College Game Day!

What a Saturday this was for college football! This was the time for teams to step up to get to a bowl game or to clinch their spot in a top one. The top five teams held their spots though with wins today.

Auburn finally got that win over Georgia after losing the last four match ups against the Bulldogs. Auburn also clinched the SEC West spot, which is one step closer to the BCS Nationals. They first have to get through Alabama who won their game today as well.

Other top teams that walked away with a win today were TCU and Ohio State winning over Penn State. Too bad Paterno could not get his 401 win. Boise St dominated over Idaho Friday. Oregon walked away with a 15-13 win over Cal, which I would have thought would have had a bigger win over them.

Bowl projections in week ten by Andrea Adelson has Auburn and Boise St going at it in the Allstate Sugar bowl. I like this match up and feel that it will be a good game because both teams are playing great. Boise St should have a tougher schedule and given a chance to play a SEC team.  Mark Schlabach has LSU and TCU going to the Allstate Sugar bowl. I do not want to see LSU at a bowl ranked that high. Guess it pays to be a big school in the SEC.

A team that has caught my attention this season is South Carolina! Where did they come from? They are just riding to the top and they deserve to be put in a top bowl. Being the first team to beat the 2009 National Champions and continuing to win deserves something. I was not expecting them to beat Florida and especially not 36-14. Funny how former Gator coach, who named the famous Gator stadium “The Swamp”, has clinched the SEC East. They have gotten their first division title, which was lead by Steve Spurrier. Florida has just taken a beaten this year. Since 1989 this was the first time the Gators have lost three-games at home. They must really be missing Tebow!

It will be interesting to see how the final weeks of football play out and to see who goes to what bowl. The best thing about this sport is that nothing is written in stone until the very end. Anything can change within seconds!

My prediction for the BCS National Champs will be Auburn if the Newton issue goes away and they take Alabama down. I love the roll they are on.

Kanter Gets No Play!

Its College basketball time! This is the time of year where it is just sports everywhere you turn and who could not love it?

Well as we kick off this college basketball season, it seems that #11 ranked Kentucky is already off to somewhat of a rocky start. After loosing one of their key players, DeMarcus Cousin to the NBA, Kentucky thought they had a guy who could step up and take Cousin’s role.  WRONG!

Enes Kanter was suppose to be the big freshmen on campus and on the court for the Wildcats this season. But the NCAA has cut those dreams short by permanently making Kanter ineligible to ever play for the school due to receiving benefits above his actual and necessary expenses while play for three seasons in a Turkish club. It is said that he received $33,000 over his due expenses.

Many players from overseas come to play in the NBA getting picked up in the first round of the draft without ever playing in the United States. Kanter on the other hand wanted to play for Kentucky for a year and then most likely enter the 2011 NBA draft. He will be picked up in the draft though so not too much for him to worry about. But no player has played on the pro level then went back to school to play in order to go back to the pros. And I do not see any player ever being able to do that if the NCAA has anything to do with it.

At first glance to the story I thought, why shouldn’t he be able to play on a college team in the US since he did not play in the NBA but only overseas? Also why would they even allow him to commit and sign to the school knowing from the start that he would not be able to play?

The NCAA made the right move here though because obviously Kanter broke a rule by going above his expenses. But also I do not think it is a good idea to let someone play on a collegiate team after competing on a higher level. The talent is unjust there.

Hopefully all will be well with the Wildcats this season with their returns and newcomers that have talent to be displayed.

Little NBA Talk!

My second favorite sport would be the NBA and this big season has arrived.  I have not been able to focus on basketball because of course the focus is still on football right now. But this season for the NBA is going to be an exciting one I feel.

Of course we have the Miami Heat, who have what I call the ‘Three Amigos”, Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Everyone predicts that the Heat will be the best team in the East. I find it funny that they are 5-2 already and that the Hornets beat them last Friday. But they will be as dominate as everyone thinks. I said from the start that they were going to be tough but no championship for them this year. They have to adjust first with each other and stop trying to be unselfish and just shoot the ball. Then maybe some of these games they are losing will turn to wins. They are giving up shots that each could have had just to give the ball to the other.

I am proud to say that the Hornets and the Lakers are the only undefeated teams right now. Question on NBA.com is who will be the first of these two teams to lose first? I say the Hornets. The Hornets are playing well this season and coming off strong. The new head coach Monty Williams seems to be working out great. Might be a prefect fit for this beehive.  

But Hornets will lose before the Lakers because the Lakers are a better team with players like Shannon Brown and Lamar Odom. These two have been great for the team. Matt Barnes is stepping up for them as well. Steve Blake is also a great addition to the team along with Barnes.

The Hornets and the Lakers will meet on December 29 at the beehive and if they both are able to stay undefeated until then that will be a great showdown to see who can remain undefeated. 

Geaux Saints!!

Saints came out with the win today against the Panthers in their own home, leaving them with 34 unanswered points to their three points made in the first quarter.

After the Saints won the coin toss and got the ball down the field with big runs by Chris Ivory and Julius Jones, Carolina’s Richard Marshall intercepted and ran it back for 66 yards.  Good thing Marques Colston was there to get the tackle and prevent seven points on the scoreboard.

Saints defense was there to shut them down and forced a field goal. From there it was Saints game! The defense took out the Panthers top running back that they had left with an injury to Jonathan Stewart. Matt Moore  was taken out early in the game as well.

 The Saints’ running game is looking better and better each game. Ivory, Jones and Ladell Betts have showed up in the absence of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas.  They have made some great runs down the middle getting the yards needed to score. Lance Moore and Marques Colston made passing plays when needed. Colston still leading as the best receiver on the team makes catches in any situation and gets the first down when they need it most.  Moore has stepped up with passing plays that normally Bush would be in for. The team is just full of talent.

The second half belonged to the Saints and their running game also. Imagine what the team will have once Bush and Thomas are back in the game. Bush was said to have warmed up a little on the field before the game so hopefully he will be back soon and back to himself by playoffs.

Saints did suffer with some minor injuries with Jeremy Shockey taken out the game after his 1yrd touchdown and Ivory and Darren Sharper were taken out with minor injuries. Hope the Saints do not lose any of these players. Good thing there is a bye next week for them to rest up and get healthy.

It was also good to see Chase Daniels get some playing time. Brees was sat out at the end of the fourth quarter. Daniels made a big run for it helping gain some yards but couple plays after was sacked. Daniels will be a great quarterback when his time comes and he is learning from one of the best coming in behind Brees.

Next week Saints have a bye then on to the Seahawks and the Cowboys. It will be nice to beat the Cowboys in their home. Geaux Saints!!

Who to Blame?

First it was Reggie Bush and now it is Auburn’s Cam Newton having accusations brought on that there may have been money exchanged with an agent and the school on the behave of recruiting Newton to Mississippi State.  Why is this surfacing now? Could it be because he is one of the best college players right now and is in the running to receive the Heisman?

Illegal recruiting is on the front burner in college sports as the Reggie Bush case just left the headlines and now the Newton case is coming up. Bush was accused of receiving money and gifts from two agents while he was at USC. There was evidence and the school was put on probation. Both Bush and USC gave back their Heisman that Bush won in 2005. My question is whom shall we blame for the actions of agents and athletes communicating before they are suppose to.

I think that the blame lies on both the athlete and the agents. Athletes are given the rules from the NCAA when they enter college on recruiting. The NCAA’s bylaw simply states that an athlete or their friends and family are not suppose to accept money or gifts from an agent while in school. Athletes are not to sign with an agent verbally or in writing while still playing for the school.

This can be a challenge for athletes when there are agents pouring gifts and money over these top players in order to have the first pick of these players when they enter in to the league. Agents do not get into trouble like the school or athlete when this rule is broken. I think this is wrong as well. Agents should have some consequences for breaking a law that they know exist. It’s all about money and media exposure for every party in the situation of college sports. Agents go after these top athletes and the athletes buckle under the money and gifts being thrown at them. Most athletes come from lower income families and yes they get a free ride to school but who does not want extra money. The athletes cannot work but are working for the school by winning them championships. The schools are making millions off of them but they do get any of it.  So when they get free stuff and extra money why would they not take it?  Most athletes live in the moment and do not think what could happen if they get caught. And really can they trust these agents? I do place blame on the athletes though because I feel they are adults and they know what is right and wrong. I feel that their time will come so they should just get their free education that they are lucky to be receiving, and work towards that next level being the League where they will make way more then what these agents are giving them to just sign a paper. Now the blame is mostly on the agent as well as the schools. The schools know what is going on especially the coaches but nothing is said because they do not want to have to sit their top player on the bench and take the chance of losing a game. It is sad that for most colleges it seems that sports, especially football and basketball are the important factors of the school. This is where their money comes from with games, fans, and apparel. This is where the school puts most their money as well, in the athletic departments. Agents need to be watched more by the coaches and school as well as the NCAA.  Agents need to feel the pain of breaking the rules just like the other parties involved. But it seems that these agents just slip under the rope and head to their next victim.

I hope that Newton is telling the truth that he had nothing to do with the accusations and that he can continue to focus on winning games and getting the Heisman.  Only time will tell.

1st week of NFL

Well the NFL season is really here and the first week of the season has come and gone! Television has not been this good since February.


To start off the season the Saints open up against the Vikings and it was a game that did not disappoint. The Saints came out and proved why they were the Super bowl champs. I did expect to see Brett Farve do a little better than he did. Farve was only 15 for27 attempts and had one interception. But then again he showed up only three weeks ago to practice with the team. Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas came out strong. Especially Thomas who had some great runs with 19 carries for 71 yards. And Drew Brees was still the quarterback that we all love. Saints were able to walk away with their first season win with a 14-9 victory.

For Sunday events I picked Raiders, Colts, Buffalo, Bears, Bengals, Giants, Steelers, Browns, Broncos, Rams, Eagles and Seahawks to win their first games. So I walked away with five out of 13 of my picks to win. Have to be honest that I was not picking by statistics but by who I liked.

The shocker for the day for me was the Texans beating the Colts. I just knew Peyton Manning had this in the bag. But the Texans were out for a win because this was there Super bowl they said. This was a game that they had to win. They set out and they prevailed. The Colts had the Texans beat in all areas with Manning 40 for 57 in comparison to Matt Schaub’s 9 for 17. A man who stepped up for the Texans was Arian Foster who had 33 carries for 257 yards. The 34-24 was a tough lost I am sure for Peyton and the Colts.

There were teams that showed improvement and a chance of a promising season ahead of them and then there were the teams that showed consistent results as always. Yes I am talking about my Raiders as one of those teams. I had high hopes for them as I do every season. New season new record ahead of us. With Jason Campbell joining the team and our big number one pick I thought we would have came out a lot better than we did. Our offensive line was just not there and was not giving the time for Campbell to do his thing. Darren McFadden was our only other scorer besides our kicker Sebastian Janikowski. He is probably the only kicker in the lead that in most games lead their team in scoring. Do not get me wrong next week I believe we will win and will be cheering my heart out for them but come on Raiders. Let’s get it together.

Vince Young is one player that I want to see do well this year. He has been through a lot in the last couple of years and I think he is a great quarterback that deserves his time to shine. Back in college when he was at Texas I was not too fond of him due to the fact that his team cheated and defeated my USC Trojans in 2005. But that is beside the point now. After earning his starting position back he has proven he still has it as he had a good preseason. First game he came out strong with completing 13 of his 17 passes. He is on my fantasy team and did me proud. I think he is going to have a good season ahead of him. Plus he has Chris Johnson, so he should be good!

I am too excited that football season is here! I will have my picks for next week later in the week! So until then enjoy the games!!

Football Has Returned

Well it has been awhile since I have graced the pages of my blog but I am back and it is FOOTBALL SEASON! Well preseason but the games have begun!!! Camps are over and it is time for Rookies and new additions to make their mark and show the coaches that they deserve to be on that final roster. I am excited beyond words for the actual season to start. Weekends have just gotten a little brighter.


The Hall of Fame Game set off the preseason with a good game from the Bengals and the Cowboys. Cowboys walked away with the win but it was interesting to see the guys hit the field. Especially the new Batman and Robin that have joined forces to try and bring a championship to the Bengals. I hope that these two can pull of a great season and show that two big heads can be on the same team. As I love both OchoCinco and T.O. I cannot help but feel that this is a stage act that the guys are putting on. It is a way to grab attention that they were not necessarily getting on the field.

In the first couple of series that the two receivers played the ball was thrown to T.O. , though it was because T.O. was open, I can see this being a problem if Ocho does not get the ball as much as T.O.. This was Ocho's team first. I do see T.O. getting upset first as it seems Ocho has a calmer demeanor to him and he can share. Like I said I cannot wait to see when the real games begin and how this collaboration will play out.

Thursday night had some great games played. I want to take the Oakland Raiders against the Dallas Cowboys game to talk about. The Raiders were able to pull off a win in the fourth quarter against the Cowboys. Of course the Raiders were down the whole game trailing by three until the fourth quarter where they were able to outscore the Cowboys by 8 points. It seemed as though for a minute they were going to start the preseason off with a lost. But they came through and made some game ending plays that pulled them through. Raiders defense came out better then the Cowboys with six sacks. The Raiders scored their whole 17 points in the fourth quarter and I just hope that they do not make this a season where they wait until the fourth quarter to really show up to play. I am excited to see what more this Jerome Boyd has for the Raiders. His 48 yd interception return touchdown is what the Raiders need more of. Along with Boyd's big play Stevie Brown pulled off another interception that in turn helped the Raiders get that W. Hopefully these two guys are able to continue to help the Raiders with plays like these as the season goes on. Raiders number one pick Darrius Heyward-Bey needs to prove every penny Al Davis signed him for. After their number one pick in 2007 with JaMarcus Russell who ended up a bust and walked away with all that money, Davis needs to be sure that his picks are worth every cent. Jason Campbell should be an improvement for the Raiders and should be able to help carry them to win more games in the season.

Although this is the first game and the Raiders have a long ways to go, they showed in Thursday's game that they are trying to improve and that they are working hard to get better. The Raiders have some great weapons on the team just have to get them to work well together and consistently.