Pay For Play

You have all seen it by now. Even if you weren't watching South Carolina beating Tennessee in the second quarter of Saturdays game, you have no doubt viewed a video on YouTube or seen a picture posted on twitter of the gruesome injury suffered by Gamecock RB and Hiesman Trophy candidate Marcus Lattimore. It was one of the worst looking injuries ever seen in football. There's no disputing that.
But what is being disputed by the NCAA is whether or not college athletes should be paid to play sports.

The NCAA may be the most corrupt organization in America. They make hundreds of millions of dollars per year without any oversight, any restrictions, or any regard for the athletes in which they control. They make there own rules all the while choosing which rules to enforce and how to enforce them. And they do this with one thing in mind. Their well being and their well being only.
Even New Jersey Mob bosses think the NCAA is a scam. And they envy it.

What they do to a large part of student athletes is downright disturbing when it comes to their controlling of a players financial present and future. The upper echelon players on Division 1 football rosters generate millions of dollars for the NCAA, their Universities, and the towns they play in.
What they get in return is pennies on the dollar. Literally.
And before you start with the "their getting a free education" argument, let me stop you right there because this is an idiotic argument.
Why?
Look at Marcus Lattimore. Since bursting onto the scene in 2010 as a true freshman he has wowed the nation with his physically running style, quick cutting ability, and break away speed rarely seen in power back. After a phenomenal freshman campaign he was already on NFL radars. Had he been eligible to enter the NFL Draft after the 2010 season, he would have been a first round draft pick. An instant millionaire. But he wasn't. Because the NCAA wants to keep its prized athletes as long as possible. Why should someone else make the millions off of them when they can do it at no cost to them.
Lattimore started 2011 the same way he ended 2010. Then an injury to the ligaments in his left knee ended his season and raised doubts about his NFL future.
But Lattimore underwent multiple surgeries and extensive rehab to be ready to return to the field at the start of this 2012 season. He not only returned, he picked up right where he had left off in 2011 as the best running back in the country. He had answered the questions of critics who were skeptical on how he would look after the injury. And up until the second quarter of Saturdays game, the injury that occurred a year ago was an after thought.
And then it happened. As Lattimore planted his leg into the ground to take on a couple of Tennessee defenders, a helmet landed directly on the knee. What happened next had people nauseous. Lattimore flew through the air, his right leg clearly mangled, and then landed on the field grabbing at his right knee, which was now located on the side of his leg. One Volunteer defender close to the play when it happened said post game that he had to turn away to keep from vomiting. It is easily one of the worst football injuries ever witnessed on TV. The diagnoses is complete destruction of his right knee.
Just like that.
Marcus Lattimore's future as an NFL football player and his ability to secure himself and his family financially is in serious doubt.
But hey, he'll have that degree from the University of South Carolina to fall back on, right? This is where this argument by the NCAA is ridiculous.
In his almost three seasons in Columbia, Lattimore has been the main reason for South Carolina's on the field success. He has helped transform the Gamecocks into a national power, bringing in millions of dollars to the University and the NCAA. He has also had an economical impact on the state. Because of Lattimore, Columbia, South Carolina restaurants, hotels, and shopping malls have raked in extra cash.
Thousands of people showed up on campus yesterday to show support for their fallen star. Professional athletes, actors, musicians, and politicians took to twitter to send out encouraging messages. The Governor of the state of South Carolina (who is a Clemson alum) declared yesterday Marcus Lattimore day.
And the reward that the NCAA sees fit to bestow on him for the accolades, accomplishments, and untold millions he has generated. Around $38,800 dollars. And not in a cash payment. In free tuition. At a value of about $9,200 per year.
And the kid can't so much as accept a $5 breakfast from a fan at Denny's without violating the NCAA's ludicrous rules.
These same people that are at the forefront of the "free tuition" argument are probably the same ones who boycott Nike because they pay Chinese workers about $2 a day to make $200 shoes.
And before you slam me for comparing the NCAA to a million dollar corporation who takes advantage of unfair labor wages, do the math.
Average ticket price to see Lattimore play is $64. Multiply that by 144 tickets and you have around $9,200.
Average attendance for a game at Williams-Brice Stadium: 80,000.

I'm not trying to take away the value of an education. Its important, but it's not priceless.

If Lattimore never plays football again and relies on a college degree and makes an average salary of $60,000 per year, it would take him around 500 years to make what he would have made with his first NFL contract.

So the next time you try and make your "free education" argument, think about Marcus Lattimore and do the math first.

You'll probably think twice about sounding so stupid.

CFB: Dominance?

All it takes is a look at the latest BCS standings to see that even though nine weeks have passed in a college football season that has been full of surprise and change, there is one thing that hasn't changed:

The SEC is good.

How good? SEC teams occupy the #1, #5,#6, #7 and #8 spots in the standings. That's more than 1/3 of the conference ranked in the top eight in the country.
Four out of the five rank in the top 10 of at least one of every major statistical category, three in total defense alone. And if that isn't enough, Las Vegas claims that #1 Alabama from the SEC would be a double digit favorite against #2 Kansas St. on a neutral field. In fact, according to Vegas #5 LSU and #6 Georgia would be favored over Kansas and #3 Notre Dame. And Vegas tends to know what there doing. There one if the few that wins more than Nick Saban.

But before we go ahead and crown the SEC with a seventh straight BCS title, lets not overlook a couple of possibilities that could leave the SEC on the outside looking in.
Alabama plays LSU on Saturday in what is all of the sudden a huge game again, especially for the Tigers. After losing to Florida early in the year most had ridden off Les Miles's team. But Saturday is a chance to beat the number one team in the country and put themselves back in the national title picture. It would also make every SEC title contender have 1 loss.
If K State, Notre Dame and Oregon win out then the SEC would be locked out of the championship game.
And before K State fans start to celebrate they had better worry about the two other unbeaten teams. First they have to take care of business but they also will need some help. Notre Dame has to lose a game in order for K State to get in. No way you could argue that the schedule the Irish will have played is not far better than the Wildcats. Hate Notre Dame all you want, but don't disregard common logic. Or common sense.
And although I think Oregon is the second best team in the country they may need more help than K State. The Ducks are about to enter the tough part of there schedule but the "quality wins" won't have as much quality as they thought. They haven't played a top 10 opponent all season and they may only play two ranked in the top 25. If they run the table they will get an extra game that the Irish won't with the PAC 12 title game, but will that be enough? I say no, but will see.
I firmly believe Oregon would give Alabama the best test. Vegas agrees putting the Ducks as only a six point underdog against the Tide. To put that into perspective LSU is getting 11 in Baton Rouge.
There is a lot of football left to be played but this Saturday could really clear some things up.
Or make things really cloudy. An LSU win means the Tigers, Bulldogs, Gators and Tide would all have one loss.
So every team that played against K State and Notre Dame would have a couple million extra fans that weekend.

There are several scenarios that could play out before the season ends.
Im pulling for the one that ends with Alabama and Oregon in Miami.

Another Shot?

It's obvious at this point that Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and Tennessee are all going to be coach shopping at seasons end.
It's also obvious that Bobby Petrino is going to get another shot, and it won't be a bad job no matter where he ends up.There all in the SEC. All are gonna pay pretty well. And all will have university employee's that are as hot,or hotter than Jessica Dorrell. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRBFajObGbyYwdQ3mC0ee_2gZCxWmALWw73hFVY12EA_KRwnLWyGQ

For Petrino, it's a win win.

I mean lets be honest, things looked pretty bleak for the guy not that long ago. The motor cycle accident, the affair, the firing. Most people would have probably climbed back on the bike and ran off the nearest bridge. But not Petrino. And you know why? Because he's a hell of a football coach. That's why.
You see, in the world of college football there is always a place at the table for a good coach. And Petrino knows this. Despite the mistakes that he made, his services are gonna be in high demand in about two months.
And speaking of the mistakes, lets not try and sound like a couple of baptist ministers here. It's not like he committed some violent crime of epic proportions. In fact, he didn't commit a crime at all. Lets face it, if every man lost his job because he had an affair with an above average looking women, the unemployment rate would be ten times what it is right now. And before you people start with the whole " I wouldn't have Petrino if he was the last coach on earth" talk, stop and think about one thing.... winning. That's what you want right? Those four teams wanna win, and three of them wanna win now. And ironically the one team who just wants to be a 7-8 win team every year (Kentucky) may be the best fit for Petrino.
If Petrino can win and win big at Louisville, than he can surpass the Wildcats expectations. He still has recruiting connections in the state and surrounding areas. He would instantly get more out of the players they have, and ticket sales would increase in a hurry. Whoever lands Petrino will have to deal with some media backlash and negative publicity for a short time. UK hired John Calipari so, they shouldn't have a problem with any of Petrino's baggage.

The top job will be at Tennessee. Say what you will, The Vols haven't been successful as of late, but if they had been they wouldn't need a new coach. UT is still a top 15 coaching job. A passionate fan base, one of the largest stadiums in the country, and facilities that are second to none. Add in the largest recruiting budget in the nation and the fact that this programs wants to win more than any of the others and you should be able to see why it will be the best job available. I'm not saying Petrino ends up in Knoxville, he wouldn't be my first call, but he would be pretty damn close to the top of the list. With Petrino, the Vol faithful would get more than moral victories.

And I know Auburn fans are arguing that there the better job. First off, it's not like its a great argument. Arguing over which program has the better job opening is about as dumb as arguing over who's team is better. You both suck. The Tigers have won a national title lately and Chizik has been able to recruit at a pretty high level but let's be honest, that was all luck. Every bit of success that Chizik has had can be attributed to pure, old fashioned luck. Now its not that Pertrino is a bad fit here. He showed he could compete in the SEC west at Arkansas and he would reenergize the rivalry with Alabama. This actually could be the most likely destination. Auburn could care less about his reputation (or theres) and it's not like they have a problem paying coaches a big chunk of money (or players).

Would Arkansas even consider bringing Petrino back. They should. Look at what has happen to them. There's really no need to put up any more of an argument than that.

So what we do know with out question is that Bobby Petrino will get another shot.

We don't know where yet, but it'll be a winning affair.

SEC Expectations

There is no other conference in college football where the expectations are higher than in the South Eastern Conference. Head coaches of these University's are ask to reach or maintain a high standard, much like the CEO's of some of the nations largest companies. For these schools, it's a business, a very big, very profitable business. And just like those CEO's that are shown the door if sales are down or the product isn't changing with the times or its competitors, these coaches are ran out of town faster than an Oregon speed sweep. As loses mount, fans become disgruntled, stadiums become less full and boosters start holding checks. Athletic directors then have decisions to make. For every lost game, it's also lost revenue. That's the reality of this power conference. Players, fans, and boosters expect perfection. The universities have no choice but to expect the same.
But it's also about tradition, pride and rivalries. It's about a long history of winning football programs and coaching legends. It's about packed stadiums on Fall Saturdays with overflowing tailgaters on campus parking lots and playing on a national stage every week.

And all of that is about winning.

See the SEC has built the Mecca of college football conferences because of winning. Without the wins, you don't have packed stadiums. Fan bases don't expect championships. Tradition is not as storied and you play games on Thursday night or Saturday morning.

Ask the Big Ten, they know better than anyone.

And where not talking about the occasional 10 win season. In the SEC, every school, every game, every year counts. Every win, every loss. Every mistake a head coach makes burns into the minds of fans, media and university brass.
With the exception of Vanderbilt and Kentucky, every other team in the conference expects a championship in the near future. Maybe not this year or next, but by year three if your not winning in the SEC your looking for another job. And things are changing in Nashville and Lexington. Vandy not only hired a guy to build their program into a contender, but payed a lot of money to keep him and UK will fire one of their own at seasons end even tough he has taken the team to two bowl games and beat rival Tennessee for the first time in 26 years.
And speaking of Tennessee, they will no doubt replace head coach Derek Dooley at the end if the season after 18 loses and counting in two and half seasons. The Vols have one of the most storied programs in the SEC but haven't won the conference title since 1998 when Phil Fulmer lead them to a national championship. Fourteen years and three coaches later their still trying to reach that goal. By January they'll have a new coach to resume that goal.
And it all comes back to winning.

Gene Chizick won a national title at Auburn two years ago and will be unemployed by Christmas. It's a "what have you done for me lately" world in this conference, and lately means last Saturday.

Win and your a legend. Nick Saban already has a statue at Bryant Denney Stadium right next to Bear Bryant, and he still has 20 years to win titles their. (God forbid).

Lose and your a joke.

Just ask anyone who's coached in the SEC how it is. They will tell you it's win or else. They know this because 98% of them didn't leave on their terms.

Give it about two months, and you can add four more coaches to that list.

CFB: 3 Teams at #2

What we found out yesterday was that #1 Alabama is, well, still #1. Not that they were ever in any danger against a Tennessee team that is in shambles but they continued to do what they've done all year.
And that is dominate.
So while the Tide have clearly established themselves as the best team in the country, there are three teams who you could argue are the second best team in the land.

Florida - The Gators have to be the biggest surprise this year. The tougher the opponent, the better they play. Will Muschamp has this team believing they can beat anybody in the country, and he may be right. They have played the toughest schedule of any of the top five teams in the BCS and the road won't get much easier. A huge showdown with Georgia on Saturday means a win most likely locks up the SEC's eastern division. This coming off the heels of a flawless performance against another top ten team yesterday in which they made the Ole' Ball Coach look like an old ball coach while picking apart South Carolina. The Gators may be the only team in college football who could match the Crimson Tides physicality. And they should get there chance in Atlanta.

Oregon- Offensive perfection, solid defense and speed everywhere. The Ducks have more speed then the Jamaican Olympic relay team and Chip Kelly knows how to use it. They are also extremely well coached and don't beat themselves with turnovers. They wear teams down with that fast paced, up tempo offense and they can explode with series after series of big plays from anywhere on the field. It's no doubt they can put up points against any defense in the country. There's the argument of "they don't play in the SEC" but trust me, if they did, they would be fine. With that much talent and speed they could play in the NFC North and still be fine.

Kansas St.- Outside of Florida, Bill Snyder's Wildcats are the biggest surprise in football. And many are making valid points that K State is the bigger surprise. I'm not gonna go that route but I will say I understand the argument. Collin Klein is one of the best players in the country and has carried this team right into the thick of the national title race. Now they definitely haven't played the schedule of Florida, but they have won every game they've played in and housed West Virginia yesterday to get to 7-0. This team will go as far as Klein will carry them. I believe they'll need some help to get into the BCS title game. The winner of the SEC championship game (should be Alabama/Florida) is in, which means they most likely need an Oregon loss. But we have definitely learned that this team is legit.

CFB: 5 Still Alive

Six games into the college football season and the first BCS rankings are out. One through five is no big surprise, though one could argue two and three should be flip flopped. Those top 5 are unbeaten and in the thick of a national title race.
Technically there are still a total of 12 teams that could end up in Miami, but lets be realistic. #12 Mississippi St. is the worst unbeaten team in the country and will lose at least two games by seasons end. Georgia, USC, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and LSU all have a loss. They need to run the table, win their conference championship game and get a some help.
Oregon St. is undefeated but let's be honest, the Beavers glory run ain't gonna last much last much longer.

So here's what you have left. Two of these teams should end up in Miami.

#1Alabama- Still the best team in the country hands down. I've said it all year, the Tide have pretty much RSVP'd a trip to Miami. Other than a tuff game against LSU coming up and a stiff test from the SEC East champs, it's tune up games and stat builders for Saban's squad.
#2 Florida- Surprised that there second in the BCS? You should be. Preseason #23 and picked to finish third in the SEC east the Gators have done nothing but surprise all year. They have to win out, which is asking for a lot, and beat the Tide in Atlanta, which is asking for too much.
#3 Oregon- Probably should be #2 in the polls but really doesn't matter. All the Ducks have to do is take care of business and they will be playing in their second national title game in three years. The loser of the SEC championship game will open up their spot.
#4 Kanas St.- The long shot of the top five. Even if they win out they would need a Florida and Oregon loss to move into the #2 spot, and they probably wouldn't stay at two long if Notre Dame goes unbeaten. It would be a great a story and Collin Klein would win the Heisman.
#5 Notre Dame- Irish fans may be as pissed off as Gene Chisizk's wife at the end of the season. They could go unbeaten and still be left out of the title game. They really need #2,#3, and #4 to lose. Possible but not probable.

There's a couple of teams who will just miss out.

Florida St.- A terrible loss crushed their hopes.
West Virginia- ( See Florida St. )
Kentucky- A tough loss to Western Kentucky dampened the Wildcats hopes. And if that's not enough, 10 other losses will be.

Heisman watch:
Collin Klein QB, KSU- If he keeps winning he'll join the elusive club.

Braxton Miller, QB OSU- I personally don't think a player on a non bowl eligible team should get an invite to New York but there's no denying that he's one of the best in the country.

Jeff Driskel QB, UF- Cant keep looking past the fact that the kid is really really good. May be more athletic than Tebow and he's just getting started.

Right there:
Geno Smith QB, WVU- Didn't have a great game in the loss to Texas Tech but still has play station like numbers. He has time to get back to the front.

Manti T'eo LB, ND- It's unlikely that a defensive player gets the award but this kid is a beast. Best defensive player in the country.

Kiehl Frazier QB, AU- If the 1-4 record as a starter don't close the door, the two touchdowns and seven interceptions may be to much to overcome. Especially when your benched

How Bad Is It: Tennessee Edition

Things on Rocky Top went from not very good to slightly beyond bad on Saturday night. What started off as a promising season with some very attainable expectations has turned into another bad dream for the Big Orange faithful. Things aren't in full fledged melt down mode yet, but #1 Alabama comes into Neyland Stadium this Saturday night and if the expected happens (UT opens up as 19 point underdog) the Volunteer fan base will go all out Chernobyl.
Some are already there. All you have to do is log on to any one of the numerous message boards and you can see that Vol Nation is hanging on by a thread. And if (when) that thread breaks Saturday night it will be the start of some interesting (and some completely ridiculous) discussions for the rest of the season.

There are basically two arguments being made right now. One is Derek Dooley has to go.
He's 0 and way to many against ranked opponents. He's coming off a 5 win season. He lost to Kentucky. His only SEC wins are against bottom tier programs. Some just feel that Dooley can't win at Tennessee. And that some is turning into a lot in hurry.

The other group says give Dooley some more time.
He walked into a disaster. He inherited a roster with below average SEC talent. He has had to play a ton of inexperienced young players. He's recruiting well.

Both groups make some valid points. But it's all in how you look at it. It's obvious Tennessee is not what it once was.
The question Vol fans have to ask is what is realistic expectations?

Not that long ago Tennessee's expectations were very defined. Beat your rivals (Bama, UF, UGa) win the East, play in Atlanta. Recruit. Repeat.
Beating teams like South Carolina, Miss. St and Kentucky were givens on the Vols worst days. But to set expectations now, fans have to acknowledge the difference between then and now.
Nick Saban has built a program at Alabama that John L Smith would have a hard time bringing down.
Les Miles is raking in talent at LSU at a rate not seen since Saban was there.
Muschamp is recruiting elite talent and showing he can coach it to.
The Ole Ball Coach has the Gamecocks rolling.
Georgia is solid as usual.
Throw in the success of Miss St. And Texas AM and this ain't your dads SEC. The days of UT/UF deciding who plays Alabama in Atlanta is over. If Tennessee's expectations are still the same, then some big decisions have to be made at seasons end.
Do you oust Dooley and try and land a "big fish"? Will the results be any different? Some fans think the solution is as simple as loading up a Brinks truck full of cash and dumping it in a top tier coaches front yard. And maybe it is. Most of the time in the coaching world you get what you pay for. You can't have a $5 coach and expect 5 million dollar results. Elite coaches, much like elite talent, require a certain dollar figure for there services. Tennessee should be able to entice an elite coach. Their a storied program with one of the biggest stadiums in America and facilities that are second to none. They make up for their lack of instate talent with the largest recruiting budget in the nation enabling them to go far and wide to land prospects. They play in the best conference in the country and when winning, have a fan base that will treat you like a god.
But they would have to shell out some cash. Lots of it.
Or do you stay the course with Dooley and "the relentless pursuit for
continuos improvement"? Are you okay with an 8 win ceiling? Can you accept not being a contender on any meaningful level in the college football world. Can you live with being the sixth, seventh, even eighth best team in your conference?
I'm not sure which direction the powers to be will go come January. Change could be in the air but it might not be the change the fans want.

UT fans may have to find a way to deal with mediocrity.

Could the Titans win the BCS National Title?

What? It's a legit question. And I'm a Titans fan. But take a serious look at it. They can't complete in the NFL right now so one can only speculate on how things would play out if they were playing against a more equal opponent.
There a five standout BCS title contenders so let's match the Titans up with each one and pick a winner.

1. Alabama - The Titans lose this game without question. Better offense, better defense, more talent and Nick Saban would coach circles around Mike Munchak. The Titans should petition the league to allow them to draft TJ Yeldon now.

2. Oregon - The Titans are on pace to give up more points than any team in NFL history so mark this one down in the loss column for Tennessee. They have given up 30 or more in every game this year. The Ducks would put up 30 by half time and have a new uniform to do it in.

3. South Carolina - Jadeveon Clowney will be the first pick in next years draft but if this game took place today NFL owners would petition that he never be eligible. He would wreak havoc on Hasslebeck and the Titans O-Line would make him look like Lawrence Taylor on some Lance Armstrong "supplements". So I give it to the Cocks in a close one.

4. Florida - The Gators are young and might make just enough mistakes that the Titans could squeak by. It wouldn't be a barn burner but Hasselbeck would probably throw for a score and CJ would break the 50 yard mark.

5. West Virginia - This would be CJ's coming out party. The Mountaineers defense is slightly worse than the Titans so they should put up 50 points. Problem is, West Virginia's offense is a million times better than the Titans defense. The Mountaineers would put up 60. And 60 beats 50.

So if you kept score, not only would the Titans not win the BCS title, they wouldn't even play in Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.

At least they would get a bowl invite.

Empire State Of Mind

Lets hear it for New York. And Jay Z. After all, if you ain't stealing a verse from Jigga for your blog then you ain't blogging, right? I'll bet Mr. Sean Carter has a few ideas for a couple of his hometown teams but since I couldn't get an interview with the hip hop king, I'll give you my thoughts.

The Yankees are in the post season and have a chance to advance in the AL playoff race while the Jets won't see a postseason game unless they take a team field trip to Yankee Stadium. And team bonding wouldn't be a bad thing for Rex and his boys. But there might just be a way for the two to help each other out. Just hear me out.
A-Rod is a-joke right now for the Brox Bombers hitting somewhere around .001. Ok it's not that bad but he is something like 1 for 200. Ok that's an exaggeration too but you get the point. He's so bad he was benched in the ninth last night, pinch hit for, and his replacement hit not only the game tying homer but also the game winning homer. And Alex is the highest paid player in MLB history. The Yankees have paid him about a trillion dollars.

Mark Sanchez has played like the 5 star recruit he once was. Problem is he's not at USC anymore. He's not on a team with twice as much talent as their opponent. He's actually on a team that probably has less talent than any Trojans team he was a part of. And he has a proven winner sitting behind him that won't see the field because Rex Ryan is an idiot.

So what am I proposing you ask?
Simple.

The Yankees should trade A-Rod to the Jets for Sanchez.
Look at it this way. Sanchez is an athletic guy. You don't get to be an NFL QB by not being a great athlete, even if your a terrible NFL QB(which Sanchez is). You put Sanchez at the plate 15 straight times and I'll bet he puts the bat on the ball and finds a gap at least twice. That's one better than A-Rod.
And Rodriguez to the Jets is a win-win for both teams. The Yankees free up about 10 billion dollars and the Jets get a super star that has already proven that when he gets benched, his replacement comes in and makes miracles happen. His replacement would be Tim Tebow.

And Tim Tebow wakes up in the morning and pisses miracles.

New York needs someone who pisses miracles right now.

I think Jay Z would approve.

Are You Surprised?

There are always surprises in sports. Be it good or bad some teams, coaches, or players don't have the types of seasons people thought they would. In worse case scenarios (See the Boston Red Soxs, Arkansas Razorbacks) it's a combination of bad teams plus terrible coaching plus under performing players that causes a team to fold like an accordion. In best case scenarios (See Baltimore Orioles, Florida Gators) it's a talented team with solid coaching that have their players playing at a high level which leads to over achieving and success.

What determines these outcomes could come from one wrong decision that went unnoticed or a multitude of mistakes that can combine to form a losing atmosphere of almost unimaginable proportions. Is essence, the margin for era is very small but the results can be very big.

The Red Sox's made monumental errors from day one. Fired a two time World Series winning manager, replaced him with a two time loser that had an arrogance and attitude problem, trimmed the talent off their roster and tried to be competitive in the toughest division in baseball with triple a players. Even Des Bryant thinks Boston makes bad decisions.

And there's Arkansas.
Even Boston thinks Arkansas makes bad decisions.

On the flip side of that you have the Orioles who have been terrible for decades but now find themselves not only in the playoffs but have a chance to move on. A great managerial hire and terrific pitching from a young bullpen has people in Maryland talking about more than the Terrapin's uniforms or political debates.

The Gators game into the college football season barley ranked in the top 25 and people already had head coach Will Muschamp on the hot seat after one season in Gainesville. Five weeks in, their the fourth ranked team in the country and in the thick of the national title race. Great coaching combined with great athletes usually equals success. Just ask Nick Saban.

Sometimes as fans we underestimate a lot of the decisions being made. We overlook them in the grand scheme of things.

But it's those decisions that greatly effect the grand scheme of things.

One bad decision and all of the sudden, things aren't so grand.

How Bad Is It: Auburn Edition

Just when we thought there was no way a program could top what Arkansas has been able to accomplish in such a short time, along came Auburn. The dumpster fire that has consumed the Razorbacks football program moved on to new ground on Saturday. It takes a hell of team to lose to Arkansas right now. A team would have to have a putrid QB, a terrible O-line, lack of a running game, pitiful defense, commit a ton of dumb penalties and have the most overrated national title winning coach is history. Add all that up and you have the Auburn Tigers.
Gene Chizik was a below average coach when he was hired from Iowa St. I still remember the "5 and 19" chants by the Auburn faithful as he was stepping off the plane his first day on the job. But Chizik was able to land prized recruit Cam Newton as his QB, and with the guidance of Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn the Tigers won the BCS Championship. All was well in Auburn for that one season. Apart from the botched NCAA investigation of improper benefits given to Newton things couldn't have been better. Then Newton decides to take his talents, and a pay cut, to the NFL and Malzahn leaves for a head coaching job. All of the sudden Chizik's coaching abilities, or lack there of, are shining through. You can try to make the argument that you can't blame all this on Chizik but it would be a terrible argument. What have they done post Newton/Malzahn to convince people other wise? They have still put together a couple of good recruiting classes but that just makes your argument look like a Kiehl Frazier pass. Auburn has talent. Next. They don't have a bunch of experienced starters. Neither does Alabama, how's that working out for Saban? Good coaches win a national title and build off it. Good coaches can lose coordinators and assistants and never miss a step. Average coaches can shell out a couple hundred thousand bucks to a couple elite players and coordinators and win a title. When they move on, winning packs it's bags and moves on with them and all that is left is a championship banner and a sorry excuse for a football team.
Auburn fans say that it was worth it. I'm not so sure.
If Arkansas's football program is a dumpster fire (and it is) then Auburn is a landfill burning bright at the bottom of the SEC.
And it ain't gonna get any better

CFB: The Top 5

After five weeks of the college football season, five teams have emerged as legit national title contenders. Some win with offense (West Virgina) some win with defense (Florida) and some win with both (Alabama, South Carolina). One team combines a little bit of all of the above plus enough speed to field an Olympic relay team (Oregon) and perhaps the nations best looking cheerleaders. Here's the fab five.

1. Alabama- Size, speed, execution and depth. The perfect recipe to win a title. The Crimson Tide have them all. On most Saturday's Nick Saban has as much talent standing on the sideline as most teams have on the field. The SEC is the most competitive conference in the country, yet Alabama has found little competition through five games. And judging by the way things are shaking up in the SEC West, there ticket to Atlanta for the SEC championship game is already punched. I would be shocked if they weren't playing in Miami after that.

2. Oregon- Speed, talent, speed, high powered explosive offense, speed, solid defense, speed and extremely attractive cheerleaders can get you by. And for the Ducks they do more than just get by. Their defense is better than most give credit and they do a lot of different things schematically to keep offenses off balance. Offensively the Ducks will spread you out, push the tempo at a border line unfair pace, keep you guessing at all times and then explode with big plays on the ground and threw the air. And there's enough scenery in Eugene to keep everybody tuned in. It was 12:00 a.m. on the east coast in the third quarter of a blowout and yet I couldn't dare close my eyes while the camera crew panned the crowd or the sideline to get a glimpse of the Oregon 10's. Barring a let down game, they could end the SEC title streak.

3. South Carolina- The old ball coach is still got it. He has turned Conner Shaw into a shinning star and has the nations best running back in Marcus Lattimore. Their offense can grind you down and now they can throw it over you too. The defense plays at another level. There is NFL talent all along the defensive front and the secondary doesn't make many mistakes. The 'Cocks have a tough road, but getting through it will leave no doubts about this teams abilities.

4. West Virgina- Offensively there as good as its gets. Geno Smith is the Heisman front runner with his flawless performance through five games and has put up ridiculous numbers that would be difficult to do against air much less opposing defenses. But speaking of defense, the Mountaineer's don't have much of one. Their game plan seems to be to play just enough plays on defense to give the offense a breather, give up a score, watch offense score, repeat. As good as that offense has been, they have to find some defense if they want to win a championship.

5. Florida- Is there a bigger surprise in college football right now? The Gator's have been somewhat quietly putting them selves in contention for the national title race. They have gotten better and better each week on offense and defensively are second to none. Will Muschamp has his boys believing they can beat anybody and he may be right. They have a stretch of tough games up coming but so far the tougher the opponent, the tougher the Gator's play. Their game against South Carolina should determine the SEC East.

Just Missing The Cut
Kansas St.- The Wildcats are right there but they have to keep winning and hope for some help. QB Collin Klein is in the Heisman race and should give K-State a chance in every game.
Notre Dame- Yes the Irish almost crack my top five. Almost. And if it wasn't for those extremely hideous helmets they wore, then who knows. They are playing great defense and the offense has its moments. A tough strech coming up will show what this Irish team is made of. But win or lose, Lou Holts will still say they could win a national title next season as always

UT Frat Boy ButtChugging Press Conference

If you haven't seen the video, your missing out.

Really.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=keTbsSfMOdI   
This has to be a joke, I mean is this lawyer for real.

SEC Saturday

Two big match ups in the South Eastern Conference highlight Saturday's slate of games. Yes there are other games going on around the nation but outside of WVU/Texas none have the importance of #4 LSU/#10 Florida or fifth ranked Georgia at #6 South Carolina. Both SEC games probably wont combine to score the number of points that West Virgina and Texas will, but all four teams have something that wins National Championships. Its called defense.

LSU at Florida
Could the Gators be the most underrated team in the top ten? You could make that argument. I'm not going to because of my extreme dislike for the team that hails from Gainesville, but I'm just saying that you could. They barely cracked the preseason top 25, were picked to finish sixth and even seventh in the SEC, and outside of Gainesville expectations weren't too high. With a second year head coach and a young QB all the Gators have done is win. Heading into Saturdays showdown against LSU they have an opportunity to emerge as a favorite to win the SEC East. A win on Saturday puts them as either 1a or 1b in the pecking order in the East depending on the outcome of Georgia/South Carolina. And the upset is not unimaginable. Florida has ran the ball very well this season even against a couple of tough SEC defenses. Driskel is playing solid smart football for a young QB and much like the entire Florida team, the defense has gotten better and better each week. LSU has looked beatable to say the least in their last couple of outings. Their defense should return to form this week after a couple of sloppy performances and give Florida fits. But there offense has been average at best and QB play has been borderline Kentucky like at times. They do have several backs that can carry the football but at some point in Saturdays game, Mettenberger will have to make plays for the Tiger offense if LSU wants to remain unbeaten. The Swamp is a tough place to play and the Gators ain't Towson.

Georgia at South Carolina
The Gamecocks were trailing 17-7 last Saturday at halftime, and then remembered they were playing Kentucky. A steady dose of Marcus Lattimore in the second half turned the game around and now the 'Cocks are favored heading into Saturdays match up with #5 Georgia. Georgia gave up 44 points at home to Tennessee and turned the ball over five times in a close win. Had it not been for Vol QB Tyler Bray going all Jay Cutler in the last five or so minutes of the game, the Dawgs could be feeling very different right now. Both teams have strengths and weaknesses in almost the same areas. They both play very solid defense, usually, both have stud running backs ( Georgia actually has two ) and both are solid on special teams. The winner is in the drivers seat in the SEC East and stays in the BCS National Title picture.

Who Wins?
As I said before, I wont make the argument for Florida. Feel free to if you wish, but just remember this one could come down to coaching and the Mad Hatter is one of the best. Something tells me Miles has his boys ready to play on Saturday. I'm going LSU 24-17.

The Bulldogs are underdogs on Saturday due in large part to the game being in Columbia. Both teams match up well but I'm taking Georgia because of QB play. Not that Conner Shaw hasn't been good so far this season but Aaron Murry is coming off of a rare 3 turnover game and has a knack for bouncing back in big games. If Georgia can somewhat contain Lattimore, then they force Shaw into some mistakes. I'll take UGa 31-27

MVP's
Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU- This kid is a beast and UF gave up 8 sacks to Texas A&M. Mingo along with the rest of LSU's D-Line could make Florida quarterbacks feel like a tackling dummy.
Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia- Look for Murray to have a bounce back game. South Carolina will do everything to slow down the freshman running backs so Murray will have opportunities to make plays

CFB Week 5: A Look Back

The fifth week of the college football season was as entertaining as anyone could want if your into offensive shootouts as teams were scoring at will and players were putting up play station like numbers. Several games looked like the defenses were playing under Pro Bowl rules which is the equivalent of standing still when the ball is snapped and then chasing the ball carrier at three quarter speed while making a below average effort to make the tackle. What that resulted in was enough highlight reel plays offensively to make the Sports Center top 10 all season, and that's just in the West Virgina/Baylor game,

Who are the legit title contenders?
Look, WVU put on a show offensively and Geno Smith may have won the Heisman on Saturday but their defense is far form being championship caliber. They wont put up 70 against everybody and its hard to think Smith can duplicate that type of performance. They had better make some adjustments or they may not run the table in the BIG 12, and without a 12-0 record they wont have a shot at getting into the title game.
Then there is the third ranked LSU Tigers who have put together a couple of lack-luster performances and all of the sudden look very beatable. They played very sloppy and very uninspiring football against FCS Townsend. They have to go to Florida on Saturday and then host South Carolina the following weekend. If  Les Miles doesn't fix things quick then that all important Alabama game everyone has been talking about wont matter for the Tigers
On the flip side, Alabama didn't play its best football but still looked like the most complete team in the nation.. They can throw the ball with confidence, run it pretty much at will, and their defense is capable of completely dominating a game. Throw in the league's best kicker's and a stable of play making kick returners and you have a well rounded football team. Barring a let down game, the Tide should run the table.
And then there is Oregon. Unlike WVU they can score and play defense. Chip Kelly learned something in losing that national title game to Auburn back in 2010 that could pay off with a championship in 2012. After seeing his prolific offense get slowed down in that contest he started putting extra focus on his defense. Now their not an SEC defense but there good enough.

My Top 5
1. Alabama- There the most talented complete team in college football.
2. Oregon- High powered offense with enough speed to give any defense trouble. There defense is good enough to keep them in any game too
3. Florida State- The Noles are solid on both sides of the ball and have play makers that can change the outcome of a game in a hurry.
4. LSU- They have as much talent as anyone but they simply have just not played well lately. They need to put it all together in a hurry.
5. Georgia-  They didn't play a flawless game against Tennessee but they showed they wont fold when things don't go there way. They have play makers everywhere and two stud running backs that will be Heisman contenders next year.

Stock Up
1. Geno Smith QB, WVU- Not that his stock has been down but after the record setting performance yesterday it may be his Heisman to loose.
2. Marcus Lattimore RB, South Carolina- 23 carries 121 yards and 2 touchdowns and most of it came in the second half. If the 'Cocks wanna win Saturday when #5 Georgia comes to town the Old Ball Coach better feed this guy the ball.

Stock Down
1. Le'Veon Bell RB, Michigan St.- He rushed for 45 yards. Defenses will stack the box on him for the rest of the season so this could be a trend.
2. Stephan Taylor RB, Stanford- Two weeks after rushing for 150 plus yards against then #2 USC, he was held to just 75 yards against Washington with a long of 7.

Anyone else wanna see WVU play Oregon?