Philip Rivers and the Chargers are still in the AFC West race after the quarterback's big night in a 38-14 win against the Jaguars on Monday, but they have a lot of ground to make up on the Broncos and Raiders. Does Rivers also have ground to make up in the race for top quarterback honors in the division? Rank 'Em: NFL Power Rankings

• "What's the best finish you SD fans can honestly envision on these last four? How does the battered SD O-line get ready for Baltimore? Detroit? Can SD even make the finale in Oakland anything more than a spoiler game?" -- SN commenter MC3DPCS
• "Tebow stinks. I mean, he's only won five in a row (first time since Elway played in Denver). The guy is a winner, period. I'm a Falcons fan and would take Tebow as our QB in a second. " -- SN commenter alyssafaithbaer

Not everyone expected the Chargers to win the AFC West this season. No, it was a mere 81 percent of SportsNation voters who picked them to win the division, a consensus topped only by those picking the Packers in the NFC North. But while the Packers are doing just fine, the Chargers are tied with the Chiefs and Raiders after finding a new way to lose Monday's game against those Chiefs. Rank 'Em: Your NFL Power Rankings?

• "Right now it looks like KC's division. You have SD with their turnovers, sloppy play and horrible O-Line. The only real thing going for us at this point is our defense. Oakland has a very talented team but are facing a crucial moment." -- SN commenter RavensSuperbowl44
• "Rivers should team up with LeBron James and play baseball with the Texas Rangers, who have honed the fine art of choking." -- SN commenter GeoF1348

The first game of the NFL season kicks off in a little more than 24 hours, and we'd be lying if we said we weren't at least a little excited. Pro football can be a messy affair at times -- see the entire labor battle during the offseason -- but it's a glorious sport at its heart. Most every team's fan base has something to look forward to this weekend, although Colts fans may be dreading a future without Peyton Manning after the news that he'll miss at least his first game with a neck injury.

• Rank: Is Peyton Manning still in the MVP race? | Which are football's best teams?
• Vote: Which teams are the favorite to win each division?

• Rank: Which team do you have as football's best?

We can understand if you don't want to take the time to grade your tech-support help on the other end of the telephone, but when we're talking about the dollars and emotion you've invested in sports, we think it's worth the effort. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.

Take part in the 2011 MLB survey
2010 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 3)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 6)
3. Colorado Rockies (Overall: No. 13)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 14)
5. Atlanta Braves (Overall: No. 15)

Take part in the 2011 NFL survey
2010 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. New Orleans Saints (Overall: No. 1)
2. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 4)
3. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 9)
4. Arizona Cardinals (Overall: No. 19)
5. Baltimore Ravens (Overall: No. 20)

Take part in the 2011 NBA survey
2010 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 2)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 7)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 10)
4. Dallas Mavericks (Overall: No. 24)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (Overall: No. 25)

Take part in the 2011 NHL survey
2010 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 5)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 8)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 11)
4. San Jose Sharks (Overall: No. 12)
5. Chicago Blackhawks (Overall: No. 16)

• Vote: Which teams will make the playoffs?
• Rank 'Em: Where does Philip Rivers rank in the MVP race? | 49ers-Chargers PollCenter
• Chat: NFC West blogger Mike Sando, 1 ET | AFC West blogger Bill Williamson, 2 ET

If you're a quarterback looking for a chance to bolster your MVP credentials, what better stage could there be than facing a team that employs David Carr, Alex Smith and Troy Smith? Philip Rivers looks like Joe Montana compared to that cast of characters.

Then again, as good as Rivers has looked this season, if the team around him had played to its potential, tonight's game might not be nearly as important as it is with both teams fighting for their playoff lives. Back before Labor Day, 80 percent of SportsNation predicted the Chargers would win the AFC West. That's a strong endorsement, but it's not as strong as the 85 percent of voters who predicted the 49ers would win the NFC West.

Which of these teams has underachieved to a greater degree?

Jake (Colorado Spring)

Mel, can you give me a analysis of Alex Smith? Is he better than we have seen or is this what he is?

Mel Kiper

I think at this stage, what you see is what you get. If you look at this year, he is not at 60 percent completion. He's been out of the lineup as long as he was and comes in there and goes 17-27 after not playing since 6-7 weeks ago, but the problem with him has been his consistency. It's an inconsistency. Very intelligent young man, but he makes some bad decisions at times. He threw 9 INTs in the first five games this year. Full transcript