NFL Championship Week Picks

Looking forward to both these games on Sunday. Some interesting storylines.

Some picks:

Philly over Arizona -

When it comes to postseasons in any sport, I'm always interested in legacies. It seems like the big talk of late has been whether Kurt Warner or Donovan McNabb could bolster their Hall of Fame credentials by taking their teams back to the Super Bowl.

With Donovan McNabb, I can understand it. I've always felt like McNabb was a little overrated, but I can't deny his record. McNabb has been a top 10 quarterback for almost a decade, a five time Pro Bowler, and he's led Philly to 5 NFC Championship games. If you're talking about the NFL during this decade (especially the NFC), McNabb is going to be brought into the conversation within a couple minutes. If he goes to the Super Bowl for a second time, you can make a strong case that he's the Jim Kelly of this decade. And if he wins the Super Bowl, he probably enters a different strata and cements his status as the 3rd most accomplished QB of this decade. McNabb is a high-profile player in every way. Quarterbacks are always going to get the most attention, and he's definitely the biggest name out of this Eagles group.

Plus, McNabb has had NOTHING to work with. He has had exactly one season with a Pro Bowl receiver (2004), and he had his best statistical season. I do think that has to be taken into consideration.

Don't get me wrong, if I had a Hall of Fame vote, I probably would not vote for McNabb. When he had that stretch where he always got hurt, they would suddenly start playing better without him. He was like the poster child for the Ewing Theory for about a three year stretch. When you go down and Jeff Garcia suddenly reels off a bunch of wins and looks like a Pro Bowler as your replacement, I get a little leery of talking about you as a Hall of Famer. But I can at least UNDERSTAND why he would be considered a Hall of Famer.

But Kurt Warner??? Are you kidding me??? How is anyone talking about Kurt freaking Warner as a Hall of Famer??

Let's break down this guy's career.

Warner came into the league in 1998 as a 27 year old (not his fault) and became the starter for the Rams in 1999. Obviously, he had an incredible three year run with the Rams. 1999 NFL MVP, 1999 Super Bowl MVP, led the team back to the Super Bowl in
2000, and then goes on to become the MVP of the league again in 2001. That's as good of a 3 year run as anyone has probably had in the history of the league.

But after that, he was a borderline starter/backup for 6 years!! SIX!! The guy didn't start more than 10 games in a season from 2002 until 2007. He has obviously revived his career in the last couple years in Arizona, but how can a guy who spent the majority of his career as either a backup or a split time starter be considered a Hall of Famer under any circumstances?? I wouldn't even put him in the Hall of Fame if he wins the Super Bowl.

Warner has a bunch of career stats that will get touted as well. He has the second highest completion percentage in NFL history and the highest average passing yards per game stat in the history of the league. I think both those stats are interesting, but I think they just show that Warner has been really really good when he has had chances to start and be the man in an offense. But in terms of his overall career, Warner doesn't have the type of dominance over a long period of time that merits him for the Hall of Fame.

For that reason alone, I'm rooting for Philly to win this game. I can't stand the idea of Kurt Warner being touted as a Hall of Famer. I also think Philly is the better team here. Arizona has been hot, but they are still a one-dimensional team that could fall apart at any point. I don't think you can win a Super Bowl as a one trick pony, and that's basically what the Cardinals are. Philly has a great defense, a good coach, and great balance on offense. I think they'll create a game plan to limit Fitzgerald and win this game.


Steelers over the Ravens - Let me just say first that I can't wait for this game. I am so glad that this game will be starting at 6:30 pm on Sunday. Nothing like settling in on a Sunday evening to watch an absolute slug fest for the AFC Championship in a freezing cold setting. You can't beat it. These teams know each other real well and hate each other. Should be phenomenal. As a Bengals fan, I hope this game wears both teams out and sets them back for a decade. Hey, I can dream, can't I??

The only down side for viewers on this game is that I feel like it's not a Jim Nantz-Phil Simms type game. Steelers-Ravens in January is going to be a violent war. You sort of need an announcer who can bring up the intensity a little bit. Nantz announces football games like he's in the Butler Cabin. Don't get me wrong, I love Jim Nantz, but this game NEEDS a Gus Johnson or even a Greg Gumbel. I thought Gumbel and Dierdorf were great last week in Tennessee, and I'd love to see them back for this game. I can live with Nantz be waxing poetic about Jim Nantz type things and Simms telling us how great "Ben" is, but this game sort of demands a different broadcast team. Oh well.

I know everyone is giddy about the Joe Flacco era in Baltimore, so I figured I would throw a little cold water on the "Flacco is a young star" bandwagon. I think he'll turn out better than Kyle Boller and some of the other dreck that the Ravens have trotted out in recent years, but I think it's way too early to start talking about him as a "great" young quarterback. I'm not even sure that he's going to be a good NFL quarterback. Flacco doesn't turn it over or make any bad decisions, but he's not asked to do anything at this point. The Ravens play Tressel Ball offensively. Two runs up the middle and a deep out on 3rd and long followed by a punt. That's their offense for 2/3 of the game.

People are comparing Flacco to Roethlisberger since both led their teams to the AFC Championship games in their rookie years. LUDICROUS. If you watched Roethlisberger in his first year, he was a playmaker for that Steelers team and a big reason why they made it that far. They let him roll out and make throws. Flacco doesn't do any of that. He's just out there to hold down the fort until the defense gets back on the field.

Flacco may turn out to be good. He's got a nice arm, and I've seen him look good at times this year. I just don't think it's a foregone conclusion at all just because his team is doing well. He is not even close to the biggest reason why that team keeps winning.

That's the biggest reason why I think the Steelers are winning this game. Both teams have great defenses, but the Steelers have the offensive firepower to put points on the board. They are capable of winning a game with their offense unlike the Ravens. The Ravens have to scratch and claw just to do anything offensively.

The Ravens got it done last week, but they got thoroughly outplayed last week by the Titans. Tennessee was running and throwing all over them and would have won the game if not for some dumb fumbles. The Ravens D has a mystique about them, but they got exposed a little bit last weeks against the Titans. And some of their best defensive players are injured now. I think the Steelers will put up points on Baltimore.

The only way the Ravens can win this game is if the Steelers hand it to them, which definitely could happen. Roethlisberger is usually a pretty good clutch player, but he'll do just enough goofy/dumb things to always leave open the door for him to be a goat. Roethlisberger loves to hang around in the pocket to make a play, and he might not be able to get away with that stuff against the Ravens. He cannot afford to turn it over.

The Steeler have a history of choking at home in the playoffs, so I do think it's possible that Harbaugh will draw up a great game plan that keeps it low scoring and gives the Ravens a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter. And the familiarity between the Ravens and Steelers is definitely something to take into consideration.

Definitely should be an interesting game, but I think the Steelers will advance and get to the Bowl.

ND hires Frank Verducci as the o-line coach

Welcome aboard Frank Verducci. The o-line has been a disaster for the last couple years, so just about anybody would have been an upgrade to the position.

Some positives.

1) It seems like he really wants to be at ND -

"I'm very excited for this opportunity and am grateful to Coach Weis," Verducci said in the statement. "Notre Dame is the one college job I pursued and is the only school I considered leaving the NFL for."

That's a good sign if you ask me. Maybe he's just saying that at the press conference, but at least he gives the impression that he really wanted the job. I was a little worried that this guy was just going to be a space filler for Weis, but I do get the impression that he's excited to be in South Bend.

2) O-line experience in college - I'm not even going to pretend that I know anything about his o-lines at Iowa, but I'm encouraged that he was the o-line coach for 10 years at Iowa. Anybody who coaches at Iowa has to understand the importance of being a tough, physical unit that can man up and run the football and be physical at the point of attack. The Big 10 was a three yards and a cloud of dust league in the 90s (and still is in some ways), so you had to be able to run the football if you wanted to be successful in that league. I hope that he brings that type of mentality and attitude to our o-line. We should be able to physically dominate almost everyone on our schedule, but we need to become more physical to accomplish that goal.

I'm glad to see that we hired a guy with an understanding of Midwest football. I would like to see ND get back to playing good, solid, fundamentally sound Midwestern football as a foundation to go with our highly-touted skill players. I hope our new d-line coach has simliar ties.

3) NFL experience - Verducci has a good reputation as a recruiter, and it never hurts to have an NFL guy around who can tell recruits what it takes to get to the league.

Verducci was rated as one of the top 10 recruiters in the country at several points during the 90s, so I definitely think he'll bring something to the table in the recruiting department. He specializes in Jersey recruits, which has become a critical recruiting area for the Irish.

Some negatives:

1) Serial job jumper - Why is this guy seemingly in a new job every single year?? Has he just been incredibly unlucky in the jobs that he has picked?? It just seems like he had become a space filler in the NFL. If you needed to add someone to the staff, he was always available. I don't know that it's necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder how much this guy was valued around the NFL. He apparently coached with the Bengals, but I don't remember much about him. Between Buffalo and Cleveland and Cincy and a pre-Parcells Dallas, he wasn't exactly a guy who was a hot commodity with any of the good teams in the NFL. It seemed like he just floated from one bad NFL job to another.

2) Demoted in Cleveland?? -- According to the press release, here were his duties in Cleveland.

Verducci's duties in Cleveland included "assisting the offensive coordinator in framing the run game, presenting the weekly opponent scouting report to the offense and installing Friday's game plan for the offensive unit. Verducci assisted the play caller on game days with situational offense and was responsible for clock management."

Was he even really the o-line coach in Cleveland?? It looks like he was basically the "get back coach" with a couple extra duties. If he was responsible for clock management with the Browns, that's a red flag right there.

Call me crazy, but it's a little concerning that he's basically been out of favor as an o-line coach for a number of years. I was sort of hoping that we'd hire a young stud o-line coach either from college or the NFL who could bring some intensity and toughness to our lines.

3) Iowa fans are not real big on this guy - The biggest positive on Verducci's resume was his 10 year stint at Iowa, so I was curious to see what Iowa fans thought of this guy. The impression that I'm getting from the Iowa fanbase was that Verducci was not a popular o-line coach at all. Apparently Kirk Ferentz was the o-line coach in the 80s and had built up some great o-line units. Verducci took over for Ferentz and the o-line steadily declined during his tenure. He coached under Hayden Fry, and Fry stuck with him out of loyalty. When Ferentz became the head coach in 1999, Verducci was promptly booted from his job.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for the guy. Maybe Verducci took some unfair blame during a time when Hayden Fry was losing control of his program, but it is a little concerning that Iowa fans aren't all that high on Verducci. I was hoping to get a little more positive reaction from the Iowa fans.

Should be interesting to see how the hire turns out. I think Weis has been hamstrung by the fact that his job is perceived to be in jeopardy, so Verducci might have been the best he could do. Verducci is a proponent of the zone blocking scheme that Weis wants to run at ND, so maybe he'll be more on the same page with Weis than Latina was. It certainly was strange that our o-line never seemed to be in sync. The rest of our team steadily has gotten better since 2007, but the o-line got worse. Maybe Verducci will get this group back on track. I certainly hope so.

All in all, not a bad hire considering the circumstances. With all the young skill talent that we have assembled, all it would take is an adequate line to make this offense pretty potent next year. That's a pretty low bar for Verducci. I hope he can get it done.

Bradford coming back

Interesting move by Sam Bradford to make the decision to come back to OU. He can obviously do whatever the heck he wants, but I'm trying to decide if I think it's the right move for his career. It's always good for college football when these guys come back, so I'm happy to see him make the decision that he did.

On the one hand, I can understand why he'd be coming back. Maybe the guy just isn't ready to go to the NFL and wants to put in his four years at OU (he's currently a redshirt sophomore). OU is losing a ton of players, but they've basically been in reload mode for about 10 years now. It's not like they won't have talented players replacing the guys who left. Maybe he wants to make another run at a Heisman or a national title. I get that.

From a career standpoint, I do think there is a correlation between guys with a lot of starting experience in college and success in the NFL. A guy like Matt Ryan had already been a starter for a few years at BC, and he was ready for the NFL by the time he left BC. You could say the same about Carson Palmer and Ben Roethlisberger and Brady Quinn (who I still think will be a good player starting next year). All those guys were four year starters in college. Bradford will have three years as a starter at OU under his belt by the time he goes pro after next year. He could have made some money this year by coming out, but the BIG money in the NFL for quarterbacks is on that second contract. If you prove your value to your franchise, they'll rip up your rookie contract and lock you up to a huge deal. Guys like Manning and McNabb and Palmer and Brady are all working with $100 million deals. If you're a bust, you'll get your signing bonus and a few years of base salary and then probably get cut. It's obviously a good living, but some guys who came out early may have made less money over the course of their careers because they weren't ready to succeed in the NFL. It's a good idea financially to make sure you are 100% ready for the NFL.

On the other hand, I really think Bradford has shown all he needs to show on the college level. He's already basically mastered a college offense and proven that he can make every throw that a college offense demands. I'm not sure if playing another year against Big 12 defenses really does a whole lot for his career. Bradford was probably going to be the #1 pick this year (or at least in the top 3). If he comes back and maybe doesn't have quite as good of a year or doesn't have the o-line that he had this past year, maybe his stock drops down into the late first or something like that. That's a pretty risky career move.

Tough to say. If it's obvious that you need another year of maturity before going to the NFL, I'd always say come back to school even if you are a top 10 pick. But for a polished guy like Bradford, it might not have been the worst idea to get to the league while his stock is at an all-time high. Maybe he's ok with his draft stock dropping because he'd be on a better team. Should be interesting to see what happens with him next year.

Should be another doozy of a Red River Rivalry. Bradford vs McCoy again. WOW.

LeSean McCoy going pro

Not a huge surprise, but at least we know for sure now that LeSean McCoy is going pro next year. Pretty big blow for Pitt if you ask me. They have a good offensive line, but he was basically a one man team if you ask me. Those are some large shoes to fill for the Panthers. My brief glance at Pitt's roster seems to indicate that they are returning most of their defense and some of their o-line to go with Bill Stull and Jonathan Baldwin, but they were built around McCoy.

Should be interesting to see what Pitt looks like next year. With McCoy, I thought Pitt would probably be our second toughest game next year, but that game looks a little less imposing without him there. It's tough to really count any game as a likely win after all of the disappointing losses in 2008, but I'm not complaining about McCoy going pro.

Even if we were not playing them next year, I think McCoy is making the right decision. If you are a running back in college who is projected for the first round (or even the early 2nd round), you'd be crazy to come back to college. Too much risk of injury, and there's no reason to put extra wear and tear on your tires if you aren't getting paid for it. In the NFL, you only have so many miles on those tires as a running back, so it makes sense to get to the NFL as soon as you are ready. If you are a running back, your skill set in the NFL essentially boils down to whether or not you can run the football and stay healthy. That's it. Once you have proven you can do that, go to the league and start earning a paycheck. LeSean McCoy proved this year that he's one of the elite backs in the country. He had nothing to prove by coming back next year. Yeah, he probably could improve his draft stock a little bit, but the risk is too high for injury.

I think McCoy would be a good late 1st round pick, but an even better 2nd round pick. He would be a steal as a second rounder. With his speed and strength and ability to break tackles and catch the football, he's tailor made for a pro style NFL offense. The only question on him will be whether he gets banged up. He's kind of a Cadillac Williams player, so I hope he doesn't get hurt in the league.

I'm generally opposed to using high picks on running backs these days because of their short life span as a player and the high risk of injury/busts, but a guy like McCoy would have some value if you got him in the second round. I'd rather get McCoy in the early second than use a first rounder on Beanie Wells.

Vidal Hazelton transferring to Cincy

Big news out of Clifton today with the word that Vidal Hazelton will be transferring to Cincinnati. I know this guy was up and down at USC, but he has a ton of talent. I don't see anything wrong with Brian Kelly taking a chance on this guy. UC has proven in the last couple years that they have a good offense for wide receivers, so I can see why Hazelton was interesting in becoming a Bearcat. If he can get his head on straight, he could be a stud in the UC offense.

Good to hear that UC is continuing to build momentum as a program. I hope Brian Kelly stays in Clifton a long time.

Pioli!

Wow, what a bold hire by the Kansas City Chiefs to lure Scott Pioli into the fold. After reading that Patriot Reign book, I think Pioli is a legit stud as a GM. Belichick is obviously a driving force in that organization, but I get the impression that Pioli was an equal partner in their success.

Having a good GM makes a big difference. Might take awhile for him to rebuild, but I like the move a lot. Should be interesting to see who he brings in to be the head coach. Pioli probably laughed out loud when someone asked him if he was going to bring back Herm Edwards.

Why is everyone so down on Andy Reid??

7) I'll admit that I'm not privy to much info about Andy Reid as a Bengal fan, but I don't see why this guy gets made fun of so much. It seems like everyone is always ragging on him. Eagles fan, Simmons, general NFL fans. Everyone is knocking Andy Reid.

Check out the guy's record:

1999 - 5-11
2000 - 11-5 - NFC Divisional Round
2001 - 11-5 - Division Champs; NFC Championship Game
2002 - 12-4 - Division Champs; NFC Championship Game
2003 - 12-4 - Division Champs; NFC Championship Game
2004 - 13-3 - Division Champs; Super Bowl
2005 - 6-10
2006 - 10-6 - Division Champs; NFC Divisional Round
2007 - 8-8
2008 - 9-6-1 - NFC Championship Game

The guy is now in his 5th NFC Championship game in 10 years. That's a bad coach?? If Marvin Lewis was headed to his 5th AFC Championship game in the last 10 years, the Bengals would currently be playing on Marvin Lewis Field at Paul Brown Stadium and fans would be rubbing the gold statue of him that was built outside the stadium on their way into the game. I'm not even joking. Meanwhile, Andy Reid seems to be fighting to keep his job even though the guy has a great shot to get to his 2nd Super Bowl this year. The Eagles are probably the best NFC franchise of this decade. I don't care what his challenges are like. All the guy does is win. I'll worry about the challenges if the guy is going 6-10 every year, but I can live with it if he's going to the NFC Championship game.

Maybe Philly fans are looking for a change of scenery or something, but sometimes the grass isn't always greener when you start looking around. Andy Reid hasn't exactly been a slouch in Philly. I'm surprised at how much heat he gets. Every team is going to have a down year in the NFL from time to time with injuries and personnel losses, but Reid has won more often than not in Philly.

I've said this before about Andy Reid and I'll say it again. If Philly fans don't want him, I'll personally drive to Philly and escort him to Cincinnati. I'd be thrilled to have him even if he does look like Craig Stadler's long lost twin these days.

6) I don't know anything about Jim Caldwell, but I'm a little leery of this hire by the Colts. Is Jim Caldwell really the guy that you want for the last few great years that you might get out of Peyton Manning?? You have Peyton Manning in his prime!! That's a big time job that a good coach would want. Who knows how much longer Peyton Manning is going to be really good, but now you are rolling the dice with a guy who was a complete failure at Wake Forest and has never coached anywhere else. That just seems really risky.

And it’s not like Dungy was some risky hire. He was about the safest hire the Colts could have made when they hired him. Caldwell is not a Dungy redux by any stretch. We have no idea how this guy will pan out.

Wouldn't a guy like Shanahan love to take a job like that?? If they hired a big time coach, they could make a serious push in the next couple years to win Peyton another ring. Isn’t that the goal?? It just seems like Indy has gotten stagnant. If Caldwell doesn’t shake things up, you are wasting the last few good years where you can shoot for a ring.

I know the new trend in the NFL is for teams to hire no-names like John Harbaugh and Ken Whisenhunt, but I still think Indy probably would have been smart to go outside the family and try to re-energize that franchise.

5) No team owns a down year in the NFL like the Baltimore Ravens. It seems like they come out of nowhere whenever there is a year with extreme parity. If New England and Indy and some of the other big names aren’t a factor, the Ravens seems to pop back up. They can win games with defense and special teams and toughness when there are no great offenses out there.

It’s amazing how limited the Ravens’ game plan was on Saturday, but yet they somehow won that game. Somewhere Jim Tressel was smiling about that game plan. Run the ball up the middle twice, deep out on 3rd down, and punt. Keep it close, make some plays with your defense, and then put together one half-decent drive in the fourth quarter to win it. And Tennessee got lulled into the trap. The Ravens probably could have gotten away with punting on 3rd down at times in the third quarter.

I’m a big fan of John Harbaugh. He seems like a really good coach. He’s already one of the better clock management/timeout/challenge coaches in the league. If you can motivate, game plan, make adjustments at the half, and manage the game on the sideline, you’re already in my top 10 coaches on that alone. There are so many coaches who can only do 1 or 2 of those things (see Lewis, Marvin) or even none (see Crennel, Romeo).

If the Ravens win the Super Bowl this year, what will their legacy be?? They’d have 2 Super Bowl titles in the 00s, but I’ve never felt like the Ravens were the premier franchise in the league at any time. History would probably treat them better than they deserve because we’d look back and see 2 rings and assume they were an all-time great team. Don’t get me wrong, the Ravens are a great franchise that just hums along, but I’ve never thought about them in the same breath as the Colts or the Pats or even the Steelers.

4) Where did all these Asian guys come from?? It seems like every team these days is trotting out some dude from Thailand or Vietnam or some other Asian guy who can run and play. It definitely seems like a trend in football that more and more guys are coming out of Samoa and Phillipines and some of those random Asian countries. I swear, ND should be recruiting five Asians and Samoans a year.

3) In the last four years of the NFL Divisional Round, the home team with the bye is 7-9. Road teams went 3-1 this year. It's almost gotten to the point where you are better off NOT having a bye in the playoffs. It totally kills your momentum, and the other team can get into a rhythm with their first round game. If Arizona had gone into Carolina without that game against Atlanta, they probably would have gotten smoked. But they found something that clicked in the first round, and suddenly they got hot. Same thing for Philly to some degree.

I think Tennessee was up for that game against Baltimore, but Baltimore was maybe a little more “playoff ready” after that game against Miami. They had already been through a war. Not sure if Tennessee was prepared for that type of game against the Ravens.

I still can’t get over that Tennessee-Baltimore game on Saturday. That was the game of the weekend if you ask me. When Ray Lewis practically decapitated Ahmad Black on the sideline, I about lost my mind. What a hit. Dan Dierdorf’s reaction is phenomenal. “WHAT A SHOT!” Diabolical! That was the moment when that game went to another level, and Dierdorf is just excited to be a part of it. Ray Lewis brought everything he had, and Black just bounced up. Great stuff.



2) Even though I’ve been rooting for a team that plays in the same division as them for 20 years, I will never understand how the Steelers do it. The “magic” of the Steelers remains a mystery. Look at this defense:

DE - Aaron Smith - Northern Colorado - 4th round
NT - Casey Hampton - Texas - 1st round
DE - Brett Keisel - BYU - 7th round
LB - Lamarr Woodley - Michigan - 2nd round
LB - Larry Foote - Michigan - 4th round
LB - James Harrison - Kent State - Undrafted
LB - James Farrior - Virginia - 1st round (Jets)

CB - DeShea Townsend - Alabama - 4th round
CB - Ike Taylor - Louisiana-Lafayette - 4th round
S - Troy Polamalu - USC - 1st round
S - Ryan Clark - LSU - Undrafted

That’s the best defense in the league?? How do they do it?! Their best player this year and the Defensive Player of the Year, James Harrison, was not even drafted!! He was a linebacker at Kent State who was cut twice, and now he’s an All-Pro. Check out that d-line. Casey Hampton is an elite player, but the other two guys are filler-types. The Steelers disprove everything I’ve come to believe about football that you need elite players on the d-line to be successful. They just turn over the roster year after year after year, and nothing changes. Their defense is great every year, and playing linebacker for the Steelers is practically a guarantee that you will be a Pro Bowler someday.

The only bonafide “studs” that they drafted on that defense are Polamalu and Hampton. Everyone else is either a mid-round guy, a signing, or a complete no-name. It’s amazing. And they are like that every year.

The Steelers really aren’t even that great with their drafts every single year, but it doesn’t even matter. Mendenhall was hurt, Limas Sweed looks like a possible bust, their first rounder last year Lawrence Timmons has done nothing. There are a ton of “misses” in their draft history if you go back and look at it.

Doesn’t matter. They just find these unheralded guys and plug them in there under LeBeau. The only real big time 1st round guys the Steelers have on their roster are Roethlisberger (I refuse to call him “Ben”), Polamalu, Hampton, and Santonio. That’s basically it.

I don’t know how they do it. Steelers football…toughness, attacking defense, and physical play. The formula never changes. It has to be the system or whatever, but you still need players too. They never seem to be in any type of rebuilding mode even though their roster is always changing.

Very frustrating stuff for a Bengals fan. If you want to be relevant in the AFC North, you have two great franchises that you have to beat every year. There are very few down years for either the Steelers or the Ravens.

1) Hopefully Charlie Weis watched these games this weekend and realized that physical football wins, especially on defense. Then again, Weis probably saw the Zona game, fell in love with all the ways they were flinging it around, and immediately drew up three new jump ball fades to Golden Tate.

By the way, if Weis wins 9-10 games next year, could he put himself back into the mix for NFL jobs?? Couldn't he make a "hey, I've proven that I can win with experienced players" argument to an NFL team that is looking for an offensive guru?? Just a thought. I doubt it would ever happen, but you never know.

1) Big game for the Irish tonight in Louisville. I would love to see us win at least one out of the next two at Louisville or at Syracuse. Tonight would be HUGE because we have generally played really well at Syracuse against their zone.

Should be an interesting game. If we are fired up and come out shooting well, we have a great shot. Louisville has been playing better, but they are still really up and down.

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