Tigers ARE Dangerous

Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. The name is synonymous with things such as superiority, excellence, and dominance. It is likely that by the end of his career he will be regarded as the greatest golfer ever. At the ripe age of 32, Woods is entering the “prime” of his career. His accomplishments are innumerable. His demeanor on the course, unmatched. His abilities, superior. However, is it possible that he has had a negative impact on the PGA Tour? Has he made the PGA Tour suffer? Could Tiger Woods actually be hurting the success of golf in America? In the eyes of this avid golf fan, it’s certainly possible.

The most obvious impact Woods has had on the game is his ability to attract crowds. When playing, Woods almost always attracts the largest gallery. Not only do playing partners have to deal with playing along side one of the most dominant athletes in recent memory, but they also have to account for the incredible crowds watching their every move. You might ask, “How is that making the PGA Tour suffer?” The answer, it isn’t…as long as Woods is in the field that week. While Woods attracts crowds when he does play, he plays one of the smallest schedules on tour. He rarely plays more than 20 events a year, worldwide. With the PGA Tour having almost 50 events this year, including the Playoff Series, Woods will only be present for 40% of the events. So, for 40% of the events this year, there will be no concern about attracting crowds or selling tickets, or TV ratings. However, what happens when Woods isn’t in the field? The answer: the PGA Tour struggles.

The most recent marketing campaign by the PGA Tour was the invention of the Fed Ex Cup. It was meant to bring a new-found meaning to the end of the PGA Tour Season, following all of the majors and notable “major season” tournaments. By narrowing the field to the best players in the world each week, the PGA Tour hoped to bring a “March Madness-esque” environment to the PGA Tour in the fall. However, Woods was able to win the Fed Ex Cup with ease, and without even playing in the first event. It completely defeated the purpose of playing all 4 events in order to win. The final event had relatively no meaning at the onset of the week, before the players even teed it up, as Woods had a strangle-hold on the rankings. What the PGA Tour had hoped would be a race to finish turned into a fight for second, and boring television.

While Woods definitely has an impact on attracting crowds and TV ratings, the most important issue regarding the PGA Tour and Woods has to be the sponsorship issues. For the 20 or so tournaments that Woods plays each year, sponsors are more than happy to shell out the millions of dollars it takes to run a tournament. There are usually sponsors on hold waiting to get a crack at sponsoring an event. However, for the other 60% of the tournaments on the PGA Tour circuit, that is not the case. Smaller galleries, weaker TV ratings, and less notoriety are all reasons why sponsors shy away from Tiger-less tournaments. Many events, such as the PODS Championship, have shifted sponsorships over the past few years. It is becoming more and more difficult to maintain consistent sponsorship for these events, mainly because of the lack of security that comes with hosting a tournament with Woods in the field. All it takes is a weekend with inclement weather to financially cripple a company’s expected profits from an event. Would you be willing to risk spending $8 million on a tournament without a dominant main attraction?

As an avid golf fan and a collegiate-level golfer myself, I have personally seen the golf scene change since the emergence of Woods on tour. In his early years, his enthusiasm and amazing skill made him a fan favorite; however, there were other well-established names that made each week an adventure. His inconsistent play always made tournaments exciting and you never knew what you would see. However, with his dominance on the game continuing to evolve, the golf world has slowly dwindled in attractiveness. While it is certainly an amazing experience to watch Woods up-close and in person, the same dominance that has made his career amazing is what is hurting the PGA Tour. Woods certainly doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon, so it is on the shoulders of the rest of the PGA Tour to make that leap to make tournaments competitive again. If they don’t, the PGA Tour could find itself in serious financial trouble very soon.

Just Busting Your Brackets

With the NCAA Tournament just about a month away and college basketball fans longing for the Madness, ESPN has put together a tasty little appetizer to get us through February. This awesome idea, now in it's 6th season of existence, is called BracketBusters. This coming weekend, February 22nd-24th, 28 mid-majors with tournament aspirations get one last shot to make a lasting impression against a non-conference opponent. While only a few of the teams that will be playing still have at-large life, these games could mean the distance between seeding and a favorable draw for the first weekend of the tournament.

It's always a gamble to stick your neck out and make predictions on such even matchups, especially with teams that have garnered such little exposure up to this point. But, since BracketBusters is such a great event, I thought I'd take the time to learn about these teams and offer up my forecast for how the weekend will go down.

February 22nd

Davidson @ Winthrop, 7 PM (ESPN2)

The Davidson Wildcats are the best team you don't know about. They light up the scoreboard, they are on a 16 game win streak, and they played competitively against a grueling non-conference schedule. Led by Stephen Curry (25.6 PPG), the 'Cats lost by 4 to UNC, 6 to Duke, 12 to UCLA and 1 to N.C. State. The Winthrop Eagles play an entirely different type of game, slow down, drag it out, down tempo. They only have one home loss, but I forecast that it will soon be two. Davidson rolls on the road. PICK: Davidson 79-61

UC-Santa Barbara @ Utah St., 9 PM (ESPNU)

Utah State has an unblemished home record, but with the exception of Iowa, every non-conference opponent with a pulse has blasted the Aggies. The Gauchos of UC-SB were great in non-conference, and have an impressive road record. They haven't been pushed around since a 35 point setback to North Carolina before Christmas. UC-SB is currently on a 3 game winning streak, while the Aggies have dropped 3 consecutive. Santa Barbara will lean on their defense, and it will get them a road win. PICK: UC-Santa Barbara 68-56

February 23rd

VCU @ Akron, 11 AM (ESPN2)

Leading scorer Eric Maynor and the VCU Rams are a tough, defense-minded team, who I have had the chance to watch once this season. They lost that road game, but I still came away very impressed with their defensive discipline. They lead the competitive CAA by 2 games. Akron has hung tough in the MAC, but dropped their last home game to cellar dwelling NIU. I look for VCU to bring their hard-nosed mentality into Akron's gym and leave with an impressive win. PICK: Virginia Commonwealth 59-48

George Mason @ Ohio, 1 PM (ESPN2)

The Bobcats of OU have been struggling the last couple weeks, losing 3 of 5 in conference. However, they hold an undefeated home record. They face off against 2006 tournament darlings George Mason. A few holdovers remain from that team, most notably Folarin Campbell. But, they have had their struggles on the road and I look for that to continue. OU controls the pace and wins a game slower than GMU is used to playing. PICK: Ohio 61-53

Creighton @ Oral Roberts, 3 PM (ESPN2)

Creighton has been a mid-major story in college basketball for the last few years. While they haven't exactly been a disappointment this season, perhaps a little more was expected of this club. A 9-7 conference record isn't what fans of the team that put the MVC on the map (with all due respect to SIU, Creighton's tourney success was the hallmark) had in mind. Oral Roberts on the other hand, is undefeated at home, and was defending an 11 game win streak before they fell at IUPUI, but they promptly rattled off two more victories, to extend their Summit League lead to 2 games. They are a very well rounded team, with four players averaging double digits. I think that will come in to play, and a strong team effort gives this game to ORU at home. PICK: Oral Roberts 71-60

Nevada @ Southern Illinois, 4:30 PM (ESPNU)

It's a good thing the Salukis get this one in their house, because SIU is a dismal 2-9 on the road this season. At home, however, this is another ball club altogether. Just last week they toppled Drake, who was previously undefeated in conference play and is unquestionably the class of the MVC. Saturday they welcome Nevada, who is definitely the better team in my opinion. JaVale McGee, a sophomore, is a veritable star, who will play NBA ball, perhaps before his senior season. Marcelus Kemp (20.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG), Nevada's leading scorer, is a great all-around player, who can get it done on both ends of the floor, as well as on the glass and from long distance. I've seen SIU once this year and Nevada twice. Kemp and his Wolfpack will come into Carbondale and leave with a convincing win. PICK: Nevada 73-54

Drake @ Butler, 5 PM (ESPN2)

The marquee matchup of BracketBusters pits two ranked Bulldogs flying through amazing seasons. Drake, preseason afterthoughts in the ever competitive MVC, has run roughshod over the conference. Their only losses on the season came on the road to three BracketBusters in SIU, Bradley and St. Mary's. They have already clinched the MVC regular season crown. But, two of those three losses have come since Feb. 13. Butler has a similar story. Their only two losses on the year have come to in-conference BracketBusters Cleveland State and Wright State. However, Butler has been sloppy as of late, playing close games against teams they should be beating handily. This should live up to it's billing as the best matchup of the weekend. I like Butler, however, to stay undefeated at home and continue their run to a great seed in the tourney. PICK: Butler 56-51

Miami (OH) @ Valparaiso, 6 PM (ESPN Classic)

The Miami (OH) RedHawks came oh-so-close to taking down Oregon in last year's tourney. This season started with a victory over Xavier, who has gone on to big things this season. Miami however, has gotten left in the dust. A poor non-conference showing outside of Xavier and an overtime road upset of Illinois was followed by an 0-3 MAC start. they went on a 5 game tear in the MAC, but have since dropped 2 of 3. They like to play a slow, down-tempo game, and are comfortable with a score in the 50's. The Crusaders of Valparaiso also had high hopes for this season. Their first year as a member of the Horizon League started out with a promising 10-1 start. But, a surprisingly staunch and competitive Horizon has proven Valpo to be overmatched, as they have limped to a 6-9 record. However, the Redhawks have struggled on the road, and in the two games I've seen of the Crusaders this year, I've seen flashes of ability. Valparaiso gives the home fans something to go crazy about in a lost season, with a classic buzzer beater for ESPN Classic. PICK: Valparaiso 62-61

Marist @ Cleveland State, 6:30 PM (ESPNU)

A matchup of two teams with similar stories to their year. Once promising seasons have hit a snag in the last couple of weeks for these two. The Marist Foxes, 8-2 in conference play at one point, have dropped 5 of their last 6, surrendering just under 81 points a game. The Vikings of Cleveland State have also struggled of late. They flew out to a stunning 7-0 start in the Horizon League, including a win over league juggernaut and fellow BracketBuster Butler, but promptly dropped 5 straight. The Vikings, however, have righted the ship, winning 3 in a row before narrowly falling at Butler. They followed up that close loss with a revenge home win over UW-Milwaukee. I feel that this will be the difference. The Vikings continue their winning ways at home. PICK: Cleveland State 65-54

*My apologies for being a homer and using a CSU picture for this article. But, I had to pick someone right? Might as well go with my favorite. And if it makes you feel any better, that's a Butler player on the ground, and they are the marquee match-up. So there.

Rider @ Cal State Northridge, 9 PM (ESPNU)

The Broncs (not Broncos, Broncs) of Rider have lost three straight to fall into a 4-way tie for first place in the MAAC. They have a lock for the NBA in senior Jason Thompson. The 6'11" senior is averaging 20.3 PPG and 11.7 RPG as well as 2.9 blocks. Cal State Northridge is having themselves a dream season. They have not been very competitive since joining the Big West, but they currently hold a half game lead for first place in the conference. They are as well rounded as any team in BracketBusters, with 5 players averaging double figures. Rider has been a good road team this season, but there's a difference between hopping over to a bordering state and traveling almost 3,000 miles for a game. And, the Matadors starting 5 will wreak havoc. I like Northridge to extend their current winning streak to 4 games, but it'll be close. PICK: Cal State Northridge, 76-73

UW-Milwaukee at Bradley, 9 p.m. (ESPN360.com)

When Bruce Pearl departed from the Panthers of UW-M the spirit of the program slowly leaked away as well. They went to the tourney the year after Pearl's departure, but followed that up with a 9-22 clunker of a season. This season they are limping along in the middle of the pack in a fairly talented Horizon League, but they have lost 4 of 5. Bradley, however, is hitting their stride. The Braves followed up a blowout over Creighton with the MVC upset of the year, taking down Drake in their house, 72-71. It's an easy cop out to take the home team, but I like Bradley to keep up the winning ways, in a close one. PICK: Bradley, 73-71

Siena at Boise State, 10 p.m. (ESPN360.com)

While there won't be any hook and ladders or statue of liberty plays in this one, you can expect the Boise State Broncos to light up the scoreboard just like their gridiron counterparts. The Broncos are the best shooting team in the nation, at 51.6%, and currently lead the WAC by a half game. Their 11-3 home record isn't incredibly daunting, but their trio of star forwards certainly is. Reggie Larry (19.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG), Matt Nelson (15.6 PPG) and Tyler Tiedeman will challenge a Siena team that struggles mightily on the boards. They are built for speed, led by sophomore guard Edwin Ubiles, who has scored in double figures in all but one game this year, and dropped 37 in a loss to Loyola (MD). The Saints are on a 2 game losing streak, and since they are in a 4-way tie for first in the MAAC at 11-5 with 2 conference games to go, I am guessing their mind will be on that. Not to mention, Boise is simply the better team. They roll. PICK: Boise State 87-67

Kent State @ Saint Mary's, 11:59 PM (ESPN2)

This looks to be the game with the biggest NCAA Tournament implications. While the Gaels appear fairly solid to dance, Saint Mary's remarkable season could be derailed with a 3rd place WCC finish and a loss in the conference tournament. They are deadlocked for first with Gonzaga, and San Diego lingers a game and a half back. The Golden Flashes of Kent State cling to at-large hopes. Their strength of schedule is a liability, but they have taken care of their business in the MAC. This is a huge opportunity for them to get a marquee victory. However, I feel they are simply overmatched. The Gaels defend their perfect home record, and convincingly. PICK: Saint Mary's 81-56

February 24th

Wright State @ Illinois State, 6:30 PM (ESPNU)

Wright State is on an 11 game winning streak. Impressive, right? Perhaps not as much as you'd think. With the exception of independent Presbyterian (0-21 on the road this season) the Raiders have won those games by an average of 2.9 points, and haven't won a conference game by double digits since January 10th, their only victory of that variety. Illinois State is 4-5 in their last 9, and haven't been playing too well themselves. However, there was an interesting common opponent link between the two teams. Illinois State played Horizon League member UIC, and crushed them 73-47. Wright State did defeat UIC both times, but both victories were by a single point. That coupled with home court for the Redbirds makes me think they have the edge. PICK: Illinois State 59-51

Well, there you have it. I could nail all 14 games, I could crash and burn. That's the beauty of this weekend. These match-ups for the most part are as even as it gets. We are going to have a generous helping of college basketball this weekend, be sure to enjoy as much of it as you can! Feel free to post your picks in the comments section to see how we stack up.

Roger Goodell Is Insane

Most people, when given a certain amount of power, will become noticeably more confident, maybe even a little arrogant. This is human nature, and most people will let them get away with it. They allow them to get away with it because most people who have put themselves into a position to be appointed to a position of power are level-headed enough not to get carried away with their power. Roger Goodell, on the other hand, became the Commissioner of the NFL and went completely insane. He's suspended people for multiple game simply because they've been accused of things, then he'll turn around and suspend someone who was actually convicted of a felony and only suspend him for half of the amount of games as someone who hasn't been found guilty in any court of law.

After looking over Roger Goodell's actions as NFL Commissioner, I have determined that he is a combination of the following:

• Insane
• Drunk with power
• Totally illogical
• Living in an alternate universe where what he's doing makes sense
• A person who picks punishments out of a hat to decide how he will handle a situation

As the accuser, I am well aware that the burden of proof falls on my shoulders. With that being said, I will now present to you several pieces of evidence that prove that Roger Goodell is a raving lunatic.

First, lets talk about the suspensions Goodell has handed down. The length of the suspensions handed down by Goodell seem completely arbitrary to me. On April 10, 2007 Goodell suspended Adam "Pacman" Jones of the Titans for the entire 2007 season and Chris Henry of the Bengals for the first 8 games of the 2007 season. That all sound well and good; until, that is, you look and see that they both have multiple offenses, be it with law enforcement or the league.

"Pacman" Jones:

• July 2005- Arrested on charges of assault and felony vandalism--both stemming from a nightclub altercation.
• September 2005- Arrested in Nashville after throwing a tantrum after he was told to wait in line for his vehicle at a valet.
• October 2005- The state of West Virginia claims that Jones had not made regular and sufficient contact with his probation officer and had not reported to his officer concerning the arrest in Nashville in a timely fashion.
• August 2006- Arrested in Tennessee for disorderly conduct and public intoxication.
• October 2006- Cited for misdemeanor assault after allegedly spitting in the face of a female student at a club near Tennessee State University.
• February 2007- Allegedly involved in an altercation that leads to the shooting of a bouncer, who is paralyzed due to his injuries.

Chris Henry:

• December 2005- Pulled over in Kentucky for speeding, marijuana is found in Henry's shoe. Henry was found to be driving without a valid license or auto insurance. Henry later pleads guilty.
• January 2006- Arrested in Orlando on multiple gun charges, including concealment and aggravated assault with a firearm. Henry later pleads guilty.
• October 2006- Suspended two games for violating the NFL's Personal Conduct and Substance Abuse Policy.
• January 2007- Pleads guilty to providing alcohol to minors.

Why is it that Goodell would suspend Jones for the whole season, while he only suspended Henry for 8 games? While it is true that Jones had more incidents at the time, many were misdemeanors, and in the Las Vegas case he was only questioned. Henry, on the other hand, plead guilty in 3 cases. There is no reason that Jones should have been suspended for double the amount of time that Henry was. Henry should have been suspended for the same amount of games as Jones was, there is no logical reason to do otherwise. Roger Goodell has never given a good reason why the suspensions were not similar.

On June 4, 2007 Goodell suspended Terry "Tank"Johnson for the first 8 games of the 2007 season. Goodell said Johnson, who had already served jail time for violating probation and pleading guilty to weapons charges, was only suspended 8 games because he had already been punished by serving jail time. Excuse me?! So a man who has plead guilty to violating probation and breaking the law gets a smaller suspension than Jones, who served no jail time, because he went to jail? How does that make sense? Shouldn't going to jail warrant a longer suspension? I guess going to jail earns you the right to be able to get back to work and make money sooner than someone who hasn't gone to jail.

The way he has handled Spygate is the most recent thing that Roger Goodell has done that makes me want to punch myself in the face. First, he destroyed all of the tapes of the Patriots taping signals and gave no real explanation as to why. Then he did nothing more than slap the team on the wrist with a fine and took away a first round draft pick, but they have two this year so it's no big deal anyhow.

Goodell recently told Senator Arlen Specter that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been illegally taping opponents defensive signals since 2000. Then Goodell said the dumbest thing I've heard in quite sometime. He said that Belichick didn't know what he was doing was against the rules.

"He said that's always been his interpretation since he's been the head coach. We are going to agree to disagree on the facts."

WHAT?! You're going to AGREE TO DISAGREE on the fact that he broke the rules? Well in that case, teams should just start playing with 15 guys on the field and just tell the referees they didn't know that wasn't allowed and they won't get penalized--you know, they can agree to disagree on the rule. How about, rather than "agreeing to disagree", you actually punish Belichick? How does that sound Roger? I know, I know, punishing a guy who has been cheating for 7 years sounds crazy, but trust me, it isn't. The fact that Bill Belichick is still even allowed to coach in the NFL in a disgrace, but I wouldn't expect much more than that from Roger Goodell.

As long as Roger Goodell is the commissioner of the NFL, we will continue to have to put up with all of these jokes. I, for one, hope it doesn't last too long, because I don't want to see the NFL ruined.

Surviving College Football's Offseason

If you are anything like me, you eat, sleep and live college football. I, for one, get a little depressed around this time of year; after the national championship game is played, new recruits have all signed their national letters of intent and there is no more college football until August 28th. I mean, I guess that I should probably do school work or something but that still doesn’t replace all of the extra time I have now that the college football season is over. So, this year I decided to do something about it and also to help those of you like me out there. Without further delay I now give to you (in no particular order) my ten things to do until next college football season.

• Pay attention to the Terrelle Pryor recruiting situation.
  

This is a hot topic in college football right now, and Kyle’s article did a good job at explaining the ins and outs about what is going on with the nation’s most sought after recruit. He should have an immediate impact on whatever team he goes to, but he only has until April 1st to decide. Pryor has narrowed his choices down to four schools: Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon and Penn State. Scout.com has been doing a pretty good job covering his recruitment so check out their website for some more details.

• Watch the NHL.
  

How can you pass up a good fight? Hockey is one of the most exciting and physical sports outside of football in my opinion. New rules since the strike mean more scoring and make for a more exciting game, and with young stars such as Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, the league is once again starting to thrive.

• There is always college basketball.
  

Another sport benefiting from new rules. The NBA and their commissioner David Stern made the decision two years ago that high school players would now have to be one year removed from their senior class in order to enter the NBA draft. Last year this gave us the likes of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant; this year Indiana’s Eric Gordon and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley are stealing the show, and staking their claim as two of the best college freshman ever to play the game.

• Watch the NBA.
  

The recent trades of big name players such as Shaq, Jason Kidd (tentatively), Mike Bibby, and Pau Gasol should make the second half of the season very interesting.

• Pay attention to the baseball scandals.
  

Could the government honestly find any other way to waste our money and time than with an childish argument about performance enhancing drugs, don’t they have other things to worry about? Now I will admit I to have caught myself being drug into it, but all I came away with was a ridiculous waste of time. Seeing two middle age men arguing like a bunch of elementary school kids. Give me a break and give up already nobody is going to win.Follow college football recruiting.

• Baseball season and spring training.
  

How can you pass up on America’s pastime? Who honestly doesn’t like baseball, spring training is just around the corner and before you know it, opening day will be here.

• Watch the NFL Draft.
  

It is fun to watch your favorite NFL teams get some of the best college players out there,  and who knows, you might even get to see a late round steal. You also get to see where some of your favorite college football players go and where they will be continuing their playing career.

• Watch March Madness.
  

One of the most exciting few weeks in all of sports. Always full of upsets and surprises and very addicting.

• Before you know it August will be here and that means NFL preseason games.
  

What better way to quench your thirst for football than with, well,  what else? Football.

• If all else fails, follow next year's college football recruiting.
  

This is also a fun hobby, watching your team address their needs. See what stars of tomorrow they are recruiting to replace graduating seniors and juniors leaving early for the NFL draft. Scout.com and Rivals.com are two of the biggest sites covering recruiting and are relatively cheap to subscribe to. Also, another up and coming website for Ohio recruits in particular is ScoutingOhio.com.

Well, there you have it. Hopefully this list will help you get through another long offseason. And through it all, just remember, we are only 191 days from kickoff!

No "Pryor" Commitment

February 6th, 2007 was a memorable day. As far as I can remember, it was the most highly anticipated signing day in recent college football history. One of the most highly touted recruits in a long time, Terrelle Pryor, was getting ready to tell the nation where he would be attending college. Well, he didn't disappoint, himself at least. As almost anyone who doesn't live under a rock knows, Pryor decided to not decide. Wait, that can't be right. What is going on? You are supposed to sign on signing day. Well, not for this Five Star All-American. Pryor told ESPN as well as everyone else that he was going to play the waiting game and take his time. He can wait until April 1st before he chooses his college. And from that day on, some of the country's most notable programs have had to take an even deeper breath to bear the weight of his decision.

Terrelle Pryor hails from Jeannette, PA, where he, according to many, became the nation's number one QB if not the number one overall player in high school. Until Rich Rodriguez took the job at Michigan, Ohio State was the clear front runner and rightfully so. Any kid who gets a letter from that school will be impressed. They have clearly owned the Big Ten as of late and Jim Tressel seems to be one of the top recruiters and coaches in the game today. But, a recent surge by Michigan and a new 21st century attitude towards football could combine success with the tradition. Penn State and Joe Paterno, as I would assume, have been playing the "home state" card and that always has an effect. In my opinion, PSU wouldn't really be in it if it weren't for that fact right there. Let's be honest, Michael Robinson had a decent senior season due mostly to a devastating defense. But besides that, Kerry Collins is the best Penn State QB in recent history. Yeah, PSU should stick to their linebacking. I see Oregon as a wild card in all of this. It is said they have some of the best facilities in the country which would appeal to any 18 year old. Also, the Ducks from Eugene seem to fit Pryor's style the best. In the end, however, the distance will ultimatly be their demise.

 So, we are left with one recruit, four teams and a little over a month to decide. Most want to believe it's down to two. And many fans in Michigan as well as the Buckeye state wouldn't have it any other way. Unfortunately for those fans that is not the case, because it doesn't matter what anythone thinks besides Pryor. His delay speaks a great deal for his maturity and decision making. Many believe that this delay was just for more attention and if you truly believe that, then you obviously haven't been recruited in anything. Pryor's parents have clearly been influences in his decision making. The reports I have read tell me that Penn State has been getting real close to Pryor's father. They also have said his mind was made up but his father intervened with some of his own insight and Terrelle took his advice.

In the end, If Pryor wants to play right away in a system that is structured to his running strengths and hides his throwing weaknesses, Ann Arbor should be his final destination. One of my friends said if Pryor wants to learn and establish himself as a more complete NFL QB, Columbus is the place. But I struggle to remember any Ohio State QB that has been a success in the NFL. I mean, Kirk Herbstreit has a nice television career and Joe Germaine is in the Arena League. That being said, OSU isn't really known for being Quarterback U, even though it's a great school and attractive place to attend college and play football. But, with all of media shmuck and opinionated fans out of the way, this decision should become easy towards the end: If I was a Five Star All-American with no particular allegiance to any team, I would take my father's advice, and be the Home State hero everyone in Pennsylvania wants me to be. Which leads to my prediction of what is going to happen. Ohio State and Michigan are left in the dust, arguing about what could have been, while Joe Pa shows us maybe one last time why he is a legend and that Penn State Univeristy still means something in today's college football world.

BCS, A Four-Letter Word

If only college sports were a democracy. Imagine if the general public got to vote to decide upon how the post-season of college football played out. With 1% of districts reporting, CNN would be proclaiming defeat for the BCS. Unfortunately, Myles Brand and his narrow-minded cohorts over at the NCAA want nothing to do with a playoff, and in this dictatorship, we, the viewing public, have to eat the BCS slop that we get fed every year, and come back like little orphan Oliver, saying "Please, sir, may I have another." But, even after another season of watching my beloved Buckeyes stink it up in the championship game, it isn't myself for whom I feel sorry. It's Boise State, it's Hawa'ii, it's TCU. When next season kicks off, 54 teams will already know that they will not be playing for a national championship. Because facts are facts, if your team isn't in a BCS conference or doesn't have solid gold helmets and Touchdown Jesus overlooking their field, then you can pretty much forget watching them battle for a championship. Does this injustice exist in any other sport? In baseball, half of the teams come out of training camp knowing they won't be making the playoffs. But, that's because they suck, not because the system in place takes it out of their power.

I believe it is the voice of the college football nation, crying out for a playoff. But, the cries are misguided. They are scattered, unclear. How many teams? Where will the games be played? What about the bowls? The first step towards a playoff is to agree on a system that will please everyone involved. There are five major parties that need to be accounted for: The teams, the fans, the NCAA, the Bowls, and the networks. Each party has their own needs, and most conventional ideas for a playoff leave one or more parties disappointed. I believe that the NCAA would be more than willing to rid itself of the BCS, provided a good, solid system replaced it. I would like to outline my idea for that system.

The first question to be answered is how many teams. Some models have proposed a plus-one game, and most models show 4 or 8 team playoffs. My model has 16. That concerned voice you hear is the NCAA. "That makes the season too long, it's bad for the students, and school comes before athletics!" Well, then, I suppose you'd like to try and explain why the NCAA expanded the season by a game 2 years ago. The simple solution here, is to return to an 11 game schedule, and start the season one week earlier. This permits all the time in the world for a 16 team playoff. Now we get to the benefit of a 16 team playoff. It will be a shrunken down version of March Madness. The winner of each conference automatically gets a bid into the playoffs. Talk about regular season games with implications! Imagine the ACC championship game determining who will advance to a playoff. That's must see TV. Now 11 teams are accounted for. How will the remaining 5 teams be chosen? That's right, those 3 ugly letters: The BCS. The top 5 teams in the BCS standings that did not win their conference will garner the wild cards, or at-large births. The BCS will also be used to seed the teams, 1-16, just like in basketball, only there will be no regions, it will be one bracket.

Okay, now you have your field, and your seeds, the final question, where will the games be played? Simple, use the same system the BCS uses now. The championship site will rotate on a yearly basis to the four major bowl games. Two of the three games left will host the semi-finals, and the remaining major bowl will host a quarterfinal. This will alternate every year. A second slate of three bowl games (Cotton, Outback and Capital One perhaps) will host the remaining quarterfinals. The first round games could either be played at the higher seeds home stadium, or 8 bowl games could be chosen every year by the NCAA. As for the remaining bowl games, those not involved in the playoffs, let them have their game anyway, they won't lose any relevance, because they have almost none to begin with. 

To give you an example of what it would look like, I present to you how last year's playoff bracket would have looked, had my system been in place.

1) Ohio State

16) Florida Atlantic

8) Kansas

9) WVU

5) Georgia

12) Florida

4) Oklahoma

13) Brigham Young

6) Missouri

11) Arizona State

3) Virginia Tech

14) Central Florida

7) USC

10) Hawa'ii

2) LSU

15) Central Michigan

Are you kidding me? Hawa'ii defending it's perfect season against the dynasty from Troy? Another Georgia-Florida battle after the regular season game, the most fiery game of the year? Missouri and Kansas extending their dream seasons? Not to mention the potential for an upset in any one of those first round games. And in case you are curious as to who I think would have won the championship last year in this system, it would have been Knowshon Moreno and his Georgia Bulldogs.

So there you have it, a post-season scenario that would please everyone. The NCAA gets their bowl revenue, they get to look good in front of the fans as well as the schools. The Bowls still get to play their games, but on a grander stage. Everyone wins! Except, of course that is for the 15 teams that...well...don't win. But, for the first time since the inception of those 3 ugly letters, college football would have a legitimate national champion.

Roger Clemens... Guilty

By now, all of you know that Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee were in Washington D.C. for a congressional hearing, and the main question now is who is telling the truth? I watched a lot of the hearing and I reheard a lot of it, too. Hands down, I believe Brian McNamee is telling the truth. A lot of things make me come to this conclusion.

We can look at Roger Clemens’s stats. From 1986-1998, Roger’s WHIP (Walks plus Hits divided by Innings Pitched) was 1.148. By 1998, Roger was 36 years old, and anyone would assume that old age would start to kick in and your athleticism would start to deteriorate quickly. It just so happens that it did. From 1999-2003, Roger had a WHIP of 1.312. From then on, you would presume that his stats would continue to deteriorate even more, but then it happened. McNamee testified and said he shot illegal performance enhancing drugs into Clemens, and what would you know from 2004-2006 Roger had a WHIP of 1.070. This makes no sense to any doctor if you believe Roger did not take illegal performance enhancing drugs.

During the statements we had two sides to the story: Roger Clemens’s side and everyone else’s side. Everyone else included his long time good friend and training buddy, Andy Pettitte, Andy’s wife, Brian McNamee, Chuck Knoblauch, and most significantly Roger’s wife. If you want to believe Roger Clemens, you have to believe this: not only is Brian McNamee against him, but so is his best friend, his best friend’s wife, another teammate, and his wife.

If my best friend was innocent in a trial and I had evidence to help prove him innocent, I would be there in a, how you call, “New York Minute” (a phrase Roger used to try and lighten the mood and sway ‘voters’). According to Andy Pettitte's wife, Pettitte had told her that Clemens was using performance enhancing drugs. Knoblauch has said that he took performance enhancing drugs which corroborates with McNamee’s statements in the Mitchell Report. Now, the kicker, Roger’s wife. Debbie Clemens agreed to the fact that McNamee gave her HGH to help her get fit for her 2003 Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot. Now let's get this straight, McNamee, who was still Roger’s trainer, gave Debbie HGH without Roger knowing that his wife was taking it? We also have to believe that Debbie, knowing that Roger was a world class athlete, a gym rat, and extremely dedicated to his body, did not ask her husband about HGH. Come on, seriously?

How can anyone believe Roger? Not only would all of these people have to be lying, but also they would have to have a reason for lying. Why would your best friend, his wife, a former teammate, your former trainer, and your wife want to make something up like this? Still pondering an answer? I got one... There isn't one. That is it; there is no reason why so many people would want to betray Roger Clemens.