You're Welcome! 2009 Edition

For this week's You're Welcome, I will change it up a little bit and do a 2009 edition. I can't believe its almost 2010, but the new year will certainly bring some great stories. Here are the best of the year!

1. Pittsburgh Penguins: This one is tough to write. But the Penguins came into the Stanley Cup finals, without home ice against an opponent who beat you last season. And guess what? You're best player last year is in red. But you converted to a more physical style of play and had your interim coach lead you to victory. Sure the "Golden Boy" got his cup and Commish got his wish. Malkin was the best player in the finals and deserved the Conn Smythe. It was brutal to watch and I took a while to get over it but the Pens deserve credit.

2. Arizona Cardinals: You were perpetual losers and nobody cared about you guys moving to the desert. Finally you got a beautiful new stadium and started to attract some fans. Kurt Warner finally led you to a division title and the playoffs after being on the brink for a decade. Larry Fitzgerald went off and dominated the playoffs and you guys were seconds from a Super Bowl victory. You're in good shape to go to the Super Bowl again led by the best wide receiver in the NFL. Its inspiring to other teams to see a team make the Super Bowl that no one saw coming.

3. Kobe Bryant: You won a title without Shaq. Enough said in that line. But Kobe had an MVP year and led the Lakers to the NBA title. By now everybody is over your court case for a crime you didn't commit (he did commit transgressions) and all your sponsors are coming back. Sure it would have been nice to play Lebron in the finals but a great win anyway. Kobe is finally coming into his own and is one of the top five players in the league. It was nice to see him finally get that monkey off his back and bring the hardware back to LA.

Happy New Year everybody! Thanks for reading!

Contenders Losing At Worst Possible Time

Losing brings out the worst in players and coaches in sports. If Kansas went 9-3 this season, nobody would have heard about anything bad Mangino did. But they were losing and people were looking for a way out. Now that the Colt's run at an undefeated season is over, everyone in the ESPN talk machine will question the rookie Head Coach's decision.

The ESPN talk machine is brutal. It makes everything the Yankees or Cowboys or Notre Dame do seem life or death. It made the Dontrelle Willis trade and signing the biggest story in baseball, and now he isn't even a solid Single A player. We know where Brett Favre is at every second. Sometimes its very tough to watch, and you always have to take it with a grain of salt. But casual fans watch it and believe its the gospel, and that is where you run into problems (if your friend ever says "hes a just a competitor" or "he knows how to win" they are victims of this.) I love ESPN but you have to think for yourself. Mel Kiper is a moron. Don't let anyone fool you.

Now that I had my rant, back to the NFL. The Saint have lost two in a row to the red hot (yeah I know!) Dallas Cowboys after seeming unbeatable. The Vikings have lost 3 of 4 (including losses to the Panthers and Bears) and the Colts lost to the Jets. The second best team in the AFC has to be the Chargers (who could be the first, since the have the Colt's number.) The Bengals are battling a lot off the field and may not have the offense to win a game. The wildcards in the AFC seem weak. I wouldn't be afraid to play the Dolphins, Jets, Ravens, Steelers etc. So with all the teams losing at the top, the bottom feeders in the AFC should look forward to having a chance of winning a game.

In the NFC, my preseason Super Bowl Champ (Green Bay) is really turning it on. They have a good young defense with a lock down corner. Their offense is explosive. Sometimes issues like the Steelers game (500+ yards of offense) and o line troubles (50+ Sacks allowed) could be killer in one game scenarios. The Saints and Vikings seem stronger, even with recent struggles. The Cardinals look like contenders again. The Cowboys and Eagles look very good going into the playoffs. If the Cowboys can win Sunday, they will be in amazing shape and on a great roll heading into crunch time. Now if they can win a playoff game. The NFC looks very very deep this year, when NFL parity has been attacked ruthlessly.

I stick by my San Diego vs. Green Bay Super Bowl. Favorites rarely win the Super Bowl and their is too much talent at the bottom for their not to be any upsets. This disappointing season could lead to an excellent round of playoffs.

NFL Picks Week 16

Hope everybody had a good holiday! The Chargers thrashed the Titans so I am 1-0 so far this week. I will continue to pick during the playoffs as well, but won't have an upset special. On my upset picks for the season I am 8-7, hitting my one last week. Now here is the rest of the picks for the week.

Falcons over Bills
Bengals over Chiefs
Raiders over Browns
Packers over Seahawks
Patriots over Jaguars
Saints over Buccaneers
Giants over Panthers
Ravens over Steelers
Cardinals over Rams
49ers over Lions
Colts over Jets

*Upset Special* Texans over Dolphins

Sunday Night Football: Cowboys over Redskins

Monday Night Football: Vikings over Bears

You're Welcome! Happy Holidays!

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, the combination of finals week, going home, a nasty cold and the holidays have limited my time. I will post my NFL picks for this weekend, but probably take some time off until Monday. Then I will post on a more consistent basis for the rest of the time. For the Christmas day NFL game, I pick the Chargers over Titans. Now here is this week's You're Welcome!

1. University Of Texas Athletics: Longhorn football is one win away from winning another National Title. They have been on a roll since Vince Young beat USC in one of the best college football games ever. On top of that, your Basketball team is number 2 in the nation and beat a top ten team handily. This could be like a few years ago when Florida Basketball and Football were the top programs in America, we could be seeing a resurgence of a dominant program in both major sports.

2. Peyton Manning: You're probably going to win a record 4th MVP award. Your team continues to win in exciting fashion to improve your record to 14-0. You want to continue playing to keep winning and to keep your momentum in the playoffs. You will break every record imaginable before you retire. Do we really appreciate how good Manning is? We are seeing the best QB play in NFL history right now, and he is the best in the business.

3. Louis Delmas: The Lion's second round pick has been the best player on defense by far. He hits hard and causes more turnovers than the rest of the team combined. He had his first touchdown of his career in an 101 yard interception return against the Cardinals. The Lions finally have found a safety that hits hard and can make plays. If the Lions were better he would be in talks for Defensive Rookie of the Year. He is something we can build around and make a defense that could be NFL-caliber. Oh, and where did he play in college?

NFL Picks Week 15

Patriots over Bills
Cardinals over Lions
Titans over Dolphins
Browns over Chiefs
Texans over Rams
Jets over Falcons
Broncos over Raiders
Chargers over Bengals
Eagles over 49ers
Packers over Steelers
Ravens over Bears

*Upset Special* Buccaneers over Seahawks

Sunday Night Football: Vikings over Panthers
Monday Night Football: Redskins over Giants

You're Welcome!

Thanks to everyone who voted on my latest poll. Due to the support from you guys, and my own interest in doing a video blog/podcast (I am not sure what to do yet, my new laptop can support both ideas) I will unveil the STWWC's own video blog/podcast sometime after I return for the new semester. I'll think about how I want to lay out and set up the format and whatnot. My pick for Thursday Night Football is Colts over Jaguars and Saturday Night Football I got the Saints over the Cowboys. Now here is this week's You're Welcome!

1. Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints: You won lucky 13 last week and have a cupcake schedule the rest of the way. Sure, everything is locked up and you can rest everybody and still not gain or lose any ground on anybody. But for goodness sake, play for the undefeated season and chance at 19-0. The Patriots were 2 minutes away from doing it, and there is no reason the Saints or Colts can't do it, and maybe even face each other in the Super Bowl (Goodell would cry). Teams who win the Super Bowl usually are still playing everybody late in the year. Sure the Saints are winning close, but that can only help as the playoffs are just around the corner. Lets get those old Dolphins to stop celebrating every year and see a legendary team this year.

2. Detroit Pistons: Let us look at this franchise. Your hometown is struggling bad financially and sports wise. Your beloved owner died last spring. You are on your 3rd Head Coach in the last 3 years, and the second rookie Head Coach as well. You had maybe the best player you have had in 15 years get traded and see him go to the Western Conference finals. Your two best remaining players are injured. After all of that you are still floating around .500 and in the playoffs. Kuester should in contention for coach of the year. Stuckey can be a great SG and you may have something in Jerebko. Sure I miss Billups too, but maybe the final reloading needs to take place and ship Rip and Tayshaun for picks or players. Otherwise, decent season so far.

3. Cleveland Browns: I thought you were one of the worst teams in NFL history, but the Bills let you off the hook with a win and you knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs (all but mathematically) at home in a Thursday Night Football game. I said you don't deserve two Prime Time games (you still don't) but at least you A) picked a game on NFL Network and nobody would see it and B) beat your rivals who have stomped you since returning to Cleveland. Nice win, and you guys may get Mike Holmgrem to rebuild the franchise. I think he will keep Mangini, but will he pull a Pat Riley and take over the team for himself?

Top Five Reasons The NFL Is Better Than College Football

I often have this discussion with my friends about what is better, College or Pro football? I am a professional football fan first but I have thought about this a lot. Here are my Top Five reasons to watch the NFL over the NCAA.

5. Both make money, but at least the pro players make money (legally). Texas made 120 million dollars on football last year, and all the players got was free college. As a college student, I know how important college funds can be, but don't the players deserve a piece of the pie? The school gets money for selling number 15 Florida jerseys, but Tebow won't ever see a dime. Ohio State gets a cut of the video game profits but Pryor won't ever get a check. The players put in a lot of time (some more than others, Michigan), and deserve more than what they get. The NFL may overpay their players, but at least they make money.

4. Every game truly matters in the NFL. Yeah, every game of college football matters, but how many boring games are there a week. I don't want to see Michigan play Eastern Michigan, Michigan State play Montana State or Florida play the Florida International. We barely see meaningful non conference games anymore so that makes almost a third of the season worthless. The BCS doesn't factor in strength of schedule so who cares? Conference schedules are usually pretty good, but they don't make up for the start of the season. In the NFL, every week is usually competitive (this season is a fluke with so many good and bad teams) and the playoffs are usually settled on the last game of the year.

3. The talent level is much more equal. Even in these recent years where college football is evening out a little bit, the top teams are far superior to weaker teams. Look at conferences even, whats the difference Oregon and Arizona State? Alabama and Vanderbilt? Texas and Kansas State? The difference is too much to balance anything out. You can almost pick with certainty who will win conferences at the beginning of the year. The NFL sees almost 50% turnover in division winners and playoff teams every year. The Dolphins and Falcons went to the playoffs after awful seasons. I'd bet a ton of money that Vanderbilt doesn't win the SEC next season.

2. Its better football. Who doesn't want to see tons of vertical passing and quick running backs blowing past defenders? The spread is based on short passing and running. The spread is making its way into the NFL but still its just more entertaining to see NFL football. Their are usually less blowouts and higher scoring by both teams. You are watching the best athletes playing the best football with the best coaches. Its going to produce good football.

1. There are playoffs. We know far and away who is the champion of pro football. There isn't any doubt who the number 1 team in the league is. 12 out of 32 teams make the playoffs and all 12 teams have a shot at winning it all (a 6 seed has won the Super Bowl before) and usually many teams are gunning for a few spots in the regular season. By about Thanksgiving the NFL really heats up and becomes even better. Sunday and Monday Night Football use flex scheduling to get the best games on prime time. College sees such a difference in conferences that some teams need to win their cupcake schedule (example: Texas 2009) and they have their ticket to the championship game. Playoffs in college football would be ideal, but the same stupid excuses are used now that were in 1999 and will be used in 2019.

The NFL will be better than college football for some time, until college football can even out the talent levels on teams and conferences and make a legitimate playoff system to serve the entire league the best. I love both college and pro football, but I would rather watch the NFL any day.

NFL Picks Picks Week 14

I can't hit a Thursday Night Football game at all. I am 0-1 at this point. I did consider picking the Browns but they are the Browns? Here are the rest of the picks for this week.

Saints over Falcons
Packers over Bears
Colts over Broncos
Bills over Chiefs
Bengals over Vikings
Patriots over Panthers
Jets over Buccaneers
Jaguars over Dolphins
Ravens over Lions
Texans over Seahawks
Titans over Rams
Raiders over Redskins
Chargers over Cowboys

Sunday Night Football: Giants over Eagles
Monday Night Football: *Upset Special* 49ers over Cardinals

How I Would Fix The NHL

In my How I Would Fix Series (beginning with the Red Wings, you'll see Cubs and Lions soon and you won't see a Tiger Woods edition, I'm not Oprah) I take a look at the NHL. First I will give the facts that we know. Commissioner Darth Bettman is totally committed to the death to keep a team in Phoenix. It looks like next week they will approve the team being sold to a group that will keep them in Arizona. So the cash black hole that are the Coyotes will continue. I doubt this team can be good enough and generate enough buzz to become profitable. But at least the NHL won't be owning a team anymore. The salary cap should go down in the loss of revenue due to the poor economy. I would also bet that no team will relocate because the NHL is a charity in that way. So that is what we know.

In my first preview I told the Wings to go sign Marion Gaborik. Go look up how he is playing and tell me I'm wrong. So this is the Corbitt Recovery Plan:

Get a team in Southern Ontario. Yeah the Maple Leafs will be upset, but the franchise is worth the most in the NHL, so I doubt they will be hurt too bad. The NHL can get support from at least one more Canadian team and the extra revenue can help the league. Take your pick of teams to relocate (please no more expansion), Nashville, Florida, Tampa Bay, etc.

Move a team back to Winnipeg. Don't think I am Canada supporter. I am an increased revenue supporter. Winnipeg has a beautiful new arena and a good fan base. They will be able to support a team and should be given another shot. Outside of these two moves, no more relocating. Kansas City doesn't need a team, Ohio doesn't need another team Quebec City doesn't need another team either. The NHL will probably have to bail out the Islanders in a few years but they should. The Islanders can be a solid franchise. They just need a new arena and better ownership. No need to leave that market.

Create an Original Six series. In December, have all the Original Six teams play each other. The team with the best record can get an award. Now, it would be awesome to have a tournament in the regular season but I doubt that will happen. So here is my plan. Have all teams play each other and get some of the tradition back in the NHL. I don't care that the Red Wings play Nashville 34 times a season. Most of these teams don't play each other often enough. Its no secret that these teams have a very strong fan bases and would be supportive of this idea. It would also get a lot of buzz. Look how much the Winter Classic has done for the game? I love the Classic and watch it every year. This series would only help the NHL.

Continue to market young players and new rivalries. Ovechkin vs Crosby is always a great game and has helped the game. You have to carry the momentum gained by all these young stars and last year's playoffs into the future.

Bring back the Hockey World Cup to center stage. Look how many new soccer fans the World Cup brings to the game. Some people only care about the World Cup. Do the same with Hockey. Let NHLers play and have it every two years alternating with the Olympics (for example Olympics in 2010, World Cup in 2012). True, you would only get two All-Star games every four years, but you have to make sacrifices. Opening in foreign countries is a cool idea and now it is time to take it a step further. Lets see how popular Olympic hockey is this year (should be huge) and then we can put this idea into serious contention.

Keep fighting in the game, and get no touch icing. It seems like polar opposites but fighting is the safe alternate in the NHL. First of all, fighting is fun and great. Nothing gets people out of their seats and pumped like fighting does. Don't discourage players from dropping the gloves. No touch icing is necessary to get rid of unnecessary injuries in the NHL. It works well in College Hockey and takes away a part of the game no one wants to see. Past rule changes have worked really well and I think these two will help the game grow.

That's how I would fix the NHL. I am sure after the economy recovers so will the NHL. There isn't too much broken in the league. Popularity has been increasing since the Lockout. The NHL just has to continue the momentum.

WMU Bronco Hockey: A Program That Can Go As Far As It Wants

Upon transferring to Western Michigan University I found out how passionate the fans are. I never really followed college hockey before my time here at WMU. I'm sure more of my fellow students are the same way. Most of the people here rooted for Michigan or Michigan State in basketball and football but for the Bronco Hockey they usually are the first team any of us root for.

Bronco Hockey has long been frustrating for many fans. Especially since larger schools so close experience a great deal of success. Whats even worse is seeing smaller schools succeed like Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State University. We have the potential to be great, but never act upon it. Plus our uniforms are usually black and white. Really? That's not even trying. Now we have some nicer, more classic ones with our actual school colors on them. Why can't this university realize what our school colors really are?

Now that the background has been set, we look at the program now. They are very talented and young, and if these players stick around, this team could be good. Last year the Broncos hosted and won a playoff series against Lake State. So things must be looking up right?

The Broncos are held back by pitiful special teams and offense. Since we have the talent, coaching has to come into question. Jim Culhane has long been under the microscope. He played his college hockey here and played a few years for the Hartford Whalers. He then came back and took over the program with zero head coaching experience. He is an inexpensive coach and some rumors say he will take over as Athletic Director when Kathy Beauregard steps downs. That being said, he has a winning percentage that would get most coaches fired and has never been under the hot seat. He just signed a three year extension last year. Why does he keep getting second chances?

Culhane can recruit. We get players (multiple NHL Draft Picks play here) that WMU has no business having. He convinces these kids to come to a program with little coverage and virtually zero postseason success. Sure, we don't steal recruits from the big boys in the state, but we get our share of talented players. He also puts together an upset or two every year. He gets decent support from the community and is probably a good enough guy. But is that enough to keep a coach around? Then again, it may not be his fault. The program is poorly supported in cash. Its expensive to have a hockey program, but even still. It seems like basketball and football get far more support than the hockey program. A new arena has been proposed (it would also house the ECHL's Kalamazoo Wings and WMU Bronco Basketball, payment would be through the K-Wings owner and a 1% increase in restaurant taxes) and it would be built downtown. It would be an obvious boost to downtown businesses and restaurants, and maybe some of the families who left because of the loud and vulgar student section would come back. They pay good money for the tickets, and students don't. Should students be charged for tickets? They are at Ferris and people still show up. I can't see why having a small season ticket charge for students would be such a bad thing. Attendance would go down but the money could be useful and if the product is better more people would show up. Also, please get a small band to come and play at some of the games (if not all). The support would be nice and having a real band there would be fun. It could only add to the college hockey experience. Miami of Ohio built new facilities and made it to the National Championship game (which they should have won), so why can't we duplicate that in Kalamazoo? Parking would be an issue, but I'm sure WMU can come up with something. The interest and support for the Broncos would be immense and can give the town something to be proud of.

So can Bronco hockey be a big time program? Sure it could. With a new arena and the revenue from it, the increased recruiting and interest from the town, there is no reason that this team could not be very competitive with the established powers in the state.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Notre Dame got the coach they wanted. Unlike the last coach, who's name will not be mentioned, Kelly has what most schools are looking for in a Head Coach: up and comer, winner in college, college coaching experience, midwest recruiting ties, (hes Irish), and hes willing to start right away. He is leaving Cincinnati and not coaching them in their bowl against Florida (almost guaranteeing a slaughter) and will start by trying to save a number of ND recruits.

Kelly separated himself from Randy Edsell by his ability to build up programs (some of his Bearcats are Dantonio recruits) and win on a big stage. UConn never really were a contender in the Big East, and Kelly seemed to have more support from the alumni. His personality is perfect for the job and outside of Urban Meyer or Bob Stoops, he had to been the favorite.

What does this mean for Notre Dame? They will have another tough year next year losing most of their great players and switching to more of a spread offense that Kelly prefers. They will start to land some bigger recruits and it will take 3 or 4 more years before they start winning again. Notre Dame may learn from past mistakes. Maybe they will give him 6 years, and not sign him to a 10 year extension after his first sign of success. Kelly can turn Notre Dame into a consistent winner (not a consistent National Title contender) and be a solid hire. With so much salary being eaten, don't expect to see Kelly going anywhere for a while.

In Cincinnati, they may hire Butch Jones, the man who replaced Kelly in Central Michigan. Jones has 2 MAC titles and a trip to the GMAC Bowl ranked 25th in the nation. But with Mr. Everything Lefevour graduating, now could be a good time to get another, higher paying, higher profile job. He is also interested in the Marshall job, but Marshall will lack the BCS conference power and probably some of the money. Marshall did finish with 2.5 million dollars in profit so they can invest in facilities and attract better recruits and coaches, like Jones. He could go and try to dominate Conference USA and land a better job down the road. We should see plenty more coaches move around as the season draws to a close.

You're Welcome: College Football Shines

Before this week's You're Welcome, I will do a mock Heisman Ballot (because I don't get a real vote...yet). This is what it would look like:

1. Ndamukong Suh, DT Nebraska
2. Mark Ingram, RB Alabama
3. Toby Gerhart, RB Stanford
4. Colt McCoy, QB Texas
5. Tim Tebow, QB Florida

This may be the deepest 1-5 in the Heisman ballot that I can remember. Tebow may have gotten there because of Florida's success and past triumphs. Still a very solid group of talented football players.

My pick for this week's Thursday Night Football game is Steelers over Browns. Now for You're Welcome!

1. Cincinnati Bearcats: Down by 21, on the road against a stellar defense and outstanding opponent in Pittsburgh, you jumped on Marty Gilyard's shoulders and he carried you to Big East promise land. Tony Pike shook off an awful game to deliver in crunch time. Sure, your coach was lying and was jumping to go to Notre Dame but still you hung in tough. Dion Lewis touched the ball over 50 times and you were able to slow him down in the end. The whole game I was sure Pitt would hold on for the win and take the Big East Crown and automatic BCS birth. But the resilience of Cinncy was too much and now they get the privilege to play Florida on the national stage.

2. Ndamukong Suh: You completely dominated Colt McCoy and his offensive line. Suh propelled himself into the Heisman race and at least is a top ten pick in the next April's NFL Draft. I sure hope he is wearing Honolulu Blue and Silver next season. His performance reminds me of Reggie Bush's thrashing of Fresno State that shot him to the Heisman. If he dominates his bowl and works out well, he can easily be the first pick taken. He has all the talent in the world and its great he can display it to everyone.

3. Mark Ingram: In another Heisman audition game, Ingram completely dominated the best, veteran defense in the nation with 3 touchdowns and over 100 very tough well earned yards. He came up with highlight reel plays just when Alabama needed it and put away the Gators for good in the second half. I bet he will win the Heisman, with the offensive bias, and may leave for the NFL draft (not as likely). But I hope the Flint native sticks around so we can see him run over defenders all over the field.

Tigers Cut Talent, Money But Only For Now?

The Tigers have started their "Everything Must Go!" sale today with dealing Edwin Jackson and fan favorite Curtis Granderson for prospects from the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks. This trade is designed for the team to get a cheaper payroll and get some young position players in there for valuable playing time.

Curtis Granderson is everybody's Tiger (despite my Cubbie bear loyalties, I root for and watch a lot of Tigers games. I root for them over 28 other teams in the MLB, my Tiger is Brandon Inge.) and Edwin Jackson is a young up and coming pitcher. Both player's salaries are more than their new counterparts. Daniel Schlereth (father is Mark) is a good pitching prospect in the D-Backs system. They get Jackson, in their hopes they get the player who was lights out before the All-Star break. A move to the National League always helps. The D-Backs also cut ties with Max Scherzer, a relief pitcher (got to believe he is Brandon Lyon's replacement) who has potential. The player with the most hype is the Yankee's former top prospect Austin Jackson. He is a Center Fielder who can hit .300 in the bigs. He strikes out a lot and doesn't field too well yet. Phil Coke is a solid lefty out of the pen. Can't have enough of those. And most important to the man pictured (a WMU grad by the way) above is the Tigers shed about 11 million dollars in payroll.

At first, you see this deal and are outraged. A proven vet that everyone loves and a young pitcher who could be a solid second option for the Tigers. But, besides the obvious monetary reason this trade was made, this deal makes sense. Austin Jackson has more upside than Granderson and may hit for a higher average. Schlereth could be a solid young pitcher given time. Edwin Jackson could just have had a good half of the year, teams got film on him and then he started his decline. He didn't get run support but who did on the Tiger's staff? Edwin is a bit of a wild card, and they might have traded him at the peak of his value. The Tigers didn't give up any prospects and filled everything they traded away. The two relievers they received should be solid additions to a weaker bullpen. The Yankees got a 4th outfielder and upgraded their depth, and the D-Backs got a pitcher to start right away. The winner has to be the Tigers right now, and in a few years they could be big winners.

Don't start with me about fire Dombrowksi or whatever. He did overpay some players (all seemed like a good thing at the time right?) but he has drafted well and should have a chance to clean up his own mess. The only mistake he truly made was signing Dontrelle Willis to a 3 year 29 million dollar extension before he ever pitched for the Tigers (luckily its expiring soon). He has rebuilt the Marlins before and he can do it again here. He has to be more frugal in the future but he is one of the better General Managers in the MLB. Give it time, Tigers fans, it will be worth it in the long run. Next year could be brutal though.

The BCS Works

The National Title game is set, and if your not a fan of the BCS Busting Three Amigos, you have a lot of people to convince that they should be there over Texas or Alabama. The Big 12 is better than the WAC, Mountain West and Big East. They played a better schedule and I believe that they could beat all three at a neutral site. That being said, Texas barely beat the Nebraska Ndamukong Suhs (Cornhuskers) and are up there because they were ranked higher than the other three were. I'll make my opinion known now, my vote for Heisman would go to Suh, and I want the Lions to take him with their first pick. He has been a beast and could vastly improve any defense he would be on. How many defensive tackles can get so much penetration and be a force? Mark Ingram will probably win the Heisman with his domination of the vaunted Florida defense and he could be a very solid pro, but Suh is something special.

Enough about the Heisman, lets get to the Bowls:

Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs Iowa: The Triple Option vs Good Ol' Midwest corn fed defense! How fun! This should be a dark horse for bowl game of the season. The Big Ten needs a win, but the ACC is 1-8 in BCS Bowl games, yet we never hear how bad that conference is. A lot of talent will be on display this game, and QB Ricky Stanzi should be back for the Hawkeyes. Nesbitt and Dwyer should be running all day. Prediction 28-21 Iowa

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs Oregon: This has a shot to be a great game, and an equal shot to be a blowout. Oregon's defense is nothing special but their offense can control the game. Ohio State and Sweatervest need to get their act together and not embarrass the Big Ten anymore. OSU has an elite defense that no one seems to talk about, but the offense is the key. Pryor and his running backs (all with cute nicknames) need to put up points and take home the Rose Bowl trophy. Prediction: OSU 35 Oregon 34

Sugar Bowl: Florida vs Cincinnati: No way does Florida lose this game. Tebow and all those seniors want to go out with a win, and unlike Alabama last year who lost to Utah, they will be motivated and have something to prove. Florida is far more talented than Cincinnati. The Bearcat offense is too inconsistent with Pike at the helm, and if they run into a world class defense they'll have problems. They're defense is nothing special and Tebow could pick them apart. You better believe Tebow will play hard after the struggles on Saturday. Prediction: Florida 35 Cincinnati 14

Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs Boise State: In the Consolation Bowl, the two best BCS Busters square off. Boise has been here before and TCU is very balanced. This should be a very fun, hard fought game. Both teams have solid offense and TCU's defense is top 5 in the nation. Both fan bases will travel well and this game will be a good one. I wish they would have split these teams up (one play Georgia Tech, one play Iowa) so they can prove themselves against the big boys. Watch for a tough battle with both teams giving all they got. Prediction: TCU 21 Boise State 17

BCS National Title Game: Alabama vs Texas: In the Rose Bowl, Part 2, we see the Crimson Tide come in red hot after their playoff victory over Florida. Texas barely got past Nebraska (underrated) basically at home. Colt McCoy almost blew the whole season by not throwing the ball out of bounds earlier (Awareness: 75). Bama has a great defense and underrated offense with Ingram and Jones leading the way. McElroy is a solid QB in the mold of a game manager. This will be a better game then some people think, but Alabama will come out on top. Prediction: Alabama 28 Texas 17

NFL Picks Week 13

As I incorrectly picked on Wednesday, the Jets beat the Bills. On the season I am 122-55 with a 6-6 Upset Special record. Here are the week's picks.

Eagles over Falcons
Bears over Rams
Bengals over Lions
Colts over Titans
Broncos over Chiefs
Patriots over Dolphins
Steelers over Raiders
Saints over Redskins
Panthers over Buccaneers
Chargers over Browns
Cowboys over Giants
49ers over Seahawks

*Upset Special* Texans over Jaguars

Sunday Night Football: Vikings over Arizona
Monday Night Football: Packers over Ravens

You're Welcome: I'm Thankful For Football

I'll start this week by picking the NFL Thursday Night game with the Bills over the Jets. Now here is the weekly You're Welcome post!

1. Vince Young: This one could probably be chalked up for the entire Titan team, and even the owner who kicked this off by asking for Young to replace aging vet Kerry Collins. Young is now playing a style of football that suits him more, with option plays and shotgun passing systems like the ones in Texas. He recently set a career high in passing yards. He also led a 99 yard game winning TD drive against the Cardinals at home. I hate announcers that say "he just wins" or "hes a competitor" but he has taken steps to show he is maturing and could be the QB of the future for the Titans or possibly another team.

2. New Orleans Saints: Putting away doubts about if you're the real deal is always tough when your a team that has been pitiful for the majority of their existence. By beating the Patriots by 21 on Monday Night Football will do the trick most of the time. Maybe the Pats have slipped a bit and aren't the team we are all used to but they are still a top 10 team in the NFL. The Saints now have a lot to play for at the end of the year, trying to distance themselves from the Vikings for home field advantage. They have a surprisingly potent defense and a legendary offense that could score on about anyone. They have only a few losable games before the playoffs when they are going to be the favorites. We could certainly see a New Orleans Super Bowl appearance.

3. BCS Busters: TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati all have taken care of business (the Bearcats still have Pitt to take care of to get the Big East title) and avoided upsets that would have left them in a bowl that they are more accustomed to. The only way a playoff system will ever be implemented is if we see a Cinncy vs Boise State National Title game. I know it is unrealistic that we will ever see a playoff system (since the SEC title game is a playoff) and the money tied up in the Bowl games. Its always fun to root for the underdog and see how far they can go with none of the perks big programs enjoy.