UCF vs. Mississippi State 

There may not be a better story in all of college football this year than the success of Slyvester Croom at Mississippi State. After being planted very firmly on the hot seat, Croom lead the Bulldogs to an 8-4 record with wins against Auburn, Alabama and Kentucky. As good as that story is, I can’t imagine they have what it takes to beat George O’Leary’s UCF Knights. UCF fans better enjoy watching running back Kevin Smith, the nation’s leading rusher, while they can because he won’t be running around Orlando for very much longer. What impresses me most about Smith, besides the fact that he’s averaging nearly 200 yards a game rushing, is his patience with the football. He has tremendous feet and waits for his line to open holes and cutback lanes, which they often do and he sees the field as good as any back in the nation. For my money, Kevin Smith is an exponentially better running back than Darren McFadden and deserves to be in New York this weekend as much as anyone. What I like about UCF is that as potent as they are on offense, their defense isn’t anything to shirk at either. They have a great potent cover corner in Joe Burnett, who led Conference USA in interceptions and pretty good pair of pass rushers in Bruce Miller and Leger Douzable. Pair UCF’s terrific ground game with a ball-hawking defense against a Mississippi State game with a mediocre defense and a dreadful offense and you’ve got the makings for a blow out. I’ll take the UCF in Kevin Smith’s coming out party.

Saturday, Dec. 29 - Valero Alamo Bowl 

Penn State vs. Texas A&M

Coming into the year, everyone and their brother was trumpeting Penn State as a potential Big Ten dark horse. They claimed quarterback Anthony Morelli had improved in the off-season and the Nittany Lions were ready to stake their claim as the Big Ten’s best. Not so fast, my friend.  The defense, led by corner Jeff King and linebacker Dan Connor, who led the Big Ten in tackles with 136, held up their end of the bargain, finishing second in the conference in total defense. The offense, and the “improved” Morelli struggled — again. Morelli showed the same poor judgement in the pocket, failed to get the ball into the hands of receivers Deon Butler and Derrick Williams and the team failed to beat Michigan and Ohio State again. For Texas A&M, a year of tremendous promise was upset by scandal when it was reported that Dennis Franchione was giving out inside information to boosters who paid thousands of dollars for a special newsletter. Franchione was later fired (and replaced by former Packers coach Mike Sherman) and defensive coordinator Gary Darrell will coach the Aggies in the bowl game. Offensively, Texas A&M has been one of the most disappointing teams in America. The Aggies returned a trio of the nation’s best skill players in quarterback Stephen McGee and running backs Javorski Lane and Mike Goodson. Still, A&M finished ninth in the Big 12 in total offense, a number that won’t be at all helped by going out against one of the nation’s best defensive units.  I’ll take Penn State in this one.. ugly.

Sunday, Dec. 30 - PetroSun Independence Bowl

Alabama vs. Colorado 

Two once-proud programs clash in Shreveport, La. in the Independence Bowl  and this game is a total toss-up. Both of these teams have shown flashes of re-birth this season — Alabama’s nail-biter over Arkansas and Colorado’s thriller against Oklahoma —  and have also been disappointing at times. For Dan Hawkins’ Buffs, the key to the game will be getting pressure on John Parker Wilson, who wilts like basil when the pocket collapses and getting as many people as it takes to cover receiver D.J. Hall. Nick Saban will have to make sure Wilson always knows where Colorado linebacker Jordan Dizon is lined up. The Buffs’ senior linebacker led the Big 12 with 149 tackles. Offensively, Colorado would do well to get tailback Hugh Charles 20-30 touches in this game and try to control the tempo of the game. Letting Cody Hawkins throw the ball against Simeon Castille and Rashad Johnson, who led the SEC in interceptions, could be Colorado’s downfall in this contest. Nick Saban knows that there is a lot riding on this game for Alabama. After losing all of its big games this year, including another loss to Auburn, and an embarrassing home loss to Louisiana-Monroe, a loss in their bowl game to Colorado may squelch whatever enthusiasm still remains in Tuscaloosa about Alabama football. I’ll take the Crimson Tide in this one, there is simply too much at stake for Nick Saban.

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No, seriously…

Chicago cops ticket the Weinermobile.

New Zealand parents want to name their son “4Real” after ultrasound.

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What the hell are the Detroit Lions so confident about?

An interesting column on Joe Paterno in today’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Article on last night’s showing by the Colts D in today’s Indy Star.

The Louisville Courier-Journal’s Rick Bozich thinks IU has found its head football coach in interim coach Bill Lynch.

The Kansas City Star’s Joe Posnanski is pretty high on Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle.

Bengals rookie tailback Kenny Irons could be done for the season.

The AJC’s Tony Barnhart ranks the SEC’s defensive backs.

Texas defensive end Mario Williams is going to try not to suck in 2007.

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Well-rounded news…

Matt Damon gets animated on Arthur and the results are kind of creepy.

Forbes lists the top 10 most expensive commutes in America.

Disney-MGM Studios changes its name next year.

Stephen King on the final installment of Harry Potter.

NPR on why MTV has edited out “suicidal” from the Sean Kingston song “Beautiful Girls.”

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No, seriously…

This guy really did attend the Ray Charles Driving Academy.

Canadian airline loses a very important piece of luggage.

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Jermaine O’Neal backs off his trade demand/ The Indianapolis Star’s Bob Kravitz.

Packers rookie running back Brandon Jackson is impressing everyone in Green Bay.

The NFL Network to make games pay-per-view?

Joe Paterno says the Big Ten needs to reinstate the bye week.

Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English isn’t concerned about all the holes he must fill.

Urban Meyer may not redshirt freshman QB John Brantley after all.

Texas QB Colt McCoy is ready to go after impressive freshman season.

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis still pretending that freshman Jimmy Clausen won’t start for the Irish.

Cal QB inexplicably dyes his hair various shades of blue.

USC’s trio of tailbacks coming on strong.

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Well-rounded news… 

New iMacs to look like the iPhone?

A nice piece in the LA Times on the trend of artists playing entire albums at live gigs.

Steve Allen to sell his portion of DreamWorks.

A poignant cartoon by Mike Luckovich of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today as flight delays hit a 13-year-high.

Harold Perrineau talks to Entertainment Weekly about returning to Lost.

A Top Chef bracket that beats the pants off ESPN’s stupid “Who’s Now?”

PopCandy’s breakdown of Lollapalooza.

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No, seriously…

Pittsburgh hospital takes a stand against crocs.

AMC doesn’t carry nickels?

Apparently life is tough when you share a name with a boy wizard.

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Is this the last year for D-Nabb in Philly?

McNabb appears to be showing promise early in training camp.

The Ocho Cinco has some money set aside for fines.

More of the Fanhouses Big Ten preview:

• Most overrated players
• Coaches on the hot seat
• Key position battles
• The five best players
• The underdogs
• Toughest schedules

Penn State QB Anthony Morelli is confident but is he overconfident?

Virginia Tech hopes football season will mark a return to normalcy.

Joe Theismann says he urged Tony Kornheiser to stick with Monday Night Football.

Eagles fans crash Cowboys training camp.

The Colts are parting ways with defensive tackle Corey Simon.

Pro d-backs put Indiana wideout James Hardy through his paces.

‘Browns insider’ says Brady Quinn’s agent is the reason rookie QB isn’t in camp yet.

Wolverine players tell Jim Harbaugh where to go over academic criticisms.

SI’s Peter King says Brady Quinn is a fool for not being in camp.

What a dope Michael Strahan is.

Joe Paterno considers staying in the press box. Consider this — retire.

Wilbon on the death of Bill Walsh.

IU to pay tribute to Coach Hep on uniforms, helmets.

Big Ten commish Jim Delaney proving once more that he really is a complete idiot.

UCF is loving their new digs.

Baton Rouge Advocate talks some LSU football.

Vince Young proves that his low Wunderlich score wasn’t a fluke; punches teammate’s helmet with throwing hand.  The Tennessean.

Tech group files complaints against sports leagues over fair use.

Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio expects the Spartans to be bowl bound in ‘07.

A nice story on the rise of Michigan true quarterback Ryan Mallett. Expect to see Mallett some playing time this season in mop-up duty. In time, I firmly believe Mallett will prove to be a much better quarterback than his rival Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen. 

The State (Columbia, S.C.) ranks the SEC quarterbacks.

The AJC’s Tony Barnhart ranks the SEC best running backs.

The NFL to produce a Vince Lombardi biopic.
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Well-rounded news…

The University of Iowa could become the first university to name one of its colleges after a corporation following a $15 million gift from Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Disney has pulled the plug on its plans for a ‘Ratatouille’ wine.

Two-a-days are becoming a thing of the past in the NFL.

Even investment bankers love them some Facebook.

Blogger thinks new Bourne film is an attack on the Bush administration.

Wyclef says Lauryn Hill is the reason there hasn’t been a Fugees reunion.

Halo 3 to feature online multi-player co-op.

Tech blog Valleywag urges Facebook to stop counting its money and fix the site.

First season of Heroes to come out on DVD later this month. YES!

John Mayer, Dave Matthews and Nas set to play gig at Virginia Tech in September.

Cinematical reviews The Bourne Ultimatum, which I am excited beyond words to see tomorrow night.  Another review from Time Magazine.

Robert Downey, Jr. talks about playing Iron Man.

Rumors swirl over the title of J.J. Abrams’ new project. Some production stills from the set.

The Detroit Free Press interview Cold War Kids frontman Nathan Willett.

Not everyone was a fan of Rocco Dispirito’s cameo on Top Chef last night.

Entertainment Weekly wants to know who you like more: Bond or Bourne?

American Airlines will test in-flight broadband next year.

This is my first official post for the 2007 college football season and I thought I’d start out a little simple. Here’s five players that are poised to have a breakthrough in ‘07 and become household names.

Keith Rivers - LB - USC

Watching some of the USC games it was difficult to miss Keith Rivers. The kid plays sideline-to-sideline, loves to hit, is very athletic and pretty good in pass coverage. Rivers led the Trojans as a senior last year with 85  tackles and 47 solo tackles. My beef with Rivers in watching him last season was that he had a great motor but sometimes played a little undisciplined. Hopefully playing with what has to be the best linebacking corps in the nation with Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing will settle him down some. Expect Rivers to be a Butkus Award finalist along with teammates Maualuga.

Jonathan Stewart  - RB - Oregon

Making an appearance on the Maxwell Award watchlist, Jonathan Stewart could become a big-time playmaker for Mike Bellotti and the Ducks this season.  Though he finished with less than 1,000 yards last year, look for Stewart to exceed last year’s numbers and then some. He’ll also likely be featured more in the pass game. Though the Pac-10 is still USC’s to lose, stopping Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson will be essential if the Trojans are to make it out of Eugene on Oct. 27.

Earl Bennett - WR - Vanderbilt

The first college football game I watched last season was Vandy’s week 1 trip to The Big House to play Michigan. What I saw was a feisty, young and exciting team led by Bennett and quarterback Chris Nickson hang around the Wolverines much longer than they should have. Last season, Bennett proved that maybe he didn’t need Jay Cutler to be a potent offensive weapon and caught an SEC-best 82 balls for 1,146 yards and 6 TDs as a sophomore. As a junior, Bennett is on pace to set the SEC career record for both receptions and yards. If the Commodores are to get to their first bowl game in more than 20 yards, they’re going to get there on the back of Earl Bennett.

Andre’ Woodson - QB - Kentucky

It’s hard not to feel good about last season if you’re a Kentucky football fan. The team not only made it to a bowl game but beat a pretty heavily favored Clemson team along the way. Riding that high the Wildcats come into the ‘07 season with an offense featuring three of the SEC’s most electric offensive playmakers in Woodson, RB Rafael Little and WR Keenan Burton. If UK is to continue their winning ways and find six wins in a schedule that features road games against Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia and tilts at home against Florida, LSU and Tennessee, they’re going to need Woodson to show the consistency he did last year when he completed 63 percent of his passes. Limiting turnovers will also be essential for the UK offense, who’ll need to put up points on the board to counteract a defense that was 108th and 118th in the country against the run and the pass. If Woodson can repeat his 2006 campaign, where he threw for more than 3,000 yards with 31 touchdowns and just 7 INTs, Rich Brooks could become the Vince Lombardi of Lexington.

Dan Connor - LB - Penn State

This might seem like kind of an obvious choice but I firmly believe that Dan Connor will step out of the shadow of Paul Posluszny and make a name for himself. There are some that believe, like I do, that Connor was actually the better, more athletic player of the two and actually led the Nittany Lions with 113 tackles (70 solos) and two interceptions. With his move from outside linebacker to middle to fill in for Posluszny, who graduated last year, Connor is bound to draw comparisons to his predecessor but utilizing his great closing speed, an excellent nose for the ball and diagnosing plays and that Penn State, Linebacker U toughness, Connor will have little problem making the transition inside after three seasons at outside linebacker. Connor, along with Maualuga and Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo are my early favorites for the Butkus award.

No, seriously…

Squirrels burned down the home of an Illinois man… twice.

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Good article today in the Washington Post by Les Carpenter on the fight over the NFLPA’s pension and disability plan. The way I feel about this is that the union and the NFL should make sure that, medically, players are taken care of after they leave the game because of how brutal a sport football is. Former players, however, are not entitled to dig into the pockets of current formers, despite their claims that they are. I’m working at a newspaper today and I certainly respect and admire those that came before me in this business but those people have no right to what I’m making today. And neither do the former players, many of whom resent what the kind of money today’s players are making.

Kevin Durant will be on the cover of EA Sports’ March Madness ‘08.

Penn State took action against 10 football players that took part in an off-campus fight that put one man in the hospital last year. Conveniently, none of them will be ineligible for the fall. Two of the players still face felony criminal charges.

Jay Mariotti says the Bears should have parted ways with Tank Johnson long ago.

Whoever is checking Andy Katz’s home for radon leaks may also want to fly to Detroit to inspect Jon Kitna’s crib. The quarterback told a Detroit radio station that the Lions are going to get at least 10 wins this year. I think that can happen.. oh wait.. 10 or more wins? Nevermind.

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the Magic are interested in acquiring free agent Rashard Lewis, the 6-10 forward averaged a career high 22.4 points last season. With a frontcourt of Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard, the Magic become a very serious threat in the Eastern Conference. Think Billy Donovan is having second thoughts?

The SEC is cracking down on class attendance. Following a policy set forth by the University of Georgia where the athletic department fined and suspended its athletes for missing classes and academic appointments, the conference is requiring all of its member schools to have some sort of attendance policy in place.

The Denver Post’s Woody Paige is suggesting John Elway help mentor Jay Cutler.