Hall of Fame Voting

No surprise that Rickey "The Eternal 3rd Person" Henderson is going to Cooperstown. And good for Jim Rice. I grew up in the tail end of his career, so can't judge his impact properly. But enough people bemoaned his exclusion every year so I'm glad we won't have to hear from them anymore. I'd love if Andre "The Hawk" Dawson, Jack Morris and Bert Blyleven get in some day as well. They could be the last great "old school" players that get in before we enter the glut of steroid era candidates. I was a little surprised to see Mattingly only get 64 votes. There's not more New York voters who've been drinking the Yankee Kool-Aid that think the 'stache belongs in the Hall? I would've thought he'd get at least 100 votes just for wearing pin stripes.

As for the rest of the nominees, it cracks me up to no end to see some of the names that garner votes every year, let alone make the final ballot. Is it really necessary to include Ron Gant, Greg Vaughn and Dan Plesac to tempt a voter to cast a vote? The list can't be pared down to eliminate the obvious hall rejects? So there's 539 ballots cast from the 10-year veterans of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Of those, two voters think the following stats deserve a bust in one of the most prestigious halls in America:

Runs - 1123
Hits - 1963
2B - 394
3B - 67
HR - 195
RBI - 860
Avg. - .265
OBP - .343
Slg - .416
SB - 91
CS - 60

On baseballreference.com this "Hall of Famer in their eyes" compares favorably to the likes of Ray Durham, Benito Santiago and Devon White. Who is this man who somehow couldn't drum up enough support from the rest of the writers? The spectacled one, Jay Bell. Did anything about Jay Bell's career EVER give you pause to think, "Geez, if strings together another few above-average years like this, he might be heading to the Hall of Fame?" His name isn't even HOF material. Jay Bell was lucky enough to make 2 All-Star games, 1 Silver Slugger and 1 Gold Glove. The closest he ever came in any MVP race was 12th. His Hall of Fame Monitor and HOF Batting Standards fall well below the cusp. Maybe the voters were enamored with how he led the majors in sacrifice hits back-to-back years in 1990-91.

I'm puzzled at this, but not quite as puzzled as the lone ranger voting for Jesse Orosco's "Hall of Fame" career. Did this lunatic lose a bet? Is the voter Orosco's crazy uncle? Orosco also went to 2 All-Star games over his 24 major league seasons. I'm surprised he went to any. Was the fact that Orosco pitched in more games than anyone in history a stat that jumps off the page at you? Or that Jesse was the oldest man in the big leagues five years running too much to ignore? Just because the man's arm was capable of getting 1-3 outs 60 times a season longer than anyone in the sport doesn't imply that what he did when he was on the field was Hall of Fame worthy.

All three of these voters should be stripped of their duties and never allowed to vote again. What business do they have wasting their time honestly checking the box next to Jay Bell and Jesse Orosco's names? At least make them sit out a year or two to sober up. That's ridiculous.

Tebow coming back to Florida

Superman is coming back to college next year. Not a huge surprise. His draft stock isn't really all that high. Might as well work on his arm, come back next year, and hope that he can somehow play himself into a 2nd round pick or something like that. There's no reason the Gators won't be preseason #1 next year.

Has anyone looked at their defense by the way??

DE - Jermaine Cunningham - Junior
DT - Terron Sanders - Sophomore
DT - Lawrence Marsh - Sophomore
DE - Carlos Dunlap - Sophomore
LB - Dustin Doe - Sophomore
LB - Brandon Spikes - Junior
LB - AJ Jones - Junior
CB - Janoris Jenkins - Freshman
FS - Major Wright - Sophomore
SS - Ahmad Black - Sophomore
CB - Joe Haden - Sophomore

My god, there isn't one senior on their entire defense. I know Brandon Spikes might leave, but that defense is loaded. And their schedule is surprisingly soft for an SEC team (although adding in the SEC title game would obviously add another tough game). No Bama or Ole Miss next year unless they meet in the SEC title game, and their nonconference is a joke other than Florida State. Who are they losing to on this schedule??

9/5 Charleston Southern
9/12 Troy
9/19 Tennessee
9/26 at Kentucky
10/10 at LSU
10/17 Arkansas (Homecoming)
10/24 at Mississippi State
10/31 vs. Georgia (Jacksonville FL)
11/7 Vanderbilt
11/14 at South Carolina
11/21 Florida International
11/28 Florida State (Senior Day)
12/5 SEC Championship Game (Atlanta GA)

Can we just set up the USC-Florida game for next January in Pasadena in the National Title game?? I'm all for it. Just set it up now, and I'll start gearing up for that game. It would be great to see how they match up.

Utah

What does everyone think about this Utah story?? Are they really getting screwed?? I don't personally think that they have much of a beef, but I can see why they are upset. They did all that they could do. They scheduled Michigan on the road (not exactly an easy game on paper), they played Oregon State, they ran the table in the Mountain West, and they beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. That's a heckuva resume.

In the system that we have now, I don't think they really really had much of a stake though. If Utah had played an 8 game SEC schedule, I don't think they would have gone undefeated. They had a great game plan for Alabama and were more fired up for the game than Bama, but life is tough week in and week out in the SEC. I don't think Utah could have held up. They very nearly lost to the likes of Air Force and New Mexico State during the regular season. Don't get me wrong, they had a great year and definitely deserved to finish in the top 5, but I think they should just be happy with their top 5 finish and hope that their run this year put them in position to be considered for a title game appearance in the future.

While I don't have a problem with Utah and Kyle Whittingham trying to fight for their program, I'm already bored with the media jumping on the Utah bandwagon. The media seems to be using this Utah team as the best example of why we need a playoff. As usual, the media is missing the real issue. I don't want a playoff in college football because of mid-majors not getting a chance. I want a playoff because of the MAJORS not getting a chance. I'm more concerned about the fact that USC won a conference that went 5-0 in bowl games and didn't get to play for the title even though they had the same record as Florida and OU. The mid-majors are a side issue for me. Take care of the heavyweights first with a four team playoff, and then we'll figure out a way to get the mid-majors involved down the road.

I do think the lasting legacy of the Sugar Bowl might be the emergence of Utah as a possible power program. I don't necessarily think that Alabama brought their best performance to the table in the Sugar Bowl, but I certainly think that Utah proved that they are a potential powerhouse team coming out of the Mountain region. One of the biggest surprises of the game was that Utah matched up pretty well physically against Alabama. Maybe not quite at Alabama's level, but it wasn't the mismatch physically that I sort of expected to see. They had good offensive linemen, a big and physical d-line, and some speed at the skill spots. Talent-wise, they looked good.

I think that Utah is going to be one of those schools that emerges over the next fifteen years or so as a real program on the rise. I think they have the resources in that state with a pretty good economy, demographics are in their favor now that more and more people are moving to the Mountain area (Colorado, Utah, Northern Arizona, Idaho, Nevada type areas). I think there are more and more good football players that are emerging from that region. Quite honestly, Utah is now the premier program for that region. They are going to get good players out of Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nevada and those types of areas. For all we know, there might be more quality players of that region someday than there are currently in states like Michigan and Ohio and Wisconsin. Plus, Utah seems to get quite a few JUCOs out there, and they also have the Mormon connection for some out of state kids. That's three pretty good talent streams for the Utes.

The other thing that Utah seems to have tapped into is the Samoan football population. Why aren't more schools going after these Samoan guys?? I'm ready for ND to open up a satellite campus in Samoa. They have become the new equalizers in college football. I don't know if it is a genetic thing or what, but these Samoan guys are all beasts with an unusual combination of strength and quickness. It seems like every Samoan player on the d-line with the long hair is good, but only a few schools have a bunch of these guys on their roster. Utah had like three Samoans on their d-line. They don't need to get inner city kids if they are getting the Samoan players. It's definitely a trend in college football and football in general.

Is it time for the Mountain West to get an automatic bid?? Between TCU, Utah, and BYU, there are some good programs that are suddenly emerging out of that league. I really think these schools need to be taken into consideration at some point, especially as the population in this country continues to move West. Heck, the top of the Mountain West is stronger than the top of the Big East right now.

Say it Ain't So

A very sad day for Braves fans everywhere. John Smoltz will be donning the Red Sox uniform this spring. All that's left from the glory years of America's Team is Bobby Cox (who will retire after this year for sure) and Chipper Jones (who is in the last year of his contract).

If this was Mike Hampton, or Tom Glavine or any other pitcher, I could see why the Braves would not have made an honest effort to resign Smoltz. And if Keith Law is reading this blog, you can stop right here and move on. This isn't about Smoltz's road K:BB ratio or what the Pitch FX data say about his diminished fastball. It's about keeping around a guy who has been with the Braves his entire major league career. A guy who has sacrificed for the team, whether it's pitching hurt - or jumping from starter to closer to starter again. A guy who is so loved in the Atlanta community that the Atlanta Journal Constitution website couldn't even handle all of the comments yesterday that were pouring in when the news broke that Smoltz was going to Boston.

It boiled down to 3 million dollars. For a team with a payroll that will eventually be closing in on $90 million, and with $25 mill still to spend this winter, the Braves didn't trust Smoltz enough to pony up $3 million more dollars. This despite the fact that all reports were that he was ahead of schedule in his rehab. I understand that the Braves did not want to have the same thing to happen with the pitching staff as did last season, when everyone got hurt (Hudson, Smoltz, Glavine, Hampton). But Smoltz wasn't going to be ready until May at the earliest, so it's not as if he would have been penciled into the #1 spot like last year. And it's not as if he would be blocking any young guys from pitching (God knows Braves fans have seen enough of Jo-Jo Reyes on the mound. I'd feel better about Smoltz pitching left handed with his right arm in a sling than I would about Reyes). They needed a veteran guy in the clubhouse and on the mound. As it is, their rotation is Jurrjens, Javy Vasquez and three question marks. And to top it off, instead of a one year $5 million dollar deal for Smoltz, you can put it in pen that Frank Wren will do something stupid like 3 years $42 million for Derek Lowe.

Which brings us to Frank Wren. This offseason has been a trainwreck. The pursuit of AJ Burnett for a ridiculous contract. The public Jake Peavy back and forth. The Rafael Furcal disaster. No offense to these fine groups of people, but I feel like I'm a Pirates or Royals fan. This type of stuff doesn't happen to the Braves. Or at least it didn't use to under John Schuerholz. To top it off, here is Chipper Jones reaction to the Smoltz news: "I am pissed. Very pissed. Deflated. Frustrated. It’s been a very long offseason, not a lot of stuff to really get excited about and then to have this it just is the icing on the cake for me." He goes on to say that the Braves management promised to at least discuss a contract negotiation, but hasn't heard a word yet.

Anyway, I guess that the Braves had their reasons for not signing Smoltz. To me though, even putting aside the fact that Smoltz is still a GOOD pitcher when he's healthy, the right move was to get an extra $3 million from the bank and keep John Smoltz in a Braves uniform. The guy is a flat out winner. It's a shame, and the glory days under John Schuerholz keep getting further and further in the rear view mirror

Gator Bait!

-Not a bad game last night. Neither team played their best game, but it turned out much better than I thought it would be. I was actually fairly impressed with OU last night. They certainly exceeded my expectations. I'll admit that I was not a believer in Oklahoma, especially up front. I figured they were going to be a typical slow, methodical Midwestern line that couldn't deal with Florida's speed and intensity. Couldn't have been more wrong. OU pretty much controlled the game physically. Their line was physical, quick, and explosive. They just couldn't come through with the big plays when it counted.

That game came down to four huge plays that went against OU:

--The goal line stand on back to back plays
--The interception at the goal line
--The holding penalty in the first quarter that negated that long pass down the sideline
--The interception at the end of the game that went right through Iglesias' hands and got picked

If a couple of those plays had gone their way, OU could have won that game.

I am not really convinced at all that those two teams were the best two teams in America, but OU didn't embarrass themselves at all. After watching them last night and Texas on Monday, I don't know how OU lost to them.

-As for the Gators, their offense is fun to watch at times, but it's such a strange offense to watch. There is no rhythm to their offense, but they just sort of make plays to win games. That offense would never work in the NFL, but it does make sense on the college level. In college football, you just need to find ways to get the ball to your playmakers in space, and that's exactly what Florida's offense is designed to do. They are looking to get screens and shovel passes and draws and slant passes that get the ball to their best players with room to run. They aren't going to methodically march down the field with steady gains, but somehow it works. Why take 8 plays to go 50 yards when you can hit one screen pass that goes for 50??

Florida just seems to find a way to win. All these SEC teams are so battle-tested by the time that they get to the title game that they just know what it takes to come through in that type of game. Florida stepped up big time in the second half. Between Urban and Tebow and Harvin, the Gators have the guys that know how to win and make the plays they gotta make to get it done.

--If any OU fan is going to criticize Bob Stoops for losing that game, they are out of their minds. He had them ready to play, and they certainly weren't outclassed in that game. He's had them in four title games in nine years, and they've dominated Texas throughout his tenure. I don't know what else you could ask for if you are an OU fan. OU will win another title in the Bob Stoops era.

One thing that I thought was interesting about this game is that Urban was genuinely upset about his team's play at halftime, and it showed in the second half when thye stepped up. Stoops seemed pretty happy with how his team was playing. Maybe that was the best they could play. Florida obviously had another gear that OU couldn't match.

--Some quick NFL thoughts:

Sam Bradford - He didn't play a perfect game or anything, but I was really impressed with Sam Bradford last night. With his size and arm and accuracy, he has all the tools that you would want in a top NFL prospect. It didn't seem like there were any throws that he couldn't make on the field. That throw he made on the sideline early in the game that got called back on the holding penalty was one of the best throws I've seen all year on any level. Just a perfect pass that landed right in the guy's hands. Even his second interception was right on the money. Iglesias just wasn't strong with the ball and lost it.

I still am not sure if the Lions should be taking a QB in this draft with all the other needs that they have, but I don't think Bradford would be a bad choice. He's kind of like a Troy Aikman type. The Big Fundamental. At the end of the day, playing QB in the NFL is all about accuracy and decision-making. You have to be able to get rid of the ball in a hurry and get it where it needs to go. Bradford showed both those things last night.

The only thing about Bradford is going to be how he functions in the pocket if his line isn't superb. OU's line usually gave him a ton of time to throw. If he ends up on the Lions and has guys in his face all day, is he going to be able to make all those throws?? Guess we'll have to see.

--Tim Tebow - I know everyone is starting to talk themselves into Tim Tebow as the next Steve Young or something like that, but come on. He's not an NFL QB. With that windup, he'd be getting picked off left and right if he had to throw anything to the sideline. You can't just throw over the middle in the NFL. You have to be able to work the sidelines and get rid of the ball quickly. Tebow just doesn't have it, and he's not going to be able to run the ball like that in the NFL. He'll probably get drafted in the 4th round or something and then try to become an H-back, but I can't see him as a starting QB in the NFL. I wouldn't mind seeing the Bengals take a chance on him in the fourth round as an H-back/Wildcat player just to have his presence and leadership on the roster.

I'd rather just appreciate Tebow for what he is. One of the all-time great college football players and the best winnner in college sports. Maybe the best of the last 25 years, especially if he comes back next year. Tebow is a warrior, and I love him watching him play.

I think Tebow should come back to college next year and then go on to a career as the next Billy Graham-esque televangelist superstar. Couldn't he make a great living in that type of career?? Certainly more than if he was an H-back/3rd string QB in the NFL. Is there any doubt that Tebow will someday be involved in politics in the state of Florida (presumably for the GOP)?? I would almost guarantee that he'll be in the House of Representatives someday. Every right win fundy Christian would vote for him.

I love Tebow, but is there any doubt that there will be a Tebow backlash next year if he comes back?? Thom Brennaman was practically asking Tebow to marry him on the telecast last night. What an embarrassment. The love for Tebow will eventually grow stale, and I'm predicting a major backlash. It's really a shame because Tebow seems like a genuinely great guy. But now that the media has jumped on the "Tebow is such a great guy" bandwagon, people are going to get sick of it.

--Percy Harvin -- I love Percy Harvin as a college player, but is he going to be durable enough to last in the NFL?? I don't think he has the body for the NFL. I saw it with Peter Warrick with the Bengals. You need to have a position and an NFL body to make it in the league. Is he going to be able to run 40-50 pass patterns a game with precision?? We've never seen it out of him. His whole job with Florida's offense is to get the ball in space and go. He can have some success in the league, but that alone will not cut it in the NFL.

He'll probably try to be a Reggie Bush type player who can do a lot of different things for a team, but those guys always get hurt in the NFL. Harvin is already getting banged up a lot in college. What is he going to be like in the NFL if he can't stay healthy in college?

I think he should come out since he has nothing else to prove and might as well start earning a paycheck, but I think it would be a mistake to take him in the first round. Then again, DeSean Jackson is doing some nice things with Philly, so maybe the league is changing.

--I would be remiss if I didn't mention the absolute abomination that has been Fox's coverage of the BCS. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse after that abysmal performance by Fox in the Texas-Ohio State game, they somehow topped themselves last night with that god awful broadcast. Everything about the Fox production is shoddy from the announcers down to the camera people. Maybe they just have really bad producers or something. They could not keep the action straight last night, and Brennaman was unbelievably bad. I love Thom Brennaman as one of the voices of the Cincinnati Reds, but he should not be anywhere near the premier game in college football. He had no business announcing a game of that magnitude, and it showed last night. Not only was he botching calls left and right, his gushing about Tebow in the last five minutes was just annoying.

I think Fox has done a terrible job all year, and it's obvious that they do not have the resources to do a quality job with these games. Fox brings an NFL mentality to college football, and it doesn't work. No one cares about the graphics and camera angles if the announcers are horrible and you can't come out of a tv break without missing a play.

The BCS can't get back to ESPN soon enough. Hopefully by the time ESPN takes over the BCS, it won't even be the BCS. Get us a legitimate playoff. If I was Barack Obama, I'd be throwing that into his stimulus package. What else would stimulate America like a legit postseason for college football??

--Finally, while Florida has nothing to be ashamed of and got the job done, I still can't shake the feeling that USC would have rolled either of those teams last night. USC has the best combination of size, depth, and speed in the country, and Pete Carroll is the best big game coach in America. Watching Florida is fun, but they I don't come away with the same "WOW" feeling that I do when I watch USC play. USC just dominates you in every phase of the game and demoralizes teams. Florida didn't quite get to that level although they were admittedly playing better competition.

I would love to see USC-Florida next week. It's a shame that we won't get to see it.

One Shining Moment

With eight meaningful games left before the official end of football season, college basketball is jumping (<---literally ) at the opportunity to grab the nation's attention. It's no secret the NBA lacks suspense until May. Sure it's fun to watch Lebron, Kobe and CP3 do their thing, but it's missing a certain intensity that only the playoffs create. Meanwhile, college basketball consistently brings entertainment and excitement throughout the season. Intrigue abounds with more glamorous non-conference matchups than ever. Every week pits numerous top 10 showdowns that rarely fail to live up to the hype.

To keep the level of enthusiasm at a fevered pitch, causing men to simultaneously weep, laugh and grow rock-hard nipples with the pure adrenaline rush, WeIsND wanted to highlight the last 22 years of NCAA tournaments with the greatest highlight montages ever created in the history of the planet - One Shining Moment. There's a reason why every viewer stays glued to the chair after the nets have come down. The sweet serenade of Luther Vandross (or Teddy Pendergrass) serves up the perfect encore to three weeks of madness. Reliving the players, coaches, mascots, cheerleaders, celebration, heartbreak, buzzer beaters and timeless moments from a given year's NCAA tournament in a 4 minute montage is the Cadillac of cruises down memory lane. The history of how OSM made its way onto the air and into our hearts is unique. The song writer even launched his own website dedicated to "The Anthem of College Basketball."

A couple years back, I unearthed YouTube clips of every version of OSM, hatching a plan to roll them out every few days to whet our appetite for 2009's One Shining Moment. Today I was horrified to discover that the majority of these precious pieces of sports history were removed due to copyright, a dastardly assault on my acorns. If any of our reader's happens to work for CBS Sports, or whoever owns the rights to OSM, get these back in the public domain where they belong. Or, if anyone has VHS copies of the title game from the last 22 years and wants to record and upload them onto YouTube, you will have the admiration of every man in America and I'd buy you a shot any time you desired. Until that pipedream is realized, the scant remaining OSM's will have to tide us over.

One Shining Moment
-David Barrett

The ball is tipped
and there you are
you're running for your life
you're a shooting star
And all the years
no one knows
just how hard you worked
but now it shows...
(in) ONE SHINING MOMENT, IT'S ALL ON THE LINE
ONE SHINING MOMENT, THERE FROZEN IN TIME

But time is short
and the road is long
in the blinking of an eye
ah that moment's gone
And when it's done
win or lose
you always did your best
cuz inside you knew...
(that) ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU REACHED DEEP INSIDE
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU KNEW YOU WERE ALIVE

Feel the beat of your heart
feel the wind in your face
it's more than a contest
it's more than a race...

And when it's done
win or lose
you always did your best
cuz inside you knew...
(that) ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU REACHED FOR THE SKY
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU KNEW
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU WERE WILLING TO TRY
ONE SHINING MOMENT....

BCS Championship Game -- Florida (12-1) vs. Oklahoma (12-1) (Dolphin Stadium Miami, Florida January 8, 2009 8pm FOX)

Dan: Florida -3

Florida -3? Seriously? Am I missing something? I don’t care what Okahoma’s offense has looked liked against the inept defenses of the Big 10. No way this game is within a touchdown. Florida is dominant this year.

Florida 38 Oklahoma 27

Matt: Florida -3

I think this a great matchup. But I must preface by saying that as far as I’m concerned this is NOT the National Championship game. USC – Florida would have been. I don’t know how USC did not get the benefit of the doubt from pollsters this year. Literally every player on their starting defense will be playing on Sundays. But I digress…

It’s possible that this is the last game of the Tim Tebow era. I’ve been a huge fan and hope he sticks around for another year, but honestly, what else is he going to prove. Urban isn’t going to change to a dropback passing offense just so that Tebow can show he is an NFL QB. Seriously, in 50 years are we going to be looking back at Tim Tebow like we do with Roger Staubach and all the other legends of the game? It’s possible.

I really think that Florida’s defense will show a dimension of speed that Oklahoma hasn’t seen all year. Watching them against Georgia and Alabama, and it’s ridiculous how fast guys like Brandon Spikes and Major Wright are. (By the way, if you want your son to be a great football player, just name him Major. Has there ever been a Major who was a chess player or chemist or something. No. They are all football players). And I don’t think that Oklahoma’s defense is up to the task of slowing down Tebow, Harvin and Rainey.

I would pay $50 pay per view to see USC-Florida on January 17th.

Florida 41 Oklahoma 24

Mike: Florida –3

An underrated factor in this game could be the “Heisman effect.” Sam Bradford will be inundated with media opportunities and appearances on the dinner circuit during the time period leading up to the bowl, which could have a deleterious effect on his performance. In any event, Florida has a much stronger defense than Oklahoma and an equally capable offense. Moreover, Oklahoma should be very afraid about the prospect of facing a focused and fired up Tim Tebow.

Finally, can someone at the Downtown Athletic Club please tell Billy Sims that he is no longer welcome at future Heisman ceremonies (or, if you prefer, can someone play Hootie Johnson to Billy Sims’s Doug Ford)? Sims ruined Jason White’s ceremony with his obnoxious “Boomer Sooner” chants and he was at his misbehaving worst again this year. Sims basically uses the Heisman as his one opportunity to be back in the spotlight (aside from when he makes the news for beating his wife) and it’s unfortunate that he can’t let the actual award candidates enjoy their moment in the sun. Memo to Billy: you’re over 50 years old now. Grow up.

Florida 41 Oklahoma 21

Doug: Florida -3

This game just seems too easy for me to pick, and that makes me upset. The two best programs in the country with the most talent are Florida and USC, and we had a perfect scenario that could have led to that dream matchup this year. Instead, everyone decided to ignore USC until it was too late, and now we are stuck with an overrated Big 12 team against Florida. That really bothers me as a college football fan. I love all the "wait, USC should be #1!!" discussion from the media hacks and Mike Lupica types after the Rose Bowl. Where were any of you BEFORE the Rose Bowl when it actually mattered?? Why was there no one standing on a mountaintop before the Rose Bowl saying USC was the best team in the country?? Anyone who has watched college football this year knew that USC was probably the best team in the country, and yet these hacks voted in OU instead to the national title game. What a load of garbage. We go through this every year. USC gets jobbed and left out of the title game, and then they annhilate some Big 10 team so badly in the Rose Bowl that everyone scratches their head and says "man, maybe USC is the best team in America." When are the people of college football going to wake up and realize that USC deserves to be playing for the national title EVERY YEAR??

For that reason, I am rooting for Florida to drill Oklahoma like 50-17 or something like that. I would love to see OU get so badly beaten that everyone shakes their head and says "what were we thinking by leaving USC out of this game?? No wonder the title game always stinks." The Big 12 has been overrated all year, but unfortunately America didn't seem to realize it until bowl season started.

The thing about these Big 12 teams that puts them at a disadvantage in a game like this one is that there are no championship-caliber defenses in the Big 12. Sam Bradford and the OU o-line have been playing borderline touch football for the last few months, so we won't really know what they look like when they go up against a fast and physical defense. Look at what happened to Texas on Monday. They were an offensive juggernaut all year, but they had problems with Ohio State's defense. I just don't think you can win games like this one if your defense is mediocre and your offense hasn't been tested against a physical defense. Florida is going to smack OU in the mouth and try to dominate them up front. Because OU hasn't faced that all year, we have no idea how they will react. History tells us that they will not react well to that type of pressure from Florida.

Florida is a complete team. They have a great offense that has been tested in the SEC, they have a great defense, a great head coach, and great special teams. They have played against fast teams, physical teams, and great defenses. Nothing that OU does will be new for them. But for Oklahoma, EVERYTHING that Florida does will be a new experience for them. It's hard to prepare for it if you haven't faced it. I just think the matchups are incredibly favorable to the Gators.

OU's offensive line is being touted as a juggernaut, but people said that about Ohio State's o-line prior to the LSU game last year. Ohio State hadn't seen anything like LSU's d-line, and they were completely overmatched in the game. Same for the Ohio State defense against LSU. LSU was running and throwing all over them, and I think Florida will do the same against OU.

One caveat on this game for you Florida bettors out there though. As we have seen, bowl games are straight up wacky, and sometimes you never know what a team's mindset will be like heading into a game. Florida has a great coach and a great team, but maybe they don't come out ready to play for whatever reason. Maybe OU plays with a chip on their shoulder that Florida can't match. You never really know in these types of games. My read of this game is that Florida is going to win BIG, but we probably won't be able to tell how this game is going to turn out until we see these teams match up on the field. I thought Utah wouldn't be able to match up physically with Bama, but they proved to be more than capable of doing so (more on that down the road).

Maybe this game will end up turning out a lot different than I thought it would, but I'm rooting for the Gators to win big and expect that to show on the field.

One final subplot. The coach who wins this game will officially go into a different strata in the coaching world. If Stoops wins this game, he will have two national titles to go with about 10 Big 12 championships. He'd be in the category among the all-time greats if that happens (probably even above a guy like Lou Holtz). As for Urban Meyer, he would suddenly have two national titles in three years and probably would be in position to win a 3rd if Tebow comes back next year. The sky would be the limit for Urban Meyer at Florida. Isn't it conceivable that he could win like 5-6 titles there or something like that?? At what point would Urban Meyer start to look for a new challenge?? He doesn't seem like a career Florida guy. Could get interesting if he wins this game on Thursday.

Florida 41 Oklahoma 17

The Cradle of Coaches (Part 2)

Here's part 1 of the Big East Coaches breakdown. On with the countdown:

7. Bob Huggins, West Virginia

Vitals: 13-8 (Big East, 1 year); 616-222 (Overall, 25 years); 22-16 NCAAs

Coach Thuggins is a relative newbie to the Big East brand of basketball, but his Bearcat teams of yore (remember the days of the Metro and Great Midwest Conferences?) would have fit right in. In 23 years, including an early successful stint at Akron, Huggins-led teams won 20 or more games 20 times! His overall record is certainly an impressive body of work, except for the unfortunate history of early round flameouts. Out of 14 Bearcat Big Dance recitals, 10 talented teams perished in the first or second round, plaguing Huggins' legacy which started promising with trips to the Final Four and Elite Eight in his 3rd and 4th seasons in the 'Nati. Now he returns to his alma mater to continue building the tradition that John Bielein started. His teams aren't always the most talented, but they get after the ball and make things difficult for the opposition. Let's just hope that this scene doesn't unfold again on the country roads of West Virginia.

6. Mike Brey, Notre Dame

Vitals: 83-58 (Big East, 7 years); 266-138 (Overall, 12 years); 5-7 NCAAs

Man, I wish the two-time defending Big East Coach of the Year could be higher, especially on the heels of a stirring victory over the Hoyas. But I can't in good conscience bump him ahead of Jimmy B. Yes, ND has won the last 3 games vs. 'Cuse, but in the 9 previous meetings, the Irish were victorious once. Brey is still coming into his own in South Bend, establishing a program that excels with offensive fluidity and a healthy reliance on the long ball. Brey's teams traditionally have lacked a consistent lockdown defense, their Achilles heel come BET and NCAA tourney time. For all of the regular season success ND has enjoyed in the Big East, including one regular season championship, Brey is only 3-8 under the lights of Madison Square Garden in the Big East Tournament. At this point, going deeper into the tournament is essential for the program to reach the next level of success. All but one of the coaches ahead of him has taken a team to the Final Four. He learned at the foot of Coach K for 9 years and knows what that kind of success is built on. His penchant for unearthing diamonds in the rough is evident with the resounding success of Luke "The Mongoose" Harangody, as well as Rob Kurz, Chris Quinn, and Russell Carter. Brey is the ultimate player's coach who doesn't ride his guys too hard and expectations are clear. On top of all of this, Mike Brey is the unofficial founder of the CMOB (Coaches for Mocks On the Bench), a movement that saw it's membership swell to at least 2 in 2005. The mock personifies Brey's class and personable demeanor as a man of the people. In the Mock I Trust.

5. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse

Vitals: 342-192 (Big East, 29 years); 771-278 (Overall, 32 years); 40-24 NCAAs

The institution man, Boeheim is a rare breed who married himself to the Orangemen, through good times and bad. Except there haven't really been any "bad" times (well, there was that microphone problem). Boeheim was an overachieving walk-on who became a starter, helping lead the Dave Bing-led Orangemen to the Elite Eight. He joined the bench as an assistant coach in 1972 before taking the reins in 1976, going a ridiculous 100-18 in his first four years on the job. The man has never felt the pangs of a losing season in his 32+ years at Syracuse. He's reached the summit of the basketball world three times, claiming the championship prize in 2003. A stellar 12 combined Big East regular season and tournament championships banners hang in the Carrier Dome. The Big East has bestowed top coach honors three times. He's on his way to his 30th 20-win season. It's no shock that he's the all-time winningest coach in conference history. The man already has a bust in Springfield and the ultimate reward, his home court named after him (Doug still holds out hope that Brey will reach this level of accomplishment. You can help!) Scores of NBA-caliber players harnessed their skills under Boeheim's direction - Pearl Washington, Rony Seikaly, Sherman Douglas, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens, John Wallace, Lawrence Moten, Etan Thomas, Carmelo Anthony, Hakim Warrick, the "overrated" Gerry McNamara and the illustrious Danny Schayes. His trademark 2-3 matchup zone distinguished Syracuse teams for years. Now, it's growing a little stale. How can a man with this resume fall to 5th? Because this is a snapshot with his recent body of work weighing more heavily on the ranking. In the five seasons since winning the title, 'Cuse made one Sweet 16, two first round exits, and two NIT's. The man has accomplished plenty, but his time is drawing nigh. If Mike Brey comes out of the Carrier Dome with a victory on Jan. 17th, you can bet I'll be swapping their places.

4. John Thompson III, Georgetown

Vitals: 54-23 (Big East, 4 years); 168-78 (Overall, 8 years); 7-5 NCAAs
The successor to his father's powerhouse program, JT3 has quickly asserted himself as a top-notch coach who preaches disciplined defense and the motion offense perfected at Princeton. SI wrote an excellent article on the man finding his way from underneath his father's large shadow. Learning from the Yoda master, Pete Carril, from 1995-2000, Thompson led Princeton to 3 Ivy League titles and two NCAA trips in his four seasons. It's a testament to his coaching prowess that Georgetown has excelled with the same system while Bill Carmody struggles with very little success at Northwestern. Granted, the Hoyas enjoy a higher profile as a basketball school, but Thompson has proven to be a capable teacher of the deliberate style. He wasted no time making a splash in 2004, righting the ship from Craig Esherick's torpedo job. The Hoyas made the Sweet 16 in his second season, giving eventual champs Florida their hardest battle. He followed that up with a BET championship and a run to the Final Four in 2007. The Hoyas dominated the Big East last year, adding a regular season banner before being upset by the tournament's Cinderella, Davidson. Now that JT3 has tasted the sweet nectar of the biggest stage, you can bet he'll have his teams hell bent on returning to that level. He added a major piece for such a run with dominant freshman big man Greg Monroe. JT3 will only get better as his Georgetown roots grow. Get accustomed to the Hoyas churning out quality teams like an Amish butter maid.

3. Jim Calhoun, Connecticut

Vitals: 254-141 (Big East, 21 years); 750-328 (Overall, 35 years); 39-16 NCAAs
Credit belongs to one man for putting Connecticut basketball on the map - James "Montgomery" Calhoun. Starting with his first college job at Northeastern in 1972, he laid the groundwork for his first successful program. 14 seasons later, with 5 NCAA tournament appearances and one NBA All-Star under his belt, he left in 1986 for the opportunity to ply his trade in the best conference. It was a rude awakening, going 9-19, only his fourth losing season in 35 years. It would be the last losing season at UConn. The following year, the Huskies won the NIT. By 1990, UConn had risen to the top of the Big East and advanced to the Elite Eight. Already, Calhoun had transformed an unheard of program in Storrs, CT, and he was just getting started. Since his arrival, Connecticut has won two titles, reached seven Elite Eights, raised a combined 12 Big East regular season and tournament banners, and opened the gates of talent flowing to the NBA. For as much hype as North Carolina and Duke receive, no other school has as many alums currently in the NBA as Calhoun's Connecticut. The list of Calhoun bred professionals reads like an All-Star roster: Reggie Lewis, Cliff Robinson, Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Caron Butler, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Rudy Gay. That's not even half of the players who made the league. For all of the talent that has passed through the door, UConn has underachieved in recent years, not living up to the lofty expectations that come with a dominant program. Since winning the 2004 championship, UConn has lost in the 2nd round, Elite 8 (when they were everyone's proverbial favorite), missed the postseason for the first time since Calhoun's first year in Storrs, and lost in last year's 1st round to San Diego. Calhoun, like Boeheim, is an institution on campus. He's also been elected to the College Basketball Hall of Fame. But the end is near for this legend, especially in light of his ongoing cancer treatment. Will the Huskies send him away in style or buckle under the hype again?

2. Jamie Dixon, Pittsburgh

Vitals: 66-31 (Big East, 5 years); 131-41 (Overall, 5 years); 6-5 NCAAs

Consider me a Jamie Dixon apologist. I love his style and the way his teams play. I love his fiery disposition, yet he rarely blows a gasket. I love how he does more with the talent on his roster than any other coach in the league, save one. Dixon jumped around assistant coach spots from 1991-1999 before joining Howland's original staff at Pitt, having already shared a bench with Howland at Northern Arizona. In four short years, Howland and Dixon changed the culture of basketball at Pittsburgh, a program with 1 winning season over the 6 previous years. After a transition year, the fruits of their labor were in place as Pitt made the finals of the BET two successive years before winning in 2003, Howland's final year. The fate of the program lay in the hands of a guy who had never been a head coach before. To say he's exceeded expectations is an understatement. Dixon's 105 victories in his first four seasons is the second highest win total ever for a coach to start his career. In five years at the helm, he has won 10 conference games every season, including one regular season and one tournament championship. Regular season consistency is a hallmark of the program, but Pitt truly thrives in the BET, amassing an 11-4 record and playing in the championship game 4 of his 5 years. The biggest feather missing from his cap is guiding the Panthers past the Sweet Sixteen. With their recent ascension to the #1 ranking, this year's team looks primed to accept that challenge.

1. Rick Pitino, Louisville

Vitals: 51-38 (Big East, 5 years); 521-191 (Overall, 22 years); 35-12 NCAAs
If there were a Mount Rushmore of Big East coaches, Pitino wouldn't be on it since his greatest success occurred in Lexington. Yet he's still guided two different Big East schools to the Final Four - the only coach ever to lead three different schools to the sport's promised land. (You may be wondering who my Mt. Rushmore of Big East coaches would be? Without dissecting the numbers, I'd go with Boeheim, Calhoun, Thompson, Sr. and Luigi Carnesecca - the George Washington type figurehead. Apologies to Rollie Masimino as the odd man out). Pitino is the quintessential college coach, having proved that his style isn't conducive to the NBA. His teams make life positively miserable for the opposition with full-court pressure defense. An up-tempo offense spreads the wealth to everyone on the court, epitomizing the adage that the sum is greater than its parts. Try and name 5 players from Pitino's teams with Providence, Kentucky and Louisville who had meaningful careers in the NBA. I'm stuck at Jamal Mashburn, Tony Delk, Ron Mercer and Francisco Garcia. He's unlike Calhoun, who's been blessed with prodigious talent, in that he coaches up hen-picked players to run (and keep running) in his system. A master motivator, he consistently gets his teams to believe in their abilities and accomplish great things. He's only experienced one losing collegiate season out of 22, his 3rd year with Boston University. Providence, of all schools, reached the Final Four in his second year. He bolted to the Knicks and enjoyed success before the allure of restoring to prominence a once proud Kentucky program presented itself. Mind you, this was a program on probation for 2 years. Undaunted, Pitino ripped off 7 seasons of extraordinary success from 1991-1997, never losing more than 7 games. In the six seasons they were eligible for postseason play, the Wildcats reached two Elite Eights and three Final Fours, capturing the crown in 1996. The failed Celtics experiment brought Pitino back to the Big East in 2001, where the Cardinals have won 20+ games six times over seven seasons, including a trip to the 2005 Final Four. Squaring off against Rick Pitino is like playing dice with the devil. The chance to get burned is omnipresent. You know walking out of the locker room that he's the smartest person in the arena and you'll need a monumental effort to pull a victory out. How much longer Pitino will prowl the Louisville sidelines is anyone's guess with his propensity for chasing bigger challenges. But while he's still in the Big East, there isn't a better coach out there.

GMAC Bowl -- Ball State (12-1) vs. Tulsa (10-3) (Land-Peebles Stadium Mobile, Alabama January 6, 2009 8pm ESPN)

Tie Ins: CUSA vs. MAC

Matt: Tulsa +1.5

I think that Nate Davis could be the next MAC QB to make it in the NFL. And I think that Ball State is the more talented team. But a combination of their coach jumping ship and losing the MAC Championship has me picking against them. If they were still going for a perfect season, I could definitely see them getting motivated for this one. But instead of playing Boise or TCU as was talked about earlier with a perfect season on the line, they are in the GMAC Bowl. Tulsa averages 565 yards and 47 points a game and this one should definitely be a shootout.

By the way, good hire by Gene Chizik of Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator. Tulsa led the country in offense last year and is second this year. And contrary to what many think (me included), they actually run the ball in the spread, to the tune of 255 yards per game (8th in the country). I would have loved to see ND go after him as their offensive coordinator to be honest.

Tulsa 54 Ball State 51

Mike: Ball State –2.5

I would like to offer a belated thank you to the Buffalo Bulls for sparing us from having to hear stories about how an undefeated Ball State “deserves” a shot at the big boys. Brady Hoke has already decided to leave Muncie for sunny San Diego and his counterpart, Todd Graham of Tulsa, may not be around to coach the Golden Hurricane in next year’s bowl. Maybe Graham can get the Auburn job if Gene Chizik gets fired.

Ball State 31 Tulsa 24

Doug: Tulsa +2.5

As much as I would love to drum up 3000 words on the GMAC Bowl, my heart isn't in it for this game. The MAC has been abysmal in bowl games this year and may have finally reached the point where they can no longer compete with southern schools. Demographics are catching up with the MAC in a bad way. Give me Tulsa in a rout.

Tulsa 30 Ball State 10

'Big Game' Ladainian

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl -- Texas (11-1) vs. Ohio State (10-2) (University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Arizona January 5, 2009 8pm FOX)

Dan: Texas -9.5

Ohio State has not fared well in bowl games lately. Texas, however, has. Throw in a weak Big 10 and Ohio State’s only performance against a marquee out of conference opponent, and I would not be very hopeful if I were a Buckeye fan. Nine and a half is still a huge spread for a game involving Tressel Ball. Nevertheless, I just don’t have the confidence in the tOSU defense to slow down Colt McCoy.

Texas 38 Ohio State 20

Matt: Texas +9.5

Ohio State is a very one dimensional team. You know that Texas is going to stack the line of scrimmage to slow down Beanie Wells and Pryor’s scrambling. I just don’t think at this stage in his career Pryor is capable of winning against a team like Texas with his arm. And the news that scrolled across ESPN the other day that Tressel is planning on using Todd Boeckman is worrisome…for Buckeye fans. Mack Brown probably did cartwheels around his living room when he saw that news. Let’s just say I don’t think Todd Boeckman is the secret weapon.

The one thing that gives me pause about that huge point spread is that Texas is SO reliable on Colt McCoy. He’s their leading rusher and seems to take a ton of hits. You know that Ohio State is going to be drilling him every chance. Nevertheless, I think that Texas wins this one fairly easily.

The interesting thing if this game is another blowout is how the perception of Ohio State and also Jim Tressel further deteriorates. I’m sure Doug can attest to this living in Columbus, but it’s gotta be mental now with the fans and players when they play a big game out of conference. There is zero chance that Ohio State is winning that game against USC next year, and every player, fan and coach knows it. I really don’t know what the solution is, but it is pretty clear that there is a growing divide between Northern and Southern football. When a mediocre Florida State team is literally running circles around Wisconsin, you know something’s up. Seriously, would Florida State have won the Big 10 this year? I think that is a fair question – the talent difference is that big.

Texas 38 Ohio State 21

Mike: Texas –9.5

Although Terrelle Pryor has done a nice job in his freshman campaign, there is no way that the Buckeyes can match Colt McCoy and the Texas offense in this game. Mack Brown has changed the culture in Austin, which was previously viewed as being overly relaxed, and he will use the Longhorns’ BCS snub as a motivational tool.

Texas 30 Ohio State 17


Doug: Ohio State +9.5

I almost get the impression from the people around Columbus that everyone is dreading this game. After the back to back blowout losses in the national championship games and the blowout loss to USC, people are starting to fear more of the same. It's another nationally televised game against a highly ranked opponent from the south on national tv. People are fearing the worst.

Here's the thing though. Are we sure Texas is in that same class as those other teams that have pounded the Buckeyes?? Are we even sure that the Big 12 is any good this year?? The vaunted Texas Tech got plowed by Ole Miss, and Oklahoma State got run over by Oregon. Those two teams were propping up the strength of the Big 12 all year, but now I'm not even sure how good they were. Heck, Ohio State beat Texas on their field in 2006, and they were a dropped touchdown pass away from beating the Vince Young national title team in 2005.

I think Texas is a very good team, but I'm not sure if I'd put them in that USC class. I think USC would beat Oklahoma or Texas by 3 touchdowns. The Big 10 has a major image problem, but part of that stems from the fact that the Big 10 always has to go out to Pasadena to play USC. No one would be doing well under that scenario. If the ACC had been sending their champion out to the Rose Bowl, they would have been plowed. Same goes for the Big 12 in most years if you ask me. USC beat a supposedly unbeatable Oklahoma team 55-19 in the title game a few years ago. USC is playing a different sport than everyone else, especially in bowl games.

So that brings me back to the game. The key for Ohio State in this game is going to be their defense. I am admittedly taking a leap of faith since these Lauranaitis defenses have really not performed well in big games at any point in their four years, but I feel like the Buckeyes can hang around on Monday. Texas has a great quarterback and good wide receivers, but they aren't a dominant unit up front. Colt McCoy is their main runner. This isn't like USC where they can run all over you or pass all over you or like the LSU team from last year that had a dominant o-line to go with their passing game. Texas is a good offensive team that has benefited from the miserable defenses of the Big 12. If Ohio State can get physical with Texas and try to make them one-dimensional, they can slow down Texas. If they get shoved around and let Texas pound the ball and open up a play acton game, they are going to get rolled. The coaches for the Buckeyes need to have an aggressive game plan in place for this game.

Everyone is focusing on "southern speed" and how the Buckeyes can't hang around with these faster teams from the south, but I think the bigger issue has been that teams like Florida and USC and LSU have been MUCH more physical than Ohio State. The Buckeyes got pushed around on the lines in all three of those games. They were at a speed disadvantage to some degree, but the bigger issue was the battle up front. If Texas dominates this game physically, it's over. I certainly think that is possible based on the talent level of Texas, but for some reason I don't feel like Texas is quite in the class of a USC or last year's LSU team in terms of being dominant up front.

On the other side of the ball, the key for the Buckeyes is going to be whether or not Jim Tressel can abandon his conservative tendencies and play for touchdowns instead of field goals. If Tressel plays for field goals, they'll be down 21-3 before halftime. Tressel Ball does not work in big games against good offenses. You need to be prepared to match a team score for score in case your defense isn't up to the task that night. Tressel has somehow deluded himself into thinking that everyone around the country tries to play Big 10 football in the big games. That's not the case as we have seen. Ohio State needs to have an aggressive game plan that puts Pryor in a position to make big plays. They need to let Pryor do his thing to loosen up the Texas defense, which would create running lanes for Beanie Wells.

I know everyone is expecting a huge blowout, but I am not sure if I buy into this Texas team as much as I did the other teams that OSU has lost to in the past. Texas has beaten NO ONE outside of the Big 12. They are trumpeting themselves based on beating teams like Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Those are good wins, but it's not the juggernaut schedule that it has been made out to be. Mack Brown has apparently become a different football coach in the last year, and it seems like his players have been inspired all year. I just am not sure that they are a dominant team like USC.

As for this current Ohio State team, I know the standard response about them has been that they are overrated, but the reality is that these guys have overachieved in the last few years. Tressel took a step back in recruiting a few years ago, and a lot of the seniors that have been the key figures on this team the last couple years were only 3 star type recruits. At the end of the day, talent wins out in the big games, and Ohio State has not had the talent along the lines in the last couple years to win these types of games. Tressel has stepped it up big time in the last two years to get more national recruits, so I do think Ohio State will be in good shape going forward in the future. As for this game, they will be at a talent disadvantage.

One other big factor here is motivation. Ohio State has been hearing for the last three years about how their program is a dinosaur and how they are overrated and how they choke in the big games, etc. I do expect to see Ohio State come out with something to prove in this game. They want to get some respect back. Meanwhile, Texas was passed over for the national title game, and I'm curious to know how fired up they are for this game. They are talking the talk, but are they really excited about playing an Ohio State team that everyone thinks is a joke?

Should be an interesting game. I know the consensus will be that Texas wins this game big, but I'll go in the opposite direction and say that the Buckeyes straight up win.

Ohio State 23 Texas 21

NFL Thoughts

11) I'll start with the Cleveland Browns since they are the talk of the town here in Columbus. It was obvious that Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel were both gone several weeks ago, so no big surprises here. I actually don't think Phil Savage is a bad personnel guy. He made some shrewd moves to get Brady Quinn and Joe Thomas in the same draft, and he also made some good moves on the o-line. He's just not a good GM though. He actually reminded me of Wayne Krivsky a little bit. He made some good personnel moves, but it never seemed like Savage had a plan on how to build a winning football team. He would be a valuable guy in the Browns' organization, but probably not as the lead guy.

As for Romeo, he HAD to go. Romeo is a nice jolly fellow, but he was an abomination as a head coach. I've never seen a guy less engaged with his team on the sideline. It was almost as if Romeo was just being paid to watch the game from the sideline.

The good news for Browns fans is that the owner Randy Lerner genuinely seems committed to doing all that he can to build a winning franchise in Cleveland. He has made some disastrous moves with the awful Butch Davis Experiment and the Savage-Crennel combo, but at least the guy is willing to put the dollars on the line to build a winner. Money does not appear to be an obstacle at all for Lerner. He has already contacted Bill Cowher (who apparently promised to the Steelers ownership that he would never go to Cleveland), and now he's talking to Scott Pioli and Mangini and probably will talk to Shanahan.

I'm admittedly a little leery of these New England guys now that we've seen so many of them fail outside of New England (Mangini, Weis, Crennel, etc), but I do think Scott Pioli would probably be a great hire for the Browns. After reading that Patriot Reign book from a couple years ago, I got the impression that Pioli is an equal partner to Belichick in terms of identifying personnel and running the organization. Pioli is a Bill Parcells disciple (heck, he even married Parcells' daughter, which is terrifying when you think about what Bill Parcells' daughter must look like. I digress), so he most likely understands what it takes to be a winning team in the NFL. Great line play, great depth, great coaching, a winning atmosphere, and high-character guys who are going to be professionals in the locker room. This is the Parcells/Belichick model, and it has proven to be successful no matter where it is implemented.

Should be interesting. I am pulling for the Browns to make a good hire because I would like to see Brady Quinn have some success in the NFL. This team has some nice pieces with Brady Quinn, Joe Thomas, Braylon Edwards (if he gets his head on straight), The Soldier, some good o-linemen, and some decent defensive players. It wouldn't take much to get this team in the playoff hunt.

10) Moving on to another franchise that seems to be snakebit no matter what they try. The J-E-T-S......JETS! JETS! JETS! I'm not going to say that I have any idea about the inner workings of the Jets organization, but I think this move by the Jets is emblematic of what has ailed the Jets for years. They cannot seem to settle on any sort of direction as a franchise. Every move with the Jets is "now! now! now!" They go out and blow a bunch of money on free agency, they give away draft picks for a geriatric Brett Favre, and now they fire Mangini. It seems like they are just trying to get their names on the back page of the New York papers. That was the problem with the Mets for a number of years, and I feel like the Jets have fallen into the same pattern.

It seems like the Jets are turning over their organization once ever couple years. The only time when the Jets really seemed to have a plan as a team was when they had Parcells. I don't even think Mangini had a chance to prove himself as a coach. The guy went 10-6 in his first year, he has a bad second year, and then he goes 9-7. In the meantime, he's dealing with new quarterbacks every year and new running backs and new defensive players. Instead of plunking down all that money on free agency, how about actually drafting some good players and developing from within?? In the NFL, it is too tough to be constantly building through free agency. There are so many "system guys" in the NFL that it's hard to know if these free agents are going to be effective on a new team. You are always better off drafting your team and molding those guys into your system.

If the Jets didn't think Mangini was the guy, fine. But I don't have a lot of faith that the Jets are going to be any better without him. I actually thought he was doing a pretty good job with the Jets. And now he's gone. Oh well.

9) One bold move that I think will turn out to be the right move was Denver's decision to make a move on Mike Shanahan. On the surface, getting rid of Shanahan was bizarre when you consider Shanahan's track record, but here's a look at his record in the last three years:

2006 - 9-7
2007 - 7-9
2009 - 8-8

It's not awful or anything, but things have definitely gotten stale in Denver. Shanahan has also been the GM there, and he's been hemorrhaging money in that role. Denver has had a number of bad free agent signings, and they haven't drafted all that well either lately. Shanahan was in Denver for 14 years, and it was probably time for a change for him and for the team.

I think it's a great move for Denver if they make a good hire on a GM and a coach. There are some good candidates out there, and they still have Cutler and some other good young players to build around. They could easily be right back in the mix if they make a good hire and follow it up with a couple good drafts. Denver seems to be willing to spend whatever it takes to win, and they are a first-class organization all the way.

As for Shanahan, I still think Shanahan is a good coach. After reading that book "A Few Seconds of Panic" about the kicker who was trying to make the Broncos, I came away with the impression that Shanahan is highly-respected and a very detail-oriented guy. He had a good thing going in Denver, but he may also have needed a change in scenery after so many years in Denver. Give Shanahan a new project and a new audience, and that might be all that he needs to be successful somewhere else. If I was the Browns or the Lions or someone like that, I'd definitely be at least talking to Shanahan.

Shanahan might need a personnel guy to run the show with him, but he's definitely a good coach with a good system.

8) My god are we really going to have to deal with more "will he be back?" stories about Brett Favre?? Why does anyone care about Brett Favre?? At best, he's a regional figure who still matters in Wisconsin. AT BEST. But no one else cares what happens to Brett Favre. If he retires, great. If he comes back, good for him. I could care less. I thought the Jets made a bad decision to bring him in for this year, and I think they'd be crazy to be counting on him again for next year.

7) I couldn't be happier to see that the Cowboys are bringing back Wade Phillips for another year. Next year will be the third year in the post-Parcells era, and Jerry Jones is quickly undoing all the good work that was done under Parcells. He has been giving away draft picks for stiffs like Roy Williams, and the talent base in Dallas is steadily eroding. You could have seen this coming from ten miles away. They are going 6-10 next year at best. All Jerry Jones has proved in his time as the owner of the Cowboys is that he has no idea how to run an organization by himself. I don't know why he continues to delude himself that he can run this team by himself. He needs a GM and a personnel guy to run that team, and he needs to get out of the way. I think Jerry Jones has a lot of great qualities as an NFL owner (he will do whatever it takes to win and spend whatever needs to be spent), but he can't get out of the way of his own ego at times.

6) Since it appears that everyone and their mother is going to be after Cowher this offseason, I figure that I might as well throw in an opinion on Cowher and whether or not he is truly the savior that he is being made out to be. Look, I like Bill Cowher a lot. I watched the guy up close for 15 years with the Steelers and saw what he did for that franchise, and there is no denying his record. Cowher is a great motivator, the players love him, he knows tough football, and he has a
ton of credibility in an NFL locker room. I think Cowher is a good coach, and I certainly don't think any team is making a mistake by going after him.

The only thing I will say that gives me pause is that the Steelers literally have not missed a beat since Cowher has left. They just keep on trucking. Great defense, great character, toughness all over the place, the most physical team in the NFL for the most part. Same as they were under Cowher. Nothing has changed. You almost have to wonder if Cowher was just a product of the great Steelers organization. The Steelers seem to produce at least one hot assistant every year, but just about all of these guys have been busts as head coaches in other organiazations. Dom Capers, Chan Gailey, Jim Haslett, Mike Mularkey, Dick LeBeau. All those guys went on to be head coaches, and all of them were busts. The only guy who has had some success so far is Ken Whisenhunt, but who knows how he'll turn out in Arizona. All these guys were supposed geniuses in Pittsburgh, but then they couldn't hack it on their own without that great personnel department and the culture of winning that you have in Pittsburgh. I'm beginning to wonder if the Steelers MADE Bill Cowher, and I wonder how successful he would be outside of that Steelers culture.

And how do we know that Cowher has any clue how to be a personnel guy in the NFL?? I'm assuming that he is going to end up being a coach and a GM wherever he ends up, but I don't think he had much to do with personnel in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has a philosophy for drafting players that doesn't appear to have anything to do with Cowher. Draft guys with great character who were productive players in college. They have a the 3-4 scheme and a tough physical offense. That's Steelers football. It's a very simple formula. And while Cowher was part of that identity, I wonder how much he had to with this identity.

A perfect example of this Steelers magic is Dick LeBeau. It absolutely amazes me that people are talking about Dick LeBeau as a hall of famer as an assistant with the Steelers. I'm not saying that I disagree or anything based on what he has done in Pittsburgh, but I saw LeBeau for six years in Cincy as an assistant and as a head coach. He was AWFUL. Maybe not quite as bad as David Shula, but certainly right in that neighborhood. He tried some of the Steelers blitz schemes and defensive packages, and nothing worked. The Bengals were lifeless under LeBeau. And then he heads back to Pittsburgh and suddenly is a genius again??

If you are going to shell out $10 million a year for somebody, it better be a guarantee. Bill Parcells is a guarantee. I even think Marty Schottenheimer is a guarantee based on the fact that he has won in Cleveland, Kansas City, and San Diego. Bill Cowher is not in that "guarantee" category yet if you ask me. I'm not saying he can't get there, but he wouldn't be the first Pittsburgh guy who didn't pan out elsewhere.

5) Meanwhile, the elephant in the room is the man just mentioned before. Bill Parcells. Apparently his contract in Miami lets him renegotiate and become a free agent if Wayne Huizenga is not the owner of the team. With rumors that Huizenga is about to sell the team, Parcells might start looking around. Would he bring Sparano with him wherever he went?? If you were Cleveland, why not see if Parcells is interested?? You have Brady Quinn, a decent line, some playmakers. Now you just need a direction. Parcells would put them over the top and make them a consistent playoff team. Wouldn't he worth the $10 million that Lerner seems to be willing to pay for Pioli or Cowher??

4) I'm trying to figure out who I think is less deserving of Hall of Fame consideration. Brian Urlacher or Tiki Barber. Maybe the two most overrated NFL players of the last 20 years. If I had a gun to my head, I'd say Urlacher is less deserving. That's how little I think of Urlacher. I think the guy is a slightly above-average player who has been turned into a mythological figure because of his skin color and because he snarls a lot. The next time I actually see Urlacher in
position on pass coverage will be the first time. If he was black, NO ONE would know who he is. I stand by that statement 100%.

3) Is Pete Carroll going to put himself back into the mix for an NFL job?? Maybe that's why he did that 60 Minutes interview to get his name out there a little bit more. I wonder if he is eventually going to get bored with Pac 10 football and going to the Rose Bowl every year. What else does he have to prove in college football?? And maybe he's getting a little annoyed by the lack of a legitimate postseason. USC seems to get jobbed in the polls every year.

Plus, Pete Carroll lost his offensive coordinator and some other assistants. Maybe he'll view this offseason as a chance to make a clean break from USC and get back to the NFL.

I think Pete Carroll is good for college football, and I would like to see ND beat them someday with Pete Carroll there. With that said, I think the possibility of Carroll going to the league is always out there. He does seem like he enjoys USC and his missionary work, but you never know.

2) Some playoff picks while I'm at it (no lines or anything; I can't pick spreads in NFL games). I have been a half-baked NFL fan this year, but I do enjoy the playoffs.

Saturday Games:

Atlanta over Arizona (4:30 pm NBC) -- Maybe I'm missing something here, but this one seems obvious to me. Atlanta is red hot, they have a hot quarterback, they have a good o-line, and a good running back. They have the right type of team for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Arizona is completely falling apart, and they are like the Notre Dame team of 2008. Flashy on the edges but soft in the middle. Soft teams don't win in the playoffs.

Indianapolis over San Diego (8pm NBC) -- If I was a Colts fan, I'd be a LITTLE nervous about this game. San Diego is sort of hot right now, and the trip to the West Coast makes me a little leery. Don't the Colts always struggle with San Diego?? I really think the Colts have a great chance to make a run in the playoffs, but this game is a little tricky. My feeling on this game comes down to Peyton Manning. If he has the ball in the closing minutes, he is going to find a way to win this game for the Colts. He's the MVP of the league this year in my eyes.

Sunday Games:

Baltimore over Miami (1:30pm CBS) -- The locals in Naples are going to be rocking for this one! Dolphins fever is sweeping all of South Florida. I admittedly haven't watched much of the Dolphins this year, but I'm a believer to some degree in the Ravens. I was a Ravens skeptic for a number of years, but they are better this year under John Harbaugh. And Flacco is a half-decent quarterback who is a significant upgrade over the dark days of Steve McNair and Kyle Boller. The Ravens are not as anemic offensively as they were under Brian Billick (who is probably the most overrated head coach ever). I can't stand the Ravens, but I think they'll get a win in Miami. I think they actually have a great chance to make a run in the playoffs.

And if anyone doesn't think Ray Lewis is on the juice, they are kidding themselves. How did the guy suddenly go from a player in obvious decline to a stud once again?? Ray Ray is one of the most obvious juicers in the league. More power to him since the NFL doesn't have the testing equipment to smoke him out and find out what he's on. Plus, apparently everyone in the media has made a conscious decision that they don't care that NFL players are on roids. But god forbid if some minor league pitcher uses some flaxseed oil.

Minnesota over Philly (4:30pm FOX) -- I have no idea why I'm picking this one, but I don't trust Philly for some reason. I watched them play like absolute dogs against the Bengals, and I can't seem to buy into them for some reason. Too many guys with a history of coming up small on that roster. Plus, I can't pick all road teams! Put the Vikes in the dome in front of a rabid crowd, and I think they'll get it done.

1) Last but not least, we have the Bengals! With all of the changes going on in the NFL, one team has made a decision that they are satisfied with how their season went and have made a decision to stand pat! That incredible 3 game winning streak over Cleveland, KC, and a lifeless Washington team to finish 4-11-1 on the year has convinced Mike Brown that the Bengals are on the right path back to glory and that no changes are necessary. NONE. Not a GM, not a new head coach, not a new offensive coordinator, not a new direction for the team. Nothing like telling your fans that you are thrilled with the "progress" of going from 7-9 to 4-11-1, and that you want to bring back the same crew the next year. Season ticketholders, I bet you are fired up to renew those seats at $100 a pop!! And you gotta love that Mike Brown refuses all interviews with the media. He might as well just drive around downtown with his middle finger out.

I swear, being the Bengals head coach is the greatest job in the world. No accountabilty, no standards, and you can pretty much coach as long as you want if you show even the slightest bit of progress from beginning to end. If you don't have a good year, the owner will have your back and throw out a million excuses for you because deep down the owner knows that he is the problem with the franchise. If Marvin Lewis was coaching for any other franchise in the league, he would have been long gone. But the Bengals have not only guaranteed that he is coming back next year, they have given no indication that he is any jeopardy of losing his job at all even if the team stinks again next year.

In the AFC North alone, you have two of the best run franchises in the league (Steelers and Ravens), and now you have a Browns franchise that is saying that they will spend any amount of money on a GM and coach to turn the ship around. Then you have the Bengals who are standing pat with lifetime .484 winning percentage Marvin Lewis and no GM.

Good times!

Robert Marve.....Gone!

-- Uh oh, Robert Marve is leaving Miami, and doesn't have a whole lot of good things to say about Randy Shannon. I will be stunned if Randy Shannon turns around Miami. All signs seem to lead me to think that he'll be out of a job within the next couple years after a few more lackluster seasons. I don't really understand why he was hired in the first place. He was the defensive coordinator on some bad Miami teams under Larry Coker. If Miami had gone all out to sell someone like Greg Schiano on the job, that's the route I would have gone. If they get another chance at a hire, I would be putting the full-court press on Schiano. Schiano cannot win a championship at Rutgers, but he can win one at Miami.

-- In other news, Michigan's stud five star defensive tackle recruit Will Campbell has decommitted from Michigan and is now considering other options, including LSU. Yikes. If Michigan loses Campbell, that would be another high-profile decommit for the Wolverines. They are having a pretty good year in recruiting, but the late defections are definitely not a good sign for the program. Plus, they are now searching for a new defensive coordinator after firing the guy from Stanford after one year! Rich Rodriguez's start at Michigan couldn't have been any rockier.

Should be a very interesting season in Ann Arbor next year. I think the spotlight is going to be on in three places next year in college football. South Bend, Ann Arbor, and Baton Rouge.

One thing you have to say about Weis is that this guy seems to be able to recruit no matter how much perceived turmoil there is in our program. 3-9 year...doesn't matter. #1 recruiting class. Rumors circulating about his job after this year. All the commits are staying on board. Pretty impressive. Weis has the pro style Belichick system that recruits want to play in, and he knows how to sell ND. You need to have talent to win in college football, and Weis should be able to produce winning seasons on talent alone. Even if Weis doesn't pan out at ND, he has at least produced some stability and a foundation. Rich Rodriguez has a long way to go toward building a foundation at Michigan.

--The only thing that I would say on Rodriguez's behalf is that the spread offense is absolutely incredible when you have the players for it. Oregon and Oklahoma State both run the spread, and they were putting up points like crazy last night. That offense is very impressive when it is run properly. If you have a quarterback who can run and athletes who can move in space and a line that knows how to block in that scheme, that offense can be really dangerous. If Michigan gets the right players for that system, look out. Every high school team in the country is now running the spread or the pistol offense, so Rodriguez will have plenty of players to recruit for his system.

International Bowl -- Buffalo (8-5) vs. Connecticut (7-5) (Toronto Rogers Centre Toronto, Ontario January 3, 2009 12pm ESPN2)

Tie Ins: Big East #4-5 vs. MAC #3

Dan: UConn -4.5

I don’t care if Mike Brey’s son plays for Buffalo. You can be damn sure I’ll be watching Big East Hoops (Pitt v. Georgetown, ND v. St. Johns) or NFL playoff action on this early Saturday in January. Also, I watched Buffalo against Ball State. They are not very good.

UConn 24 Buffalo 17

Matt: Buffalo +4.5

I really can’t believe that Turner Gill didn’t get a job this year. The guy can obviously coach – he got freaking Buffalo to a bowl game. The same Buffalo that routinely went 0-11. You’re telling me that Dabo Swinney or Gene Chizik are better head coaches? I don’t buy it.

But on the flip side, I can also see big time programs being a little leery of hiring him (and it has NOTHING to do with his or his wife’s race). There is a huge difference between the Buffalo Bulls and War Eagle. Urban Meyer dominated at Bowling Green, took another step up to Utah and dominated, then went to Florida. It’s hard to jump from a MAC school to the SEC. I kind of like what Brady Hoke from Ball State did. He accomplished everything possible at Ball State. Take a step up and turn around San Diego State, which should be possible in a few years, and then he will have every big time program convinced he is can’t miss.

As for the game, the key for Buffalo will be slowing down Donald Brown, who averaged about 150 yards a game. I’m not going to pretend to know anything about Buffalo football, but I think UConn pulls out a close one.

UConn 24 Buffalo 21

Mike: Buffalo +4.5

It has been repeated ad nauseam, but how did Syracuse miss the boat on Turner Gill? Actually, this bowl features two coaches that would thrive in the Dome, given that Randy Edsall is a fine coach and a Syracuse alumnus. As for the game, I think that the Bulls are more equipped to put points on the board. Connecticut's Donald Brown is a great running back, but the Huskies' quarterback play is just atrocious. I have honestly been unable to watch a full UConn game because their passing game hurts my stomach.

Buffalo 29 Connecticut 24

Doug: Buffalo +4.5

Throw out the records when these two get together! I'm sure the locals in Canada are fired up about this Buffalo-Connecticut tilt.

I really don't know where to lean on this game, but I'll give the edge to Buffalo since they are probably more psyched to be in this game than UConn is. UConn basically has MAC talent at the moment, so there's not a real big talent difference between the programs if there is one at all.

I'll take the Buffalo Bulls to cover the points and pull out the win. Great year for them. I think Turner Gill better get ready to move on though if he wants to get a big-time job. He had a lot of seniors on his team this year. Winning in the MAC can be a crapshoot to some degree, especially when you are a program like Buffalo that probably has among the worst talent in the league.

Buffalo 21 UConn 17

AllState Sugar Bowl -- Utah (12-0) vs. Alabama (11-1) (Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana January 2, 2009 8pm FOX)

Tie Ins: SEC Champ vs. At-Large

Dan: Utah +10.5

I really have to feel sorry for Alabama. They had one hell of a season, and if they had played Florida in early October, maybe things would be different. But they didn’t, and Florida is so dominant right now that Alabama will have to settle for Utah in New Orleans. Not much of a consolation prize. I think that the situation, combined with some internal turmoil, could result in this game being much closer than it should be. But Saban will have just enough left in the bag to pull off the win.

Alabama 31 Utah 28

Matt: Utah +10.5

Utah is legit. They beat TCU and destroyed BYU. And I think that Kyle Whittingham is a high quality coach and will have Utah ready to play. I just don’t think they will be able to match up with Alabama in the trenches to be able to keep this close, even with Andre Smith’s premature declaration for the NFL Draft. The only thing that might give them a chance is Alabama playing poorly with a hangover from the SEC Championship game. But with Saban on the sidelines, I don’t really see that happening.

If there was one place I could be this bowl season, it would be on Bourbon Street sucking down Hand Grenades and mixing it up with Bama Nation. The Super Dome may be the most depressing building in America, and obviously the city of New Orleans is disappearing, but there really is no place like Bourbon Street.

Alabama 30 Utah 20

Mike: Alabama –10.5

See, e.g., Georgia versus Hawaii in the 2007 Sugar Bowl. Way too much force up front for the Tide.

Alabama 31 Utah 17

Doug: Alabama -10.5

I know everyone is expecting a repeat of last year's Georgia-Hawaii game, but I'm actually a little leery of my pick here. Utah is a much better team and program than Hawaii (who is the equivalent of a MAC school at the end of the day). Utah football is actually pretty strong. They are one of the premier programs in the "Mountain" region, and they can recruit a lot of the better players in the Utah/Colorado/Nevada/Wyoming/Montana/Idaho/Northern Arizona regions. Plus, with their Mormon tie-in, Utah is going to get some quality out of state Mormon kids who want to play football. Utah doesn't have Alabama talent or anything, but they are one of the better "mid-majors" out there. Kyle Whittingham has proven to be a good coach for that program as well. Utah is actually the fastest growing state in the country according to the latest US Census, so I could see them staying around as a good program. Plus, with the cold weather in Utah, it makes sense that the state would be emerging as a football-friendly state.

With all that said, Alabama is the second best team in the country if you ask me. They have dominant line play (although their best lineman has been suspended for this game), and their defense is physical and tough. I think Utah will come ready to play, but Alabama will wear them down in the second half. I am a little worried that Bama will not be as focused for this game, but I have faith in Nick Saban to have his guys ready to play.

Should be an interesting scene down on Bourbon Street with the Bama fans and the Utah fans. I'd love to see how those two fanbases interact. If anyone catches any good footage of some Mormons pounding Hurricanes and Hand Grenades on Bourbon Street, please email them immediately to weisnd.blogspot.com.

Rollllllllllllll Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!

Alabama 30 Utah 13

AutoZone Liberty Bowl -- Kentucky (6-6) vs. East Carolina (9-4) (Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Memphis, Tennessee January 2, 2009 5pm E

Tie Ins: CUSA #1 vs. SEC #6-8

Dan: East Carolina -1.5

Ugh. Am I the only one that hates these random crappy bowl games thrown in to the mix after January 1st just to enable ESPN to stretch out the national title game for another week? This is brutal. I know my colleagues here at WEISND are in stark disagreement with my opinion on these 6-6 match-up bowl games in mid-December. But in January? How can you possibly defend this? I’ll go with Skip, I guess.

East Carolina 24 Kentucky 21

Matt: Kentucky +1.5

I really have no opinion on this game.

Kentucky 20 ECU 17

Mike: East Carolina -1.5

Yawn.

East Carolina 21 Kentucky 17

Doug: East Carolina -1.5

This game is a dud on the surface, but East Carolina could really finish off a strong season with a win here over an SEC team. The Pirates have had a nice year with some quality wins, so I am rooting for them to pull this one off.

Just a word of advice for Skip Holtz. I know you are waiting for the right job to open up (perhaps it is even the ND job?), but I would be careful about staying at East Carolina too long. East Carolina has decent tradition (as someone who worshipped former Bengals QB Jeff Blake in the mid-90s, I have some history with that program), but it's a very cyclical program. With the competition from UNC and now a resurgent NC State for recruits, it's not easy to have a lot of sustained success at East Carolina. If I was Skip Holtz, I would be looking to parlay his success at ECU to another job in a BCS conference where he has a chance to win. I thought Syracuse was a perfect fit for him, but I guess he didn't want that job. I don't know, I hope he doesn't stay too long and suddenly find himself tied down at ECU with a bunch of 8-5/7-6 type seasons.

While I'm here, a couple thoughts on the Kentucky basketball team. They are starting to play better, but that team is a long way from what I would call a quality team. UK has some nice young players with Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, but Gillespie needs to continue to recruit and bring in high-quality guys who want to wear that Kentucky jersey. They badly need a point guard and some other guards who can handle the ball and knock down shots. I think Gillespie is doing fine at UK, but the expectations are eventually going to rise significantly for this program. With his track record at Texas A&M, I think he'll eventually get that program back to playing at a high level.

East Carolina 23 Kentucky 13