No game's outcome is a given -- that's why they're played, after all -- but a lot would have to go wrong for a big-time program like Ohio State to lose against a team, like, say, Florida A&M. Pretty much nothing went wrong, of course, and Ohio State beat FAMU 76-0. That wasn't even the only 70-point performance this weekend -- Louisville beat Florida International 72-0, Baylor knocked off Louisiana-Monroe 70-7, and Miami dispatched Savannah State 77-7. Ivan Maisel gave faint praise to the teams taking advantage of easy schedules this weekend, but cupcake scheduling does have its benefits. Those teams didn't go up against a bunch of top-25 behemoths for nothing, after all (Ohio St. paid FAMU $900,000, for example, and Miami paid Savannah State $375,000 for their matchup).

Here's a sampling of what readers had to say in our Facebook conversation on the story:

• Brandon Werling: "Granted, the FAMU game was not a matchup that anyone wanted to see, but when a school (Vanderbilt) backs out of a contract a year before the scheduled game, OSU had to scramble. Schedules are made years in advance, and finding an opponent with an open date that coincides with your schedule one year out is not an easy task. Personally, I would rather play than have another bye week. I don't hear FAMU complaining. They had 900K reasons to play that game, let alone the national exposure."
• Jason Gambill: "Anyone else think Tressel would've allowed the Buckeyes to put up 76 points on an inferior payday opponent? I can't say Meyer is doing anything wrong with the BCS beauty pageant format, and I know Vanderbilt was supposed to be the opponent, but on some level I think humiliating a team to this degree is unnecessary."
• Patrick Steckman: "every team usually schedules an easy win every year. Get over it.'"
• Ross Waters: "The problem with these glorified scrimmages is that at the same time, teams in the MEAC often complain of not getting a chance to prove themselves and or build the program (thats what you do when you get paid a ton to get beat by a lot)"
• Chris Pellegrini: "Sure hope these playoffs spell the end of these meaningless games."

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

We bet you think that we're only writing about Prince Fielder eating a fan's nachos because it's a bit of a slow news day. You would be so wrong. We're writing about it because it's great. The presence of mind Fielder has in acquiring said nachos -- suggesting that perhaps there was a bit of forethought involved -- would be noteworthy on any day. It's that kind of veteran wiliness that's helped Fielder lead the Tigers to the top of the AL Central this season. It's also probably helped him keep his energy up as the playoffs approach. Always looking for advantage, that Prince Fielder.

Here's a sampling of what readers had to say in our Facebook conversation on the story:

• Nathan Zanutto: "Nachos anyone?"
• Paul Laudenbach: "Hours later, and I'm still laughing about Prince helping himself to that fan's nachos."
• Mark Mattson: "prince's average back up to .283, just 3 points off of his career average and has 103 rbi. not bad for a 'bad year'"
• Eric Bell: "He's not going to hit 35-40 home runs, but driving in over 100 RBI and batting closer and closer to .300 is definitely a great way to be productive."

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

Max Scherzer is having a great season -- there's no one out there who will really dispute this. 209 strikeouts and a 2.88 ERA are ace-level stats. It's Scherzer's win-loss record, however, that may be skewing the way he's viewed. He's 19-2 after a rare loss to the Red Sox last night, and it's been pointed out that, as good as Scherzer has been this season, his amazing record may largely be due to the Tigers' league-leading 5.79 runs per game in support of him. Manager Jim Leyland wasn't having any of the suggestion, saying that he ''didn't believe in any of that stuff,'' but you have to admit that getting a near-guaranteed five runs every time you start is going to put your mind at ease if you're a pitcher.

How much of Max Scherzer's 19-2 record is due to his run support?

•  
  35%
  Most of it
•  
  59%
  Some of it
•  
  6%
  Little of it

(Total votes: 27,657)

Here's a sampling of what readers had to say in our Facebook conversation on the story:

• Brandon Reynolds: "You play to win the game, right? W-L record shouldn't be the only stat you look at as a pitcher, however the stat guys who disregard it as useless are missing a pretty important point."
• Patt Goeringer: "It's not like he has a 4.00 ERA with all this run support - he's 19-2 with a 2.88 ERA in the American League. The guy should be getting way more attention...great season."
• Larry Rice: "I think the run support has obviously helped his record by say a win or 2, but the fact is that his ERA supports just how well he is pitching. Pitchers with big leads in games aren't as interested in painting the corners because they don't want to walk anyone. That would mean that batters should be getting better pitches to hit. The fact his ERA remains low tells you that Scherzer still has nasty stuff despite not needing the precision required in a tight, low scoring game."
• Justin Varricchione: "Right or wrong about what matters, Leyland is just backing his guy. If Scherzer was 8-12, you'd hear Leyland talking about how well he's pitching and things just aren't going his way."
• Megan Taylor: "Run support does matter, however; that's why King Felix got the Cy Young Award a few years ago despite a poor record."

Both teams lead their respective divisions. Both have issues at the end of games. Yes, the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers -- two of the American League's foremost contenders in 2013 -- are undergoing a closer shuffle, with Andrew Bailey on Thursday blowing his second straight save (in a 4-3 loss to Detroit) and Detroit's Jose Valverde struggling to keep hold of manager Jim Leyland's confidence.

Both the Boston and Detroit managers have ordered change. Is this a good decision? Will these ninth-inning problems put either team's playoff hopes in jeopardy?

Who should close for the Red Sox?

•  
  34%
  Andrew Bailey
•  
  66%
  Someone else

(Total votes: 14,622)

Who should close for the Tigers?

•  
  29%
  Joaquin Benoit
•  
  37%
  Jose Valverde
•  
  34%
  Someone else

(Total votes: 31,082)

Which is more stressful for fans?

•  
  45%
  A struggling closer
•  
  55%
  A struggling field goal kicker

(Total votes: 64,948)

Which team has the bigger chance of missing the playoffs?

•  
  68%
  Red Sox
•  
  32%
  Tigers

(Total votes: 3,364)