Drugs, Drugs

Baseball is a talking sport. This blog didn’t even acknowledge the Red Sox’s recent sweep of the Rockies in the World Series because, well, frankly, it was such a dud. However, baseball is now on front pages everywhere due to yesterday’s Mitchell Report.

Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell was commissioned by Major League Baseball to investigate the prevalence of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs in baseball during the last two decades. Mitchell released his report yesterday, with much fanfare and many familiar names. Among the names mentioned in the report were Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Barry Bonds, Miguel Tejada, and Eric Gagne.

My first reaction to the report was: Duh! Of course these guys are doing the juice. How else would statistics be flying through the roof, and older players would be having career years in their 40’s?

The Mitchell Report was primarily based on the testimony of Kirk Radomski, a former Mets clubhouse attendant, and Brian McNamee, a former strength and conditioning coach for the Yankees. These guys were compelled by the federal government to spill the beans, as they are under investigation for drug trafficking. Most players, obviously, were not cooperative with the Mitchell investigation. Only two of 750 active players cooperated with the investigation. The players’ union, not unexpectedly, was a roadblock to any more meaningful results of the investigation. That’s not the first time the players’ union has blocked progress in the great game of baseball.

It is obvious, after the lockout of 1994, that the lords of baseball looked the other way as players were juicing their way into the record books. Attendance skyrocketed and TV rights were selling for record prices. The owners were making money hand over fist. It was not in their best interest to police the rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs.

There were 89 players named in the Mitchell report. The majority of them were role players, some marginal players doing whatever it took to stay in the major leagues. For most of these players, the health risks of steroids were outweighed by the potential of big contracts. A player can make more money off of one contract in major league baseball than they could make for the rest of their lives. So, the players took the risk. There’s a big difference between playing for the New York Yankees and making a Triple-A salary playing for the Columbus Clippers, or being stuck on an independent league team somewhere.

As Sen. Mitchell said yesterday, this was just the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many more players guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs. We’ll never know the extent of the usage of such drugs. We may not want to know.

I’m afraid this report is just window dressing, designed to make the commissioner look good. There are changes being made to baseball’s drug policy, but the union will stonewall most reasonable changes for the benefit of the game. The players’ union does not have the best interests of baseball in mind, but only exists to protect the players’ gravy train.

Baseball is a great game. If nothing else, it is resilient. It has survived a point-shaving scandal, two world wars, clueless commissioners, numerous strikes, and a lockout. It will survive this. It is yet to be determined in what shape the sport will survive.

College Picks: Bonus Edition

Ok, the college picks took last week off due to a dearth of games. This week, we have four national championship games. Using a foreign concept, the rest of college football uses a playoff system to determine a national champion. Imagine that! No BCS, no computer rankings, no guys in loud bowl blazers controlling the college football post-season. It's all decided on the field. In keeping with this blog's respect for football at all levels, here are picks for this weekend's national championship games:

Weekend of Dec. 1: 9-5
Season: 180-94

NCAA Division I Championship Subdivision, Delaware vs. Appalachian State, at Chattanooga, TN: This game will be better than half the bowls. Delaware has a win over Navy, while Appalachian State has defeated Michigan. The Wolverine thread runs throughout this game. Delaware has helmets that look like Michigan's, only with a lighter shade of blue. Also, Michigan has expressed interest in Delaware coach K.C. Keeler for their vacant head coaching position. Delaware has a chance to do what Michigan didn't: beat the Mountaineers. Appalachian is playing for their third national championship in a row. They get it. Pick: Appalachian State

NCAA Division II Championship, Northwest Missouri State vs. Valdosta State at Florence, AL: Xavier Omon lit up the field last week for Northwest Missouri as they defeated Grand Valley State, ending the Lakers' 40-game winning streak on national television. The Bearcats face the Gulf South Conference champions from Valdosta, playing in their third national championship game in six years. Tough pick. Pick: Northwest Missouri State

NCAA Division III Championship, Mount Union (Ohio) vs. Wisconsin-Whitewater at Salem, VA, aka Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl: Mount Union seems to always be in this game. They have a current winning streak of 37 games. They take on Whitewater in the national championship game for the third year in a row. This is Mount Union's 10th appearance in this game in the last 12 years. As always, go with the Purple Raiders. Pick: Mount Union

NAIA National Championship, Sioux Falls (SD) vs. Carroll (Montana) at Savannah, TN: Sioux Falls brings a 27-game winning streak into this game. Carroll is also undefeated, and won four consecutive national championships from 2002-2005. Something has to give in this one. Pick: Carroll

NFL Picks, Week 15

Can you believe it is Week 15 of the NFL season? There’s really not a lot of suspense out there. All of the divisions are pretty well spoken for, as are the first wild card spots in both the AFC and NFC. The only playoff races left are for the final wild card spot in both the AFC and NFC.

The Patriots are 13-0 with three games to play. Conversely, the Dolphins are 0-13 with three games to play. There is a very good chance that the Patriots could finish undefeated, and that the Dolphins could finish winless.

Here are the picks for this week’s games:

Last week: 12-4
Season: 139-61

Philadelphia at Dallas: The Eagles stumble into Dallas with a 5-8 record, not much hope of making the playoffs, and are at a crossroads as a franchise. The Cowboys got a big comeback win last week in the Motor City, adding to the legend of Tony Romo. The Cowboys are still playing for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Pick: Dallas

Denver at Houston: The NFL Network Thursday night game comes to us live from Houston, where the Texans will wear their Battle Red uniforms to take on the Broncos. Both teams are 6-7. With the injury problems of the Texans, that’s a miracle. Denver won big last week over Kansas City, 41-7. That only means they can’t do it two weeks in a row. Pick: Houston

Cincinnati at San Francisco: Earlier this year, when the NFL Network was looking for Saturday night games, this game looked like a good matchup. Instead, it’s one that makes cable operators glad they’re not signing customers up for that channel. The 49ers are putrid unless they’re playing the Cardinals. The Bengals are just mediocre. Mediocre beats putrid. Pick: Cincinnati

Seattle at Carolina: Two teams going opposite directions. It’s hard to believe these franchises played each other two years ago for a trip to the Super Bowl. The Panthers are injury-riddled and are playing out the string. The Seahawks have clinched the NFC West. Pick: Seattle

Buffalo at Cleveland: There will be plenty of points scored in this one, as these teams battle for bragging rights to Erie, Pennsylvania and possible playoff position. The Browns are the surprise team of the year. The good fortune continues for another week on Lake Erie. Pick: Cleveland

Tennessee at Kansas City: This one is quickly turning into a stinker. The Titans blew a lead last week against San Diego, and probably kissed their playoff hopes goodbye. The Chiefs are turning plain awful. They’re a different team at home, though. Pick: Kansas City

Baltimore at Miami: Double yuck. The Ravens, losers of seven in a row, have had their hearts and guts ripped out the last two weeks, losing to the Patriots and Colts. They head to sunny South Florida for a game with the hapless Dolphins. The Dolphins, believe it or not, have a chance to beat the banged-up Ravens this week to get win #1. I’m not going to bite on it, though. Pick: Baltimore

New York Jets at New England: Yuck. The Jets lost the first meeting, which became better known as the time Jets coach Eric Mangini turned in his mentor and former boss, Bill Belichick for illegal camera work. Needless to say, the Patriots have been on a rampage as a result. If the Patriots get a chance to run up the score, they will. Be surprised if there’s a post-game handshake. Pick: New England

Arizona at New Orleans: The Saints are still in playoff contention, and host the always inconsistent Cardinals. The Cardinals aren’t always good, but they’re never dull. The Saints are getting it into gear. Pick: Saints

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh: Two playoff teams hook up in the Steel City. Go with the home team. Pick: Pittsburgh

Green Bay at St. Louis: Mismatch city. The Rams have nothing to play for. The Packers do. Pick: Green Bay

Atlanta at Tampa Bay: Yuck. The Falcons were left at the wedding reception this week by ex-coach Bobby Petrino, who took the Arkansas money and ran for the hills. The Bucs have clinched the division, and are most likely locked into the fourth playoff position. The Bucs are much better. Pick: Tampa Bay

Indianapolis at Oakland: Mismatch city, AFC edition. The Colts make quick work of an outmanned and outgunned opponent. Pick: Indy

Detroit at San Diego: The Lions have lost five in a row, and head to California to take on the resurgent Chargers. The Chargers continue on their roll, and clinch the AFC West this week. Pick: San Diego

Washington at New York Giants: The Giants are the ugliest 9-4 team out there. They have been squeaking out wins week after week. The Redskins will make this a good game, but the Giants win in the end. Pick: New York Giants

Chicago at Minnesota: The Vikings are making a surge behind QB Tarvaris Jackson and the RB tandem of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. The Bears also have a RB named Adrian Peterson, but he’s no match for the Vikings’ Peterson. Pick: Minnesota

Coaching Carousel, Part 1

We are past the coach firing season, and are well in the middle of the coach hiring season. Schools with disappointing results and upset boosters are scrambling to find themselves a coach who will win a championship and make all stakeholders of a university happy. A lot of schools have made news with their searches, their hires, or their lack of hires to this point. This blog will have periodic posts over the next few days on the implications of some of these hires.

Arkansas: The Hogs listened to a large portion of their fan base and cut a deal with Houston Nutt for his resignation. Nutt was calling the Hogs one day, and showed up in Oxford the next day to take the Ole Miss job. Nonetheless, it was a move that needed to be made. Now, the Razorbacks are bringing in Bobby Petrino from the Atlanta Falcons. Petrino left the Falcons with three weeks left in the season, leaving a train wreck of a team. It wasn’t his fault Michael Vick got in trouble with dogs, but he apparently wasn’t a good fit in the NFL, regardless. Petrino comes to the SEC after a good run at Louisville, finishing third in the nation with the Cardinals last season. This will be interesting, as Petrino (a former Auburn assistant) was the coach interviewed for the Auburn job on an airport runway in 2003 by Auburn czar/booster/trustee Bobby Lowder, while the job was still held by current coach Tommy Tuberville. Petrino was finishing his first year at Louisville. Also, Tuberville had his name in the hat for the Arkansas job, but the Hogs were unwilling/unable to pay the huge buyout required for Tuberville’s services. The Arkansas/Auburn game will be a scene this year, with two coaches that once worked with each other and wouldn’t mind having each other’s jobs. In the meantime, the Falcons are in even more of a lurch.

Michigan: Lloyd Carr retired effective at the end of this season. The Wolverines find themselves in the market for a coach, but are unwilling to break the bank for it. They’re Michigan, and many of them feel that a coach should pay them for the privilege of coaching Michigan. There is a Michigan Man at LSU, Les Miles, who is repeatedly stating that he will remain as head coach at LSU. I don’t buy that. There is a vocal minority at UM that does not want Miles to become the coach. However, judging by the way feet are being dragged there, it appears the Wolverines are killing time until after the BCS championship game, when Miles returns home to Ann Arbor.

Baylor: Baylor lured Art Briles from Houston to replace the departed Guy Morriss. Briles doubled his salary to $1.8 million in the process. This is a good move for both parties. Baylor gets a good coach, and Briles gets to build a program in the Big 12. Not many would be capable of making Baylor a winner. I believe he has the background and skills necessary for the job there. The downside: He and his wife have to live in Waco.

Ole Miss: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. One day after a farewell press conference in Hogland, Houston Nutt was introduced as head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Talk about a win-win situation: Nutt gets paid to leave Arkansas, then takes a job with a rival down the road. Whatever one may think of Nutt, he is an improvement for Ole Miss over the fired Ed Orgeron. Nutt becomes the third head coach in the SEC West to have previously served as head coach at a rival division school, joining the aforementioned Tuberville (Ole Miss, Auburn) and Nick Saban (LSU, Alabama).

In addition to those coaches, Sylvester Croom of Mississippi State played at and was formerly an assistant at Alabama, and Petrino was formerly an assistant at Auburn before taking the circuitous road to Fayetteville. Throw in Steve Spurrier, who grew up in Tennessee, played and coached at Florida, and now coaches at South Carolina, and we see that there is some serious inbreeding in that conference. No wonder Les Miles wants to go back to Michigan!

More coaching comments later, including remarks on SMU, Georgia Tech, UCLA, and others..

Turning Back The Clock

This video was previously posted on this blog several months ago. The video fell off of YouTube, but is now back. This is the cheesy intro that CBS used for NBA games in the 70's.

This is from the 1975 Western Conference finals between Chicago and Golden State. Chicago was once in the Western conference, while Houston was in the East..go figure. That was fixed long ago.

The lyrics:

Give it all you got,
Take your your very best shot

And may the best team win.

The time is now, the name of the game is action.

They're on the floor,

And they're ready to score,

So let the game begin,

And let's see how the ball's going to bounce today

Welcome to N-B-A

Come on, and join the roar of the crowd"

Here's another classic about,

To come your way...

You'll see the best in basketball

When you watch the N-B-A,

When you watch the N-B-A on C-B-S.

(N-B-A on C-B-S, N-B-A on C-B-S, ... etc. fading out)

NFL Highway, Week 14

Another week on the NFL highway brought us a titanic comeback and several teams solidifying playoff position. There are a few good teams, and a few really horrible teams. Overall, the league is surprisingly predictable. Let’s look at what happened this week.

Was there any doubt, with two minutes to go, the ball deep in Dallas territory, no timeouts, and trailing 27-21, that Tony Romo would bring the Cowboys back for a win over Detroit? Of course not. Detroit had led by as much as 27-14 before the Cowboys stormed back, using a Romo to Jason Witten touchdown pass with 18 seconds left to sneak past Detroit, 28-27. The Lions lost their fifth game in a row to fall to 6-7. The Cowboys are now 12-1. Dallas is looking like more of a team of density. Or, that’s what George McFly would call destiny. The Cowboys clinched the NFC East, and need to win two more games to clinch home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Last Thursday night, the Washington Redskins bounced back from the burial of teammate Sean Taylor to beat the Chicago Bears, 24-16. The Redskins retain a slight chance of making the playoffs, while the Bears slide to 5-8, slipping farther away from playoff contention.

There is a unwritten code in the NFL that teams will not run up the score on other teams. What goes around definitely comes around, and coaches know they could easily be on the other end of a whipping. The Buffalo Bills owned Miami for a half. That’s all they needed. The Bills led 31-7 at halftime, and cruised to a 38-17 win. The Dolphins remain on a collision course with 0-16.

The Cincinnati Bengals earned their fifth win of the year, beating the injury-riddled St. Louis Rams, 19-10. The Rams will have a high draft pick this year. The Bengals are probably playing for coach Marvin Lewis’ job during the last three weeks of the season.

The Oakland Raiders reverted to normal on Sunday, as the Green Bay Packers pounded them, 38-7. Brett Favre continues to have a career year in the Great White North.

If the Houston Texans were in the NFC South, they would be a playoff team. The Texans rode three touchdown passes from backup QB Sage Rosenfels to a 28-14 win over NFC South leader Tampa Bay. The Texans have 17 players on the injured list, and are still 6-7. Sounds like a shakeup may be in the offing in the strength and conditioning department.

There was a good team playing on Sunday in Jacksonville. It was not the Carolina Panthers. The Jaguars pounded the Panthers, 37-6. The Jags clinched one of the wild-card spots in the AFC. The Panthers will be drafting relatively early next spring in New York.

The New York Giants continue to find ways to win road games. For the second week in a row, the G-men came from behind on the road, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 16-13, and earning bragging rights to the New Jersey Turnpike. It is looking more and more like Donovan McNabb is no longer a premier quarterback, and Eagles coach Andy Reid could be in trouble. The Giants will most likely be in the playoffs as a wild card team.

In Music City, the San Diego Chargers played like dog doo-doo for three quarters. They then rode the legs of RB LaDainian Tomlinson to come from behind and defeat the Tennessee Titans, 23-17 in overtime. If the Titans miss the playoffs, they’ll look back at this one as one they should have won. The Chargers find themselves a win away from winning the AFC West for the second year in a row, in spite of their inconsistent play this season.

There is a good team developing in Minnesota. The Vikings won their fifth game in a row on Sunday, pounding the San Francisco 49ers, 27-7. The Vikes did not need Adrian Peterson this week, as AD only rushed for three yards. Chester Taylor did the damage for Minnesota, rushing for 101 yards, including an 84-yard touchdown run. The 49ers are returning to the ranks of the woeful.

For the fourth year in a row, the Seattle Seahawks are NFC West champs. They crushed the Arizona Cardinals, 42-21. They’ll always fly under the radar playing late games in the upper corner of the country, but the Seahawks are a force to be reckoned with.

Did anyone really think the New England Patriots would play three bad games in a row? Not hardly. The Pats rode the arm of Tom Brady to a 34-13 shellacking of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would take a major catastrophe to keep the Patriots from going 16-0. The Pats have home games with the Jets and Dolphins, and finish the season at the Meadowlands in New Jersey to play the New York Giants. 16-0 is definitely in the cards for this team.

As said earlier in the season, the Denver Broncos sometimes look like the ’07 Dolphins. Other times, they look like the ’72 Dolphins. The latter was the case on Sunday in Denver, as the Broncos beat the stuffing out of the Kansas City Chiefs, winning 41-7. The Broncos are too inconsistent to make the playoffs, but are capable of pounding teams on occasion. Brandon Marshall caught two touchdown passes for Denver.

The Cleveland Browns moved another week closer to the playoffs, with a 24-18 win over the New York Jets. Derek Anderson continued to make his case for a starting QB job in Cleveland or another city with two more touchdown passes. Next up for the Jets: a trip to Foxboro to play the Patriots. Good luck with all that.

In the Sunday night extravaganza, the Indianapolis Colts scored early and often in a 44-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Colts led 37-7 at halftime and emptied the bench in the third quarter. The Ravens may be forced to blow their entire team up and start over. Injuries and age are catching up with them this season.

Ugly Uniform of the Day

I have been accused of playing favorites with ugly uniforms. Yes, I have been known to throw schools and teams under the bus that I don't like. However, today, I am forced to attack a school and program that I love.

The University of Oklahoma men's basketball team came out in these gray uniforms on Wednesday night against the University of Tulsa. This is a fashion no-no. The Sooners' colors are crimson and cream. They wear white in place of cream. Gray is not their color. The Sooners looked like Ohio State. Now I wish they could recruit like Ohio State, as the Buckeyes rode two NBA lottery picks to the national championship game last year. However, gray is a no-no. Gray is the color of the Confederate army and Ohio State. It is not the color of the Sooners.

Sooners, stick to crimson and cream. Please. For all of us.

College Football & The Battle Of The Bands

This was posted on one of the West Virginia fan boards. Division I football teams are compared with musical acts.

I cannot claim credit or blame for this. I do not claim to be a music junkie. However, this is pretty funny.

BOSTON COLLEGE: VAN HALEN----- They were good in the 80's. Good, not great. Commercial appeal (Doug Flutie, Pepsi commercials)
CLEMSON: FLEETWOOD MAC----- Pretty solid. They were maybe the best for one year (Fleetwood Mac- "Rumours", Clemson '80). Inbreeding prevalent.
DUKE: MENUDO----- Worst of the worst. Soft.
FLORIDA STATE: BEASTIE BOYS----- Very strong in the 90's. Good for over 20 years. Tougher than Florida, not as tough as Miami.
GEORGIA TECH: OTIS REDDING----- Very good for a long time. Not unbeatable. Southern and old school.
MARYLAND: OASIS----- Had a couple of really good years about 5 to 10 years ago. Probably not as good as they think they are.
MIAMI: NWA----- Very dominant from the 80's on. Full of superstars. Very tough.
NORTH CAROLINA AND NORTH CAROLINA STATE: HALL AND OATES----- Weren't they good once? Were they? Which one's Hall? Which one's Oates?
VIRGINIA: BUSH----- Probably better than they think they are. Still middle of the road.
VIRGINIA TECH: U2----- Very good for a long while. Maybe slightly overrated.
WAKE FOREST: MATCHBOX TWENTY----- Fairly new to the scene. Not flashy. Non-descript. Among the better teams, but not great. Somewhat soft.
FLORIDA: NIRVANA----- Fairly dominant. Strongest from the 90's on. Not as street as Florida State or Miami.
SOUTH CAROLINA: FOO-FIGHTERS----- Pretty good. Not incredible. Steve Spurrier (Dave Groel) went from Florida (Nirvana) to South Carolina (Foo-Fighters).
GEORGIA: JOHNNY CASH----- Very good. Country western style. Good for a long time. Kind of tough.
KENTUCKY: RASCAL FLATTS----- A new power. Very country.
TENNESSEE: THE EAGLES----- Always in the top mix. Overrated.
VANDERBILT: CREED----- Religious. Maybe you thought they were good for a minute, but not really.
ALABAMA: ELVIS PRESLEY----- The southern king of the 20th century.
AUBURN: JAMES BROWN----- A slightly wilder Elvis (Alabama).
OLE MISS: RAY CHARLES----- Very dominant in the 50's and 60's. Similar region.
MISSISSIPPI STATE: ACE OF BASE----- Kind of a joke. Hit their peak in the 90's, but kind of a laugher now.
ARKANSAS: LYNYRD SKYNYRD----- Both are southern through and through. Pretty equal talent levels. Every now and then had great hits.
LSU: WU-TANG CLAN----- Dominant. Deep, fast, and tough.
CONNECTICUT: MARROON FIVE----- Have been winning some games and awards lately. An up and comer. No one you would be terrified of.
SYRACUSE: BUDDY HOLLY----- Last dominant year, 1959. The Orange's last title, Holly's last plane ride.
RUTGERS: TOMMY TUTONE----- They toil in mediocrity, with the exception of one smash hit. Let's all say it together....8-6-7-5309.
PITTSBURGH: CREEDENCE CLEARWATER----- Both very strong in the 70's. Star players. Hit songs. Fairly similar talent level.
WEST VIRGINIA: 50 CENT----- A new power. A little crazy. Dangerous.
SOUTH FLORIDA: KANYE WEST----- A new power. Not quite as crazy as WVU, but beat them this year, just like Kanye's record sales.
CINCINNATI: MARKY MARK----- They think they're pretty tough. Not much of a history because it's not their best sport (for Marky Mark it's acting).
LOUISVILLE: TOBY KEITH----- Very popular in their neck of the woods. Were very strong, but maybe tailing off a little. Country.
PENN STATE: PINK FLOYD----- Very strong for a long time. Like to party.
OHIO STATE: THE WHO----- Most think they're among the best. Some think they're a little boring.
MICHIGAN: LED ZEPPELIN----- Extensive catalog. Great history. Top level.
MICHIGAN STATE: AEROSMITH----- Definitely not on Led Zeppelin's level. Started out great, then fizzle out at the end.
INDIANA: THREE DOG NIGHT----- Not on the same level as most of their league. A few hits scattered about. Maybe even a little humorous.
PURDUE: BOB SEGER----- Not many pay them much attention, but they're pretty good at what they do. Again, a little boring.
ILLINOIS: HANK WILLIAMS SR.----- Dominant in the late 40's.
NORTHWESTERN: THE MONKEES----- Actors. Had a couple of good years, but definitely not the Beatles.
NOTRE DAME: THE BEATLES----- Most famous. Most hits. Supremely dominant.
IOWA: PAUL SIMON----- Pretty good for a long time, sort of folksy.
IOWA STATE: ART GARFUNKEL----- Not on Paul Simon's (Iowa) level. Plus they were split apart....Big 10/ Big 12.
WISCONSIN: SMASHING PUMPKINS----- Strongest from the 90's on. Lots of talent.
MINNESOTA: CROSBY, STILLS, NASH----- Ran a 3-headed monster running back. Used to be pretty solid.
NEBRASKA: PEARL JAM----- Very dominant in the 90's. One of the best of their time period. Faded quickly.
KANSAS STATE: STONE TEMPLE PILOTS----- Also very good in the 90's. Not quite as big as Nebraska.
KANSAS: KANSAS------ May be just a one hit wonder...because after all, all we are is "dust in the wind" .
MISSOURI: THE KILLERS----- A new powerhouse possibly.
COLORADO: THE POLICE----- The best there was for a couple of years.
OKLAHOMA: BOB DYLAN----- An all-time great. Classic. A little folksy.
OKLAHOMA STATE: JONI MITCHELL----- Not on Bob Dylan's level. Still the folk thing.
TULSA: WALLFLOWERS----- Bob Dylan's son.
TEXAS: METALLICA----- Best in their genre. Fast, explosive, obsessed.
TEXAS A&M: DEF LEPPARD----- Not as good as Metallica, but similar.
TEXAS TECH: IRON MAIDEN----- Sometimes faster, crazier, and more explosive than Metallica (Texas)...but not as good a band.
BAYLOR: SLAYER----- Morbid joke....The thing Baylor is most famous for.
TCU: POISON----- Horned frogs are poisonous. Maybe had a better year or two than Metallica.
SMU: MEGADETH----- They got the mega-death penalty.
HOUSTON: WINGER----- They wing the ball around a lot (i.e. David Klingler). Run n' gun style.
UTEP: TWISTED SISTER----- A UT sister campus in the middle of nowhere.
NORTH TEXAS: QUIET RIOT----- One of the lesser talents of heavy metal Texas. Plus Quiet Riot and Mean Green both rhyme.
RICE: RATT----- It has 4 letters and begins with "R". Plus it fits our theme.
WASHINGTON: SOUNDGARDEN----- They're both from the same area. Pretty equal talent level. Strong in the 90's.
WASHINGTON STATE: MUDHONEY----- Not on Soundgarden's level. Same general genre.
OREGON: ALICE IN CHAINS----- Underrated. Very strong 90's until present. Same general region.
OREGON STATE: SCREAMING TREES----- There are beautiful trees in Oregon. People smoke a lot of tree in Oregon. Similar popularity and talent.
STANFORD: RADIOHEAD----- Cerebral. Emotional. A good team overall. Artsy area.
CALIFORNIA: COLDPLAY----- Same region. Maybe a little bigger than Radiohead right now.
USC: ROLLING STONES----- One of the best of the best.
UCLA: THE DOORS----- Los Angeles. Famous. Not quite the level of the Stones.
ARIZONA: STEELY DAN----- I didn't know they still played.
ARIZONA STATE: MOTLEY CRUE----- Wild, like to party a lot. Hang out with hot girls.
ARMY: FRANK SINATRA----- Dominant in the mid-1900's. Very classy. Past their day.
NAVY: DEAN MARTIN----- Also dominant in the mid-1900's. Maybe a better voice than Sinatra, even though Sinatra had a slight lead.
AIR FORCE: HARRY CONNICK JR.----- Wants to be like Army and Navy used to be, but didn't quite get there. They were better in the 80's and 90's.
EAST CAROLINA: HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH----- Fun-loving. Kind of ridiculous. Had a few big years, but not very good.
MEMPHIS: THE SPINNERS----- Not on the same level as the Eagles (Tennessee), but with more soul. Plus, it's more of a basketball school, so they probably have a "rubberband man" or two.
TULANE: COUNTING CROWS----- Similar talent level. Everybody usually knows the lead singer (QB), but nobody knows the rest of the team.
UTAH: LIFEHOUSE----- Not quite as religious as BYU, but still religious. Decent squad with some hits.
BYU: THE OSMONDS----- This is just funny.
UTAH STATE: HANSEN----- May be even funnier.
NEW MEXICO: JANIS JOPLIN----- Sort of weird and dirty. Kind of "out there", but sometimes put out things you really like.
NEW MEXICO STATE: YOKO ONO----- Less talented than Joplin (New Mex.). Uglier than Joplin (New Mex.). Somebody must be a fan, but I'm certainly not.
SOUTHERN MISS: BOBBY MCFERRIN----- Kind of a joke. Had one all-time hit (Brett Favre).
CENTRAL FLORIDA: BLACK-EYED PEAS----- New. Annoying.
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL: 2 LIVE CREW----- Like to fight a lot. Not very good at what they do, and probably care more about parties and women anyway.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC: LIL' WAYNE----- Still kind of new. Might be good, might not.
UAB: GETO BOYS----- Probably want to be like Miami (NWA) or LSU (Wu-Tang), but not on their level. Lots of gangstas though.
WYOMING: KID ROCK----- I'm a cowboy, baby. Kinda scraggly. Weird uniforms.
COLORADO STATE: JACK JOHNSON----- Some fairly new hits. At times sound really good, other times you forget they exist.
BUFFALO: TAYLOR HICKS----- Pathetic.
TEMPLE: CLAY AIKEN----- Beyond pathetic.
UNLV AND NEVADA: ROBERT GOULET AND ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK----- Everyone knows who they are, but nobody knows anything that they've ever done.
SAN DIEGO STATE: JIMMY BUFFETT----- Tropical. Laid back. Pretty similar talent levels.
BOISE STATE: NICKELBACK----- Put out a ton of hits recently. You keep thinking that their gonna go away, but they keep putting out hits.
HAWAII: PHISH----- Weird, gimmicky. Way "out there". Their fans are half-naked, but not necessarily in good shape.
FRESNO STATE: SUGAR RAY----- West coast. Everyone knows the lead singer (QB such as David Carr). Mediocre.
SAN JOSE STATE: NO DOUBT----- West coast. Everyone knows the lead singer (QB), but a little more feminine (Jeff Garcia) than Fresno. Mediocre.
MARSHALL: SUBLIME----- A major tragedy struck them on their way to the top.
KENT STATE: BLIND MELON----- Lesser tragedy. Lesser band.
TOLEDO: GOOD CHARLOTTE----- Very strong about 5 years ago, but never got incredibly popular. Now they are easily forgotten.
BALL STATE: FALL OUT BOY----- Same genre as Good Charlotte, maybe hotter now. (Ball St. beat Navy on the road and almost beat Nebraska on the road.)
NORTHERN ILLINOIS: SUM 41----- Again, same genre. Had a few great hits (beating MD, had Michael "the Burner" Turner). But again, that was a few years ago.
AKRON, OHIO, BOWLING GREEN: CHRISTINA AGUILERA, JESSICA SIMPSON, MANDY MOORE----- Nobody really knows who's better from year to year. Nobody really cares.
WESTERN MICHIGAN, EASTERN MICHIGAN, CENTRAL MICHIGAN: BACKSTREET BOYS, NSYNC, 98 DEGREES------ They're all the same damn thing. Oh they're not? Then explain the differences to me.
MIAMI OF OHIO: NEW FOUND GLORY----- Same genre as Good Charlotte, etc., but they have a new found glory, because nobody would know who they are either if it wasn't for Roethlisberger.
TROY: LINKIN PARK----- They dominate their genre (Sun Belt Conference). Fairly new, nobody knows how good they could end up being.
IDAHO: GWAR----- They're weird. They're terrible. And nobody even cares about them.
LOUISIANA-MONROE: BANANARAMA----- Similar talent level.
LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE: THE BANGLES----- Again, similar talent level, with maybe a few more hits than Bananarama (La.-Monroe).
LOUISIANA TECH: THE GO-GO'S----- A few more hits than the Bangles (La.-Lafayette).
WESTERN KENTUCKY: DAVID HASSELHOFF----- One of the worst. Not even their best sport (Hasselhoff's acting), but not very good at either one. Huge in Germany.
ARKANSAS STATE: NELSON----- Just horrible on so many levels.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE: THE AVERAGE WHITE BAND----- No explanation necessary

NFL Picks, Week 14

More early picks, as there is an NFL Network game on Thursday night...

Last week: 10-6
Season: 127-57

Dallas at Detroit: The hot Cowboys visit the cold Lions. Dallas is 11-1 and on a collision course with home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Detroit has lost four in a row. However, the Lions seem to always beat the Cowboys when they play in the Motor City. But, the Lions haven't run into Tony Romo. The Romo Empire continues to grow. Pick: Dallas

Chicago at Washington: The Thursday night NFL Network game features two teams on the brink of playoff elimination. The Bears have been improving after an awful start. The Redskins have had an awful 10 days in dealing with the murder of safety Sean Taylor. The Redskins lost a game on Sunday, went to Taylor's funeral on Monday, and are playing on Thursday. There will be nothing left in their tank. Pick: Chicago

Miami at Buffalo: The Dolphins are 0-12 with little hope for a win in their last four games. The Bills are a halfway decent team. This is also a warm weather team going into cold weather in December. Good luck with all that. Pick: Buffalo

Oakland at Green Bay: Packers have a chance to bounce back against the Raiders. Look out for Oakland, as they have won two in a row. They haven't played the Packers in Green Bay, though. Pick: Green Bay

Tampa Bay at Houston: Bucs have clinched the NFC South. Texans are inconsistent and injury-prone. Flip a coin. Pick: Tampa Bay

Carolina at Jacksonville: Jags lost a close one last week in Indy, but return home to play the mediocre Panthers. Pick: Jacksonville

St. Louis at Cincinnati: Rams are having serious quarterback issues, and are forced to start 3rd team quarterback Brock Berlin this week. Bengals shouldn't be as bad as their record. Pick: Cincinnati

New York Giants at Philadelphia: Giants stole victory from the jaws of defeat last week in Chicago. Eagles are playing for their lives this week. Pick: Philly

San Diego at Tennessee: The Chargers seem to have underachieved this season, but they can clinch the AFC West with a win and a Denver loss. The Titans are like a yo-yo: up and down. This is in Music City, so go with the home team. Pick: Tennessee

Minnesota at San Francisco: The Vikings are rolling behind RBs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. The 49ers have won two games against the Cardinals and one game against the rest of the league. Pick: Minnesota

Arizona at Seattle: Seahawks can put a hammerlock on the NFC West with a win here. Cardinals are pretty good, but not quite good enough to get over the hump. Seahawks are getting ready for the playoffs. Pick: Seattle

Pittsburgh at New England: Game of the week. Steelers are one of the better teams in the league and are capable of ending the Patriots' undefeated season. The Patriots know that, and will play better than in the last two weeks. Pick: New England

Kansas City at Denver: Lots of mediocrity on display here. Go with the home team. Pick: Denver

Cleveland at New York Jets: The Browns are on course with the playoffs, in spite of last week's loss at Arizona. The Jets return to earth after crushing the Dolphins last week. Pick: Cleveland

Indianapolis at Baltimore: The old Baltimore team returns to Crab City to face the Ravens. The Ravens are frustrated after a heartbreaking loss to New England. It will be hard for them to get up for two games in a row, especially facing the team that knocked them out of last year's playoffs. Pick: Indy

New Orleans at Atlanta: Yuck. This is a big rivalry, no matter how good or bad the teams are. These teams have been bad a lot more than they've been good. This year, neither team is very special. The Saints have more talent. Pick: New Orleans

It Makes Too Much Sense

As has been written earlier in this blog, a college football playoff is the best way to both determine a legitimate national champion and to generate the maximum amount of revenue. Imagine, as the first round of a national championship playoff could be this week. First round games could be played on home fields to maximize revenue. It would be a 16 team bracket, and every conference champion would get an automatic bid. The five best teams to not win their conference would receive an at-large bid. This week’s pairings would be as follows (ratings taken from the final BCS ratings):

#16 Florida Atlantic at #1 Ohio State
#9 West Virginia at #8 Kansas

#12 Florida at #4 Oklahoma
#13 BYU at #5 Georgia
(Florida and Georgia played in the regular season, and would not be allowed to play in the first round of a playoff)

#11 Arizona State at #6 Missouri
#14 UCF at #3 Virginia Tech

#10 Hawaii at #7 USC
#15 Central Michigan at #2 LSU

The first two rounds would be played on the home field of the higher-seeded team in order to maximize revenue and to reward higher-ranked teams. The semi-finals would be held as a doubleheader at a neutral site, in a Final Four-type atmosphere. The national championship game would be held at another neutral site, awarded via a bidding process similar to that of the NCAA basketball tournament.

What about the bowls? There would still be room for bowls. For instance, Penn State and Texas A&M could still meet in the Alamo Bowl. Cities would have the option of keeping their bowls or placing themselves in the bidding for the championship rounds.

This is a treasure chest of money waiting to be earned. Oh, yeah, a champion would be crowned, also.

NFL Highway, Week 13

Another week on the NFL highway brought a lot of expected results. The good teams are quickly separating themselves from the bad. A lot of teams still have slight post-season hopes, while others play out the string for the remaining four weeks of the season. A rundown of this week in the National Football League:

In the Thursday night NFL Network game, the Cowboys and Packers met in the week’s best matchup. The Cowboys outscored the Packers, 34-24, as Brett Favre was knocked out in the second quarter with an elbow injury. He was playing like dog doo-doo at the time. Aaron Rodgers came in and played better. Favre should be back next week. The Cowboys are in the driver’s seat for home field advantage throughout the rest of the playoffs. Tony Romo threw four more touchdown passes for Dallas.

The Carolina Panthers used a big defensive effort to handle the San Francisco 49ers, 31-14. The Panthers had six sacks and an interception return for a touchdown. Not many fantasy owners out there had the Carolina defense and the corresponding points they produced. The Niners are terrible.

The Indianapolis Colts proved that they are still the top dog in the AFC South division, earning a season sweep over the Jacksonville Jaguars, 28-25. Peyton Manning threw four touchdown passes for the Colts. The Colts plan to keep winning and hope that the Patriots somehow stumble three times. Yeah, right.

When all else fails, give the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson. The TCU-ex carried the ball for 177 yards and two touchdowns as the San Diego Chargers rolled over the Kansas City Chiefs, 24-10. The Chargers are starting to finally take control of the AFC West at 7-5. The Chiefs are slipping back to their expected output at 4-8.

Poor Miami. The Dolphins are awful. They blew their best chance for a win this season with an ugly 40-17 loss to the New York Jets. The Jets dressed up once again as the New York Titans, wearing throwback uniforms to honor their original incarnation in the AFL. The Dolphins are on a collision course with 0-16.

There are two running backs once again in Minnesota, and they are starting to develop a quarterback. Tarvaris Jackson was 18-for-24 and threw for 204 yards, and RBs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor both scored to help the Vikings to a 42-10 blowout of the Detroit Lions. The Lions are fast becoming the same old Lions we’ve known for years, losing their third game in a row. The Vikings are becoming dangerous.

The Seattle Seahawks are establishing themselves as the third best team in the NFC. The Hawks went into Philadelphia and clipped the wings of the Eagles, 28-24. The Eagles find themselves at 5-7 and in danger of missing the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Two bad teams met on Sunday in St. Louis. The Rams showed themselves to be a lot better than the woeful Falcons, winning 28-16. Both teams will be players in the early rounds of next year’s draft. Both teams are now 3-9.

The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans met on Sunday in Nashville. That means the Titans got another win, getting their sixth consecutive win over the Texans, 28-20. The Texans lost QB Matt Schaub to injury in the first quarter. The Texans are improving, but are not even close to being over the hump in the AFC.

Heavy hearts were on display Sunday in Washington, as the Redskins and Buffalo Bills honored slain Redskins safety Sean Taylor before the game. The Bills had a safety early in the game which proved to be the difference in a 17-16 win. The Redskins flew as a team to Miami for Taylor’s funeral today, then flew back to D.C. to prepare for a Thursday game with the Bears. Tough week.

Two unpredictable teams met Sunday in the desert. Kurt Warner led the Arizona Cardinals to a win over the resurgent Cleveland Browns, 27-21. The Cardinals still have an outside shot at the playoffs, while the Browns have a very good chance to make the AFC playoffs.

Break up the Raiders! Oakland earned their second win in a row, defeating the mercurial Denver Broncos, 34-20. Some weeks, the Broncos look like the ’72 Dolphins. Other weeks, they look like the ’07 Dolphins. Go figure.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South division, riding the arm of backup quarterback Luke McCown to a 27-23 road win over the New Orleans Saints. The Saints are in serious danger of missing the playoffs.

Somehow, the New York Giants uglied their way to a 21-16 win over the Chicago Bears. The Bears led for most of the game before the G-men scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to win the game. New York finds themselves at 8-4, while Chicago sits at 5-7 and in serious danger of missing the playoffs one year after making it to the Super Bowl.

In Pittsburgh, the Steelers flexed their muscle, putting the Cincinnati Bengals away, 24-10. The Bengals have serious problems. They have a ton of talent at the skill positions, but are unable to do much on the defensive side of the ball.

For the second week in a row, the New England Patriots got a scare. The Baltimore Ravens had a great chance to win on Monday night, but fell victim to a Patriots comeback and could not recover. The Patriots won, 27-24. New England needs four more wins to become the first team to finish the season 16-0.

The Obligatory Anti-BCS Rant

This season was the best in the history of college football. There was no dominant team. Every week brought upsets and unpredictability. Thirteen teams ranked in the top 5 were subsequently beaten by unranked teams. There was never a dull moment.

This awesome regular season is about to be followed by a dud of a post-season. That post-season structure is called the bowl system. Instead of qualifying for a playoff, big-time college football teams subject themselves to the whims of computer geeks, coaches, retired coaches, and Chamber of Commerce guys in setting up their post-season. The result is one really big game, four big-name, high-paying games, and a bunch of meaningless exhibitions created to fill hotel rooms in the winter season.

One can argue that the lack of a playoff legitimizes the regular season, and makes every week and every game important. The current structure is like survival football, only a team can lose, fall, and climb back up in the standings if enough other teams lose. This season has resembled a big game of musical chairs, only teams are allowed to re-enter the circle. LSU has been #1 twice this season, lost, and still made the championship game.

The BCS was created to put #1 and #2 in the same bowl game, to preserve big-time bowl games, and to channel a ton of money into six major conferences. The system has served its purpose too well. The major conferences have seized control of big-time college football. The bowls have survived, in spite of thrilling matchups like last year’s Orange Bowl between Louisville and Wake Forest. What the BCS system really tells us, though, is that it’s more important to have controversy and make a whole ton of money for a handful of schools than to crown a legitimate national champion like every other collegiate sport.

A 16-team playoff would generate more money for all the schools, including those in BCS conferences. The biggest difference, though, is that the money would be controlled and distributed by the NCAA instead of the individual conferences. I have to admit that I cringe at the thought of the NCAA controlling that much more money and structure. The current administration of the NCAA lets off the biggest stench of academic elitism in its promotion and operation of college athletics. That’s what happens when you have an organization run by pointy-headed university presidents. If I have to choose between college athletic directors and college presidents, give me the A.D.’s any time. The A.D.’s are a lot more in touch with reality.

The purposes of college athletics are two-fold: to provide an opportunity for students to receive an education, and to promote the university among the general public. Fundraising is an outgrowth of both of those. A college football playoff would only enhance those purposes and help to provide more opportunities for athletes. Imagine how many more women’s and men’s sports a school could add with the extra money generated by a playoff.

The BCS is a barely-legal cartel. Remove the C, and you have the smell of the current college football post-season.

The Deed Is Done

Let the weeping and gnashing of teeth begin…

The final BCS ratings are out, and the BCS bowls have made their selections. As befitting the nature of this most psychotic of seasons, these selections are controversial. Some comments on the choices made by the Chamber of Commerce guys in the loud blazers..


BCS National Championship Game, New Orleans
Ohio State vs. LSU
It’s tough to argue with this one. Ohio State moved up four spots in the rankings without playing the last two weeks, and find themselves as the #1 team in the nation. LSU plays on its home field away from home in the Superdome. Buckeye fans normally take over a bowl city, no matter how far from Ohio it is. Now, they have to deal with New Orleans and a date with the home team, LSU. Look for the Superdome to be filled with 75,000 drunk Cajuns. Ask OU how that went the last time there was a national championship game in the Superdome. This matchup will be as good as any. TOSU is 0-8 against SEC teams in bowls. It will be a tall order for them in the Big Easy.


Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
USC vs. Illinois
After Ohio State qualified for the national championship game, the Rose Bowl had the first pick of at-large teams. The Rose Bowl people had a chance to take Georgia or any number of teams, but are so married to the Big Ten that they took 9-3 Illinois. Illinois isn’t bad, but they’re not elite bowl-caliber. This won’t be pretty. USC will spank Illinois. USC is back in their home away from home in Pasadena.


Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
The Hokies are #3 in the BCS composite rankings, and are champions of the ACC. The Orange Bowl made a controversial pick by choosing Kansas. The Jayhawks have had a great season, finishing 11-1. Problem is, Missouri was better, beating the Jayhawks head-to-head, finishing 11-2 (with both losses to Oklahoma), winning the Big 12 North, and finishing higher in the BCS rankings. KU will have a great bowl trip until game time.


Fiesta Bowl, Glendale, Arizona
Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
OU returns to the scene of last year’s debacle against Boise State. The Mountaineers find themselves here after blowing a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make the national championship game. There will be a lot of points scored in this game. It will be well worth watching.

Sugar Bowl, New Orleans
Georgia vs. Hawaii
Georgia finished 10-2, but did not get a chance to play LSU for the SEC championship, since they lost to Tennessee. They are playing as well as anyone in the country right now. The Hawaii Warriors represent the hopes of the islands as well as the little guys of college football. This will be a good game.

Coming: my true thoughts on the BCS and a playoff system as it relates to this season.

Who's #1? Who's #2?

College football is a big mess. I'd use more colorful language to describe it, but I'm offended by profanity, so I won't use it.

When the Ohio State Buckeyes walked off the field two weeks ago at the Big House in Ann Arbor, they had won a Big Ten championship, and figured to be going to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the first time in a long time. The Buckeyes have been making a habit of going to the Fiesta Bowl and/or the national championship game. But, something weird happened on the way to the travel agent. A lot of teams have lost in the last two weeks. And, The Ohio State University will once again find themselves in the national championship game. The Buckeyes beat every team in Northeast Ohio (Akron, Kent State, and Youngstown State). They would have beaten Cleveland State if CSU had a football team. The Bucks then ran through a weak Big Ten, only stumbling against the Fighting Ron Zooks, aka the Illinois Fighting Illini.

Who else has a case to be in the spot opposing the Buckeyes in New Orleans? Here are a few teams:

LSU: The Tigers survived the SEC and claimed the conference championship. Their only two losses were in triple overtime, at Kentucky and at home to Arkansas. They defeated ACC champion Virginia Tech by 41 points. The Tigers have now been voted #2 by the AP and coaches polls. The coaches poll will be used as part of the BCS formula. LSU is an odds-on favorite to be the second team at their home-away-from home in New Orleans for the national championship game.

Oklahoma: My Sooners won their fifth Big 12 championship this decade by dispatching of the formerly #1 Missouri Tigers, 38-17. The Sooners are really good when they're on, but I can't make a case for them over LSU. They had a brain fart in the fourth quarter at Colorado, costing them a win. They later fell apart for three quarters at Texas Tech as QB Sam Bradford suffered a concussion. OU would be dangerous in a playoff, but will have to settle for a trip to the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

Georgia: The Bulldogs are the hottest team in the country, having not lost since October 6. They are 10-2, losing the SEC East on a tiebreaker to Tennessee. UGa would also be dangerous in a playoff. But, it's hard to make a case for a team that didn't win its conference.

USC: The Trojans are healthy again, and dangerous. SC is 10-2, losing to a healthy Oregon in Eugene and suffering an inexplicable upset loss to Stanford at home. A team that loses to Stanford should not be playing in the national championship game. The Trojans will have to settle for a trip to the Rose Bowl and the opportunity to pound the Fighting Illini.

Kansas: The Jayhawks have only one loss, a 34-28 loss to archrival Missouri. However, they benefited from a super-weak non-conference schedule and the most favorable Big 12 schedule, getting to play the three weakest teams from the Big 12 South and missing the three best South teams (OU, Texas, Texas Tech). Interestingly, KU will probably win by losing last week's Missouri game, as their 11-1 record will get them into a BCS bowl game.

Missouri: The Tigers will get hosed. The Tigers have only lost to one team, Oklahoma. They lost to the Sooners twice, including a tail-whipping on Saturday night. They will be penalized for beating Kansas to earn the opportunity for the rematch with Oklahoma, as they are now 11-2. Mizzou proved on the field that they are better than Kansas, but will have to settle for Breakfast In Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies are 10-2 and are the best team in a weak ACC. Had they not blown a lead in their first game with Boston College, they could very well be the #2 team in the nation. Instead, the Hokies will have to settle for a trip to South Beach.

Hawaii: Why not? The way this season has been, they'd put up as good of a game as anyone. They're undefeated, though playing in a suspect conference. The Warriors' best non-conference win was against a Washington team that finished last in the Pac 10. Still, Hawaii should be in a BCS bowl when the pairings are released Sunday night.

Bizarro World

In a season where Michigan lost to Appalachian State, USC lost at home to Stanford as a 40-point favorite, and Kansas played Missouri when both were top 5 teams in the nation, two more teams blew chances to be in the BCS national championship game.

Tonight, in Morgantown, the West Virginia Mountaineers inexplicably lost as four-touchdown favorites at home to archrival Pittsburgh, 13-9. West Virginia had a golden opportunity to advance to the national championship game and blew it. An entire state is in mourning.

As Las Vegas expected, #1 Missouri will be #1 no longer. Oklahoma spanked the Tigers for the second time this year, defeating Mizzou 38-17. OU wins their 41st conference championship, their 5th in the Big 12. The Sooners become the first team to repeat as Big 12 champions, and advance to the Fiesta Bowl. Missouri will most likely be ripped off, because Kansas will be ranked higher in the BCS rankings and will be invited to a BCS bowl over Mizzou, despite losing last week in Kansas City.

So, Ohio State backs into the national championship game. The Buckeyes are 11-1, playing a weak non-conference schedule and winning a down Big Ten. But, you have to beat the teams you play, and tOSU beat everyone but Illinois. I have to respect the Buckeyes. Most Big Ten teams are satisfied to just go to the Rose Bowl. TOSU plays to go to the national championship game and to win it. The Rose Bowl would be a consolation prize for the Buckeyes.

Who will the Buckeyes play? Do they play a two-loss team? Or, does Kansas, the only other one-loss BCS team, move up to #2? Georgia is the odds-on favorite to move up, as they were #4 in the last BCS rankings. But, LSU, USC, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech are conference champions that can make a case for the second spot in New Orleans.

Elsewhere in the world of college football:

LSU rallied around coach Les Miles, who decided that today, he is the coach at LSU. He could still go to Michigan next week, but he declared today that he is still the coach of the Tigers. LSU went out and defeated Tennessee, 21-14, to win the SEC and the national championship of the Confederacy.

I hope ABC and ESPN are paying the ACC enough money to justify expansion. Virginia Tech and Boston College played before a half-full stadium in Jacksonville today for the ACC championship. The Hokies used a late interception to seal a 30-16 win for their second ACC title in four years in the conference. This expansion was originally brought about in order to hook Florida State and Miami up for the title every year. The Canes haven't sniffed the championship game, and FSU won their one in 2005 with five overall losses. The ACC may need to risk the weather and move this game to either Charlotte or Washington, D.C. Expansion is turning into a big bomb for the ACC. Their basketball is diluted, their football is weakened, and their conference is turning into a poor cousin of the nearby SEC. Hopefully, the 12 schools are laughing all the way to the bank. By the way, what is Boston College doing in this conference? Yeah, they're on the Atlantic Coast, but the ACC is a fried chicken and barbecue conference. BC is from the land of chowder. BC and the Big East need to kiss and make up.

More thoughts Sunday or Monday as the BCS selections are made and bowl invitations are extended...

NFL Picks, Week 13

Last Week: 10-6
Season: 117-51

Green Bay at Dallas: Game of the year in the NFC, broadcast to 500 people by the NFL Network. Don’t worry if you’re in Dallas, as the game will be shown on channel 27. The suits at Fox have to be hacked off at the NFL, as two of the most popular teams in the league are playing on Thursday night on an obscure cable channel not received by most cable subscribers. Nonetheless, it will be a good game as Tony Romo goes up against his boyhood idol Brett Favre. It’ll be a shootout. Pick: Dallas

San Francisco at Carolina: This week’s edition of the Suck Bowl. The 49ers haven’t given up on the season, as they got an overtime win over the Cardinals last week. The Panthers are in deep quarterback trouble. This game will be very ugly. Pick: San Francisco

Jacksonville at Indianapolis: Game of the week in the AFC. The Colts are dealing with some key injuries, while the Jags are healing up. The Jags can move into a tie for first in the AFC South with a win. The Colts have learned how to win big games, and they will do so again here. Pick: Indy

San Diego at Kansas City: Chiefs lost a home game to the awful Raiders last week. The Chargers are like a box of chocolates: you never know what you are going to get. Flip a coin on this one. Pick: Kansas City

New York Jets at Miami: Suck Bowl II. This is the Dolphins’ best chance remaining for a win. Jets were awful last week in losing big to the Cowboys. The Dolphins lost two running backs in the mud in Pittsburgh, opening the door for Patrick Cobbs of Tecumseh High School and North Texas to start this week. The Dolphins haven’t quit. They’re not good, but they’re not bad enough to go 0-16. Pick: Miami

Detroit at Minnesota: Lions need a win to stop their two-game winning streak. Adrian Peterson is slated to return for the Vikings. Vikes should be able to run with AD and Chester Taylor. Look for a lot of points here. Pick: Minnesota

Seattle at Philadelphia: Philly got a moral victory last week in New England behind backup QB A.J. Feeley. Seahawks are about to go on a roll in the NFC West. Which Eagles team shows up? Pick: Philly

Atlanta at St. Louis: Suck Bowl III. There are some bad games this week, and this is one of them. Both teams have found creative ways to lose games this season. Who will make the least mistakes in this one? Pick: St. Louis

Houston at Tennessee: Some things are certain, like death and taxes. Another thing is certain: no matter how bad either team is, the Titans will find a way to beat the Texans. Pick: Tennessee

Buffalo at Washington: Not quite the Suck Bowl, but not a great matchup, either. Redskins are dealing with the tragic murder of teammate Sean Taylor. This could go either way. Pick: Buffalo

Cleveland at Arizona: Don’t expect much defense here. Cleveland is the surprise of the year. Go with the hot hand. Pick: Cleveland

Denver at Oakland: Another AFC West rivalry. Oakland won a game last week, while the Broncos stole defeat from the jaws of victory in Chicago. The Raiders look legitimate for the second week in a row. Pick: Oakland

Tampa Bay at New Orleans: The Saints desperately need this one if they want to have any hope of winning the division or even making the playoffs. The Dome will be rocking. Pick: New Orleans

New York Giants at Chicago: Eli Manning vs. Rex Grossman. Talk about a box of chocolates… Can the Bears steal another one on special teams? I don’t know. Pick: Giants

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh: Hopefully, the weather and field will cooperate for this one, unlike Monday night’s mud bowl in Pittsburgh. Which Bengals team shows up? It won’t matter. The Steelers are better. Pick: Pittsburgh

New England at Baltimore: The Ravens used to be good. Not any more. The Patriots got a bad game out of their system last week. They should torch the Ravens’ once stout defense. Pick: New England

College Picks, Week 14

It’s the last week of the regular season in college football. This week features five conference championship games, the Army-Navy game, plus several games moved to this week in the interest of television. Missouri and West Virginia have chances to play for a national championship by winning this week. With the abbreviated schedule, there are only 14 games to pick this week.

Last week: 13-7
Season: 171-89

Big XII Championship Game at San Antonio: Oklahoma vs. Missouri: In this bizarro world of a college football season, Mizzou finds itself #1 in the nation and one win away from the national championship game. The Tigers also find themselves as three-point underdogs against nemesis Oklahoma, who handed Missouri their only loss of the season. OU cannot win a national championship, but can win its 41st conference championship with a victory. This is a big game. Mizzou won a big game last week. OU plays in big games all the time, every year. Pick: OU

SEC Championship Game at Atlanta: Tennessee vs. LSU: The National Championship Game of the Confederacy pits two teams who played multiple overtimes last week. The Vols needed quadruple overtime to beat Kentucky and qualify for this game. The Tigers lost a triple-overtime heartbreaker to Arkansas, and find their coaches in the heat of contract discussions with other schools (Les Miles-Michigan, defensive coordinator Bo Pelini-Nebraska, Arkansas). LSU had their guts ripped out last week by the Hogs. Pick: Tennessee

ACC Championship Game at Jacksonville: Virginia Tech vs. Boston College: Is this the ACC championship game, or the Big East title game? Both teams were in the Big East until three years ago. VT led BC for most of the game in their regular season meeting, before the Eagles pulled a late comeback in the last five minutes to win the game. It’s hard to beat a good team twice. Pick: Virginia Tech

Conference USA Championship Game at Orlando: UCF vs. Tulsa: UCF finishes their first year in their new stadium by hosting the C-USA championship game for the second time in three years. Last time UCF was in this game, they lost to Tulsa. Knights make things right this week. Pick: UCF

MAC Championship Game at Detroit: Central Michigan vs. Miami (Ohio): The Chippewas recovered from early season whippings by Kansas, Purdue, and North Dakota State to win the West division of the MAC. Miami, the Cradle of Coaches, survived the East division. The game is in Michigan. Pick: Central Michigan

Army vs. Navy at Baltimore: You can usually throw out the records when these two teams get together. Most of us in the civilian world think of these two schools as practically being on the same team. Once on the battlefield, they are. However, within the military, this rivalry is as big as it gets. No matter how good or bad these teams are, this is a big game. Navy has been a lot better in recent years. Pick: Navy

UCLA at USC: USC can make it to the Rose Bowl with a win. The Trojans also have revenge on their minds following last year’s upset loss to the Bruins. Karl Dorrell is a dead man walking in Westwood. USC is getting healthy again. This could be ugly. Pick: USC

Oregon State at Oregon: The Civil War, aka the Ugly Uniform Bowl. Nike will be a major player in this game, as they have furnished plenty of ugly uniform combinations for both schools. Oregon has become a very ordinary team since the injury of QB Dennis Dixon. The Ducks were shut out last week by a mediocre UCLA team. Oregon bounces back to win over their archrivals. Pick: Ducks

Cal vs. Stanford: The Bears are stumbling to the finish line, but will still play in a bowl game. Believe it or not, they were once #2 in the nation. The Cardinal have a long way to go, but this is another game in which you throw out the records. Pick: Cal

Arizona at Arizona State: The Sun Devils have a good chance to land in a BCS bowl, possibly the crosstown Fiesta Bowl. Arizona has apparently saved Mike Stoops’ job for another year, but needs this one to become bowl eligible. Dennis Erickson has been a miracle worker this year in Tempe. ASU gets win #10. Pick: Arizona State

Pittsburgh at West Virginia: The Backyard Brawl. This is normally a bitter rivalry. This year, the Mountaineers have a good chance to play for a national championship. All they need to do is beat Pittsburgh to get that chance. On paper, this is a mismatch. But, it’s a rivalry game, so anything can happen. WVU is quite a bit better than Pitt. A tradition in Morgantown is to burn couches on the streets after a big win. Get ready to see an entire college town aflame in used furniture after this one. The state of West Virginia can plan to start taking over New Orleans in the first week of January. Pick: West Virginia

Rutgers at Louisville: Two teams who have failed to live up to last year’s banner seasons. Rutgers has been improving, while Louisville has fallen victim to a tough schedule. The Ville needs a win to reach .500. They don’t get it. Pick: Rutgers

Washington at Hawaii: This is a $17 million dollar game for the Warriors. If Hawaii wins, they remain in the top 12 of the BCS and most likely end up in the Sugar Bowl. $17 million would be split between Hawaii, the WAC, and the other non-BCS conferences. The Huskies have fallen apart as they have been playing competitive opponents every week. UW doesn’t have enough to keep up with Hawaii. Pick: Hawaii

BYU at San Diego State: This was rescheduled from October due to the wildfires in the San Diego area. The Cougars have already clinched the MWC title. BYU should be able to handle the Aztecs without much trouble. Pick: BYU

Like A Good Neighbor...

Doesn't Mike Sherman look like your friendly neighborhood insurance agent?

If You Build It..

..they will come. Or, so the Cowboys think.

In their attempt to book as many events as possible, the Cowboys are luring Texas A&M and Arkansas to play a long-term series at the new Arlington stadium beginning in 2009. Various media outlets are reporting that the schools are close to finishing a deal, but nothing is finalized yet. The Aggies and Razorbacks will play from six to eight games at the Cowboys' stadium.

Both schools would love to play a game in the Metroplex. Arkansas sorely misses the recruiting exposure in Texas they once had in the Southwest Conference. A&M will always take a reasonable opportunity to play in North Texas.

This is also an attempt by Jerry Jones and Co. to upstage the OU-Texas game, set to remain at the Cotton Bowl for at least the next five years.

Every RV in Arkansas will be in Arlington once a year for this thing. Good luck with all that.

All That For This?

Tis the season to change coaches..

Just today, Arkansas paid Houston Nutt $3 million to resign as head football coach, Georgia Tech gave Chan Gailey the axe, and Duke canned Ted Roof as coach. It's that time of year.

It did not take Texas A&M long to hire a new coach. He is just down the road in Houston, in the person of Mike Sherman, offensive coordinator of the Houston Texans. Sherman likes A&M so much he coached there twice as an assistant, and is now returning as head coach. He also becomes the second consecutive Texans offensive coordinator to become a college head coach, following Troy Calhoun, now the Air Force coach.

Did A&M fire Fran for this? Sherman once coached the Green Bay Packers, so he can sell an NFL future to recruits. However, in the words of Colorado coach Dan Hawkins, "this is Division I football! It's the Big 12!" A guy can lose six games in the NFL and get a raise. Lose 6 games in college football, and you're in the unemployment line. College football is a totally different animal. Fans and donors aren't totally happy unless you win every game. It's hard to tell if this is the next Pete Carroll, or the next Dave Wannstedt, both former NFL coaches with varying degrees of success in college football.

A&M is going to continue to have a hard time cracking the top half of the Big 12 South division. They find themselves behind OU, Texas, and Texas Tech. They can possibly pass Tech, especially if the Pirate, Mike Leach, takes another job. The Ags have proven they can beat Texas, but they have to beat the other teams to pass them in the standings. It's not easy to be an Aggie.