ESPN

Looking to chat live during week nine of the NFL's 2009-2010 season? Check out our NFL Nation Live Chat, starting at 1 p.m. ET. You'll be able to see live insights from our writers and analysts. You can participate through Twitter, or just follow along the inside track as you enjoy today's slate of games.

Here in SportsNation it's all about taking sides. This team or that team. Player A or Player B. We allow you to vote, rank, comment, chat and much more to show your support. So when we talked to our good friends Kings of Leon about which sports stars they would like to be and discovered lead singer Caleb Followill and his brother Jared picked different Oklahoma Sooner football players, we decided to take it to the Nation to see which player is held in higher regard for his contributions on the field.

While you are mulling over your vote, check out the boys in action from their new DVD, "Live at the O2 London, England," singing "Be Somebody."

Caleb wants to be: Billy Sims.
Sims averaged 7.6 yards per carry his junior season on his way to a school record 1,896 yards and the Heisman Trophy. He was the runner-up the following season in which he rushed for 247 yards against Nebraska's No. 1 rushing defense. He led the Sooners to two consecutive Orange Bowl titles.

Jared wants to be: Adrian Peterson.
Peterson broke Sims' single-season rushing record by 29 yards his freshman year and finished second in the Heisman voting to Matt Leinart. His Sooners lost to the USC Trojans in the BCS championship game. Peterson, plagued by injuries, finished his career 73 yards short of passing Sims' career rushing mark.

Thanks to chadronhusker for illustrating the crazy ride Iowa fans have been on all season.

These are our favorite photos uploaded this week. If any of the images makes you want to surf the crowd, click them to view a larger picture and to comment. If you have a great picture or saw one you think the world should see, leave a brief description and a link in the Conversation section below.

• Vote: GameDay Pick 'Em | Heisman Watch | SportsNation Top 25
• Vote on this week's big games: LSU at Alabama | Ohio State at Penn State
• Blogger chat wraps: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Others
• More wraps: Mark Schlabach | Pat Forde | Mel Kiper | Ivan Maisel | Beano Cook
• Special guests: Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh | Texas Tech coach Mike Leach

LSU's trip to Alabama isn't just the biggest game this week (which isn't necessarily saying much, given the rest of the slate). According to SportsNation, this one is the biggest game remaining before conference championship games. Bloggers, some more impartial than others, have been busy all week making sense of the showdown in Tuscaloosa.

• "The supposed "Throwdown in Tuscaloosa" might appear to be a huge game on paper, matching #3 Alabama and #9 LSU, but with the way that Florida is finally beginning to dominate, it might not matter who wins that game. Nobody doubts that Florida has probably the most talented team in the country, but before thrashing Georgia in The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (I don't care what it's called now, that's what it is), nobody was sure if the Gators could indeed go wire-to-wire before heading off to Pasadena. Add to that the fact that Tebow set the SEC record for career rushing TD's by passing (who else?) former Bulldog Herschel Walker and Florida is finally showing why a lot of Gators supporters booked their tickets to Southern California a long time ago." Read afjumpman23's full post
• "Alabama will beat LSU. I'm stating that with an unbiased opinion. Bama just has an all around better defense and after much practice, they've fixed their offense too. This week there will be a strong passing game and an even better running game out of Mark Ingram. Rolando McClain is scary nasty and all of this ESPN hype has rev'd LSU up. LSU's only loss is to Florida by 10 pts. The Tigers have a strong argument. Jordan Jefferson is having a pretty good season with 11 TDs. McElroy has 9, but he hasn't tossed one in since the [Kentucky] game." Read RollFreakinTide37's full post
• "Not sure why this is being billed as a good game, but it certainly is important for Alabama if they want to stay in the national title race. The rumor is that McElroy is going to air it out more...not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Against LSU, I'd probably play it safer and run Ingram. As long as Alabama doesn't come up with anything to shoot themselves in the foot, with Ole Miss out of the way this season has a feel of full steam ahead to an Alabama-Florida SEC Championship game. Boring and low-scoring, this one will be." Read nunyabiz81's full post

• Vote: Pick winners | Vs. spread | Cowboys-Eagles | Ravens-Bengals | Steelers-Broncos
• Your rankings: Power Rankings | MVP Watch | Quarterbacks | Coaches
• NFC blogger chats: NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West
• AFC blogger chats: AFC North | AFC South | AFC West
• Weekly chatters: Chris Mortensen | Matt Williamson | Jeremy Green | KC Joyner
• Special guests: Jets LB Bart Scott | "First Take" analyst Drew Bennett | Len Pasquarelli
• Local team chats: ESPN Boston | ESPN Chicago | ESPN Dallas

What does Tony Romo have to do to catch a break? Wait, poor choice of words. Romo should be breathing easy these days. Criticized heavily during the Cowboys' slow start -- he had slipped all the way to No. 17 in SportsNation's quarterback rankings as recently as Oct. 12 -- Romo bounced back with three great games in a row. By Monday, he was back up to the cusp of the top 10 at the position in SportsNation's eyes. Enter Roy Williams, who managed the seemingly impossible feat of handing a popularity contest to Terrell Owens.

SportsNation says Romo isn't a leader, but one blogger is ready to follow him to a win against the Eagles.

• "I will believe, for now, that 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in the last 3 games is not coincidence or a streak. I will believe that the stench of the T.O. signing and leaving has finally left us. Romo is reaching more receivers -- to include the backs. Romo is tucking and running more than I've probably ever seen him do, and I'll take that & Just don't get hurt & Because our back-up QB is [Jon] Kitna. Why is all of this happening? Because T.O. is not crying for the ball. Because the show that is T.O. is not the looming and ominous cloud hanging over Romo anymore." Read MoAz2213's full post.

Sometimes we all need a little extra space to vent. ESPN profiles give fans space to post their own blog entries and go toe-to-toe with commenters.

• schierbaum20: Proving not all Philadelphia fans are bitter, hardened souls, a post thanking the Phillies for the season and the reversal of fortune that has the franchise competing for titles.
• jcookjr82: An A's fan comes to the defense of the Yankees, suggesting the anger some fans are expressing over buying a championship should be directed at their own cheapskate owners.

• armchaircoach101: An Oregon fan with a seriously spotty memory says the Ducks deserve to play for the title but Boise State doesn't deserve a top-10 ranking because it hasn't beaten anyone.
• swysz2730: Another defense of the Yankees from a surprising source, this time a Pirates fan, suggesting the money was far from the only thing behind the title.
• SlyCooperPTI: Grading each NFC team and projecting the remainder of the season. Somehow the Redskins don't get an F.

Read more fan posts. Or respond by signing in or creating a profile, and start blogging.

You want someone's take on eye gouging at the bottom of a football pile? Ask Bart Scott, one of the NFL's best linebackers. You want an opinion on defensive players being shut out of the Heisman? Check in with Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, the player with perhaps the best chance of a trip to New York this season. You want to know who the most underrated pirate of all time is? Ask Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach. Wait, what? You never know what you're going to get in a week's worth of SportsNation chats.

Hayden (Logan, Utah)

Have you ever been eye gouged?

Jets LB Bart Scott

No, but I have had my groin grabbed. Arm twisted. Arm into the ribs. In return, I've served some back. No holds barred, with a fumble. Not during a tackle when the guy has the ball, but everyone is in the pile, may the dirtiest guy win. Full transcript

Mike (Dallas, TX)

Coach, would you say your coaching style is more similar to the overpowering Blackbeard or the intelligent and tricky Howell Davis?

Texas Tech's Mike Leach

I like Blackbeard a lot. The one I had to kind of identify with more is Bartholemew Roberts. He was a real sharp guy. One of them that they overlook sometimes because he accomplished so many other great things is Sir Francis Drake. Full transcript

Nick (Denver, Colorado / Superior, Nebraska)

In your opinion, do you think the Heisman vote is a bit superficial towards QB's and Running Backs, and do you agree with the technicalities, prejudice, and politics that come with Heisman votes for defensive players?

Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh

I really don't have a set opinion on the Heisman. Obviously, all the players up for it are great athletes and players and help their teams, so they're all deserving players. I do think that more defensive players should be up there, not just because I'm one myself, but the saying is that defense weighs championships. If you can't stop an offense, you won't win. I think they should have more recognition, but I don't have a problem with it and I can see why more offensive guys are up in the limelight. You have stats that are out there and easy to find---rushing yards, TDs, completion rating, and the like. Full transcript

Welcome to SportsNation! On Friday, ESPN NFL reporter Ed Werder stops by to chat about the team.

Werder joined ESPN in 1998, before that he had stints at The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Send your questions now and join Werder Friday at 10 a.m. CT!

More Ed Werder: Chats | Search | Stories

LeBron James visits the Knicks Friday night in a game that is perhaps not as important as people who spend too much time in close proximity to the I-95 corridor think it is. Madison Square Garden has some solid history, sure, but as a majority of SportsNation would attest, we're not talking about the Coliseum in Rome (more like Kennedy Arena in Rome, N.Y.).

Nevertheless, with the Cavaliers off to a 3-3 start and looking like a team little better than the versions that came up short in recent seasons, a visit to the Big Apple will rev up the engines of speculation when it comes to LeBron's future plans. NBA.com blogger Sam Smith made a bold prediction this week, suggesting LeBron will end up playing alongside Kobe Bryant with the Lakers. To which we say, it's about time Phil Jackson gets some talent to work with. But could the game's two biggest stars really coexist?

• Vote: Is Shaq to blame in Cleveland, and where will LeBron play next season?
• Your Rankings: Where are the Cavaliers and Knicks in your NBA Power Rankings?
• Week's chat wraps: Chad Ford | David Thorpe | ESPN Dallas on Mavericks

Paul (NYC)

LeBron is not an aging vet signing a 1 yr deal, meaning 2011, 2012, 2013, etc. are just as important as 2010. Therefore we should be talking about not just teams' 2010 rosters/cap space, but also 2011, as well as the power structures (gm/coach) and financial stability of potential franchises LeBron may actually be interested in.

Chad Ford

Yup. And that's why I believe the Cavs misplayed their hand. They have been consumed with winning short term instead of putting in place a young core that can keep the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals for the next decade. I'm still not convinced that LeBron will bolt. But if he does, that will be the reason. Great players want to play with other great players. That's why the Dream Team has been so appealing to veterans. If LeBron can find a great situation (a big if) I think he bolts. At a cursory glance, the Clippers might be the best long term fit ... can you imagine LeBron with Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman? Full transcript

Could your team be playing against the Los Angeles Bills, Chargers, Jaguars or Rams in the near future? The Los Angeles Stadium Project hopes so.

ESPN.com's Greg Garber writes that John Semcken, a development partner in charge of the Los Angeles Stadium Project, has his eyes on seven existing NFL teams the group would like to move to the City of Angels (or -- as L.A. fans perhaps see it -- the city of the biggest market without an NFL team).

Which NFL team (among those identified by the Los Angeles Stadium Project) does SportsNation think is in the most danger of relocation someday? Vote and discuss below!

“

So the Rams, Raiders, or Chargers could very well be going BACK to LA? "Dear citizens of [St. Louis/Oakland/San Diego]: We were just kidding, and we never liked you anyway. Thanks for the memories. Have a nice life in not-Hollywood. Sincerely, The NFL

” -- Bootstrap1981