nobody cared that nobody else could, DiNardo said.At 64 years old, Saban likely doesnt have decades left with the Tide, but whoever signs up for the LSU job has to figure he will be dealing with Saban for at least a few more years.Saban aside, there is no doubt that access to talent is a huge draw for coaching candidates.Louisiana is among the most fertile states in the country when it comes to producing FBS talent, and LSU has no in-state Power Five competition for those players.Most of the state kids want to be Tigers, regardless of who the head coach is, DiNardo said.LSU plugged in Ed Orgeron as interim coach while getting a head start on the competition in its coaching search, though that provides only marginal advantage if its target is an active head coach. And there is no reason to think the Tigers wont reach for the biggest prizes.Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher is a former LSU assistant whom Tigers boosters covet. His resume is sterling, including a national championship, and he is the anti-Miles in that he been one of the college footballs best at developing quarterbacks.Herman has been a head coach for only two seasons, but he is the brightest of rising stars. His spread offense is the antithesis of the antiquated attack Miles was running.Thats ultimately what got Les Miles fired, former LSU defensive lineman and SEC Network analyst Booger McFarland said on ESPN.Heres what LSU wants: They want a successful head coach who runs the spread, DiNardo said. Thats why Tom Hermans perfect. I think (North Carolina coach Larry) Fedora fits in there, too.No matter who lands at LSU, heres the number to beat: .778. Thats Miles winning percentage, the best of anybody who has ever coached more than 40 football games at LSU.---This story has been corrected to show that LSU lost to Alabama in the 2011 national title game, not the SEC title game.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and the APs college football website at www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '