With the NFL you get Super Bowls like Steelers-Cardinals or Indy-Chicago.   The playoffs can provide the unexpected much like March Madness.  The Cowboys were supposed to reach the Super Bowl but that never happened.  The Cardinals were supposed to suck forever but things change.  The NBA is as surprising as a Merryl Streep Oscar nominee.   In the Association, things are cyclical and change is gradual.  Here's what I know will happen in the NBA come the rest of the season.

The Lakers will play the Celtics for the title if Kevin Garnett is healthy against the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals.  If not, King James and Mo Williams will lead the Cavs against Kobe and the Lake Show.  Another big deal is homecourt advantage.  Currently, the Cavs own a 1-game lead in the East.  If they hang on, this will be an epic series bound to go seven games.

The Spurs will earn the #2 seed and will face the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.  Ginobili ain't really hurt, he's just resting those aging ankles for crunch time.  Parker and Duncan are enough to carry the plodding Spurs to a 2-seed.  After that it gets a little hairy, but give me the rejuvenated Hornets at the #3 seed and the Jazz climb to the 4.  Deron Williams and Boozer healthy makes Sloan's Jazz a trendy pick, but they'll lose to the Lakers in 6 in round two.  Denver loses in the opening round to the Jazz, Houston gets run by NOLA, Dallas loses in 5 to the Spurs and Portland gets one home win against the Lakers.

The Celts win in 7 at home with another epic performance out of Paul Pierce.  LBJ and the Cavs must wait another year and hope to land a mobile big man in free agency.  This will be the end of the road for the Celts as their aging roster will no longer be able to hang.  The Pistons will reach round two as they use AI as a 6th man.  The Pistons will upset the 4th seeded Hawks, providing the only upset of the playoffs.  The Magic will have trouble with the D-Wade and the Heat, but Turkoglu and Howard will make round 2 where they'll be faced with stopping the unstoppable Bron Bron. 

Teams on the rise:

Utah - when healthy they are one the best.  The growth of C.J. Miles, Ronnie Brewer and Paul Millsap can make this team a Western contender in the coming years.  If they swing a trade of Boozer and promote Millsap, I could see them being a 2 or 3 seed next season.

Portland - the Blazers are a team going through the championship motions.  They'll lose in the first round this year, lose in the second round next year.  Then, if Oden is worth a damn, this team could contend for the West.  It's just too bad they didn't draft Durant with the 1st pick; think about the possiblities with Roy and KD at the wings!  This looks like deja vu when the Blazers took Sam Bowie in '85 over Michael Jordan.

Oklahoma City - they got serious young talent.  Westbrook at the point, Durant at the 3, could they possibly get Blake Griffin in the draft?  They might have to get lucky in the draft lottery as they no longer are the worst team in the league.  The Wizards and Sac Town Kings are likely to have the most ping pong balls.  I can see this team becoming an 8 seed sooner than many think.

Minnesota - Kevin Love is improving, Mike Miller is an ideal wing player and Randy Foye is becoming a truer point.  Once Al Jefferson returns next season, this will be a team looking to squeak into the playoffs in place of the Mavs and Suns.

Milwaukee - the Bucks are getting better with a core of young talent.  Sessions is become a valuable guard, Richard Jefferson still has game, and Villanueva is scoring at will at the power forward position.  If Bogut can stay healthy, this is a respectable 8 seed in the East for years to come.

Miami - Wade is one of the top 5 players in the NBA without a doubt.  Jermaine O'Neal has a couple decent seasons left in him.  Michael Beasley is still a kid and is improving in his rookie year after dropping 27 the other night, a career high.  Mario Chalmers is a solid rookie who will start in this league for a long time. 

Chicago - Derrick Rose will be a triple double machine in a couple years.  Joakim Noah is finally starting to get his due, Tyrus Thomas is a live body that's starting to live up to his potential.  Pair that with some seasoned vets in Brad Miller and Jon Salmons and you got something.  The Bulls are currently fighting for the 8th seed along with the Bucks and Nets.

Charlotte - you've gotta love what L.B. has done with this roster.  He brought in cagey vets in Raja Bell and Boris Diaw.  Felton is putting up solid numbers at the point, Okafor is rejuvenated on the blocks and finally Gerald Wallace has some people around him that can score.  They acquired Vlad to pop threes and have pg of the future DJ Augustine coming off the bench.

Teams going down the commode:

Your Dallas Mavericks - this team looks done.  Kidd is severly aging, Dirk isn't doing it like he once did.  The Jet looks like the only life blood out there.  J-Ho only contributes when he wants to.  The only pieces I like going forward are Bass, Singleton and Barea.  It would almost be better to fall to the 9th seed, miss the playoffs and get a lottery pick.  Otherwise, it's first round and adios against either the Lakers, Spurs or Hornets.

Phoenix - they had their time and now the party is over.  Nash is officially done being an elite player, Shaqtastic keeps throwing out nicknames in order to stay relevant.  Amar'e's eye can't stay intact and I think he's gone in the offseason.  This team reminds me of the Mike Bibby-Webber-Vlade-led Kings who just quite couldn't do it.  The Suns will soon look like today's Kings, loaded with spares like Amundson and Robin Lopez.

LA Clippers - they blew it big time losing Elton Brand.  A couple years ago they were such a feel good story, making the playoffs and almost knocking off the Suns.  Now they got a team full of thuggish losers like Zach Randolph and Ricky Davis.  This team has cancer written all over it, time to sell the farm.  Unload these gangsters before they start makin it rain on the LA scene.

Washington - Arenas doesn't want to play, he just wants to sit on his millions in his grotto and collect that paper.  Butler is hurt, Jamison is playing with such a small-time lineup.  This team will be on the bottom of the Eastern Conference until Agent Zero can pull his head out of his ass.

I love me some pick up basketball, so on Friday, Jan. 16 I headed for 24 hour fitness sport in Addison off Beltline Rd.  I usually ball at the 24 hour fitness in Bedford, but Thursdays and Fridays there's not enough bodies for a game.  One might get the occasional game of "25" (used to be 21), but that doesn't cut the mustard.  Knowing that the comp. would be weak in Bedford, I made the drive to Addison in hopes of finding some ballers.

I arrive just before 5 o'clock, and I'm about the third person in there.  I check out a basketball, and start getting warmed up on a side goal while listening to jams on my Mp3 player.  In start pouring in many black men at about 5:15, lookin to run courts after work.  I see the need to put my name on the dry erase board (sign up list on the gym wall) so I can play in the first game.  Soon after comes in two recognizable specimens, and I take a triple take at a particular one.  While still shooting around on the side goal, TERRELL OWENS places his Cowboys athletic bag in the corner next to where I'm shooting.  I keep thinking, "that is freakin TO."  Everybody else is cool with it in the gym, so I follow procedure. 

TO starts jogging up the sideline under my goal, and catches one of my errant misses.  I think he's going to dribble off with it but he gives me the no-look-between-the-legs-backwards pass while jogging away.  "This is nuts," I think as I grin.   I head to the center goal where everyone is shooting around and ask to start a game.  A yappy short man tells me the first game they shoot for captains.  Great, no chance I'm getting picked in a gym littered with athletes.  I take my ball and drain the second three pointer, thus making me second captain.  YES SIR.  The yappy guy made the first, so he gets first pick.  He takes this 6'1 solid player who I think he has a tie to.  I don't want to look foolish (yet), so I take the biggest black man in the place, a 6'7 guy named Dwayne.  I'm thinking Yappy is going to take who I think he is, but he doesn't.  I got to do it.  "I'll take T.O."

                        
                          There were several better players in the Addison gym than Lakers fan TO.

As the mass of black men congregate around the basket, talking life and hard times, I stand alone as the token white ready to start the game.  I try to bring forth my inner-Steve Nash but am mildly intimated.  The court clears of the unpicked riff-raff and the sidelines are filled with all kinds of people now, including iron-pumping freaks who have trickled into the gym to get a glimpse of my teammate. Even a couple Asian dudes I recognized from college days at UT were in attendance.  Did they remember my lefty scoops at Gregory gym?  The incentive was high. 

Nine of us are ready to go as I'm holding the ball in "check" mode from yappy.  TO happens to be on the other side of the court at a side goal, and I want to yell "TO get over here!" but it's TO.  He comes over on his own and questions.
    "What's teams?" 
    "TO I picked you up," while giving him a low five.
    "Who else we got?" 
    "Him, him and him," as a I point out the rest.

Game is to 15 by one's and two's.  They are nice enough to let me run the point, so I bring the ball up most of the time and find myself passing to TO, a lot.  He was bombing threes, probably went 2 of 8 from long range.  Lucky for us, Dewayne was an absolute monster on the glass.  I went 1-2 from the field, missing a three and making a miracle left handed runner.  After it went in, my opponents looked at each other, disgusted with how they just let that garbage go in uncontested.  Steve Nash was loose.  TO's defense was very poor.  He would help on D, leaving his man wide open.  After gambling on steals, he would release on a go route like a snow-birdin s.o.b.  He got about three lay-ins this way and on one occasion yelled out, "TOUCHDOWN" as he went finger-rolling.

We won the first game 15-10 and I felt us to be unstoppable.  The next team had a girl, an asian guy, a scrappy indian guy, a hot-doggin white guy, and a big black guy.  This looked like a mismatch and it was.  We got trounced.  My lazy team played no D, the girl and the Indian were strokin' wide open three balls, their white guy made off-balance shots with his mouth open and always had to no-look pass.  They beat us 15-5, and I was pissed.  Dwayne muttered to me, "that should have never happened."  Back to the dry-erase board.  TO beat me to it, I now had to wait 2 games, he and some others had to wait one.  Damn my team was so lazy, I hoped TO would win his game so I'd get to face him in half an hour.

The unheralded group was winning another game.  The hot-dog was making everything and TO didn't like the showman.  Guarding him was the other specimen, a light skinned man with bright blue eyes.  MILES AUSTIN.  "That's him," I thought as it took me a while to identify the swole pretty boy.  Meanwhile,  I was watching TO's every move.  He went over to his gym bag, took off his dry-fit Mavericks tee, swapped out MJ kicks and came back over to the sideline.  "No more bullshit now, no more bullshit.  This right here is custom made from the Staples Center, right outta the Lakers lockerroom."  It was a No. 81 Owens jersey, in Laker gold, embroidered and all.  I love me some me was in full affect.  I smiled and laughed on the inside at how ridiculous this dude was.  Perception is reality with this fiend for attention.  TO watched the white-hot dog and smiled his only smile,  "I hope that fool wins, I'm gonna D his ass up," said Owens.

                          
                          I guess the offseason ain't so bad. Pick-up ball by day, in the club by night.

Indeed they won, and Owens made it his assignment to guard the hot dog.  I observed the match up, yet nothing too exciting happened.  TO played with a little more intensity but continued to bomb threes and cherry pick.  He did shut down the hot dog yet it was the indian guy that kept burying threes.  I thought this remarkable for a guy built like me among the giants.  TO and his teammates started barking at the Indian man for calling ticky-tack fouls as they began to hound him defensively.  Owens had lost again, and he hustled over to the wall to put "TO" on the board, a couple games below mine.

I played my last.  I don't remember touching the ball once on an offensive possession.  It sucked, and I was stuck guarding the girl.  I wanted to play on a different team where passing the ball was allowed.  The gym in Addison is great for its efficiency.  There's a 15 minute game clock, and a guy waiting will keep score with the electronic score board. The game ended at 11 a piece, meaning we were tied at the end of regulation.  The way ties are settled is with a three point shootout, where all five members attempt a shot, much like soccer.  We lost 3-2, but atleast I hit mine.  It was time to leave this place and get a last glance at TO. 

He had a good amount of energy, still looking springy as he shot on side goals.  People were still trickling into the gym to catch a glimpse, but I was done.  He wasn't anything more than you'd expect him to be.  The arrogant man hardly smiled, didn't say hi to anyone, and was above all else who played in the gym that day.  I walked out to my car and next to it was a tricked out Hummer with signs of a loaded owner.  I stood there in silence and grinned at how accurate the media can be.

Boys will be boys, and apparently there are only a few men that wear the blue star for the disappointments from Dallas.  This childish team with no leader rode off into the Philadelphia sunset like a bunch of cowards as they got dismantled 44-6.

What’s most upsetting about these Cowboys is how much they underachieve considering the talent level.  They virtually have two pro bowl receivers, a pro bowl tight end, pro bowl running back, pro bowl quarterback, a couple on the offensive line that could qualify for Honolulu, and a defense to match.  On Sunday, none were to be found.

           
The offensive line looked rather confused with the Eagles’ blitz scheme.  Safety Brian Dawkins regularly came on a blitz, linebackers and d-lineman were flying all over the place.  Instead of getting rid of the ball and living to live another play, Tony Romo would try and do too much, thus turning the ball over.  His swashbuckling style has its moments, but on Sunday it was devastating.  He fumbled the ball twice, threw interceptions and was a drive killer when some were just getting started.  Romo was not the only one to blame as offensive lineman, especially Mark Columbo, routinely let d-ends blow by.  Roy Williams looked clueless running routes and Marion Barber fumbled at the goaline, creating another 14 point swing.  Ouch.

           
Through it all, there’s Wade “fuddy duddy” Phillips stooping on the sideline wondering how to lead a football team.  His laid back attitude doesn’t cut it with a team that needs a reality check.  He’s too much of a softie to chew out a guy like T.O. for chronically crying, or Pac Man for fumbling kickoffs, or Romo for not getting rid of the ball.  We will never win a playoff game, or better yet a late regular season game, with the man as head coach.  Demote him to defensive coordinator and lets move on. 

           
Speaking of coordinators, what happened to the prestige of Jason Garrett.  The offensive coordinators play calling has been predictable and dreadful.  There was no timing, flow, or rhythm to the game plan against the Eagles.  What happened to the potent offense that could move the ball at will these past two seasons?  He failed to give Felix Jones the ball in a Redskins game, he calls option plays and 'wildcat' draws to Owens, and the offensive cadence is so predictable.  I can't recall seeing Romo go on a hard count, say "on three" to throw off blitz schemes.  The magic is gone folks.

           
Jerry Jones must clean house if he wants to see change.  Wade isn’t going to change his personality and become a mean guy, Garrett needs to go back to the drawing board and dial up some new “x’s and o’s.”  Most of all, this team needs a leader who isn’t scared of threatening these local divas who can’t figure out why they’ve missed the playoffs.

The most underachieving team in all of pro sports will be home for the postseason, relegated to watching the playoffs from Big D like the rest of us.

It’s supposedly the most wonderful time of the year, only I don’t seem to think so.  Call me the Grinch.  It will be once college football has a playoff, say in ten years, but until then we’ll just keep talking about the subjectivity of the BCS.  The bowl games aren’t a bad consolation prize, especially when there’s a quality match up among all the clutter.  Let me introduce you to the bowl season, from the games that mean the least to the ones worthy of the Roast Beast!

                  
                               And he himself, the Grinch, got to carve the Roast Beast.

The Least.  These games are merely an excuse for awkward holiday time.  Not every family member gets along with one another, so guys will hit the couch in hopes of a bail out.  "The Least" is filled with three-hour filler and it begins with Wake Forest taking on Navy.  This is a decent match up where the Midshipmen should be able to churn out yards on the ground.  Give me the academy.  Then there’s the New Mexico Bowl, blah, followed by the St. Petersburg Bowl played at the University of South Florida, and wouldn’t you know?  South Florida takes on Memphis.  Yuk.  I’m used to seeing North Texas in the New Orleans Bowl, but this year we’ll have to settle for DeMarcus Ware’s alma-mater Troy as they take on Southern Miss.  Yawn.

           
Notre Dame, the most storied franchise in all of college football, takes their 6-6 record on the road to Hawaii to take on none other than the local Warriors.  Why is it the Hawaii Bowl and the St. Petersburg Bowl have their home teams on hand?  This should not be allowed.   The Fighting Irish are one of the few teams that will always get a bowl berth if they finish .500 or better.  Hawaii seems to always play in their own bowl every year.  While you’re vedging out on Christmas Eve feel free to change the channel from this sloppy luau.

           
The Motor City Bowl showcases Florida Atlantic and Central Michigan. Borrring. The Independence Bowl pits Northern Illinois against La. Tech.  I liked it better when this bowl was sponsored by Poulan-Weedeater.  The Texas Bowl features Rice against Western Michigan.  Wow, what a draw that is for Reliant Stadium.  The Armed Forces Bowl will be a contrast of styles as Air Force’s option attack takes on Houston and their aerial assault. On January 3^rd UCONN takes on Buffalo in game of national powers (joke).

           
The Feast.  Now these are games that we won’t mind watching, good but not great.  The first of them comes from the Las Vegas Bowl where BYU takes on Arizona.  There’s intrigue here in that BYU and Utah have been candidates to join the Pac 10.  Is this a future conference match up?

           
Next is a slew of bowl game mediocrity.  North Carolina versus West Virginia in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, Florida State against Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl, and Cal versus Miami in the Emerald Bowl.  It’s hard for me to take these games serious with such corporate bowl titles, but at least these are recognizable programs. 

           
There’s just too many to list, but some that stick out include — Northwestern and Missouri in the Alamo Bowl, Oregon State and Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl (just don’t go to Juarez), LSU and Georgia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Clemson and Nebraska in the Gator Bowl, Georgia and Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl, and finally Texas Tech and Ole Miss in the Cotton Bowl (Red Raiders got the shaft).

           
The Roast Beast.  There are some rather appetizing games, and let me start off with the local favorite TCU Horned Frogs taking on undefeated Boise State in a Christmas Eve-Eve thriller.  Another delight takes place on New Years Day in the Grandaddy of them All as one-loss USC takes on one-loss Penn State in the cool-uniform game.  The Sugar Bowl has some intrigue to it, as the undefeated Utah Utes take on the stingy Alabama Crimson Tide.  The Fiesta Bowl between Texas and Ohio State loses a little of its luster because of all their recent match ups, yet it’s still a classic. 

And finally, the prime cut of them all, the National Championship featuring Florida and Oklahoma.  It appears to be a dandy, but don’t be surprised if the Sooners are run right off the field.  Bevo and the Longhorns will have something more too ‘moo’ about.

The BCS meant what they said, and said what they meant, a strange ending indeed, 100 percent.

Florida’s 31-20 win over Alabama solidified one of the BCS Championship spots in a virtual semifinal game in the SEC Championship.  In the Big XII Championship, Oklahoma manhandled Missouri and thus moved on to the finale held in Miami on January 8th.  But what about the giant Texas elephant that can’t be ignored?

  
   Texas, like Horton, wants to hear you "who's" shout!  The Longhorns need a playoff, 100 percent.

In a mere consolation prize, the Longhorns get to face a boring Ohio State team in the Fiesta Bowl for their third match up in four seasons.  Big whoop.  Penn State takes on USC in an intriguing Rose Bowl game, Alabama takes on Utah in a decent Sugar Bowl, and Cincinnati plays Virginia Tech in a pathetic Orange Bowl. 

I got a solution for the BCS if it’s going to be around for a while.  How about no guarantees?  The Big East champion (Cincinnati) and the ACC champ (Virginia Tech) have no right to be playing a New Year’s Day Bowl.  The Poinsettia Bowl between TCU and Boise State is much more enticing.  Simply take the top eight teams in the standings and pit them against one another, no matter the conference.  Texas Tech-Alabama would be nice, undefeated Boise and Utah could clash in a Midwest classic.  I could puzzle and puzzle til my puzzler got sore, when only a playoff would settle the score.

Texas is this year’s BCS stain. Other teams that have exposed flaws include Miami in 2001, when they beat eventual runner-up Florida State in the regular season.  In 2002, Joey Harrington and the Oregon Ducks made a magical run but were left out in favor of the one-loss Nebraska Cornhuskers who had just got demolished by Colorado in the Big XII title game.  In 2003, USC had to play Michigan in the Rose Bowl while many said the Trojans would put up a better fight than Oklahoma in a mismatch against LSU.  In 2004, Auburn and Utah both went undefeated as USC rolled over Oklahoma in an embarrassment of a title game.  To snub the SEC champion was the biggest snub of them all.  In ’06 and ’07, the system had to pluck a one-loss team from the crowd, and fans saw two dismal title games involving Ohio State.

The Texas Longhorns of 2008 will always be remembered as that season’s team getting the short end of the BCS-stick.  They beat the Sooners 45-35 back in October during the state fair yet the pollsters long-term memory escapes them.  The Sagarin’s and Massey’s of the world go with teams that draw big money and have Heisman front-runners.  No undefeated Utah’s or Boise’s allowed, only programs in big conferences that have fans who travel and aren’t afraid to spend fat cash.  You want the answer to the BCS melodrama?  How about lose early, get hot late, be loud, and don’t wear burnt orange.

The Big XII South produced three one-loss teams and it spelled a recipe for BCS disaster. With three teams tied for the conference lead, it was Oklahoma who got the edge over Texas by a narrow margin in the standings. What happens next is anyone's guess.

In what could be the game of the year, the Florida Gators take on Alabama in the SEC Championship this Saturday. This game has virtually become a playoff semifinal game with the winner headed to the BCS championship, or has it?

The mighty Gators are ranked fourth in the polls, behind Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas respectively. One would think with a win over the Crimson Tide, Florida would jump to the number one or two spot in the standings. From there they would take on the Sooners if they get past Missouri in the Big XII title game, if not, then Texas. But who's to say they won't jump so high? The guys who run the computers, that's who.

Let me introduce you to the six individual computer polls. First up is Jeff Sagarin. He is the sole runner of his own poll, called the Sagarin Ratings. His top six includes Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, Alabama, Utah and Florida in that order. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in mathematics in 1970 and virtually no athletic background.

Next is Kenneth Massey, better known for his Massey Ratings. He is a statistician where he received his PhD from Virginia Tech. His top six (in order) includes Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, Utah, Alabama and Florida. How about Richard Billingsley? The Billingsley Report follows more along the lines of the standard AP/USA Today Poll. Anderson Sports ranks Florida sixth, the Colley Matrix has them fourth, and Peter Wolfe places the Gators seventh behind Boise State — wow. What brand of football are these guys watching?

To summarize, it appears these enthusiasts running the computers don't like Florida, nor the SEC all that much. Many attempt to stand out and be different, so they put a WAC team in front of one of the most talented teams in the nation. These dorks had to be the last guys chosen in 1960s pick-up games, and now they are getting back at the sports world. They have manipulated the system by working their way up the pecking order upon receiving grand educations in number crunching.

By weighing in their biased opinions, we fans are left with controversial results. There's no way Texas should be behind Oklahoma after its head to head victory, but so be it. The next computer slighting may be dealt to the Gators. Don't be surprised if Florida is on the outside looking in after upsetting the Crimson Tide — we just might get a Red River rematch in the National Championship game to ultimately settle the score.

The President-elect spoke some of his finest words after being asked a question by ESPN’s Chris Berman.

“If you could change one thing about sports, what would it be?”

“I would have a playoff in college football and put an end to the BCS.  Lets put together the best eight teams and go from there,” said the intelligent Obama.

           
Well said Barack.  The thing is we fans might need it this season. 

 

Texas Tech is on an astounding run with home wins over Texas and Oklahoma State.  Alabama has made an impressive march through the SEC but still has the conference championship to play.  One-loss Florida and Texas sit waiting in the wings hoping for a little slip up, and then there’s Oklahoma.

           
The Sooners will host the Red Raiders in what will be the biggest game of the year.  If Oklahoma wins (they will be favored), we will have a muddled mess in the Big XII South.  Texas, OU and Tech will have one conference loss, and it’s to each other.  So how is it fair for the BCS computers to determine the best team of the three when each has had its day in this crapshoot round-robin?  It’s not and never will be.  

           
Texas could play Missouri in the Big XII Championship while Texas Tech sits and waits for an at-large bid to the BCS.  Oklahoma could have one close loss to Texas and be headed to the Cotton Bowl, what a consolation.  A one-loss USC or Penn State could get a gift-wrapped trip to the national title game while members of the SEC and Big XII beat up on one another. 

           
It’s an annual problem and it’s about to happen again.  The only time it worked was when Texas played USC in a season with two clear-cut undefeated teams.  These days there are about eight teams that could vie for the national title, and while there’s a lot of football left to be played, I sense that some will get the shaft. 

           
In the world of college football, parody runs rampant.  A team with two losses that gets hot towards the end of the season should have a chance to win it all – take a look at the Giants of the NFL.  Back in 2001, Colorado thumped Nebraska in their regular season finale, and Nebraska still went on to the national championship game and got embarrassed by Miami.  Fiascos like this can still happen.

           
The argument for the current system is that the regular season is amplified.  Every game is its own playoff – yea right.  If there’s a playoff system intact, the regular season will still be a sort of playoff as teams will play elimination games in order to get into the tournament.  Now put that into your web-browser and click it.

           
When the person of highest rank wants what fans have desired for years, there’s a sense of hope.  Obama has the unique power to trump these snooty university presidents who shower themselves with bowl money.  This is the change we need.  Yes we can.

           

It was the biggest game in Texas Tech history, and probably college football’s game of the year.  The Red Raiders won in dramatic fashion this past Saturday, as No. 7 Texas Tech upset the top ranked Texas Longhorns in a post-Halloween thriller.

           
The Red Raiders now float near the top of uncharted waters.  They sit between traditional powers like Alabama and Penn State with Florida, Texas and USC circling like sharks.  Who would have thought Texas Tech would control its own destiny in talks of the National Championship this late in the season?  Nobody except for a biased few that have always had their “Guns Up.”

           
Well it has happened and here’s how. 

            
                        Crabtree spun free from double coverage and Tech had shocked the nation.

Quarterback Graham Harrell has been superb throughout the season and is a candidate for the Heisman Trophy.  He looks like a future NFL quarterback, gifted with poise and a strong, accurate arm.  Surrounding him is a slew of skill position players that have perfected Mike Leach’s aerial assault.  Running back Baron Batch hits holes with authority, and Edward Britton is a capable second receiver behind super star Michael Crabtree.  Crabtree is college football’s version of Terrell Owens when Romo’s throwing him the ball. 

There are two stark differences in the Red Raiders of the present and the Techies of the past.  First, it’s the defense.  The Texas Tech’s front four was consistently getting pressure on Colt McCoy, something the Raiders needed to do in order to stay in the game.  McCoy is too good of a quarterback to be given time, but he was constantly harassed and it made all the difference.  One errant throw, due to pressure, was returned for a touchdown. Texas was forced to three consecutive three and outs on their opening possessions while Tech reeled off 19 straight points.  Texas could only muster a pair of field goals before halftime, their lowest scoring output of quarters one and two all season.

                      
                      The heat was on all night as Texas Tech lit up McCoy and later busted his chin.

The second ingredient to their recipe of success was awesome offensive line play.  When they listed the rosters on Tech’s opening possession, I was astounded at the size of their line.  The center was the only man to weigh under 300 lbs. while the largest was a mere 6’7, 365 lbs.  Because of these monsters, Harrell was able to buy time in the pocket and found receiver after receiver.  It doesn’t matter if you have four guys named Deion Sanders in the secondary, no one can cover solid wide outs for more than five-Mississippi.

Graduates of Texas Tech and Lubbockites have to be going bonkers.  Tech has never been this relevant in the college football world and Crabtree’s game-winning catch will be forever remembered in Raider lore.  Yet, there’s no time for the masked rider to sit horseback and dwell on the biggest win in school history.  The zorro-like mascot must emerge from under the Panhandle lights and ignite the crowd all over again.  Fans have to remember that this weekend’s showdown with Oklahoma State is now its biggest game.

Will the eighth ranked Cowboys restore order in college football?  Do these West Texas rebels know they are in uncharted territory and breaking the law of tradition?   After Tech hosts the Cowboys a trip to Norman, Oklahoma follows.  We'll see if they belong.

If you watch the NBA season opener Tuesday night between the Trailblazers and Lakers, you will see a preview of what the Western Conference Finals may look like for many years to come.

Do you remember the days of Wilt Chamberlain versus Bill Russell, or how about Abdul Jabbar banging with “The Chief,” Robert Parrish?  Hakeem “the Dream” spinning baseline on “the Admiral” rings a louder bell for me than say Willis Reed – Moses Malone might for you.  I know your sports mind may be marinating in a constant pool of football, but please take the time to watch big men like Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum.

Greg Oden is a mountain of a man at seven feet tall and weighing 260 pounds.  The 20 year old center is the first true dominant big man to come out of the college game in more than a decade, going back to the Shaquille O’Neal’s days at LSU.  Oden single-handedly carried Ohio State to the national title game, then after one season realized his uber-frame might better suit the NBA.

Teams hadn’t been so excited to win the NBA Draft Lottery since Ralph Sampson came out of the University of Virginia in the early ‘80s.  Portland saw the ping-pong balls fall as they may and instantly knew they’d be a force for years to come.  The anticipation is greater than ever as Portland waited a year for Oden to recover from knee surgery. 

           
In the 2005 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers selected seven-footer Andrew Bynum with the 10^th overall pick.  The jury was still out on this kid when his rookie numbers were staggeringly low for a man of his size.  The Lakers nearly sent him in a deal to the New Jersey Nets for Jason Kidd.  Lucky for them, they were patient.

Bynum was a monster last season before going down with a knee injury.  He has become L.A.’s prize young player with little ego and is a viable Robin to Kobe’s Batman.  The recently turned 21 year old Bynum is back at one hundred percent and looking to become the next Laker great at center. 

All-time scoring leader Jabbar tells Bynum, "I used to play like you and Greg in my Alcindor days."

When these two match up in the Western Conference there will be nothing like it.  Only Dwight Howard of the Magic and Amare Stoudamire of the Suns compare in strength and size.  I’m sorry to say this, but if you’re not a Lakers or Blazers fan you may get tired of watching the NBA playoffs in the coming years. 

Patrick Ewing always had his Knicks there, Hakeem and the Rockets, Robinson and the Spurs, heck even Smits and the Pacers.  This is a league filled with the tallest, most athletic men in the world.  There's a reason why I’m not in the NBA and a seven-footer with the equivalent skill set is.  More so than any other sport, size matters.

As you will see in any NBA game, the action looks pretty when played on the perimeter by flashy guards and three-point specialists.  But when push comes to shove, offenses go through the post and defenses must be anchored by enforcing centers.  Before last season, the 10 previous NBA Finals involved either Tim Duncan or Shaq.

It just goes to show that no matter if it’s a pick up game or the NBA finals, first choice will always be the biggest man on the court.  The Portland – Los Angeles rivalry might grow a little larger out West.  Now we just need to find their bigs a nickname.   

I was kicking myself this past Monday at work.  My site was down because Go Daddy couldn't figure out my IP Address and so no picks were posted.  On a Word document where I do all my show descriptions (ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports Southwest, VERSUS, SPEED, etc.) I jotted down six teams I thought my cover.  All six did and I didn't do a thing about it.  Actually, I totally forgot about it until clocking in that bitter morning.  Gripes.  I had written down Nebraska, Penn State, Texas, Ohio State, Oregon State and one other.  What's done is done, lets concern ourselves with the now.

Boise State (-7) at San Jose St. - Lets get it started early as the Broncos visit San Hosey on Friday night.  Boise is legit and their lefty quarterback Kellen Moore can chuck the rock.  San Jose State is overrated, their 5-2 record is a joke.  The Broncos are the strongest non BCS team outside of Utah.  Boise wins by 20 on the road.

Oklahoma (-18.5) at Kansas State - Kansas is a lot better than K State and OU dismantled them by 14 after a late garbage touchdown by the Jayhawks.  Plus, OU has a lot to prove it they want to stay in the BCS race.  When a team doesn't control it's destiny there's no margin for error.  Sooners by at least three touchdowns.

Texas (12.5) vs. Oklahoma State - Yes I'm biased, but Texas is real strong.  This is a different team than the choke artists of years past.  They are a confident bunch who are feeding off of little respect.  McCoy and Shipley are playing with purpose and should scorch the Cowboys defense.  The Pokes might score 30 but they'll give up 50.  Steers buck Cowboys and gore them while they're down.  Double that spread and you swing my vote, Horns by 24.

                         
                         I bet this hippy will be on hand when Okie State visits the No. 1 Horns.

Pittsburgh (-10) vs. Rutgers - Rutgers is really bad this year and has a stagnent offense.  LeSean McCoy is the real deal Holyfield at running back and should shred the Scarlet frights.  Wannstedt is trying to capture that Big East title so expect Pitt to lay the wood.  Panthers by two touchdowns.

USC (-15) at Arizona - 'Zona is getting unnecessary hype.  I don't care if they beat Cal and whomever else.  They've lost to UCLA and New Mexico.  Case closed for this juror.  USC can still smell BCS blood and the Wildcats are merely in the way.  USC rolls through the desert, winning by 30 plus.