There are two popular schools of thought when it comes to approaching bowl games. The first is that you want to win to end the season on a good note and send the Seniors out the right way. The second is that you want to win to springboard your spot in the next season’s preseason polls. Why not both? I guess it would overload some coaches and players, they like to keep it simple. In traditional fashion of Sunday Headlines, here are the matchups of the second portion of bowls with a headline you might see attached to it and the JIB Picks are bolded:

Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick will be on display for the whole nation to see in Boise.

-12/29 – Valero Alamo Bowl ~ Missouri – Northwestern – “Tigers Pounce Wildcats” Missouri started the season in the top 5 with National Championship aspirations, it ended very badly with back-to-back losses to Kansas and Texas. Chase Daniel will go out on top with a win over Northwestern, who will look at of their zone in warm Texas. Northwestern is used to snow and freezing temperatures.

-12/30 – Roady’s Humanitarian Bowl ~ Nevada – Maryland – “Terrapins Seeing Blue” Nevada will be right at home, playing on the “Smurf Turf,” it has forced them all to go colorblind so they think it’s green. Nevada’s quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the best kept secret of the WAC. Kaepernick ran passed for 2,479 yards with 19 touchdowns and ran for 1,115 yards with 16 touchdowns, Maryland better spy him. 

-12/30 – Texas Bowl ~ Rice – Western Michigan – “Don’t Mess With Rice”  Rice is a pass happy team, Western Michigan ranked 96th in pass defense. Anybody else seeing what I am? The Owls should have no problem dispatching the Broncos and getting their first bowl win in 50+ years. It always helps to play a bowl game in your backyard as well, Rice is in Houston, the site of the Texas Bowl.

-12/30 – Pacific Life Holiday Bowl ~ Oklahoma State – Oregon – “Cowboys Lasso Ducks” Oregon ended it’s season with a nice win over rival Oregon State, but Oklahoma State will pose a larger offensive threat to the Ducks. If this turns into a shootout then the Cowboys will win, the Ducks’ roster isn’t deep enough or good enough to hang with them offensively.   

-12/31 – Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl ~ Air Force – Houston – “Cougars Get Redemption” It’s to vote against an Armed Force in the Armed Forces Bowl, but this one only makes sense. If Houston plays a smidgen of rush defense they will win. Air Force won in their first match-up this year, in which they had 380 rushing yards and didn’t attempt a single pass. 

-12/31 – Sun Bowl ~ Pittsburgh – Oregon State – “Pitt Fails Pop Quizz” Oregon State had the chance to make it to the Rose Bowl and they blew it against their rival Oregon. The difference in that game was their dynamic running back Jacquizz Rodgers was injured. The Beavers will have him back for the bowl game, Pitt will have to look hard to see him behind the offensive line.  

Beavers RB Jacquizz Rodgers is like a mini Barry Sanders.

-12/31 – Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl ~ Boston College – Vanderbilt – “BC Scores A+” In a match-up of two schools that are pretty good academically, BC will smother the fire of Vandy’s once promising season. Vandy was in the top 25 for consecutive weeks, but then midterms started and there was a sudden drop off. It was a nice season for Vandy, but will be a better one for BC. 

-12/31 – Insight Bowl ~ Minnesota – Kansas – “Jayhawks Keep Gophers Reeling” Kansas and Minnesota combined lost 8 of their last 10 games coming down the stretch. While the Gophers got thumped at home against Iowa 55-0, the Jayhawks beat Missouri in the Border War. While this game will be a springboard for Kansas, it will be a nosedive for the Gophers. 

-12/31 – Chick-fil-a Bowl ~ Georgia Tech – LSU – “Georgia Tech Has Options” LSU’s defense is quick, but Georgia Tech runs their offense with just as much speed with their dynamic option offense. Many people scoffed at the thought of Paul Johnson’s option offense working at the higher level. I guess he proved them all very wrong, Georgia Tech is buzzing again.  

-01/01 – Outback Bowl ~ Iowa – South Carolina – “Green Runs Wild” Iowa running back Shonn Greene got some attention late in the season after he finished with 1,700+ yards rushing. He got a lot of attention actually, he won the Doak Walker Award. South Carolina has a good defense, but something has got to give and it look like it will be the Gamecocks’ defense. Good news is steaks for everyone after the game!

-01/01 – Capital One Bowl ~ Georgia – Michigan State – “” In a match-up of two great running backs in the Spartans Javon Ringer and the Bulldogs’ Knowshon Moreno, this game will be decided by air. Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford was leagues above Michigan State’s Brian Hoyer, which spells out a win for Georgia. The Bulldogs started as preseason #1 and might start there again with their QB and RB returning.

All the drama is on hold for now in college football. While some teams bask in the glory that is theirs to play in a BCS Bowl, a sleuth of other teams prepare to face reality. Reality for a lot of teams at this time of year is that they have fallen short, teams like Texas Tech, Missouri, and BYU might be having those feelings (0-12 Washington started to have those feelings months ago). At the end of the day, we all know that it’s a 12-game season and then the good teams play in a fundraising event. That is the very reason why we won’t see a playoff in Division I football, a lot of people will lose too much money. In traditional fashion of Sunday Headlines, here are the matchups of the first portion of bowls with a headline you might see attached to it and the JIB Picks are bolded:

Fresno State has yet to match their success they had with David Carr.

-12/20 – Eagle Bank Bowl ~ Navy vs. Wake Forest – “Wake Gets Revenge” The Deamon Deacons and Midshipmen met earlier in the season and Navy squeaked out a 24-17 win. In that game, Wake Forest had six turnovers. Wake Forest could conceivably commit about 3-4 turnovers and still come out of this one with a win. 

-12/20 – New Mexico Bowl ~ Fresno State vs. Colorado State – “Bulldogs Get Rammed” In what could have been the best season Fresno State has had since Davis Carr, the Bulldogs stumbled their way through the season. Nobody saw the Bulldogs being as bad as they were and their season will end on a sour note.  

-12/20 – magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl ~ South Florida vs. Memphis – “Bulls at Home in Win” When you are starved for bowl wins, it always helps to play one in your backyard. For those of you wondering, “magicJack” is a locally based telecommunications company in south Florida. I was hoping it was a new revolutionary and magical flapjack, in my dreams…  

-12/20 – Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl ~ BYU vs. Arizona – “BYU Prevails Again in Sin City” BYU might start sponsoring this bowl next year, it is their fourth appearance in four years. If there ever was a disappointing 10-2 season, this was the one. After back-to-back 10-2 seasons, the Cougars wanted more…maybe next year.

-12/21 - R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl ~ Troy vs. Southern Mississippi – “Troy Wins With Defense” Southern Miss and Troy are #26 and #20 in the nation in total offense, they are pretty evenly matched in that department. The difference will come on the defensive side of the ball as Troy will prevail in this yawner.

-12/23 – San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl ~ Boise State vs. TCU – “Broncos Have No Fiesta at Poinsettia” If the Poinsettia Bowl officials goal was to make a bowl with the longest name ever, than they succeeded. In a matchup that is just as good as some BCS Bowl games, Boise State will ultimately succumb to the quick and powerful TCU defense. TCU’s only losses are to #1 Oklahoma and #6 Utah. 

-12/24 – Sheraton Hawaii Bowl ~ Notre Dame vs. Hawaii – “” If Notre Dame’s boosters are hoping for a nice Christmas vacation to Hawai’i, they better not think about the football game. The Fighting Irish have backed themselves into a corner accepting this invitation. The critics were silenced when Notre Dame said that Charlie Weis will return next year, what will they say after this bowl loss? Stay tuned.

North Carolina head coach Butch Davis has made football relevant in December again.

-12/26 – Motor City Bowl ~ Central Michigan vs. Florida Atlantic – “Dan LeFevour Scorches the Owls” Central Michigan found itself out of the MAC Championship for the first time in two years as they took a back seat to Buffalo and Ball State. Florida Atlantic find themselves in their first bowl ever! Although unmemorable, it will leave them wanting more. 

-12/27 – Meineke Car Care Bowl ~ North Carolina vs. West Virginia – “Tar Heels Like Unfamiliar Territory” North Carolina hoops: epic, historic, and successful. North Carolina football: forgetful, mediocre, and disappointing. This year; however, seem to be a turning point for the Tar Heels, but is yet to be seen if they can sustain their success next year. This is only one year after all. 

-12/27 – Champs Sports Bowl ~ Florida State vs. Wisconsin – “Seminoles Don’t Get Badgered” Wisconsin started the season in the top 10 and fell hard and fast. They were a disappointment in a pretty weak Big Ten (with eleven teams). Florida State also fell, but only because the polls hyped them up too much, they never were and still aren’t that good. 

-12/27 – Emerald Bowl ~ Cal vs. Miami – “Bears Weather Hurricane” The ACC shows it’s stink with it’s bowl affiliations. Every year I am sure the BCS bowl officials fight over who has to take the ACC Champion. They are currently under contract with bowls in Boise, ID and San Francisco, CA. They can’t even get a bowl on the Atlantic coast!

-12/28 – Independence Bowl ~ Louisiana Tech vs. Northern Illinois – “And the Winner is zzzzzzz” How many people that watch this game outside of northern Illinois and Louisiana is yet to be seen, my guess is not a lot. 

-12/29 - Papajohns.com Bowl ~ Rutgers vs. North Carloina State – “Better Ingredients, Better Team: Rutgers” Seems that the whole reason for this bowl is to remind us that you can order Papa Johns pizza online at papajohns.com. They better pack the ads at the beginning of the game because it won’t be long before people flip the channel to a Rocky Marathon that I’m sure is on some channel.

We’ve reached the time of year when over half the nation’s teams slam on their breaks waiting for bowl game invitations while the others play in conference championships. Seven teams in the Top 25 are done (Utah, Ohio State, Penn State, TCU, BYU, Michigan State, and Northwestern) while USC and Pitt still have two games each to play. If they ever want to establish a uniform playoff system, the NCAA needs to incorporate a uniform 13 week or 14 week regular season schedule.

The Cowboys are hoping for a Barry Sanders-esque performance to lead them to victory over the Sooners.

Cowboys Lasso Sooners

In what has been a crazy season for the Big 12, it would makes sense for the Oklahoma State Cowboys to stand pat at home against the rival Sooners. Coming into the year, there were lots of talks about the Big 12 being the best conference in college football with Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. The Longhorns, Red Raiders, and Sooners have met expectations, the Tigers slipped early but is coming on strong, and the Jayhawks has been a complete disappointment. One team that has far exceeded everybody’s expectations is Oklahoma State. When people think of Cowboy football, most will think, “Oh yeah, they were a good team…when Barry Sanders was there…20 years ago.” The Cowboys first made some noise when they knocked off Missouri, a top 5 team at the time, on the road. While Bob Stoops has coached the Sooners, they are 3-1 at Oklahoma State, all of those wins coming by less than 6 points. The Cowboys have been bending the Sooners for years in Stillwater, it’s about time they break them. It does help that this is perhaps the Cowboys best team they have put on the field against the Sooners since 1984, which was the last time the Cowboys were ranked in the top 15 coming into this game.

USC Send Weis, Irish Packing

In what could have been a great rivalry for years to come, USC has stayed atop and the Irish have sunk since their classic 2005 showdown in South Bend. That game featured Brady Quinn, Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and LenDale White. This year’s game cannot tout any standout names for the Irish because they really don’t have any and only a few for the young Trojans. The 6-5 Irish are coming off of an embarrassing loss at home to Syracuse, who might as well be downgraded to a 1-AA school in football. For Charlie Weis being recognized as one the mastermind behind the New England Patriots’ success en route to 3 Super Bowls, he has failed to bring any of that success to South Bend. One could argue that his only successful year was his first one, where he had the players that were all recruited by Tyrone Willingham. Although the Irish could still play in a decent bowl because they are Notre Dame, don’t be surprised to see Notre Dame trying to get rid of Weis or buy him out. Are there any descendants left in Knute Rockne’s line that are in football? If so, the Irish might be coming a calling for them this upcoming spring. 

Beavers Dam Breaks (Possibly)

Whatever the Oregon State Beavers built, it wasn’t very stable. The Beavers started the season with two bad losses to Stanford and Penn State, and had just as bad of a loss midseason at Utah. In that game, the Beavers let a late two-score lead disappear with poor play-calling and clock management. The Beavers win over USC is keeping them hanging on a string of hope they will get to play in the Rose Bowl. They won’t have to worry anymore about possibly playing in Pasadena after the Oregon Ducks break their faulty dam this week. The fact that shifty beaver Jacquizz Rodgers might not play will make the Beavers one-dimensional. If Rodgers is ready to go on Saturday, the Beavers will win, that is where the “possibly” in the headline comes in. It may seem like a stretch to say the result of this game lies with whether a 5′7″ running back will play, but “Quizz” is a big reason why the Beavers are in the position they are. Power to the little people! Where would Jedi’s be without little Ewoks?

Michigan State RB Javon Ringer helped the Spartans have a stellar season this year.

JIB Picks

Week 13:10-5 / Overall: 193-45

Week 14: #1 Alabama – Auburn / #2 Texas - Texas A&M / #3 Oklahoma – #12 Oklahoma State / #4 Florida – Florida State / #5 USC – Notre Dame / #6 Utah (Done) / #7 Texas Tech – Baylor / #8 Penn State (Done) / #9 Boise State – Fresno State / #10 Ohio State (Done) / #11 Georgia – #22 Georgia Tech / #13 Missouri – Kansas / #14 TCU (Done) / #15 Ball State – Western Michigan / #16 Cincinnati – Syracuse / #17 Oregon State -  #23 Oregon / #18 BYU (Done) / #19 Michigan State (Done) / #21 Boston College – Maryland / #24 Northwestern (Done) / #25 Pittsburgh – West Virginia

As conference races tighten and bowl picture start to come in focus, these last couple of weeks of college football will offer up a lot of drama. This week is headlined by three huge games between top 25 teams: #15 Michigan State – #8 Penn State, #14 BYU – #7 Utah, and #5 Oklahoma – #2 Texas Tech. Hopefully you can push your weekend chores off or get them done early because you won’t want to miss this weekend’s action. Here are a few headlines you shouldn’t be surprised to see in your Sunday sports section:

Gators Slowing Inching Out of Corner

Florida speedster Percy Harvin has the Gators rolling.

Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer has been a long standing critic of the BCS and how unfair it is. This coming from a coach who in 2006 was given the gift of playing in a National Championship Game over much more deserving teams. They took advantage and won, but that still doesn’t mean they deserved to be there. The Gators have done a lot that past few weeks to work out of the corner they found themselves in after losing to an unranked Mississippi team at home. Since losing to the Rebels they have torn through their competition, leaving little room for doubt that they are one of the nation’s elite teams. Right when we start giving them the benefit of the doubt, here comes another patsy team to flirt with the Gators and ultimately get devoured. If the Gators are looking to pick up points with their strength of schedule, they aren’t going to get them this week when they play the Citadel Bulldogs (Military College of South Carolina). Luckily the Gators will play #1 Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, which may very well provide us the winner of the National Championship.

Rivals Collide

Rivalry week has been turned into rivalry weeks lately, kind of like how after Thanksgiving day sales have turned from a fun outing into utter madness and pure hell. This week will showcase two huge rivalries, with one uncharacteristically having more on the line than the other. It’s crazy to think that the BYU-Utah rivalry game this week will trump Ohio State-Michigan in importance, but it is. BYU comes into this year’s game boasting a 10-1 record and a #14 ranking in the BCS. Utah comes with a 11-0 record and a #7 BCS ranking, with BYU being the last hurdle toward an apparent BCS Bowl invitation. With a win by BYU, the Cougars could very well jump into the top 10 of the BCS and make an argument for themselves. Their only loss of the year came against #16 TCU on the road, who Utah beat in Salt Lake City. The Utes, with senior quarterback Brian Johnson, are looking to crash the BCS for a second time. This year’s “Battle for the Beehive Boot” promises to be a huge game. On the other hand, Ohio State-Michigan couldn’t be less meaningful than it already is. Michigan has it’s most losses ever. With every Michigan loss, teams like Utah (who defeated Michigan) are being hurt in their strength of schedule column. I bet the Buckeyes are trying to get this game canceled, there is no way this win in a rivalry game can help them leap frog a couple teams into the National Championship.

Big East and ACC Continue Slugfest

If there ever was two conferences that should have their “BCS” tag revoked, they would be the Big East and the ACC. At one time dominant, these conferences are hoping their recent slides are cyclical. The only problem is that this current cyclical slide has been a long one. Heading into this week the leaders in both conferences each have a 7-3 record and are heading into tough road games. ACC division leader Miami will visit the jittery Georgia Tech and their triple-option offense. Meanwhile in the Big East, Cincinnati will play host to Pittsburgh. It’s hard to picture a couple of 4 loss teams in BCS Bowls, but so is a couple of non-BCS teams in BCS Bowls. This year hasn’t been as crazy as 2007, but it has had it’s fair share of idiosyncrasies. In what has been an unprecedented year for the Mountain West, with 3 teams (BYU, Utah, TCU) having a combined record of 30-3, there’s a chance none will get to go to a BCS Bowl. Word is President-elect Barack Obama would like to overthrow the BCS, that might make conventional Republican states within the Mountain West Conference change their minds. Utah voting majority Democrat? That’s just straight up crazy!!

Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford looks to lead the Sooners over #2 Texas Tech.

JIB Picks

Week 12: 14-5 / Overall: 183-40

Week 13: #1 Alabama (Bye) / #2 Texas Tech – #5 Oklahoma / #3 Texas - Arkansas / #4 Florida - Citadel / #6 USC (Bye) / #7 Utah – #14 BYU / #8 Penn State – #15 Michigan State / #9 Boise State – Neveda / #10 Ohio State – Michigan / #11 Georgia (Bye) / #12 Oklahoma State (Bye) / #13 Missouri (Bye) / #16 TCU – Air Force / #17 Ball State – Central Michigan / #18 LSU – ‘Ole Miss / #19 Cincinnati – #20 Pittsburgh / #21 Oregon State - Arizona / #22 North Carolina – NC State / #23 Miami – Georgia Tech / #24 Oregon (Bye) / #25 Maryland – Florida State

We need to remember it really was Ben Wallace that started the Palace Brawl by overreacting to a foul.

There is a fine line between being competitive and a “poor sport.” From an early age I learned this, it began with intense games of “Hungry Hungry Hippos” and “Candy Land,” and then it spilled over into recreational sports I participated in as I grew older. After every game, as a team, we would do a cheer for the other team and then go shake their hands. If that didn’t teach us sportsmanship, it at least taught us to pretend like we were good sports.

Commissioner David Stern has got quite the dilemma facing him in the NBA right now, most of his players fall into the “poor sport” category. If it is fans he is seeking, he is losing quite a few with the delinquency and childishness displayed by many of his players. I promise that people can find better ways to spend their time than watching crybaby millionaires get up in each others “grill” and throw sissy punches. Proof of that theory is evidenced by the low ratings that the NHL gets. One thing that has gone missing from the NBA is the customary exchange of hand shakes (or chest bumps) between players and coaches. You see it in football when coaches meet at midfield, you even see it in college basketball when coaches meet a half-court, but you won’t see it in the NBA. Why? Ron Artest, the Founding Father of Brawls, was nowhere to be seen last week when the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets got into a little spat. Suns forward Matt Barnes threw an elbow into the chops of Rocket Rafer Alston. From there, Suns point guard Steve Nash came in and threw an elbow of his own only for Rocket Tracy McGrady to push him to the ground. All in all, a pathetic display of sportsmanship and an embarrassment. This was just one of many incidents already this year, Kevin Garnett centering around a couple of others. With what NBA players are getting away with, it is making the NFL look like a civil sport. Maybe the players just can’t handle sportsmanship and need to be taught like small children. Here’s a proposition, every time a hard foul or flagrant foul occurs, both parties need to hug and say, “I’m sorry.” It works for kids…

A portion of sportsmanship comes down to us all as fans of sports. Obtaining knowledge of the rules and procedures of our favorite sports can make us look less foolish. Take for example, your favorite football team is called for a pass interference foul, what do you do? Do you accept the call for what it was, or do you “boo?” I frequently sit by spectators who think their team can do no wrong, that every foul called against them is “absurd,” and “ridiculous.” We all have a responsibility as fans of sports to know the ins and outs of the sports we watch. I remember attending a college football game where a running back was stripped of the ball. After watching the replay on the big scoreboard, a lady screamed in disgust, “That’s illegal!! He stripped the ball from our player!! He can’t do that!!” I hung my head in shame for such a comment, that is a perfect example of stupid sportsmanship. While players, coaches, and officials are held to comply with sportsmanship guidelines, so should we as fans.

Brady Quinn finally got his chance to start in the NFL when the Cleveland Browns faced the Denver Broncos on one of the NFL Network’s Thursday night games. The games should be a lot more exciting to listen to this year after the NFL Network “parted ways” with former play-by-play announcer Bryant Gumbel. I would have rather listened to Ben Stein give a monotone play-by-play of paint drying than listen to Gumbel. Quinn had a good night, but was overshadowed by Broncos QB Jay Cutler’s outstanding performance. As Wild Card races for the playoffs start, the separation of contenders and pretenders is becoming more evident. Here are a couple revelations after watching some action from week 10:

Kurt Warner is not as evasive as he used to be, but he is still finding success.

Kurt Warner Not Letting Gray Hair Get to Him

Kurt Warner is 37 years young and playing just as well as he did almost 10 years ago when he guided the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl Title. After the Arizona Cardinals victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, there were fans chanting “M-V-P” during Warner’s post-game interviews. Deemed by many to be the Cardinals starting quarterback before the season started, now backup Matt Leinart is spending his time on game day drinking Gatorade and adjusting himself from the sideline (my wife notices the players doing it more than I do). Warner isn’t throwing as many long bombs as he used to,  probably because now he has to worry about throwing his elbow out. Warner is getting his touchdowns and passing yards by getting the ball out fast and picking apart defenses, a skill that he perfected while playing Arena Football. As good as Warner has played all year, and especially last Monday night, it is apparent that the Cardinals just aren’t that imposing of a team. The Cardinals got the win on Monday night against the 49ers, but it wasn’t well deserved. The 49ers made a lot of great plays, but their quarterback Shaun Hill made more stupid ones, his untimely interceptions proved costly. The stupidest mistake of the night was how the 49ers managed the end of the game. After Frank Gore was tripped up right before the goal line, the 49ers elected to run their last play instead of spiking the ball to regroup. The play they ran was a run right up the middle by former Penn State QB Michael Robinson. After that play call I’m sure a lot of fans were thinking, “what was that?!?!” “Did offensive coordinator Mike Martz call in the right play?!?!” That kind of play call is volatile even in video games! Kurt Warner’s late career resurrection is shades of Doug Flutie in Buffalo. While Flutie got his own cereal, “Flutie Flakes,” I don’t think Warner will be as fortunate. “Cinnamon Kurt Krunch,” or “Frosted Warner Wheats,” just don’t have the same ring to them.

Colts WR Reggie Wayne has seen more balls come his way this year.

Colts Still Bucking

What started out as very disappointing season and had many people declaring the end of their glory days, the Indianapolis Colts have come together and knocked off the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers in consecutive weeks. The Colts victory in Pittsburgh last week was their first in 15 years! The Colts relied heavily on their defense in both games, which has been known to be their achilles heel. In the waning minutes of the game, they came up with two huge plays; the Colts stuffed the Steelers on a 3rd and Goal to force a field goal and then intercepted Ben Roethlisberger in Steelers territory. It is no doubt that the Colts assume a completely different identity defensively with Bob Sanders in the lineup (Sanders was out with an injury for the Colts first 7 games). While the Colts are in no position to win their division, a Wild Card berth is starting to look very achievable. The one thing still plaguing the Colts is an awful running game. Jospeh Addai, who was a 1,000 yard rusher for the Colts in ‘06 and ‘07, has managed a measly 282 yards on the ground all season! Backup running back Dominic Rhodes has more yards than Addai, albeit only 8 yards more, but more nonetheless. Maybe the Colts are trying to turn them into a running back tandem. With every tandem comes cool nicknames, like “Thunder and Lightning,” or “Slash and Dash.” Addai and Rhodes could be “Crash and Burn.” With the Colts starting to win again, maybe we will see some more of those knee-slapping, make you laugh so hard you want to cry Peyton Manning commercials. Rumor has it that companies having been pulling the ads because of the bad publicity with a loser representing them. No wait, I heard that about Macy’s and Jessica Simpson.

In week 12 there is only one game between top 25 teams, and that is #4 Florida – #25 South Carolina. Every other top team has gut check games before rivalry week and Conference Championships get under way. Gut check can easily turn into a punch in the gut if anybody lets down their guard. Here are a few headlines you might see in your Sunday sports section:

With a win of Saturday, North Carolina will surpass it's win total for '06 and '07 combined.

North Carolina Continues It’s Resurgence

With it’s win on Saturday, the North Carolina Tar Heels football team have equalled their win total for ‘06 and ‘07 combined! While students at Duke are already heading to get their basketball tickets, the boys and girls on Chapel Hill will still be watching football and expecting a bowl invitation. This week will be a tough test when they go up to Maryland, the original team to sign with Under Armour, they are good at protecting their house. The key to North Carolina’s resurgence is head coach Butch Davis. Davis was able to unify a hoodlum Miami team who had lost multiple scholarships and was barred from going to a bowl his first year and is now unifying a bunch of losers to win. We won’t mention his stint in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, it would take you a long time to think of one football coach that successfully transitioned from the college football ranks to the NFL. I’m still thinking and coming up blank…  

Cardinals are the Giant Killers

In years past the Louisville Cardinals were the giants, now they are the giant killers. Cincinnati isn’t that big of a giant, but they come into Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium ranked. A couple weeks ago the Cardinals knocked off ranked South Florida and are going to do it again this week. If I were a Louisville fan, I’d much rather be in this position, the giant killer. They are rebuilding and nobody is expecting much from them, so why not throw in a couple upsets and solid wins every year? Steve Kragthorpe has them going in the right direction, but they need to be very satisfied with where they are right now. BYU is experiencing the exact opposite, with lower expectations they went 10-2 in ‘06 and ‘07 and came into ‘08 with great expectations. Right now they are 9-1 and the fans are disappointed! Nobody likes a Debbie Downer. 

Texas Tech, Oklahoma Take Week Off, Prepare for Huge Game

Just about every week we look at a game and say, “This is the biggest game of the year.” Then we constantly retract our previous statement the next week and say, “No, this is the biggest game of the year!” (Utah Ute fans went as far as to say their game against TCU last week was their biggest game EVER!) The first blockbuster game was Texas-Oklahoma, then Texas-Texas Tech, and now it’s going to be Texas Tech-Oklahoma. The Sooners still have an outside shot at a National Championship and a loss would knock them out of the picture. With a loss this late in the season, a Texas Tech loss might knock them out of the picture too. Hopefully both teams will get their legs under them because next week’s big game will be a track meet. I smell a 1,000 yard game by both offenses combined in the making. 

The sad thing about Ball State is we will never know how good they are unless they play a quality opponent in a bowl.

 JIB Picks

Week 11: 14-5 / Overall: 169-35

Week 12: #1 Alabama - Mississippi State / #2 Texas Tech (Bye) / #3 Texas – Kansas / #4 Florida - #25 South Carolina / #5 Oklahoma (Bye) / #6 USC – Stanford / #7 Utah – SDSU / #8 Penn State – Indiana / #9 Boise State - Idaho / #10 Georgia – Auburn / #11 Ohio State – Illinois / #12 Missouri – Iowa State / #13 Oklahoma State – Colorado / #14 Ball State – Miami(OH) / #15 Michigan State (Bye) / #16 North Carolina – Maryland / #17 BYU – Air Force / #18 TCU / #19 Florida State – Boston College / #20 LSU – Troy / #21 Pittsburgh (Bye) / #22 Cincinnati - Louisville / #23 Tulsa – Houston / #24  Wake Forest – NC State

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Everybody has their two-sense on the BCS, so here is ours. Let’s take a look at the top 5 in the BCS: (1) Alabama (2) Texas Tech (3) Penn State (4) Florida (5) Texas. Alabama is #1 because they beat Georgia early in the season when they were #2, but now Georgia is 7-2 and #14. Texas Tech is #2 because they beat previous #1 Texas. Then there is #3 Penn State who’s best win was against #12 Ohio State. Florida is #4, which makes zero sense. They lost to a non-ranked Ole’ Miss and their best win is over #14 Georgia. Finally, Texas rounds out at #5 because they lost to the now #2 Texas Tech. So based on who these teams have defeated (or lost to), shouldn’t Texas Tech be #1, Penn State be #2, Alabama #3, Texas #4 and Oklahoma be #5 (because they lost to Texas)? That really is the higher education logical order, it might perhaps be a question on the next ACT or SAT college entrance exams. “Which one of these teams doesn’t belong based on the above information?” Um, Florida?? Correct! Heading into week 11, look for headlines similar to these to pop up in your sports section:

Texas Tech Survives to Play Another Week

Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree hauls in the game winning catch against Texas

The Red Raiders will still be flying high after their win over #1 Texas, and they will not overlook Oklahoma State. I question the football prowess of Texas Tech’s fans as they continue their march towards a possible berth in the National Championship Game. On Saturday, the Red Raiders brain-dead fans stormed the field three times, twice during regulation. After WR Michael Crabtree caught a touchdown from QB Graham Harrell the fans stormed the field while there was still 1 second on the clock and Texas Tech still needed to attempt the extra point. The fans were brushed off the field for the extra point. Texas Tech made the extra point and their fans stormed the field again, not understanding that the clock doesn’t run during extra points. At this point, I’m sure some were as annoyed as me and were hoping that Texas would run the kickoff back. I am certain now that Texas Tech has it in them to run the tables, but it’s their fans I worry about. I don’t think they are ready to cope with so much success, their football motor skills are pathetic at best.

Letterman Weeps as Ball State Loses

Things couldn’t have been more up for late show host David Letterman. His contender Jay Leno was on his way out and his alma mater Ball State Cardinals were in the top 25! In regards to his profession, things are still looking up. The thought of Conan O’Brien competing with Letterman is laughable. The only thing funny about Conan is his hair. It will be Ball State’s loss that will be the ultimate cause of Letterman putting a little extra kick in that mug he drinks every night. Ball State has had a remarkable season in it’s own terms, but anyone that thinks Ball State can hang with the other 24 teams in the top 25 is fooling themselves. The Cardinals play Northern Illinois, who have just as many impressive victories as Ball State, and actually have a winning record. As the Cardinals head in the tough part of their schedule the next 4 weeks, don’t expect to see them in the top 25 for a long time.

Blackout at Utah Doesn’t Distract TCU

The Utes hope their blackout will yield a better outcome than Georgia's.

If Utah learned from other’s mistakes, they would have remembered what happened to Georgia when they had blackout (Georgia got blown out of the water by Alabama). What is it about the black uniforms? Does it invoke power? Does it give you a psychological edge? If these are the case, then why are the Oakland Raiders so bad? I would think that the usual sea of crimson red at the Utes’ home stadium would be far more intimidating than a sea of black. In the dark of the night I’m sure that TCU can easily imagine the stadium being empty and the Utes being mere shadows. TCU does not have an explosive offense by any means, but given that their defense continues to stuff opposing offenses, their own offense will feed off of their adrenaline. Utah was less than impressive last week against New Mexico, and merely did enough not to lose. This week they will have to do enough to win, especially when they have the ball in their hands. I sure hope Ute fans have black coats, temperatures are going to dip down in the low 30s on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

Tigers Dissipate Tide

It was Alabama that spoiled Georgia’s blackout at the beginning of the season, now it’s going to be LSU’s turn to spoil Alabama’s party. Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and his team with face a very hostile environment in his return to Batan Rouge. LSU and Alabama are evenly matched on both sides of the ball, which means this game will be decided by the intangibles, such as a hostile environment. Alabama QB John Parker Wilson looks just like “Sunshine” on “Remember the Titans,” which will prove as a distraction to LSU—advantage Alabama. Alabama’s “Crimson Tide” logo is depicted as an elephant, which is highly superior in the animal kingdom to the tiger—advantage Alabama. LSU will not be having a blackout—advantage LSU. The only thing that could ruin this for LSU is if they painted their uniforms black…

#3 Penn State is positioning itself perfectly to slide into the National Championship Game

JIB Picks

Week 10: 16-1 / Overall: 155-30

Week 11: (BCS Ranking) #1 Alabama – #16 LSU / #2 Texas Tech – #9 Oklahoma State / #3 Penn State - Iowa / #4 Texas – Baylor / #5 Florida – Vanderbilt / #6 Oklahoma - Texas A&M / #7 USC – #21 California / #8 Utah – #12 TCU / #10 Boise State - Utah State / #11 Ohio State – #24 Northwestern / #13 Georgia - Kentucky / #14 Missouri – Kansas State / #15 BYU - San Diego State / #17 Ball State – Northern Illinois / #18 Michigan State – Purdue / #19 North Carolina – #20 Georgia Tech / #22 Florida State – Clemson / #23 Maryland – Virginia Tech / #25 West Virginia – Cincinnati

During my last round of golf for the year, I got to thinking about the changing seasons in weather and also in sports. In the middle of two double bogeys, I had a lot of time to think about something other than how poorly I was playing or else I would have went crazy. With every change of season comes a different variety of sports. As we say “goodbye” to baseball, golf and soccer (yeah, I know, most of us never said “hello” to soccer and thus are not in need of telling it “goodbye”), we have welcomed football and basketball. I would put hockey in there, but just like soccer, it’s just one of those sports that still can’t get better ratings during it’s playoffs than reruns of “Full House.”

The 2008 World Series was wet and wild.

The most recent World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays left a lot of fans feeling short changed. Mother Nature changed things quite a bit, as Philadelphia was hit with hard rain and snow storms. Game 5, which proved to be the series clincher, was suspended in the 6th inning for two days. You have to wonder how the series would have been different if the weather would have cooperated more. For a sport that starts it’s Spring training in February, it seems rather odd that is stretches it’s season into October. The weather conditions through the regular season stay fairly consistent, but their off-season is vastly different. There should be more controversy in the timetable the league has than the size of the strike zone every game.

While football has been in our midst since September, now is when we get into the nitty-gritty of both the NFL and college football. For the NFL, we start looking at the Playoffs and who is emerging as the teams to beat. For college football, the BCS standings continue to get shook up and Conference Championships start inching closer and closer. With every week that passes we weep that we are one more week closer to the end of football, it is truly America’s sport. The NBA, which also has a long season, can do as they please because they play indoors. NBA Commissioner David Stern did experiment with playing an outdoor game during the preseason at a tennis venue, but it was a little too chilly for some players. A few traded their Powerade for a cup of hot cocoa.

College basketball is also right around the corner, which really doesn’t pick up until after Christmas. With exception to the Inter-conference tournaments to start the season, you won’t see many competitive games until the beginning of January. Only a little over 100 schools compete in NCAA college football, well over 300 compete in NCAA basketball. There are enough cupcake college teams for every larger school to have their share of and rack up an easy 10 wins to start their season. You could conceivably not pay attention to college basketball until the Conference Tournaments in March and know enough to fill out a decent Final Four bracket. In the end though, it seems the secretary or office idiot who knows nothing about college basketball will always win.

Most years the battle for Texas would be between the Longhorns and Aggies, but not this year. Enter the Red Raiders, the team everyone loves to doubt, but they keep on winning. Coming off of an impressive win on the road at Kansas, the Red Raiders welcome the Longhorns to their house. Texas is averaging about 46 points/game and Texas Tech is averaging about 48. This game should be touted the “Yellow House River Shootout.” Here’s a few headlines that will more than likely be in your newspapers sports section on Sunday: 

‘Hogs Spoil Tulsa’s Perfect Season

Tulsa will face it's toughest challenge this week, which isn't much, or so they think.

Arkansas has one of the most dysfunctional athletic departments in the NCAA. They hired their current head coach Bobby Petrino away from the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons only weeks after Petrino said he was going nowhere. The Razorbacks have struggled greatly this year, they started by narrowly edging two 1AA schools by a combined total of five points. Since those two victories the Razorback have lost five of their last six. Their only win in that stretch was against a lowly Auburn team. Tulsa, on the other hand, is having a great season and Arkansas is being labeled as their “toughest game of the year.” If the Golden Hurricanes toughest game is against a team that is 3-5, then it makes it very difficult to make a judgement on how good these kids really are. It will be much easier though when they lose. 

Golden Bears Maul Ducks

I think they call it “Conference Cannibalism.” Well, maybe they don’t, but we do. Conference Cannibalism is what starts happening this time of year when conference play starts and teams thin each other out. This contest with Oregon and Cal will be a perfect example. Another PAC-10 team has snuck into the top 25 again (a couple weeks ago it was Cal), but they will be knocked right out after getting beat by a lesser conference opponent. The only way to correct this problem would be to have designated losers in each conference, Washington and Washington State would be the designated losers in the PAC-10.  

Utes and Horned Frogs Get Scares

Utah WR Bradon Godrey and the Utes have been putting lots of point on the board, can the continue the trend in Albuquerque?

There is a lot of parody in the Mountain West Conference. You don’t see a lot of ridiculously long streaks of wins or losses in conference play. The Utes will be taking their unbeaten record to New Mexico, where they were defeated on their last visit. Although most of the Utes’ wins have been lopsided, their offense has struggled fumbling the ball and not being consistent. The Lobos have a small, but tough defense that will keep the Utes on the ropes. TCU will head to Las Vegas to play a UNLV team that is hitting strides on offense, they outgained offensive powerhouse BYU last week in a loss. The Rebels defense is a little suspect, but the one thing to pay attention to is how UNLV will respond at home to the Horned Frogs’ quick and physical defense. If all the players on the Horned Frog’s defense tied one hand behind their backs, would still be better than the defense the Rebels faced last week. 

Bulls Still Not Seeing Red

A week after falling to the Louisville Cardinals, the South Florida Bulls are going to drop another to the Cincinnati Bearcats. Eerily similar to last week’s game, the Bulls should win this game from a statistical standpoint; however, this game will be in Cincinnati and the Bulls have not performed their best on the road. It’s going to be a nippy 60 degrees on Saturday in Ohio, which is perfect football weather for most, but not for teams from southern Florida. You might see the Bulls pulling out their winter coats and hand warmers while the Bearcats sit in front of cool air fans. South Florida may be surrendering their “Top Dawg” crown in the Big East. 

Georgia Tech is hoping their option offense with help them beat the Seminoles this weekend.

JIB Picks

Week 9: 14-6 / Overall: 139-29

Week 10: #1 Texas – #5 Texas Tech / #2 Alabama - Arkansas State / #3 Penn State (Bye) / #4 Oklahoma - Nebraska / #6 USC – Washington / #7 Florida – #8 Georgia / #9 Utah – New Mexico / #10 Oklahoma State – Iowa State / #11 Boise State – New Mexico State / #12 TCU - UNLV / #13 Ohio State (Bye) / #14 Missouri – Baylor / #15 LSU – Tulane / #16 Florida State – Georgia Tech / #17 BYU – Colorado State / #18 Tulsa – Arkansas / #19 Ball State (Bye) / #20 Minnesota (Bye) / #21 Michigan State – Wisconsin / #22 North Carolina (Bye) / #23 South Florida - Cincinnati / #24 Oregon - Cal / #25 Maryland (Bye)