Independent Country

The MVP Chase looks at how well players played in each victory, not at their overall season stats. That's why Drake Maye has been largely absent from my top ten each week. He usually takes one or two more sacks than other quarterbacks, even in wins, and often doesn't generate enough first downs. My scoring system caps out at 1.5 MVP Points per game, so Maye won't win the MVP Chase title. No quarterback can this season.

Maye still has a chance to lead all quarterbacks, depending on how they play in the last game of the season. And I wouldn't be surprised if he's already won the MVP in the eyes of the voters. The Patriots are guaranteed to be at least a #2 seed, and a quarterback from a top-2 seed has won the MVP for 12 consecutive years (see here for evidence through 2023; in 2024, Josh Allen of the #2-seed Bills won it).

Although Bo Nix is higher on my list and his Broncos will be another Top-2 seed, his stats aren't impressive enough (except in the way I count them) to be considered for MVP. Of the NFC's top two teams, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy hasn't played enough games, and while the conventional stats of Sam Darnold are good, they're not as good as Maye's.

The Golden Age of the Second-Round Quarterback

Geno Smith's disastrous season with the Raiders (30th in Passer Rating, 2-13 win-loss record) will end his career as a starting NFL quarterback. I remembered he was drafted in the second round of the 2013 draft, and I thought that, all in all, he probably had a good career compared to most other second-rounders.

I decided to find out, going back to the 2004 draft (contemporaries of the NFL's oldest quarterback, Philip Rivers).

From 2004 through 2010, eight quarterbacks were selected in the second round. Five players started more than 16 games over their careers. One, Tarvaris Jackson, started a playoff game. His regular season record was 17-17. Chad Henne played the most of the group, going 18-36. Drew Stanton has a gaudy 11-6 record as a starter, filling in for the oft-injured Carson Palmer on the good Bruce Arians Cardinals teams of the 2010s.

But then we find a Golden Age of 2nd-round quarterbacks:

Andy Dalton (2011) began his career leading the Bengals to five consecutive playoff appearances, though the Bengals went winless in all of them. 84-83-2 as a starter and a 3-time Pro Bowler. Now a backup in Carolina.
Colin Kaepernick (2011) nearly led the 49ers to a Super Bowl win in the 2012 season. 4-2 in the playoffs; his regular-season record fell to 28-30 overall as the 49ers organization became dysfunctional. Career ended prematurely due to politics.
Brock Osweiler (2012) 15-15 as a starter, and even won a playoff game.
2013 Geno Smith (2013) had early career struggles and then barely played for several years before enjoying three winning seasons as the Seahawks starter 2022-24, including a playoff appearance and two Pro Bowls.
Derek Carr (2014) went to four Pro Bowls with the Raiders and, in 2016, was an MVP favorite with a 12-3 record before an injury ended the season. Went 14-13 with the Saints over two seasons before retiring.
Jimmy Garoppolo (2014) was 43-21 as a starter, with a 4-2 playoff record and a near-Super Bowl win. Often injured, he started more than ten games in a season only twice.

No Hall of Famer in the group, but 2011-2014 was a "golden age" of second-round quarterbacks because, except Osweiler, they were all good for at least a few years. 2025 is likely the last time we will see any of them become regular starters in the NFL again.

Since 2014, seven qbs have been taken in the second round. Jalen Hurts (2020) is 57-25 regular season, 6-3 in the playoffs, including a Super Bowl MVP, and is a 2-time Pro Bowler.

Drew Lock is second among this group in wins. He has a 10-18 record. Tyler Shough (2025) is tied for third with a 5-3 record (Will Levis is 5-17).

Hurts is clearly the most successful, and Shough has a promising start to his career. But the rarity of great or even pretty good 2nd-round quarterbacks (excepting the 2011-14 classes) suggests that it's wiser to pick a quarterback in the first round if you're shaky at the position. If you're solid at the position, wait until the later rounds to select someone to develop.

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Contact James Leroy Wilson for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com. Visit JL Cells for my non-sports writing.

The champion that missed the playoffs; plus the NFL MVP Chase update.

2025-12-23T12:57:00.002-06:00

Image: Torsten Bolten

In this issue:

College football's lineal champion
NFL MVP Chase

Last week, I wrote that Alabama didn't deserve to be in the College Football Playoff because of its terrible loss to Florida State. That wasn't a subjective opinion; it was how my Playoff Chase formula operates. (Whether the formula works may itself be a subjective opinion, but it removes bias.) Losing by two possessions to a seven-loss team in the first game of the season kicked them too far down in the standings, and they didn't recover.

That's not to say Alabama isn't one of the "best" twelve teams; they showed they were by beating Oklahoma in the first round of the playoffs. But based on the rules in place, two non-major conference champions played their way into the playoffs, and Alabama didn't. Notre Dame deserved the spot instead.

On an unrelated matter, I was wondering who the current lineal champion is. The "lineal champion" is the team that beat the team that beat the team that beat the team... all the way back to the team that won the first game ever played, which was Rutgers over Princeton in 1869. The last time I published about it was October 8, when Miami (FL) was the champion. I know that Louisville beat Miami later on, but I lost the thread.

It turns out that Louisville lost to California, which lost to Stanford, which lost to . . .

Notre Dame. That was the last game of the regular season.

Because Notre Dame wasn't invited to the playoffs and declined all other bowl games, they will be the title holder entering the first week of next season and will begin their "title defense" then.

The lineal championship ought to be part of college football. Notable "championship" games this year included South Florida's win over Florida, which was the beginning of the end for Gators head coach Billy Napier. The annual Cal-Stanford matchup is called the Big Game, with the Stanford Axe its trophy. It was also the lineal championship game this year. And of course, Notre Dame beating Stanford, only to be snubbed by the Selection Committee, means the lineal champion will not be the National Champion.

Perhaps next season I will track Notre Dame's title defense and the path of the championship more closely.

NFL MVP Chase

This season, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who missed eight games due to injury, is 6-1 as a starter and 15th in the MVP Chase. His backup, Mac Jones, went 5-3 and is 31st in the MVP Chase. That's higher than qb Sam Darnold, whose Seahawks have the NFC's #1 seed.

Two seasons ago, using different measurements than I use today, Purdy and teammate Christian McCaffrey tied for the MVP Chase crown. This season, the "49ers Quarterback" would be in the MVP Chase lead, as both Purdy and Jones played well in nearly all their victories.

And it suggests that the running back McCaffrey, sitting at third in the MVP Chase, is the true difference-maker on that squad, even though the quarterback is the most important position. Likewise, receiverJaxon-Smith Njigba is the most valuable ball-handling player on the Seahawks ' offense, as he comes up with big games in nearly all their victories, while Darnold rarely does.

This is not to say that MVP Chase leader James Cook is more important than his teammate Josh Allen. Allen is fifth and still has a chance to win the MVP Chase himself. It does say that Cook had more big games in the Bills' victories than Allen has.

As it stands, anyone in the top six in the MVP Chase has a chance to win it, and Dak Prescott has a chance to tie Cook as the winner if nobody ranked ahead of him has any big games in victories.

Patriots qb Drake Maye, the second-year sensation, is at 11th and won't win the MVP Chase. As mentioned previously here, sacks and fumbles hurt him in otherwise statistically brilliant games.

Contact James Leroy Wilson for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com. Visit JL Cells for my non-sports writing.

An avalanche of talent

2025-12-21T20:18:00.001-06:00

Photo credit: Santeri Viinamäki

Originally published at The MVP Chase.

In This Issue: NBA and NHL MVP Chase updates.

NBA MVP CHASE

There is a two-man race for the NBA MVP between the best player on the best team, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander of the Thunder, and the game’s best player, Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets. They were also last year’s MVP and runner-up. I say that Jokic’s the best player because he’s led the league in most “advanced” stats for most of the decade. He’s still ahead this year, although SGA isn’t far behind.

Barring injury to either, no one else stands much of a chance to win this MVP Chase or the official NBA MVP Award. However, there is a race for the third, fourth, and fifth spots on the NBA MVP ballot. And to make the ballot is an honor in and of itself.

The NBA MVP Chase is based on the number of victories in which a player’s Game Score and plus/minus totaled 30 or more. For games played through December 19, 2025, although team records are through December 20. Data collected from Stathead.com.

20 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (25-3)

18 Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (20-7)

15 Jalen Brunson, Knicks (19-8)

12 Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (15-14)

11 Luka Doncic, Lakers (19-8)

10 Jaylen Brown, Celtics (17-11)

9 Austin Reaves, Lakers (19-8)

8 Several players

NHL MVP Chase

In the NHL, wins count as 2 points, and overtime losses count as a tie: 1 point. Therefore, players who performed well in an overtime loss receive credit for the NHL MVP (i.e., Hart Trophy) Chase because their efforts help their team in the standings.

As of this writing, the Avalanche have lost just two games in regulation all season, with seven overtime losses. Center Nathan MacKinnon is tied for first in the NHL in points has has a +/- of 43. Martin Necas, his teammate, is second at 33. In fact, the Avalanche are so dominant that the top five leaders in +/- are on that team, and their goalie is tied for second behind MacKinnon in the MVP Chase.

The NHL MVP Chase is based on the number of victories and overtime losses in which a player’s points and plus/minus equals three or more, or a goalie has allowed two goals or fewer. Data collected from Stathead.com, and player positions (e.g., why does it say F instead of C for that guy but not that other guy?) come from HockeyReference.com.

For games played through December 20, 2025:

18 Nathan MacKinnon (C), Avalanche

15 Scott Wedgewood (G), Avalanche

15 Logan Thompson (G) Stars

13 Connor McDavid (C), Oilers

13 Cale Makar (D), Avalanche

13 Macklin Celebrini (F), Sharks

12 Artturi Lehkonen (LW), Avalanche

11 Leon Draisaitl (F), Oilers

11 Jason Robertson (LW), Stars

Contact James Leroy Wilson for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com. Visit JL Cells for my non-sports writing.

CFB Playoff Selection reaction and NFL MVP Chase Update

2025-12-18T18:49:00.004-06:00

Image: Torsten Bolten

In this Issue:

College Football Playoff Selection reaction
NFL MVP Chase update

College Football Playoff Selection reaction

I was unable to produce the MVP Chase last week, and am overdue to post my thoughts about the College Football Playoff.

Eleven of the twelve teams I would have selected for the College Football Playoff were, in fact, selected. I had Notre Dame getting in, but Alabama was selected.

My process was data-driven: strength of victories, strength of losses, and margin of losses. Its purpose was to select who deserved to make the playoffs based on on-field results.

At the end of 2023, one-loss Alabama was selected over undefeated Florida State in that season's four-team playoff, allegedly because Florida State wasn't that good and wouldn't have been competitive with their starting quarterback injured. Last year, Florida State was terrible (2-10), but beat Alabama in this season's opener 31-17. The Seminoles, however, finished just 5-7. It was a terrible loss for Alabama, and had the Tide won that game but lost to a better opponent later in the season, I likely would have had the Tide in the playoffs. Or, if Florida State had been a better team that Alabama only narrowly lost to, Alabama might still have gotten in.

That this was an opening-game loss isn't an excuse. And I find it hard to imagine that a school with any other name would get away with losing by double digits to the 13th-best team in the ACC. I find it ironic that two years ago, undefeated Florida State supposedly sucked, yet this year, when Florida State really did suck, Alabama was rewarded for only losing to them by two touchdowns.

As it is, however, the Committee could have done worse. 11 out of 12 isn't bad.

NFL MVP Chase

Two weeks' worth of games have passed sincemy last update. Matthew Stafford, who has been in the nationwide MVP discussion for most of the year, has finally become a strong contender in the MVP Chase as well.

Contact James Leroy Wilson for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com. Visit JL Cells for my non-sports writing.

How important is the defensive line? Plus, an MVP Chase update

2025-12-04T19:16:00.000-06:00

Image: Torsten Bolten

In this issue:

MVP Chase update after Week 13
How important is the defensive line?

The MVP Chase rewards strong individual performances in victories. I don't care who has the most total yards, or most 100-yard games, or the most passing yards or touchdowns. Put those guys in the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. The MVP Chase focuses on the number of strong individual performances that contributed to actual wins.

That said, I did take a look at how the Top Ten in the MVP Chase are doing in the traditional stats.

Cook is second in rushing and fourth in yards from scrimmage.
McCaffrey is first in total yards from scrimmage.
Prescott is first in completions and second in both yards and touchdowns, and first in QBR.
Taylor is first in rushing and third in yards from scrimmage.
Smith-Njigba is first in receiving yards and seventh in yards from scrimmage.
Jahmyr Gibbs is fourth in rushing and fifth in yards from scrimmage.
Stafford is first in touchdown passes and a close second in passer rating.
Daniel Jones is fifth in passing yards and is falling in the MVP Chase after leading it for much of the season.
Josh Allen ranks around seventh to eleventh in several categories.
Drake Maye has finally entered my top ten. He's first in passing yards and passer rating and fourth in QBR. As mentioned in my last update, his greater propensity to get sacked compared to other top quarterbacks has hurt his ranking; he's given up 40 sacks, while Prescott and Stafford have each given up 17.

One might say the sacks aren't all his fault (I'm not saying they are), that Maye should be higher on any MVP list, and that my MVP Chase formula doesn't work. We have five more weeks to find out.

How important is the defensive line?

I can't cite the podcast, podcast episode, or even the speaker with certainty, but I believe I heard Bill Barnwell suggest that, after the quarterback, the defensive line may be the most significant factor in winning the Super Bowl.

I decided to check that out with a brief survey. In the 55 seasons of the merged NFL, I selected 14 teams that won the Super Bowl in which the quarterback was a question mark at the time. Sometimes he was a backup pressed into service, sometimes he just hadn't consistently demonstrated elite ability (even if he proved it later in his career), and sometimes (Unitas, Peyton Manning), their bodies were broken down.

To gauge how good these Super Bowl-winning defensive lines were, I looked at their rankings in sacks and in average yards allowed per run. (Linebackers also play a significant role in these stats, but they need the defensive line to dominate the line of scrimmage.)

The Combined Ranking (CR) mentioned below adds the two rankings; the "perfect" ranking number would be 2 (1st in sacks plus 1st against the run).

2017 Eagles. QB Nick Foles. The defensive line ranked 15th in sacks and 6th in yards per rush. CR: 21

2015 Broncos. QB Peyton Manning. The Bronco defense ranked 1st in sacks and 1st in yards per rush. CR: 1

2012 Ravens. QB Joe Flacco. The Ravens were 15th in sacks and 7th in yards per rush. CR: 22

2007 Giants. QB Eli Manning. The Giants were first in sacks and fourth in yards per rush. CR: 5

2002 Buccaneers. QB Brad Johnson. The Bucs were sixth in sacks and third in yards per rush. CR: 9

2000 Ravens. QB Trent Dilfer. This legendary defense was (surprisingly) just 22nd in sacks but first against the run. CR: 23

1991 Redskins. QB Mark Rypien. The defense was fourth in sacks and 11th against the run. CR: 15

1990 Giants. QB Jeff Hostetler. The Giants were only 24th in sacks (28 teams) and seventh against the run. CR: 31

1987 Redskins. QB Doug Williams. The team was fourth in sacks and tenth against the run. CR: 14

1986 Giants. QB Phil Simms. Giants were fourth in sacks and fifth against the run. CR: 9

1985 Bears. QB Jim McMahon. The legendary '85 Bears were third in sacks and sixth against the run. CR: 9

1980 Raiders. QB Jim Plunkett. The defense was third in sacks and first against the run. CR: 4

1974 Steelers. QB Terry Bradshaw. The defense was first in sacks and second against the run. CR: 3

1970 Colts. QB Johnny Unitas. The team was fifth in sacks and tenth against the run. CR: 15

Ten teams finished in the Top 6 in sacks. All teams finished in the Top 11 against the run.

I will likely consider these stats, in addition to QB stats, when making Super Bowl predictions as the playoffs start. Even if I doubt the quarterback, I might favor a team that is strong at rushing the passer and stopping the run.

Contact James Leroy Wilson for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com. Visit JL Cells for my non-sports writing.

Playoff Chase standings entering Championship Week

2025-12-02T17:39:00.001-06:00

Image: Torsten Bolten

I haven't posted in three weeks, but I said I would have a "Top 20" entering Conference Championship weekend, after which I will make my 12-team playoff selection. The playoff features the five highest-ranked conference champions plus seven other teams, with the four highest-ranked teams receiving first-round byes.

Many, but not all, teams playing for conference championships are in my rankings. Those who aren't are not teams I would select for the playoffs in any case. They are:

Conference USA: Kennesaw St (9-3) and Jacksonville State (8-4)
MAC: Western Mich (8-4) vs Miami OH (7-5)
Mountain West: Boise State (8-4) vs UNLV (10-2)

In addition, other conference championship games will feature one team that ought not get into the playoffs even if it wins the championship game:

ACC: Duke (7-5) should not get in even if it beats Virginia (10-2).
Sun Belt: Troy (8-4) won't get in even if it beats James Madison (11-1).

In the AAC, Tulane (10-2) is unlikely to get in, even if it beats North Texas (11-1). However, it's possible if Virginia and James Madison both lose.

The winners of the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC will get in. The losers of the Big Ten and Big 12 will likely get at-large bids unless they're blown out badly, but Alabama will need to win the SEC to earn a spot; according to my formula, it just doesn't have enough Playoff Chase points to get an at-large berth. If North Texas and James Madison win their leagues and Virginia loses, they both should get a spot over the ACC champ Duke.

In the ranking, Playoff Chase Points reflect the number of wins by opponents the team has beaten, with a deduction depending on the number of losses by the teams it lost to and the margin of defeat. The "(+[number]) indicates the number of Playoff Chase points a team stands to gain if it beats that opponent in the week's championship game.

Ohio State (12-0) 69 vs Indiana (+12) for Big Ten title
Indiana (12-0) 68 vs Ohio St (+12) for Big Ten title
Oregon (11-1) 64 no game
BYU (11-1) 62 vs Texas Tech (+11) for Big 12 title
Oklahoma (10-2) 61 no game
Georgia (11-1) 59 vs Alabama (+10) for SEC title
North Texas (11-1) 55 vs Tulane (+10) for AAC title
Texas Tech (11-1) 53 vs BYU (+11) for Big 12 title
Texas A&M (11-1) 52 no game
Ole Miss (11-1) 51 no game
Notre Dame (10-2) 49 no game
James Madison (11-1)48 vs Troy (+8) for Sun Belt title
Alabama (10-2) 47 vs Georgia (+11) for SEC title
Virginia (10-2) 46 vs Duke (+7) for ACC title
Georgia Tech (9-3) 45 no game
Arizona (9-3) 44 no game
Miami (FL) (10-2) 43 no game
USC (9-3) 40 no game
Utah (10-2) 38 no game
Vanderbilt (10-2) 38 no game
Tulane (10-2) 37 vs North Texas (+11) for the AAC title.

Contact James Leroy Wilson for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com. Visit JL Cells for my non-sports writing.

The Mystery of Life

2025-11-21T19:23:00.001-06:00

The following is a transcript of a talk (see video) I gave at Unity Lincoln on November 16, 2025.

I came across something online a few years ago: a now-deceased Facebook friend had written it decades before.

It was in response to an age-old question many people have grappled with: "Since everything in the universe requires a cause, must not the universe itself have a cause, which is God?"

This is the best answer I've ever read, which I've edited for length:

"The universe is the total of that which exists. … To demand a cause for all of existence is to demand a contradiction: if the cause exists, it is part of existence; if it does not exist, it cannot be a cause. Nothing cannot be the cause of something. Nothing does not exist. . .. The forms of existence may change and evolve, but the fact of existence is the irreducible primary at the base of all causal chains.

… The universe did not 'begin'--it did not, at some point in time, 'spring into being.' Time is a measurement of motion. Motion presupposes entities that move. If nothing existed, there could be no time. Time is 'in[ the universe; the universe is not 'in' time.

… Nothing is outside of existence, and 'nothing' is not just another kind of 'some-thing--it is nothing. Existence exists; you cannot go outside it, you cannot get under it, on top of it or behind it. Existence exists--and only existence exists: there is nowhere else to go."

This was written by Nathaniel Branden, who was a leading proponent of the philosophy called Objectivism, and ironically, Objectivism is probably the most anti-mystical, anti-spiritual, anti-religious philosophy out there.

But I found this to be a compelling explanation. I don't know if there was a Big Bang, but if there was, what was before it? The Universe existing in some other form. The Big Bang could not have come from nothing. The Universe may change, but it has no origin. It is the all-in-all.

Nathaniel Branden's mentor was the founder of Objectivism, the novelist and philosopher Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand was born in Russia. Her childhood was during Tsar Nicholas's reign and her teen years were under the Communist Party regime. Rand came to the United States in her early twenties. She rejected any hint of superstition, which historically had led rulers like the Tsar to derive their legitimacy from the blessings of priests. And she fervently rejected the weaponization of compassion and altruism that produces communism. Rand has been criticized for her ideas and personality by people who have never experienced anything like what she did in her youth.

I have only a superficial understanding, but in some ways, Objectivism is common sense, as in the description of existence I just read. Objectivists also express in their own way the importance of respecting the freedoms of others that you claim for yourself, and that you are the operant power, the only one responsible for creating the life you want.

However, Objectivism holds that the universe exists independent of consciousness broadly speaking or of any individual consciousness, and that Reason is the only absolute. According to Objectivism, "the mind does not create reality, but rather, it is a means of discovering reality.": Put another way, "existence has 'primacy' over consciousness, which must conform to it." The outer world of existence and the inner world of reason are separate.

And that is where I respectfully part ways with the Objectivists.

I plead guilty to "mysticism" because I think existence is consciousness and love is the only absolute. I am conscious - aware of- my existence, and therefore I exist. Consciousness and Existence are two sides of the same Unity coin. Another way to say it is that the universe - existence - is energy, and consciousness is with that energy and is that energy. This energy is light. It is the life force. It is love. Many people call that energy Spirit, or God. God did not come before or create the universe, God is the universe.

Spirit, God, the good, love, is what we are. The universe and all that is in it is nothing but God, including you and me.

The inner world and the outer world are the same. As Vivian May Williams wrote in There is Nothing But God, "Heaven and earth are but terms used to indicate invisibility and visibility … Hence the prayer 'Thy kingdom (invisible ideas) come on earth (be visibly expressed) as it is in heaven (let the two worlds function as one).'"

This makes more sense to me than separating the concepts of existence and consciousness. But I do understand the Objectivist or materialist skepticism towards the mystical. I understand the rejection of belief in God as imagined by the literal interpretation of ancient Scriptures. And if someone asks you to do something that doesn't make sense to you, it is valid to ask them their reason. "Spirit told me that you should do this" is not a reason. I agree with the Objectivist rejection of submitting to the faith-based authority of others.

But to me, the physical universe and non-physical mind seem to be intertwined. I am persuaded by the body of evidence in my own life, the life of friends, and information from broader society.

Example 1: Healing can be achieved by belief alone: for example, believing that the pill will make you well can make you well, even if the pill is a placebo.

Example 2: Healing can also be achieved through prayer alone when doctors have given up on the case as hopeless. Even if the people praying for you have different conceptions of the God they are praying to, they are still sending their loving intentions—healing energy—your way.

Example 3: Sleeping dreams, Near-Death Experiences, Remote Viewing, and the very ability to imagine, all suggest that we can see with our minds, not only through our physical eyes.

Example 4: Personally, I have dreamt things in my sleep, things I would not have imagined, that have come to pass.

Example 5: I've experienced several minor and some major miracles in which desires I was praying about had manifested in improbable and unexpected ways, and without the use of my rational faculties. I know many of you have experienced these as well.

Example 6: In general, it appears that the people most successful in their fields are those who dreamed bigger than Reason would say is realistic. Belief, not Reason, is the key.

So I am on Team Mystical. I believe this existence is much more than the evidence of the five senses and using the rational faculty to survive.

We are divine beings with the power to shape reality through our consciousness, our minds. Spirit won't guide me to tell you what to do, but I will bless the Spirit, the divinity, in you, for we are all free, and should be free, to let the spirit within each of us guide our own lives.

As Vivian May Williams also wrote:

"God and man are not two but One, as evidenced by Jesus Christ. . . . [W]e do not have to struggle to attain our divinity— we have but to accept it as Jesus did . . . We do not have to become spiritual—we are spiritual and perfect now."

And she emphasizes:

"I wish to remind you that I am speaking of you as you appear here in this world for this is the real universe peopled with spiritual beings."

Ayn Rand and Nathaniel Branden said that existence exists and there is nowhere else to go. I agree. And I also agree with Vivian May Williams, who calls existence heaven, saying "Heaven is here around us so we can not go any other place."

You might as well be free and unlimited right here and right now, because you have nowhere else to go.

You might as well feel never-ending joy right here and right now, because you cannot be joyful any other place; there is no other place.

Now, all of what I just said is my context for pondering the great mystery of life. For me, it is this: If we are perfect, where did erroneous thinking come from, and why do we often feel that the love of God seems so distant?

And especially, "Where did the erroneous thinking come from that produced the appearance of disease and poverty?"

Thinking of Veterans Day that just passed, we ask, "Where did the erroneous thinking come from that leads us to war?"

From Christian Science to A Course In Miracles, here in Unity, we've heard about the nothingness of evil, that it is an error. That's true, but sometimes it doesn't sound very helpful, does it?

To trace error thinking back to the ego or to fear only begs the question. But the allegory of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil may provide a clue. Perhaps Adam and Eve were just innocent, like children, and received confusing messages from beings they perceived were wiser than they were. One of them, the serpent, essentially said, "Eat from this tree, and then you will be perfect." In other words, the serpent was saying, "You are not perfect yet; there is something more you can do." So the thought of imperfection led to the mistake of eating from the Tree. After Eve and Adam ate from the Tree, they began making more mistakes, and ever since that story was written, many of us have been taught that we were born into sin, inherently sinful and imperfect. And even those who don't come from that tradition will say, "Nobody's perfect."

And so based on the false belief that we are imperfect, we kept making mistakes. All our worries, our seeming problems, trace back to, well, other mistake-prone human beings and flawed human-created systems where we can point fingers and place blame. Marriage problems. Other relationship problems. Money problems. Career problems, especially when you only have the career to make the money. Health problems exacerbated by added chemicals in our food and by air and water pollution. Political problems.

And each of us, in one way or another, seems to contribute to these problems. We make mistakes and other people are hurt or inconvenienced, adding to their frustrations and strengthening our belief in our weaknesses.

We've been taught that we aren't perfect and that nobody's perfect, and learning life skills is mostly about "improving" ourselves and managing our problems and other people's problems

But the only reason we are imperfect - that is, the only reason we seem to be imperfect- is because that is what we have been taught.

Far be it from me to make assumptions about anyone's age, but most of you were probably taught in school that Pluto is a planet.

Did you believe it? I did.

Well, in 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto is not, in fact, a planet.

Did you ever for a moment think, "What an idiot I am! What a fool I was for believing Pluto was a planet! I'm worthless."

No, you didn't ever think that? Your opinion of yourself did not change with the new information? That's because you knew it wasn't your fault that you believed what you were taught by people who were in a better position to know things than you.

Well, guess what: in spite of what you may have been taught…

You are perfect. Your neighbor is perfect. Your coworker is perfect. The homeless person you see on the street is perfect. The richest and most powerful people on earth are perfect. But we all have been taught that we are imperfect, by people who themselves were taught they were imperfect, going back and back to time immemorial.

Not only do we make mistakes because of the false beliefs that we are imperfect, but we make even greater mistakes when we try to fix the imperfections we see in others.

We see the perfection of the trees outside our house. We see the perfection in our pets, who can't even conceive that they are imperfect. We only think we see imperfection in others because we believe in their imperfections, but we only believe that because we believe in our own imperfections.

However, to say "Namaste" is to behold the divinity in the person next to you, to behold their perfection. You might as well joyfully and thankfully acknowledge their perfection as you would in heaven, because this is heaven; there is no other one to go to.

Unfortunately, we often do not realize that someone was perfect until we receive the news that their soul has transitioned out of their body, that is, when their current physical body has died. Then, their perfection lives on in memory.

This past week, November 10, marked the 50th Anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a freighter that sank in stormy Lake Superior. All 29 crew members were lost. Although newsworthy at the time, the tragedy may well have been forgotten by history except that the news moved the singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. He researched the incident and released the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" the following August. It was a big hit, and the Edmund Fitzgerald is now one of the best-known and most analyzed shipwrecks in history.

The song is vivid in placing the listener on the ship, imagining what sailors must have felt. And it hits the heart with lines like:

And all that remains are the faces and the names

Of the wives and the sons and the daughters

And:

In a musty old hall in Detroit, they prayed

In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral

The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times

For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald

It's a song that creates a sense of oneness with and love for the crew and their families. But for me, it is also a song in tribute to everyone who has lost their lives on the sea and in other high-risk and dangerous occupations that help create abundance for the rest of us.

Gordon Lightfoot donated his royalties from the song to the families of the crew and built lasting friendships with them. When he passed away in 2023, the Mariner's Church in Detroit rang its bell 30 times.

Gordon Lightfoot showed us what heaven is by bringing to this world a song that fostered love and appreciation. If we strip away, unlearn, all of our own false beliefs about ourselves and others, we can continually experience more and more of the heaven that we are here to experience.

Thank you.

James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe) and JL Cells (subscribe). Thank you for your subscriptions and support! You can contact James for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.

Where is Drake Maye?

2025-11-10T11:31:00.002-06:00

Image: Torsten Bolten

IN THIS ISSUE:

NFL MVP Chase standings, and where's Drake Maye?
The season's first NBA MVP Chase standings
College Football Playoff standings

NFL MVP CHASE

I may need to take a break from the MVP Chase, and so the NFL's MVP Chase standings are a bit premature; the Monday Night game between the Eagles and Packers hasn't been played.

If the Packers win and QB Jordan Love has a productive game, he'll enter the top ten and could climb as high as sixth. If the Eagles win, QB Jalen Hurts can climb as high as ninth. (Neither team has another viable MVP candidate right now.)

What I find interesting is the MVP talk surrounding QB Drake Maye of the Patriots, who has led them to an 8-2 record and a seven-game winning streak. I have him 28th in the MVP Chase, with 13 quarterbacks ranked ahead of him. Of course, I'm measuring valuable quarterback play differently than most:

Total up the quarterbacks' first downs and touchdowns, both passing and rushing.
Subtract the total number of interceptions, sacks, and fumbles.
If the team wins the game and net first downs/touchdowns is 12 or more, the QB gets an MVP point, which could max out at 1.5 if the net is 22.

Maye has earned an MVP Chase point in just three of eight wins. I decided to look at more conventional stats to see why there's MVP talk about him.

Passer Rating: Maye is ranked sixth, and has won more games than the QBs ahead of him (although two of them are 7-2 to his 8-2).
Passing Yards: Maye ranks third.
1st Downs (including Touchdowns): Maye is fifth.

Then:

In four victories, Maye fumbled at least once.
In five victories, Maye had three or more sacks.
Maye hasn't passed for 300 yards in a game this season, preventing him from collecting a massive amount of first downs in any particular game.

The number of "bad" plays often pushes Maye below the net 12 standard. Justin Herbert has a similar number of bad plays, but also has a couple of 300-yard games and more rushing yards, allowing him to collect more first downs and accumulate more MVP points.

While Maye is playing well and could very well climb up the rankings over the remaining seven games, it's not as his second year resembles 1984 Dan Marino or 2018 Patrick Mahomes.

NBA MVP CHASE

Number of games won in which the player's Game Score plus +/- equalled 30 or more. For games played through November 8, 2025:

COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP 25

Based on the merits; this is not an evaluation of the most talented teams. Each team’s Playoff Chase Points reflect the number of wins by opponents the team has beaten, with a deduction depending on the number of losses by the teams it lost to and the margin of defeat. (In this system, most teams would have a negative number.) Where there is a tie in Playoff Chase Points, teams are ranked by fewer games, then by the lower margin(s) of defeat.

Ohio State (9-0) 46
Indiana (10-0) 46
Texas A&M (9-0) 41
Alabama (8-1) 34
Georgia (8-1) 33
Texas Tech (9-1) 33
Oregon (8-1) 31
Ole Miss (9-1) 30
North Texas (8-1) 30
Georgia Tech (8-1) 29
Brigham Young (8-1) 29
Oklahoma (7-2) 27
Virginia (8-2) 27
Notre Dame (7-2) 26
USC (7-2) 26
Michigan (7-2) 23
James Madison (9-1) 22
Vanderbilt (8-2) 22
Houston (8-2) 22
Memphis (8-2) 22
Louisville (7-2) 21
Texas (7-2) 21
South Florida (7-2) 21
Miami FL (7-2) 20
Utah (7-2) 20

The following are teams I have not yet eliminated from the playoffs. I have previously eliminated 16 teams with three losses or fewer, based on suffering blowout losses or losing hope for a conference title, their only path to making the playoffs.

Cincinnati (7-2)

Navy (7-2)

Pitt (7-2)

San Diego St (7-2)

Southern Miss (7-2)

UNLV (7-2)

Arizona State (6-3)

Connecticut (7-3)

Fresno State (6-3)

Hawaii (6-3)

Iowa (6-3)

Jacksonville St (6-3)

TCU (6-3)

Tennessee (6-3)

Troy (6-3)

Washington (6-3)

Contact James Leroy Wilson for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com. Visit JL Cells for my non-sports writing.