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thecollegefootballguy · 3 years ago

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2021 Top Games of the Week: Week 1

Football is back! Week 0 was incredibly boring but Week 1 should more than make up for that. We’ve got a load of interesting games this week that should kick off the season in style. Let’s have a look!

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. West Virginia at Maryland (Saturday 9/4)

The 10 spot goes to one of the fun rivalry games once again kicking off. West Virginia and Maryland have kept their non-conference rivalry going even as both schools changed conferences in the past 10 years. I hope they keep playing it moving forward. Neither team is expected to contend for their conference, or division in the Terrapins’ case, so winning the rivalry games is #1 on the list for many fans on both sides.

9. Michigan State at Northwestern (Friday 9/3)

The Big Ten is trotting out several conference games to open the season. Michigan State at Northwestern is perhaps the least interesting, but it does feature the defending champions of the West Division. In 2020, the Wildcats came out of nowhere last year to claim their second division title in three years. Meanwhile, the Spartans gutted their way through a season that would have been incredibly disappointing if not for their win over Michigan. Both squads have question marks but with this early conference game we’ll get a better idea where each team stands.

8. #4 Ohio State at Minnesota (Thursday 9/2)

Ohio State is ready to kick off another season with a national championship in their sights. The Buckeyes are quite clearly one of the best teams in the country and expect to go 12-0 or 11-1 at the very worst. Minnesota hasn’t had an opportunity like this is a while. The Gophers are expected to be loaded for bear as they prepare to take the next step forward under P.J. Fleck. Back in 2019, Minnesota defeated #4 Penn State to catapult themselves into a tie with Wisconsin for the West title. I’m sure they have a similar outcome on their minds here for OSU.

7. #16 LSU at UCLA 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday 9/4)

This one is going to hold my attention this weekend. LSU has had a strange two years, going from national champions with potentially the best football team of all time to 5-5 also rans nearly overnight. Sure, they have had time to reload now and the Tigers should be fine, but more than a few eyebrows have been raised already. Meanwhile, UCLA’s long rebuild under Chip Kelly has finally started to bear fruit. The Bruins mauled an overmatched Hawaii squad in week 0. Big deal, the Rainbow Warriors aren’t on the same level as Louisiana State, who will give UCLA a real litmus test to see how far they’ve come. Also it’s cool to see a PAC-SEC matchup, I feel like those conferences have the most infrequent combinations of matchups among the P5 leagues.

6. #10 North Carolina at Virginia Tech (Friday 9/3)

The ACC isn’t quite matching the Big Ten for Week 1 intrigue, but this early bout may have big ramifications on the Coastal race. North Carolina is favored in a race with Miami according to the experts, but things rarely ever go right in this strange division. Virginia Tech are in an awkward position. Things haven’t been going well in Blacksburg lately and fans wanted Justin Fuente fired years ago at this point. It would be a huge opportunity for the Hokies to turn their fortunes around if they can jump on the Tar Heels at home.

5. #23 Louisiana at #21 Texas (Saturday 9/4)

This is a trap game for sure. Steve Sarkisian’s first game as Texas head coach and it’s against a team that made their name last year upsetting regular season Big 12 Champions Iowa State. Louisiana will absolutely give the Longhorns a tougher test than they would normally expect from a G5 program and if they’re not careful UT could faceplant.

4. #17 Indiana at #18 Iowa (Saturday 9/4)

It’s not a sexy matchup in the conventional sense, but you have to give credit where it’s due. Indiana were one of the darlings of the 2020 season. The Hoosiers shocked the world last season with a breakout 6-2 record. With a full season’s worth of games to play now, IU is gunning for double digit wins. Iowa is their usual selves. The Hawkeyes were once again a strong team last year and that should be the case in 2021 as well. Iowa expects to contend for the West Division this year and have to win their cross-division games to give them their best chance at getting to Indianapolis.

3. #19 Penn State at #13 Wisconsin (Saturday 9/4)

The biggest of the Big Ten’s Week 1 matchups sees two of the best programs in the conference square off. Penn State had a bad year in 2020, no other way around saying it. The Nittany Lions need to rebound in 2021 or there will be a lot of question marks surrounding the direction of the program under James Franklin. Wisconsin is their usual selves, meaning the Badgers should once again be one of the top teams in the league but still a step (or two) behind Ohio State. Both Wisconsin and Penn State want to win their respective divisions, a loss in Week 1 would be a crucial setback for either side.

2. #1 Alabama vs #14 Miami FL (Atlanta, GA) (Saturday 9/4)

The defending champions start off the year in a high profile matchup with another high profile team. Miami isn’t quite playing up to their potential just yet, but the Hurricanes are on more solid footing than we’ve seen in a while. Many are expecting another breakthrough season similar to what we saw in 2017. It might not matter either way if the Canes get back to that level. It will be incredibly hard to unseat Alabama. The Crimson Tide are losing a lot of guys from their championship squad, but new faces with similar levels of talent are coming in to replace those who’ve left for the NFL. It feels foolish betting against Bama but a Week 1 loss would be one of the more likely scenarios for a regular season loss at all for the Tide.

1. #5 Georgia at #3 Clemson (Saturday 9/4)

This one is a no-brainer. Georgia and Clemson’s on again-off again rivalry is once again heating back up. The stakes haven’t been this high since the early 80′s, with both the Tigers and Bulldogs attempting to claim national championships this year. UGA is hoping to rebound and reclaim the SEC East after giving it away to Florida last season. The Dawgs are on the short list of 6 or so teams that are aiming to make the Playoff every year. Clemson is one of the other squads on that special list. The Tigers are hosting and may be favored, but we need to be wary of their lack of depth at the QB position. A loss here might not end a Playoff campaign, but it would be a bad start to one as well as a black eye against a regional recruiting rival.

5 G5 Games of the Week

5. Syracuse at Ohio (Saturday 9/4)

Frank Solich unfortunately won’t be the head coach in Athens, but I think his old team is in great position to claim a P5 scalp as hapless Syracuse makes the trek for a rare MAC road date.

4. Marshall at Navy (Saturday 9/4)

Two of the G5′s more consistent brands face off. Marshall is trotting out their first new coach in 15 years while Navy is attempting to spit out the bad taste in their mouths after a disappointing 2020 season.

3. Miami OH at #8 Cincinnati (Saturday 9/4)

The Battle of the Bell is one of FBS football’s oldest rivalries and I love giving it the spotlight. I don’t expect Miami to win of course, while they have been a solid MAC program in the last couple years, the RedHawks aren’t up to the same level as Cincinnati. The Bearcats are favored to repeat as the #1 G5 program in the nation. Cincinnati haven’t lost to their in-state rivals since 2005, giving Miami plenty of reason to try and solve the Cincy defense that gave teams such fits last season.

2. Texas Tech vs Houston (Houston, TX) (Saturday 9/4)

That’s right, Houston was able to call on to upgrade this game to NRG Stadium. The Cougars and Red Raiders are throwing a Southwest Conference reunion party and everybody’s invited. Both Texas Tech and Houston have been struggling lately and this game definitely has high stakes for both programs.

1. Boise State at UCF (Saturday 9/4)

Two of the G5′s biggest brands face off as Boise State travels to the Bounce House to take on UCF. The stakes are obvious: the winner here will be the G5′s #2 option after Cincinnati moving forward through the season.

FCS Games of the Week

5. #14 Central Arkansas at Arkansas State (Saturday 9/4)

More likely to happen than you might imagine. Arkansas State moved on from coach Blake Anderson at the end of 2020 and Butch Jones (yeah) needs time to get things set. Central Arkansas has an opportunity to knock off their big brother in Jonesboro.

4. #9 Montana at #20 Washington (Saturday 9/4)

It’s the revival of an ancient PCC series dating back to the 1950′s. Montana will certainly be an underdog against a Washington squad that technically did win the PAC-12 North last year.

3. #21 Northern Iowa at #7 Iowa State (Saturday 9/4)

Iowa State has moved mountains to become this good, but the Cyclones aren’t impervious to upsets as last year showed us. Northern Iowa has their own chance to knock off big brother.

2. #6 Weber State at #24 Utah (Thursday 9/2)

This one should be tough no matter how good Weber State is. The Utes’ physical game will be tough for the Wildcats to overcome, but they’ll take their shot at glory no matter what.

1. #10 Jacksonville State vs UAB (Montgomery, AL) (Wednesday 9/1)

Now this is cool, an FBS-FCS game played at a neutral site. I love to see matchups like this. UAB is one of the best G5 programs of the last 5 years while Jacksonville State is one of the most consistent FCS squads in the deep South.

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mystech-master · 4 years ago

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F/GO High School/Modern AU BS

Me and @rex101111 have been talking about a modern/HS AU ft. as many Chaldean servants as possible. Here are the ideas we came up with (I am pretty much cut and pasting our message convo, so this is a mixture of both me and Rex's ideas):

Gil is the douchbag Senior everyone hates but his dad owns the school or whatever so he can do whatever he wants. The only decent person who willingly hangs out with him is his childhood friend Enkidu who's hoping he can un-douch his bro. He has kid Gil as his little brother and Caster Gil as his older bro who both agree that he sucks (Gil is the loser middle child of the family), Caster Gil wonders what Enkidu sees in his shit head brother. "He's too good for you." "Blow it out your ass." "One day he's going to wise up, see how much of a shit you are, and when you're all alone don't come crying to me." Caster Gil is in college studying political science, Kid Gil goes to a fancy boarding school. Archer Gil goofs off and throws parties

Scathach is a swimming class teacher, mainly b/c I recall underwater training being a part of Cu's regiment under her tutelage. People were jealous of the Cus for like two seconds when they find out the swim teacher is their mom, then they see her having them do an extra twenty laps and ignoring when OG Cu starts floating in the water. "CU DIED!" "YOU'RE NOT HUMAN!" while Scathach is like "you have two seconds to stop playing around before I ACTUALLY drown you" and he's back to doing laps.

Yeah with 4-5 Cus (if you count Setanta from Arcade) that is like 5 brothers.

Nightingale as school nurse, she is friends with Asclepius who works at a hospital associated with the school (strictly professional, but the students think otherwise).

Side note, keep in mind you can have multiple servants be the same type of teacher, just for different classes/grades.

King Hassan is the old Religious History teacher. Every one thinks he's older then the rock is the school is made out of. He has a scary face and a scarier voice but most students consider him the most fair and patient teacher in the whole school. He always gets a lot of food gifts before Ramadan form the students. (A few students, such as the Guda twins and Mash, call him gramps.) The other Hassans are his grandkids, like actual grandkids. He's super strict with them because he expects a lot from them. He always praises them when they do well though. He made sure they ALL got into his class and they've been living in fear ever since. They love their grandpa but by Allah they know not to disappoint him. The only one to ever get out of anything is kid Hassan (one of the hundred face). Cursed Arm is oldest, then Asako (the main hundred face), then Serenity.

"I am very disappointed in ALL of you, have you all lost your heads? I swear I-*to kid Hassan*-ah no Habibi not you you're fine here have a candy-*back to the rest*-I KNOW you're better than this!"

VERY traditional guy, Cursed Arm mutters "Oh for God's sake" while doing a pop quiz and King Hassan looms over him and growls, "No Blaspheming In This Class Room"

For the various Artoria/Arturias, I imagined Lancer and Lancer Alter being sisters, so Saber Alter is a cousin. That leaves everyone else to just be sisters with one brother. Mother Lartoria owns a casino and gas her own yacht in reference to the summer event where she became a Ruler. If you want MHX could be a part of the family as a massive fucking Star Wars nerd. MHXX and MHX Alter are her mom and sister (so MHXX is a third sister for the two Lancer Artorias)

For Irisviel, I remember in one of the Nero Fest things that she was called Therapist Iri. Maybe she starts to get into that b/c she wants to help her adoptive son Shirou (instead of a big fire like in Zero it can be an orphanage fire thing, similar situation but a much smaller scale) , so she is the school therapist/psychiatrist. Like Maruki in P5 Royal.

Iskandar died in his 30s, Waver is around his 30s as Lord El Melloi II. The two are old college friends who still hang out and Alexander is Iskandar’s kid.

If you guys want you can see this as the two being gay dads since I know that ship is popular.

Fran had an abusive father before Babbage and Moriarty got involved. In the og story, Frankenstien has a scientific mindset like his creator, here Fran has a talent in the field, but she also hates it b/c it reminds her of him. Like imagine being talented at the thing your abusive parent was good at/known for. Moriarty tried to get it into her that SHE'S the one with the talent, not her college dropout bum of a father, "From you tell me of him Victor couldn't engineer his way out of an argument with a cat, you have a magnificent mind my dear, not letting it flourish to spite him would be a horrible waste...it's your talent, your skill. Not his." He smiles that smile she loves that scares every one but she knows he only smiles like that when he is absolutely convinced of something, "and you can out perform him without breaking a sweat."

Moriarty teaches Fran sign language while Babbage teaches her some engineering.

Jekyll is going for a major in medicine with a minor in law (in the actual irl story Dr. Jekyll was a doctor in medicine and law).

For science associated servants, you got da Vinci, Babbage, Edison, and Tesla as possible science teachers.

The Jeanne sisters. Without the Avenger BS, the reason Jalter (or Joan as one series of fics calls her) could hate her here is just inferiority complex and being compared to her perfect saint big sister all her life. Joan does have her talents, based on the summer event an, but again she doesn't acknowledge her own talent b/c of her always being compared to her older sister., in the 7 counterfeit events she is a really good artist. And it is the typical thing of Jeanne actually being scared out of her wits of being less than perfect because of all the expectations thrust on her. She gets one A- and runs to the bathroom crying and Joan has to swallow her pride and actually have a conversation with her sister for the first time in years. Jeanne Alter lily puts up Christmas decorations super early, much to Jeanne Alter/Joan's displeasure.

"IT JUST TURNED NOVEMBER CHILL TF OUT!"

"CHRISTMAS!"

Martha is Jeanne's BF since middle school and has this HUGE dog that scares everyone and growls at anyone expect Martha and Jeanne. She calls him Terry.

Rex loves Penthesilea. and we talked at length about the situation between her and Achilles. Can you not tell that he likes a woman who can kick his ass *gestures to all of his Baiken posts*

Rex's idea: I think they had a fight when they were little and Achilles, being a little shit back then, made fun of her for being a girl, and Penth has been sore about it ever since. She keeps running into big misogynistic meatheads that reminded her of that and she just got angrier over the years. She's a wrestler and can knock out just about every dude in school by herself. Achilles is very regretful about back then and wants to apologize but Penth ain't having any of it.

My idea: I thought they were on opposing HS sports teams and when Achilles handed her ass to her he forgot to drink his respect women juice and then Penth got all pissed.

In this AU, Penth and Hippolyta's dad was a general who taught them how to kick the ass of men twice their size since they were seven or something.

Penth surprises everyone when a festival comes up and she gets picked to be the one to organize everything...and does a spectacular job. Another surprise is that she plans on being a business major when she goes to college (Obligatory Amazoness CEO jokes)

Bedivere is the Arturia Pendragon family butler with a prosthetic arm. He's also the security guard, last guy that tried to steal something or cause trouble got slapped right out of the window he sneaked in from.

Francis Drake and Artoria Alter Lancer are work friends (referencing them both being associated with the Wild Hunt in F/GO's lore).

Beni-Enma is the short and shorter tempered lunch lady, last kid who mouthed off at her during lunch got smacked upside the head with her spoon. She's sweet, but if you're in detention and have to help her in the kitchen she's a mini Gorden Ramsey, "IT'S RAW DECHI!!!" She can also come into the home EC class where Shirou is her best student. Also her roasting of the other girls like in her quest. Getting Fs in Beni's class is the worst, because it isn't just an F, it's a meticulous dressing down of exactly why letting into a kitchen should be considered a war crime, dechi.

The three Avenger Nobus are three different people. 1st Ascension is basically Archer Nobu, then you got Oda Kipposhi, and then the mom is Ascension 3 with Demon King Nobunaga. The youngest Ascension 1 Nobu is a musician. Demon King Nobu is one of those "super scary but also super polite people that only makes them scarier" type, basically a female koei Nobunaga from samurai warriors (check out some cutscenes form the games with him, he's a treat).

Imagine Demon King Nobu mom in a business suit.

Suzuka Gozen and Sei Shonagon are the textaholics who always talk in slang to the point of it sounding like they speak a different language. Murasaki is the librarian but Sei is like that ONE student who just makes her job so much harder.

Every week it's "No phones in the library Miss Shonagon." while Sei rolls her eyes and types out twitter post like "fugly ol librarian at my school needs a life lol"

Oui Katsushika is a gifted art student, and her dad (not a floating little octopus), is just a normal dude with a squid/octopus like beard. She's the teacher's pet in De Vinci's art class.

Eresh and Ishtar come from a rich family, Ereshkigal is the older sister so she had a shit load of responsibility to take over the family business while Ishtar basically gets to party her life away. Rin is the cousin they each try and swing their way. Eresh wants Rin to keep up her studies and get into a good university, Ishtar wants Rin to loosen the fuck up and admit that she likes that scrawny Emiya kid already.

BB is the host of a talk show downtown so she is kind of an absentee mom. Meltryllis has prosthetic legs that she specifically asked to be made into stilts b/c she wanted to be taller, and Passonlip has a massive rack that makes life difficult (either people staring, people assuming she's gonna be a home wrecker b/c said staring must be intentional, etc.), and of course he also has prosthetic arms to match her canon claws, obviously not as massive.

Hijikata is a very serious police officer but his wife Carmilla just uses this to have fun in the bedroom. They have two Dobermans. Hijikata's route has him patrolling near the school so most of the kids know as that scary police dude that has a picture of his wife in his pocket. One day a famous Idol called Eli-chan~ (yes spelled with the ~) is about to perform in the town and the kids can't stop talking about her, so Hijikata overhears. But, being the serious dude he is he shrugs it off until he sees a picture of this "Eli-chan~" and realizes it's his sister-in-law that came to visit and suddenly the influx of parasitic paparazzi near his house start making sense.

Carmilla: "Now you see why I hate them?", Hijikata: "No you cannot send the dogs after them honey."

She almost ran one of them over in her, very expensive, car and when that reporter says she should be locked up Hijikata corrects that would only happen if she had hit him...and she would be fined. For littering.

Okita Alter being Hijikata's partner, while Okita is her younger sister who's looked up to Hijikata since she was a little kid but she has asthma and such so she's afraid she might not get accepted.

Sigurd owns a metalworks shop (referencing his myth where he was raised by the dwarf Reginn), he met his wife Brynhildr when she was disowned by her overly controlling father.

Ozymandias, Nitocris, and Cleopatra are all the high board members of a company. Nitocris specifically got wind of Scheherazade's abusive husband situation and after getting said husband arrested, she offered Scheherazade a job.

Atalanta is a college student/TA who worked with Achilles' dad who ends up at their HS for a program or something, Achilles' dad has told him a lot about her.

Amakusa Shirou is an uncle married to the CEO of Babylon Gardens Pharmaceuticals, Semiramis. Semiramis herself is kinda chill if REALLY scary. She had to be pretty cutthroat to get to her position in the company, but Amakusa Shirou helped her mellow out, but she is still a massive tsundere.

"You know you COULD poison their lunch." "Semi, dear, I'm not going to poison my coworker's sandwich for being an ass." "It wouldn't kill them! Just a bit in their peanut better and they'll be stuck on the toilet for a week, no harm no foul."

Rex initially said Taiga would be an overly enthusiastic gym teacher but then I remembered that she was a homeroom/English teacher in Fate canon, but either or can do if you wanna be unique.

For Quetzalcoatl, Wrestling club supervisor when she isn't the senior year gym teacher. Some of the male students laughed that they didn't think a woman would know anything about wrestling. Two piledrives later, the students have earned a new appreciation for the importance on how not to be two pieces of shit. She's big on Lucha as in canon and during Halloween she gets JAGUARMAN to have an exhibition fight with her. They make a show of it but later on Taiga admits that Quatz could have CRUSHED her if they were actually fighting. She takes the wrestling club out for homemade Mexican food after tournaments

For Siduri, there's a bunch of rumors she's dating Caster Gil but it's strictly professional, Caster respects her too much to consider that. Archer Gil hits on her relentlessly, she manages to wound his ego more severely then anyone else simply by being unfailingly polite in her rejections and treating him like what he is, a teenage punk jumping higher than he can handle to land.

Ibaraki is Shuten's adoptive little sister after she was taken from an abusive mother, hence why Ibaraki looks up to her. Ibuki is either Shuten's big sister who had to take on a guardian role, or just her mom. Shuten and Ibuki have a bit of a strained relationship because Shuten saw the way Ibuki acted as they grew up, taking more and more responsibilities onto herself and refusing any distractions. And she decided that her biggest nightmare is to wake up one morning and realize she's turned into Ibuki so she tries to do everything to avoid that, hence their relationship not being the best. Ibaraki is kinda stuck in the middle because she wants to side with Shuten but she sees where Ibuki is coming from. Messy.

Caren is still Kotomine’s daughter, but he isn’t a good dad and in rebellion she sleeps around despite being a woman of god. Including sleeping with local punk Angra Mainyu. Angra Mainyu seems like a bad guy but he has a shit load of issues due to being blamed for everything going wrong in his old town, eventually coming to believe them and thinking he will cause nothing but problems. Caren banging him gives him a type of closeness he’s never felt, but under very warped circumstances.

For the Tamamo family, Vitch totally fucked her way up a corporate ladder or something, imagined Tamamo Cat working at a Cat Cafe if she were a Student. Tamamo no Mae accidentally fed her prev BF a food he was allergic too, and that kind of haunted her and scared her rep. IDK basically she seriously fucked up a previous relationship, either on purpose or accidentally, and that kind of hurts her deeply so she wants to start over with Hakuno.

Nero and Tamamo no Mae are rivals over this one guy.

Kiichi Hougen is the adoptive mom, Benkei is the family friend/uncle, Taira is Ushiwaka's older sister. Taira isn't on the best of terms with her family, some drama way back caused a rift and nowadays Ushi is the only one who's willing to talk to her and visit. Benkei never lets her go alone because he doesn't trust Taira one bit. Taira and Ushiwaka are Kintoki and Tomoe's cousins (I say Tomoe b/c apparently her husband and Ushiwaka were half cousins, with their grandpa having kids with their grandmas. I tried to make a whole family tree out of a few servants).

These are the ideas we had the most to talk about, if you guys have any suggestions for your fav servants in this AU, let either me or Rex know. Or just reblog and say them here. Who knows maybe you have a much better idea for a Servant we already mentioned.

#fgo #fate series #fate grand order #high school/modern au #high school au #f/go #fate/grand order

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ladywolfmd · 7 years ago

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We’ve got a thing called radar love

I wanted to do the challenge but I lacked time. :( So I’m entering an old fic of mine. :) This is for @jonsafanfiction‘s 12 Days of Shipping Event : January 3 Bodyguard AU

Summary: Jon Targaryen is the son of Prime Minister Rhaegar Targaryen but he is more famously known as "The Ghost" in the racing world by being three-time champion of the Sprint Cup when he was younger, to going for his sixth-peat for the F1 Grand Prix. In the middle of a race, he was lead to an unauthorized detour as part of a kidnapping scheme that was quickly thwarted but was actually a ruse when the real attempt was when he was en route back to the Red Keep. Lucky for him, his beautiful PA who he's been secretly pinning for has secrets of her own as, to his surprise, Sansa Stark takes charge in leading him to safety as she reveals she's been his bodyguard all along

39/51 Lap

"Jon, keep going, you're almost there. The gap between you and the Brat-theon prick is still there at 9/5th of your time but you can lose him on the 4th turn."

"Copy that Edd."

Jon started slowly decelerating to prepare for the turn, to bait Joffrey Baratheon into charging full speed ahead of him at the sharp turn that curved right then left, wishing he was conceited and stupid enough to take it and lose traction to steer away once he makes the turn.

"The Brat is falling for it! What a dipshit! Make him eat your dust, Jon."

In Jon's peripheral vision, he smirked as he saw the bane of his existence on his Golden Tooth toeing side by side with him when they neared the turn and just as he expected it, just as Jon slowed down, Joffrey's car roared as he pushed it ahead of him to take the curve.

Also as expected since Jon's slow wasn't just anyone's definition of slow, so Joffrey wouldn't be able to turn left in time and he'd head straight off track with the speed he tried to match with his.

Jon grinned when he did exactly that while Edd whooped over the team radio as he started flooring it.

"Wow will you look at that? The Brat's car spun around and--seven hells he's back on track, climbing back from P6 - P5 - Seven hells he's on P3 now and passing Royce for P2. Royce needs to block him so we'd take top two for the Night's watch."

Jon was impressed. The little shit was stubborn and, he hate to admit it, good enough to survive one of the oldest tricks in out-racing. Thank the gods his team-mate Waymar Royce gained speed for P2. He won't let Joffrey pass. There was no way their team was going to let the Gold cloaks win, not after the Crag debacle which was still up for debate.

But this wasn't the time to think about anything other than finishing this race. If he wins this, this would be his sixth consecutive Grand Prix win. He felt the second wind of adrenaline rush through him then as he drove over the mark signaling his completion of his 40th lap.

"Eleven more to go. You and Waymar got this! Joffrey is now down to P5 while Trystane and Daemon are tailing you both at P3 and P4 - wait, oh no Martell just passed Royce. He's hot on your tail - oh for the love of all things holy, where did that little shit come from? Royce and the Bratt are neck-in-neck behind you. Lose them now!" Edd screamed over the radio making Jon cringe but he did as he was told, drifting to gain some more speed to widen the gap.

He can't afford a pitt stop right now, not when the race was so close to ending.

Continue reading here or on AO3.

41/51 Lap.

The roar of his engine and the smooth skid of his tires spurred him to move faster as he stepped on the gas again, his fists gripping on to the wheel just so. Only ten more laps to go and Jon was feeling pretty confident since the Snakes were keeping Joffrey busy while Waymar sailed back to P2 behind him.

He had just made the fourth turn again when he saw a marshall waving a detour flag at him.

What the hell?

"Edd? Edd? What's going on? Why is there a detour? Edd?"

But the airwaves remained static which was very odd.

Jon had no choice then but to follow the detour and into a track that lead to one of the abandoned practice tunnels. Something must've happened ahead of the track but he didn't see or hear anything unusual.

But what was unnerving was the team radio line dying on him.

This never happened before and he started slowing down because he wasn't familiar with this track and he was starting to suspect there was no car trailing behind him anymore.

As he went further, so did the darkness but he couldn't turn back because the track was too narrow and was obviously a one-way.

His heart raced and it wasn't from excitement anymore.

Finally, he saw the light and there were people wearing the race officials uniforms waving him over to stop and Jon thought that maybe this wasn't a race thing but more of a Prime Minister's son safety issue.

He stopped the car and hopped off cautious of his surroundings. He didn't completely remove his helmet, just lifted the visor as he greeted an approaching official but when he saw Arthur Dayne and Larence Snow, both of which were part of his security detail, he relaxed a little.

He removed his helmet, pulled down his balaclava and ear plugs, then and met them halfway. "What's going on?"

"You were almost kidnapped sir."

Jon turned sharply to the voice he'd recognize anywhere on the planet and beyond and he was greeted immediately by red flowing hair and bright blue eyes of his personal assistant and love of his life though she doesn't know it yet, Sansa Stark, who was holding up a phone and her tablet while her smart watch kept flashing on her right wrist, looking at him with concern.

"C-come again?"

"Hang on," Sansa held finger up while she took a call from her headset. "Yes, he's safe Robb. Arthur and Larence as well as some of the staff are here with us. I'll brief him and we can rendezvous back to the Keep from the Dragonpit. Arthur already talked to Barristan. Mmhmm. Yes. Okay."

She tapped the mic off and walked over to him calmly, nodding at Larence to go ahead. "There was a plan to lead you here off track and take you. We're heading over back to the Keep," she explained.

Jon's blood froze. He knew about several kidnapping attempts done on his family but this was the first time that he was the sole target and he was barely listening as Arthur started explaining what happened while they escorted him into one of the Targaryen safe cars.

"It was the Blackfyres and their Golden Company. We got an anonymous tip to watch you closely when you reached your fortieth lap. When Sansa saw your car disappear off track, I had my men go ahead from the other end of the tunnel you entered. Before that we've already blocked off all the exits when you reached your twentieth lap. Long story short, my men apprehended ten company members and their getaway car."

He tried to concentrate and process but he was definitely shaken up. He knew there was something he wasn't telling him but then he felt a warm hand on his arm and saw Sansa's small dainty hand on him before meeting with her eyes.

"Hey, you're safe now, sir," she said softly, her eyes as warm as her touch that Jon visibly relaxed, even offering a weak smile.

"I thought I told you to call me Jon."

Sansa just smiled up at him and waited for him to slide in the car while Arthur held the door open for him. He went in automatically, sliding inside to make room for Sansa to sit next to him as part of the safety drill they've practiced numerous times of having no two doors open at the same time.

Jon was still uneasy. "It's too...easy," he said once Arthur rode shotgun and Larence started the car.

"It is, that's why we're bringing you home for now while the rest secure the Dragonpit," Arthur explained, nodding to Larence to drive once the front escort car rolled away. Jon looked behind them and saw the rear escort car tailing them.

"Why me?"

"We don't know yet," Sansa answered and Jon looked at her then and noticed her tapping away in her phone and tablet that was balanced on her lap. She paused what she was doing to look at him fully then, her eyes filled with determination. "But we'll find out."

He nodded and leant back, setting his helmet on the floor and not bothering to remove anything else yet since his overall wasn't only fireproof but bulletproof and his hands still shook enough for him to remove his gloves.

"So...who won?" he tried not to sound too bitter knowing that his streak ended.

Sansa looked at him sadly before giving a tiny smile and Jon appreciated that she once again, stopped whatever it was she was doing to concentrate on him. His heart started racing when she slid closer and settled her hand on his arm again. "Waymar then Trystane, Daemon, Joffrey, Arys" in that order. Sorry sir, but it's still a win for the team. And if anything, you would've won it hands down if it weren't for this," she started frowning then.

Jon was touched that Sansa cared - what was he saying? She always cared. But he didn't want to see her frown. He wanted nothing but to see her smile so he cracked a grin and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey at least the Night's Watch is still on top and you guys did a fantastic job stopping my abduction."

Sansa smiled a little then but got distracted when she started taking calls again and checking emails, giving him an apologetic look that he waved off with an understanding smile.

He realized then that this kind of thing would drain her from the shit storm of the media, his team, the whole F1 organization, and of course, the whole of Westeros wanting to know about this. Seven hells, Sansa will be completely swamped, communicating with the Palace lawyers and PR staff.

Seven hells, it probably started minutes ago - right at the moment he disappeared off track, but with Sansa as his PA, he'd never know the difference. She was incredibly efficient and not once did he see her as nothing but a picture of grace under pressure over the six months that she started working for him. Father did a good job of handpicking her and her twin brother Robb to work for him. The Stark twins worked with Sansa being in charge of internal affairs while Robb handled the external ones, often representing him politically as well as legally as his personal lawyer.

They were actually bargains if he wanted to continue his career as a professional racer, his father, or rather, Prime Minister Rhaegar made that clear. You can't just run off and leave your responsibilities on the track. Especially now with talks of the Blakfyres trying to overthrow his father's rule.

He sighed but then, at least he gained a friend in Robb and most importantly, he met Sansa.

Sansa.

She was the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on with her creamy alabaster skin, her bright blue eyes, that fiery mane and those incredibly long, long, legs she often displayed under those tight pencil skirts she wore and the fuck me heels that often left him helpless and wanting when it made her tower over him an inch.

But she wasn't just another beautiful face. Sansa was a sweetheart. Kind. Courteous. Sweet. But what drove him mad was how intelligent she was. She was incredibly smart and witty and so in charge that - that turned him on more.

It wasn't really a secret that he was attracted to her. She was working to serve under him but everyone saw that he was putty in her soft delicate hands. But as professionalism goes, they couldn't date.

His father made sure to remind him of that. She was too valuable an asset for the Targaryens with how efficient she worked that sometimes Jon thinks Rhaegar wanted to adopt her, especially with Rhaenys eloping with Willas Tyrell, and Aegon faffing around the world on Jon Connington's boat, his uncle Viserys being an insufferable prick in Dragonstone and his aunt Daenerys galivanting the Free Cities.

It was clear to Rhaegar that once his rule has ended, none of his issue would follow after him.

Really, the Starks cleared their messes with their father Ned Stark often acting as his right-hand man. Ned, like Robb, was a lawyer and had been appointed as the Attorney General of the regime. He then offered the twins' services. Sansa, he learned, had a degree in Diplomacy and International Relations. Truly, if anything, Rhaegar wanted to adopt either her or Robb to continue his platforms.

Jon asked them if they wanted to run for office one day but they both humbly declined saying that they were fine with what they were now, and that there were more important matters. Jon never understood what could be more important than holding office? Surely there were more things they could accomplish than fixing his messes or refraining him from making them.

They slowed down suddenly and the scratch of the radio broke the silence.

"This is Arthur. Hmmm. Copy that."

Jon held his breath as he saw Arthur's eyes go to his from the mirror. "We've been compromised. We're moving you to the safe house. We're being followed," he explained quickly while he punched on the GPS and continued talking to someone on his two-way.

Jon froze then and gripped his knees hard.

"Yeah, Robb. Turning off all comms except the untraceable. I'll update you."

His head snapped to Sansa and saw her turning all her gadgets off and extracting a slim black phone he's never seen before and syncing it with her head piece. And by the Seven, why was she so calm?

"How are you doing it?"

She looked up at him confused. "Hm?"

"How are you not freaking out?"

She blinked. "Oh. Nerves of steel, I guess," she shrugged before she studied him. "Hey you're shaking."

He was?

He looked down at his hands and saw that he was. He knew part of it was still the adrenaline from the race, the attempt, and now this. "Sorry."

Jon sucked in a breath when Sansa slid right next to him that her hip was touching his and leant a bit to take his hand in hers as she carefully pulled on the velcro straps and tugged his gloves off one by one.

"Why are you sorry? For being scared?" she said in a low voice without looking at him, concentrating on her task.

"Yeah, not exactly manly of me," he chuckled nervously.

"Hmm, well my father always said that the only time you can be brave is when you're afraid," she said soothingly before holding both his hands in hers and looking up at him with those vivid blue eyes of hers.

Jon could only look at her and their hands before he closed his eyes and took deep breaths and once he was calm enough he opened them and saw her still looking at him, giving him a half-smile when their eyes met again.

"You'll be fine, I promise. I'll protect you," she winked at him.

He couldn't help but smile at her joke. "Sure. You just bat your long lashes at them and they'd be wrapped around your cute little finger. Easy."

She blushed then and Jon realized what he just said. "Er, I mean-"

The car lurched as Larence made a sharp turn, causing Jon to press against Sansa when they got thrown to her side.

"Sorry about that, we're here," Larence muttered.

Arthur went down first to check while the rest of them waited inside the car.

Jon then realized he was on top of something soft and he bolted to the other side in a flash when he realized his head was pressed against Sansa's torso. "Sorry."

Sansa was flushed too but offered him a weak smile as she smoothed down her black twin-set with red details and that was when he noticed that Sansa was wearing his team's colors.

Arthur opened Sansa's door then while Larence helped her out and quickly ushered her inside the safe house in Fleabottom with him and Arthur following behind and flanked by two more men.

Once they were inside, Jon was whisked into the eleventh floor and into a suite. The safe house was actually an intel building.

"This is actually not the safest but it was the closest and we need to keep you safe," Arthur met his eyes.

"Tell me the real danger, I can handle it," Jon said determinedly, knowing there was something they were keeping from him.

Larence and Arthur as well as Sansa exchanged looks. "The order was to capture you. Dead or alive," Arthur laid it out then and Jon stared at him baffled.

They heard a crash then and running followed by shots outside.

"Fuck," Arthur pulled his gun out then and so did the men as they went for the door and formed a perimeter around Jon. "They're here."

Arthur then looked at Sansa. "We'll hold them off. Get him out. Larence will come as far as he can with you. Get the brief and head to the garage with the service elevator." He threw a set of keys to Sansa who caught it in one hand, her eyes hard, and her jaw firm. "Your card will work fine on everything. Get him out and rendezvous at Wolf Den."

"What? Why Sansa? What's going on!" Jon shifted from Arthur and Sansa and his eyes bulged when he saw Sansa toss the painting over the headboard and opened a hidden safe, pulling out a steel briefcase.

"Jon."

He turned to Arthur who wasn't looking at him but at the door where he was aiming his gun at. "Go with Sansa. Now."

Before he could react, Jon was being dragged by Larence towards the closet with Sansa walking briskly ahead.

He saw Larence shut the closet door and bar it then back to Sansa who placed her key card over a panel she revealed and a secret door opened just as they heard shots being fired from the other room.

"Shit, go, go, go, I'll lock behind you," Larence pushed Jon just as Sansa tugged at him.

"Larence but-" Jon felt the reality finally sinking in.

Larence Snow, who he played poker with, had pulled him out of his drunk ass more times than he could remember, being an actual friend more than a guard was going to die for him.

"Come with us," he pleaded.

Larence smiled at him grimly. "It's been fun, Jon. Now go with your girl. She's the Ace." He said before the door slid down between them.

"Jon, come on," Sansa urged as she continued to tug at him. "He knew what he was doing," she whispered hurriedly while dragging him towards another room that she locked after them.

Jon was still in shock until he felt hands on his face and blue eyes steadying his frantic ones. "Jon. Listen to me. You're going to be fine. I'm going to get you out of this. But I need you to do as I say. Do you understand?"

He blinked at her.

"Jon," she said more firmly.

He nodded and swallowed while Sansa let out a relieved breath before she started kneeling as she opened the silver briefcase.

She pulled out another bulletproof vest and handed one to him while she shrugged off her black coat and wore one of her own and that was when Jon saw the twin gun holsters strapped to her lower back.

"You-you're-"

She looked at him over her shoulder and smiled tightly. "Yeah," before securing her headset and taking out two more handguns. He watched as she slid the magazine in, pulled the slide release, and clicked the glock into place like she was doing it all her life.

"Do you know how to use this?" She looked at him then and he saw the first sign of worry on her face with the tiny furrow between her brows.

"Not well," Jon admitted and cursed himself for not taking those shooting lessons to heart.

Sansa stood in front of him then and took his hands, placing a glock in his right hand and positioning his hand properly. "It's easy. This is a semi-automatic and I've released the lock already. All you have to do," she raised his hand and made him point it straight forward while she used both hands to keep him in position. "Is point and shoot."

She placed his finger on the trigger with hers on top of his. "You don't need to shoot fancy. Just go for the easy targets - the biggest space so you won't miss. Hit the chest or the back. Don't hesitate. It's your life or theirs. These men will not hesitate to shoot. You got it?"

Jon swallowed. This was really happening. "Y-yes."

She released him then and helped him tighten the vest. She placed a radio on the holster of his vest explaining quickly. "If we get separated, use this and go to channel one and shout "Winter is coming," then follow the voice."

He nodded again.

"Okay," she walked in front of him then. "Jon. We're going to use the service elevator. Beyond this room, there is a short hallway we have to pass and we'll encounter men. I need you to stay behind me at all times. Don't be a hero. I'm trained for this. You aren't. You'll get in the elevator first and I'll try to follow. You'll be immediately brought to basement 2 but you'll have to climb out the escape hatch and climb to basement 1 where they won't expect us. Get a car. Any car and drive the hell away and use the radio for directions."

He grabbed her by the arms then and bore at her. "What about you? I can't let you--"

She cut him off with a hurried kiss. "Jon. I'm just telling you the plan in case I can't follow you. But I'm telling you, I'm trained at this. I'll see you through until you're safe. I promise. Now, we need to go."

She fixed him a look that had a hundred different promises swirling in those baby blues and all he could do was keep nodding at her repeatedly, hoping she'd see his own too.

Sansa gave him a firm nod and released him. Strapping on ammo belts over her and setting her own gun.

She tapped on her headpiece then just as she switched her smartwatch on. "Red Wolf to Grey. Do you read? Over."

Jon could hear from his own radio strapped to his chest where Sansa must've kept the line on just in case.

"This is Grey, I copy. Over. I've locked in your position. Is Rhaegal undamaged?" Robb. He recognized the voice. So he was part of this too? Was Ned Stark one too?

"No. I sent you our coordinates. I need surveillance and possible backup," Sansa checked the windows before hovering over the door.

"Locked in on your coordinates. Activating Warg mode. I'm your eyes Red."

"Good. We're heading out to the hallway. How many men are there? Positions?"

"Seven and four waiting at the left intersection, three guarding the chute. They can't call for backup as I've denied all access to the chute but I can see they're working on override."

Sansa pursed her lip but was still relatively calm. "How much time do I have?"

"Sixty-five seconds. Go."

"Jon, do you trust me?" She looked at him then.

"With my life," he answered right away and Sansa's eyes glinted with something before she placed her keycard over the lock and opened into the hallway.

"Then let's run," She ran ahead and he followed as they sped off into the narrow hallway, spotting the left intersection where four men appeared from, blocking their way while pointing guns at them.

"Stop. Drop your weapons and come with us quietly now and no one gets hurt," came the burly man with an eyepatch.

Sansa stayed Jon with a hand behind her back indicating to stand down. "Funny, I was going to offer you the same courtesy Greyjoy."

Greyjoy?

"Ah. What a delight you are. But no girl, hand over the boy and I promise to make it good for you when I take you back with me. Be a good girl now and I'll return the favor when I let you suck me off," Greyjoy taunted and Jon saw red but Sansa stayed him again with her hand.

"Ooh, so you're the dragon spawn's bitch, I see. All the more sweeter to mount a dragon's moun-Fuck you bitch!"

Sansa shot him straight to the crotch and fired another to his leg, bringing him down while she pushed Jon to the ground, shielding him with her body when Greyjoy open-fired.

Jon heard Sansa fire another shot and watched the lifeless eye of Greyjoy, a bullet lodged in between his eyes.

"Stay down!" Sansa yelled at him as she strode forward and pulled another gun from behind her and began shooting from both sides, taking down three men straight to the head while she aimed at two others but Jon saw the last of the men aiming behind her.

Jon didn't think then, brought himself up, aimed at the man's chest and shot.

Jon watched as the man clutched at his stomach that was starting to shoot out blood before dropping his weapon and collapsing.

He was still heaving and holding the gun with wide eyes when he heard more shooting from behind him and his name being called.

"Jon - Jon."

His head snapped to Sansa and he saw another guy aiming at her. "Sansa!"

Sansa was too quick as she dodged and lunged at the guy, elbowing his chest while she leant across that guy's shoulder and shot at the other guy straight to the heart when he saw him aiming for Jon but in a second she was caught in a headlock with the first one, a gun pointed at her head.

Jon's eyes locked with Sansa's then and she urged him to run. Pleaded with her eyes as she mouthed "Go!"

But Jon couldn't leave her. He won't. And Sansa saw that he wouldn't but tried to shake her head at him anyway as she clawed at the arm that was holding her back.

"Don't make another move. Drop your weapon or I blow her brains out!" The lone henchman spat at Jon.

Jon raised his hands and dropped the gun slowly, his eyes never taking them off of the attacker. He kicked the gun towards him and took a step back. "Take me. You can let her go. It's me you want."

Sansa was about to shout her protest when a hand clamped over her mouth.

"You have thirty seconds left Jon or you won't make it to the chute in time," came Robb's voice over the radio. "Sansa knows. We have to get you out. Let her go Jon." He could hear the pain over the controlled voice of his lawyer who quickly became his confidante at letting his sister go. But Jon wasn't raised this way.

He had to fight for the people willing to risk their lives for him too.

"Jon."

Sansa's eyes softened at Jon then and she gave him a nod that the attacker noticed when Jon saw him grin. And that was all the signal he and Sansa needed - his sudden arrogance as he saw Sansa escape from the man's loosened grip, kicking the gun out of his hand before she pulled his arm and threw him over her shoulder where he landed roughly on his back with Sansa's knee digging on his spine while he pulled at his arm making him scream.

Jon ran to them, picked up the gun and threw it to Sansa who caught it and shot the man in the back before quickly grabbing her two other glocks and nodding at Jon to run as fast as he could to the service elevator with only ten seconds left.

Sansa quickly placed her keycard over the monitor and the doors slid open. She pushed Jon inside quickly while they heard Robb bark at them that there were a dozen men going their way.

Just as the doors were sliding close, Jon pulled Sansa all the way inside before repeatedly pressing the door button close as the men started appearing. Sansa shot a few rounds until the door finally shut close and they were both panting and splattered with blood and sweat as the elevator went down.

Sansa looked up at Jon as she wiped her brow. "You oka-mmph

Jon cupped her head and kissed her fiercely then before pulling away. "Seven hells, woman! You almost died!"

Sansa chuckled. "So did you, sir. Thank you sir." She smirked.

Jon was about to retort when Robb's voice came through.

"Well done. Both of you. But remember to get off B1. I'll open the doors for you. All of them are expecting you from B2 so you'll only have a window of thirty-five seconds before they catch up to you on the street. You have to shake them off as best as you can. Do you copy?"

"Roger," Sansa answered just as she observed the ceiling. They were now at the 8th floor.

7th.

6th.

"Jon, I need you to boost me up," Sansa tilted her head at him.

"What?"

She pointed to the escape hatch. "That's our exit. The faster we're up there, the easier we can go. Help me up?"

Jon looked from the ceiling to her and understood, crouching down so she could climb up his back. He felt Sansa's hands on his shoulders then before a leg hitched over his shoulder, and then another on his other side that made him suck in a breath as he felt her skirt against his nape and heard a rip.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I had to rip it because it's too tight to move freely," she muttered. "Um, Jon, I need you to steady me because I'll be reaching up."

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled back as his arms held on to her thighs where he felt garters that made him pause again.

"They carry my gun and a knife. Boost me up?" she said hurriedly.

Jon nodded and stood straight, trying not to think of Sansa's gartered and stockinged legs were around his neck and focused instead on the sounds of Sansa tinkering with the hatch as they descended to 4th when suddenly the elevator lurched to a stop, the lights flickering on and off until darkness then the emergency light.

Jon kept Sansa steady while he braced against the wall with one hand.

"Grey, what the hell?"

"Hang on Red. I'll hook it back. I had to terminate an attempt. Sorry, hold on."

Sansa cussed for the first time and that was when Jon felt that shit was real. He didn't know how much his sanity depended on her cool.

Sansa noticed him stiffening and worked faster before urging him gently to let her down.

"We're still good. I'll protect you, I promise, didn't I?" she smiled up at him as she cradled his cheek.

Jon grabbed her wrist and looked straight at her. "What exactly did you promise when you took the job? You promised your life?"

She didn't back down and leant forward that their noses were touching. "Yes."

"Fuck, Sansa-"

"Don't. Not now. Tell me later," Sansa said before she backed away, then sprang on the elevator rail before pushing her body upwards to catch on the opened hatch where she dangled for a moment before hoisting herself up and disappearing into the ceiling just as the elevator started moving again.

4th.

3rd.

She appeared again and offered him her hand. "Jump up Jon. You can do it. Grab my hand."

Jon did and it took three tries before his hand clutched at Sansa's where she pulled him up with both arms, grunting while he saw her teeth clenching until finally they were both holding on to the top of the elevator as it sailed down.

2nd.

Sansa closed the hatch.

"This is our stop. When I say jump, jump okay?" She took Jon's hand in hers and Jon squeezed it tightly. "Yes."

Sansa looked to her left then where the doors where and slowly she stood up with one hand bracing Jon's other arm and nodding at the direction.

1st.

"Jump!"

Hand in hand they jumped towards the ledge of B1 level. But Jon slipped if not for Sansa's iron grip on his arm.

Jon could see the strain heavy on Sansa as she struggled to pull him up. "I'm too heavy. Let go."

Sansa shook her head. "Don't you dare. Now try and swing your hand to grab on to my arm. Try."

Jon tried and missed and Sansa winced. "Try harder."

He did and this time he was able to grab ahold of Sansa's arms with his other hand and they both hoisted themselves up over the tiny ledge, with Jon collapsing on top of Sansa, both of them panting.

"Gods be good, Jon! Just do as you're told!" Sansa scolded as she slapped his back. Jon didn't know why but he started chuckling while shaking his head.

"Yes, yes it's all very amusing. Now get off me and let's get our car."

Jon quickly got off her and offered her a hand and helped her up.

"Grey, Alohomora this bitch," Sansa tapped her headset.

"Opening the portrait. Good job you two."

The elevator door opened and Sansa stepped inside first, gun out and gestured for Jon to stay low behind him.

"All clear. Proceed." Robb's voice broke through.

Sansa chose the nearest car then, a Porsche Panamera, and Jon should've known that of course there would be armored sports cars in every safe house.

On instinct he went inside the driver's side but was quickly shoved over to the passenger side by Sansa who gave him a look that said seriously going to fight me at this point?

He raised his palms as Sansa started the car, syncing her smartwatch to the comm at the dash where Robb's face came to view. "Hey guys. Let's get you out, shall we?"

"You okay?" Sansa demanded as she received the coordinates Robb entered on the GPS split screen.

"What?"

"Sit tight," she said instead while she backed out the parking space. "You're not the only one who can drive fast."

Jon obeyed at once while Robb chuckled from the screen. "Better do as she says, sir."

"You two have been saving my ass, I think it's time you called me Jon," Jon grumbled.

"Oh heads up sis, you're going to be met with a lot of resistance once you reach the gate. There's a shotgun at the back and two more pistols on the glove compartment. Godspeed. I'll keep surveillance and get back to you."

Robb's face disappeared then while the GPS zoomed out.

Sansa peeled out of the basement and up the exit where probably thirty armed men were waiting, shooting at them right away.

"Keep down," Sansa drifted to let her side face the onslaught while they heard the bullets pelt against the car that aside from a few cracks, held.

Sansa was able to escape the firing squad and onto the street.

"Fuck!" Sansa cursed again when they were flanked both sides by larger cars where men were shooting at them.

"Robb! Where do I go? We're surrounded!" she glanced at the rearview window where another car was gaining on them.

"You gotta take them out and speed up towards the backstreet then through the Muddy Way and we can come get you on the Street of Steel."

"Shit," as the car shook after a few more rounds at them. She looked at Jon then. "Jon, I have to take them out."

Jon held on to her look, not liking where this was going but she pleaded trust from him and he was going to give it. "What do you need?"

"I need you to take the wheel and let Robb guide you while I try and take them out. Do you understand me? Can you do that?" she used the full force of her gaze at Jon as she took a large swerve to the right, still pressing the gas to the floor.

Finally, something he could do. Something he was good at. He started to slide in to her space as he nodded. "Yes. Leave it to me."

Sansa smiled at him softly then before she lifted her body up so he can slide under her. Quickly Jon's hands replaced hers on the wheel and on the pedals while she started clambering off his lap but before she could do so, the other car slammed at them from behind that Jon almost hit a pole if he hadn't turned swiftly to the right to avoid it, but he was able to right them immediately.

"Jon. I'm going to take out the left car first, okay? So I'm going to open the door and shoot and I need you to keep driving straight, okay?"

"Okay."

"Good. Don't be scared," and then she opened our door catching the assailants by surprise as she shot at them straight, hitting both the driver and the passenger with one shot each and Jon pushed the car so fast ahead to avoid colliding against the now spinning car to the left.

Sansa shut the door right away and started climbing to the back where he could see her taking out the shotgun and loading it from the mirror.

"Jon?"

"Robb?"

"I can help you two escape. I found a route. Follow my directions. Go straight for three kilometers then turn right."

"Gotcha."

"I'm going to take out the back now," Sansa declared. "Just keep driving, you're doing fine." She said while she opened up the sunroof and climbed up. "Sansa! What the fuck?!"

Sansa was now on the roof, shooting at the back and depending on him to keep the car steady or else she'd fall.

Okay, calm down Jon. Calm down. You've driven worse tracks at faster speed. You can do this. He mentally cheered himself and gripped on the wheel like his life depended on it, sighing in relief when Sansa dropped back inside from the sunroof. The car behind them hitting another car, turning over before crashing on a sidewalk, catching fire at once.

"Seven hells, Sansa at least warn a man!" he glanced at her.

"Just keep driving Targaryen," she tore at her sleeves and that was when Jon saw that she was shot.

"Sansa-"

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. "Just a bullet graze." She started wrapping the giant gash it left on her right arm with her torn sleeve. "Keep driving. Our turn is near."

And she was right, Jon could see the turn and he made it just as Robb started ordering again.

"Good. Now you just need to keep going straight until you see The Hook. Take the sharp left then immediately the next right exit then go the roundabout to Street of Steel. It's not that far now."

"Okay." He shot a worried look at Sansa who was reloading the shotgun when they were hit with a big blast from her side that shattered the glass.

Jon kept the car from spinning around and ducked when he saw a car going straight for them from his left.

He let go of the wheel then and allowed the car to spin before he drifted off the path and watched the car collide against the new one tailing them at the back. Just how many were there?

Once he was able to get them back on course, he noticed that Sansa was quiet and saw that she was unconscious with a big cut against the side of her head.

"Sansa - Sansa" he hissed and he breathed out when her eyes fluttered open as she winced but started going for her shot gun again.

A motorcycle with two people sped up to her side again and they were so near her side. Jon tried to bump them off but they were too quick and Sansa aimed the shotgun at them from the broken window and fired but missed.

"Shit," she cursed and before Jon knew it, Sansa opened her door, shot the rider at the back and jumped on the motorcycle, kicking the one at the back off while pointing a gun at the driver's head and firing. She pushed him away then and Jon saw Sansa now driving towards the back.

"Sansa no! Get back here!"

But Sansa didn't and open fired behind her, targeting the wheels of the two cars that were following before she drove back to the still hanging passenger door.

Jon glared at her horrified. "Get in, now!" He reached his hand as far as he could stretch it, leaving the wheel on straight lock as he frantically reached for Sansa's own overstretched hand.

"Come on!" He shouted and finally he was able to grab Sansa's hand and pull her in, smiling in relief when they heard a shot fired with Sansa collapsing on his shoulder, her arms falling from his body as she slid down his.

"No, no, no, no!" Jon quickly assessed her and there he saw it, Sansa got shot at her left shoulder from the back. She took a shot meant for him.

Jon saw red then as he quickly shut the door, buckled in an unconscious Sansa who was still breathing heavily from the pain, and got back to driving.

"Robb, Sansa's been shot at the back. Shoulder but she's still breathing. Only one more car is tailing us. Where will we go?" He said completely clear headed now and focused on the drive.

"Fuck. Okay, change route. On the next right exit, take it and head straight to River Row. There's a medic bay there. Drive the fuck over there and save my sister."

"Roger."

He saw it then. Two cars toeing in on either side and he slipped into his racing mode.

This is just another race.

You've never lost a race in years.

The last one didn't count but this would.

Sansa's life depended on it.

They all know me as a dragon, Rhaegal they named my mount in court.

But in the track I'm only known by one name.

And that's Ghost.

It's time to vanish on the streets.

He gripped the wheel and started letting on the gas, breaking a little, making them think he was slowing down for them as he eyed the curve.

They roared beside them then and Jon smirked as he lead them to the narrow curve, stopping abruptly and watched as they vainly tried to turn but ended up crashing against each other.

Jon started the car again, roaring it to life and steadily started backing up, gaining speed, before pushing forward full throttle as he used the piled car as a ramp and let the car fly over them and back into the street with a loud screech and a jolt, moving as fast as he could away as the cars exploded behind him, pushing his car forward from the impact.

But he didn't relent.

He drove and drove until finally he reached River Row where he immediately saw Robb Stark get out off a car and ordering a team to get them.

Jon slowed to a stop. Hands still tight on the wheel as he heaved in and out, his pulse throbbing in his ears. And he heard his door and Sansa's being opened but he couldn't move, or let the voices register. Not until he heard a familiar whimper.

His eyes shot to Sansa now who was being held by her brother then. Her eyes fluttering open and searching his, offering a weak smile at him. "You okay?" she said through gritted teeth.

Jon felt all the tension slip away from his body then only to be replaced with exhaustion and relief as he returned her smile, reaching over to move her hair off her face. "Never better. You?"

"Just another day," she grinned.

"Okay, that's enough for now." Robb carried Sansa then and looked at Jon gratefully. Jon could only nod at him. Of course.

Jon stepped out the car and shook off the paramedics fusing about him, going instead to Sansa still in Robb's arms as he carried her towards the medic bay himself.

"Did anyone...?" Jon asked Robb and a shadow fell over his face. "Arthur was the only one who made it. Larence..." he shook his head. "There were too many of them."

Jon's chest constricted. They all died for him. He's going to make sure he deserved this - their sacrifice as he looked down at Sansa who was frowning, thinking about her fallen comrades. After a few more races, he was going back to work for his father and then convince Sansa to run for office and campaign the hell out for her. None of them had the capacity to rule, unfortunately, but the Starks had two - three if Ned wanted to as well. The Starks were the best people to take over the regime after his father. This is how he'll honor his family's security team.

Sansa's eyes met Jon's and she smiled at him softly. "Thank you, Jon."

Jon snorted. "No, thank you."

"Well, the jig is up, I guess," she giggled then winced after, earning a frown from Robb.

"Who would've thought my sweet and pretty assistant could be lethal. Hiding knives and guns under her skirt," he joked earning a glare from Robb but didn't comment.

"A skirt, you've been trying to chase," she winked.

Jon blinked but laughed instead. "Well, you did say the jig is up."

"I hope you're not too betrayed."

"Stark, you took a bullet for me. You killed for me. Betrayed is the last thing on my mind," he scoffed.

Sansa closed her eyes then and smiled. "I'm just doing my job. Pretty smooth driving though. World class."

"I'm just doing my job," he shot back at her.

Sansa reached up and took his hand then, looking up at him. "Jon, now that we're out of the woods. Do you know yet? Did they tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

She tilted her head. "Where will you go?"

He bid Robb to stop walking a minute so he could lean down Sansa. "Where will we go?"

Sansa grinned up at him then though she looked pale and worn but still fucking beautiful. "You're my bodyguard, right? You made a vow to me. You promised you'd protect me," he winked.

"I guess I did," she said before closing her eyes and surrendering to her exhaustion.

Jon leant down again and kissed her forehead. "I'll protect you too."

And they started walking again.

"You know she can't be your bodyguard anymore, right?" Robb eyed him.

Jon just grinned. "Of course not. But she'll still be obligated to stay by my side."

"Oh, is she now?" Robb raised a brow at him.

"Yes. When she runs for office after my father, naturally, the first gentleman's place is beside her," he said matter-of-factly.

Robb burst out laughing. "Rhaegar will be pleased."

Jon snorted. "Rhaegar will shit bricks when he finds out Sansa's finally going to run and then he'll throw those bricks at me when I tell him I'm going to marry the daughter he never had that he specifically told me not to date."

"I'm sure Sansa will make him come around," Robb grinned at him. "You've seen how demanding she is."

Jon grinned wickedly. "Yeah, yes she is."

"Oy, get that filthy thought away from my poor incapacitated sister or I'll kick your ass. We're not known as Stark Protection for nothing."

"Yikes."

"Oh, yes, yikes. Wait until you meet our mom. She's the one who taught Sansa how to fire guns and arrows."

"Double yikes."

"Will you two shut up. I just got shot here," Sansa mumbled, squinting an eye at them. "And it hurts like the seven hells. I think it's lodged in my scapula."

Robb laid her down the stretcher and stepped back, dropping a kiss on her forehead as the staff went over her. "See you later Red Wolf. I'm proud of you pumpkin."

Sansa rolled her eyes and looked at Jon then who was looking at her tenderly.

"So, first gentleman, huh? The Palace is the cart before the horse there or what?"

Jon chuckled and kissed her gently then to the sigh and grumbling of the medics. "Yes. And that's after we have three children. One mini-you, one mini-me, and one a combination. Oh and a dog too."

"Awfully sure of you," she winced a little.

"Take it easy, and yes. Yes, I've never been more sure. I should've said it earlier but I love you."

Sansa closed her eyes and smiled serenely. "I love you too."

"I'll see you later," Jon squeezed her hand.

"You'd better," she muttered before looking at him then.

Jon watched as they wheeled her off, raising a hand in a wave and watched as Sansa smiled at him and lifted a hand, though a little weakly, back at him.

Sansa's been following him around and cleaning up after him as he went on his races but starting now, he'll be chasing nothing but her.

It was his turn to follow.

Professionalism be damned.

It was time to rip out her contract and give her a new one while he planned just one more race.

The race to the altar.

No way in seven hells was he wasting any more time.

Not when speed was all he knew.

When you knew, you knew.

And seven hells they both almost died today.

She was it.

She was the goal.

And speed...not necessarily a bad thing.

He smirked.

Not a bad thing at all.

#jonsansaff #ladywolfmdfic #jonsa #actually jonsa #bodyguard au #jonsansaff 12 days of shipping

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drdiandralp · 5 years ago

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Expectations and the 2020 NASCAR Rookie Class

The 'Big Three' drivers who dominated the XFINITY Series last year are now part of what is being called one of the most promising rookie classes in Cup. A very competitive list of free agents in 2021 plus 'perform or perish' equals high expectations for the newcomers. But are they too high? To answer that question, let's look at how long it took the very best NASCAR drivers to win.

Our 'Aspirational Driver' Group

Things have changed a lot over the years, as has NASCAR's definition of what a 'rookie' is. In the early days, few drivers ran full seasons, and many drivers ran with multiple teams in a single season. After looking at about 125 drivers, I ended up with four groups of drivers that we can call 'successful' at some level in Cup. They include: 24 eventual champions10 drivers who ranked as high as #2 in the season-ending standingsThat's drivers like Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Ricky Rudd.23 drivers who made it to ranked #3-#520 drivers who ranked in the top ten at least once during their NASCAR Cup careers

Rookies: Age vs. Experience

Looking at the ages of drivers when they won their first races has a number of flaws. Drivers today start much younger than they used to. Some drivers only move up to full-time teams after years of experience with lower-tier teams.The number of races in the season varies. The inevitable decline of a driver's body with age doesn't play as big a role in motorsports as it does in other sports. Because NASCAR has changed their definition of a 'rookie', it makes determining what the 'rookie year' is a little complicated. Expectations and Age The graphs are in yesterday's post, but here's a quick summary of the results for the champions: The 24 champions all won their first races between ages 19 and 341/3 of future champions won their first race when they were 27 or 28The youngest future champions were Joey Logano (19) in 2009Kyle Busch (20) in 2005The oldest champion drivers were Dale Jarrett (34) in 1991Alan Kulwicki (33) in 1988 You can see how things have changed with time: the oldest drivers are late 80s/early 90s and the youngest are in the 2000's. Since 1999, none of the future champions won their first race after age 30

Experience

Experience is a better parameter than age, and number of races run is the best way to parameterize experience. How Long Did Champions Race Before Winning? Here's a histogram of how many races champions ran before winning. On the horizontal axis, the number given is the upper limit. '5' means 5 or fewer races. '10' means 6-10 races.

The text shows what year each of these wins happened. Fast Out of the GateThe shortest time to win was Kevin Harvick, who won the third Cup race (Atlanta) he ran in 2001 after stepping in for Dale EarnhardtThe second shortest time to win was Brad Keselowski, who won his 7th race (Talladega) in 2009Slow and SteadyDale Jarrett won the 130th race he started in 1991Bill Elliott won the 119th race he started in 1983. (So Chase beat the old man by twenty)The longest it took a currently driving champion to win a race was Martin Truex, Jr. He won race number 60. You can see that the age has gone down with time. The seven champions who took the longest time to win races all did it before the year 2000. But there were drivers pre-2000 who won early in their careers, too. Here are the numbers for a few current drivers I haven't mentioned yet: Kurt Busch took 49 races to winBrother Kyle took 35Jeff Gordon took 42Jimmie Johnson won race 14Tony Stewart won race 25Joey Logano won race 23 How Does This Translate to Season Expectations? If we call an effective season 36 races, then we can make the following graph:

12 drivers that would go on to become champions (50%) won a race in their first season6 of those 12 drivers won before 2000 - and 6 won after. Good drivers and good drivers, no matter what era.5 drivers won a race in what would have been their second season3 of those 5 were pre-2000; 2 were post-20004 drivers won in their effective third seasons -- all pre 1990Those last two columns are Elliott and Jarrett.

What About the Non-Champions?

While every driver wants to win a championship (or two or seven), there are plenty of good drivers -- including some in the Hall of Fame -- who haven't been champions. Let's take a look at how those drivers fared.

The outliers are all drivers from the pre-2000s first-win era. The data point in the 280-290 bin is Sterling Marling, who didn't win his first race until race number 282. (highest season finish: 3rd)Dave Marcis won his 230th race (highest season finish: 2nd)Buddy Baker won his 220th race (highest season finish: 5th) The first thing I noticed from this graph was that winning your first race early doesn't guarantee you anything. Four of our champions won their first race within 20 races, but so did four 2nd-5th place drivers and two drivers who never broke the top 5. That's emphasized by the fact that Jamie McMurray and Trevor Bayne aren't on this graph. Both won their second race, and were rewarded with high expectations. But neither ever broke the top ten. Bayne's best season was 22nd. In fact, 26 drivers won at least one race and never broke the top 10. Many of those drivers' first wins came at a superspeedway or a road course. And we can't forget Michael Waltrip whose his highest season finish was 12th and whose first win came on race 466 (Daytona)

Are Early Top 5s Important?

Those drivers who go on to eventually place in the top 5 season-ending rankings get their first top 5 early.

Some drivers win before they get their first P2-P5. Brad Keselowski won his seventh race and then didn't get his first non-winning top 5 until race 66. 19 of the 24 champions earned a top 5 by race number 20That's 80% of the championship drivers That includes 2 drivers who won before they got their first top-5.Again, getting the first top-5 early doesn't mean you're on the way to an eventual championship. There are plenty of drivers with early Top-5s who never made it into the top 10.Yep, that lone data point out at 90 is Dale Jarrett.

What Should We Expect from This Year's Rookies?

Let's not suggest that rookies who don't win in their first year aren't going to make it in Cup. (I'm not the only one saying this, either.) If they win this year, that's great. But Jeff Gordon took 42 races to win his first and Martin Truex, Jr. took 60 races. Kyle Larson won race #100. You fire a driver for not winning in his first year at your own risk. The data do suggest that the most successful drivers win their first race by their third season. HOWEVER, you've got to manage expectations. Not every driver drives for a top-tier team. Nor does every driver have the benefit of having the same crew chief and time to develop good communication. Hendrick had a challenging 2018 and Stewart-Haas had a challenging 2019. When the best drivers on the team aren't winning, are you really going to count that against the younger drivers? Joey Logano came into Cup with huge expectations that weren't met until he joined Penske. Kevin Harvick, despite winning his third race ever in 2001, didn't compete for championships until 2013. This data also isn't justification to write off drivers like Daniel Suárez. The former XFINITY champ got his first top-five on race 22, but hasn't won after 109 races and isn't likely to win this year as he focuses on building up a team. Suárez got pushed prematurely to Cup, got pushed out of Gibbs in favor of the reigning champ, then lost his Stewart-Haas ride to the potential of Cole Custer. Nor does it argue for excluding drivers like Matt DiBenedetto (156 races before getting his first top 5), who is showing us what he's capable of in better equipment. And let's not forget that the rookies are competing against a huge number of championship drivers currently in the series. If any of the rookies win this first year, let's recognize that for the huge accomplishment it is; however, if they don't, let's not write them off in favor of the next shiny thing.

Coming Up

Come see me! While we're talking about expectations, don't forget I'm headed out to Colorado next week to give four (four!) talks in four different cities. Come see me! I promise you can expect a lot of fun.Where do NASCAR's top drivers celebrate their first wins? Surprise: Daytona and Talladega are #5 and #6!) California dreaming data. Stats and facts for this weekend's race.The Plural of Anecdote Is Not Data. We're only two races into the season. One was a superspeedway race and the other was impacted heavily by pit strategy. It's way too early to be drawing conclusions about ANYTHING yet. Give it five or seven races before looking for trends. Read the full article

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thecollegefootballguy · 3 years ago

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2021 Top Games of the Week: Week 3

Much like Week 2, there are only a few high profile games in Week 3. Blame non-conference play. Only a couple of series were scheduled between high profile opponents. However, we are also seeing a number of great rivalries being revived on the gridiron.

The Top Ten Games of the Week

10. UCF 2-0 (0-0) at Louisville 1-1 (0-0) (Friday, Sep 17)

Don’t sleep on UCF. The Knights acquitted themselves well against Boise State in Week 1 and are perfectly capable of challenging Cincinnati once again for the AAC title. Louisville is hard to gauge at the moment. The Cardinals couldn’t keep up with Ole Miss but few teams can. Newly refurbished UCF will give us a better idea where Louisville stands.

9. #16 Coastal Carolina 2-0 (0-0) at Buffalo 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

If Cincinnati holds the pole position in the G5 race, then Coastal Carolina is right there in second place. The Chanticleers were able to beat Kansas at home, but the Jayhawks are a terrible P5 team. Now CCU has to go on the road to a relatively talented G5 program. Buffalo has taken a step back from their great season in 2020, but they should still provide a stiff test for Coastal.

8. #8 Cincinnati 2-0 (0-0) at Indiana 1-1 (0-1) (Saturday, Sep 18)

The higher stakes relative of the Coastal Carolina game sees G5 front-runner Cincinnati on the road against Indiana. It’s clear that the Hoosiers also aren’t as strong as their 2020 incarnation, but they’re a competent P5 program and will be seen as one of the primary hurdles all season. Wins against the P5 mean more.

7. Purdue 2-0 (0-0) at #12 Notre Dame 2-0 (Saturday, Sep 18)

One of the great underrated rivalries in the Midwest has to be the Notre Dame-Purdue series. The Shillelagh will be up for grabs for the first time since 2014. The Fighting Irish ended their longstanding in-state rivalry after joining the ACC, but we’re glad to see it back on the schedule and hope the two can work something out.

6. Virginia 2-0 (0-0) at #21 North Carolina 1-1 (0-1) (Saturday, Sep 18)

The South’s Oldest Rivalry gets a moment to shine as two division rivals square off. Virginia won the ACC Coastal in 2019, while North Carolina was the biggest success story in the conference in 2020. The Tar Heels almost certainly would have won the division last year had the Atlantic and Coastal structure not been dropped to temporarily house Notre Dame. However, UNC did lose to their rivals to the North in the head to head matchup. Now they’re thrown together with divisional aspirations on the line.

5. #15 Virginia Tech 2-0 (1-0) at West Virginia 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

Two old Big East rivals square off once again as Virginia Tech takes on West Virginia for the first time since 2017. The Hokies are flying high following their dominating win over North Carolina in Week 1. The Mountaineers failed in their opening test against rival Maryland. Now WVU has the chance to set things right again by taking back the Black Diamond Trophy.

4. Nebraska 2-1 (0-1) at #3 Oklahoma 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

Finally, for the first time since 2010, Nebraska and Oklahoma reunite on the gridiron to play one of college football’s great rivalry games. I labeled it the best rivalry killed by conference realignment a few years ago. It’s great to see them playing once more. I don’t expect the game itself to be that competitive, but you never know with these kinds of things.

3. #19 Arizona State at #23 BYU (Saturday, Sep 18)

Now this one is interesting. Arizona State is in the mix for the PAC-12 South based on their performance last year, but so far the Sun Devils haven’t proven themselves against serious competition in 2021. That changes when they travel to Provo this weekend. BYU has already claimed two PAC-12 scalps in this young season, the Cougars are looking to make it a hat trick.

2. #22 Auburn at #10 Penn State (Saturday, Sep 18)

We love to see this kind of aggressive scheduling between two powerful programs. This is the kind of thing we as fans need to encourage. Auburn comes into the game with two wins against two nobody programs. This is their first real test in 2021 and it’s in a very hostile environment. Penn State appears to have rebounded since their humiliating 2020 campaign. The Nittany Lions can push themselves into the Playoff conversation with a win here.

1. #1 Alabama 2-0 (0-0) at #11 Florida 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

The scheduling gods gave us a scheduling treat when they gave us a rematch of last year’s SEC Championship Game so soon after it was played. Alabama is looking as fierce as ever, gunning for another national championship. Florida has their best shot in a while at knocking off the Crimson Tide with the enemy coming down to Gainesville for the first time since 2011. We should see some fireworks.

5 G5 Games of the Week

5. Nevada 2-0 (0-0) at Kansas State 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

Nevada is looking really solid so far. The Wolf Pack have already beaten Cal and seem to be real contenders for the West Division. Kansas State had a good win over Stanford in Week 1 but the Wildcats struggled with Southern Illinois last week after the injury bug bit.

4. Fresno State 2-1 (0-0) at #13 UCLA 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

Two teams whose stock has been rising steadily in the last two weeks are Fresno State and UCLA. The Bulldogs nearly upset defending PAC-12 Champions Oregon, then the Ducks turned around and beat Ohio State last week. Meanwhile, the Bruins’ win over LSU in the Rose Bowl has been a shining moment for the PAC-12 in the young season. These could be the two best teams in California squaring off.

3. Utah 1-1 (0-0) at San Diego State 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

San Diego is once again out for PAC-12 blood. The Aztecs easily dispatched Arizona last week and have their sights set on Utah. The Utes don’t often lose twice, and SDSU’s temporary stadium in Carson doesn’t have the same atmosphere as LaVell Edwards Stadium.

2. Oklahoma State 2-0 (0-0) at Boise State 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

The Mountain West could be in for a big week if Boise State can take care of business against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys barely managed to scrape by Tulsa at home. The Broncos should provide an even stiffer test.

1. Mississippi State 2-0 (0-0) at Memphis 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

Oh yeah, we’re gonna see a glorious track meet between Mississippi State and Memphis. And I’m not sure I’d say that the Tigers are the underdog in the Liberty Bowl.

FCS Games of the Week

5. #24 Kennesaw State 1-1 (0-0) at Wofford 1-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

A cool regional non-conference series.

4. #6 Delaware 2-0 (1-0) at Rutgers 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

Rutgers is improving so it’s probably a bit foolish to talk myself into this, but I’m talking myself into this.

3. Charleston Southern 1-0 (0-0) at #20 Monmouth 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

Two of the best programs in the Big South square off in a match that should go far in determining the conference champion.

2. #21 Richmond 2-0 (0-0) at #12 Villanova 2-0 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

The CAA always delivers a solid game on a weekly basis. Both squads have looked very solid so far, let’s see who has an early lead in the Colonial race.

1. #3 James Madison 2-0 (1-0) at #9 Weber State 1-1 (0-0) (Saturday, Sep 18)

The FCS delivers another top ten out-of-conference matchup. Both James Madison and Weber State are likely Playoff bound, this is just a test to see who gets a first round bye.

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thecollegefootballguy · 5 years ago

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2019 Top Ten Active Coaches Power Ranking

So, I’ve looked at all of the Power conferences and the G5′s best. With all that said it’s time to mash it all up and see who are the best coaches in the nation.

Unlike the power rankings of the individual conferences, this ranking takes a much longer view of each coach’s career. I use slightly different metrics which have a big impact on where coaches place in the national rankings. Plus, I reserve the right to make judgement calls here.

The rankings have certainly changed a lot from 2018. Urban Meyer (last year’s #2 coach in the nation), Bill Snyder (#3), and Mark Richt (#8) retired, drastically altering the face of the coaching landscape in terms of career prestige. That doesn’t necessarily mean that new blood will flow into the top ten. Mack Brown and Les Miles, two of the most decorated coaches of the 2000′s, returned to the ranks. They’ve taken on difficult jobs, but men of that caliber should succeed given adequate time.

If you’d like to revisit the rankings from last year and see what’s changed, click here.

Here are a list of the honorable mentions: David Cutcliffe, Mike Gundy, Lincoln Riley, James Franklin, Pat Fitzgerald, Jim Harbaugh, David Shaw, Kyle Whittingham, Mike Leach, Gus Malzahn, Kirby Smart, Dan Mullen, and Frank Solich.

10. Les Miles

Overall Record: 142-55 National Championships: 1 (2007)*

*at LSU

Movement: N/A

The Mad Hatter is back and college football is better off for it. Les Miles has a great track record as one of the top coaches of the 2000′s. Miles built up Oklahoma State into a successful program before handing the reigns off to Mike Gundy when he moved to LSU. Miles inherited a very successful program in Baton Rouge and kept the ball rolling. The Tigers won the 2007 National Championship and came a rematch against Alabama short of a second title in 2011. Miles will have a big challenge ahead of him as he tries to turn around one of the most hopeless P5 programs in the nation. I doubt he can take Kansas to the heights he achieved at LSU, but here’s to hoping.

9. Jimbo Fisher

Record at Texas A&M: 9-4 Overall Record: 92-27 National Championships: 1 (2013)*

*at Florida State

Movement: N/A

I put Jimbo Fisher on timeout last year for so thoroughly mucking up Florida State in 2017. But, Fisher has to be seen as one of the better coaches in the game. He’s showing great promise after just one year at Texas A&M. We may be seeing the beginnings of something really big going on at College Station, the unlocking of the true potential latent in the Aggie program for decades that has so far never fully been realized. Time will tell, but with Jimbo they have as good a chance as any.

8. Mack Brown

Record at North Carolina: 69-46-1 Record Overall: 244-122-1 National Championships: 1 (2005)*

*with Texas

Movement: N/A

Our oldest throwback of the returning crew, but also the best of that group. Mack Brown is one of the most successful coaches of the last quarter century. Brown’s complete rebuild of North Carolina in the 1990′s is one of the more impressive feats from that decade. Brown’s run at Texas from 1998 to 2009 was legendary. The Longhorns were one of the fixtures of college football in the 2000′s and its pretty surprising that they only won one national championship in the span. Now, Brown returns to Chapel Hill with the expectation of returning the Tar Heels to glory. Who knows how quick or how completely he can achieve this goal, but he’s got the track record.

7. Kirk Ferentz

Record at Iowa: 152-101 Overall Record: 164-122 Division Championships: 1 (2015) Conference Championships: 2 (2002, 2004)

Movement: Up 2 spots

With Bill Snyder gone, we need to replace our immovable object and this guy fits the bill. Kirk Ferentz is one of the most consistent overachievers in the P5 relative to his team’s usual lot in life. Honestly it doesn’t get enough praise because most of us are used to the Hawkeyes playing well. Ferentz isn’t the same kind of coach that Mack Brown or Les Miles is, but for now, he’s ahead of those illustrious men for his steadfast dedication to winning in Iowa City.

6. Mark Dantonio

Record at Michigan State: 107-51 Overall Record: 125-68 Division Championships: 3 (2011, 2013, 2015) Conference Championships: 3 (2010, 2013, 2015)

Movement: Same

Mark Dantonio is well on his way to Bill Snyder-ing himself a permanent spot on this list as well. The Spartan head man has built a wrecking machine, capable of bruising even the most intimidating Big Ten opponents. He consistently punches above his weight class, even though the field has gotten very crowded with the resurgence of Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State since the early 2010′s. I wonder how long he can sustain, but weaker men would have already cracked under the pressure. Dantonio isn’t that guy.

5. Chris Petersen

Record at Washington: 47-21 Overall Record: 139-33 Division Championships: 3 (2016, 2017, 2018) Conference Championships: 2 (2016, 2018)

Movement: Up 2 spots

Chris Petersen has been the best coach in the 11 Western States for some time now, at least since Pete Carroll moved on from the college ranks. Going back to his days at Boise State, Petersen is very used to doing more with less and building a successful machine that can compete year in and year out. The hype about Oregon and Washington State doesn’t feel as solid or as permanent as the beast Petersen has going in Seattle. The Huskies should be good, very very good, as long as Petersen is in charge. Just, please, win your bowl game for once.

4. Gary Patterson

Record at TCU: 167-63 Conference Championships: 6 (2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014)*

*Won in Conference-USA, Mountain West, and Big 12

Movement: Same

The true inheritor of the mantle of Snyder is none other than best his protege: Gary Patterson. TCU moved from the WAC, to Conference USA, to the Mountain West, to the Big 12 during Patterson’s tenure in Fort Worth. It’s one of the best success stories in college football in the 2000′s and 2010′s. Patterson has been absolutely instrumental in crafting a winning program at a school with fewer resources than a Texas or Oklahoma, or a Texas Tech or Oklahoma State for that matter.

3. Brian Kelly

Record at Notre Dame: 81-35 Overall Record: 252-92-2

Movement: N/A

I’d like to issue a formal apology for not having Brian Kelly on this list sooner. With my metrics changing just a little bit, Kelly’s ranking shot up. Go figure, maybe I’m getting better at this. Kelly is a born winner; he’s won at Grand Valley State, at Central Michigan, at Cincinnati, and he’s had two 12-0 seasons at Notre Dame. I can forgive him for having not won a conference championship since 2009, I hope you can too.

2. Dabo Swinney

Record at Clemson: 116-30 Division Championships: 7 (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) Conference Championships: 5 (2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) National Championships: 2 (2016, 2018)

Movement: Up 3 spots

Dabo Swinney wasn’t in my top ten when I first started doing this about 5 years ago, which really tells you something. Swinney’s unprecedented success at Clemson is going to go down as one of the biggest shifts in college football in the new millennium. The Tigers had been successful before, yes, but not like this. Clemson and Alabama are the teams of the 2010′s, and in the past four years they’ve traded national titles and have almost ignored basically every other program in the nation. He’s quite clearly one of the best coaches in the country, and what he’s done with in Death Valley is just insane. I still do a double take at the 30 career losses over the course of 10 (and a half) seasons. I mean, my god.

1. Nick Saban

Record at Alabama: 132-20 Record Overall: 223-62-1 Division Championships: 11 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) Conference Championships: 7 (1990, 2001, 2003, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016) National Championships: 6 (2003*, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017)

*at LSU

Movement: Same

Look, I love praising Dabo, but his success will likely only be measured by how it stacks up to Nick Saban’s. Currently he’s still far away from the true pinnacle of success. Accept no substitutes. 20 losses in 12 years. JFC.

Also a fond farewell to Bill Snyder. No words can properly encapsulate what that man did for Kansas State. Enjoy a well earned retirement.

#college football #Alabama Crimson Tide #Clemson Tigers #Notre Dame Fighting Irish #TCU Horned Frogs #Washington Huskies #Michigan State Spartans #Iowa Hawkeyes #North Carolina Tar Heels #Texas A&M Aggies #Kansas Jayhawks

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ladywolfmd · 7 years ago

Text

We don't need no letter at all (We've got a thing that's called radar love)

AN: Just a little action packed ditty to vent my frustrations with Season Seven Hells. Bodyguard!Sansa AU.

Also up in AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11877483

39/51 Lap

"Jon, keep going, you're almost there. The gap between you and the Brat-theon prick is still there at 9/5th of your time but you can lose him on the 4th turn."

"Copy that Edd."

"The Brat is falling for it! What a dipshit! Make him eat your dust, Jon."

Also as expected since Jon's slow wasn't just anyone's definition of slow, so Joffrey wouldn't be able to turn left in time and he'd head straight off track with the speed he tried to match with his.

Jon grinned when he did exactly that while Edd whooped over the team radio as he started flooring it.

Jon was impressed. The little shit was stubborn and, he hate to admit it, good enough to survive one of the oldest tricks in out-racing. Thank the gods his team-mate Waymar Royce gained speed for P2. He won't let Joffrey pass. There was no way their team was going to let the Gold cloakswin, not after the Crag debacle which was still up for debate.