Many Apologies

I greatly apologize for the lack of posting this week. As I will be out of town until January 2nd, I have had an uncessarily busy schedule. Shortly there after, there will be a post dedicated to Rusty on American Tennis and its decline.

Until then, Happy Holidays!

Awful

How awful is the sporting world right now?

With nothing really to go on, be ready for a requested and long awaited post tomorrow.

Les Miles Wasn't Lying

About a year ago, rumors were spreading that Rich Rodriguez was leaving West Virginia to take the head coaching job at Alabama. Today, Rodriguez is the coach at the University of Michigan, leaving his home of West Virginia and declining to coach them in their bowl game.

Rodriguez is a good fit for Michigan. He's a cold weather, running coach who constantly wears wind-breakers. He brings a certian intensity that Michigan needs, and a sort of youth that was definetly missing for the past few years.

West Virginia, who right now has more going for them than Michigan, is the latest program to join the, "What are we going to do now?" list. It's funny because Pat White should be coming back as he isn't really a great pro prospect. Their amazing freshman running back Noel Devine will be joining him in the backfield. There might be a big time coach looking at where West Virginia is now, and were they could be one year from right now with one of the most prolific offenses in recent history. If Slaton comes back, wow. There is more talent on that offensive unit than anywhere, even Florida. In college, having players on the field that can take it the distance on any given play is probably the biggest advantage any team can have. WEst Virginia is losing two starters on offense, one of which is the most underrated receiver in college, that #2 character Reynaud. Rodriguez sees the Michigan job as an opportunity of a lifetime, but whoever takes the West Virginia job has a shot at the opportunity of a lifetime as well; to win a national championship.

But, what does this mean? In terms of strength of program:
LSU>Michigan>Alabama>West Virginia. Or is it?

First, Alabama fans aren't the best around. Second, they sold out their Spring Game when Nick Saban was hired. Third, the coach they really wanted turned them down and went to Michigan. So Alabama fans are basically looking at themselves in the mirror today thinking...our first choice for a head coach chose Michigan over Alabama. Alabama's program isn't as good as Michigan. Or is it?

http://westvirginia.rivals.com/default.asp

Roll that.

The Conclusion: Greatest Players in College Football Since 1993, 10-1

Sick of hearing about the Mitchell nonsense? Good, you came to the right place. Yesterday we had the beginning of the No Owens Top 20 Since 1993...11-20 in no particular order. Today, we rank the top 10. Let's begin.

10. Orlando Pace - Offensive Tackle, Ohio State
We will get into Pace's resume in a second, but what he did for his position can't go unnoticed. Pace was the first rock star figure to play offensive line since the Tony Mandarich debacle. On the field, Pace was arguably the most dominant lineman of all time in college football. He was so dominant that he allowed Eddie George to somehow win a Heisman Trophy while not allowing a sack in his final two years at Ohio State. Did I mention that Pace left his collegiate career with two Lombardi Awards and an Outland?

9. Peter Warrick - Wide Receiver, Florida State
We have talked about Percy Harvin this year and how he is in fact the best player at Florida, but doesn't get the credit for it. Warrick was the last "athlete" type player to be recognized as the best player in the country. Now, the Dillard's incident cost Warrick the Heisman, but after his performance in the National Title game, there was no question that Warrick was in fact the nation's best player and without a doubt the biggest game changer. Warrick was also one of the first non-quarterbacks to line up at quarterback to take a snap. His versatility saw him throw, run, and return for touchdowns, all while being a legit receiver with great hands, running great routes.

8. Matt Leinart - Quarterback, USC
One can't argue with Leinart's record. The guy lost two games as starter. You can rag on the Pac-10 all you want, but either way you look at it, this guy did things few others did in terms of being a leader. Leinart finished his career at USC with more touchdowns than any other quarterback and trails only Carson Palmer in yards. He won a Heisman, two AP National Titles and a BCS Championship by destroying Oklahoma. Leinart was surrounded by big-time names, but Leinart could get the ball to all of them. He was probably the best game manager I have ever seen at the college level, and that is one strong compliment you can give a quarterback. Leinart will also have mystique...we will always remember his touchdown catch against Michigan in the Rose Bowl and of course, the Bush Push.

7. Charles Woodson - Cornerback, Michigan
Woodson has one impressive resume. He started in his second game as a Wolverine and played in 34 straight. AP defensive player of the year his sophomore year. Heisman and a potential National Title his junior and final season (note: there is still once second left on the clock in that Rose Bowl and Ryan Leaf could very well still throw a touchdown pass). Becoming the first defensive player to win the Heisman is one of the great personal achievements in football. His versatility was unmatched by anyone in college football, just ask David Boston, and then the Ohio State secondary, and then the Ohio State special teams units. Woodson could shut down an opponents best player but had that ability that only Deion had to bait people into throwing the ball his way and make spectacular plays on the ball. His one-handed interception on the sideline against Michigan State? Unreal.

6. Charlie Ward - Quarterback, Florida State.
Before Ward, there were running quarterbacks and there were passing quarterbacks. Ward was one of the first to be both. Ward has really set the tone for what the modern day quarterback is, not only just a guy with a rocket arm and can read defenses, but a guy who is in fact the best athlete on the field as well. What people forget is that a big-time recruit from Louisiana, freshman Warrick Dunn, suffered the loss of his mother in the line of duty as a police officer. Ward played a brotherly role to Dunn and I think he turned out alright. Ward had arguably the most decorated senior year of all time. Ready? Heisman, Unitas, Sullivan, Camp, Maxwell, and O'Brien awards. Throw National Champion on top of that. His moment? Leading the Noles all the way back against the Gators? Remember that one?

5. Reggie Bush - Running Back, USC
There isn't much that anyone needs to say about Reggie Bush. He has all of the accolades to be one of the best players ever. Unfortunately, he is in some pretty tough company here. Bush has the stats, the record, the records, and the moments that we will never forget. That move against Fresno State? Yeah. Why does Bush slip down so far? That little lateral he tried that cost him the last game he ever played in college.

4. Randy Moss - Wide Receiver, Marshall
Moss had quite the career before ever setting foot on the field, going from Notre Dame to Florida State (where he ran a 4.25 40, second only to Deion) and then finally ending up at I-AA Marshall. At Marshall, he was beyond dominant. His Senior year after Marshall was moved to Division 1, Moss caught 96 balls for 1,820 yards and 26 touchdowns. Those are the real numbers, I didn't make that up. How he went about it is another story...blowing past DB's, hurdling players, and making all the one handed catches you would ever need. Also, Moss is the only player on this list to have an award named for him. The Randy Moss Award goes to the nation's best return man, as during Moss' junior season at Marshall he averaged 34.6 yard per return.

3. Ricky Williams - Running Back, Texas
Ricky Williams was the best running back I have ever seen play college football. I don't know if we will ever see a guy run with such speed and such power. He was really a man among boys. He holds or at one time held just about every major record a running back could hold, all while i think changing his number at least three times while he was at Texas. Williams definitive moment? When he only needed something like three yards to break the all time rushing record, squared up a backer and broke it 30 yards or something like that diving into the endzone for the six. Easily one of the greatest runs of all time.

2. Vince Young - Quarterback, Texas
The interesting thing about #'s one and two are that they both finished second in the Heisman balloting. I can't explain why. Neither can Vince Young. Young is the closest thing I have ever seen to Michael Jordan. Young had the ability to put his team on his back in the most clutch of all situations, as documented clearly with his win over USC in what was, all things considered, the greatest college football game ever. What people often forget about Young is his performance in the Rose Bowl the year before that, leading Texas to a one point win over Michigan scoring 17 points in the final quarter. How many rushing touchdowns in that game? Yeah.

1. Tommie Frazier - Quarterback, Nebraska
Four year starter. Three "National Title" games. Two national titles. Frazier was the quarterback and focal point of the greatest team in college football history. We talked about Charlie Ward earlier, but what people don't understand remember is that Nebraska had a shot at a game winning field goal with seconds left to play...who got them there? A sophomore named Frazier. In that game, despite the loss, Frazier was named the game's most valuable player, as he was the next two years in the Orange Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. College football's definitive play is the option. It can be said that no one has ever run it as well as Tommie Frazier. Known mostly for his running skills, he was a decent passer, but excelled as a passer with the game on the line. While sharing the backfield with the likes of Lawrence Phillips and Ahman Green, Frazier still was the most outstanding of the ball carriers and imagine what his stats would have been without two great backs behind him. His punishing 75 yard touchdown run breaking an unknown amount of tackles will always go down as one of the greatest runs ever. His most impressive numbers? Back to Back National Titles, and his junior year and senior years? 25-0.

Mitchell Report: One Time Only

I wasted my time listening to George Mitchell's press conference. Basically, he got up there and talked about absolutely nothing. Nothing at least that we didn't know about. Really George, there's a steroid problem in baseball?? Really??? There needs to be testing?? Really?? THANKS!

Then I read the report and there is some legitimacy to it. Why? Because two of the names that I was told about 5-6 years ago were featured in the report (see yesterday's post). Other than the names listed, the report was absolutely worthless.

What did the MLB pay for this report, $20 million? They could have given me a million, kept the other 19 and I could have slapped Bud in the head and then written most of the solutions offered in that report.

After listening to Selig's press conference, there is one major question that needs to be asked: how good of a commissioner has Selig been? He has done a lot for baseball as its commissioner. But the steroids issue is what his legacy will be. He knew about what was happening in the 90's and he did nothing about it. I think Mitchell should have recommended that Selig step down, effective immediately.

Finally, Bret Boone is not mentioned in the report. That makes me question all of this. Boone is the ultimate posterboy for performance enhancing drugs and without bringing his name to the table, I question Mitchell and his staff.

This is a terrible day for baseball. It's not because we now just found out about Roger Clemens. But it's the embarrassment and mockery that Selig and Mitchell have made of this investigation. Selig dropped the ball for a decade, and he doesn't care. Mitchell basically told us all what we already knew. These guys are supposed to be helping? I'll believe that when I see it.

The No Owens Top 20 Since 1993

As many of you know, ESPN is doing an ongoing project on the 25 Greatest Players in College Football History. I am a fan of these concepts, I really am. So No Owens decided to put out their version of the list. So here's what we have.

1993 is the magic year. Why? Because I can't tell you how good Jim Brown was. I can't tell you how good Barry Sanders was. At least, not from personal viewing. You have to be able to say you saw someone and remember what they did in order to really give them a solid place and have a strong opinion of their skills. I can't really remember anyone from 1992. I most certainly remember players from 1993, so that is where we start, for accuracy of course.

Players make this list for a number of reasons. First and foremost...they had an ability to change a game by themselves. Just about all of the players listed have a signature moment or moments that you remember from changing a game for the better of their team. Second, you are going to see a great highlight tape of the player's performances. Third, all but one player on this list put his team into national contention with his play and all of the players provided their teams with a way to win big games. Fourth, they had an impact on college football's legacy and that of his team.

This being said, just because a player won a Heisman Trophy, doesn't mean that they make this list. In the opinion of No Owens, most Heisman winners don't represent the best players anyway. Since 1993, you will see five Heisman winners on the list. The bottom ten players will be listed without rankings and the Top 10 till be listed in order tomorrow. Let's go.

Players 11-20

LaVarr Arrington - Linebacker, Penn State.
If you want to talk about a player that can change a game by not doing anything, Arrington is your man. The site of Arrington changed the way offenses played against Penn State's defense. Wearing an uncharacteristic #11, Arrington was one of the originators of the faster linebackers who can pursue the field from side to side. Not to mention the hits he gave out were menacing and game changing.

Ki-Jana Carter - Running Back, Penn State.
Carter was the best running back in the 1994 year. His team was undefeated and #2 in the country at seasons end and much of it was to do with Carter's ability to stretch the field with his running as well as the threat of it.

Pat Fitzgerald - Linebacker, Northwestern.
Northwestern was a team that will always be remembered as making a great run to the 1995 Rose Bowl. Many of us remember the running back Darnel Autry from that team, but Fitzgerald was the captain and two-time Bednarik award winner, of that defense. Not only was he the best defensive player on a team that will be remembered forever, but he has the personal accolades to go along with his team's legacy.

Willis McGahee - Running Back, Miami
McGahee, a converted fullback after the injury to Frank Gore, took over as the starting back for the best team in America. McGahee only had one season as a starter. That's all he needed. Watch his tape and tell me there are many other backs more dynamic than McGahee. McGahee is probably one of the last players to make this list, but after seeing his sheer speed in person, it's tough to leave him off this list.

Julius Peppers - Defensive End, North Carolina.
There's no question that Peppers is the premier defensive end of the time frame. Peppers sheer physical ability and stature made him a dominant force on the line of scrimmage. He was the most exciting player on the field, and he was in a three point stance. His 30.5 sacks goes along with 53 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 167 tackles, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, 13 passes defensed and 42 quarterback pressures (hurries) and returned two interceptions and one fumble recovery for touchdowns, all with offenses scheming against him.

Adrian Peterson - Running Back, Oklahoma
Peterson left after his sophomore year for the NFL, where he is presently flourishing. Peterson also spent a lot of his time at OU nursing injury. Barring all of that he still makes the top 20. Why? Because when he was on the field, there is no question that he was the best player in the country. We talk about two different types of backs: speed and power. Peterson is both and with the time he spent at OU, he changed games by himself. Watch his tapes and tell me otherwise.

Ed Reed/Sean Taylor - Safeties, Miami
Reed and Taylor basically were the exact same player, so they occupy the same spot. Never before have we seen a position defined like what these players did at the U. Not only were they absolute ballhawks but their run support was as good as most linebackers in America. They were the backbones of the best defenses on the best teams for two straight years. What goes unnoticed is the leadership that these guys brought to their teams and that cannot go unnoticed.

Warren Sapp - Defensive Tackle, Miami
Another Hurricane making the list. Are you surprised? Miami for much of the time we are dealing with, was arguably the top program in the nation and they have the record to prove it. Sapp was so dominant on the defensive line that he was a Heisman finalist. Sapp changed the position of defensive tackle to that of not necessarily a big man, but a big athletic man who can make plays all over the line of scrimmage, not just create havoc in front of him. Sapp has been truly instrumental in the revolution of defense and the position of defensive tackle. Players like Vince Wilfork, Shaun Rogers, and Tommie Harris played the college way in almost a mirror of how Sapp laid out for them.

Roy Williams - Safety, Oklahoma.
Williams was another linebacker-like safety. He wasn't the ballhawk that the Miami guys were, but he was a fiercer hitter and a feared blitzer. His ability to make plays on all ends of the field is really what lifted OU to their National Title over Florida State in 2000. Williams was a game changer and we will always remember him for the hit he laid on Chris Simms' after leaping from many feat away causing the fumble in the endzone. That's what we call a classic moment.

Roy Williams - Wide Receiver, Texas.
This Roy Williams was the most under-appreciated receiver of this generation. He has the best highlight tape of anyone not in the top 10 and probably a better one than others. Watching a Texas game, you would see Williams just throwing out his hand to make effortless one handed catches, diving all over the place to make plays, while making guys miss with his moves and running guys over like a running back when he needed to. Don't believe me? Find the highlights.

The Top 10...tomorrow.

What Do YOU Plan On Getting Out Of This?

Tomorrow is most certainly going to be an interesting day in the sporting world. An issue that has been running around baseball at an unbelievable pace is going to come to a head tomorrow when George Mitchell's report on steroids will be released.

Apparently, there are to be somewhere between 60-80 names of players both retired and still playing who have violated Major League Baseball's steroid policy. It was learned that in March of '06 that Bud Selig asked the former Democratic Senate Majority Leader and then Chairman of Walt Disney to head up an investigation to uproot all of the information concerning the steroid problems that had been plaguing baseball for an extended period of time.

What exactly is going to come from this report? I'm going to tell you why that is the question at hand.

First of all let me state that I don't agree with the usage of steroids in baseball. I think it's wrong and if you want to read the best piece about it, it clearly comes from Ryne Sandberg's acceptance speech to the Hall of Fame. However, let me throw this card at your.

There is a "new" policy on the punishment for steroid users and it is the following:

"A first positive test resulted in a suspension of 10 games, a second positive test resulted in a suspension of 30 games, the third positive test resulted in a suspension of 60 games, the fourth positive test resulted in a suspension of one full year, and a fifth positive test resulted in a penalty at the commissioner’s discretion. Players were tested at least once per year, with the chance that several players could be tested many times per year. "

Note, "new" policy. The "old" policy was established in 2002. Let me reemphasize, old. 2002 was the first year that baseball started testing for performance enhancing drugs.

Do you drive over the speed limit? An honest question, don't you think? Let me ask it another way...if you pass a police officer running radar running five MPH over the speed limit, are you going to get pulled over? No? Then why would you slow down if nothing is going to happen to you?

In the 80's and 90's, no players were at risk, professionally, for taking steroids or any other performance enhancing drugs. So like you knowingly driving past that cop at 45 in a 40, these guys weren't going to get in trouble. Throw out the theory that officials in '98 turned their backs for the good of baseball. They weren't doing anything to begin with. Talk to any player in the AL and they will tell you that something was going on with the Oakland A's that wasn't normal. I don't think there is a coincidence that Tony LaRussa was involved with both the A's and McGwire's Cardinals. But, until 2002, the MLB was doing nothing to stop usage. Why would these guys stop?

Don't blame the players about this. Yes, they knowingly broke the rules, but they knew that that knowingly wouldn't get caught. So, why aren't fingers being pointed at those who weren't doing anything about this when the problem became more and more escalated? I understand the public's need for the blame to go to players, but really that isn't the problem.

First of all, let's start blaming people for things they did five years ago. Technically, that is when testing started, much of it was anonymous. Now, there is rumor that some of those names are going to come out, which I don't think can be legal. So, what if in a blood test, Elmer Dessens tested positive for cocaine usage? Is Elmer going to be in as big of trouble as Adrian Beltre?

Here's the other thing. Everyone talks about Sammy and McGwire and Bonds as being the figureheads of steroid usage. Their names may be on this list tomorrow. They are not the figureheads of the steroid era. One man is the figurehead and his name is Bret Boone. If his name is not on this list, then it's hogwash. If they don't have Bret Boone's name on this list, it is pointless. I have a source that in '01 was close to trainers in the MLB as well as the Chicago White Sox staff. I can name one name of a White Sox player and two Cubs who he knows for a fact were juicing. If they aren't on this list, what does this list mean?

You can't fix the past. You can prepare for the future. If you want to point fingers about the steroid usage in baseball over the past 30 years, look to the MLB, not to the players. It's the MLB's fault for not taking a stand against usage. What were their reasons? We probably will never know because officials can hide behind names like McGwire, Sosa and Bonds. But what really is knowing these names going to do? Provide closure? That we now know who these guys were? I've got news for you, if you watch baseball, you know who these guys are. I've been against this report since the start. It's not going to prove anything that is relevant to making the game better tomorrow. It's just going to give ESPN a reason to report on a number of specific people, and you will watch it. I bet you won't watch the Orioles play the Rays on Wednesday night baseball in June though. You probably won't see Jay Gibbons either.

The First Good Thing ESPN Has Done in a While

So on Saturday night, ESPN had this Bowl Mania special. Aside from the fact that Mrs. Noah Brindise, Jessie Palmer, was the figurehead for it, it's a pretty good concept. So good in fact that No Owens has in fact decided to endorse it.

So, click the following link to join the No Owens Group:
http://games.espn.go.com/bowlmania/frontpage

If you need to, search for the group "No Owens," and use the password "noowens" to register your team. Do it.

Into the Weekend...

There are two pretty big stories going into the weekend. Which one to start with.

Frankly, Tim Tebow won the Maxwell Award last night. In the past seven goes around, the winner of the Maxwell Award did not win the Heisman. In my opinion, you can mark that down for an eigth straight year. Why you ask?

Many of the voters for the Heisman are in fact the elder statesmen in the Heisman Fraternity. I don't believe that these guys are going to want a sophomore let into their group. Without a clear cut favorite in the race, I think the Heisman Winners from years past may actually have a strong say in the numbers this year. If Jonathan Hefney can be thrown into an All SEC team after his awful season, I think McFadden can maneuver his way into being the guy who was second last year who wins it by default this year. Keep in mind that the last time there was a back to back Doak Walker winner, he walked away with the Heisman.

The other big story is in Foxboro. Everything that keeps me sane wants to say that the Steelers are going to go in there and beat down on the Patriots.

I can't really go with that though. I think the Patriots are just going to stomp the Steelers. Do you bet? I'd take the Pats and give those 10.5. Give 12. As much as I hate to say it, the Patriots will have it back in gear this week. Much to the dimise of MERC.

This is really the most depressing weekend of the year. Now comes the time when we have to force ourselves to get into college hoops. It's really a hard process too. Last year it was easy because Kevin Durant was on pretty much every Monday. This year we don't have that consensus best player in the country.

Speaking of the one armed man...someone wrote the funniest e-mail to Jim Rome the other day. Rome, who really does a good job on the radio, had John Wooden on. Wooden, 97, was absolutely amazing. Afterwards, the following e-mail came in:

Rome:
97? I hope to sound that good in 17 years.
Greg Oden.

Weighing In On Bad Words

The Ravens should have beaten the Patriots.

The refs did in fact blow that game. Only a head coach can call a timeout from the sidelines. Not the defensive coordinator. Billick didn't call timeout. This is a mistake on behalf of of the officials. Let it be known.

The Gafney catch didn't look good to me, but I don't think that visual evidence "confirmed" the call on the field. I can go with there wasn't any indisputable evidence...but not confirmation.

The holding call. Well, I guess that is a 50/50 call in today's game. 30 years ago, that wouldn't have been a penalty. That just tells you what our game has come to.

This new found "conspiracy" surrounding the NFL's love for the Patriots is amazing. Is it true? Probably not but the arguments are amazing! I love a good conspiracy theory.

Were the refs calling the game in favor of the Patriots? No. I don't think so. Well, not intentionally. Officiating has gone down the toilet in recent years and there is no argument otherwise. What are you going to say, that instant replay has been accurate 99% of the time? There are way too many calls that go to instant replay because officials are too reliant on it.

But remember, officials are now part of the spectacle. It goes back to the NBA in the 90's and Hugh Hollins on the phantom foul becoming a figure after trying to derail the Bulls dynasty and continues today with Ed Hochulee's guns and Michael Caray's lectures on the reasoning for a call. As sports becomes more of entertainment than sporting, the refs want a piece of the action.

So take what happened with Samari Rolle on Friday. And with Bart Scott. Rolle claims that ref was calling him a "boy" after the 4th down play. First of all, I don't buy that was the word that got under Rolle's skin. Equally, Bart Scott was sure yelling at that line judge too...after Scott threw his flag into the stands, which was amazing. I believe that ref said something to those guys that was inappropriate. Was he provoked? Probably. But it is still the refs job to maintain composure and hold order on the field. If he said anything remotely discriminating towards a Ravens player, he should be without a job.

Back to the holding call. Imagine if that call wasn't made. Would this be the conspiracy against the Patriots? Would the NFL all of a sudden be against the Patriots? I mean, we all know the NFL is pro-Pats, especially since ESPN is turning the world anti-'72 Dolphins. But would we have a different take on it had that flag not come out?

Maybe the Pats are a team of destiny. I hate to say this, but they are very comparable to the 2002 Ohio State team that didn't win the National Title but has a trophy to prove otherwise. That year, they got every call possible and every break went their way. Grant, the Patriots didn't need many breaks when they were winning games by 30, but the past two weeks, they have been much luckier than they've been good. Was the holding call on Monday a second coming of the interference call in the endzone on the final play that cost Miami the trophy?

Look. This game the other night was great. This aftermath is unreal. Keep in mind that if the side judge would have known the rules and not allowed a timeout from someone other than a head coach from the sidelines, this wouldn't be an issue. Not the case, and the Pats are still unbeaten. Still, the officiating in football is slipping and it needs to be held accounted for. Get after it Roger.

The BCS and the Stoppage of Talking

Go back and read about it and you will find out that No Owens is not into the BCS. Football is about hitting people in the mouth, not computer averages. That being said, the NFL is proving that the hitting in the mouth concept is going to be a lost art. That holding call in the endzone last night? This isn't soccer. It's too bad that the hard-nosed NFL defensive team isn't going to be able to make it in the league anymore without a finesse offense.

You can't listen to the radio without hearing some idiot fan call in about his solution to the BCS. Some guy talking about "his idea" for a playoff. Let's get this out on the table...there are 3-4 possible playoff concepts. That's it. For those of you who think that your are the one with the best idea ever, everyone has already thought about it so get off you soapbox and go ask your neighbor for some space on his because chances are, you are talking about the exact same thing.

The question comes up all the time of, "Are Ohio State and LSU the best teams in college football right now?" And then there's the, "No, but they are the most deserving teams" business. You're never going to get a complaint out of me that the SEC champion plays for the title. Best conference, best teams, best competition. You win that conference, odds are you should be in. We know how we feel about Ohio State. I think they're frauds playing for an administration that has aspirations of financial prowess and not titles.

People want to say USC is the best team right now, or Georgia. USC lost to Jim Harbaugh, that's enough. Georgia was dismantled by Tennessee, who lost to LSU.

Those are my arguments. Here's my question for you. Everyone talks about strength of schedule and how no one has played anyone, blah blah...but you can say that Georgia is the best team in the nation right now, even though they lost to Tennessee? They you can turn around and say...they play a hard schedule and that's some sort of addition. Are you not following? Good because it doesn't make sense.

If you're going to talk about right now, you can't talk about the strength of teams losses. Especially with Georgia, people talk about how they are a different team now than when they got manhandled by Tennessee. But don't talk about their schedule because if you are talking about "right now," what happened then just didn't matter. Now, you are making excuses about them not being as good then, but oh, they are now. Oh, they beat Florida, they have one good win. Great. Georgia has won one big game all year. Auburn peaked mid-season, that's why they are ranked in the 20's. This being said, they are still better than Ohio State.

So, Georgia isn't as good as advertised. USC has done what? Arizona State wasn't that good all year. And USC hasn't been that impressive. West Virginia is done, Mizzou is done and somehow Kansas stayed int he BCS picture after Mizzou beat them head to head. Sorry, but that's a crime and any Jayhawk fan knows it.

Last year this was easy. Ohio State was undefeated and #1. Some of us knew that they weren't the best team in the land going in. But you can't argue with them being there. Florida won the SEC. That's proof that they should have been there over Michigan. I think the outcome also proved they belonged there.

I don't believe the BCS Bowls or whatever you want to call them should measure on who were the best teams over the course of the season. Because if you have no losses, you aren't going to get penalized. But you could make the argument that LSU and Florida were in fact the two best teams last year. But, if you are undefeated, you belong. That's how college football has been played for a hundred years. All of a sudden, someone loses a game and now, oh, it's about who is the best team right now. Unless you aren't a big-time power a la Kansas. Where is the line drawn?

The bottom line, to me at least, is who's going to be the best team when the bowl season kicks off? I'd say LSU when they get healed up. Now. Here is where I am right and everyone else is wrong. All of you Ohio State haters out there...imagine if we had the old system. Ohio State would be playing USC in the Rose Bowl by definition. This wouldn't be a topic of conversation! If the past decade of bowl lunacy would have always stayed the same, the competition of the bowls would be better! You would see the games that you want to see!

So now, you are going to get split polls? Split national titles? Let me tell you something...I spend a lot of time every fall in Neyland Stadium and there are a couple of signs that claim that the Vols were National Champions about three times more than anyone else knows about. It's probably good for the programs. You think Mark Brunell is caring right now about split titles? What about Scott Frost?

This is what I'd like to see. The old system...including the Cotton Bowl being a big time game and ditching the Fiesta Bowl. The game that was made bigtime by a tortilla chip. There is more history in the Cotton Bowl than maybe any other bowl in history. Bring it back. By rule, should there be a split title, there would be a playoff between the two teams splitting the title with some big payoff. You want closure, there it is. No computers, no elaborate playoff system that you didn't come up with before anyone else. The old way with one more game for all of you who need closure.

This has been a major rant on the end of No Owens. For that I apologize. But it was necessary. We have some covered some good topics today. The hypocrisy behind the cases for "who's the best now," as well as the old bowl system. But most importantly, there won't be a playoff. Not going to happen. But what's most important is that you, whoever you are, aren't the genius who came up with "your" playoff format. Everyone has thought of the same thing that you claim to be the genius behind at the sports bar. So stop talking about it. No one cares.

Are You Emotionally Attached to Erik Ainge? If So, Go Someplace Else Today

I have defended Erik Ainge for the majority of his career at UT.

Today, I couldn't be more Anti-Ainge.

You hope that once in every four years or so you get an SEC Title. I mean, you want one every year, but let's be realistic. When your defense gives up 13 points to LSU's offense, you need to win. The Vols defense looked like what LSU's defense was supposed to look like. They were flying to the ball and knocking LSU's heads off. I don't know if I have ever seen a game that was as hard hitting as what the Vols distributed evenly across the LSU offense last Saturday. I have never seen anyone bleed on a football field like Ryan Perilloux did. Mayo and Rico were everywhere and as we all know, Eric Berry is going to be one of the best DB's in history. Even Brent Vinson with his constantly dislocated shoulder was laying shots out on the LSU receivers.

Tennessee's defense was to be the soft spot. Erik Ainge, the senior leader, was to be the strength. Look, UT even stuck with running the ball when LSU proved that it couldn't be done, but the coaches stuck to the plan. Did our offense flourish in the G-Gun? As always. Towards the end of the game, we were even seeing Jones in the slot, but the ball wasn't getting delivered to him. Grant, Denarius dropped a fourth down pass, deep in LSU territory, your quarterback has to play a perfect game against LSU. Ainge was far from it.

Where does UT go from here? I would love to see Jonathan Crompton start the Outback Bowl. What do we have to gain from Ainge playing? He's done. He's lost enough money given his present draft status. Oh, he also lost the SEC Title. It's time to think about the program, and Ainge has proven that he is no longer it.

Moving on to LSU. I can't believe that they got into the title game. I mean I can, but that's just bad. Georgia, sorry. Win your league then talk to someone. LSU is just going to do terrible things to Ohio State. Just terrible things to them. With a month off to recover from their punishment in the SEC, it's going to get ugly.

I can't wait to watch Georgia though. Hawaii? I don't think anyone really wants to play them. You don't know what you're going to expect. They could beat Georgia by 30 or they could lose by 30 and be carried off in a world record setting number of stretchers.