Happy New Year's!

Well hopefully you stopped using my picks, maybe even started fading them as I have become the victim of some of the worst beats I can ever remember, but after a fantastic start I have dropped 11 of the last 13 against the spread. For the sake of having a record, and because I still feel like I have a strong run coming, here are the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day picks:

Friday, December 31st

South Florida (+6) over Clemson
Notre Dame (+3) over Miami
Georgia (-6.5) over Central Florida
South Carolina (-3) over Florida State

Saturday, January 1st

Texas Tech (-9.5) over Northwestern
Florida (-7) over Penn State
Alabama (-10) over Michigan State
Mississippi State (-4.5) over Michigan
Wisconsin (+3) over TCU
Oklahoma (-15) over Connecticut

Thursday Bowl Picks

Thursday, December 30th

Bell Helicopter Armed Forced Bowl – Dallas, TX

SMU (-7) over Army – Sure, it is nice to see Army back in a bowl game for the first time since 1996 but the Black Knights did not exactly beat the best competition to get here with their six wins all coming against losing teams. June Jones has had a month to get his team ready for Army’s option offense and I am sure he has dialed up a few new plays for his own run n’ shoot offense. I almost forgot to mention that this game is being played on SMU’s home field.

New Era Pinstripe Bowl – New York, NY

Kansas State (pk) over Syracuse – This should be an ugly game in the cold and snow inside of Yankee Stadium and I will take the Wildcats ability to make plays over the grind it out offense of the Orange.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl – Nashville, TN

Tennessee (pk) over North Carolina – I originally liked North Carolina when this game was announced but as time went on I started leaning towards the Volunteers. There should be a large crowd advantage for Tennessee in Nashville and first year head coach Derek Dooley should have his boys fired up after winning their last four games to make it to a bowl game. That motivation could be the difference in what is an otherwise pretty evenly matched game.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forced Bowl – Dallas, TX

Nebraska (-13.5) over Washington – Tempted here to take the points with the little motivation that the Cornhuskers will probably be playing with but I just could not get over the major advantage that Nebraska has on both sides of the line. The near-month’s rest for QB Taylor Martinez and RB Roy Helu Jr. should be enough for the pair to be healthy and firing on all cylinders for the Huskers. That should be enough for a comfortable win.

Smorgasbord Time!

* Has Sidney Crosby become the best major professional athlete at his particular sport in the world right now? This argument has previously centered on Peyton Manning and LeBron James, with a little bit of Albert Pujols sprinkled in, but with what Crosby has done this year he has eliminated all challengers in hockey as the game’s best player.

* Crosby will look to extend his point streak to 26 games tonight against the Islanders. In case you were wondering, the record is 51 games by Wayne Gretzky at the start of the 1983-84 season. Mario Lemieux holds the team record with a 46 game scoring streak in the 89-90 season. There are only five scoring streaks of 30 or more games in NHL history.

* Did anyone else hear Chris Collinsworth criticize Adrian Petersen’s short yardage running last night? I wanted to jump through the TV and slap him in the face. AP is the best short yardage back in the NFL. I think he has failed to get the first down or touchdown on a 3rd or 4th and one situation approximately three times over the last two years.

* If you watched West Virginia’s offense in their bowl game last night you now know why they decided to hire Dana Holgorsen to run the show.

* Anyone else sick of hearing and seeing Matt Millen these days? Didn’t that guy get fired from the Lions for having no clue how to run a team?

* We are probably going to hear a lot in the next few days about the lack of Steelers who made the Pro-Bowl this year and I must say that I agree. Lawrence Timmons and Mike Wallace most certainly deserved a spot on the team and a strong case could be made for Casey Hampton, LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior and even a small one for Ben Roethlisberger, though I would have chosen the same three QBs who did make it.

* There is a good chance a few more Steelers will be named to the team through the alternate process after many players bow out of the game due to injury or just plain apathy. You can bet, however, that all of the Steelers hope that they will not be able to play in the Pro-Bowl due to a slightly more important game the following week.

* Despite the Pro-Bowl talk, you can be sure that the Steelers have all of their attention focused on the Cleveland Browns this week. They remember what happened last year when they went up there not ready to play and even more is on the line this year with a first round bye and the AFC’s #2 seed there for the taking.

* With Indianapolis needing a win to clinch their playoff spot and Kansas City having virtually nothing to play for, expect Peyton Manning and company to win Sunday and earn the #3 seed in the AFC (with a Chiefs loss to the Raiders). That should make Steelers fans worry. This Colts team is not particularly great, but number 18 can always beat you with his right arm.

* I heard a good bit of talk in Pittsburgh the past couple of weeks that this particular Pitt basketball team was overrated. I think that talk has been silenced for a little while. People have to realize in basketball that sometimes the basket looks like an ocean to the opposing team, and that certainly looked like the case when Pitt was dismantled by Tennessee. It was only one game in a long season, however, and this Pitt team is awfully deep and awfully talented. They proved that on Monday night.

More College Bowl Picks...

Wednesday, December 29th

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman - Washington, D.C.

Maryland (-7.5) over East Carolina – East Carolina is terrible on defense, surrendering over 43 points per game. Maryland should be able to take advantage of that defense and win this one convincingly.

Texas Bowl – Houston, TX

Baylor (-1) over Illinois – Baylor has not played in a bowl game since 1994, think they will be a little fired up for this one? Baylor has not performed well this year against bowl teams but Illinois is lucky to be a bowl team. I expect a shootout with both quarterbacks making a ton of plays but I will go with Robert Griffin III for Baylor to make one more play than the Illini.

Valero Alamo Bowl – San Antonio, TX

Oklahoma State (-4.5) over Arizona – We could be in for three shoot-outs today with a bunch of outstanding offenses facing off against some suspect defenses. No offense today, or possibly in the country with the exception of the BCS Championship Game participants, has an offense as explosive as this Oklahoma State one.

Two More Bowl Picks

There are two games on the slate for Tuesday night as Bowl Week begins to pick up and finally we get to some games that could be interesting.

Besides my picks, I will have a short smorgasbord on everything else happening around the world of sports for tomorrow and most likely a short piece on the NFL for Friday...Trying to keep the posts short and sweet as I know people are extremely busy this time of the year.

Tuesday, December 28th

Champs Sports Bowl - Orlando, FL

West Virginia (-3) over NC State – I really went back and forth on this one but decided in the end that WVU is the more talented team overall. Sure, there were some distractions leading up to this game in Morgantown but pretty much the entire Mountaineer staff will be in place to coach this game and the players will probably come out fired up to show their support for Coach Bill Stewart and the departing offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen, who is well-liked by the players and will be fired after the game. West Virginia's defense has been tremendous all year and will be the difference in this one.

Insight Bowl - Tempe, AZ

Missouri (-2.5) over Iowa – Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz has been a master of bowl preparation but there has been too much turmoil around this Hawkeyes team heading into tonight's game. Besides limping to the finish line with three straight losses, Ferentz had to suspend his leading rusher and his top WR, who just happened to be running a drug ring that many of the other Iowa players (who have not been suspended) have been reported to have been customers of. Missouri is too good and too balanced on both sides of the ball for an Iowa team that is probably more focused on getting to the offseason than they are on this game.

Independence Bowl Pick

Bowl Season had gotten off to a great start but three straight losses has me back to 4-4 against the spread after a heartbreaking loss with Toledo last night. I guess those are the kind of things you should expect to happen in meaningless bowl games. Tonight's game features the country's top two rushing attacks, expect to see a ton of option and very few passes.

Monday, December 27th

AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl - Shreveport, LA

Georgia Tech (+3) over Air Force – Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson was the former coach at Navy where he went 5-1 against the Air Force Academy using the same triple-option attack he now uses at Tech. Despite some suspensions and injuries, Georgia Tech still has more material than those Navy teams had and should be motivated to finish strong after a disappointing season.

Little Caesars Bowl Prediction

Sunday, December 26th

Little Caesars Bowl - Detroit, MI

Toledo (+1) over Florida International – Toledo won when these two teams hooked up last year and really, can FIU possibly be motivated traveling to Detroit the day after Christmas? I think not.

Week 15 Picks

Sunday's Picks

Detroit (+3.5) over MIAMI
ST. LOUIS (-2.5) over San Francisco
New York Jets (+2.5) over CHICAGO
Washington (+7) over JACKSONVILLE
New England (-9) over BUFFALO
Tennessee (+4) over KANSAS CITY
Baltimore (-3.5) over CLEVELAND
San Diego (-8) over CINCINNATI
Indianapolis (-2) over OAKLAND
Houston (-2.5) over DENVER
Seattle (+6.5) over TAMPA BAY
GREEN BAY (-3) over New York Giants
PHILADELPHIA (-14) over Minnesota
New Orleans (+3) over ATLANTA

Holiday Weekend Picks

I know not too many people are going to spend their Christmas weekend checking the blog so I will keep another 2,500+ word column to myself until next week! I want to wish everyone and their families a wonderful Christmas and Happy Holidays!

There are two bowl games and two NFL games to be played before Sunday, here are my picks. I will have another short post up Sunday morning with the rest of my NFL selections.

Thursday, December 23rd

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl – San Diego, CA

Navy (+3) over San Diego State – Interesting match-up here with very contrasting styles. Navy runs their patented triple-option offense (5th in the nation in rushing) while San Diego State features a downfield aerial attack (11th in passing) while neither team is particularly adept at stopping the other team’s strength. The edge here goes to the Midshipmen as the Aztecs have not seen their offense before. I expect a close one and those three points could come in handy.

Friday, December 24th

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – Honolulu, HI

Hawaii (-10) over Tulsa – This should be some good Christmas Eve entertainment as these teams can put up some points with both teams averaging nearly 40 points per game. The big difference in this one is that Hawaii can actually play some defense. Tulsa has the country’s second worst passing defense taking on Hawaii’s number one ranked passing offense, not a very good recipe for Tulsa fans. Besides, how could Tulsa really concentrate on this game while vacationing in Hawaii.

NFL Selections

Thursday

PITTSBURGH (-15) over Carolina – Pittsburgh gets the award for biggest line of the year so far and with good reason, Carolina stinks. Despite its win last week, a win that can only hurt the Panthers in their quest for the top overall draft pick, Carolina has still lost five of its past seven games by 15 or more points. I see that trend continuing tonight as the Panthers will be ready to board the plane at halftime in the cold and snowy weather in Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger is also due for a big night after not having one since week 11.

Saturday

Dallas (-7) over ARIZONA – I just got done saying how bad Carolina is and the fact that they beat Arizona last week should have probably told you where I was leaning in this one. Dallas continues to play well under interim coach Jason Garrett (although they killed everyone last week allowing Washington to come back and cover that game). I see no reason why that shouldn’t continue on Christmas Night as they take on the Cardinals and whatever guy they can pull off the street to play quarterback this week.

Las Vegas Bowl Prediction

We’re off to a promising start going 3-1 against the spread so far and the week of nightly bowl games continues tonight with a game that is actually a bit interesting. Just a few short weeks ago Boise State had hopes of playing in the National Championship game and now are stuck playing in the Las Vegas Bowl against a Utah team who limped to the finish line after having their own BCS Bowl aspirations crushed by TCU. Who will be motivated tonight?

Wednesday, December 22nd

MAACO Bowl Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV

Boise State (-16.5) over Utah – Plain and simple, I think Boise comes out motivated. That really is what this game is going to come down to. They are superior to the Utes talent-wise and Coach Chris Petersen is as good, if not better, than any coach in America with time to prepare. I think the Broncos jump out early and continue attacking with Kellen Moore and the underrated Boise State wide receivers being too much for Utah to handle.

Vick or Brady for MVP

The ongoing debate on talk radio right now is whether Michael Vick or Tom Brady is the NFL MVP at this point. I am a fan of Michael Vick, the football player. I was a fan long before he went to prison and felt that he was undervalued and underappreciated as a quarterback. The guy flat out won football games even before he understood the QB position. I often said give me that guy as my quarterback and I can build an offense around his unique talents. He was doing just fine winning football games pre-incarceration and he has taken his game to a whole new level this year.

I also understand his story of redemption and that everyone deserves a second chance. I have fought with my wife over this (she absolutely despises Vick, as do most women and non football fans it seems). To me, he seems to be genuine in his remorse and his actions to make amends. On the football field, Vick has taken his game to a whole new level. Working with a great offensive mind like Andy Reid and Vick’s newfound focus in life has allowed him to take his game to a place we have not seen before. All of that does not make Michael Vick the MVP, however.

The MVP is the guy that adds the most value both around the league and to his team and this year it is unquestionably Tom Brady. Both Brady and Vick are putting up phenomenal stats. Brady is completing over two-thirds of his passes, is on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards, has thrown 31 TDs against only 4 interceptions and has the league’s best passer rating. Oh, did I mention he has done this while winning 12 games despite the Patriots trading what many believed to be their best playmaker midseason. Vick, meanwhile, is completing over 63% of his passes (he had never completed more than 56% before this season), is third in the NFL in passer rating behind only Brady and Philip Rivers, has 20 TD passes against only 5 interceptions and has thrown in another 613 yards and 8 TDs on the ground. There is one monumental stat missing from those numbers, however, and that is games played.

Vick has missed three games and a good part of another. People try to use this to endorse his case but that notion is ridiculous. There is no more value than in actually playing. The Eagles were actually 2-1 in the three games Vick missed and averaged nearly 26 points per game in those three, including a victory over the NFC leading Atlanta Falcons. That does not take away from Vick’s accomplishments, nor does it diminish his value to the Eagles season, but it does severely limit his value when compared with Tom Brady who has started every game, led his team to 12 victories, and has only missed a snap when his team was ahead by about six touchdowns. By many advanced metrics, including Football Outsiders offensive efficiency, this Patriots offense is better than the 2007 version that seemed almost unstoppable until the Super Bowl. The reason is pretty simple, Tom Brady.

I listened to Derrick Brooks, yes the former Buccaneer linebacker, talk yesterday about the three reasons he thinks Michael Vick should be MVP over Tom Brady. His reasons were 1.) Vick’s story of redemption; 2.) That Brady was having a great year but not his greatest year; and 3.) That Brady’s supporting cast was almost as good as Vick’s supporting cast. After I got over the fact that Brooks has that job despite making moronic arguments like the one above (he also just got done saying that the Bears are a top five team), I thought about how I would counter that line of thinking if he was on my show. So to answer Mr. Brooks: 1.) Vick’s story has nothing to do with his value on the field. If you want to give him the Comeback Player of the Year, or MVS (Most Valuable Story), be my guest; 2.) What does this have to do with this year’s MVP...Just because Brady played slightly better in 2007, and I am not sure that is even the case, it still does not mean he hasn’t been the best player and most valuable player in the league this year; and 3.) So you are making an argument for Vick by arguing that his supporting cast is slightly better? Ok then…But to that point, both do have outstanding supporting casts. The two teams and styles are completely different but both quarterbacks are surrounded by fantastic players in their respective roles. The one difference between the two in my opinion would be DeSean Jackson, who very well could be the Eagles MVP and not Michael Vick.

Look, Michael Vick has been fantastic this year. He deserves all the glory and praise he is getting for his on-field performance and all the respect and appreciation he is getting for trying to turn his life around off the field. That does not make him the NFL MVP. Tom Brady has been the league’s best player, on the league’s best team, leading a historical offense, creating the most value for his team and around the league. That is the NFL's Most Valuable Player.

Another Meaningless Bowl Prediction (the bowl, not the prediction!)

The bowl season picks back up tonight with a can’t miss match-up (I jest, of course, but if you are a football fanatic like myself it is the only game on the tube tonight) between Louisville and Southern Miss in what is being called the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl. If you missed the big news, these teams almost got into a little fisticuffs during the bowl week festivities over a dance competition by the hotel pool. If these two teams did not have something to play for already, they sure do now!

I am working on a short piece for tomorrow over whether I prefer Michael Vick or Tom Brady for the NFL MVP this year. Let’s just say the answer is pretty clear to me.

Tuesday, December 21st

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl – St. Petersburg, FL

Louisville (-2.5) over Southern Miss – This is Louisville’s first bowl appearance since the 2006 Orange Bowl and they are playing for a first year coach in Charlie Strong who is trying to build a winning attitude in his program. I think the Cardinals will be fired up for this one while Southern Miss has little to play for (except for the whole dance-off mess) besides pride against a BCS conference opponent. Louisville is strong up front on the offensive line and should be able to pound RB Bilal Powell enough to bring home the victory.

Troy Should Sit (and Week 15 Picks)

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will sit out today's game against the Jets and could possibly remain out until the Steelers enter the playoffs. I say good, let him sit. Despite the NFL's best attempt to make this Steelers-Jets game seem extremely important, the game is virtually meaningless to the Steelers. Even if the Steelers lose today, a win over the Panthers and Browns still clinches the #2 seed in the AFC, and that's even if Baltimore wins out. If Baltimore loses any of its remaining three games, something that seems more likely to happen than not, the Steelers can basically go on cruise control between now and the playoffs. Personally, I think the Steelers should be resting more players than just Polamalu today. By resting starters today, the Steelers would have given them ten days off between last Sunday and Thursday night's game with Carolina and another ten days off after that leading to Cleveland. That rest could have been invaluable heading into the playoffs. No matter if the Steelers rest or not, they look to be in great position heading into the playoffs and the goal now should be to get their guys healthy.

Last week I went 8-7-1 against the spread which included some heartbreaking losses with Indianapolis, Philadelphia and a gut-wrenching push with the Bucs. Still, the winning week pushed me back over .500 for the year at 101-100-7 and I got off to a good start this week with the Chargers on Thursday. Here we go...

(Home Team in Caps)

MIAMI (-5.5) over Buffalo
TAMPA BAY (-4) over Detroit
CINCINNATI (pk) over Cleveland
INDIANAPOLIS (-4) over Jacksonville
Arizona (+2.5) over CAROLINA
Philadelphia (+3) over NEW YORK GIANTS
New Orleans (+1) over BALTIMORE
SAINT LOUIS (-1) over Kansas City
DALLAS (-7) over Washington
Houston (+1) over TENNESSEE
Atlanta (-6) over SEATTLE
New York Jets (+6) over PITTSBURGH
OAKLAND (-6.5) over Denver
NEW ENGLAND (-13) over Green Bay
Chicago (-7) over MINNESOTA

Happy Bowl Season!

The college football bowl season begins tomorrow and I will once again be making my selections for every game against the spread. I went 21-13 against the spread last year in the bowl games and can only hope to duplicate that success this year. (Those picks pre-dated the beginning of the blog so you’ll just have to take my word for it!) If you are a betting man hopefully they can help you earn a little extra cash during the holiday season. For those wondering where my NFL picks are - I will have those up on the site sometime this weekend as some of the injury messes begin to clear up. I thought about doing a NFL Power Rankings column this week but figured that there was enough for readers to digest on the blog this week and we all kind of know where the pecking order in the NFL stands right now. We will do some more NFL talk next week as the playoff picture should become a little more clear after this weekend. On to the bowls…

Saturday, December 18th

New Mexico Bowl – Albuquerque, NM

BYU (-11) over UTEP – Two teams going in opposite directions and BYU has more talent to begin with.

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl – Boise, ID

Northern Illinois (-1.5) over Fresno State – I liked NIU originally before I even started doing research and liked them even more when I read this stat: Fresno St. under Pat Hill is 4-1 in bowl games against BCS conference teams and 0-5 in bowls against non-automatic qualifiers. This NIU team is good; just have to hope they have their heads on straight after a severely disappointing loss in the MAC Championship game and playing under an interim coaching staff.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – New Orleans, LA

Ohio (+3) over Troy – These teams are pretty even both talent wise and statistically but I lean towards Ohio whose run-oriented attack faces a Troy defense that has struggled to stop the run all season long. The three points doesn’t hurt either.

All Things Pittsburgh

In case you haven’t noticed there has been a ton happening around the Pittsburgh sports scene the past couple of weeks that does not involve the Steelers. I have touched on a few of these things here and there but let’s take an all-inclusive look at everything going on in and around the ‘Burgh.

· Just the mere mention of the Penguins (without even writing their actual name) in the blog was enough to end their twelve game winning streak on Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The Pens followed that loss up with an awful 3rd period performance last night and are now on a two game losing streak. Skipping past the long winning streak, despite its impressiveness, and looking at the season as a whole shows that there is a ton to like about this particular Penguins team. The Pens are tied for fifth in the NHL in both goals for and goals against per game. They are second in the NHL behind the Flyers in goal differential. They are second in the league in penalty killing and have the second most short-handed goals. They rank a pedestrian 16th in power play percentage but that unit has look much improved lately and the goaltending of Marc Andre-Fleury has been superb over the past month, month and a half. The Penguins have done all of this without their best penalty-killer and third best offensive forward in Jordan Staal. Getting Staal back at some point will be like making a major trade acquisition without giving anything up. This Penguins team is well positioned to make another run at the cup and at this point I would make them the co-favorites along with Philadelphia and Detroit.

· One streak that has not ended yet is Sidney Crosby’s 20 game scoring streak. Crosby has 39 points in those 20 games and now leads the league in goals, points, and points per game. He is second in assists, ranks in the top 10 of forwards for +/- and is arguably the best face-off man in the NHL. There really are no superlatives to explain his greatness right now. Any argument over who the best player in the world is completely over, not that there ever was an argument in my mind.

· One positive from the past two losses has been the play of Evgeni Malkin. You may remember him being called out right here in the blog just a few weeks ago and the fact that the Pens had no problem winning without him in his four-game absence. Malkin still ranks well below his standards at 40th in the NHL in points per game and the Pens are going to need a lot more out of their other superstar if they are going to make a run at the Cup like they intend to do, but it was nice to see Geno score three goals in these past two games and more importantly, skate and look like the Malkin we remember from two years ago.

· If you did not watch the premier of HBO’s 24/7 Penguins-Capitals last night, make sure you catch one of the encore shows before next week’s second program and follow from there. HBO does a fantastic job with these behind the scenes documentaries and if last night’s premier was a preview of what’s to come, it will be another fantastic series. My only quibble with the show, and there really is nothing HBO can do about it, is the wide array of story lines that are not covered. We are used to seeing these 24/7s focus on two boxers, or in the Nascar case - of one driver, so with so many different and integral people involved with two hockey teams it is impossible to cover every story.

· Pitt has hired former Miami of Ohio coach Mike Haywood as its new football coach. What I do know about Haywood is that he is an excellent Xs and Os coach. He is a former Charlie Weis pupil at Notre Dame and took a talent depleted Miami team from a 1-11 record to a 9-4 season and a MAC championship. I watched probably too many MAC games for my own good this year but I can tell you that Haywood flat-out outcoached many of his colleagues in leading his team to the MAC championship. What I do not know, however, and what nobody can judge unless they know the person, is how Haywood will do with everything else that a head coaching position at a major college entails. That includes recruiting, public relations, schmoozing with boosters, working with administration and many other things that the public does not see. We know that Dave Wannstedt was fantastic in all of these areas, thus my reluctance in firing him. I do not know Mike Haywood and I do not think his time at Miami was enough to judge him on those things so I will withhold any judgment on him until he is given the proper amount of time in the position. The one thing I do know is that AD Steve Pederson does not have a great track record with hiring football coaches that are good at these things. His last two hires, Bill Callahan and Walt Harris, were excellent football Xs and Os guys but both proved to be terrible at the rest of the job requirements. That does not particularly instill confidence in me with Pederson’s choice, given Haywood’s resume and background.

· If Haywood is the excellent game coach that I believe he is, expect Pitt to have a good season next year with a good bit of talent coming back and a very manageable schedule. That could propel Haywood and his staff to continuing on Pitt’s strong recruiting efforts and get the Pitt administration and boosters on his side. This could significantly aid Haywood as he does his on-the-job training toward long term success. If he does not succeed immediately on the field, however, I will not be too confident in his chances going forward. In either case, we will not be able to properly evaluate this hire for at least three, but more likely four or five years down the line.

· The Pirates signed Lyle Overbay earlier this week to be their first baseman next year. I thought Bob Smizik on his Post Gazette blog summed it up best, “Since Overbay is a left-handed hitter and will start at first base, the team is basically replacing Garrett Jones with, uh, Garrett Jones.” Smizik went on to say that the Pirates are not exactly signing the “weapons” that Frank Coonelly talked about in one of his chats on the Pirates website. In reality the four players that the Pirates have acquired are not all that much different from their predecessors. Overbay for Jones/Ryan Doumit, Mat Diaz for Lastings Milledge, Scott Olsen for Zach Duke and Kevin Correia will be added as the 4th or 5th starter to a team that already has plenty of those.

· The Pirates have also made no secret of their desire to trade Ryan Doumit and his salary. Personally, I hope Doumit sticks around. For the Pirates’ signings to make any sense it is imperative that they use platoon rotations at first base and in right field. A platoon at catcher with Doumit facing right-handed pitchers and Chris Snyder facing lefties would also be ideal. I have a tough time believing that the Pirates will stick to these platoon roles, as it seems managers never do, but if the Pirates hang on to Doumit and strictly use the platoon match-ups they could run a halfway decent line-up out there against both lefties and righties. Here they are, with 2010 OPS averages in parenthesis, against those type pitchers:

Vs. Righties: Vs. Lefties:
McCutchen (.784) Tabata (.682)
Tabata (.767) Walker (.809)
Walker (.818) McCutchen (.903)
Alvarez (.858) Alvarez (.644)
Jones (.775) Diaz (.830)
Doumit (.832) Pearce (.964)
Overbay (.779) Snyder (.750)
Cedeno (.647) Cedeno (.767)

· As for all of those number four and five type starters, I have no answer for that. Pirates’ fans can hope that Ross Ohlendorf and James McDonald continue to develop and that Brad Lincoln develops into what management hopes he can become. Even at their peaks, however, those three are no better than good number three starters on a playoff team. No, the Pirates best pitching hope lies in their lower minor league ranks and is still a couple of years away. There is always Charlie Morton with that “electric stuff”.

· With the Cardinals and Reds looking as good if not better for next year, it could be another long season for the Buccos. The positive is that we get to watch the continued development of the young players and actually have some hope for the future.

· Lastly, and we will get into a lot more college hoops after the Bowl Season ends, but this Pitt basketball team has the makings of being the best team in the Ben Howland/Jamie Dixon era. There is no question that this is the deepest and most talented team from one through ten that Dixon has coached, but I am not sure if there is a player the caliber of a Sam Young or DeJuan Blair on the team. The more important question however, as has been with many of the past teams, is will there be a player that can put this team on his back when things are not going right. Pitt has lacked this superstar for much, if not all, of this modern era and it has often been its achilles heel. The closest thing Pitt had to this player was Sam Young from the Elite Eight team two years ago. If this Pitt team is going to match and hopefully surpass that team Brad Wannamaker, Ashton Gibbs or the darkhorse candidate Dante Taylor is going to need to take his game to the next level. We did not see this happen in the Tennessee loss, but the season is still quite young.

Thursday Night Pick

SAN DIEGO (-10) over San Francisco

Cliff Lee (and more) Smorgasbord!

There has been a ton going on in the sports world over the past week or so and it seems like I have done nothing but write about the NFL lately. What better way to cover a bunch of topics around the sports world than a smorgasbord!

· I was listening to Mike and Mike this morning on my drive in to work and many of their listeners were criticizing Cliff Lee for his decision to join the Phillies rather than the Yankees or Rangers who were offering more money and/or the potential to be “the man”. For what it’s worth, I think Lee made a fabulous decision for himself. He gets to pitch in the National League for the next five or six years, something that could allow him to go down as an all-time great while prolonging his career, he’ll join a Philadelphia team that now has to be the favorite for AT LEAST the next three World Series Championships, he obviously enjoyed his time in Philadelphia previously and it is reported that his wife really enjoyed their time, and in the end the difference in money really isn’t all that great when you factor in cost of living, etc. Lee made an informed decision that will make him and his family happy, kudos to him.

· I picked Philadelphia to win the World Series last year and they let me down when they ran into the Giants’ pitching buzz saw. I got a pretty good suspicion this morning that I will be picking the Phillies again next year.

· As a friend said to me earlier today, “I think these guys getting to pick where they live is a quite underrated part of the FA process. “ I couldn’t agree more.

· Another friend of mine is a die-hard Yankee fan and it sounds like New Yorkers are getting just a little bit worried with their inability to sign Lee and the Red Sox’ additions of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. The Yankees would be foolish to make a panic decision and sign Carl Pavano for too much money or anything of that sort. The Yanks are still the clear favorite for the AL Wild Card and a rotation of CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettite and I’m guessing the rookie Nova or whomever (I still think they should give Joba Chamberlain another shot) will be fine for the first half of the season. The Yankees should wait until the trade deadline and see what's available then.

· I am longing for the days when we can talk about the Pirates big off-season moves! No disrespect to Scott Olsen, Kevin Correia and Matt Diaz, of course.

· Those comparing Lee’s situation to LeBron James’ “decision” are crazy. Lee didn’t pass up a chance to be “the man” in Texas or was scared off by the pressure in New York. Baseball is a totally different sport where very rarely can a player carry his team individually for an extended stretch and especially as a pitcher who can only win the game he pitches every four or five days. Lee’s legacy can perhaps be enhanced by his decision to join the Phillies where LeBron’s will never be the same.

· Speaking of James, I am not hearing much from the Heat bashers these days after LeBron and company won their ninth straight game last night, all by double digits. Those that were jumping on Miami earlier in the season for their lack of a point guard and/or center and saying that LeBron and Dwayne Wade could not play together just do not understand basketball. The Big Three (including Chris Bosh) were simply playing well below their usual greatness. Things are slowly rounding into form and I have never wavered from my stance that this team will be there in the end. I did underestimate how deep and talented Boston is this year, especially with Kevin Garnett looking like he has found the fountain of youth, but I am sticking by my prediction that the Heat are the Eastern Conference representative in the Finals.

· I am sure everyone has heard by now about the New York Jets strength coach Sal Alosi tripping a Miami Dolphins player trying to cover a punt on Sunday and being subsequently suspended for the remainder of the season and fined 25k by the Jets. I think this story is getting a little too much coverage to be honest. For one, it is being reported that teams purposely position these coaches on the sidelines to be in the way of gunners if they happen to be pushed out of bounds. If teams are instilling this mentality, something that I had never thought about before but it says a whole lot about what a cutthroat business the NFL is, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. The guy has apologized, let’s let him take his punishment and move on from the story.

· The coaching dominoes in the college ranks are beginning to fall with Al Golden heading to Miami, Will Muschamp to Florida and Jerry Kill to Minnesota. I do not mind that Pitt is taking its time with this decision, it is an awfully important time and hire for this program. As of yesterday it sounded like Oklahoma State Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen was the front-runner for the job but he has since pulled himself from consideration. Holgorsen is now being linked to West Virginia if Bill Stewart is let go. Some of the names being circulated now, including Miami of Ohio coach Mike Haywood, are not exactly the most inspiring names out there.

· That being said, Pitt should not be trying to find the “most inspiring name” if you don’t mind me quoting myself. Steve Pederson’s job is to find the best man for this job, no matter if he is a current head coach, coordinator or a certain sports blog writer if anyone feels like passing my name on to him.

· Lastly, you may have thought that I forgot about a certain team in Pittsburgh that has won a few games in a row. I have not forgotten about them but I do not want to be the jinx that halts this winning streak by mentioning them in the blog…(damn, I hope this doesn’t count!) I will have plenty to say about the streak and their star player’s own little streak when they come to an end.

Sunday Quick Picks

It has been a hectic week here at the headquarters of The People's Quarterback and I have not done nearly enough writing. You will forgive me, however, if these picks continue to be as good as they have been over the past month! Last week I went 9-7, bringing my record back to .500 for the season at 93-93-6. Here's this week's picks:

(Home Team in Caps)

Oakland (+4) over JACKSONVILLE
Cleveland (+1) over BUFFALO
PITTSBURGH (-8.5) over Cincinnati
Atlanta (-7.5) over CAROLINA
Green Bay (-7) over DETROIT
Tampa Bay (-1) over WASHINGTON
SAN FRANCISCO (-5.5) over Seattle
St. Louis (+9.5) over NEW ORLEANS
ARIZONA (+5.5) over Denver
SAN DIEGO (-9) over Kansas City
New England (-3) over CHICAGO
NEW YORK JETS (-5.5) over Miami
Philadelphia (-3.5) over DALLAS
New York Giants (-2.5) over MINNESOTA
Baltimore (-3) over HOUSTON

Mixed Feelings on Wannstedt Dismissal

On Tuesday, some buddies and I were having our normal email exchange debating things happening around the sports world, mostly dealing with the baseball offseason, when the topic turned to Dave Wannstedt and whether he should be fired at Pitt or not. Some great points were made debating both the pros and cons of such a move and I was a little bit undecided on where I stood. For the most part, I thought Wannstedt deserved the chance to come back for reasons that I will soon get into. At roughly 4pm or so the news broke that Wannstedt would be let go. My initial reaction was “wow, we just wasted a whole day debating this”. In all seriousness, I had mixed feelings on the dismissal. After giving it a day to maul over and reading many of the countless reports, mostly agreeing with Wannstedt’s removal, I came to the conclusion that I am still not sure it was the right move, but I certainly understood it.

I have long been a critic, probably even before most others realized his deficiencies, of Dave Wannstedt’s in-game coaching and strategy. Wannstedt comes from a very defensive-minded, NFL approach to coaching that I can sum up very simply: he coaches not to lose instead of to win. That philosophy works OK in the NFL where the parity and talent distribution is pretty even.

(Although the man that everyone would agree is the greatest football coach in the world right now, Bill Belichick, would disagree and it is partly why he is the best coach in football right now. Belichick will often go against conventional thinking or as I like to call that line of thinking: “wrong”. Belichick routinely puts his team in the best position to win time and time again by playing with the percentages, not with the afraid to be criticized approach. I could go on all day about this, but I will not digress any further.)

That philosophy can work in the NFL but not in college where there is usually some and often times a large talent discrepancy between teams. When you have the talent advantage, you need to be aggressive and put inferior teams away. When you are the team at a disadvantage, you need to take risks and make big plays to make up for this lack of talent. In his six years as the head man at Pitt, this was the one thing that Wannstedt failed to realize.

I could go on about the many reasons Wannstedt was dismissed Tuesday, from his inability to win big games to his failure to make even one BCS Bowl Game despite playing in a sub-par Big East Conference with major advantages over his conference opponents. We know all of those reasons, you can read those in many different places today and they are certainly true. Firing Wannstedt was more than justifiable, but there are many reasons that not only could have been used to keep Wannstedt on board, but that may end up making this one of the biggest mistakes in Pitt football history.

Over the past three years Pitt has accumulated the most talent in the Big East and was showing a discernible advantage going forward. This showed not only in the recruiting rankings where Pitt was finishing on top of the Big East for a few years now, but from the product on the field. Part of the reason Wannstedt is being let go is that it was so apparent that his teams were underachieving. Pitt had a legitimate chance to win the Big East in each of the past three years and came up empty. It was obvious, however, that the Panthers were probably the most talented team in the conference in each of those years, or at the very least comparable with the other top teams. Somehow Pitt never managed to come out on top and that is what ultimately cost Wannstedt his job.

Pitt has an advantage over the rest of the Big East with its tradition, its location and its reputation. Dave Wannstedt seemed to recognize this and was able to tap into these resources and advantages but he never was able to get the program completely over the top. Talent usually wins in the end and I feel eventually that the talent discrepancy would get Wannstedt over that hump and once that happened this thing could really start rolling. I also believed that once Pitt had this program rolling along, a new coach could come in when Wannstedt moved along or retired and really take it to new heights, just the way that Jamie Dixon is doing with the basketball program.

Instead, Pitt decided to go in a new direction and I cannot say that I blame them. They made the decision that Dave Wannstedt would not be able to get this team over that hump and that they needed to bring in a new guy to get there. Let’s just hope that the new guy builds on what Dave Wannstedt has established and not returns the program to where it was when Wannstedt arrived. If that happens, Steve Pederson and the Pitt administration could have made one big mistake. Like I said in the beginning, I have mixed feelings on Dave Wannstedt’s firing.



Thursday Night Pick
Indianapolis (-3) over TENNESSEE

Picks, Picks and More Picks

I said that last week’s results would be the determining factor on how I would finish out the season handicapping games. I thought another good week would show that I have finally figured things out and would continue on strong for the rest of the year or that it would prove I just hit a bit of a lucky streak and the NFL was just as wacky as it was earlier in the season. Well I went 9-7…while good, that doesn’t provide definitive proof so we will have to carry over that hypothesis one more week. I started off again on the right foot with Philadelphia covering on Thursday night. Let’s see if we can carry over that momentum to Sunday this week. I had so much fun writing up the NFL games this week I decided to break down some of the college championship and big games from this weekend as well. Enjoy…

(Home Team in Caps)

PHILADELPHIA (-8) over Houston – Michael Vick will throw for another 300 yards against Houston’s terrible pass defense and will probably run for another score as well. The Eagles score a late TD to cover after Andy Reid successfully challenges a call for the first time since the NFL implemented coaches’ challenges. Just call me Nostradamus!

Washington (+7) over NEW YORK GIANTS – Washington lost last week at home to the struggling Vikings. According to their Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde season, that means they will come out with a strong performance this week against the banged-up Giants. New York probably comes out of this game with a win, but it should be a close one throughout.

Denver (+9) over KANSAS CITY – Denver is in danger of quitting on their season but this is still too many points for a young Chiefs team that is still learning how to win and deal with success. I expect the Chiefs to extract revenge for their embarrassing showing three weeks ago in Denver and get the win, but both teams should be ready for this intense rivalry game and Kyle Orton and the Broncos’ passing game should be enough to at least keep this one close

GREEN BAY (-9.5) over San Francisco – Despite the loss last week I think this Green Bay team is finally figuring things out. The Packers have abandoned their horrific run game and have put the ball in the hands of their best player Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has delivered with back-to-back 300 yard performances and now goes up against the 49ers’ 15th ranked pass defense.

Chicago (-5) over DETROIT – Detroit is expected to start third stringer Drew Stanton at quarterback this week and that is not good news against this stingy Chicago defense. If Cutler can avoid one of his three or four turnover days, the Bears should win this one comfortably.

Cleveland (+4.5) over MIAMI – Last week I told you that Miami was 4-1 on the road both straight up and against the spread. That record is now 5-1. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are 1-4 straight up and 2-3 ATS at home. Those wacky trends continue this week as the Brownies come to town and make this a battle to the end.

New Orleans (-7) over CINCINNATI – These are two teams going in completely opposite directions. The Saints have won four straight and are beginning to look like the team that won the Super Bowl last year. The Bungals have lost eight straight and for all intent and purposes have quit on their coach. In the goofy NFL that means the Bengals will probably win this game somehow but I don’t see Drew Brees and Sean Payton falling into that trap. The Saints are playing too well right now and are fighting for their playoff lives.

Jacksonville (+3) over TENNESSEE – These are two more teams heading in opposite directions as we head down the stretch. Just a month ago the Jags were 3-4 and headed toward a top 10 pick in the draft while the Titans were sitting 5-2 and expected to be the team to challenge the Colts for the division. Now the Jaguars are 6-5 and tied atop the South with Indianapolis while Tennessee has lost Vince Young for the year and have their fans questioning whether they will win another game this season. Kerry Collins is expected to start for the Titans this week which gives me some hesitation but I still like the Jaguars to carry over their recent strong play and pull the upset on the road.

Buffalo (+5.5) over MINNESOTA – Now that the good feelings and excitement of Leslie Frazier taking over as coach have worn off the Vikings are going to once again realize that they are 4-7 and headed nowhere in a season that they were expecting so much. I am guessing they still find a way to win this game at home, especially if Adrian Peterson is able to play with his sprained ankle, but I do expect the Bills to continue to be competitive until the end. In the Bills last six games they have won two and lost the other four games all by a field goal, going 5-0-1 against the spread. That trend continues and the Vikes kick a field goal as time expires.

SAN DIEGO (-13) over Oakland – As I mentioned yesterday, San Diego is going on their annual late season tear through the league while Oakland has looked awful in its last two games. San Diego is 4-1 at home and still possesses the league’s number one ranked offense and defense. I expect the Chargers to win this one comfortably and Rivers to continue on his MVP-type season.

St. Louis (-3.5) over ARIZONA – One team that I don’t think has quit on their season is the Arizona Cardinals but their quarterback play has been just that bad. I wrote how high I am on Rams’ rookie QB Sam Bradford in the comments section of yesterday’s post and I expect the rook to continue to impress for the rest of the season and the Rams to come out on top of the woeful NFC West. On a fantasy note, I own both the Rams Defense and Bears Defense on one of my teams and both have dream match-ups this week (the league requires every team to carry two defenses). Why does this always seem to happen? Next week one will be playing the Chargers and the other New England or something. (I wrote that sentence before checking their schedules…Chicago plays New England next week and St. Louis plays New Orleans, go figure!)

Dallas (+5.5) over INDIANAPOLIS – Dallas is 3-0 against the spread and 2-1 straight up under interim coach Jason Garrett and have been playing the kind of football I expected them to play all season long despite playing with back-up quarterback Jon Kitna. Indianapolis is too banged up in too many positions to be giving anybody more than a field goal at this point. Peyton probably finds a way to put the team on his back this week and get a win, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this one is tight. Besides, does any team possess better weapons and a gun-slinging QB like the Cowboys have for a backdoor cover if needed?

SEATTLE (-6) over Carolina – Seattle has lost three of four including two at home and has seemingly lost all of the momentum they gathered from a strong start. Carolina has never had any momentum this year. Advantage: Seattle.

TAMPA BAY (+3) over Atlanta – Let me get this straight; The team that was leading in the fourth quarter on the road and gave the league’s best home team everything it could handle just a few weeks ago AND has covered in five straight games is getting a field goal at home. Sure, I think Atlanta is the better team and probably the class of the NFC right now, but the value in this line goes on the Bucs. Josh Freeman is developing into an upper-echelon quarterback in this league and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if the Bucs pulled the upset this Sunday. Besides, everytime we think we have the top of the NFC figured out the team finds a way to lose one.

Pittsburgh (+3) over BALTIMORE – Two fun facts for you: Ben Roethlisberger is 7-2 against the Ravens over his career. Joe Flacco has never beat Roethlisberger. Add those up and you get a Steelers win. Plus, these teams are extremely evenly matched. The winner of this game is probably a coin-flip but you can take three points with the Steelers. When in doubt, take the points.

New York Jets (+3.5) over NEW ENGLAND – You may have noticed a growing trend over the past two weeks with the number of away teams I have been backing. Between the new billion dollar stadiums being more eye-pleasing and comfortable and thus less noisy, ticket prices forcing many of the real fans to watch at home, and the amount of time and preparation put into games these days by players and coaches, home field advantage has gone the way of the fullback in the NFL. That is few and far between around the league. Besides, Rex Ryan says his team is built to beat the Patriots. I don’t need Sexy Rexy to win, just lose by a field goal or less.

(Last Week: 9-7; Thursday: 1-0; Overall: 85-86-6)

Bonus College Picks

Oregon (-16.5) over OREGON STATE – Oregon is simply too explosive this year for the Beavers to keep up with. Sure, the “Civil War” is unbelievably intense and usually comes down to the wire and Oregon State has proven in the past that it can pull a major upset over its rival, but without James Rodgers and the ability of Oregon’s offense to put up points in a hurry I think this game resembles the one from two years ago when the Ducks pounded Oregon State on their home turf.

South Carolina (+5.5) over Auburn – Despite having a terrific year against the spread in college, I might not be the best source for this game as I have gone against the Tigers in their last five SEC games (all of which I lost) but I am still not convinced that they are a great team. There is no doubt Cam Newton is the best player in the country and he continues to deliver for his team, especially in the fourth quarter, but I expect a close game down to the wire. This time I think the Gamecocks cover the spread but ultimately fall to the Tigers.

WEST VIRGINIA (-20) over Rutgers – West Virginia’s defense is fantastic. Rutgers defense is not so fantastic, giving up 109 points in the last two games. Combine those two and this game could get ugly, real ugly.

SOUTH FLORIDA (-2) over Connecticut – You can call this terrible reasoning but I just cannot see UConn in a BCS Bowl game. Better reasoning is that the Huskies are 1-4 on the road this year and rely on a run game that faces the Bulls’s run defense who has surrendered only 133 yards per game this year on the ground.

Virginia Tech (-3.5) over Florida State – Tyrod Taylor has been the ACC’s best player all season long and it is not time to go against him in the league’s championship game. This one should be close, but I like the Hokies to escape by more than a field goal. It helps to know that V-Tech is 9-1 against the spread since their opening two losses against Boise State and James Madison.

Oklahoma (-4) over Nebraska – Nebraska’s top two offensive weapons, freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez and running back Roy Helu Jr., are both banged up. Both are expected to play but Martinez is not expected to start and his effectiveness is in question. Oklahoma is too explosive and has too many weapons on offense to come into this game undermanned.

Football Recap (Part II)

Yesterday we covered a few of my thoughts from the long weekend of college football. Today I will share a few thoughts on last Sunday’s NFL action as we look forward to a monster weekend of football that puts what most likely are the best four teams in football against each other. And no, I did not forget about Monday’s horrendous game, but I sure wish I could…

· The Steelers are certainly counting their blessings this week as they tried their hardest to leave Buffalo with a loss. My biggest complaint from the game, besides the James Harrison penalty, was the Steelers abandoning the running game for much of the second half before returning to it in overtime. Rashard Mendenhall had 18 carries in the first half when the Steelers moved the ball at will on the Bills, including their opening drive when they ran the football six consecutive times from Buffalo’s 24-yard line to score their first and only touchdown of the game. Mendenhall had eight carries on that drive alone but received only 10 carries the entire second half before getting 8 more carries in overtime where the Steelers coincidentally moved the ball down the field and won the game.

· Speaking of Harrison, the NFL is not singling him out. The problem is his reputation and his style of play. Harrison does lead with his helmet, but it is usually his facemask that he sticks right in the chest of the opposing player. This is supposed to be legal but there is a very fine line between his facemask and the top of his helmet, especially as the officials are watching the game in full speed and have been instructed to throw a flag if they are unsure. The NFL is going to have to address and clarify this issue in the offseason, but in the meantime Harrison needs to stop leading with his head at all or the Steelers need to shut up and live with the consequences if a flag is thrown.

· How about them Bears? Chicago is now 8-3 and would be watching from their couches with a bye if the playoffs were to start today. This past Sunday the Bears were able to slow down Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles who were everyone’s flavor of the month in the NFC coming in. The Bears are winning with their defense and Jay Cutler’s (gulp!) ability to protect the football. I have watched a number of the Bears’ games this year, however, and believe that Cutler has been a little more lucky than good with his lack of interceptions. At some point we will see the real Cutler come back to haunt ‘da Bears down the stretch or in the playoffs.

· In what could have been a preview for a playoff game or even the NFC Championship, the Atlanta Falcons knocked off the Green Bay Packers in what was a fantastic game. Matt Ryan is now 19-1 in his career at home. The Falcons will host the Saints in late December in what very well could be the game that decides not only the division but home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. I am guessing that most NFC contenders will be pulling for the Saints that day to knock off the Falcons, not that playing in the Superdome against Drew Brees would be any kind of picnic.

· Injuries are a part of life in the NFL. Every team has to deal with their share but no team has been more affected this year than the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have been without Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, Joseph Addai, Gary Brackett, Clint Sessions and Bob Sanders, among others, for significant portions of the season. These guys aren’t just good players for the Colts, they are difference-makers. It is one thing for NFL teams to have injuries among their marginal players who can be replaced with a somewhat comparable player (something we have seen the Steelers do on their offensive line and Baltimore in their secondary) but teams cannot lose their difference makers. Steelers’ fans should know this feeling all too well after last year when they watched the defense suffer without two of their top difference-makers in Aaron Smith and Troy Polamalu.

· The Chargers, led by Philip Rivers, look poised to go on another late season run. Rivers, who in my opinion is the MVP of the NFL right now and is playing the QB position as good if not better than anyone in the league this season, and the Chargers have consistently turned it on in December over the years but it remains to be seen if they can get over that final hurdle in the playoffs. With Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger (owning eight of the AFC’s last nine Super Bowl QB appearances) standing in his way it certainly will not be easy for Rivers to exorcise his playoff demons.

Thursday Night Pick
PHILADELPHIA (-8) over Houston

Football Recap (Part I)

I watched a ton of football this past weekend and with my wife being sick in bed on Friday and Saturday, I think I might have hooked my two-month old daughter on football as well. That or she just enjoys the moving shapes and colors, but I would rather think I am turning her into a football fan! All of that football watching left me with a ton of thoughts on the past weekend in both the college ranks and the pros. For the sake of space and time, we will break the recap down into two parts with my college notes coming today and the NFL tomorrow.

· What a fantastic game between Auburn and Alabama Friday afternoon. It also goes to show you that sometimes it is just a team’s year. Alabama, at least in my eyes, was clearly the superior team and should probably have had a 30 plus point lead in the first half. However, Mark Ingram’s crazy fumble that led to a touchback for Auburn shifted the momentum of the game and you could feel as the second half went along that Auburn was going to pull another one out. At this point, the Oregon verses Auburn National Championship should be as exciting as any I can remember in recent history.

· By the way, what is the over-under going to be in that one? Has to be in the mid 70s, pretty crazy for a National Championship game. The Texas-USC match-up in 2005 had an over-under of 69.5, this game would have to exceed that I would think. Coincidentally, the last time the Heisman winner and the runner-up played in the championship was that USC-Texas game with Reggie Bush (who has since vacated his Heisman) and Vince Young. I am thinking Auburn-Oregon would feature the winner in Cam Newton and the runner-up in LaMichael James. Although Stanford QB Andrew Luck could sneak by James for the runner up position.

· Dave Wannstedt is taking a beating by both the Pittsburgh media and the Panthers’ fan base for Pitt’s terrible performance at home with the Big East Conference on the line. I have consistently beat Wannstedt up here in the blog for his conservative style and his “playing not to lose” instead of playing to win mentality. But I have to stick up for him in this instance. I loved Pitt’s gameplan on Saturday. They came out attacking both offensively and defensively and really dominated the first half, probably even the first three quarters of the game, statistically. It is not Wannstedt’s fault that two of his best players in Dion Lewis and Ray Graham fumbled, or that Tino Sunseri threw a terrible interception to set up West Virginia’s lone first half touchdown as Pitt was moving down the field on their opening drive. Sometimes the loss has to fall squarely on the shoulders of the players, and Pitt’s loss in the Backyard Brawl is clearly one of those times.

· That being said, it became another instance of this Pitt program under Dave Wannstedt failing to win a big game and more importantly, failing to win the Big East Conference despite a great opportunity. I still believe though, that Wannstedt should not be fired after this year. The program is in fantastic shape both on and off the field as a result of his tenure and I am not so sure that Pitt could bring in a guy that would elevate the program further. I have said numerous times that it is a shame that Pitt cannot just make Wannstedt the figurehead for the program and allow someone else to run the game operations but I think it’s obvious that Wannstedt would not go for that. It is time, however, that Pitt put an ultimatum on him that it is Big East Champion or bust for him next year, unless he will become that figurehead.

· I told you right here last Thursday or Friday that both Oregon and Boise State would have their hands full Friday and I was certainly right. Oregon trailed at halftime to Arizona before pulling away late while Boise lost to rival Nevada in what was a fantastic game. The funny thing to me is reading all of the columns denouncing Boise State as unworthy of national championship contender after their kicker missed a 26-yard field goal that would have won the game. Many of these same writers would be clamoring for the little guy to have a shot if they would have won the game. So you are telling me there is a difference in that team if the kicker makes or misses that kick? Come on now…this was an extremely good Boise State team that fell just a bit short against a very good Nevada squad.

· The wonderfully meaningful college football season has approximately 20-25 games this weekend that mean very little with most of the BCS games being set. Upsets could change the team names in the BCS Bowls, but for the most part we know the general landscape of what the games will look like. Sure, the championship games should be exciting and there could be upsets but how much more fun and entertaining would they be if a shot at the playoffs and a chance to play for the national title were at stake.

· Sorry, I just cannot write about college football without lamenting about the lack of a playoff. Even in a year where it is pretty clear that the two teams who have had the best season will be playing for the National Title, I still can’t but wonder how great a playoff would be. I will be back tomorrow with a look back at the weekend that was in the NFL and a look forward at what should be another great week coming up.