Charlie Weis Gives Michigan Some Extra Motivation

Considering the fact that Notre Dame football is coming off one of its worst seasons in school history, that Charlie Weis would have spent a lot of his offseason eating some humble pie (opposed to the regular kind of pies Charlie undoubtedly loves). For the most part, he has been. He brought in John Tenuta to help turn the defense around, and he's finally going to give up play-calling duties on offense and focus on the entire team and his players instead.

All smart moves. Still, Charlie has been getting the wrong kind of attention lately for things he's been saying on the banquet circuit, including some unfortunate remarks about other schools and the players they recruit.

His latest quote to garner attention has to do with rival Michigan, as can be seen in this video, in which Charlie says "To hell with Michigan."

Considering the Irish have lost to the Wolverines by a combined score of 85-21, I can understand where the frustration comes from. Though I'm not sure it's incredibly wise of Weis to give the Wolverines any locker room chalkboard material. I can guarantee you that Rich Rodriguez has been at a Kinko's in Ann Arbor all morning printing up signs featuring the quote to paste all over the locker room.

At the same time, if you are going to rip into Michigan, now is probably the time to do it. Considering that the Wolverines are probably going to have a down year as they lost their most of their key players from last season, and have to adjust to an entire new coaching staff and playbook, the Irish actually have a solid chance of beating them this season.

Tim Tebow Will Cut Your Penis

University of Florida quarterback is an all around threat. He became the first sophomore in the history of college football to win the Heisman Trophy. There's nothing the 6'3 232 pound quarterback can't do. Not only did he throw for 3,286 yards and 32 touchdowns last season, but he also rushed for 895 yards and 23 touchdowns.

That's a whole helluva lot of production, 4,181 yards and 55 touchdowns to be exact. Tebow isn't satisfied with just owning opponents on the football field, though, as he's taken his interests elsewhere. The latest field he's decided to dominate? The most Filipino penises circumcised.

Tebow, who has no surgical training, was visiting an orphanage his father's ministry runs in the country and assisted with the care of locals who had walked miles to the temporary clinic the ministry helped organize.

"The first time, it was nerve-racking," he said. "Hands were shaking a little bit. I mean, I'm cutting somebody. You can't do those kinds of things in the United States. But those people really needed the surgeries. We needed to help them."

Richard Moleno, a Florida graduate and aspiring doctor, said: "You could see he was really into it. He thought it was cool. I'd make a stitch, he'd cut a stitch. He got his hands a little wet in surgery."

I think this is where I'm supposed to make the "he's gone from carving up defenses to carving up Filipino boys" joke, but I'm better than that. Besides, there's nothing I can add to this that Richard Moleno didn't just tell you.

Silly Knee! You're Supposed To Bend The Other Way!

Jesus fucking Christ, that is one of the most horrific looking things I've ever seen. I found this yesterday over at Wizard of Odds, and being the bastard that I am, there's just no way I could possibly let you all escape without seeing it for yourselves.

The proud owner of what was once his left leg is Tennessee fullback David Holbert who missed all of last season after tearing his ACL. I'm going to go ahead and guess he'll be missing this season as well, and frankly, if he's ever able to walk again he should consider that a victory.

Oh, and just to make it up to you for the gruesome photo, here are some more pics from Wizard of Odds of USC Song Girls frolicking in bathing suits!

Have Comcast and the Big Ten Network Finally Reached an Agreement?

I've always been a huge college basketball fan, but this year has felt a lot different. I haven't really been into the college hardwood this season, but not because I've grown tired of the sport, but because I haven't been able to watch the games that interest me most.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the ACC, the Big East, and the Pac-10 as much as anybody, but my true love is and always has been the Big Ten. Well, while not having the Big Ten Network didn't really affect my Big Ten football season since ABC and ESPN generally aired all the major games, it killed my basketball season.

All year I've had access to about three Big Ten games a week on my television. Now for those of you who have been able to watch the Big Ten all season, you may say that the network was doing me a favor, but still, I'd have rather found that out for myself.

So why am I rambling on about this right now? Well, because it looks like maybe, just maybe, the Big Ten Network and Comcast cable have finally come to terms and I may have the Big Ten Network by this fall.

After a flurry of backroom deals, the Big Ten Network appears poised to land its most significant carriage deal to date, as top executives from Comcast and Fox have agreed on the framework of an agreement, according to sources from both sides.

A signed deal could still be weeks, or even months, away, as lawyers from both sides hammer out the specifics. Snags still could develop, but sources are optimistic that a deal will get done.

Given the history of interaction between these two sides over the last year, I suggest you pay special attention to the "snags could still develop" part of that quote. No matter what these two say, I prefer to believe it when I see it.

As for what kind of compromise was reached to finally settle the impasse between the network and cable giant, here's the plan.

Comcast agreed to launch the conference network on expanded basic through most of the Big Ten Conference’s eight-state region, as much as 94 percent of it, according to one source. Previously, Comcast was adamant against launching on expanded basic to a such a wide area.

Meanwhile, Big Ten Network relaxed its demand to launch the channel on expanded basic everywhere in the eight-state market. The channel will allow Comcast the flexibility to place it on digital basic in various markets within the footprint, including Philadelphia.

Which makes so much sense it's no wonder why it took them a year and a half to figure it out.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

I'll Never Trust Kevin Hart Again

On Tuesday of this week, I wrote about Kevin Hart and how he had been tricked into thinking he was being recruited by Cal and Oregon. The kid held a press conference in his small hometown of Fernley, Nevada to announce his decision.

Then a few days later Hart found out that it was all just a prank somebody was pulling on him. At least, that's what he told us. As it turns out, Hart was making the whole thing up.

The Kevin Hart recruiting saga came to an abrupt end this afternoon when the Fernley offensive lineman admitted the entire process was a fraud.

“I wanted to play D-I ball more than anything. When I realized that wasn’t going to happen, I made up what I wanted to be reality,” read a statement sent out by Teri White, assistant superintendent of the Lyon County School District, on behalf of Hart. “I am sorry for disappointing and embarrassing my family, coaches, Fernley High School, the involved universities and reporters covering the story.”

Reached Wednesday afternoon, White said the district continues to conduct its internal investigation into how so many people were duped by the high school senior.

Well, I understand how I was duped. I don't live in Nevada, and I've never seen the kid play, so how could I know? What I don't get is how his coaches couldn't figure it out. They see him play every day, shouldn't they have realized there was no way that Division I schools were recruiting him?

Still, even after finding all of this out, I still feel bad for Hart. Obviously at first I felt bad for the kid because I thought he'd been tricked. Now I feel bad for the kid because there's obviously something wrong if he went through all this trouble to try and convince the entire town he was going to Cal.

I guess he just never thought about what would happen this fall when he was supposed to leave for school.

To make matters worse for Hart, all of this could get him into a bit of legal trouble as well.

Lyon County sheriff's detective Lt. Rob Hall received the case Wednesday morning. By late afternoon, he was relieved to hear of Hart's confession.

"What I am intending to do is request Kevin sit down with me," Hall said, adding he wants to know more details of Hart's web of deceit.

From there, Hall said he will write a report and forward it to the district attorney.

"The district attorney will see if charges (filing a false report) will be filed," Hall said.

Not to worry though, if he does somehow end up having to do some time in prison, he can just tell his family he's taking that recruiting trip to Texas A&M.

Foul Balls

Pedro Martinez Loves Cockfighting - While Mike Vick is currently serving two years for running a dog-fighting operation, Pedro Martinez is smart enough to leave the country before he partakes in any animal fisticuffs.

A video surfaced on Home Run Derby yesterday of Pedro Martinez in the Dominican Republic with another former pitching great, Juan Marichal, as the two attended a cockfight. Actually, they weren't attending the cockfight as much as Pedro's cock was taking on Marichal's cock in a poultry battle to decide who the greatest pitcher in the history of the Dominican really is.

The video has since been taken down by YouTube, though SportsbyBrooks has an animated GIF of some of the scenes from the video.



I'm not exactly a fan of cockfighting, as I prefer my bloodsports to involve people, but it's important to point out that in the Dominican this is all perfectly legal, so Pedro did nothing wrong.

Still, if I'm Pedro I'm probably going to be a little more careful when I attend these things. With the way this country reacted to the Vick story, I'm not sure having video on the internet of you participating in cockfights is the best way to make new fans here in the States.

And We Wait On Terrelle Pryor - As I'm sure you're all completely aware of, yesterday was national signing day in college football when recruits from all over the country put on fake press conferences to announce they're going to schools that didn't recruit them.

No wait, that's just Kevin Hart. Everybody else means it.

Of course, the one player that everybody's been waiting on to see where he's going, quarterback Terrelle Pryor, came out and said he hadn't made his mind up yet. Which is generally pissing everybody off except for his father, and Penn State fans.

Most people seemed to figure that Pryor was either going to Ohio State or Michigan, but now Penn State has jumped back to the top of Pryor's list, and he'd like more time to consider them and also Oregon, where his father's a coach.

I'd like to personally tell Terrelle to take all the time he needs to make up his mind, and weigh all the options because it's a big choice. Then, when you're done doing all that, hold a press conference to tell us all you've chosen Penn State. Thanks.

Also, for those of you wondering, Notre Dame had a pretty good day yesterday, as their recruiting class has been ranked 2nd in the nation. Illinois came in at #23.

My Final Blogpoll Ballot

Due to some technical difficulties in the voting process for the Blogpoll, I cannot post a nice HTML ballot entry here for you to read. So what I will do is give you a rundown of my final top 5, as appeared on the ballot I just turned in not five minutes ago.

1. USC
2. LSU
3. Georgia
4. Missouri
5. Ohio State
   

As for other schools of interest, I had Illinois finishing up at #14, and Michigan jumping as high as #12.

As for why I chose USC over LSU as my #1, it's not just because of the ass-whooping they gave to Illinois. I'm not using it as an excuse for the Illini's performance. It's just that I didn't really view last night's game as the true national championship, and last I checked, the Blogpoll isn't obligated to name that game's winner as it's #1.

I just feel that if there were a playoff system in college football, that USC would have come out on top in the end. It's simple math really. USC beats Illinois by a billion, whom beat Ohio State by 14, who in turn lost to LSU by 14.

So USC is still 999,999,985 points ahead of LSU.

Oh, and even though I think Georgia would beat LSU on a neutral field right now, the fact that they didn't win their division or conference is held against them.

FanHouse: Big Ten Is Hard To Defend

I said in my post today that I'd probably be talking about the perception of the Big Ten Conference over at FanHouse today, and what do you know, I did.

So if you're interested on my take, here you go. Read it. Soak it in. Live a full life.

The Big Ten Network Is Starting To Cave

I don't feel like talking about last night's Ohio State loss and what it means for the Big Ten here today, but if you're really interested in what I have to say about it, I'll probably be writing something over at FanHouse on the subject later.

I will say that last night's Buckeye's loss is a huge blow for the perception of Big Ten football across the country.

Another huge blow for the Big Ten's perception as a conference this season has been directly related to the fact that most people can't see the Big Ten, at least not in Chicago. That's because the Big Ten Network and Comcast have been at war since the summer about how much cable customers should pay for BTN and yadda yadda blah blah blah.

If you're a sports fan in this town, you already know the story. You can't turn on the radio for more than 15 minutes without hearing an ad from one side of the debate telling you what assholes the other guys are being.

Well, after the football season ended, the talk kind of died down a bit. Now though, we've reached the Big Ten's conference schedule in basketball, and guess what, people would like to be able to watch it.

And it also seems the BTN is finally starting to relent on it's demands, and may actually show up on Comcast sometime in our lifetimes.

Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman said Monday he was "cautiously optimistic" an agreement could be reached with Comcast, the largest cable distributor in the area. The parties began having "productive conversations" in December, Silverman said.

"We're cautiously optimistic because we've addressed what we were told were their concerns," Silverman said. "We've been consistent all along. We want to get a deal done. We're looking forward to hearing from them, hopefully shortly."

Comcast spokesman Richard Ruggiero confirmed that discussions were ongoing. "We have continued the dialogue," he said. "We've said all along we're trying to work out an agreement that makes sense for all of our customers."

There is a different tone to what both sides are saying now as compared to what it was before. The key there is Silverman saying the BTN is addressing Comcast's concerns, which means they may finally be relenting on their insistence that customers pay $1.10 a month for the network.

The BTN also realizes that if they don't work out a deal with Comcast now, the cable company has no reason to even consider negotiating with them again until the summer before football season starts again.

Hopefully the two sides will get something hammered out soon, because I have to tell you, it's really hard for me to cover both football and basketball in the Big Ten for FanHouse when I can't see 75% of the games being played.

Don't get me wrong, I can get by on my good looks and charm for another 5 years, but I wouldn't mind actually knowing what I'm talking about as well.

Foul Balls

Joe Gibbs Is Retiring....Again - After honoring the memory of Sean Taylor with their 21-point loss to the Seahawks this last weekend, the Redskins will be saying goodbye to their head coach Joe Gibbs yet again.

Joe will be announcing his retirement later this afternoon.

After the toughest season of his Hall of Fame career, one that tested his leadership like never before, Joe Gibbs is stepping down.

He retired as coach and team president of the Washington Redskins on Tuesday, three days after a playoff loss ended an inspirational late-season run that followed the death of safety Sean Taylor.

Gibbs will remain as a special adviser to owner Dan Snyder and was to discuss his retirement at an afternoon news conference at Redskins Park.

Gibbs was never able to recapture the magic formula that he used in his first time around with the Redskins, but he did manage to get them to the playoffs twice. He even won a playoff game.

Still, there were too many instances during his return that showed the NFL game may have passed Joe by during all those years he spent on NASCAR infields, and getting out is probably the best thing for him and his legacy.

As for who will replace Gibbs in Washington, my money is on defensive coordinator Gregg (The second G is for victory.) Williams or Tom Cruise.

Blah Blah Roger Clemens Blah Blah - Ok, so I have no idea what to make of the phone call that Roger Clemens played at a press conference yesterday between himself and Brian McNamee.

Nobody says anything in the call, and nobody denies anything either. All I know is that Roger is fighting this thing more than any other player I've ever seen before, which in a way makes me wonder if he just might be telling the truth. I doubt it, but I can't be sure.

Which in reality, is probably all Clemens wants out of the entire thing. All I do know is that the back and forth between Clemens and McNamee is incredibly entertaining. I feel like I'm in high school again watching two girls talking shit to each other in the hallway for five minutes before finally getting down to business.

I don't know when it's going to happen, but sooner than later the hair pulling will begin, and the linoleum will be covered in extensions and blood.

At Least One Good Reason LSU Won - I already posted this video over at FanHouse, but I enjoyed it so much I'm going to post it here as well.

I'm partially concerned about this kid's future seeing as how he's being raised by people who give him bottles of beer and take him to parties, but at the same time, the kid's a natural born entertainer. He's working the crowd at an 8th grade level.



Let's hope his life takes a different path than that of another Louisiana born and bred entertainer who got their start at a young age.

Can Ohio State Redeem Itself?

Last year at this time the Buckeyes were embarrassed by the Florida Gators in the BCS Title game for all the world to see. The way they were manhandled by the Gators physically, and burned athletically did nothing but add fuel to the fire that the Big Ten just can't compete with college football's top conferences like the SEC.

So here we are again a year later, with the Buckeyes prepared to try again for a national championship, against yet another SEC opponent, the LSU Tigers.

Can the Buckeyes redeem themselves and the Big Ten tonight? With Michigan's victory over Florida in the Capital One Bowl, a Buckeyes win would be a nice cap to a bowl season that's been pretty unkind to the Big Ten.

I really have no idea if the Buckeyes can pull this one out or not, but there are more than a few reasons to think they can.

I can start off by reminding you that in the history of the BCS and the title game, the underdog has won every year. According to Bodog, the Buckeyes are currently four point underdogs.

Then there's the fact that this has been a college football season in which we should expect the unexpected. The Appalachian States of the world are beating Michigan, and the Stanfords upset the USCs. So Ohio State beating LSU couldn't be that big of a shocker, could it?

The most important reason why the Buckeyes could come away with a victory tonight is also the most basic of reasons: LSU isn't that good. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Tigers suck or anything, but they have lost two games this season. It's not like they're unbeatable, and this LSU team is not as good as last year's Florida team.

When you break these two teams down by position, you actually find that the Buckeyes are very evenly matched with LSU, and even have an advantage in some areas.

Where this game will be settled though is where all big games are settled, in the trenches.

The key to tonight's game will be the Ohio State offensive line going against Glenn Dorsey and the LSU defensive line. If Ohio State can control the line of scrimmage when they have the ball, they will win this game. If Dorsey and the boys control it, the Buckeyes have no chance.

I'm not going to go too in depth here because I have other things I want to get to today, and frankly it's hard to figure out how each team is going to respond tonight after having such long layoffs.

I will make a prediction though, and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody that I'm siding with the Big Ten yet again.

Ohio State 24 LSU 20

Foul Balls

The Illini Still Suck - They did it again. The Illini lost their third straight home game on Sunday afternoon, this time to the Penn State Nittany Lions. I knew that the Illini weren't going to be the same team we've all grown accustomed to seeing this season, but I had no idea things were going to get this bad.

Three straight home losses?

It used to take this team three years to lose three games at Assembly Hall, and they sure as hell weren't losing any games to Penn State. (Or Miami of Ohio and Tennessee State for that matter.) Considering their next two games are on the road against Indiana and Michigan State it's pretty clear that this team is going to start out it's conference schedule 0-4, and at this point the NIT is a pipe dream, let alone the NCAA's.

Clemens Fires Back - I already went over my feelings on Roger Clemens on Friday, and I didn't even see the 60 Minutes interview, so I've nothing new to add to the subject. (If I wanted to watch the interview, I could go here.)

Still, one of the big things I've always maintained when a player claims their innocence when it comes to steroids is "If you're so innocent, why don't you sue those bastards for defamation and defend yourself?"

Well, guess what Roger's doing!

Roger Clemens beat Brian McNamee to court, filing a defamation suit against the former trainer who claimed to have injected him with performance-enhancing drugs. McNamee's attorney, Earl Ward, told ESPN's T.J. Quinn on Monday that McNamee is determined to file a counter lawsuit against Clemens. Ward said he spoke to McNamee on Monday morning and Clemens' statements in Sunday's "60 Minutes" interview are "a total lie."

No countersuit has been filed yet.

Clemens filed the suit Sunday night in Harris County District Court in Texas, listing 15 alleged statements McNamee made to the baseball drug investigator George Mitchell. Clemens claimed the statements were "untrue and defamatory."

Of course, this does absolutely nothing to make me think Clemens is innocent in this matter, but at least he's really trying to appear as though he is.

FanHouse: The Irish Can Still Recruit

Notre Dame may have sucked last season, but it sure hasn't hurt recruiting any. A freshman class that already contained 8 players ranked in the Top 100 by Rivals.com added its 9th member this afternoon: 6'4 WR Deion Walker.

Maybe we'll beat Navy now.

FanHouse: Rashard Mendenhall Is Going Pro

It shouldn't come as a shock to any of you, but Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall is going to declare for the NFL draft.

He has a press conference scheduled for Thursday at Niles West to make the announcement.

I-L-L! WHY GOD WHY!?

Okay, so I'd spent the last few weeks trying to convince myself that the Illini had a realistic shot at beating USC. I was doing a good job of it too, because the closer it got to gametime, the more I actually started to believe it.

Then about 5 minutes into the game, I realized that it just wasn't going to happen.

Let's be honest here, at the moment USC is probably the best team in the country. Before the season started everyone had them as the #1 team in the land, including myself, but thanks to a bunch of injuries the Trojans never fulfilled their expectations. The Trojans team the Illini lost to yesterday was the healthy version, and in case you couldn't tell, they're pretty good.

Also, if yesterday was the first time all season you watched the Illini, I promise you they aren't really that bad. I swear. There was absolutely no question about it, though, the Illini were completely outmanned and outclassed against USC.

As if the talent disparity wasn't enough, Illinois couldn't catch a break either.

Knock the hell out of a Trojan receiver and jar the ball loose? It only floats ten yards down field into the arms of Joe McKnight.

USC snaps the ball over their punter's head? He just picks it up and gets off a 45 yard punt anyway.

John David Booty overthrows Joe McKnight on a bubble screen? The ball just rolls and then bounces up into McKnight's arms and he scampers down the sideline for 65 yards.

Then when the Illini did move the ball down the field they would just shoot themselves in the foot with a turnover.

Still, despite the ass kicking the Illini received on Tuesday, there are still some positives that can be taken from this game. Now that Illinois has faced a great program like USC, they know how they stack up against the country's best. The problem with that though is it's now pretty apparent that Juice Williams may not be a very good quarterback.

Though it's hard to pin the blame all on Juice, as an offensive line that had been spectacular all season looked confused and hopeless against USC's front seven.

Obviously the star of the game for Illinois was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, Rashard Mendenhall. Unfortunately, Rashard's huge day (17 carries, 155 yards, 1 touchdown) all but assures he's going to skip out on his senior season and enter the NFL draft where he'll be a first round pick. (Definitely still available at #14 where a certain team who needs help at running back will be.) I'm pretty scared as to what the loss of Mendenhall may do to an Illinois team that took such a huge step forward this season.

It's no secret that Rashard was the key to Illinois' offense all year, but the Rose Bowl only drove the point home emphatically. Mendenhall makes everybody else on that offense better because he's so good, and because he commands so much attention.

Without Rashard around next season, do you think defenses will live in fear of Juice?

But I don't want to dwell on the negative that comes from an embarrassing loss. This was still a very successful season for the Illini, one in which they exceeded everybody's expectations, including their own. They laid the groundwork for what hopefully will be a continuing trend of improvement in Champaign.

Of course, I thought the same thing after Illinois got to the Sugar Bowl in 2002, and the five years between then and yesterday's Rose Bowl weren't exactly much fun to watch.

Foul Balls

Lloyd Carr Should Have Retired Every Year - After four straight years of Michigan getting it's ass kicked in a bowl game, the Wolverines came out and surprised a lot of people by beating Florida in the Capital One Bowl.

Of course, the motivation came from the fact that it would be Lloyd Carr's last game as head coach in Ann Arbor before Rich Rodriguez takes over the program next week.

"It's extremely meaningful on a personal level," Carr said. "But the reason it's meaningful is because I can be in that locker room with the guys that did it. Our coaches put together a great game plan, our players executed. Of course, we were big so-called underdogs.

"To come up with that kind of effort and to find a way to win means that we have some memories that we're all going to be able to celebrate for years to come."

It's not very often you'll find me rooting for Michigan, or being grateful to Big Blue, but I'd like to thank them for yesterday's performance. With the way Illinois got pasted in the Rose Bowl, Indiana got worked by Oklahoma State, Wisconsin losing to Tennessee, and the fact that Ohio State will probably get killed by LSU, somebody in the Big Ten had to step up this bowl season.

So, thanks. I guess.

Brian Urlacher's Back Is Fine - The last few weeks of the season for the Bears were frustrating for me to watch. Over their final two games they looked like the team that went to the Super Bowl last season, and I couldn't help but wonder where the hell they'd been all season.

It held especially true for Brian Urlacher. In December Brian played like the #54 we're all used to seeing, racking up sacks, making interceptions, and just flying all over the field from sideline to sideline. If nothing else, it made me optimistic that his back troubles were finally starting to heal, and that maybe in 2008 Brian will get back to his old form.

Well, I can't predict the future, but Brian wants everyone to know his back will be fine.

"My back got blown way out of proportion," Urlacher said Monday before leaving Halas Hall. "It's fine. I won't need any surgery.

"If you look at the way I played the last few weeks, obviously it got a little bit better as the season went on. Early on, I didn't make as many plays as I should have. It didn't have anything to do with my back. I just didn't play well. That's all there is to it."

Of course, even though his back may be better next season, there's no telling how the absence of Lance Briggs will affect Brian's play.

FanHouse: Rashard Mendenhall May Go Pro For His Brother

I've heard college athletes give a lot of reasons for leaving college early, but I do believe this is the first time I heard somebody was doing it so his brother can get some playing time.

Holy Crap: Illinois Is Going To The Rose Bowl

Okay, so it’s been a few days since we last met. I’m all moved into the new place now, and I have my internet back.

I have to tell you though, I missed out on a lot the last few days. I’d heard the news, courtesy of Panger, on Sunday night that Illinois was going to the Rose Bowl. At first I thought Panger was just messing with my head, but I saw it today on the internet, so it has to be true.

I’ll fully admit, I’m shocked that this has happened. I’m incredibly happy, but I’m shocked. Of course, I was just as shocked that West Virginia lost to Pitt on Saturday.

I figured that once Ohio State got bumped up to the title game that the Rose Bowl was going to take Georgia. Right now the two “it” teams in college football are USC and Georgia, so I thought that matchup would be too appealing for the Rose Bowl, and that they’d buck tradition for once. Luckily the BCS is such a mess this season thanks to parity in college football that crazy things like this can happen.

Think about this for a second. Illinois went 2-10 last season. Now they’ll be playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1983. I expected the Illini to turn things around a bit this season, as you can see in my season preview, but I don’t think anybody expected this kind of a turnaround so fast.

I’m about ready to start my “Ron Zook For Jesus” campaign. Speaking of the Zooker, not even he thought any of this was possible.

''I told coach Guenther, if we weren't in the Rose Bowl at the end of three years,'' Zook said, ''he could get rid of me.''

Kidding aside, Zook said, ''I would have asked you what you'd been smoking,'' if anyone had suggested at training camp in Rantoul in August that this season would end in Pasadena.

''I'm so proud of our seniors,'' Zook said. ''They've never been to a bowl game. And now they're going to play in the 'granddaddy of them all.'''

The question now becomes, do the Illini have any shot in hell at beating USC? At first glance, I’d say no. I know USC lost to Stanford earlier this season-the same Stanford that lost to Notre Dame, just so you get an idea how “good” they are-but they did so without their starting quarterback. They’ve also had key injuries all season long, and hadn’t been healthy all season until their last few games.

Now that the Trojans are healthy, they look like the team everybody thought they’d be at the beginning of the season.

That being said, if the Trojans are going to play a team from the Big Ten, Illinois is probably the Big Ten’s best option.

We know USC would rip Michigan a new one because they did last year, and we saw how Ohio State handles big athletic teams last year in the title game against Florida.

Illinois on the other hand has the type of high powered rushing attack that could give USC’s defense fits. Juice Williams started developing into a real quarterback the last few weeks of the Big Ten season, instead of the running quarterback he had been all season.

Now whether or not the Illini defense is going to be able to keep the Trojan offense from putting up points, I’m not so sure. Still, the game is still a month away so I’ll have plenty of time to try and figure it out before then. So for now, I’ll just be happy that the Illini are finally getting the respect I’ve felt they deserved all season long.

As for the rest of the BCS, I really do feel bad for Missouri. I know they didn’t look very good against Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, but they have a legitimate beef. After all, they’ve beaten both Illinois and Kansas this season, yet the Tigers didn’t get a BCS berth.

Illinois, meanwhile, is in the Rose Bowl, and Kansas is going to the playing Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl. It doesn’t make much sense, but then again, when has the BCS ever made any real sense?

As for the title game of Ohio State and LSU, I can’t really argue against it because Ohio State is the best one loss team in the country, and LSU is the best 2 loss team. I fear that the Tigers are going to treat the Buckeyes much the way the Gators did last season, but it’s not my fault the BCS overvalued the Big Ten this season.

Foul Balls

So When Is The NFL Draft? - As for the Bears loss on Sunday, what can I really say? It hurt. Bad. Still, the Bears didn’t really deserve to win the game anyway.

The offense was able to move the ball down the field pretty consistently in the first half, but they kept bogging down in the red zone and settling for field goals.
Then there was the drop by Devin Hester, that if the catchbeen made, the Bears take a 14-0 lead and cruise to victory from there.

I couldn’t help but feel nervous after the Bears scored on their opening possession though, despite how good they looked. I haven’t had a chance to do the research completely, but generally when the Bears score early, they lose.

A few weeks ago against Seattle the Bears scored on their first drive for the first time this season, and lost. In Super Bowl XLI Hester returned the opening kick for a touchdown, and the Bears lost.

Notice the trend?

The good news is that this loss will finally kill any real talk of playoff chances because even though the Bears are only a game back record wise, there is a whole pile of teams between them and the Cardinals right now.

White Sox Clinch World Series Berth – The winter meetings began yesterday, and Kenny Williams has already gotten to work. After trading Jon Garland to Anaheim for Orlando Cabrera, and losing out on Torii Hunter (whom I’m still not convinced the Sox ever really wanted anyway), Kenny knew what he had to do.

The Sox were only one player away from getting back to the World Series in 2008, and Kenny went and got him yesterday.

The Chicago White Sox added depth to their inexperienced outfield Monday, acquiring Carlos Quentin from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league first baseman Chris Carter.

That’s right! We got Carlos Quentin!

Quentin is a lifetime .230 hitter in 138 Major League games with 14 home runs and 63 RBI as an Arizona Diamondback.

What’s the point in even playing out the 2008 season? Just give us our trophy now.
Meanwhile, we’ll let the rest of the league try and go after those crappy pitchers like Johan Santana, Dan Haren, and now Erik Bedard. Who needs those guys when you have Gavin Floyd?

The Patriots Barely Survive – New England’s bid to go undefeated nearly came to an end in Baltimore last night. Just one week after struggling at home against the Eagles, the Ravens gave the Patriots quite a scare on Monday.

The Patriots needed a last minute drive, which was helped by a few Ravens holding calls on 4th downs, to overcome a 24-20 deficit. Then with 44 seconds left, Tom Brady found Jabar Gaffney for an 8-yard touchdown to give the Patriots the win.
Of course, I didn’t actually watch the game because I didn’t have cable last night. So who knows? Maybe I just made all of that up.

Even though the Patriots are still 12-0 after last night’s win, the air of invincibility is gone. For the second week in a row they’ve struggled against sub-.500 teams, and they still have no running game.

Passing all the time may work when the weather is nice, but as we get later in the season, it can get you into trouble. Just ask Tom Brady who completed only 18 of his 38 passes. With a date against the Steelers looming next week, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pats bid to go undefeated ends next week.

The Bulls Fall Short - The Basketball Diaries will return tomorrow because since I didn't have cable, I couldn't actually watch any games yesterday.

Just know that the Bulls poor shooting in the first half doomed them like usual, and they lost to Dallas 103-98. They're now 4-11, but on the bright side, they've won two of their last three!

Spread Em: College Football Week 14

During the college football season I'll be taking a look at each game on the Big Ten schedule, along with Notre Dame and any other national matchups of my choosing. I will then do my best to pretend I have any inkling what I'm doing, as I pick which team will cover the spread and why. So let's just get to the losses!



#11 Boston College vs. #9 Virginia Tech (-5) - When these two teams met earlier this season, I thought that Virginia Tech was the better team. Then Matt Ryan and Boston College blew up in the final two minutes to get a victory and stay undefeated. I don't think that happens again this week, and the Hokies take the ACC crown.

#5 LSU vs. #14 Tennessee (+7) - LSU hasn't been beaten in regulation this season, which Les Miles would be quick to let you know about, but even when they've won big games against good opponents this season, they've generally been close games. On the other side, nobody has blown out the Vols. Plus, with Glenn Dorsey just a shell of his former self with the knee and back injuries right now, the LSU defense isn't playing up to their ability right now. I don't know if Tennessee wins, but I expect this to be a pretty close game.

#7 USC (-20) vs. UCLA - Have you seen USC play at all the last few weeks? They're finally getting healthy now this late in the season, and they're playing like the team everyone thought they'd be when they started the season ranked #1. UCLA on the other hand has lost to teams like Notre Dame and Utah, and have lost three of their last four. I don't expect there to be a repeat of last seasons Bruins upset, and the Trojans will be on their way to Pasadena.

#2 West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh (+28.5) - A win in this game will send West Virginia to the title game in January. They're going to win this game, but that 28.5 point spread is a bit much, even if Pitt is coached by Dave Wannstedt.

#1 Missouri (+3) vs. #8 Oklahoma - Missouri had Oklahoma beaten earlier this season, but they self imploded in the 4th quarter and gave the game away. After watching Mizzou dismantle Kansas last weekend, I would be casting my Heisman vote for Chase Daniel right now if I had one. If he has another strong game against the Sooners in the Big 12 Championship, I get the feeling a lot of people who actually do vote will feel the same way.

Last Week: 5-4

Overall: 67-49-2


Spreads are courtesy of Bodog, and Rankings are from the Blogpoll.

The Illini's BCS Hopes Are Improving

While I was watching college football this past weekend, I was rooting for upsets. I wanted LSU to lose to Arkansas, and I wanted Missouri to beat Kansas. Yeah, I know Missouri's win wasn't technically an upset, but I just didn't want Kansas to stay undefeated.

I wasn't doing it because I'm a huge fan of chaos or anything, though I'll admit it's fun to watch, I was doing it because I want Illinois to get to a BCS game.

And as of now, everything's falling into place. According to the Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein, the Illini now have a 75% chance of playing in a BCS game.

Those figures come from Jerry Palm, the collegeBCS.com analyst who first talked up Illinois' BCS chances two weeks ago. He now believes the Illini have a 75 percent chance to crack college football's holy grail of bowls—and that might even be understating it.

So far everything that has needed to happen has been happening. The next step would be the a loss by Missouri against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Title game this Saturday. A Missouri loss would bump Ohio State back up into the title game against West Virginia-well if West Virginia doesn't lose at home to Pitt anyway-leaving a spot open in the Rose Bowl.

Here's where things get a bit weird though. You'd think that the Rose Bowl would like to replace Ohio State with Illinois to keep the traditional Pac-10/Big Ten matchup going. After all, the Rose Bowl was the only bowl who initially had a problem with the title game rotating between BCS bowls the last few years. They didn't want to lose the tradition of the game.

With that being said though, if they can't have Ohio State, the Rose Bowl wouldn't mind a USC/Georgia matchup. Here's what Mitch Dorger, the CEO of the Rose Bowl had to say about the Bulldogs.

"They are on our mind," Dorger said of the Bulldogs. "They are not the only team that is on our mind, but we are cognizant of the great football they have been playing, and we are cognizant of the tradition and the enthusiasm of the fans.

"They would provide a matchup that would have a lot of people talking," he said

Even if the Rose Bowl does buck tradition and select Georgia, it wouldn't end the Illini's chances of getting into a BCS game. The Fiesta Bowl could end up being their destination. For that to happen, Missouri would have to beat Oklahoma this Saturday. That would ensure the Buckeyes go to Pasadena. Then the Fiesta Bowl would get first pick of at large teams because they will have lost Big 12 champ Missouri to the title game. The Orange Bowl would pick next because they will have lost Big East champ West Virginia to the title game as well.

Odds are the Fiesta would take Kansas, and the Orange Bowl would take Georgia. After those two though, the Fiesta gets to pick again, and their options would be Illinois, Arizona State and Hawaii.

It's doubtful that the Fiesta Bowl would choose Hawaii after taking Boise State last season because even though Boise's win over Oklahoma last year was one of the greatest games ever, it got killed in the ratings.

They may also be partial to Arizona State, but remember, these bowl games are about bringing in tourists and outside revenue. The in-state Sun Devils wouldn't accomplish that, leaving the Illini as the Fiesta's most logical choice.

So just because Illinois isn't playing this weekend, it doesn't mean they don't have a lot on the line as everybody else finishes up their season. And keep in mind, even if the Illini are snubbed by the BCS after all this, they'll still end up in the Capital One Bowl against Florida. Which would be an excellent consolation prize.

Foul Balls

Sean Taylor is Dead - Redskins safety Sean Taylor died this morning, a day after being shot in the leg by an intruder into his home early Monday morning.

The 24-year-old player died at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday, family friend Richard Sharpstein said. Sharpstein said Taylor's father informed him of the death at about 5:30 a.m.

"His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

Taylor was shot in the femural artery, which is not exactly the best place in the world to get shot.

While this is obviously tragic for the Taylor family and the Redskins, I'm interested in what was really going on here. I don't think Taylor was shot by somebody who was just breaking into his house to rob him. I think somebody broke into his house with plans of killing him.

Last weekend somebody broke into the house, and according to police, there wasn't anything stolen. Instead there was a knife left on Taylor's bed. Also, and I'm not an experienced burglar, but when you break into somebody's house and the people wake up, you get out of the house. The "burglar" made his way up to Taylor's bedroom, burst in, and shot him.

It just doesn't seem quite right, and I think in the coming weeks there's going to be more information as to what really was going on.

Cedric Benson Is Done For the Year - It's not exactly shocking news to anybody who saw Benson's injury on Sunday. Cedric Benson is out for the rest of the season, and will need surgery on his left leg.

On Monday, Smith said Benson is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery after injuring his lower left leg and ankle in the second quarter of Sunday's victory over the Denver Broncos. Benson was carted off the field and couldn't put pressure on the foot. He emerged later on crutches, wearing a protective boot.

Benson is the fourth player the Bears have lost for the season thanks to injury this season.

I know some people are happy about this because it means Adrian Peterson will finally have a chance to carry the load, but I'm not one of those people. I haven't exactly been quiet about my distaste for Cedric this season, but I also don't understand why people were so excited by Peterson on Sunday.

Yeah, he scored a touchdown, but he only gained 45 yards on 17 carries after taking over for Benson. That's only an average of 2.6 yards per carry, which is a half yard worse than what Benson has done all season.

Joe Novak Retires - He doesn't get as much attention because of where he coaches, but Northern Illinois head coach Joe Novak has retired after 12 seasons as head coach of the Huskies.

"People have always said you'll know when it's time and I promise you, I know it's time," Novak said at a news conference. "Selfishly, it's time for my wife and I. It's been a great, great ride but it's time."

Novak's record at NIU was only 63-75, but it's important to remember the Huskies lost 23 straight games at the beginning of Novak's tenure. That's the condition the school's program was in before Novak took over, and he completely turned it around.

The Huskies were ranked as high as #12 in the AP poll back in 2003 after wins over ranked Maryland and Alabama. In 2004 he led the school to it's first bowl game in 21 years as the Huskies beat Troy in the Silicon Valley Bowl.

The Huskies were only 2-10 this season after losing most of their key players to graduation, but it ended a streak of seven straight winning seasons. Novak is going to be missed in DeKalb.

Spread Em: College Football Week 13

The Big Ten season may be over, but that doesn't mean I'm finished picking games. Granted, I know a lot more about football in the Big Ten than I do around the country, and picking all these other games could ruin the great record I've built so far this season, but that's just a risk I'm willing to take. Also, since Foul Balls will be taking a four day weekend starting tomorrow, we'll be posting both Spread Em's for college and NFL today.

So without further ado, here are this week's picks

#6 Arizona State (+3.5) vs. #14 USC - This pick is based more on the fact I just don't want to see USC in the Rose Bowl again. I have a feeling this is going to be a high scoring back and forth game, so I'm going to have to go with the points and the homefield advantage.

#1 LSU vs. Arkansas (+12) - The way things have been going all season in college football I wouldn't be surprised if LSU lost this game outright and the entire BCS went to hell again. In a rivalry game like this, they're generally played pretty close, so I'll take the 12 points.

#22 Kentucky vs. #21 Tennessee (+3) - The Vols survived a late scare against Vandy last week, which may have saved Phil Fulmer's job, and a win here sends them to the SEC championship. Kentucky on the other hand has been stumbling to the finish line. Tennessee's got more to lose, so I'll take them and the points.

#16 Florida vs. Florida State (+14) - Florida still has a chance at the SEC title if they win this game and Tennessee loses to Kentucky, but even though I think they'll win, it's going to be a close game between these two rivals. I gotta take the 14 points.

Texas A&M vs. #15 Texas (-6) - The Longhorns still have a chance at making the Big 12 title game, while the Aggies are just counting the days until they fire Dennis Franchione. I'll take Texas.

#13 Oklahoma (-11) vs. Oklahoma State - The Sooners stumbled big time at Texas Tech last week, but they still control their own destiny in the Big 12. A win here sends them to the championship game, and I don't think the Sooners fall asleep two weeks in a row.

#11 Hawaii vs. # 17 Boise State (+3) - This is the week Hawaii finally loses, and when they do, it will increase Illinois' chance at a BCS berth. In other words, I'm a huge Boise State fan this weekend.

Stanford vs. Notre Dame (+3.5) - Whatever.

#2 Kansas vs. #4 Missouri (+2) - Who'd have thought at the beginning of the season, that Missouri-Kansas would be the game ABC chose for Saturday Night Football during rivalry week? This is far and away going to be Kansas' toughest game of the season so far, and since I have no idea how they're going to perform against a good team, I have to take Missouri and the points. Also, since it's a national broadcast on Saturday night (The entire country is getting this game), Chase Daniel is going to use the game as a showcase for his Heisman candidacy.

Last Week: 5-2

Overall: 62-45-2

Spreads are courtesy of Bodog, and Rankings are from my Blogpoll ballot since this week's rankings haven't been released yet