Being the worst isn't enough?

I remember a few years back when North Texas was the class of Sunbelt Conference football. Yes, they had their annual losses to the "big boys" but then they would dominate their conference and play in the annual New Orleans Bowl - including 4 in row from 2001-2004. How the mighty have fallen. They've never been a great team but this year's team is easily the worst team in all of 1-A football. Yes, even worse than the Washington Huskies - at least the Huskies can say they play in a fairly good conference. So far this season, the Mean Green is 0-8 and only scoring less than 14 points per game - and giving up 50 points per game. Not sad enough? They are tied for next to last in scoring offense and next to last in total defense - almost 500 yards of offense per game!

Just when you thought this is enough to call the season a total failure, coach Todd Dodge requested that 86 of his players be administered drug tests - 15 failed. Not only has Dodge obviously not been able to make this team even close to being a winner but I'm not even sure he has many players who are committed to being respectable student-athletes. The punishment they will receive according to the student handbook is drug counseling and further testing. I don't think that is strong enough of a punishment. As someone who had to take out student loans to get through college, I'm disgusted at the idea that these students can get a free ride and then break the rules and the law and continue getting a free ride. On top of that, they aren't even being productive on the football field. Attention Coach Dodge : time to cut the dead weight. These players do not deserve to represent North Texas University nor do they deserve to break the law and continue getting a free ride and special treatment. Oh - if you can't do that, it's time for the university to find a coach who will.

Today's college football games did not lack for excitement - or for upsets! Let's see how I did with my predictions:

(Correct predictions in bold - winners in italics - actual score in { })

UConn 30, Cincinnati 21 {40-16} UConn bounces back with big win over Cincy
Northwestern 28, Indiana 21 {21-19} Hoosiers score big upset over #22 N'western
Boston College 14, North Carolina 35 {45-24} BC gets first ACC loss
Illinois 21, Wisconsin 24 {27-17} Badgers finally win first Big 10 game
Eastern Michigan 14, Ball St. 28 {38-16} Ball St. remains perfect at 8-0
Texas Tech 59, Kansas 28 {63-21} Harrell has career day with 386 yds and 5 TDs
Wake Forest 14, Miami 17 {16-10} Deacons continue to struggle; drop 2nd ACC game
Central Michigan 42, Toledo 14 {24-23} CMU avoids upset bid by Toledo
Baylor 14, Nebraska 35 {32-20} No time to celebrate - Sooners up next
Kentucky 14, Florida 49 {63-5} Tebow leads balanced attack to embarrass Wildcats
Oklahoma 56, Kansas St. 21 {58-35} Sooners set scoring record with 55pts in 1st half
Duke 14, Vanderbilt 17 {10-7} Blue Devils inch closer to bowl eligibility with win
Virginia Tech 21, Florida St. 24 {30-20} Hokies drop to 2-2 in ACC; Seminoles 3-1
USF 21, Louisville 35 {24-20} Cardinals win despite 344 passing yards from USF
NC State 10, Maryland 35 {27-24} Terps stay tied with FSU for Atlantic Div. lead
UNLV 28, BYU 45 {42-35} Cougars back on winning track after loss last week
Fresno St. 45, Utah St. 20 {30-28} Bulldogs escape with win over 1-7 Anteaters
UCLA 14, California 28 {41-20} Bruins turn ball over 4 times in loss to Golden Bears
Virginia 17, Georgia Tech 14 {24-17} UVA scores big upset over #21 Yellow Jackets
Georgia 24, LSU 30 {52-38} Bulldogs score huge win over Tigers
Minnesota 34, Purdue 12 {17-6} Gophers avoid upset despite 13 penalties
Oklahoma St. 42, Texas 35 {28-24} Longhorns avoid test from Cowboys to stay perfect
Wyoming 10, TCU 45 {54-7} TCU remains perfect in Mountain West Conference
Rutgers 13, Pittsburgh 34 {54-34} Rutgers QB Teel throws school record 6 TDs in win
Colorado 10, Missouri 38 {58-0} Tigers snap 2-game losing streak
Penn St. 52, Ohio St. 34 {13-6} Backup QB Devlin leads Lions over Buckeyes
Notre Dame 21, Washington 7 {33-7} Huskies continue to be Division 1 doormat
Alabama 24, Tennessee 21 {29-9} Volunteers struggle - Start worrying Fulmer
USC 31, Arizona 24 {17-10} USC escapes with win over Wildcats
Oregon 34, Arizona St. 17 {54-20} Ducks have 537 yards in offense to rout Sun Devils
UCF 10, Tulsa 60 {49-19} Tulsa's potent offense rampages in 2nd half after trailing

Week's Record - 26 Wins, 5 Losses

Biggest Surprise : By far this honor goes to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Until this week, Pittsburgh had been playing very well. In fact, most thought that they were in the driver's seat for the Big East title. Now West Virginia is in the driver's seat for that honor.

Biggest Disappointment : Somewhat selfishly, I have to say the Tigers loss to the Georgia Bulldogs is my choice for this dishonor. After LSU managed to show some dominance over South Carolina last week most thought they would come out and show some swagger this week. Defense struggled to contain the Bulldog offense and in the end couldn't get enough going on offense to make up for it. Question is, how much longer will Les Miles continue to use a two quarterback system? It clearly is not working.

College Football Predictions - 10/25

A little late, but here are my predictions for this weekend's games:

Connecticut 30, Cincinnati 21
Northwestern 28, Indiana 21
Boston College 14, North Carolina 35
Illinois 21, Wisconsin, 24
Eastern Michigan 14, Ball St. 28
Texas Tech 59, Kansas 28
Wake Forest 14, Miami 17
Central Michigan 42, Toledo 14
Baylor 14, Nebraska 35
Kentucky 14, Florida 49
Oklahoma 56, Kansas St. 21
Duke 14, Vanderbilt 35
Virginia Tech 21, Florida St. 24
South Florida 21, Louisville 35 ** Upset Special!! **
NC State 10, Maryland 35
UNLV 28, BYU 45
Fresno St. 45, Utah St. 20
UCLA 14, California 28
Virginia 17, Georgia Tech 14 ** Upset Special!! **
Georgia 24, LSU 30 ** Upset Special!! **
Minnesota 34, Purdue 12
Oklahoma St. 42, Texas 35 ** Upset Special!! **
Wyoming 10, TCU 45
Rutgers 13, Pittsburgh 34
Colorado 10, Missouri 38
Penn St. 52, Ohio St. 34
Notre Dame 21, Washington 7
Alabama 24, Tennessee 21
USC 31, Arizona 24
Oregon 34, Arizona St. 17

Sunday:

UCF 10, Tulsa 60

Tennis Players to Watch For in 2009

The Tennis season is nearing the end with the Year-end Championships coming in just a few short weeks. I thought I'd take a look at some of the players who I think may make a breakthrough next season. For some it may mean a breakthrough into the top echelon of players while others it might just be a rise from the lower tiered events to the more prominent tournaments.

Flavia Pennetta, Italy - While the youth movement continues to be the story this year in Women's Tennis, Pennetta, at age 26, is bucking the trend. She is enjoying a career high ranking at #14 in the world and may be playing in the year-end Championships in Doha. It has been a banner year for the Italian player - 2 singles and 1 doubles title, a 48-23 singles record and earnings over $700,000. A big highlight was reaching the Quarterfinals of a Grand Slam (US Open) for the first time in her career. Expect this player to continue the hot streak into the new season and crack the Top 10 for the first time in her career.

Aleksandra Wozniak, Canada - It has been a long time since Canada has had a player ranked at the top. Wozniak has already enjoyed a breakthrough year this season - rising 100 rank points to be currently ranked at #36 in the world. Her coming out party took place this year at the Bank of West tournament where she beat top players Francesca Schiavone, Marion Bartoli and former #1 player Serena Williams en route to her first career WTA title. Expect this player to crack the top-20 and win more than 1 title next year.

Bethanie Mattek, USA - Mattek has had a great season. She is currently ranked a career high #42 which is a huge improvement over her #114 ranking she ended 2007 with. She won 2 doubles titles and an ITF singles title this year. Her greatest highlight this year was making it to the 4th Round at Wimbledon - by far her best showing at a Grand Slam. She can thank her coaches for helping her get into the best shape of her career. Expect this player to break into the top 30 by before the French Open next year.

Mashona Washington, USA - Now that her big brother, MaliVia, is retired from the sport, it is Mashona's turn to shine for US Tennis. Once a career high #50 in 2004, Washington encountered a number of injuries that stalled her promising career. In fact, she ended 2007 only ranked #861. After a solid year on the ITF circuit, she has her ranking back up to #335. She once played on the US Fed Cup team back in 2006 and I expect that 2009 might be her year to play for the US again. I expect her to get her ranking back under 200 by the French Open and hope to see her qualifying for the Grand Slams again.

Ernests Gulbis, Latvia - Gulbis definitely had a breakthrough this year becoming one of the players you'd hate to be paired with in the early rounds of a tournament. He reached a career high #38 and has had victories over top players James Blake and Nicholas Lapentti. Currently ranked at #50, inconsistent play has caused him to lose ground on the top players. I think that after some much needed rest, we should see him make a push for the top-20 in 2009. Highlight this year was a Quarterfinals run at the French Open - by far his best showing at a Grand Slam.

Kei Nishikori, Japan - This player has a major breakthrough in 2008 - #64 in the world and his first title at Delray Beach which included wins over James Blake and Sam Querrey. Japan has not been a hotbed for top ranked players but this player has the skills to change that. Other than his title in Delray, the highlight of his year - and possibly his career - has to be his 4th round appearance at the US Open where he upset #5 David Ferrer. If this player can find a way to become more consistent and improve his serve, he'll be able to compete with the top players on a regular basis and should make his way into the Top 30 in 2009.

Donald Young, USA - As a Junior player, Young dominated the competition. Making the transition to the Professional circuit has proved very difficult for the player whom many have called the "future of US tennis". So far, the expectations have been higher than results. This year he has found some success on the Challenger circuit with a win in Sacramento. He has been hovering around the 100 spot in the rankings and is currently ranked #120. If he can find a way to increase his mental toughness and shake the "Jekyll & Hyde" syndrome, this player could find himself in the top 50 by the end of 2009.

Lesser Known Players Worthy of Heisman Consideration

Every year we look at who has the biggest, gaudiest numbers. That isn't always the player who wins the Heisman Trophy as the best player. That's a good thing. However, one ESPN analyst said this about the award: "It is a two year campaign." No offense to the Heisman committee, but why should what a player did LAST year determine who is the best football player THIS year? That makes no sense to me. Also, why do we give most of the credit to the Quarterbacks? Last time I checked it is the rest of the team that finishes most of the plays. I would think that Heisman should be like the Player of the Year in other college sports - go to someone is the MVP of the team. Someone without whom the team would be a complete mess - and that is not always the QB. Also, where does it say that the best players are in the BCS conferences? Seems to me that there are players in the other conferences who deserve to win the award as well. So here is my short list of players who I think should be on the Heisman horizon midway through the college football season.

Donald Brown, UConn -- 1174 rushing yards, 12 TDs. Brown is one of those special players who leads by example. Every game he comes to play and does everything he can to help his team win. With their starting quarterback, Tyler Lorenzen, out with an injury, Brown has stepped his game up to help make up for the loss of their offensive leader. Just how good is he? He's averaging 170 yards rushing per game. Most players would love to have just one game that good - he does it every week - three times just this season he has gone over 200.

David Johnson, Tulsa -- 2397 yards, 31 TDs. Tulsa may be the most underrated team in the country. While people are talking about what Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford are doing, neither of those men have the highest QB rating in college football. That distinction is currently held by Johnson. In fact, he is the only QB with a rating over 200 points - 20 points higher than Bradford. In addition, Johnson is leading the highest scoring offense in the country - at 57 points per game. Another crazy stat is that he is averaging 12 yards per throwing attempt - not per completion; per attempt. That is an insane statistic. If Tulsa can keep this up they should find themselves in a BCS game and earn their QB an invite to the Heisman ceremony.

Brennan Marion, Tulsa -- 755 yards, 14 TDs. The numbers may not be huge but you have to look a little further than the obvious stats to see why this WR is so good. While other WRs have 60 or 70 receptions to get the number of yards that Marion has racked, he has only 28 receptions. That means he is averaging 27 yards per catch. That is why he is so important to the Tulsa offense. If there was a way to give the award to the Johnson-Marion tandem, that would be how I would vote.

Derrick Richardson, New Mexico State -- 12.0 Tackles per game. Not a school you hear much about when it comes to national statistics but Richardson is leading the country in tackles per game. That isn't a stat that jumps off the page or will get him on a box of Wheaties but it does mean he'll be playing on Sundays next year somewhere in the NFL.

JaVon Ringer, Michigan State -- 1,179 yards, 14 TDs. Like Brown, Ringer has become the star for Michigan State. When the rest of the offense has struggled, Ringer has stepped up to the plate. The difference between he and Brown though is that Ringer hasn't been as efficient as Brown averaging 1.5 less yards per run. Ringer has had to make 60 more rush attempts to be as productive. Ringer is still someone who could be in the hunt for the trophy though.

Nolan out in San Francisco

Well, the inevitable has happened : Mike Nolan was fired today in San Fransisco. It was rumoured that this would happen as early as next week but the 49er's decided to make the decision sooner rather than later. The 49er's had started the season at 2-5 despite there being a lot of pre-season expectations for this club. Sunday's loss to the NY Giants left Nolan with a dismal 18-37 record since becoming the 49er's head coach. In fact, in the three full seasons he has coached the team, they had yet to have a winning record. Assistant Head Coach Mike Singletary has taken over at Interim Head Coach, although he is expected to offered the job on a permanent basis at some point.

NCAA Football Rankings

I usually agree with the national rankings but you will see some differences.

1. Texas --- 7-0, 3-0 Big 12 -- #1 AP -- #1 BCS

Next week will be yet another test for the Texas defense. We all know how good the Texas offense is. Oklahoma St. will be tough to defend. Let's not forget, next week is Texas Tech. Get some rest Texas defense - you will need it.

2. Penn State --- 8-0, 4-0 Big Ten -- #3 AP -- #3 BCS

I differ with the polls and ESPN on this slot. Penn St. is averaging over 45 pts a game and only giving up 11 pts per game. In the past two games, the Lions put up 48 on Wisconsin and 46 on Michigan. While both teams are struggling, these are outstanding numbers to put up on a Big 10 team. Next week versus Ohio St. should determine who will win the Big 10 and possibly solidify a spot in the BCS Title game.

3. Oklahoma State --- 7-0, 3-0 Big 12 -- #7 AP -- #6 BCS

Ranking could be a little too high but I think they have earned it so far. Until now, the Cowboys have not been given the respect I think they deserve. The Cowboys have an explosive offense that is currently scoring over 46 points a game. The one area they really need to work on is their defense as they are giving up 20 points a game. The 2nd half of their season will be a true test. They have Texas and Texas Tech on the road and finish the regular season with Oklahoma. If their offense can carry them, I think they can beat the Longhorns this week. That win would give them the inside track to the Big 12 championship game.

4. Alabama --- 7-0, 4-0 SEC -- #2 AP -- #2 BCS

I think that success is going to the heads of the Crimson Tide players. The victory at Georgia was a big victory. However, they followed that win up with a 3-pt win at HOME against lowly Kentucky and escaped with a 4-pt win at HOME against Ole Miss. In both games, Alabama managed no more than 20 points. The next two weeks they have what should be easy games before travelling to LSU. They need to get their offense in gear if they want to compete with the Tigers - that won't be easy.

5. Texas Tech --- 7-0, 3-0 Big 12 -- #8 AP -- #8 BCS

The next few weeks will determine just how good this team is or if they've managed to get this far because of their schedule. The next month is going to be a lot tougher for the Raiders. BCS #23 Kansas, #1 Texas, #6 Oklahoma State and #4 Oklahoma is what in store for the Red Raiders. For them to win, they will need their defense to really improve.

6. Oklahoma --- 6-1, 2-1 Big 12 -- #4 AP -- #4 BCS

The Sooners right now I believe are the best 1-loss team out there. Last week, Texas' offense was just too much for the Sooners. Redemption starts this Saturday versus a fairly week Kansas State team. Oklahoma should win easy the next three weeks. Then they will face a tough Texas Tech team.

7. Florida --- 5-1, 3-1 SEC -- #5 AP -- #10 BCS

The Gators are definitely playing well right now. They avenged last year's loss to LSU by decimating the Tiger defense and running up 51 points on one of the best defenses in the nation. They should have no problem with Kentucky before taking on Georgia which could determine who wins the SEC Eastern Division as both teams have one loss in conference.

8. Georgia --- 6-1, 3-1 SEC -- #9 AP -- #7 BCS

The Bulldogs will have a stiff test this coming weekend as they travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU in a must win game for both teams. The winner will still have a chance to make it to the SEC Title game while the loser will have a very difficult time making it that far. This is will a tough stretch for Georgia as they follow the LSU game with a visit from the Florida Gators coming the next week.

9. Louisiana State --- 5-1, 3-1 SEC -- #11 AP -- #13 BCS

The Tigers redeemed themselves by defeating a stingy South Carolina team after the blowout loss to Florida the week before. The Tigers will face a stiff test this week as Georgia comes to town. The Tigers will need one of their two QBs to step up and take a definitive leadership position for this team to succeed. Also, they need Ricky Jean Francois back to lead the defensive unit. They also need him to keep his mouth shut!

10. Southern California --- 5-1, 3-1 PAC 10 --#6 AP -- #5 BCS

The corrupt BCS computer system is what is keeping USC high in the BCS rankings. It is definitely not their strength of schedule keeping them in the top 10. They have only played two weak ranked teams this season and they probably won't play any more until they play in the Rose Bowl or BCS Title Game. A high pre-season ranking yet again has saved USC from the weakness of the PAC-10. Yes, they beat Washington St. 69-0 last week, but let's not forget they are the worst team in the Bowl Subdivision - possibly even in all Division 1 football.

And the Rest....

11. Ohio St. 7-1 -- Ohio St. will be tested by Penn St. and Northwestern the next 2 weeks.
12. Boise St. 6-0 -- Boise St. is dominating the WAC again this year. Should finish at 12-0.
13. Utah 8-0 -- Another team that could upset the BCS world. Will face TCU in 2 weeks.
14. TCU 7-1 -- Killed BYU's chance at a BCS Bowl - Could Utah be their next victim?

15. Missouri 5-2 -- Can't afford another loss if they want to play in the Big 12 Title Game.
16. Pittsburgh 5-1 -- Finally playing like the team they were expected to be: Big East Favorite.
17. Northwestern 6-1 -- Have a shot at playing in Rose Bowl for first time since 1996.
18. South Florida 6-1 -- Will need a lot of help to win the Big East - Louisville could be tough.
19. Tulsa 7-0 -- Tulsa keeps putting up big numbers - 57 pts a game. Win out could mean BCS.
20. Ball St. 7-0 -- The tough part of their schedule starts in 2 weeks with No. Illinois.
21. BYU 6-1 -- TCU ruined the Cougars' chances at the BCS but now must get help to win the MWC.
22. Kansas 5-2 -- Can't afford anymore losses if they want to make the Big 12 Title Game.
23. Georgia Tech 6-1 -- Only ACC Team to be ranked - will get stiff test from surging Virginia.
24. Minnesota 6-1 -- Huge turnaround for the Gophers who were 0-8 in Big Ten in 2007.
25. Boston College 5-1 -- Surprising start for BC after losing Matt Ryan to the NFL.

Knocking on the door : Florida State, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Maryland, Michigan State

And for something different...

I have really been enjoying having my own blog. It's actually been very therapeutic. One of my real loves it sports. Up until recently, I really didn't have anyone to talk to about sports. I have realized how nice it has been to have someone who is not only knowledgeable about sports to talk to but also how much I love to talk about it. Now, I have purposely kept sports to a minimum in my main blog but I have decided since that one is going so well that I would like to start a sports blog.

Now, I will watch pretty much any sport on television but I do have my favorites. You will see a lot of the discussion on this site pertaining to NCAA collegiate sports but you will also see some professional sports discussion to. You can also expect to see a lot of LSU Tigers posts on here as well as I am an alumni and a big fan of their sports program.