It has been described as the closest one can come to war without killing anyone, which is also a good analogy, IMHO. Although after the Texans QB threw that idiotic interception in overtime a few minutes ago I could have cheerfully throttled him (never good when the single most important player on a team is also its weakest link, but such is the case with Matt Schaub.) Fortunately the defense refused to give up A SINGLE YARD on the next four plays, Houston took over on downs and a few plays later threw a bubble screen to future Hall of Famer Andre Johnson that went 48 yards for the TD that, in overtime, ends the game.

Not that it should have EVER been that close (and Houston should not have needed to come back from 14 points down in the second half to force OT, but they missed a key FG at the end of BOTH halves.) However, divisional games are always tighter, because the teams play twice a year and get to know each others habits and tactics well. Still, a 1-8 team has not beaten an 8-1 team since 1986; that would have been a humiliating home loss for Houston. Instead they retain the best record in the conference and would have home field advantage throughout the playoffs if the season ended today. That is more important for them than for other teams; as a Houston native, I know well that team does not want to play in snowy Baltimore, New England or Denver this January.

Best of all, the Cowboys (whose postseason hopes are virtually nill) beat an awful Browns team in OT also (meaning Cleveland has yet to win a road game this year,) and the Vikings finally get their much needed bye this weekend, so if the Broncos manage to beat the Chargers at home all my teams will win this weekend. Further, since the San Diego is two games behind Denver NOW, and already lost their first meeting in San Diego, a win would put Denver effectively up FOUR games in the division (the three game lead, plus the 2-0 head-to-head matchup, which is the first tiebreak.)

I have a bad feeling about this one though, because San Diego started Denvers four game win streak when they blew a 0-24 halftime lead to lose 35-24 (only the third time in regular season history a team blew a halftime lead that big, and the only time they lost by double digits doing it.)

I know that is a lot more data than you wanted, but any college football thread desperately needs an injection of REAL football (the kind where championships are decided on the field rather than by polls of coaches and sportswriters, who are hardly the most objective authorities.) If the NFL did it that way, the 16-0 Patriots would have won the Super Bowl in 2007, instead of the Giants clawing their way through the playoffs by beating the top seeded Cowboys on the road, the second seeded Packers on "the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field" and finally shocking the world by beating the Pats 17-14 in possibly the greatest Super Bowl ever.