CONFERENCE OUTLOOK
It looks like the Big 12 is going to stay intact. I am glad to see TCU back in a conference where they will be recognized for their body of work over the past 3-4 years. Gary Patterson has turned that program equaling any team in any conference, especially the Big East. They would have walked over those teams hands down.
And speaking of the Big East, where are they going? They are talking about 6 more football schools joining the conference. But who are they?
I am glad to see that the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry is still there. That's a big game for both schools. It is a big game for all of college football. When ABC broadcasts it on Saturday that tells you how important it is nationally.
COWHERD INSULTS GOOD PLAY
Overall, I like Colin Cowherd. But he can make some outlandish statements that ruin the fabric of sports. For example, he said that it is more interesting that the Yankees lose the divisional series than the Tigers winning it. This goes to show that Colin is in favor of the major market teams. I am glad that the Yankees lost. It shows that money cannot buy championships. It also shows that the game still has to be played to determine a winner. None of the never-ending analysis as to who is better based upon this or that factor.
It doesn't matter that the Yankees have won the most World Series or have been in the most World Series. It doesn't matter that they have Derek Jeter, Mark Teixiera, Alex Rodriguez, Jose Posada, and Rivera. Those guys are human just like every other player in baseball. It just so happens that they play for THE team with the biggest media market in the country next to Los Angeles. Sorry, Colin, that doesn't make them interesting. You value the wrong thing. You would rather spend time on a team that lost rather than praising the team that beat them simply because they're the Yankees. You would value teams that lose rather than mention the qualities that made them winners.
You say that giving credit is for VISA, Mastercard, and banks. You say it's not the business you are in. Well, you are wrong. It is part of your business. Your attitude shows a lack of respect for the game itself. Smaller market teams do not exist just so you can ignore them and praise only those teams you think are worth praising. Nor do they exist simply for the major market teams to come in and beat them year in and year out. They want to win as well. The problem comes when major market teams have the money and can buy great players from other teams. Because money does talk, these players naturally flow to where the money is and potentially make that major market team a contender year-in and year-out. It's even more important to acknowledge great play against a team like the Yankees, showing that money does not necessarily buy championships.
People in all of the 30 MLB cities love their baseball. While baseball, like every other major sport in America, has gone the way of being big business, it doesn't change the fans' love of their team. There are no apologies for not being an elitist team like the Yankees or the Red Sox. If they cannot play with the gutsiness and heart of a Detroit Tiger team, then too bad. The Tigers, in that series, were the better AND the most exciting team. Deal with it.
PRO FOOTBALL
And while we're in the Motor City, HOW 'BOUT THEM LIONS? They're 5-0 for the first time in 55 years. GO LIONS!!! It's good to see that team rebound from a winless season in 2008 to 2-14 in 2009 and 6-10 in 2010. It's true that the combined record of the teams they've beaten in this 5-0 start is 8-11. But three of those games--Tampa Bay, Minnesota, and Dallas are all road victories. So while they may not be considered the best team in the NFL right now, they are showing the league that they are improved and must be shown respect.
Keep in mind that the only other undefeated team right now are in the Lions' division-Green Bay and they don't meet until Thanksgiving Day, six weeks from now. Until then, the only team with a winning record on their schedule is next week against the 49ers at home. The best philosophy this Lions' team can adopt is--one game at a time.
BYU'S RECORD SURPRISING, BUT PLEASING
Well, I believe the BYU Cougars are finally getting into a rhythm. They realized that they cannot win without their running game contributing to the offense. They only had 145 yards total rushing in the first 3 games. Against Central Florida, Utah State, and San Jose State, they have averaged 183.7 yards a game. They have averaged almost 27 points a game in those three wins.
This is better than I predicted. I figured them to be at the most 3-3. Two of their three wins came in the fourth quarter and they were far from dominating San Jose State. They have changed starting quarterbacks, putting Riley Nelson over Jake Heaps, who was touted in the preseason to be their quarterback of the future. Nelson, playing in about 5 1/2 quarters as a starter, is 24-38 for 363 yards, 5 touchdowns, two interceptions. He also has 127 yards in 20 carries so he also poses a threat to run the ball. That makes their offense a bit more unpredictable than before not to mention more exciting.
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