every year as the competition got harder and harder. I was finally

The Bottom 10 inspirational thought of the week:Its the circle of life And it moves us all Through despair and hope Through faith and love Til we find our place On the path unwinding In the circle The circle of life--The Circle of Life from The Lion KingHere at ESPN Bottom 10 HQ, located in a bunker beneath the pyramid of Tim Tebows protein shake cans, we have a tendency to become a little attached to the teams that we rank, especially those that have been around for years. Its the kind of everlasting bond that can only be forged by watching WatchESPN replays of Fun Belt games at 2 a.m. with Captain Morgan after your family has gone to bed.So, imagine the emotions we wrestle with when one of our old friends departs from our party. Imagine the internal conflict that rages within our already fragile minds when one of our longtime Bottom 10 companions has the gall to actually start winning games and removes itself from our poor but proud world. Do we root for that team as it moves on? Sure, but its like sending our children off to college. Were so proud, but if were being honest, also a little sad.But, as Atlanta resident Elton John has taught us, this is the Circle of Life. It is inevitable that after you send your kids off to college, even after they earned a diploma -- or a bowl berth -- last fall, one day youll come home from work and find theyve moved back into their old rooms.With apologies to Simba and Steve Harvey, heres this weeks Bottom 10.1. Rice (0-5)The Owls surrendered 702 yards on Saturday. Thats a new school record for the Southern Miss offense, which had never been led to that many yards, even when Brett Favre was quarterback. Though Im pretty sure Favre has eaten fried owl at some point.2. Arkansas State (0-4) The Red Wolves prepared for their Wednesday night visit from Georgia Southern Not State by scheduling the Fightin Byes of Open Date U. Unfortunately, the Byes won 21-7.3. Charlotte 1-and-4ers (1-4) The big losses to Louisville and Eastern Michigan are looking more understandable with each passing week. But the big losses to Temple and Old Dominion by a combined score of 100-37? Not so much. Over the next two weeks they play FA(not I)U and FI(not A)U in the Sunshine State Loves Their Vowels Series. Speaking of which ...4. FA(not I)U (1-4)The Other Owls lost to FI(not A)U in Pillow Fight of the Week of the Year IV (PFOWY4). Down there they call it the Shula Bowl, and the winning team receives a can of pomade, a deep-V golf shirt with a gigantic collar, and a bear hug from Larry Csonka. The loser gets the same thing.5. Hook Em (2-2) The Coveted Fifth Spot is painted burnt orange after the Horns had one ... two ... three extra points blocked in their second loss in one ... two ... three weeks and officially starting the Charlie Strong Hot Seat Watch in three ... two ... one ...6. My Hammy Of Ohio (0-5)Our selection committee struggled most with what to do here. The State of Kent, previous occupiers of this slot, lost via a late rally to Akrons backup quarterback. But My Hammys day versus Ohio ended with a sack and fumble recovery in their own end zone. They win out here per Bottom 10 rulebook Order 66, aka the 0-and-Something Rule, which states that after five weeks any team that is 0-and-something must be ranked. Besides, Kent and Hammy will meet this Saturday in PFOWY5 to settle this dispute like men.7. Georgia State Not Southern (0-4)Welcome back! The reality is that their (mostly) close losses have come to (mostly) good teams -- Ball State, Air Force, Wisconsin and Appalachian State. But the other reality is that the aforementioned Order 66 has to be executed. Otherwise, Emperor Palpatine will send his apprentice after us.8. San José State?(1-4) The Spartans nearly rallied to tie New Mexico late, but lost. But then they were all like, Yeah, but our loss to Iowa State last week is looking pretty good now, because look at the score! They are up 14 on Baylor in the fourth quarter!9. I-Ow!-A State (1-4)And then the Cyclones were all like, My bad.10. Bowling Green (1-4) I owe the Falcons an apology. Last week, several BGSU fans tweeted and emailed to let me know that I had incorrectly stated the Falcons lost 77-10 to Memphis in Week 4, and that they had actually lost 77-3. In related news, last week I was in New York and a man corrected me when I tried to point out that he had spilled some ketchup on his shirt. Oh, that aint ketchup, thats my blood.Waiting list: NI-Whew (1-5), State of Kent (1-4), UTEP (1-4), R-O-C-K in the UTSA (1-3), FI(not A)U (1-4), UMess (1-4), Fres-No State (1-4), UL(not L)M (1-3), Kansas Nayhawks (1-4), Georgia fans who left mid-fourth quarter and then tried to push their way back into the stadium and then blocked the exits doing surrender cobras. Adidas Nmd Pánská . The 29-year-old Baines has established himself as one of the top attacking full backs in the country and was the subject of two bids from United during the last off-season. Everton manager Roberto Martinez says that keeping Baines at the club is a "massive boost and exciting for the future" because he brings "maturity and football knowledge in a very specialized position on the pitch" and an "infectious and positive influence to the rest of the squad. Adidas Nmd Dámské Cerne . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. http://www.botynmdlevne.com/adidas-nmd-damske-levne/nmd-r1.html . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Basketbalové Boty Adidas . Michell Burger, a woman who lives on an estate next to Pistorius gated community, said she and her husband were awoken by the screams in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14 last year, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a door in his bathroom. Adidas Nmd Sleva . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. For Super Smash Bros. Melee players, the word offseason is a bit of a misnomer. The once seemingly brief Summer of Smash didnt end this year after Juan Hungrybox DeBiedma collected his Evolution Championship Series trophy at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Recent events like Clutch City Clash, Super Smash Con and Shine gave players who felt like they didnt live up to their potential in June and July more opportunities to showcase their talents. Some even congregated at Dairly Beloved, an event that featured not just a Zachary SFAT Cordoni victory, but also a wedding.While players have a longer and longer list of events they can choose to attend, there is no question that certain events are currently venerated for various reasons; however, they rarely start that way. Five years ago, it seemed like the Midwest was a barren spot for Melee players, but an event in the shadow of Michigan Stadium did more than attract top players from outside the region to Ann Arbor. The Big House showed the world that the Midwest had talent -- they just needed the right opportunity.When I started ... it was a dark time for Michigan Melee, James Duck Ma explained. This was during 2009 when Brawl was taking over everything and most of the Michigan Melee players had quit or switched over. It took a pretty long time for us to get more than 20 to 30 entrants.The Melee scene hadnt had a major event held in the region since FC Diamond in 2007. The following four years would see a dearth of high-level competition in the heartland. Players would have to travel east for the Pound or Revival of Melee series or west for Genesis to get a taste of what other regions had to offer and witness the rise of some of the most esteemed players today.Things would change Oct. 22, 2011.When The Big House rolled around, our whole region was extremely excited, simply because we never got to see how our good players would do against some top out-of-region talent, Abhishek Prince Abu Prabhu said. People traveled much less back then, and there were far less big tournaments, so it was really cool to see SFAT, [Johnny S2J Kim] and [Oscar Lovage Nilsson] come to the Midwest.Lovage would eventually defeat S2J to take that initial event. Despite the fact that the last remaining players were California natives, the newfound interest in Michigan would innervate the entire region, helping a new generation of players rise to the occasion with each passing year.I first started playing in Michigan in summer 2012, Kalindi KJH Henderson recounted. My first Big House was The Big House 2; this was also my first national ever. Despite not making it out of Round 1 pools, I did beat [Weston Westballz Dennis], who was like a hero to me at the time, so that was cool. I was still unfamiliar with the community at the time and didnt know anyone really, so after Day 1, I just went home and watched the rest on stream, which was a big mistake.The Big House 3 was different; I felt like I had improved a ton, made more friends and was ready to compete. I played Hungrybox, [Aziz Hax Al-Yami], [Kevin PewPewU Toy] and finally had made it to the last day. The Big House 4 was huge, [Joseph Mango Marquez], [Jason Mew2King Zimmerman], Hungrybox were in attendance, and it was so cool to see [Adam Armada Lindgren] and [William Leffen Hjelte] playing in Michigan.Last year, some would say the event was overshadowed by Leffens absence and what it might portend; this year, the Michigan scene wants to become the star of the show. The players want to show that they, and the Midwest as a whole, have grown and evolved as a region and cant be overlooked any longer.It is the only major tournament where the whole crowd goes wild for Midwest players, and playing in front of a home crowd like that is a huge motivation boost, Prabhu continued. Ill never forget how crazy the crowd went at The Big House 4, where [Kyle Kalamazhu Zhu] beat [Joe Lucky Aldama], [David Kirbykaze MacDonald], [McCain MacD LaVelle], and almost beat Hax to finish at ninth, and [Kelly Kels Smith] made an insane losers run to place fifth. Or last year, where Duck beat [James Swedish Delight Liu] to place ninth, and [Stephen Abate Abate] beat S2J and [Jeffrey Axe Williamson] to make top eight. That kind of atmosphere is something that makes Big House really special as a Midwest player, and I have no doubt that The Big House 6 is going to be equally hype, especially if one of the top Midwest players breaks into top eight.The series is known for its no-nonsense attitude, as organizer Robin Juggleguy Harn is noted for being especially stringent with how the event is run. When talent in the region wasnt a draww, the efficiency of the event had people planning their trips to Ann Arbor months ahead of time.dddddddddddd. Out of his own pocket, Juggleguy helped bring S2J and Lovage to the event and made one of the best investments for the Midwest as a whole.Its probably the only tournament series where you can guarantee everything will run smoothly and on time, Ma added. Juggleguy has instilled the fear in everyone, shown that he doesnt tolerate lateness, and hes willing to disqualify anyone. Beyond that, the tournament boasts 63 of the top 100 players this year, in addition to legends like Lovage, [Tony Taj Jackson] and [Charles Fuzzyness Kimmelman]. People are willing to go out to a tournament they know is going to be amazing.Discipline is a must for potential entrants, as you cant prove how good you are if you are disqualified for breaking tournament rules. That philosophy has spread beyond tenets of event organization and into how the region is managing its own growth and shaping its future.I play friendlies at locals nonstop now, and play with Duck maybe once or twice a week, Henderson remarked. A key for me to close the gap is to use my time wisely, meaning if I cant play as much, then I should study my sets more, theorycraft with other players and overall just think about the game more in my spare time.Free time to play is extremely limited, but I have been making efforts to play a little every day to keep my execution and movement smooth, Prabhu expounded. More importantly, I theorycraft with Duck, KJH, and Kalamazhu, as well as regularly think about the game and analyze my play as well as Hungryboxs. When I study myself, I try to look for and fix specific scenarios I regularly get outplayed in, or spots where I could optimize my punish more. When I study Hungrybox, I really try to look at his neutral game in every matchup and figure out what makes it so much tighter and better than mine. I look for positioning, SDI and little tricks he uses to trap his opponent in positions where he can open them up and kill them.Moving forward, I need to continue to improve my neutral and my knowledge of every single matchup, and in addition, I think I need to start learning how to better play the player as opposed to just the matchup ... I need to learn how to take advantage of specific player habits -- habits that separate [DaJuan Shroomed McDaniel] from Swedish Delight or Lucky from [Aaron Professor Pro Thomas] from [Mustafa Ice Akcakaya] and so on. Every player plays differently, and theres no magical formula to beat every option for most matchups involving two good characters. Mastering the art of adapting and countering specific strategies and habits is a huge skill I need to work on. Although this level of preparation is generally needed for top players, the stakes are higher when some are looking to you to carry a region on your back.The Big House 6 is the second or third most important event to me, Prabhu explained. Overall, Id say making top eight at Evo would mean more to me, and making top eight at Genesis would mean slightly more to me. Because of the size and stacked nature of The Big House 6, as well as the home-field factor, it is extremely important to me, and I cant wait to go out and compete.The Big House has definitely been a roller coaster for me, Ma confessed. The first one [was] where people from the coasts learned who I was, so it holds a special place for me. My placements actually dropped almost every year as the competition got harder and harder. I was finally able to make it to a ninth place finish last year but was just short of top eight. My goal this year is definitely to make that top-eight spot and represent the Midwest. Making top eight would be the culmination of all the hard work Ive put in since last year. It would be my first top eight on American soil, and it would mean a chance for the Midwest to play in another top eight at a national. Doing it at The Big House 6 on home soil would just be icing on the cake.There has been no offseason for Melee in Michigan. Every second theyre not working to improve is a second that someone else is working to catch up to them; every minute they take off lets those that are ahead of them push further. The region has come so far in the last decade. Last year showed that they were on the cusp of brilliance, and this year they intend to show that they have broken through. There will be plenty of other opportunities to do so as the tournament scene grows, but of course, theres no place like home. ' ' '