STUDY HALL - WEEK FOUR

Editors note, Study Hall is our weekly college football preview. This is for the new ones, most of you know this MAN.




That Brian Kelly.. he needs to play Ron Pawlus against PENN STATE.


Week Four of the College Football season brings with it four very good games where ranked teams are battling each other. Winners of at least three of these games will bring validation and credibility to their national title statements. It will be a very interesting Monday in the polls after several of these games, especially if a certain WAC team looks very good. All times are Eastern.

Dear Fayetville, be careful what you wish for.

#1 ALABAMA vs. #10 ARKANSAS   3:30, CBS National

Ryan Mallett has been everything Arkansas fans and Bobby Petrino has hoped for this year so far. Mallett led a great game-winning drive at Georgia last week. Their reward for it is the Heavyweight Champions of the World till they are dethroned Alabama Crimson Tide. Greg McElroy has Mark Ingram and Julio Jones ready after last week's glorified scrimmage against Duke. This game is Five Star all day long. I think if Mallett can take what Alabama's D will give him (which isn't the long ball), he will be able to have a pretty good day. The problem is that I really don't think Arkansas's Defense will keep them in the game. Alabama has enough of a offense to turn it into a route real quick. Now, whether they gameplan to become conservative as they did last year and hope the Defense hits a home run, that's another thing. I don't think they will. The game being in Fayetville will help Arkansas stay in it early, however the physical nature of Marcel Darius and the Bama D will be too much.

Patience, Irish fan. Patience.

#16 STANFORD vs. NOTRE DAME 3:30, NBC

If this was anyone else but Brian Kelly coaching this Notre Dame team, the hate would be starting to flow pretty fast. However, Kelly has been very competitive in both losses to Michigan and Michigan State, something that Charlie Weis didn't seem to be in some games last year. Jim Harbaugh and Stanford come to Indiana for a matchup this weekend. Amazingly, Stanford leads all of D-1 in pass defense right now, but Crist and company will test them very quickly. I'm still not terribly sold on Andrew Luck being a excellent quarterback, even though he had a great game versus Wake Forest last week. This will be the first tough road enviorment for Luck without Toby Gerhart to help him out. I do think the Cardinal will be good enough to win, but this game will be very close, much closer than people may think. Three stars, primarily if you're not a SEC fan and can't stand watching Petrino or Saban (and you know who you are!)

Who the hell puts Chili on Spaghetti for God's sake?!?

#8 OKLAHOMA vs. CINCINATTI 6:00 ESPN2

This game has got to scare all the Sooner fans out there. Seems that Oklahoma doesn't have a real good focus against teams they should be throttling. Both Utah State and Air Force kept both games within a score, and while the defense showed up, the offense (primarily Landry Jones) seemed to lack a punch, minus DeMarco Murray. Bob Stoops takes his team to Cincinatti to face a Bearcats team that has also sorely underacheived against Fresno State and North Carolina State. However, both games were on the road, and Cincinatti is fairly good at home. However, even with Zack Collaros, the offense is 80th in the nation and doesn't show signs of meshing well. I just can't see how Cincinatti can stay in this game, but I also thought that Oklahoma would blow AF out of the building last week. Three and a half stars, to watch how Landry does against a defense that Russell Wilson blew up for 333 yards last Thursday.

God Bless the school that finally hires Gus Malzahn as Head Coach

#12 SOUTH CAROLINA vs. #17 AUBURN 7:45 ESPN

For all the attention Ryan Mallett is getting, Cam Newton's numbers have been pretty damn good also. He's the first real good Quarterback Gus Malzahn has had in about five plus years in the SEC with Arkansas and Auburn (think Houston wishes he hadn't shat on Gus yet?) While Auburn's offense has been pretty stout, South Carolina has found their own suprise in Frosh RB Marcus Lattimore. Lattimore has been nothing but great, averaging almost 5 yards a carry. Normally, this game screams of a Carolina-Spurrier chokejob on the road (like Georgia basically was), however the hidden gem with South Carolina is that they are 9th in America in scoring defense. Auburn had to scrap to beat Clemson last week in overtime, which will have them much more focused heading into this game. Four stars for this one. Think Lattimore gets his yards, but I still can't forget that 'ole Ballcoach is awful on the road. Auburn within a touchdown.

Oregon State painted their field, yet forgot the crowd, the altitude, the mystique...

#24 OREGON STATE vs. #3 BOISE STATE  8:00 ABC National

The last time we had Boise State on national television, Kellen Moore only led the Broncos on a 80 yard no timeout game winning drive against Virginia Tech and Bud Foster's defense. Since then, the Virginia Tech win has lost it's luster because of VT's lack of competitive nature. However, they can only control who they play and their style points against said opponents. Oregon State have the brothers Rodgers and Ryan Katz who can put up some points. People will be closely comparing how Boise plays against Oregon State and how TCU played them also. Three and a half on this game just for that reason. Boise and Moore should roll in this game, and then FINALLY will Kellen Moore get put in some Heisman talk.

Over/Under on this face on TV Saturday Night: 8.5

#22 WEST VIRGINIA vs. #15 LSU  9:00 (why in the hell so late?) ESPN2

A couple of 3-0 teams that a lot of America thinks are smokeshows will be playing pretty late on Saturday night in Death Valley. West Virginia really got lucky against Marshall twoweeks ago, but rebounded pretty well against Maryland. LSU on the other hand, has played well the last 2 weeks after almost giving up a 3 score lead against North Carolina. WV can move the ball with Noel Devine and Geno Smith and will do so against LSU's defense which is good but not top 10 in America in scoring D good. On the other hand, Stevan Ridley has been a pretty good suprise to take the pressure off of Jordan Jefferson's forecasted tepid start. Three and three quarters star game here, I'm interested to see if LSU's defense can slow down Noel and Geno enough to have the offense keep up. Think LSU wins a very close low scoring game, take the unders if you get it (for entertainment purposes only, of course!).

Other games of note to keep an eye on: 

Northern Colorado at #25 Michigan State: thoughts to Mark D'Antonio, who officially has the biggest onions of any head coach in America after the fake FG winning throw against Notre Dame. Will be interesing to see how the Spartans come out after last week's events.

Virginia Tech at Boston College: The Hokies need this game more than anything, will not have fun against a Eagle defense that brings it at home. Tyrod needs a big game here because he doesn't have Ryan Williams.

UCLA at #7 Texas: Garrett Gilbert should get healthy after this game, and if he doesn't a lot of warning flags will go up. Also, you want to see how Will Muschamp will attack the Pistol formation.

Kentucky at #9 Florida: A game that looked way easier before the season than it does now for Florida and their offensive issues. Brantley had issues last week still, and it has to make you really wonder what's going to happen against teams like, oh, Bama.

#4 TCU at SMU (Friday night): SMU thinks they can play with the Horned Frogs in Dallas. TCU should roll, however I would love to see how many people make the 30 mile drive from Fort Worth to University Park.

THIS WEEK'S CONSUMABLES:

Most of you Northern types are starting to feel some chill in the air. I've been wanting some Chili, so here ya go..

Chunky Chicken and Chorizo Chili

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Ingredients
•1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
•3/4 pound chorizo, chopped
•2 pounds ground chicken
•3 tablespoons chili powder, 3 palm fulls
•1 tablespoon ground cumin, a palm full
•1 onion, chopped
•3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
•1 red bell pepper, chopped
•1 (15-ounce) can red beans, drained
•1 bottle beer
•1 (28-ounce) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
•Salt
•6 cups chicken stock
•2 cups quick cooking polenta
•2 tablespoons butter
•2 scallions, finely chopped
•2 tablespoons freshly chopped thyme leaves


Directions

Heat a big, deep skillet over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil. Add chorizo and render its fat, 2 minutes. Push the chorizo off to the sides of the pot and add chicken meat. Brown and crumble the chicken, 5 to 6 minutes. Season the chicken with chili powder and cumin while it cooks. Combine the onions, garlic, peppers and beans to meats and cook another 5 to 6 minutes. Stir the beer into the chili and reduce the liquid a minute then add the tomatoes and heat through. Season the chili with salt, to taste, and reduce heat to low.
Bring 6 cups stock to a boil in a medium pot, stir in polenta and keep stirring until the polenta masses and thickens to a porridge, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in butter, scallions and thyme and season with salt, to taste.
Fill bowls half way with polenta and make a well in the center. Fill up bowls with chili and serve.

Fantastic to eat through the whole day. As a beverage, Arnold Palmers will do the trick. Real Simple:

3/4 quart Lemonade
3/4 quart Iced Tea
1/2 quart Lemon Vodka or Limoncello (optional)

Stir together, enjoy

COACHES WHO REALLY NEED TO CHECK OUT MOVERS ON CRAIGSLIST:

Houston Nutt: we told you here first last week that Vandy wasn't a team to be ignored. Now Fresno State comes to Oxford. IF they lose this one... man, thought there were vultures around the program before... ugh

Ralph Friedgen: Maryland was fairly competitive last week but still lost against West Virginia. Florida International comes to town, and this game will be closer than people think.

Butch Davis: Even though Carolina is 0-2, they have fought very hard against two good teams (LSU, GT) and has been in both games till the end. Just imagine if the NCAA was done and things were back to normal. They could win this week at Rutgers, at the very least they will be in the game.

Mike Locksley: when there are rumors that Mike Leach could take over for you on your bye week, and people say he'd have LESS controversy than you, it's not a good thing.

THE HEISMAN WATCH:

Denard Robinson: didn't have a large letdown last week, think he needs to throw a little more to save his body for the whole year.

Ryan Mallett: you win this week sir, you will leapfrog to the number 1 spot no matter what Robinson does

Terrell Pryor: looked pretty good against Ohio last week. Made up for his mascot's lack of fight.

Taylor Martinez: tough first road start for anyone at Washington, and made them look very slow.

Now, what did DeLoss and Chip want me to say?

THE FINAL RANT:

Dan Beebe.. I have not heard one good word from anyone about him since June. Earlier this week, the Big 12 conference "negotiated" buyouts with Nebraska and Colorado so that both schools could leave the Conference by June 31st, making the Big 12 a ten team league. The big deal about this? Nebraska bought out for about $9.25 million, while Colorado got out for a little over $6 million. Beebe promised the remaining 10 schools that the total buyouts would go almost to $30 million dollars plus. I'm not a math major, but the combined total of a little over than $16 million doesn't really get there, in fact I'm pretty sure that's half. Now, I do get the point of the buyouts and not going to court, as to keep the confidential nature of the talks between all schools, conferences, and Beebe's office private. However, promising several teams $20 million dollars a share isn't a good idea, especially when the first promise you made fell through by a lot. Texas A&M AD Bill Byrne is still holding Beebe to his word that they will receive $20 million in revenue sharing for the 2011 season, as well he should. Beebe has kept telling people that the TV money will make up for this. Don't believe for one moment that ABC/FSN/Versus will double their payout for a conference that, while has one more conference game, will not have a conference title game in Arlington. The Big 12 current TV deal only televises 3 games a week, sometimes 4. I do see it possible that the fifth game will be televised, however I fully believe that the whole conference would not see that extra game (which means PPV more than likely). That could be the next rabbit Beebe pulls out of his hat, but there is no way ABC will pay more for it. Bottom line is this; do not believe anything that Beebe or anyone like Joe Schad or Chip Brown says about what could happen, it's all about what WILL happen.



Enjoy the games this week folks.

Who Will Win the Wild West?

No, not the American League West. Although, if the Rangers do what the Padres have done and lose 10 in a row. We could very well be having that discussion next week.Three weeks ago, San Diego was more or less running away with the division, they had a seven game lead on the San Fransisco Giants then they have a 10 game losing streak. They are doing right now what every manager hopes he never has to go through. They played great baseball for five months. But in the last 3 weeks everything has gone downhill. The Padres made trades for 2 hitters that really didn't pan out how they wanted so far. They picked up Miguel 'how old am I?' Tejada, and Ryan Ludwick. But, their run scoring really hasn't gotten much better. Really that's been their biggest problem all season. The pitching has been superb. From Cy Young contender Matt Latos to all-star closer Heath Bell. Perhaps they have too many innings on them? Your guess is as good as mine!

San Fransisco has come from nowhere to take over the division lead. Led by first baseman Aubrey Huff, and rookie catcher Buster Posey. Posey will probably be shorted in the voting for rookie of the year, although he has had the stuff to win. He's going to fall in that category of where he has enough games to not be called a rookie next season, but doesn't have enough games to really win the award this season. In reality, who wins the NL West comes down to 1 person. Barry Zito. If he shows up as good as he has a few times this year, the Giants staff is the best in the NL. But if he shows up as bad as we've seen him this year as well, then they are just a mediocre staff. Bullpen wise San Diego has the advantage. When you have the guy with the most strikeouts since the end of the 2007 season in Tim Lincecum, and Matt Cain added with a potential good Barry Zito, you have a very dangerous team for the NL playoffs. the Giants finish the season off with 3 games against the Padres in what will be a very big final series of the regular season.The Colorado Rockies have absolutely come unglued lately having won 10 in a row at one point and have currently won 18 out of their last 23 and are leading the Dodgers in the 5th inning 5-3 right now. With the Padres having already lost, and the Giants being 3 hit and shutout in the 6th inning against Milwaukee tonight. It looks as though at the end of the night the Rockies will be down 1.5 to the Giants in their division. The Rockies have played all they will play against the Padres and only have 3 games left against the Giants. They have been led this season by Ubaldo Jiminez and Carlos Gonzalez. CarGo leads the team in every offensive category, and what he has done this season has really overshadowed the good year that Troy Tulowitski has had.

In the end this is all going to come down to the last series with the Giants and Padres. If Bruce Bochy plays his cards right and can finegle his pitching staff to have Lincecum, Cain, and Zito in the last series against the Padres, I full expect them to win it all.

STUDY HALL- WEEK THREE.


(Editor's note... Study Hall is our weekly college football preview. Yes, I know it was called the Cheat Sheet.. that changed. Go back a few days and I explained why. HUZZAH!)

Come back soon Mike! I just can't quit you!!!

Week three of the college football season brings more intriguing matchup's while also kicking off conference games for certain teams. The great thing about starting the conference season for every team is that, no matter what happened at the start of the season, you still have a chance to win your conference. Some have better chances than others obviously, but it still gives you reasons to play on!  Onto the games and this week's gradescale. All times are Eastern (yes, I changed that too PAY ATTENTION DAMNIT!)
FIVE STARS: you're not doing anything other than keeping your butt on the couch. Whatever needs to be bought can be done either online or Sunday morning. Stay home no matter what.

FOUR STARS: you can leave in case the fridge or washer/dryer dies. But, whereever we go, I'm spending the time in the A/V side where the TV's are. Be careful of saying "get whatever you want honey", because you will be broke after that and won't be able to get the bowl tickets for Shreveport.

THREE STARS: it's okay to leave the house, because you got sattelite radio for this reason. You could tape the game to watch later, in case anything later or early Sunday is unwatchable.

TWO STARS: you have the ESPN app for that reason.

ONE STAR: yes, take me to the mall and do not let me see a television. This game is for the families involved and that's all.

Trust me... no? Why not?

#12 ARKANSAS at GEORGIA Noon-ESPN

Ryan Mallett and his million dollar arm hits Sanford Stadium and faces what should be a better Bulldog defense that got zero help in a loss last week to South Carolina. Mark Richt will be on a massive hotseat if he happens to lose this game and go 2 games under in SEC East play. With an offense that is borderline anemic with no rushing from Washaun Ealey, the defense is going to have to shut down Bobby Petrino's offense and Mallett's arm in order to win this game. The thing that sticks out to me here is that Arkanas hasn't really lit up the building yet, and that makes me wonder. Mark Schlabach is calling the upset of Arkansas here. UGA is the more desperate team here, so that's why I agree and think Georgia will win this one, close game though. Three and a half stars on this one, because the country wants to know how good Georgia's defense AND if Arkansas and Petrino/Mallett can go on the road and play well in conference.

Do you know me? You will soon enough.

#8 NEBRASKA vs. WASHINGTON   3:30- ABC Regional

This is the first test for Nebraska and a team that, while is a top 10 team, no one really knows about. The offense has been better, led by Redshirt Freshman Taylor Martinez, who is in the top 10 in America in rushing. While on the other side, Jake Locker and Steve Sarkasian will be facing the best pass efficency defense in America. If Locker really wants to be a Heisman contender the rest of the season, he MUST prove it against this defense. The problem is, throwing against Prince Amukumara, Alfonso Dennard, and (arguably) the best secondary in college football will hurt. Locker is a career 50% passer, and has shown at times that he rushes in the West Coast system that Sark has installed. Nebraska should win easily here, but it's not a given. The Huskers have not taken care of the ball well and seem sloppy at times offensively. Four star game here; to find out how good Nebraska will be in a tough road enviorment.

HEY KNOXVILLE, MISS MY ASS YET?

#10 FLORIDA vs. TENNESSEE    3:30-CBS

Urban Meyer came out Thursday and told the media how "really upset" he is that the Gators' FBall team can't stay out of trouble with the police. Unfortunately, the dismissal of WR Chris Rainey won't be the only issue this week for him, as he takes his team into Neyland Stadium and faces a Tennessee team that, for all intesive purposes, quit on themselves last week against Oregon. Matt Simms and Tauren Poole have been solid so far for the Vols, but this will be the first true test against a defense that has played fairly well this year so far. John Brantley and Jeffery Demps should have good days against this team, but part of me just wonders how this team, who has pretty much has god awful starts against Miami-Ohio and South Florida will start on the road in front of 100k+. Three and a half here, think Florida wins a ugly yet close game.

Jordan Jefferson didn't lose me another game I WIN BITCHES!

MISSISSIPPI STATE vs #15 LSU  7:00- ESPNU

First off, I don't get how this game got put on ESPNU while Clemson/Auburn made ESPN for the night (TIGERS! TIGERS! COLLEGE FOOTBALL ON ESPN!). However, I do believe that this game is more important because I want to see how much confidence Les Miles has in Jordan Jefferson. It's not like Jarrett Lee is a ton better (there's a reason LSU fan calls him "LottoLee", for all the pick 6's he pitches). Gary Crowton took his best other option at quarterback with Russell Shepard and put him at WR, and he's been one of the best running options this team has. Dan Mullen's Bulldogs, while playing well last week, couldn't stop Cam Newton. I give Miss.St. a pretty good chance in this game, considering they're playing a offense without a whole lot of conference Three stars on this one, pay attention to it while you're at Hooters/BWW as you watch other games.

Ah, the ripples this catch caused in 2008. (p.s.. Fowler's face is still money!!)

#6 TEXAS vs. TEXAS TECH  8:00-ABC National

This is Tommy Tubberville's first true test to see if he can handle the Big 12's self ordained kings team to beat. Mack Brown brings a team that has been considered underacheivers by most of their media followers to Lubbock. Gone is Mike Leach, Crabtree, Colt McCoy and Graham Harrell. Replacing them is Fozzy Whitaker, who has made life easier for Garrett Gilbert, and Taylor Potts, who is playing well enough to keep Steven Sheffield off the field. They will be facing a Texas Defense led by Sam Acho, who has given up a lot of yards but kept teams from scoring. If you're a Big 12 fan, especially in the South, this is Five Star as they get. Great conference opener for both teams, to find out how good Tech can be, and how Texas will handle the crowd at Jones ATT Stadium. A lot of people are calling for the Tech upset, I'm really iffy on this one. Gilbert's first true road game (against Rice, with 80% of 80k wearing burnt orange isn't a road game) , and the unknown of how Tech will respond against a great opponent.

Keep an eye on these games:

UMass at #20 Michigan: Hard to get up for this game after beating Notre Dame. And of course, to see what Denard Robinson does.

Maryland at #21 West Virginia: Bill Stewart got lucky as hell last week. Better focus this week.

Arizona State at #11 Wisconsin: Steven Threet comes to Camp Randall, can he sneak a upset?

Baylor at #4 TCU: Frogs had trouble with Jacquizz Rogers, lets see how they handle Robert Griffin

#9 Iowa at #24 Arizona: I'm not buying Zona being good. This team quit in the Holiday Bowl vs. Nebraska. Hawkeyes should roll in this one.


CONSUMABLES FOR THE WEEK:

Those wings last week and the Long Island's were pretty good I have to admit. This week, I'm feeling a little bit Mexican, so lets go Tacos for food. This one is a little elaborate though, have some friends help:

Skirt Steak Tacos with Roasted Tomato Salsa


Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

Prep Time:15 min Inactive Prep Time:5 min Cook Time:10 min
Ingredients

•8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
•1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
•2 tablespoons canola oil
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly shredded
•1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
•1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, halved and diced
•Grilled Tomato Salsa, recipe follows
•8 ounces sour cream


Directions

Heat grill to high.
Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and on the top rack of the grill while the steak is grilling.
Heat grill pan over high heat. Brush steak with oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill on one side until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook to medium-rare doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes then slice against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.
Fill each tortilla with some lettuce, 3 to 4 pieces of meat, onion, grilled tomato salsa, sour cream, and avocado.

Grilled Tomato Salsa:

•2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing tomatoes
•2 serrano chiles
•1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
•4 cloves garlic, peeled
•6 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•2 limes, juiced
•1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves


Heat grill to high.
Heat oil in a small saute pan and saute the chiles, onion, and garlic until soft.
Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until slightly charred and soft.
Transfer tomatoes and serrano mixture to a food processor; add the lime juice and salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times (there should be flecks of cilantro in the salsa.) Transfer to a bowl.


Solid work. Beverage this week? Simple, keep with the theme.. SANGRIA:

Sangria Perea


Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri

Prep Time:5 min

Ingredients
•3 cups ice cubes
•1/4 cup lemon slices
•1/4 cup lime slices
•1/4 cup orange, slices
•1/4 cup pineapple chunks
•1/4 cup seedless grapes
•2 cups red wine
•1/2 cup peach brandy
•1 cup orange juice
•1 cup lemon/lime soda

Directions
In a pitcher, add all the ingredients and stir to combine. Ideally, you want to wait about 1 hour for the fruit and the wine to infuse each other, but you can drink it right away.

No mascots to hate on today. I'm full of love and all that mushy crap.

/whip
/mancard removal

Coaches checking their contracts to see how much their buyout is:

Ron Zook: Not fun times in Champagne at all right now. Northern Illinois comes to town this week, better win big. Even if it won't help, but winning huge is better than making it close, or losing.

Butch Davis: Even more interest of the bad type around the football program, no matter who isn't playing or coaching. It's bad when Roy Williams is distancing himself from you, and you share the same campus. And, to make it worse, you have a Georgia Tech team with a pissed off Paul Johnson and Joshua Nesbitt coming into town. Winning goes a long way, losing... not good.

Frank Beamer: You really can't go 0-3 against East Carolina.... can you???

Mike Locksley:  Ugly against Texas Tech, gonna get worse against Utah

Houston Nutt: Reverend Nutt BOY WE HANDLED THEM GREEN WAVE NOW DIDN'T WE DON'T LOOK AT THE SMOKESHOW I CALLED THAT PLAY BROTHER.... don't blink, Vandy is better than Jacksonville State (we simulated on NCAA '09, WE KNOW).

THE FINISHING RANT OF THE WEEK:

Lets look at one thing that bothers me about the Reggie Bush/USC/Heisman angle. Take away that the NCAA only punished the school over what they found with Bush's stories (or lack thereof) about being paid while in school, and his surrendering of the Heisman trophy. Think of the money that USC is still going to get paid for being in the PAC 10. Don't forget this one thing.. unless I am mistaken (and I'm fairly sure I am not, if I am, please put in the comments where I am and I will retract this), USC will still get equal bowl revenue from the bowl season that the PAC 10 will receive. In other words, even though they are on a post-season ban, they will get the same amount of $$$ that the last place team (more than likely Wazzu). How is this fair? Yes, I know they have gotten a lot of BCS bowl money for the conference, but that money was already going to end up in the conference. No matter if USC or someone else won the conference, the money was showing up. The only difference is if a second P-10 team made the BCS, and even then it was only a $5 million dollar extra payday. Outside of ticket sales (which schools keep a percentage after selling a certain number), each team got the same amount. The Stanfords got the same as the Cal's and the Washington's, even after the winless season. I already thought that USC should have lost all regional/national TV for the next 2 years, but what would have made a bigger impact is limiting what USC would get monetarily. They should have been made to forfeit a percentage (50% sounds fair) of their conference revenue. It's not like that school is going to hurt for money;  they sell out the L.A. Coliseum and do well on gate revenue as well as playing in a large market. The NCAA  is huge right now on going a little overboard on punishments for infractions (see Dez Bryant last year), this is a simple case where they didn't go hard enough.


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Why the New York Yankees are NOT the team to beat this October.

Yes, I know that they are the defending world champions. Yes, I know that until you are dethroned you are still the king. However, neither the ALCS or World Series goes through New York this year, and here is why.

1) Matchups: Yes, the Yankees have what will be the AL Cy Young award winner. But the other 3 teams that will be in the AL playoffs all match up with the Yanks very well. So far this year against the Tampa Bay Rays the Yanks are 6-6 with 4 games still to go. Against the Rangers they are 4-5 and losing 4 of their last 6 and 3 in a row against them. Against Minnesota they are 4-2. That being said. Yes, they do have a winning record against the rest of the playoff contenders. But by a close margin. 3 games over .500 against 3 teams is not alot.

2) Age: The Yankees average age is 29.37 with 6 players 35 or older. The average age for all MLB players is 27.2 (bleacherreport.com). A-Rod, Jeter, Pettite, Rivera and Posada are all over 35. Jeter has seen a 60 point drop in this batting average over the last year. He is normally a .320 hitter and now he is right at .260.

3) Injuries) Andy Pettite comes back from an injury on Sunday. Meanwhile Nick Swisher was hurt in the series against the Rangers. Jorge Posada has been relegated to pinch hitting duty due to a concussion and Mark Texiera has a broken toe. How healthy they are come postseason time is vital to their success.

4) Peak performance: Yes, both the Yankees and Rays are still playing good baseball, perhaps the Rays better than the Yanks of late. But, nonetheless they are both still great teams. It seems as though the Twins and the Rangers have started peaking at the perfect time, just before the playoffs start. If the Yankees have all of their key components playing and healthy come playoff time, they will be a force to be reckoned with. But with their age, that is a big step right now.

5) scheduling for the rest of the regular season: with 18 games to go, the New York Yankees are half a game out of first, and lead the Red Sox by 6 games in the wild card. they have a 7 game stretch in their final games where they face the Sox for 6 and the Rays for 4. What's not to say that the Sox get fired up and make a late season push for the wildcard? Yes, they are still injured, but they are also still capable. Do i expect this? no. But it is possible.

At the end of the day, the AL East is the most interesting storyline in all of baseball as it is seamingly every season. One thing is for sure. There's still a lot of baseball to be played, and it's going to be fun!