Bowl Season

I hope that everyone had a good Christmas this year. I was out of town and couldn’t get to a computer so I decided to record every single bowl game since I have updated this and to predict them and watch them now. So I will put my predictions for the games I missed here, and then I will write how the teams got there and a game summary on my next post for each game.  The wrap up of the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl will also be in there.

Independence Bowl: Missouri vs North Carolina

Prediction: Missouri

Little Ceasar’s Bowl: Purdue vs Western Michigan

Prediction: Purdue

Belk Bowl: Louisville vs North Carolina State

Prediction: Louisville

Military Bowl: Air Force vs Toledo

Prediction: Toledo

Holiday Bowl: California vs Texas

Prediction: California

Champs Sports Bowl: Notre Dame vs Florida State

Prediction: Florida State

Alamo Bowl: Baylor vs Washington

Prediction: Baylor

Bell Helicopter Bowl: BYU vs Tulsa

Prediction: Tulsa

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Rutgers vs Iowa State

Prediction: Iowa State

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: Mississippi State vs Wake Forest

Prediction: Mississippi State

Insight Bowl: Iowa vs Oklahoma

Prediction: Oklahoma

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Texas A&M vs Northwestern

Prediction: Texas A&M

Hyundai Sun Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Utah

Prediction: Georgia Tech

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Illinois vs UCLA

Prediction: Illinois

Autozone Liberty Bowl: Cincinnati vs Vanderbilt

Prediction: Cincinnati

Chick-fil-a Bowl: Auburn vs Virginia

Prediction: Auburn

Ticketcity Bowl: Houston vs Penn State

Prediction: Penn State

Outback Bowl: Georgia vs Michigan State

Prediction: Michigan State

Capital One Bowl: South Carolina vs Nebraska

Prediction: South Carolina

Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl: Ohio State vs Florida

Prediction: Ohio State

Rose Bowl Game: Wisconsin vs Oregon

Prediction: Wisconsin

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl: Oklahoma State vs Stanford

Prediction: Oklahoma State

Allstate Sugar Bowl: Michigan vs Virginia Tech

Prediction: Michigan

Discover Orange Bowl: Clemson vs West Virginia

Prediction: Clemson

AT&T Cotton Bowl: Kansas State vs Arkansas

Prediction: Arkansas

BBVA Compass Bowl: SMU vs Pittsburgh

Prediction: Pittsburgh

GODADDY.com Bowl: Arkansas State vs Northern Illinois

Prediction: Arkansas State

Allstate BCS National Title Game: LSU vs Alabama

Prediction: LSU

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Wrap Up and Sheraton Hawaii Bowl Prediction

Boise State running back Doug Martin takes the opening kickoff back for a touchdown. Credit: usatoday.net

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:

This game wasn’t even a contest. Boise State routed the Sun Devils of Arizona State 56-24. The first quarter was all Boise State. I figured the Broncos would have a pretty good special teams play, in fact they returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.  Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore then completed a 14 yard touchdown pass to Tyler Shoemaker to make it 14-0 Boise State. This continued in the second quarter. Moore completed a touchdown pass to Matt Miller for another touchdown then Arizona State finally got on the board with a 32 yard field goal off the leg of Alex Garoutte.

Boise State then replied with a trick play where wideout Matt Miller threw a touchdown pass to Kyle Efaw. Arizona State never gave up and returned the opening kickoff of the second half back for a touchdown making the score 28-10. It looked like they may have a chance but the rest of this game was all Boise State for the most part. Boise scored 21 points in the fourth to clinch the win. The Broncos actually had one more turnover than the Sun Devils but the Sun Devils had a bunch of stupid penalties for players just not being smart. I am now 4-2 in picks.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Southern Miss:  The Golden Eagles of Southern Miss played a very weak schedule this season. They lost to Marshall in the second week of the season and also lost to UAB late. They beat Houston in the Conference-USA title game to earn some respect and ruin Houston’s BCS bid chances. They finished 11-2.

Nevada: The Wolf Pack lost to Oregon big out in Oregon in their opener and also lost a couple of other tough games against their conference winner Louisiana Tech and lost to a Texas Tech team that crushed Oklahoma and a seventh ranked Boise State Bronco team. They also couldn’t stop the Utah State Aggies and suffered a loss in that game. Nevada did finish with a 7-5 record though despite this.

Prediction:

This Bowl season has been absolutely insane so far but I think that I will take Southern Miss in this game in a close one. Southern Miss has a strongly balanced offense and a very strong offense. They were able to run and throw all over Houston and this team can score quickly or have a very time consuming drive. This team is so explosive and I think Nevada’s fifty-eighth ranked defense is going to have some problems stopping the Golden Eagles.

San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl Wrap Up and MAACO Bowl Las Vegas Bowl Prediction

San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl:

I was very concerned that Louisiana Tech was going to ruin the bowl game I had felt the safest about picking. Louisiana Tech nearly surprised the Horned Frogs of TCU but TCU got a much needed turn over and blanked the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in the fourth quarter to win the game. It was over after TCU scored the second touchdown in the fourth to take a 31-24 lead. I’m now 3-2 on picks.

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas:

How They Got Here:

Boise State: Boise State relied on quarterback Kellen Moore all season and has had an extremely weak schedule other than the game against Georgia and they are a very good offensive team. They went 11-1 this season and couldn’t get the last BCS bowl bid this season.

Arizona State: Arizona State fought injuries and despite a very weak season in the PAC-12 they were able to get into a bowl game at 6-6.

Prediction: Boise State always seems to play well in bowl games and always puts in a trick play or two. They beat Oklahoma with some excited plays in the Fiesta Bowl including a Statue of Liberty call and a Hook –and-Latter play that got them to an upset win. Then they beat TCU in a bowl game with the key play being a fake punt. Look for a trick play if needed, or even a big special teams play like a kickoff return for a touchdown. Boise State wins this game, but Arizona State will make it interesting.

Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Game Summary and San Diego County Poinsettia Bowl Prediction

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl 2011

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl:

This game surprised me and I was yet again proved wrong by a team that I had picked against. That’s one thing about this bowl season. These games are so hard to predict due to how evenly matched a lot of these teams are. I’m 2-2 on my picks now and am hoping to improve that tonight.

If you live by the big play you can also die by big play. Florida International didn’t make the big play in this game and the offense couldn’t get much of anything going and the Florida International Golden Panther defense became very tired and was unable to make the necessary stops to defeat the Marshall Thundering Herd.

This game was tied at ten going into the half but Marshall blanked the Golden Panthers in the second half and the blocked punt was one the worst things that happened for Florida International. They just made too many mistakes and couldn’t win the game.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:


How They Got Here:

TCU: The TCU Horned Frogs lost the opening college game on ESPN against Robert Griffin III and Baylor. TCU had a very easy schedule and were able to win all of their games in the Mountain West conference including an upset of Boise State, though they did suffer an embarrassing loss to SMU by seven in overtime.

Louisiana Tech: The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs were able to go 8-4 and 6-1 in the WAC conference. They give up twenty-two points per game which isn’t bad but the TCU offense puts up forty-two points per game so this will be entertaining.


My Prediction:
I am going to have to go with TCU who in my opinion deserved that last BCS bowl bid, though I wanted to see Baylor play in it. TCU will put up more points than this Louisiana Tech team can handle. The Horned Frogs win.

Saturday's Bowl Wrap Up: Tonights Bowl Match Up

LaVon Brazill number 7 and Ohio celebrate after scoring the go ahead touchdown.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:

This game was really terrible. Temple played with a lead all game and were able to keep building that lead until the very end when Wyoming was able to score a late touchdown and make a two point conversion that was just to erase the margin of the loss. Temple drove right down the field and scored an opening touchdown which is nothing new since they scored nine opening drive touchdowns this year. The Temple Owls running game could not be stopped as Bernard Pierce ran for 100 yards, Chris Coyer ran for 71, and Matt Brown ran for another 49. Temple had 255 yards on the ground and completely blew out Wyoming 37-15.

My Prediction:  I predicted Temple in this bowl game so I'm starting at 1-0 for bowl picks this season.


Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:

This game was probably the best one yet of this bowl season. It was a thrilling game and came down to the final possession. Tyler Tettleton struggled early and had a ball slip from his hands on the second play of the game and just knocked the ball out of the back of the end zone to prevent Utah State from scoring a cheap touchdown. Then Utah State started to dominate in the running game. Michael Smith was Utah State's leading rusher with 157 yards and two touchdowns in this game on just twelve carries. It was starting to look like this game would be just another blow out but then Ohio started to come alive in the second half.  Tyler Tettleton led his team with his late game heroics as he threw a pass to LaVon Brazill on fourth down which got them inside the one yard line after a bunch of reviews that made no sense other than the original review. Tyler Tettleton was able to break outside and dive into the right corner of the end zone over the pylon to send his team to a 24-23 victory over the Utah State Aggies.

My Prediction: I predicted Ohio to win a high scoring game so I have improved to 2-0 in picks.


R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:

This also turned out to be a great game and since San Diego State just didn't play well in the first half they were unable to win this 32-30 nail biter. This game ended on a 50 yard field goal by ULL kicker Brett Baer. Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Blaine Gautier had a mind blowing 470 passing yards in this game. San Diego State played well in the second half and took a late lead but were not able to hold on and win the bowl game.

My Prediction: I predicted San Diego State in a blow out and I was wrong on this one. I am now 2-1 in picks.

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Florida International: The Golden Panthers went 8-4 and they went 5-3 in the Sunbelt Conference. This team relies on big plays on offense and defense to lead them to victory. They are ranked 16th in points allowed this season.


Marshall: The Thundering Heard lost to all the big name teams they played this year though they did come out on top in some of the other games they have played. They went 6-6 overall and had a conference record of 5-3. This team has nothing that really jumps off the page at you but they need their quarterback Rakeem Cato to have a big game.

My Prediction: I'm going to have to go with Florida International in this game. Florida International's strong defense will lead them to a win in the Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg. This game is being played at Tropicanaa Field in St.Petersburg home of the MLB's Tampa Bay Rays.

Bowl Season Has Finally Arrived

It’s time to go bowling.  The College football bowl season kicks off today with a triple header.  Temple and Wyoming will face off in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, Ohio takes on Utah State in the  Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, and San Diego State and Louisiana-Lafayette will play in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl tonight. All of these games will be on ESPN.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Temple: Temple started the 2011 season with two wins over Villanova and Akron, Two not so great teams in college football. Then Penn State traveled into Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to play the Temple Owls. That was a great game where Temple had a strong chance to upset Penn State but Penn State scored late and that was the end of the game. I was at that game, and it was pretty great. Temple then crushed an awful Maryland team and then was crushed by Toledo. Temple was able to put beatings on Ball State and Buffalo but stumbled against Bowling Green and Ohio in the next two weeks. Temple then wrapped up the season with a three game winning streak.   Temple finished with an 8-4 record this season.

         

Wyoming:  Wyoming started well out of the gates in 2011 where they started 3-0. Wyoming then faced a tough Nebraska team that was able to beat them 38-14. The Wyoming Cowboys then got lassoed by Utah State 63-19. They then went on a two game winning streak beating UNLV and San Diego State. Wyoming then lost to a really good TCU team 31-20. The Cowboys then handled Air Force and New Mexico but lost to the seventh ranked Boise State Broncos. The Cowboys finished the season with a win over Colorado State. Wyoming also finished with an 8-4 record.

Prediction:  I believe that this will be a good game but Temple has the 13^th best defense in the country and is also 7^th in the running game. If Wyoming can keep Temple from being able to run the ball they will have a chance in this game since Temple isn’t a very good passing team. I do think that Temple junior running back Bernard Pierce will have a good game and Temple will beat Wyoming in the first bowl game of the 2011 bowl season.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:

How They Got Here:

Ohio Bobcats:  Ohio relied heavily on quarterback Tyler Tettleton who threw for nearly 3,100 yards and 26 touchdowns this season. Ohio was 3-0 after beating New Mexico State, Gardner-Webb, and Marshall to open up the season. Ohio then traveled to Rutgers where they fell to the Scarlet Knights 38-26. The Bobcats then bounced back against Kent State the next week winning 17-10. They then traveled to Buffalo and lost then lost to Ball State at home. Ohio then got hot and beat Akron, Temple, Central Michigan, Bowling Green, and then Miami Ohio. They then went to the MAC title game where they fell to Northern Illinois on a last minute field goal.

Utah State: The Utah State Aggies were on the losing end of a close game versus the defending champion Auburn Tigers 42-38. They then bounced back and beat Weber State. Utah State then started struggling then lost to Colorado State in Overtime and lost to BYU by a field goal. Utah State then crushed the Wyoming Cowboys 63-19. Then the woes continued losing to Fresno State and Louisiana Tech. Then Utah State went 4-0 to end the season.  They finished with a 7-5 record.

Prediction: This will be an entertaining game but as long as Ohio can handle Utah States 6^th rated running game I think that Ohio will come out on top in a pretty high scoring game.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:

How They Got Here:

San Diego State: The Aztecs of San Diego State played absolutely nobody and lost to any decent team they played this season, which includes a very overrated Michigan team. San Diego State was able to finish at 8-4.

Louisiana- Lafayette:  This team played even worse competition then San Diego State though they did open with a game against Oklahoma State and were crushed. They also lost to a not so good Arizona team and two horrible teams in Western Kentucky and Arkansas State. The Ragin’ Cajuns finished with an 8-4 record.

Prediction: San Diego State should completely dominate this game. San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman ran for over 1600 yards this season and you will see that in this game tonight. San Diego State wins this bowl game.

Tebow Time In Denver

It’s Tebow time. You may have heard of Tim Tebow if you have paid any attention whatsoever to ESPN or any other sports network or website the last few days or even weeks. Tim Tebow became the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos on October 23^rd after Kyle Orton had an awful game before that.

Tebow has always faced criticism ever since he was drafted last year in the first round by the Broncos. ESPN analysts and people who covered the NFL said that his throwing motion isn’t good and that Tebow couldn’t make it as an NFL quarterback. Tebow has so much heart and passion and is one of the hardest working players in the league. He works hard and because of that he wins. He motivates his team and he gets players around him to buy into it and play above their ability. This team believes in their quarterback and so does the city.

Since Tebow has taken over the Broncos have won three overtime games and are 7-1 since. Tebow hasn’t been great statistically but when its crunch time he goes into Beast Mode. Tebow has been unstoppable and this team is the hottest team in the league. Nobody can figure out why this guy is winning football games.

I think the true answer is he has the heart to win, the ambition to win, and the work ethic of a champion. Tebow hates losing and he will do anything to help his team win a game. You can hate on this man all you want but you have to respect him, not for his numbers but for his courage and determination. Tebow is overall the perfect NFL player and perfect role model. This makes a lot of people want to see him fail. I say you give him a break.  The winning streak may end this week against the Patriots but the magic is just beginning. I’m rooting for Tim Tebow.

Game Of Honor: Army vs Navy

Honor. Something all people in the Military have. The annual Army vs Navy football game rivalry was fittingly played near the Nation’s Capital this season.  This game is virtually always all running plays due to both teams playing in an option offense. These two teams are great at utilizing every player they have and using them as a weapon. 

The Navy Midshipmen were able to fight back to beat the Army Black Knights 27-21. Senior quarterback Kriss Proctor led the way with 32 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown. 

Navy got out to an early 14-0 lead but Army rallied back to tie the game after an Alexander Teich and Trent Steelman touchdown. Kriss Proctor than ran for a touchdown for Navy to lead 21-14 early in the third quarter.

 Army then completed a 25 yard pass to Trent Steelman for a touchdown to tie it up. A passing touchdown in a game between these two teams is almost unheard of.  In the fourth quarter it was all Navy as they made two field goals and held the Black Knights scoreless in the fourth to win the game.

This game is more than just a win or loss for each team. These men serve our country and I’d like to congratulate all of these men who put on uniforms for the United States. They are the true winners. Navy’s win this Saturday made it their tenth straight in the rivalry.

The Recent Changes In The MLB World

The MLB offseason is here and the spending is higher than ever. This is going to be a rundown of some of the players that will be stepping into a new place during the 2012 baseball season.

Key Players on the Move:

The most coveted free agent was Albert Pujols hands down.  Pujols who helped lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title last season. Pujols has a career batting average of .328 to go along with 445 homers. This set him up to make big money and he signed with the Angels after denying a $210 million dollar deal to play ball for the Florida Marlins, along with a deal worth even more money by his former team, the Cardinals. Albert Pujols will be with the Angels for ten years and is set to make $254 million with this contract that features a no trade clause.

Jose Reyes was the other big name out there this offseason. He signed with the Miami Marlins this offseason. Though, an injury prone Reyes is great it is uncertain how many games he will suit up. I was expecting to see an ESPN report like “Newly Acquired Reyes Pulls Hamstring in a Miami Airport.”Reyes was set to join another great player at his own position in Hanley Ramirez who tends to have a poor work ethic at times but is obviously a great player. Ramirez didn’t want to move to third base and may end up being traded. Reye’s contract is for six years worth $106 million. Veteran relief pitcher Heath Bell also signed with the team.

Key Players Still Available:

There are also many players who should get big deals this offseason as well. Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and Prince Fielder headline this group. Fielder, an explosive power hitter will probably make a huge amount of money but not nearly as much as Pujols, though he deserves more than Reyes. Fielder can produce many runs and really energize a team. He’s a big time power bat in the middle of the line up that would inprove any team he signs with immediately.

Championship Week in College Football

It’s time to wrap up the Conference Championship games from this Friday and Saturday. These games are a huge factor for teams looking for BCS Bowl bids.

Let’s start on Friday night, when there were two games. Northern Illinois rallied from a 20-0 deficit to beat Ohio 23-20. The other game was the inaugural PAC-12 title game which featured Oregon and UCLA. USC, who beat up on the UCLA Bruins last week, face sanctions so they were unable to participate in this game. Oregon went on to beat UCLA 49-31 in a really unexciting game.

Yesterday afternoon Houston and Southern Miss went out to play for the Conference USA title. Houston was ranked number six in the nation, though a very overrated team this year. Houston has a great offense but was unable to execute on the defensive side of the ball and get the necessary stops against the also explosive Southern Miss offense. The Houston Cougars went on to get blown out 49-28, and eliminated their chances of getting a BCS Bowl game.

Wisconsin was able to hold off Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten title game in a last minute thriller, 42-39. Wisconsin will play the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl. The Clemson Tigers were able to beat an overrated Virginia Tech team 38-10 to win the ACC Championship, and to clinch a BCS Bowl bid.  LSU struggled in the first half against Georgia in the SEC title game but was able to rally and dismantle the Bulldogs 42-10. The Tigers are the best team in the country and will more than likely be playing in the BCS National Title game in their home state of Louisiana.

Chris Paul to New York?

Now that the NBA lockout is over we can finally talk about things like trades and free agents for this season. Yahoo! sports reported that Chris Paul's agent says that Paul would like to be traded and not have to play the last season of his current contract in New Orleans.

Paul hasn't really come out to the media and said this, though him and Carmelo Anthony have been good friends and they have joked about both of them playing on a team somewhere before. There is no better place to play basketball then the legendary Madison Square Garden in New York City.

There were also many reports stating that Celtics wanted to swap point guard Rajon Rondo in a straight up trade but decided that it wasn't going to happen if Paul wouldn't sign an extension in Boston and he didn't want to do that. Paul would be a great fit in New York with his great defense, something that the Knicks lack who were 28th in points allowed last season giving up over 100 points a game! I don't care how good you are on offense that is just unacceptable. I do kind of expect this from a Mike D'Antoni coached team since defense has never been a big focus for him.

The Hornets can't afford to let their star player leave without getting something for him. Not after watching what LeBron James did to the Cavaliers a season ago. Many teams will try to trade their stars for many role players or draft picks. I think that the Knicks could give up back up guard Toney Douglas or maybe Landry Fields and a draft pick or two that this deal could be done. This is just what the city of New York wants and has been waiting for. Don't disappoint your loyal fans and bring in another star.

Just for a note, Chris Paul played once last year at Madison Square Garden and was held to only four points in the game against a Knicks defense that gave up over 100 points per game on average. The pressure may be a factor in The Garden.

Upsets In The World Of College Basketball

UNLV and their fans rushing the court after upseting the Number one North Carolina Tar Heels.

It isn’t March but there has been plenty of madness in the college basketball universe so far this season. North Carolina, the number one team in the country, was shocked by UNLV in Las Vegas Saturday in a 90-80 loss. UNLV really shot the three well and every time it seemed North Carolina may make a run UNLV buried them with a three. UNLV was led by Chace Stanback who had 28 points and ten rebounds and Harrison Barnes was North Carolina’s leading scorer with 15 points.

 The Tar Heels couldn’t make that many shots in the second half, as they only shot 31 percent in that half. North Carolina was stripped of their top rank but bounced back against Wisconsin last night in a thrilling 60-57 game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated due to North Carolina’s near collapse at the end.

The Connecticut Huskies suffered the same fate in an early season tournament. UConn led by as much as 17 but UCF rallied to win 68-63. Michael Jordan’s son, Marcus, plays for the UCF Knights and led them in scoring with 20 points. UConn was able to also bounce back with a win over Florida State in a 78-76 overtime nail biter.

How these upsets will affect these teams in seeding for the NCAA tournament is uncertain for now, but these games certainly have been something to watch.

No More Turkey Day Sleepers

Thanksgiving football the last couple of years hasn't been much of anything to watch but this year it looks like that may change.


The Lions have had a great season so far starting off with seven wins and only three losses. They always play on Thanksgiving and they will host division rival Packers who are the only undefeated team left in the NFL.


The Packers are undefeated but had a close call last week against Tampa Bay in a game that they allowed 455 yards to the Bucs. The Packers also lost leading rusher James Starks who went down with an injury in the fourth quarter.


I look for this to be an exciting match up with Matthew Stafford of the Detriot Lions and Calvin Johnson to chew up this Packers defense but I think they will do so in a losing effort. Can anybody stop Aaron Rodgers? He has thrown for 31 touchdowns and only four interceptions all season, an unbelievable accomplishment.


What got into the 49ers this year? Maybe they were inspired by the Giants success in San Fran and stepped it into gear. The 49ers sit at 8-1 going into the day and will face the Baltimore Ravens defense. Both teams have relied on their defenses and this will probably be a very low scoring game.


The only bad game of the day may be the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were able to pull off three straight victories after starting out 0-7 but the Cowboys have also been playing well of late.


This may be a good game but I can't see the Dolphins continuing their winning ways this week against Dallas. This may be a very high scoring game but I'm not really sure who will come out on top, but I lean towards Dallas to win this game.

We Are...Penn State.

There have been many controversies at the university of Penn State recently with the football program. This being said, Penn State still deserves the bowl game that they will get this season. Any team with six wins in a season is bowl eligible. Penn State has nine so they will get a call following the season. 

With all these issues, Penn State was able to beat Ohio State on the road in a hostile environment. For some reason, Tim Keown says that Penn State should deny this bowl game that the team has worked extremely hard to get. Yes, Penn State isn’t the best place to be in the world but let me remind him and others that Jerry Sandusky hasn’t been on the Penn State coaching staff since 1999. So let me ask why a man who hasn’t been part of a College program should cause a 2011 Penn State football team to suffer.

It’s so horrible that the media made everything out to be Joe Paterno’s fault when what he knew or could’ve done is so vague. He reported the abuse to a supervisor of campus police who decided to cover it all up, and the board at Penn State decided to do the same thing.

This forced out the greatest coach in sports history. Paterno, at 84 was in the last year of his contract but he was and will continue to be Penn State football. This Penn State team plays from how he coached, and I am rooting for Penn State to win out, and get their fair shot at the Rose Bowl and to even have them win the game.

Tim Keown went on to credit the University of Miami for publically stating that they will not accept any bowl game that they would receive this year due to NCAA violations that took place after a booster gave players illegal benefits. A Miami Hurricane booster was part of a $900 Million Ponzi scheme he played to get recruits. Nevin Shapiro violated NCAA rules by paying players for their commitments to the university for athletics and for getting them prostitutes and throwing parties at his million dollar homes and even on his yachts.

Yes, I can agree with him that the situation at Penn State is much worse but in all reality Miami cheated, Penn State did not. Jerry Sandusky should, and will pay for what he has done but why should a program that hasn't had this man on their staff since 1999 pay for what he did? It’s a personal crime, not a university crime.

Penn State deserves to play out the season and the ones to come without any recruiting violations or sanctions.

NFL Players Fined For Stupid Reasons

Boom. We all love those hard hits that happen in football. Players have been hit heavily with the fines this season for as much as hitting a player illegally above the shoulders, or while leading with their helmets. These fines can be expected though they may not be right.

Bears wide out Earl Bennett was fined for wearing orange cleats in two straight games. Yup, you heard right. He was fined $10,000 for wearing orange cleats for the Bears last two games.  In the NFL dress code I guess it says somewhere you can't wear orange cleats in a game. Get over it Rodger Goodell. The alternate uniforms for the Bears are orange, and the cleats looked really cool with the jersey, so a fine for this is insane. In addition to these fines, the NFL said they will continue to fine him $5,000 for every game that he wears them. This may also result in delay of game penalties, or even an ejection. This is just nuts. Any player should be able to wear whatever cleats they want, especially if they have team colors in them.What will you do next fine someone for wearing the wrong colored gloves? Get a life commissioner.

Best Penalty Call Ever

Refs in all sorts of plays are always subject to criticism for making bad calls. Here is my favorite call of all time. Listen as Ron Cherry calls the penalty. No Ron Cherry, "Giving Him the Business" is not a penalty in College Football.

Verteran's Day Basketball

Veterans Day. A day to honor all the people who serve this country and fight for our freedom. This year the sports world has decided to do this in a totally different way. The Carrier Classic this year will actually be played on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson.

The flight deck was magically transformed into a full regulation basketball court with stands and two scoreboards. The number one team in the land will be playing Michigan State. This will be the first ever basketball game being played on an aircraft carrier. The carrier is in the Bay of San Diego, California. Michigan State and North Carolina may have some issues with the lighting, but this game should be very exciting.

Here is a video that shows how this basketball court was put together.


Interesting Facts:

The USS Carl Vinson is the carrier that buried Osama Bin Laden at sea
This carrier helped in the relief of Haiti after the earthquake
The ship is 1,092 feet in length

Forcing Out A Legend: The Joe Paterno Story

A coaching legend is about to see his end. Joe Paterno is being held accountable for knowing about Jerrey Sandusky's acts. Joe Paterno reported it to the people who he was suppose to tell and those higher ups decided to cover up the incident like it didn't happen. Sandusky has been accused of sexually abusing young boys on main Penn State campus and through his charity program called Second Mile. Sandusky has 40 charges against him that involves sexual abuse to minors.

Paterno is one of the few good men left at Penn State and it would be hard to imagine another coach at Penn State. Since Joe Paterno told who he needed to at the university and they failed to go to the police, they are trying to get him to step down as coach of Penn State. He has lost all the support that he had from the university and their trusties. He now only has support of the fans and they all rallied around the Paterno house on Tuesday night.

Joe Paterno became the coach with the most wins in division one college football this season with 409 victories. He has been a coaching icon and has been there for 46 years.

Just to show how impressive this record is here is something to consider. If a coach went undefeated, or 12-0 every season without bowl games it would take him 34 seasons to accomplish. Take a minute and think about that. Joe Paterno is a football legend, and has been a grandfather-like coach. He has decided that he will retire at the end of this year but Penn State has decided to force him out immediately. People remember how you leave, not what you do but hopefully this won't happen to this great man.  We still love you Joe Pa.

NASCAR Race For The Cup

Gentlemen, start your engines! Last week Tony Stewart made up some ground in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series by winning the race at Martinsville. Tony gained a lot of ground and moved into second place behind Carl Edwards to enter Sunday's race at Texas.

Tony Stewart was in second by only eight points after his win at Martinsville and now the questions are starting to come up. Who will win the cup? Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, or five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson? Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards battled all race long at Martinsville and this continued this week at Texas. The races have been very interesting and have come down to the last few laps in each one. Tony Stewart held off Carl Edwards this week at Texas to win and is now only three points behind Carl Edwards for the chase lead. There are two races remaining this season.

Week 10 College Football Rankings

This week there will be a change in the college football world as the two best teams will go head to head this week in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Alabama. After this week we will know who is the real number one team in the country.

1.LSU is the best team in the country though this weekend will be the game of the season other than the national title game. They travel to Alabama to play the Crimson Tide in SEC play.

2.Alabama is the second best team in the country but will face the top rated Tigers of LSU. They should have a better chance playing at home but they will still probably lose this weekend if LSU can force them to throw.

3.Oklahoma State is in a good position right now to be in the hunt for the title, as long as they control their own destiny. Alabama or LSU will lose this weekend which will leap frog Oklahoma State to number two as long as they win this weekend at home against a surprisingly good Kansas State team.

4.Stanford should be in good shape this weekend as the travel to Oregon State to play the 2-6 Beavers. After losing the Rodgers brothers last year Oregon State hasn't had anything this season and it should be a cake walk for number 4 Stanford.

5.Oklahoma even with its one loss is much better than Boise State. Oklahoma had a bad week against Texas Tech but they wont slip up again this season. I have them at the number five spot for this week.

6.Arkansas should be getting more credit as a 7-1 team since its only loss is to a powerhouse Alabama team. Arkansas should get a good bowl game this season if they can stay a one loss team in the SEC.

7.Boise State is a top ten team even though they have possibly the easiest schedule in the entire nation in Division One football. You have to respect them for going undefeated but if they play teams that are this bad they don't deserve a big bowl game.

8.Oregon will face the Washington Huskies this weekend and I could even see an upset, but Oregon is still a great team though its not even the best team in the PAC 12 since Stanford certainly is better but Oregon is a team that you wouldn't want to sleep on. How could you though, with those awesome Nike uniforms.

9.Nebraska shocked me this weekend beating Michigan State 24-3 behind a strong running game and shut down defense against the Spartans at home. Nebraska is a great team but they wont stay unbeaten much longer. they will lose against Penn State in Beaver Stadium this season so they will finish as a two loss team.

10. South Carolina surprised me last week that they are still holding up after losing Marcus Lattimore for the season. He had already rushed for 818 yards before going down with an injury that will sideline him for the rest of this year. He ran for nearly 1200 yards last year but they were able to win their game even though they had to deal with the loss of quarterback Stephen Garcia for off the field issues but Sophomore quarterback Connor Shaw has really stepped up to the task and has been better than Garcia was so it was almost a blessing in disguise.

Worst Defensive Play of The NFL Season So Far

http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/09000d5d8239d43b/Young-scores-on-41-yard-pass-play


This is the worst defensive break down in possibly NFL history. Titus Young shouldn't be that open in high school yet alone the NFL! Cmon, someone should really be getting their ear chewed out for blowing that defensive assignment. I mean if you leave somebody open by about twenty yards then you need to be benched. I like how Titus Young looks around as if to say "Where's the defense? I can't see the defense!"

That is just insane. Things didn't get any better for the Broncos as the went on to be pounced by the Lions. Tim Tebow didn't play well and things are just taking a turn for the worst in Denver. Thanks to nfl.com for the video.

Lebron James

Lebron James really needs to improve his performance in the playoffs and the media hasn't been shy at all to criticise him since he left Cleveland for Miami on National Television on an hourly ESPN special. Lebron has been virtually unable to do anything in the NBA Finals and is possibly the biggest choke artist in NBA history. Lebron got his team to the finals this year, he was a big factor in that but he failed to do much of anything against Dallas in the finals.

There is a way that Lebron could get better and be able to perform late in games. He needs to improve on his post game where he would be virtually unstoppable. He is a great scorer and if he could finally get it together the Heat could win a championship. He always trys to settle to be a point gaurd when he should be using his 6'10" frame to his advantage and get down in the paint and score some more points and be more effective in the games to come.

Humiliation

Humiliation. A winless season? A second game on national TV on Sunday Night Football this season? The Indianapolis Colts are arguably the worst team in the NFL this season at 0-7.

They had to travel to New Orleans where they got saddled 62-7. The Saints high-powered offense led by Drew Brees scored 62 points; this has happened only five times since the merger.

Drew Brees threw only four incomplete passes, throwing for 325 yards and five touchdowns. This game wasn't even close, most likely because of not having their key player Peyton Manning. He is our only hope to win a game this season. He would need to be able to come back this season for them to win.

0-16 was originally a joke at the beginning, a three-win team would be very realistic this season, but 0-16 is very possible now, and not even just possible, it's likely. Curtis Painter and Kerry Collins are not good enough to be NFL quarterbacks in this offense, so it's about time they bring someone in to help with the situation. Many people believe that they will draft quarterback Andrew Luck next year, and that is looking like a good option. Although if the defense gave up 62 points, it wouldn't matter if Peyton played or not.

Boise State: The Most Overrated Team in All of College Sports

Boise State looked great this week beating Air Force 37-26. Oh, wait a minute, Air Force? Boise, you were picked to win by 28! Can anyone say "overrated"? They play nobody yet get so much credit you would think they're beating the best teams in the country.

Boise State's best game this season will probably be TCU later on in the year-- they may even lose that game. And how about that sad blue field? The team's blue uniforms blend right right into the playing field, making it hard to see the players on the field. Talk about an unfair home team advantage. If this team would play a good, or even average, team from a top conference, they would more than likely lose.

Quarterback Kellen Moore who currently is a Heisman trophy candidate is having an excellent season but I have little faith in this team. Their offense is one of the best in the country but the defense will not be able to stop a team that has a good offense.  They wouldn't match up with a team like Penn State.

Penn State has a terrific defense that would completely shut down the Broncos offense. Since they are almost completely one dimensional on offense and Penn State has a good run defense Boise State wouldn’t match up well. Though to beat Boise Penn State would have to get it going with a shaky offense that finally came to life last week against Northwestern scoring 34 points behind running back Silas Redd’s strong performance. Penn State would be able to beat Boise State by at least a ten point margin.

Penn State is number 19 in the BCS this week while Boise State sits at number four. Before saying they are so great, look at the schedule. The BCS has no sympathy for them, and it seems they only move up when teams in front of them lose. You can call yourself the number four team in the country for now but you obviously are not. Play five decent opponents in a season and we will talk.

Luck of a Trade?

Talk about being lucky. Lions running back Jerome Harrison may have been really lucky that he was told he would be dealt to the Eagles in exchange for running back Ronnie Brown before the trade deadline. The Lions lost running back Jahvid Best last Sunday in their loss to the San Francisco 49ers because of his third concussion. To be eligible to be traded, you must under go a physical by the team's medical staff. During the exam they found a brain tumor that they didn't know he had. The tumor is now being treated. This may have saved his life. The trade was denied since he failed the physical.

College Football Rankings Week 8

LSU running back Spencer Ware

1.LSU is still my number one and will be until they lose a game. They are the best team in the nation and have a game at Death Valley where they will be hosting the Auburn Tigers. LSU will be without corner back Tyrann Mathieu and star running back Spencer Ware. They also will be without Tharold Simon. Spencer Ware is their leading rusher with 512 yards and six touchdowns.

2.Alabama follows right behind LSU. SEC rivals LSU and Alabama are the two best teams which is no surprise considering the depth in the SEC. Alabama hosts Tennessee this weekend before having a bye week before facing LSU at home November 5th.

3.Oklahoma continues to stay at number three. They will be in good position when LSU and Alabama play as long as they remain undefeated and can beat a Cinderella Kansas State team which is currently 6-0.

4. Wisconsin follows Oklahoma to take the fourth spot. Wisconsin has a big game at Michigan State this week, but as long as they can get by this week they will be in good shape for a good bowl game, most likely the Rose Bowl unless they can jump either 'Bama or Oklahoma in the BCS.

5.Oklahoma State breaks the top five this week. They will be able to squeak by Missouri and remain unbeaten and improve to 7-0. Their biggest competition this season will be the in-state rival Sooners of Oklahoma.

6. Boise State continues to stay in the top ten every season and not get a chance at a BCS game. Since they come from a bad conference they have a much more difficult way into a BCS bowl, but I'd like to see them get a chance at a big bowl game but lose, of course, since I can't stand Boise State. They play the worst teams and get the credit of playing a top ten team every week.

7. Stanford follows shortly behind Boise. Stanford will be able to pass Boise in a week or so but for now, I need to see more from them to prove themselves. Being on the East Coast, I haven't really gotten a chance to see them play much this season.

8. Arkansas is number eight this week because they have been able to keep winning, and they have really recovered from the loss against Alabama in week four.  They will be relying on quarterback Tyler Wilson to lead them the rest of the way.

9. Oregon is my number nine after coming back to beat Arizona State last week 41-27. I'm not sure if it was a breakdown for Arizona State or Oregon wanted more; either way they are still only a one loss team.

10. Clemson rounds up the top ten, even though they remain undefeated. They play in a weak ACC conference and have proven themselves, but I'd like to see them play a top ten caliber team to see how they would match up.

NHL 2011-2012 Season Preview

Now that the hockey season is underway, here are my predictions on how the season will shape up this year in the NHL. 

Here's how the Eastern Conference will look: The Philadelphia Flyers will win the Atlantic Division by barely edging out the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins are gonna need Sydney Crosby to come back from his concussion that has had him missing an extended amount of time. In the Northeast Division, the defending champion Boston Bruins will come out on top with their outstanding goalie Tim Thomas. In the Southeast there is absolutely no reason that the Washington Capitals will not win that division. Alex Ovechkin will be the MVP of the season this year, and they will be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs.

In the Western Conference, the Chicago Blackhawks will win the division with MVP candidate Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks will squeak by the Detroit Red Wings. The Vancouver Canucks will win the Northwest as they did last year, and finally the San Jose Sharks will repeat in the Pacific even though many experts believe that the LA Kings can win that division.

The Flyers will win the East and play the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Finals, with the San Jose Sharks left hoisting the Stanley Cup Trophy at the end of the season.

NBA Free Agent Circus

If there is no NBA season at all this year, which is now looking more and more likely, now is the time to talk about what free agency will look like next season. There are some big-name players who will be on the free agent block.

Here are just a few of those big names:  Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, and Tim Duncan. They have all been top players in the league and will all enter free agency in the 2012 off season.

Dwight Howard is obviously the biggest player who will be the free agent field the last year of his contract with the Orlando Magic this season.

He will be set to make a ton of money this year. I can't think of any team in the league who would not be willing to spend money on this player. He is the best center in the league, and he averages a double-double for his career. Dwight Howard is arguably the best player in the league right now, and he's a great player to build a team around. He would look really good in Madison Square Garden with the Knicks, especially since they can't play defense.

I think Chris Paul would be a great addition to any team that already has another big scorer-- would take some of the pressure off Paul every night. He will get his points and assists (just give him the ball); he gets the team involved and moving on offense as well as playing great shut-down defense from the Point Guard position.

If your team has a primary scorer and would like to pick up a veteran leader, Ray Allen or Kevin Garnett would be a good fit. Ray Allen can still score points, and he's the best three-point shooter in NBA history, so he would be a good addition to any team that lacks the three-point offense. Kevin Garnett is an inside threat as well as a medium-range player. Garnett is also older but plays good physical defense.

I am very excited about who may go where in the NBA free agency next season.

Dan Wheldon

Indy Car racer Dan Wheldon died tragically in a 15 car pile up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the last race of the season this weekend.  He is survived by his wife and two kids. He was 33 years old. Dan Wheldon's death raises many questions on if Indy car races are safe for those type of courses. The Indy Cars are much faster than the NASCAR ones and at Las Vegas this weekend they hit top speeds of 225 mph. You can't really control a car at that speed, and you can't at all if it goes airborne. These cars are only really safe for road courses,circuit races in cars of that speed are just unsafe.

The Fall Classic 2011

The World Series this year as finally was set as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers last night 12-6 to win the best of seven series four games to two. Now it’s down to two teams the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League square off against the repeat American League champion Texas Rangers. Nobody could have predicted to see the Cardinals here after making the playoffs on the last day of the season that completed the Atlanta Braves huge collapse.

How They Got Here

The Texas Rangers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in the Divisional Round which is best of five, three games to one. The Rangers by 13 runs in the series behind the big bat of the catcher Mike Napoli and Third Basemen Michael Young. Mike Napoli has the highest post season average for the team right now at .316 this October. Nelson Cruz and Michael Young have also been hitting pretty well. The Rangers then faced the Detroit Tigers and eked out a 3-2 win to advance to the World Series. Nelson Cruz has been the hero for the Rangers in the series. He has hit six homers in the series against Detroit, a ridiculous statistic.

The St. Louis Cardinals were able to beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the Divisional Round of the playoffs in five games winning the series three games to two. The Phillies high power offense was extinct against the Cardinals. The pitching staff wasn't able to keep the Cardinals offense down and they lost the series for what some people like to say the curse of the squirrel.

There was a squirrel on the field at the games in St. Louis that the Cardinals were able to win game three at home but not game four. It has always been known as bad luck to have an animal on the field of a post season game. Just ask the Cubs. They haven't won a championship in over 100 years, which included the game where the black cat circled the Cubs dugout in a loss in the playoffs. 

The Cardinals pitching staff did wonders against the Phillies where Chris Carpenter threw eight innings of shutout baseball and the bullpen finished off a 1-0 victory for St. Louis. The Cardinals then went on to play the Brewers and were able to out slug Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun of the Brewers. Albert Pujols was a big catalyst of the Cardinals offense in the series. Now they advance to the World Series.

This World Series will be a very good one; it may even go seven games. The Cardinals will have to capitalize at home if they would like to beat the Rangers. The Rangers high power offense will have to be held in check if they expect to win the series and take home the championship.

Can The 2-4 Eagles Make the playoffs?

It's panic time for the Philadelphia Eagles as they have disappointed so far this season, going a lousy 1-4. The so called "dream team" is wishing they could press the snooze button.

 The Eagles signed shutdown corner Nnamdi Asomugha in free agency to create what should be the best defensive secondary in all of football. The Eagles secondary includes Asante Samuel, who was a pro bowler and was very good in New England in his time with the Patriots but hasn’t been so good in Philadelphia other than his first season with the team. The Eagles also acquired Dominique Rogers-Cromartie in a trade for quarterback Kevin Kolb with the Arizona Cardinals. The Eagles also acquired running back Ronnie Brown to be a good back to their star running back LeSean McCoy.

A lot of people want to put the blame on Michael Vick because he is the starting quarterback of the team. Turning a quarterback that is stuck behind a horrible offensive line into a scapegoat is not the answer to saving the season. Michael Vick has actually kept the team in their games put turnovers have really hurt the team. The Eagles can't afford to keep turning the ball over.

If Jeremy Maclin held on to the ball in the game against the 49ers the outcome would have been different, improving them to 2-3. If Jason Avant hadn't fumbled in the loss in Buffalo last Sunday they could have also won that game which would put them at 3-2, and in a much better situation, instead of this hole they have put themselves into.

This week however, the Eagles got back on track against division rival Washington. The Eagles won 20-13. They held on at the end despite a rally from the Redskins at the end. The Eagles now sit at 2-4.

Can they advance to the playoffs? The Eagles have talent and they will begin to show it. They must beat their division rivals this season in almost all the games they play against them but I do believe that come playoff time the Philadelphia Eagles will be in the mix.

Are The Detroit Lions For Real?

Who would have thought going into the season that the Lions would start 5-0? The usually mediocre Lions have captured the league's attention with their 5-0 record. Are they a legitimate contender in the NFL? Going into the season, the Lions seemed to have promise, and a 9-7 or 8-8 record appeared within reach.

They Lions logged their last win in front of a roaring sold-out home crowd at Ford Field as they beat the Chicago Bears 24-13 in front of Monday Night Football's national audience. Not so long ago (2008), the Lions were the laughingstock of the league at 0-16. 

Fast forward to 2011 with star nose tackle Ndamukong Suh predicting they could go 16-0. Outrageous. At this point in this season, though, it's still a possibility. The Lions' offense is very good at all positions with Matthew Stafford at quarterback and possibly the best wide out in the league right now in Calvin Johnson, also known as Megatron. The Lions have a decent rushing offense with Jahvid Best. Calvin Johnson has really emerged as a passing threat on the field, and he already has scored nine touchdowns this season, a league record for touchdown catches through five games.

The offense is averaging 284 passing yards a game, 7th in the NFL. Matthew Stafford is having a good season this year with 1400+ yards through five games and 13 touchdown passes. Nine of those TD passes were caught by Calvin Johnson, the league's best receiver this season.

The Lions defensive pass rush is absolutely incredible this season, and they are hitting the quarterback often and hard. The "Silver Crush", as they like to call their defense, already has twelve sacks on the season.  Nobody wants to play Detroit right now.

Yes, they are for real.

College Football Rankings Week 7

1. LSU is still my number one team in the country because they remain unbeaten. AND they are the best team in the country right now hands down. Nov. 5th they travel to Tuscaloosa to play the Alabama Crimson Tide, the second best team. The winner of that game will more than likely be in the BCS National Title game because, as good as the SEC has been the last few years, it has had the best team in college football.

2. Alabama takes second. They have been in this spot for quite some time. A very talented team, they has the best defense in the country, allowing, on average, just seven points a game. Unbelievable.

3. Wisconsin is my number three, ahead of Oklahoma and Landry Jones. Yes, it was incredible that the Oklahoma Sooners were able to put up 55 points on Texas, but Texas really isn’t a powerhouse this season. This team has a high-powered offense led by quarterback Russell Wilson, running back Montee Ball, and leading receiver Nick Toon.

4. Oklahoma comes in at fourth. For one, the Texas team they put up 55 on isn’t very good to begin with. In all honest, these four teams and possibly Boise State are the only teams in the nation that are extremely good this year. Oklahoma has some tough tests coming up against ranked opponents, but we will have to see how they match up.

5. Oklahoma State follows right behind in-state rival Oklahoma. The Cowboys of Oklahoma State are on a roll lately, and they logged great wins over Texas A&M and many other teams. This team is better than people think, and they may just upset Oklahoma later on in the season when they play their rivalry game which they call the "Battle of Bedlam".

6. Boise State is not the team people like to think they are, but they are winning all their games in a terrible conference. They have no quality wins, unless you count the win against Georgia. But Georgia is extremely overrated and is, in fact, not very good at all. They play TCU at the end of the season, but TCU hasn't lived up to expectations.

7. Clemson has had a good number of quality wins early this season, beating three ranked opponents;:Florida State, Auburn, and Virginia Tech. They are a very good surprise team. Expect them to creep up in the polls as the season moves on.

8. Stanford is now sitting at number eight in my poll. They have a very explosive offense behind Andrew Luck that is averaging 46.2 points per game. The defense is giving up only 10.6 points per game. Simple formula:  you score; your opponents don't; you win.

9. Oregon is sitting at number nine still because of their loss to LSU in week one of the season. If they would have won that game, they would be number one in the country. Instead they are in need of some help. They need to win out and have many other teams lose to have a shot at a National Title. They face #18 ranked Arizona State this weekend.

10. Arkansas is my number ten over Michigan due to Michigan’s weak schedule so far in the season. Michigan will be losing when they start actually playing someone so Arkansas is the much better fit here. The Razorbacks are 5-1 with numerous quality wins and they play in the best conference in the nation, the SEC.