College Hoops and Virginia Tech

USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Preseason Poll for College Hoops

Rank
School (first-place votes)
2004-05 record
Points
2004-05 final ranking
1.
Duke (28)
27-6
767
7
Outlook: Blue Devils could return to top of Atlantic Coast Conference and contend for national honors behind experienced group led by Fs Shelden Williams and Lee Melchionni and Gs J.J. Redick and Sean Dockery. Youth will be served with high school All-Americans C Eric Boateng, F Josh McRoberts and G Greg Paulus aboard. Opens: Nov. 14 vs. Boston University in Preseason NIT (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. ET).

2.
Connecticut
23-8
692
17
Outlook: Status of G Marcus Williams (suspended) could determine how well Huskies do in Big East, but they're solid elsewhere with Fs Josh Boone and Rudy Gay, Ed Nelson, Denham Brown and Hilton Armstrong and G Rashad Anderson. Opens: Nov. 18 at Pepperdine (ESPNU, 11:30 p.m. ET).

3.
Texas (2)
20-11
683
NR
Outlook: As long as F LaMarcus Aldridge is healthy and F P.J. Tucker is eligible, Longhorns should be much improved from last season's 9-7 Big 12 record. G Daniel Gibson provides steady floor leadership, and F Brad Buckman is solid. Opens: Nov. 15 vs. Sacramento State in Guardians Classic.

4.
Villanova (1)
24-8
644
13
Outlook: After heartbreaking loss to North Carolina in the Sweet 16, Wildcats return with a loaded lineup, featuring Gs Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Mike Nardi. But 'Cats received serious blow with F Curtis Sumpter's knee injury. Health of F Jason Fraser also must be watched. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Stony Brook.

5.
Michigan State
26-7
632
4
Outlook: After looking up at Illinois in Big Ten all season, Spartans got hot at right time and drove to Final Four. C Paul Davis and Gs Maurice Ager, Shannon Brown and Drew Neitzel hope to lead return trip. Opens: Nov. 19 at Hawaii.

6.
Oklahoma
25-8
617
20
Outlook: Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout help lead dynamic frontcourt, and G Terrell Everett came into his own last season. Sooners should again be in thick of Big 12 hunt and are threat to go very far in March. Opens: Nov. 19 vs. Samford.

7.
Gonzaga
26-5
540
18
Outlook: Ronny Turiaf is gone, but Bulldogs will be looking to make up for last season's early NCAA ouster behind Fs Adam Morrison and J.P. Batista and steady point guard Derek Raivio. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Idaho.

8.
Louisville
33-5
536
3
Outlook: Coming off first Final Four appearance of Rick Pitino era and heading into Big East play, Cardinals should be strong again behind F Juan Palacios, G Taquan Dean and 6-11 Kansas transfer David Padgett. Palacios (ankle) and Padgett (foot) have been hampered by injuries, however. Opens: Nov. 19 vs. Tennessee-Martin.

9.
Arizona
30-7
532
6
Outlook: Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire have departed, meaning Gs Hassan Adams and Mustafa Shakur and F Ivan Radenovic are among those who have to step up. Expect Wildcats to be more balanced as they strive for Pac-10 honors. Opens: Nov. 21 vs. Kansas in Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii (ESPN, 9 p.m. ET).

10.
Kentucky
28-6
511
5
Outlook: Eligibility issues surrounding C Randolph Morris notwithstanding, Wildcats should again be Final Four threat behind Gs Rajon Rondo and Patrick Sparks and deep cast of youngsters who gained valuable experience a year ago. Opens: Nov. 13 vs. South Dakota State in Guardians Classic (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET).

11.
Boston College
25-5
484
19
Outlook: Eagles started 20-0 a year ago but went out in second round of NCAAs. Fs Craig Smith and Jared Dudley and G Louis Hinnant lead deep, veteran team that should be immediate contender in first year in ACC. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Dartmouth.

12.
Memphis
22-16
354
NR
Outlook: Tigers look like class of new-look Conference USA and could go deep into March behind talented cast that features F Rodney Carney and G Darius Washington. Opens: Nov. 15 vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Preseason NIT.

13.
Stanford
18-13
331
NR
Outlook: Return to good health of G Dan Grunfeld (knee) is key for Cardinal. PG Chris Hernandez and F Matt Haryasz will be that much more effective if Grunfeld's all-around game is back in force. Opens: Nov. 19 vs. UC-Irvine.

14.
Alabama
24-8
295
NR
Outlook: Kennedy Winston and Earnest Shelton depart from last season's NCAA team. If Crimson Tide are to rise in Southeastern Conference, big years will be needed from Fs Jermareo Davidson and Chuck Davis and PG Ronald Steele. Opens: Nov. 15 vs. Miami (Ohio) in Preseason NIT.

15.
West Virginia
24-11
265
12
Outlook: After narrowly missing Final Four trip, Mountaineers should be major factor in Big East behind sharp-shooting C Kevin Pittsnogle, G J.D. Collins and F Mike Gansey. Opens: Nov. 12 vs. Louisiana-Monroe in Guardians Classic.

16.
Syracuse
27-7
210
21
Outlook: Level of success for Orange probably will depend on development of C Darryl Watkins and F Terrence Roberts, who will be called on to do a lot more after departure of All-America F Hakim Warrick. G Gerry McNamara returns for his final season, and freshman G Eric Devendorf is one to watch. Opens: Nov. 8 vs. Bethune-Cookman in 2K Sports Classic (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET).

17.
Illinois
37-2
201
2
Outlook: Last season's runner-up will miss Gs Deron Williams and Luther Head but welcomes back G Dee Brown and C-F James Augustine. This team will be young in spots and quality depth might be issue, but freshman F C.J. Jackson is one to watch. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. South Dakota State.

18. (tie)
UCLA
18-11
190
NR
Outlook: Coach Ben Howland's rebuilding job starting to bear fruit. Bruins return four starters from last year's team that made NCAA tournament and could be ready to take the next step behind Gs Jordan Farmar and Arron Afflalo, F Josh Shipp (temporarily sidelined by hip surgery) and C Michael Fey. Opens: Nov. 15 vs. New Mexico State in Preseason NIT (ESPN2, 10 p.m. ET).

18. (tie)
Wake Forest
27-6
190
11
Outlook: All-America point guard Chris Paul left for the NBA, and Fs Vytas Danelius and Jamaal Levy have also departed. C Eric Williams and G Justin Gray are mainstays returning to retooled team that still should be able to make some noise in ACC. Opens: Nov. 10 vs. Mississippi Valley State in 2K Sports Classic.

20.
Iowa
21-12
176
NR
Outlook: With veteran cast, including Gs Jeff Horner and Adam Haluska and F Greg Brunner, returning from last season's NCAA team, Hawkeyes hope to take next step in Big Ten. Consistency was issue last season, but experienced roster should help there. Opens: Nov. 14 vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore in Guardians Classic.

21.
Maryland
19-13
167
NR
Outlook: Terrapins disappointed in NIT bid last year, but this is veteran team that should make run for NCAAs. Fs Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison and Ekene Ibekwe and Gs Chris McCray and Mike Jones all have plenty of experience. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.

22.
Indiana
15-14
153
NR
Outlook: Hoosiers could be heard from in Big Ten with four starters returning, including F D.J. White, 2005 Big Ten freshman of the year. Also coming aboard are two solid transfers from Auburn, F Marco Killingsworth and PG Lewis Monroe. Opens: Nov. 18 vs. Nicholls State (ESPNU, 6 p.m. ET).

23.
Iowa State
19-12
118
NR
Outlook: Cyclones qualified for NCAAs for first time in four years by knocking off some Big 12 royalty in waning weeks of last season. Behind Gs Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock, they should be back in mix for league honors. Opens: Nov. 20 vs. Mountain State (W.Va.).

24.
George Washington
22-8
109
NR
Outlook: Best news in offseason was that Fs Pops Mensah-Bonsu and Mike Hall pulled out of NBA draft. Their return, along with that of G J.R. Pinnock, could mean best season in a long time for Colonials. Opens: Nov. 23 vs. Kennesaw State.

25.
Nevada
25-7
88
NR
Outlook: Wolf Pack again look like team to beat in Western Athletic Conference and have good inside-outside balance with F-C Nick Fazekas and Gs Ramon Sessions and Kyle Shiloh leading eight returning letter-winners. Opens: Nov. 19 vs. Sacramento State.

Duke is number 1 and rightfully so. I was surprised to see a top 25 poll without Florida in it. In fact, I searched all over espn.com and found only 1 expert who put Florida in the top 25. They did lose their top 3 starters, but they had nice depth last year. Chris Richards and Adrian Moss can fill the inside nicely. Brewer is a defensive specialist and Humphrey can shoot the 3 ball. The Gators went 24-8 last year, and I see them improving. They lost 2 streaky hot dogs to the NBA Draft (by the way, Walsh and Roberson went undrafted).

In college football news, Marcus Vick and Virginia Tech romped Boston College last night 30-10. This huge victory however, will not be enough to move them into the top 2. Texas or USC has to lose or else Virginia Tech will be the odd man out. According to ESPN, “Tech now needs a take-notice victory Nov. 5 here against Miami, and then a similar flexing of the muscles in the ACC title game -- preferably against Florida State for power-rating reasons. Right now, Texas' 35-point victory over No. 10 Texas Tech stands out more than Tech's 20-point victory over No. 13 BC. You can debate whether the Red Raiders deserved their ranking -- but you can also debate whether the Eagles deserved theirs. Tech needed a clean kill and didn't get it.”

On a side note, I read in an article that Marcus Vick is 8-0 as a college starter, and combined with Michael Vicks record as a college starter, the brothers have a total record of 28-1. That is insane. Marcus still has one more year left in college (I think). But one can imagine if he will be his draft class’s top pick just like his brother. In comparison, the Manning brothers had a combine college record of 63-19.

So did anyone else like the new uniforms Tech was sporting last night? I thought Nike did a nice job in creating a new and fresh uniform look. Each sleeve had a different color. The Gators will be wearing the new uniforms Saturday afternoon against the Bulldogs. One sleeve will be orange and the other will be blue. I am usually a fan of the classic uniforms. Give me the blue pants and white jerseys they wore in that national championship game. But, I am kind of excited about seeing the new uniforms.

I guess I better give out my prediction. Florida 24, Bulldogs 20.

White Sox and NFL Power Poll

The White Sox won the World Series in record fashion. Winning 8 playoff games in a row to seal the deal. They played hard. Their pitching was amazing (or maybe the Astros offense is just that bad) and their hitting was very solid. They differentiate themselves from the Astros because they are able to put up runs when it matters. The Astros manage to chase sliders and strike out when the game is on the line.

I’m not going to get into the bad umpire calls, conspiracy theories about MLB wanting all teams who haven’t won in 80s to win a title, or how the Astros fan needed to interfere with that foul ball Uribe dove into the stands for. The White Sox simply just outplayed them in all aspects of the game. Every hitter in their lineup has the potential to hit the ball and drive in runs. The Astros can’t say that. Only Taveras and Berkman can hit the ball on a constant basis.

What does the future hold for the White Sox? A repeat in 2006? Perhaps, but not likely. I don’t see their pitching holding up again like it did this year. Guys like Freddy Garcia and John Garland are just not that good. They all had career years at the same time. They all came together to win a championship. That’s what it takes. What will happen to the Astros next year? If Clemens retires (for good this time), the Astros will be hurting at starting pitching. They will still have a solid 3 with Oswalt, Pettitte, and Backe. They will need to acquire someone in the off-season. In my opinion Bagwell is done. As much as I love him and would hate to see him retire like this, I feel his time is done. He just can’t hit anymore. He will be back next year because he is due like 17 million. No way does he retire with that on the table. He can’t throw, can’t hit, and isn’t the leader he once was.


The Power Rankings after Week 7: From NFL.com
POWER RANKINGS
Current
Team

1
Indianapolis Colts
The offense is starting to show signs of really coming to life, which isn't a good thing for the rest of the league. You know they're eyeing the Patriots in two weeks.

2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Chris Simms era begins Sunday for the Bucs. Is it here to stay if he plays well? We think it is.

3
Philadelphia Eagles
They can't run the ball, but with that defense and the short passing game they are still one of the better teams. At some point, though, they have to try and run it. Don't they?

4
Atlanta Falcons
They're winning games, but doesn't the passing game need to get better if they are to get to the Super Bowl? It sure feels that way.

5
Pittsburgh Steelers
They are a much different team with Ben Roethlisberger. That much we know. Winning the way they did at Cincinnati says a lot about this team.

6
New York Giants
The offense is impressive, but that defense has to play better in the next 10 games if they are to be a playoff team. Eli Manning is the real deal.

7
Denver Broncos
Blowing a 13-point, fourth-quarter lead to the Giants will sting for a while. Now they get the tough Eagles this week at home. That won't be easy.

8
Jacksonville Jaguars
They close out the year with a tissue-soft 10-game schedule. If they don't get to 11-5, it will be a major failure.

9
Seattle Seahawks
It wasn't pretty, but give them credit for finding a way to beat the Cowboys late Sunday. At 5-2, why do you get the feeling that this team still isn't clicking?

10
Washington Redskins
Mark Brunell has 12 touchdown passes against two interceptions. Who was it that said he was done last year?

11
Cincinnati Bengals
The Steelers taught them a valuable lesson Sunday, which was come back and see us when you're ready to play a physical game. They looked overmatched.

12
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys flat out blew a game they should have won Sunday. Drew Bledsoe should know better than to make that throw he made late in the game.

13
Kansas City Chiefs
Doing what they did in Miami considering the circumstances was impressive. They will face a testy San Diego team on the road this week. A victory would tell a lot about the Chiefs.

14
New England Patriots
The bye week was probably a good thing for the Patriots as they prepare to face Buffalo this week. Look for the Pats to make a big push the next month and take over the AFC East.

15
Carolina Panthers
Coming off the bye week, the Panthers should start to make a real push in the division. They do have to play better on defense.

16
San Diego Chargers
This might be the best 3-4 team we've seen in a long time. The Chargers got no favors from the schedule-maker and it might cost them a playoff chance.

17
Chicago Bears
Don't look now but the Bears are tied for first in the division. The defense was dominant against the Ravens.

18
St. Louis Rams
Mike Martz will miss the rest of the season, and that has to impact this team. Jamie Martin rallied the Rams against the Saints, but now he faces a good Jaguars defense.

19
Detroit Lions
Jeff Garcia is 1-0 as a starter, even if he didn't do a lot. The coaching staff got its way in benching Joey Harrington.

20
Oakland Raiders
They gave LaMont Jordan the ball and he responded with a big game. That needs to happen more if they want to get back in the playoff hunt.

21
Buffalo Bills
That was an ugly performance at Oakland. This is another team that does not give its feature back the ball enough. Willis McGahee should get more carries.

22
Miami Dolphins
That early-season success looks like a long time ago now. But this is what we expected from the Dolphins in the first place. The talent isn't there yet.

23
Baltimore Ravens
Anthony Wright can't make the plays to win for this team. And the opposing defenses know it, which is why they load up against the run. Did you ever think they'd be yearning for Kyle Boller to come back?

24
Arizona Cardinals
This is a team to watch in the next 10 games. They're not out of the playoff race either.

25
Minnesota Vikings
They may have saved their season with that long Paul Edinger field goal. Now if they can stay away from those boat cruises they might have a chance to win the bad NFC North.

26
New York Jets
So much for Vinny Testaverde getting the passing game going. This team is headed for a long, long season.

27
Cleveland Browns
It might be time to go to Charlie Frye at quarterback. All of sudden, Trent Dilfer can't make any plays.

28
New Orleans Saints
How much more can go wrong in a season? Now the officials get them two games in a row? They'll soon be counting the days until the end of this season.

29
Tennessee Titans
Steve McNair is hurt again, which sucks the life out of this young team. Nothing against Billy Volek, but McNair is the heart of the Titans.

30
Green Bay Packers
They've had so many injuries on top of their bad start that it's going to be tough to recover. It's not who's hurt, but who's healthy?

31
San Francisco 49ers
There are going to be a lot of days like they had against the Redskins for this team. The key will be how well Mike Nolan holds them together.

32
Houston Texans
They don't even try to pass anymore because of their bad offensive line. Maybe it's the only way to keep David Carr alive.

Chicago White Sox, Florida Georgia, St. Louis Rams

Once again I am starting my post off talking about the Chicago White Sox. Outside of the 5th inning in yesterday’s game, Roy Oswalt and the Astros dominated the Sox. I’m not sure what happened to Roy in the 5th, giving up 6 hits and 5 earned runs. That is not like him at all. You have to give credit to the White Sox. They have an unbelievable lineup. They didn’t sweep Boston and manhandle the Angels by luck. The White Sox are good, and they deserve to be up 3 games to 0 the way they’ve been playing.

The Astros are the king of leaving men on base. Nothing irritates me more. Burke stepped up again with a solid plate appearance and drawing the walk. He stole second base on a wild throw back, and the very next pitch he stole third! What a way to set up a win. Biggio gets walked and the Astros have runners of first and third with 1 out. At this point, I knew the Astros were going to win. I could just feel it inside. I was on the edge of my seat as Willy Taveras came to the plate. He had like a .400 postseason batting average. All we needed was a sacrifice bunt or a sacrifice fly. That’s all we needed to win the game. Taveras strikes out, which I thought was ok. At least he didn’t ground into a double play. Berkman, the Astros most feared hitter is coming up next. I figured we still had a chance. The White Sox were smart and pitched around Berkman to get to Ensberg. With the bases load and 2 outs all the Astros needed was a hit. Any kind of hit would win the game. I was not thrilled with the matchup at the plate, they don’t mix well. The way Ensberg hits with that open stance and the way El Duque pitches, you could just see a strikeout coming.

Congrats to the White Sox. They are one game away from a World Series Championship. Game 4 is tonight with Brandon Backe on the mound for Houston and Freddy Garcia going for Chicago.

Late October is a special time of year. Not because of the fall weather or Halloween, it’s because of the annual Florida vs. Georgia football game. One of college footballs biggest rivalry games is set to kick off this Saturday in Jacksonville at Alltel Stadium. Pregame festivities kick off tomorrow night followed by the world largest outdoor cocktail party on Friday night at the Jacksonville Landing. If you are a college football fan and have not experienced this game and its partying, you need to buy a ticket and head down here asap. It’s the most fun atmosphere you can imagine. It’s a BCS Bowl Game in October.

With Georgia’s QB Shockley hurt and unable to play Saturday, most people would pick the Gators to win. They are favored by a touchdown or so. I want to pick the Gators, being an alumni of UF means I will root for the Gators. The only problem is I am not sold on Urban Meyer’s offense. No one is. You can’t argue the fact that the Gator defense is solid, but what you can argue is if this option offense will work against Georgia. It should be a good game. The winner generally goes on to win the SEC East, so it’s a big game. Go Gators !!!

From espn.com

ST. LOUIS -- A day after announcing he'd miss the rest of the season with a heart infection, St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz harshly criticized team management and said he didn't know if he could coexist with the team's president of football operations.
Jay Zygmunt, the team's second-highest ranking official, stopped a representative for Martz at the door of the coaches' booth during Sunday's game against the Saints. The representative, team director of security Dan Linza, had been trying to bring a cell phone to offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild so Martz could talk to him from his home.
Zygmunt brought Linza to team president John Shaw, who decided against having an "open phone line" in the booth.

The confrontation brought to a head once again the team's front office power struggle. Martz has long been at odds with Zygmunt and general manager Charlie Armey, and he told radio station KSLG that he didn't know whether he and Zygmunt could coexist if he returned to coach the team next year.

"That's a personal question that I'm not really prepared to answer," Martz said. "There is a lot of history there. From a business standpoint, yes. From a personal standpoint, I don't know. There have been just too many things that have happened."


Trouble is brewing in St. Louis. Their team is on a downward spiral. With Bulger and Holt injured, they are at a lack of talent depth. Don’t be surprised if Martz doesn’t come back next season to coach the Rams.

World Series Game 3, BCS Standings, Green Bay Packers

Power hungry Bud Selig wants to roof open in tonight's World Series game. During the regular and postseason (except the World Series), the Houston Astros make the decision on keeping the roof of Minute Maid Park open or closed. But in the World Series, the decision is made by the baseball commissioner.

Baseball is full of conspiracy theories. Just browse any team’s message board and you will see plenty of them. Could this be another conspiracy in the making? Is Selig secretly rooting for the White Sox? Does everyone outside of Houston really hate the Astros? Odds are the roof will be open tonight. The Astros had the second best home record in all of baseball (53-28). “But their winning percentage when the roof is open is only .577 (15-11) -- versus .684 (39-18) when it's closed (counting the postseason). ‘Bottom line,’ said manager Phil Garner on Monday, ‘is that I think that with it closed, it does generate a lot of noise and it's a lot of fun. And I think that we play for that. We play for that excitement, and that noise -- it helps a little bit.’" (espn.com)

The weather could play a factor in deciding if the roof stays closed or is opened. Temperatures are supposed to drop into the 40s tonight in Houston (which is about as cold as it gets all year). I’m not sure if rain is in the forecast, but if there are any clouds you can expect the Astros to make a hard push to keep that roof closed.

The Astros have their ace on the mound tonight, Roy Oswalt. He will be facing a tough and determined John Garland. This is a must win for the Astros, in fact, all 3 games in Houston are a must win. Both teams have put up a fight, and the first tow games ended within the last inning of two. This has been an exciting series. It’s time to even things up.

I just wanted to mention quickly that Texas has over-taken USC in the BCS Poll for the number 1 spot. Don’t get this confused with the AP Poll. I don’t know exactly how the BCS computer figures out the rankings, but I’m sure it has to do with quality of wins. It has to be based on the rankings of a team’s opponents; otherwise USC would still be number 1. How can a team who hasn’t lost in 29 games not be number 1? It doesn’t make sense to me. I’m not saying USC would beat Texas in a game, but I am saying that USC deserves to be number 1 in every poll.

In NFL news, Green Bay Packer’s running back Ahman Green is out for the season. Every year it seems like Favre loses someone close to him, whether it be is father, brother, whoever. No one faces hardships like Brett Favre. This year, he hasn’t lost any relatives, but he has lost a good portion of his football family. Walker, Furgeson, Green, and Davenport are just a few of the Packers that have succumbed to injury. Will Brett be able to bring this team back? They are 1-5 I believe and at the bottom of the division. The Packers are in a world of hurt. If this continues I don’t see Favre coming back next season. Some people might think he wouldn’t want to end his career on such a bad note like this, well, who say’s it can’t get worse next season.

White Sox, Bengals, and College Football


I have to start off today’s entry talking about the Chicago White Sox. I’ll admit that over the course of the season I maybe saw one White Sox game, so other than highlight’s I had no idea what this team was made of. You have to be impressed with the way they are playing. Before the playoffs I had never heard of guys like Joe Crede and Bobby Jenks. Crede can flat out play. His defense is one of the best for a third baseman I have seen since Rolen, and on top of that he can hit. He just has a knack for spectacular plays. Bobby Jenks didn’t pitch as well last night as he did Saturday. Everyone was calling me Saturday night asking “who is Bobby Jenks?” My reply, “I don’t know”. How is it so many people went all season without ever hearing about Bobby Jenks. He threw about 3 or 4 pitches in a row that topped 100. He made Bagwell look like a single A player.

Last night’s game made me very angry. I almost got into a fight with my girlfriend over this game. She was getting on my case for being so negative about the Astros performance. When they gave up the Grand Slam, I lost it. Curse words were flying every which way. She kept telling me to stop being so negative and to have hope. My response, “You don’t know what it’s like. I’ve seen this all before. I know how it’s going to end.” Despite wanting to turn the tube off, I decided to finish the game. The Astros manage to get runners on 2nd and 3rd in the top of the 9th and guess who comes up to the plate, my favorite Astro Jose Vizcaino. At this point I thought we were doomed. Why Mike Lamb didn’t PH I don’t know. I closed my eyes and listed to Jose crack a 2 rbi double to left field. It was a miracle I thought. Maybe the Astros were destined to win. With Lidge coming in to pitch it was on to extra innings, or so I thought. I don’t know what is wrong with Lidge. The last two games he’s pitched in he has given up huge bombs to end the game. At the end of the game I didn’t say anything. I felt like saying “I told you so,” but I didn’t. There are times in games when a fan can just feel what’s going to happen. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.

I felt like writing two or three paragraphs about the officiating in the playoffs. I’m really starting to think baseball needs instant replay. There have been bad calls in every game of every series. So much more than last year or the year before that. Last night Jermaine Dye got away with a free base. Usually everyone calls am umpire blind, but in this case he was deaf. How the home plate ump did not HEAR the ball hit the bat, I don’t know. It makes a completely different sound when a ball hits a player and when it hits a bat. I could tell from my living room just by listening to it. Not to mention the way the ball came off the bat. At that angle there’s no way it hits his hand. Unbelievable.

If you look up the word “pretenders” in the dictionary, you will likely find a picture of Carson Palmer and the Bengals. I can’t believe how many people jumped on this bandwagon when they were 4-0. The five teams they have beaten all have losing records, and the two losses they have are both from teams with winning records. This is the definition of a pretender. When they face solid competition they fail. It’s hard to say if the Bengals will make the playoffs. They have a very soft schedule but still have to play Indy, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and KC. The Jags do have the tie breaker over the Bengals so should both teams end up 10-6, the Jags will be in and the Bengals will be at home.

First, I want to say I was waaayyyy off when I predicted Texas Tech to beat Texas. The longhorns just demolished the Red Raiders. It was looking pretty good in my favor after the first couple of series, but things quickly turned around. Looks like Texas vs USC in the championship game. No one can argue against the fact that these two teams are the best in the nation. After watching Texas, I would go as far as to say they can beat USC in a championship game. With no major upsets this weekend, the polls didn’t change much. I’ll get the AP Poll up later today. Georgia’s QB Shockley will likely miss next week’s game against Florida. This is a huge blow for Georgia in what is their biggest game of the season. Alabama beat Tennessee late in the 4th quarter due to a Tennessee fumble in the end zone. Croyle is really showing himself off this year. He’s getting a lot of hype and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s solidified himself as a top QB in the 2006 Draft.