Facts Proven

Health, health and more health. It was in fact the key to West Virginia's show stopping performance last night.

No Owens reported a few months ago that West Virginia is in fact undefeated when Pat White finishes games and winless this season when he doesn't.

There is no doubt, given that information and what West Virginia did to Oklahoma last night that Pat White is the most valuable player in the country. We all know OU can't play in the Fiesta. But you have to assume that Bob Stoops believes if he gets 28 points, he's going to win given his defense.

Pat White is better than that. Was Oklahoma confused on the pass plays? Without a doubt. Why? White's ability to make plays in space of course!

The spread option that WV plays is different than that of Urban Meyer's. Meyer's creates space for his receivers where was the WV spread creates space for the quarterback. Honoring the quarterback in turn, creates holes for the receivers. Concept is simple really, but how it is done is pretty complex.

Look at the majority of White's throws. They are down the field close to and past the first down marker. For comparison's sake, look at Tebow...drags and benches primarily. The announcers last night were talking about...first let me say that as much as I don't care for the way ESPN does things, FOX's coverage of CFB is ridiculous. Their announcers really aren't very good and they take as many commercial breaks as NBC should when Anne Curry is on the screen. Anyway, the announcers said that WV couldn't come back, they weren't a come from behind team. You know why? The only time they've ever had to come from behind was when White was on the sidelines! And if he wasn't, something tells me, they can score in a hurry! Ask Bob Stoops!

Before I turned it off last night, those same, genius, announcers were talking about how OU would be a top five team to start the season next year. And why wouldn't WV be? Because Noel Devine is just as good as Slaton and Pat White's coming back? And they just destroyed OU but OU would be ranked ahead of them? Make sense? Didn't think so.

Pretty soon everyone is going to have to give West Virginia the same treatment that these guys were giving Oklahoma last night. The, "They're Oklahoma, so they will be ranked higher" treatment. I was wrong about last night, and so too were most people. But West Virginia is for real, and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

New Year's Observations

For many of us, New Year's is the best holiday of the year. Some people are into the Eve parties and so forth, the ball dropping, and Dick Clark, who by the way, doesn't really have it anymore to the point that I really feel bad for him.

Christmas comes again on New Year's Day. A day full of college football. Lovely.

Luckily for us, this year was full of great games. Regardless if you have any allegiance to Tennessee, Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, Texas Tech, or Virginia, you without a doubt had reasons to watch these games...they came down to the wire.

Then there was Illinois, Arkansas and Hawaii.

I made many keen observations yesterday, so here the best ones in no particular order.

1. The Big Ten is soft. This is nothing new. Set Michigan aside because we are going to get to the shortly, but the Big Ten is an absolute joke. I didn't give the Vols much of a chance against Wisconsin. We were missing three of our best players and we traditionally don't play well in bowl games, especially after we should have been in a BCS game. Then I watched Wisconsin's entire team complain about a "cheap shot" on their quarterback.

Tyler Donovan dove into the endzone to even the score at seven. Dove, key word. Eric Berry about broke Donovan's neck with his helmet...well, by breathing really, but his neck snapped around in every way. Donovan laid there before eventually going back in and getting kicked around some more.

Their linemen were talking about it being a "cheap shot." If you're a quarterback, and you lead with your head, you're going to get hit hard. That's how the game is played. Everyone talks about the speed in the SEC and how it consumes the Big Ten. I think it's about being physical. Michigan was complaining about the same things as Wisconsin. If you want to play soccer, go play soccer. Football is a violent game where you wear pads to protect yourselves. It's a nasty game. If you can't get nasty, play soccer. If you don't want your players to get injured or hit to hard, play soccer. That Donovan kid is a tough kid. His coach isn't. You think UT was bad? Wait until you see what those guys on the LSU defense throw on the field. They are straight nasty. Call up the bodybags.

2. Health is without a doubt the most important factor in college football. I gave Michigan no chance whatsoever of beating Florida. I thought Florida was going to absolutely wipe the floor with Michigan. I was wrong. I said it, quote me. I was wrong.

Chad Henne is a better pro prospect than Tom Brady ever was. Mike Hart talks a whole lot about how he has to put his team on his back and so forth. I think Mike Hart talks a lot bigger game than he has, but he still played well. Their receivers looked like pro prospects. Michigan clicked for the first time really all season. Why? They were healthy for the first time all season.

The layoff allows teams to get back together, as I have stated before. This was Michigan's one game to be ready to go, and they brought it strong. USC hasn't really been healthy either. They get a lay off and...they lead the Pasadena Death March against Illinois. LSU hasn't been healthy since they did things so bad that they can't be described to Virginia Tech. I mean, any questions?

3. Tim Tebow is not the best player in the nation. I've been saying this for a while. Who is? Not sure, but if you didn't listen to me then, listen now. HE ISN'T THE BEST PLAYER ON HIS OWN TEAM. Percy Harvin is the most special talent I have seen in a while. He literally has another gear he goes to and he does it so smoothly. If you want to know where Tebow's passing yards come from, it's from Harvin averaging something ridiculous per touch, most of it after the catch. If you think otherwise, then you are just mistaken.

4. Your playoff system wouldn't work this year. Yeah, we've talked about you before, you who have your own concept for a playoff. I'm going to tell you why it wouldn't work. Unless it was a 64 team tournament like basketball, you wouldn't have had unranked Michigan in your system. Let me tell you that the Michigan team that played yesterday would have beaten most teams in the nation. So, that being said, your system would have been flawed.

5. I feel so bad for Hawaii. I mean, I really thought they were going to win that game. I thought they were going to be able to spread out Georgia and use their speed. Well, I was wrong.

Their line simply wasn't good enough to play with Georgia's front seven. It was sad. I mean, I turned the game off after the 3rd, but Colt Brennan just didn't have the time to throw anything other than a shovel pass or a slip screen. Hawaii just isn't good enough to play with the big guns. It's that simple. They can't compete on an athlete to athlete basis, and linemen at that level are athletes. They played hard and I give them all the credit in the world, but what Georgia did to them is going to absolutely destroy the notion of a non-BCS conference making a BCS game. The BCS was correct on that one. Missouri played in the Cotton Bowl...think about that for a second.

6. Georgia fans were wearing shirts about how they got hosed in the BCS.

You know, maybe if you wouldn't have been down 28-0 at half in Knoxville this year, you would have had a shot at the title.

That being said, you better be scared for next year. Georgia is going to be one nasty team.

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.

LSU to Michigan?

Last night ESPNews reported that LSU will allow Michigan to talk LSU head football coach Les Miles. This was something that we expected after Lloyd Carr's firing while Miles is "part of the family."

I also think Les Miles is nuts.

I understand the loyalty issue that Miles has. If Michigan offers him the right deal, there aren't many that are speculating that he will leave what is right now the best program in the nation, and go to Michigan. Yesterday I listened to an interview with Desmond Howard talking about how much of a fan he was of Miles when Howard was busy winning the Heisman just before getting dismantled by Billy Joe Hoebert and Mark Brunell.

Aside from the loyalty factor, what could someone be thinking? I mean, at Michigan you have the opportunity to recruit well from all over the country. You have the ability to play for National Titles being that you basically play one important game per year. You also become under a microscope, like Lloyd Carr was, of if you don't beat Ohio State, you're done.

LSU doesn't really have a big rival. I suppose that Arkansas is it, but that's not saying much, unless you're asking Casey Dick right about now. Tomorrow, not so much. The coaching mecca for the college coaches is the SEC. Why? It's the ultimate in competition. As much as I hate Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier, they are the fiercest competitors in college football. They want the challenge of playing against the best teams and the best players in the nation. What does this say about Miles?

Look. I'm not going to lie, but as the Vols are playing LSU this weekend, I really don't have a problem with Miles having his head in another spot and his players thinking about losing their head coach sometime in the near future yet to be determined. But you talk about loyalty, how do you feel if you're a Tiger fan right now? Do you feel that Miles' head was in the wrong place last week and cost you a shot at the title? What about now, with the SEC Title on the line, you're head football coach is going out and looking at another job?

I still hold Mike Holmgren responsible for the Packers losing Super Bowl XXXII. Had he not already accepted the Head Coach/GM position with the Seahawks, I believe his head would have been where it needed to be. Holmgren couldn't have cared less about that game. What about Miles now? I understand that Michigan needs a coach ASAP for recruiting purposes, but this is just a bad spot to be in.

Miles can't talk to Michigan until the SEC Title game is over. But if you think he's not dreaming about it right now, you're wrong. But here's my thing. Miles isn't the coach I would want. If he leaves LSU, he's not the competitor that I would want as my head coach. Are you trying to tell me that playing in the Big Ten is a bigger challenge than playing in the SEC? If he leaves, he doesn't have the competitive edge. I wouldn't want that in a head football coach, I don't know about you.

Following Up on the Heisman

Where do you go from here? Seriously?

Darren McFadden may have actually hurt his Heisman stock in my opinion this past week. Why you ask? The guy had a huge game against arguably the most feared defense in the nation. I mean, did he take some of the other games off? We see what this guy is capable of and without a doubt, he is the most capable skill player in the nation. Especially with a running back, consistency is key. Quarterbacks can get away with an off game, running backs not a chance.

Jumping Jack Tebow's numbers are the most consist ant as well as the most inflated because of his system. He is fortunate to be built like a fullback and the majority of his touchdown runs come simply because there isn't a back in the backfield, courtesy of the offense he is in. Did you notice this past week that as big as Tebow is, his right arm is noticeably larger than his left? I mean, if you play quarterback in D1 and can't be one of the highest rated passers in the nation playing with Percy Harvin, Andre Caldwell and another 3-4 receivers on any given play, D2 should be calling your name. Numbers are good, but again, if Brennan's numbers are inflated, look at Tebow's, especially his rushing TD's.

Sadly, Dixon is done. So who are we left with?

The race should really be between Chase Daniel and Pat White. Why?

Did you watch Daniel play last week? The guy doesn't miss. His offense is very comparable to that of Tebow, but Tebow's three losses are noticeably less impressive than Daniel's one. Daniel really looks to be, right now, my #2.

Preseason, I would never have said this. But given that there is no better option, I have to go with Pat White as of right now. His highlight tape is superior to everyone on the list. He is a better runner than he is a passer, but he is much improved as a passer and has proven to be beyond adequate. Speaking of, that receiver #2 they have is unreal. He's going to be a big time player in the NFL.

Also, Pat White is undefeated this year in games that he has finished. There was a comment from Monday's post saying that White's injury was not reflective of the WV loss to South Florida. People are entitled to their opinions, but that reader's most certainly doesn't mesh with mine. Why? One mistake by a South Florida player could have turned one Pat White run into a touchdown and turned that game into West Virginia favor. He can make one player's mistake cost six points like no one else in the nation. Today, Pat White is the pick.

Large Stories in the NFL

In the past few days, there have been some major occurrences in the NFL. A few things that could drastically change the outcome of the season. Some things that are just interesting. Let's go.

The Eagles played as well as they could have the other night. They didn't win. But what they did do is expose the Patriots. They took away Randy Moss and made Wes Welker beat them. Well, he did, but the Eagles aren't the best team around. The Eagles busted the Patriots and disrupted their offense with hard-nosed play (ever heard that before) and enough blitzes to put Brady on his rear enough to get in his head.

The Steelers are not a finesse team. They are going to physically pound the Patriots. Their defense is one of the best in the NFL. Wes Welker wants nothing to do with Polamalu's hair. They can pressure the quarterback. I am going to say it right now...the Steelers, thanks to Andy Reid's blueprint, will beat the Patriots. Hello Larry Czonka.

Devin Hester scores apparently about 25-50% of the time he touches the ball. I don't know what you think, but that's a pretty substantial number. I would doubt that anyone can match that. Let's analyze this.

People talk about kicking to Devin Hester and it should never be done. People are "idiots" for kicking to this guy. Let me tell you who the idiots are...the coaches in the NFL whose teams cannot cover a kick. Unacceptable. The special teams game wins and loses games. The Bears have the best return "team" in the NFL. Hester was touched how many times on his touchdowns last week? Somewhere between zero-two. I've got new for you...anyone with speed would have taken those kicks to the house.

So now you don't kick to this guy and you sacrifice 15-20 yards of field position because your team can't cover a kick? Special teams need to be taken seriously and since the Bears have no offense whatsoever, they take it seriously. PS, if Devin Hester was really this good, don't you think you would want to get him in on offense?
Seriously. Stop crediting Hester and give the entire Bears return team a trip to the Pro Bowl. Then learn how to cover a kick. I can hear Bob Daman yelling "Hells bells Jon Petree, stay in your damn lane."

Finally, the most important story. I'm not a Washington Redskins fan. I'm not a Miami Hurricanes fan. I'm a football fan, and regardless who you root for, you appreciate good football. Sean Taylor was one of the best, most underrated and most under-appreciated players in the NFL.

Taylor died this morning at being shot in the leg in his Miami home this weekend. He showed signs of life after surgery last night but in the end, the loss of blood was too much to overcome.

Sean Taylor was given a very difficult task: enter the Miami secondary after three starters were selected in the first round of the NFL draft, one being Ed Reed. What did Taylor do? He became an All American safety after the departure of the legendary Ed Reed and was selected higher in the NFL draft than any of his recent predecessors. By the age of 24, he had been selected to a Pro Bowl and already had a career high in interception this year.

Sean Taylor had the speed to make him a ballhawk and the power to hit like a linebacker. He was a football player's football player.

This Is Getting Out Of Control

Missouri is the #1 team in the country.

Look, here at No Owens, there have been a number of fairly extreme concepts. This was never one of them. How's Mack Brown feeling about passing on Chase Daniel right about now?

Chase Daniel. Funny how this works.

Think about the most important losses this year and which teams lost the games. Kansas, Oregon, Oklahoma, West Virginia. Ohio State and LSU are not relevant because the voters are going to take care of them because of their school's legacies.

Kansas lost in a game where we all saw that they had no experience. We saw they had the fight and the capabilities to beat Missouri but they really dug themselves too big of a hole. So remove Kansas from that list and you have three teams that should be ranked #1 right now. What do they all have in common?

What happens to teams when they lose their starting quarterback? We all know that the quarterback is the focal point of the team, but teams need to be prepared. Tennessee would not have beaten Florida State for the 1998 National Title had FSU had their starting quarterback. I make this allegation all of the time and it's funny how no one seems to argue, but what does this have anything to do with this year?

West Virginia has one loss to the once #2 South Florida Bulls. A game that West Virginia was in and should have won. The kicker? Jarrett Brown, the backup quarterback finished the game for the Mountaineers after Heisman hopefuly Pat White left with an injury. I believe, had White not gotten injured, Vest Virginia would undefeated and the #1 team in the land.

Dennis Dixon went down and Oregon became hopeless. I mean, who isn't other than Washington State with a Leaf under center. Sam Bradford went down with a concussion? You get the point.

West Virginia, luckily, only suffered one loss. The other two, unfortunately, have had their title hopes shot thanks to losing their quarterbacks. I mean, I have never been a Mizzou fan before, or ever had a reason to root for a Mizzou team that didn't have Kareem Rush, but you do realize that these teams getting their quarterbacks knocked out for a game's finale will be what gives Ohio State a shot at the title?

The quarterback is the single most important position in sports. If you think otherwise, then you are an idiot. Look what an injury to one person can do to an entire team. An entire team can lose focus with the loss of one player. That kid from West Virginia is going to be a strong college player, but he couldn't recover from the lack of experience and the emotional loss that the Moutaineers took when their leader went down. Sam Bradford is a freshman and Dixon was the week two Heisman favorite of No Owens. With a loss of a player, these team's seasons have changed dramatically.

Only Ohio State gets excited when players get injured.

Waiting for Saturday...Terrible (trbl)

I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about Saturday. It's my favorite day of the year. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, which is nice. The Packers are playing which is even better. But Saturday is the best day of my year. Every year.

Why you ask? Well, the most important college football game of the year is played the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Which game is this? Florida/Florida State.

The battle of the state schools of Florida determines in most years who has the best recruiting class in the country. Some of the best high school athletes will be using the outcome of this game to weigh where they are going to play football next year. There will be more athletic ability and talent on that field Saturday than in most college all-star games. Geno Hayes, the once Tennessee Vol for about a month, has even made the game more exciting by his recent statements. If you haven't heard, it's called Google.

It's going to be exciting.

Lest we forget, the Tennessee Vols are playing for a shot at the title. I had a dream last night that we beat Kentucky by 59. That might be a stretch. But again, I just don't see any Tennessee team going to Kentucky with the SEC East on the line and losing. The Vols are without a doubt the most inconsistent team in the land. But something tells me the team that destroyed Georgia, Arkansas, and South Carolina for a half will show up. Les Miles beware.

Oh yeah, the other game. Why isn't Chase Daniel the Heisman front runner? Or that quarterback from Kansas? Let me remind you of something...if Ohio State was undefeated going into the last week of the season, their quarterback would probably win the Heisman. Ever heard of Troy Smith?

Look, I don't know who's going to win this game. I haven't paid enough attention to either of these teams on the field and that's my own fault. But I'm going to go with Kansas. Kansas believes and that's all that a team that is well coached and on a roll needs to do. Kansas also will give Oklahoma a better game than Mizzou would. Keep in mind, we talked about Oklahoma State and their ability to win one big game a year? They have OU this weekend.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, and a Happier Saturday.

Fines, Fines, Everywhere There's Fines

Let me tell you about my new biggest pet peeve running wild through sports. Phil Mickelson can't run so that's not it. Tom Brady isn't it either, it's his receivers and system running for him. Drew Bledsoe is crying. It's not Ohio State either, though it's close.

I am absolutely sick of fines being placed on players and coaches for questioning the officiating in ball games. College football coaches are getting fined. College basketball coaches are getting fined. Managers in baseball get fined. The problem is, those making a case in press conferences traditionally have a case.

Lets take last night's football game in to consideration. The Titans really should have been in a position to win last night. For all of you Vince Young haters out there, you're simply idiots. What, he throws two picks in the fourth tyring to force throws to receivers who can't catch? We know they can't catch because that Williams guy had a touchdown go through his hands and Bo Scaife had a ball hit him in the face mask that would have been a big gain.

There are a couple of puzzling topics around Scaife. That drop yes. But he also made an outstanding effort on a one handed attempt between the hash-marks down towards the Denver endzone. The pass was ruled incomplete and with less than two minutes left in the first half, the Titans couldn't challenge by rule. After three replays, it appeared that Scaife in fact made the acrobatic catch, or it was at least close enough for the officials to take a look at it.

You know I am not an advocate for instant replay. But if it's going to be in the game, it needs to be used by the officials correctly. That play was close enough to look at, and it could have been overturned. A touchdown right before the half could have changed the game for the Titans. No dice.

In his press conference after the game, Vince Young made reference to the poor officiating saying something along the lines of the refs played a factor in the game's outcome. Vince isn't what we would call a cunning linguist. His remarks were pretty straight forward and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets fined for his remarks.

Why should he get fined? Most of the time when players and coaches question the officials, they're either right or have a very good case. Aside from Lou Pinella. So when players and coaches get fined by leagues or conferences, the fining institution is sticking for the officials who are making mistakes.

Does this make sense to you? Let's defend the guys making the mistakes from criticism. I mean, the Democrats don't even believe in that one.

I wrote earlier about how officiating has been made lazy by instant replay. I hate instant replay. But if we have to deal with it, we have to make sure we use it correctly. Yesterday it was not used correctly by the officials. Rule states that all reviews must be administered by the booth with two minutes left in the half. Well, I guarantee you that Jeff Fisher would have reviewed that play given the opportunity. Either way, the system failed yesterday and don't be surprised when Young and probably Fisher get smacked with $10,000 for expressing their frustration. The officiating could have cost them a shot at the game. Football is an emotional game, and it's going to cost Young for opening his mouth.

Moving On

I know many of you are expecting a Barry Bonds post today. I would, but I'm not prepared to yet. As you know, we like to go deep every once in a while about topics. This Bonds thing is going to be a major issue. Marriotti wrote this morning about how Bonds is going to go away forever. I've got news for you, this isn't going away. Not anytime soon. Before I jump to make my point, I want all of you who think that this is going to cure everything to understand that this isn't going to end anything. And from what I understand and just from looking at this, legally, this is going to be a very difficult case to prove against Bonds with all of the factors the defense is going to use.

So now, my dream is over. No Owens has come so close this year to sheer amazingness. We were on the Rockies thing before anyone else. That came up just short, but was still a successful run for us. Now, Dennis Dixon, who No Owens was criticized by our readers for calling him a Heisman favorite after week two, is now out for the season. Sadly, Dixon was going to win the Heisman as ESPN pretty much declared him their favorite.

Dixon is done, and I don't really want to think about who's next in line. Oregon is done and we can talk about the rest of the BCS shake up. So, if everyone wins this week, Kansas will be #2 going into a showdown with potential #4 Mizzou. Assuming OU beats Texas Tech this weekend, and then OKState, you're going to have OU playing the winner of the KU/Mizzou game. So dial this up...the Big XII winner plays in the national title.

Who do they play? I know this is bold, but unless LSU gets their act together, I don't think it's LSU. At least right now. If Ohio State beats Michigan, think about how easy it would be for them to play for the title? West Virginia has the toughest road left of anyone remaining. You don't want to play Pitt on the last week of the season, trust me. Then they have a championship game and UConn. The No Owens prediction of OU/WV is alive, but will WV really go through that schedule without a loss? Will LSU get passed the physical Arkansas team with a beat up defense? Can they beat red hot UT/UGA?

Two terms have come into play more often this year than ever: Control Your Own Destiny and Under the Bus. I don't know why Under the Bus has become so big recently, but I just had to throw it in there because it's been bothering me.

Control Your Own Destiny hasn't been good for most teams this year, see Ohio State, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee, Kentucky, etc. So what does that mean this week? I like Michigan to beat Ohio State, but remember if Ohio State wins, don't be surprised if this crazy season puts them back in title contention. If Ohio State wins, would...Illinois...play in the Rose Bowl? What if Kentucky wins its next two games? You know who they have? Georgia and Tennessee. If they win both games, Florida plays LSU for the SEC Title.

A lot of this is speculation but you know what? Would you have thought Dixon would have bit it and Oregon would have lost in Tucson last night? This is one of the best years of all time in college football. Anything can happen. That's what you want.

Hey Yankees Fans - Take A Look In The Mirror

For those of you who read on a daily basis, or know the No Owens staff personally, you know that there is a serious distaste for the New York American League baseball club. For those of you who don’t share the same distaste, you need to take a step back and think about the organization that you give you heart and soul to.

Remember about a month ago when the Yankees were trying and successfully stealing the press away from the Boston Red Sox? Remember when they said that if A-Rod opted out of his contract, they wouldn’t renegotiate with him?

Yesterday A-Rod went to the negotiating tables with the Steinbernner pedigree without the help of his agent Scott Boras. Reports coming out of the meetings say that the number they are throwing around now is $27 million.

Remember when Boras was making A-Rod out to be the $30-$35 million player? What happened to that? I’ll tell you exactly what happened to it.

A few weeks ago we talked about Ohio State and how their athletic department knows exactly what they are doing. Winning and losing doesn’t matter as long as you are doing enough winning to get you into a BCS game. Even if Ohio State loses to Michigan this weekend, they still might get an at large bid. Baseball owners are now understanding…if they sign A-Rod for something along the lines of $300 million, are they going to see a return on their investment getting just enough wins to make the playoffs?

Could it be that the owners have spoken? The best player of our generation is out there waiting to be taken to play somewhere on the left side of the infield for any team, and no one is making an offer. What gives? He’s not worth that money. If he was, he’d have a ring, if not six by now. Excuse me while I continue to make another point….with the winning run on second in the bottom of the ninth, who do you want at the plate? Yeah, not A-Rod.

Everything is coming back to bite A-Rod right now. People want to blame Boras for asking too much. I wouldn’t. Look at his…regular season…numbers and they are all world, potentially unmatched by anyone in history. But the only way someone is going to pay want Boras wants for A-Rod is if there is an owner so caught up in winning that he could care less about the money. See Boston and New York.

But A-Rod hasn’t won. Hence why no one wants to pay Boras’ asking price for him. The Yankees said that they wouldn’t negotiate with A-Rod if he opted out. Look who’s the big fool now. When A-Rod said that he wanted to come to the table by himself, the Yankees should have said no thanks. But they didn’t. They think they need A-Rod to win. No, they need Paul O’Neill.

If you’re a Yankees fan, how do you feel about this team that can’t live up to what they say their going to do? By negotiating with A-Rod the one team that no one thought could sell out is selling out. They are cowards. How do you feel if you play for an organization that now goes against their word? What kind of integrity do they have? They were just trying to find a solution to this A-Rod absence by finding a way to get Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera would be in the organization forever if they could get him. For the money, I would say that Cabrera is even a better value that A-Rod is. But no.

We talked a few weeks ago about how maybe the Yankees are going back to their old ways. The way of playing hard nosed baseball based around good pitching and timely, manufactured offense. Now they are going back to the form of baseball that hasn’t gotten them a ring since Bernie. And they are doing it in shame. In the shame of embarrassing themselves by giving A-Rod the chance to come back. Are you kidding me? If you are a Yankees fan, you should be ashamed of your team. Man up and stick to your word…don’t make the ultimate statement and back down. Congratulations, the team that continues to by players thinking that they will help is now not just greedy…they’re frauds too.

NFL Shakeups and Shakedowns

Remember a couple of weeks ago when all we could hear about was how much better the Patriots and Colts were than everyone else?

Well, the Patriots just demoralized the Colts. I mean, I don't even understand how that happened. I guess everything has to do with Randy Moss. He is playing so well right now both when the ball is going his way and when it's going in another direction, it's ridiculous.

But if the Patriots are in fact at least one step above everyone else right now, how clustered is the next tier? The Colts don't look good. It's obvious that Favre needs to go back to doing Mastercard commercials given performance on the field and on the screen. I will give them this...I still think the Colts could be the scarriest team in the AFC. Why? They hve been playing absolutely totaled for the past two weeks. Harrison? Hasn't played. Freeney's out. Craphonso Thorpe, yes, that Craphonso Thorpe, the former #1 high school player in the country who got the boot from Florida State, is who the Colts had to go to this week. Yeah, Thorpe and Fred Rouse are the last two players to wear the #1 at FSU. Great track record.

The Colts are going to get healthy come playoff time. I'm not really worried about them going to Foxboro and winning. If it snows, I'll take my chances with Addai. Also, Randy Moss does not play in cold weather.

Not to mention that the Steelers are downright terrifying. Who's the most valuable QB in the AFC right now? Big Ben. The Steelers are not a team you want to play. I would pick them to beat the Pats right now. Why? They are the most physical team in football...just ask Ray Lewis. How do you take the Pats receivers out of the game? Put them on the ground early and often. The Pats beat you in space. The Steelers beat you man on man. The Steelers have the best chance right now because neither team matches up well against each other.

The NFC is another story. The Cowboys right now are getting the same treatment that Ohio State got last week. They're "America's Team" so they are the favorite over the Packers. The book on the Packers is that they haven't been able to run the football all year. Then last week they played the #1 rushing defense in the league and Ryan Grant threw up 119 yards on them for an average of just about five yards a carry. By the way, whenever you get a shutout in the NFL, you have done something pretty substantial.

The catch is the Packers have to play a good Lions team on the road on Thanksgiving which is always a tough spot for anyone to play. They are at Dallas on Thursday the next week where they never play well. In fact, I don't think I remember the Cowboys ever going to Lambeau. At least in a game that mattered. Regardless if the Packers in fact lose one of those games, they will lose the inside track to home field advantage. The Packers also have the Bears left to play and that's a huge game regardless of the records. No one understands that other than Packers/Bears fans.

I want you to understand one thing. If Brett Favre wasn't the Packer quarterback, they might have two wins. There is no question that he is the NFL MVP. Someone tell me that there is anyone more valuable to their team and what they have done this season. Brady? Moss is the most valuable player on that team and if you don't think so, go back to reading GQ. Moss makes everyone on that team better, but without Moss, they would still be a 13 win team. The Packers are where they are because they have Brett Favre, who is playing some of the best football of his career. Will Favre win the MVP? Probably not. It's riduclous that he won't.

Hey Voters; Be Consistant

We talked here at No Owens a few weeks ago about the jokes provided by the major polls this year in college football. I strongly defended Boston College to be the #1 team in the country, even though they weren't the best, but if an undefeated team is going to be #1 at least let it be the team with the signature road game.

Ohio State now has a signature home loss. Look, it's no surprise that Ohio State lost. Did we see it coming from the Illini? Probably not, but it really isn't as shocking as it is satisfying. Ohio State was #1 for two reason as we discussed: they were undefeated and they were "Ohio State."

Let me say the following...I don't believe Kansas is a better team than LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma, or even West Virginia. But if those who felt that I guess what would be an honor to Ohio State to give them the #1 ranking because of mainly their record, why isn't Kansas now the #1 team? Because LSU is, "LSU?"

There are so many complaints about the BCS. But remember what the two most important factors are in the BCS standings: the two major polls and number of losses. There has to be some serious help from the computers for teams to leap other teams ranked ahead of them in both polls and most certainly with more losses. It's just ridiculous how hypocritical the voters are and as much as hatred may stir around the BCS, it still comes down to the voters.

Especially this year, the old bowl format would reign supreme. I have always been an advocate to the old structure and letting the polls play it out. Why? There is never anything definitive in college football. So trying to define a champion in some years is just pointless. No Owens predicted an OU/WV title game before the first snap of the season and that chance is still alive. The only way that can happen is if OU beats Kansas in the Big 12 Championship game. What if they didn't? What if Kansas, Oregon, and LSU win out? My money says that Kansas wouldn't play for the title, just like Michigan didn't "play for the title" in 1997 because if you win the Big 10, you play in the Rose Bowl and let everyone figure it out.

What it all comes down to is the fact that the voters apparently have a collective bias. For whatever reason, they like teams better than others. We all knew that Ohio State was not the best team in the nation but "understood" their ranking. If we "understood" their ranking, what makes sense about Kansas at #3? Because they're Kansas?

Football is about playing football. If I had a vote right now my top five would look something like this:
#1 Oregon
#2 Oklahoma
#3 LSU (they should be the best team but they are really banged up)
#4 Kansas
#5 West Virginia
In my opinion, those are the teams playing the best football right now. But for those voters that had to have Ohio State #1 a week ago, there is no excuse for them putting Kansas at the #3 this week. Should Kansas be #1? You see above as to how they should be ranked, but the voters don't need to be changing their principles as to how they vote week in and week out. Maybe we should just turn this whole thing over to Vegas.

He's Back

I know that many of you have been just waiting and waiting for a post about my favorite person. Luckily, your time has come.

The thriving communist powerhouse China has stepped to the plate. Now that their economy is about to level off they have made the biggest mistake they could. I mean, their communists, what do you expect? They have added a major golf tournament that it playing right now. Some would call it the HSBC Champions tournament. I call it the next playing of the Mickelslam.

Let me preface. I hate Phil Mickelson. He is my least favorite famous person in the world. My least favorite person in the world misses key blocks on trey-lefts when we are driving late in the game against Hinsdale South. There will never be anything good said about Mickelson here. If there is, it will be facetius, I promise. His wife however, she wins at life.

Mickelson is one back of the baby walrus Kevin Stadler in China. First of all, I can't believe someone gave him a temporary business visa to enter China. I mean, they are communists, but still. Remember last time when I was all over Mickelson for not playing in the BMW Championship? Well, it seems that it was the story of his life even if he did play. Tiger would have won, Phil would have talked about playing well but his chance will come, and then we would move on.

However, Phil is willing to travel to the far east to play. Last week, he got beat up by the course in Singapore. He probably flew on that new huge airplane to get there. He would need to as he needs extra seating for all of his awful comments and hair gel. Speaking of...

"I played solid throughout and didn't make a bogey," Mickelson said. "I was able to play a good round in some tough conditions starting out, although the wind died down in the end."

Thank you Dopler Mickelson. Oh, and if we want to see how many bogeys you made, we'll read your score card. Your a professional, you shouldn't make bogeys. Stop bragging. You put gel in your hair meaning you must have to make yourself feel good about something.

"I like the golf course a lot," Mickelson added. "It's very similar to what we see on tour in the U.S. The greens are putting beautifully. ... If you read them well you are going to make a lot of putts."

Really. Last I checked, there aren't any greens, except at Gettysvue CC, that roll straight all the time. Thanks for the insight on reading greens, Phil.

I never have a good thing to say about Mickelson. Nor should you. One of these days, people are going to see the side of Mickelson that I do. He tramples children. Your kids aren't safe with him around, ask any tournament staff member. One of these days, people will starting hating him as much as I do. Until that day comes, the Mickelslam will always be a regular major event.

One Step Closer to the Worst Thing Ever

We are in one interesting time in sports. Today, more so than ever before "getting it right" is more prevalent. Regardless if it takes time to get a call right in a football game, or if it was a player, coach or team committing an act that some would call "cheating," the asterisk era has begun in sports.

This year we saw an amazing year in baseball. We saw more personal milestones this year than in any other year before. Starting next year, what does the most coveted record in sports mean?

Barry Bonds is already the asterisk king. We don't have to go into this. And pending natural disaster, A-Rod is going to break his record. Yesterday, the GM's of Major League Baseball took the next step in using instant replay to review home runs with the thought process of "get it right."

Before I get into the historic details of why I think this is a big problem, I'm just going to tell you how this is going to really screw up baseball.

College football officials are lazy. They are flat out lazy. How many times have you seen officials huddle together to discuss a tough call and then just say the easy answer knowing that it will get reviewed and they can get it right seeing it a second time? You know the...we will call it down on the field for now, but we can go review it to see if it really was a fumble or not?

Now, home runs being foul or not are going to come under review. And I guess the myth of the yellow line on the fence is going to be determined by instant replay. How do you think Hank Aaron should feel about this?

How many balls do you think Aaron, or Ruth, or anyone for that matter hit down the line that could have been either fair or foul? We don't know, but there could have been a number of home runs that could have gone either way and we'll never know. Now, we are taking the human element out of sports. I can't disagree more with instant replay in any sport. When these games were first created there was no replay. Respect the past. Technology has come a long way but especially in football, technology is more so about safety than performance enhancement. When you are dealing with sports where the the past plays such a role in the present and future, how can you go about changing an aspect of the game that could have changed results from every single player and game before it?

You may think I'm overreacting. But this is the reality. One or two home runs, even ten could be the difference between someone getting the numbers to get into the Hall of Fame. 500 home runs doesn't mean what it used to. Maybe there are guys in the Hall that would be closer to 498 because of not having replay. But where does this end? What happens if in the eyes of the league replay is effective for "getting it right?" Then what? Do they expand the scope to use replay on calls at the plate? I've got news for you...if replay would have been used on calls to the plate this year, Matt Holliday would have been called out in the play-in game and who knows...the Padres could have won the Series. And if that play was reviewable, imagine how long it would take to iron it out. People complain about baseball being a slow game already, and now you're going to put replay in?

I'm nitpicking. I know that. But I love baseball and I respect the game. By adding instant replay, everything changes. Will it be successful for what the GM's are looking for? Yes, it will. I'm not doubting the fact that calls will be corrected. But they were never before, and that's part of the game. Mistakes are made by the officials in any sport. That is part of the game. If replay was in effect in 2003, the Cubs may have gotten the out in the Bartman incident. But who is going to say that they wouldn't have messed up anyway? It's the Cubs. So think about all of these memories that you have and the records that have been set. Now think about how there's a strong chance that similar moments to those in the future will be looked at differently than they were in the past. That's not what baseball is about. And I've got new for you, it will not end with home runs.

Scattering Through College Football

Are you one of those people who thinks the BCS is a huge problem? Well, first of all, get used to it because it's not going anywhere and there's no way a playoff system is going to be instituted. Why? Money of course.

Remember when No Owens made reference to Oregon being for real and Dennis Dixon was going to emerge as a Heisman candidate? You probably chose to forget about it. However, now both are very serious situations. Right now, Oregon, in my opinion, is the best team in college football. They have the best player in Dixon, they have a confident swagger and with the points they are putting up a pretty decent defense has Dixon's back. Right now, Oregon is #3 in the BCS but because LSU is "LSU" they are #2. Of course, the SEC is superior to the Pac-10, but right now, LSU just isn't a consistent football team. Look at their schedule and how many tough games (statistically and physically)are on there. They are banged up. It doesn't matter who they play in a bowl with the 40 some day rest because it will get ugly. But right now, they are hurting. And the polls that count don't get it.

Is Oregon going to finish with one loss? Good question. Two of the most important teams in college football are Oklahoma State and Oregon State. Now, you really think I must be crazy. But think about it...these schools seemingly always play spoiler to someone. A loss to one of these two teams knocks teams out of the title equation. Ask Texas. Ask USC. It happens. Now, two very important match ups remain...Oregon/Oregon State and Oklahoma/Oklahoma State, both with the under dogs being due for a big win this year. Say both are upsets...where are we?

Kansas. Not Luke's Kansas, KU. Are they going to beat Mizzou? I don't know. You score 76 with the potential of 90+ and you can beat people. I don't care how bad Nebraska may be this year, but UT put up 59 on Louisiana Lafayette last week, and I think Nebraska just might be able to take them. Now, if they beat Mizzou and go into the Big XII championship game undefeated and somehow beat an Oklahoma team that doesn't lose two in a row, they are a legit #2, if not #1. Beating OU is a big if.

Ohio State probably won't beat Michigan on the road and LSU has to play a championship game. So riddle me this: Oklahoma finishes with one loss, Oregon with two, LSU with one, Ohio State with one, and Kansas with two. West Virginia is quietly sitting there at #6 with one loss. It's also very possible that LSU loses to either a hot Arkansas team or in the SEC Championship. Assuming that UT doesn't beat Arkansas, Georgia, who was labeled as the scariest team in the East by No Owens pre season, could run all over a battered LSU team. It's also possible that Illinois beats Ohio State. All this being said, do you have any idea what can happen in the next four weeks? You've got to like yourself if you are West Virginia but Louisville has played spoiler to another of their opponents Cincinnati who played spoiler to South Florida, who gave West Virginia their only loss. Along with the two hoops powerhouses are two more with BIG EAST LEADING #13 UConn and Pitt to close the season. All of a sudden, West Virginia may have the toughest road yet!

You hate the BCS right? I'm going to tell you why the BCS loves you. Because you love to talk about how much you hate it. Ask Britney Spears...any publicity is good publicity. Just wait, it's been quiet. But when these teams start falling and especially when Ohio State does, this BCS thing is going to explode. What's going to come from it? I don't think anyone can answer that one, not even the computers.

Seriously, What Do You Want to Talk About?

I mean, I am sure the thousands that flock to this very site everyday were disappointed yesterday when there was no post. As you know, the majority of the time when there is nothing posted, it means that I got too busy to post. This in fact was not the case yesterday. Yesterday, there was seemingly nothing interesting to write about.

We've been through the Girardi thing, I've got nothing on Joe Torre really. Why would he go to LA? He's absolutely and idiot. I know Torre is documented as wearing only Zegna suits, but did he need the extra money to keep buying them? I mean, three years $13 million rocks hard, but is it really worth dealing with Jeff Kent at his age? The Dodgers are a young team, and they have Jeff Kent. For those of you who don't know, Kent is notoriously the worst clubhouse guy in baseball. Yeah, worse than Bonds and A-Rod. As Bill Walton would say, "What could he possibly be thinking?"

What...Kobe? You want your team destroyed? Didn't think so. He's got such a good contract that he can put in place the players he wants to remain on the teams that he could go to. Note: Kobe isn't Jordan, no matter how badly he thinks he is. Thanks.

What...A-Rod? Don't you find it ironic that the "Best Player of our Generation" doesn't have teams lining up to sign him? Basically, there are only really two teams that can afford him and he's already shut one down. Is Boston going to sign him? Doubt it. Other than that, A-Rod doesn't have enough power to hit in SF. Sorry, but he's a 35-40 home run hitter there. I mean, that's not bad or anything, but those hooking line drives to left and 318 foot homers to left in the Bronx aren't getting it done in SF. That leaves who...the Cubs, Mets, and Angels? None of those teams need A-Rod from a business standpoint. All of those teams need PITCHING and the Cubs need a left handed power hittter to hit between Lee and ARAM. Yeah, A-Rod is the best player available, but there are other pressing needs. Imagine this...Tampa Bay signs A-Rod. The Devil Rays, not the Bucs. With the young players they have plus A-Rod, they could win games. Plus, he's stay in the AL East which would be hilarious. Oh, and the q-tips in Tampa would probably pay to see A-Rod. Guess what, won't happen. Who's legitimately going to sign A-Rod for $30 million with the Yankees out of the picture? This is really going to be interesting.

NBA? No one cares. My fantasy team is amazing. My fantasy team is so good that I could field a football team out of it and win. TheBron at WR and Dwight Howard playing both ways at LT and DE. You're done.

Patriots/Colts? I mean, alright. I'm taking the Colts. You're the champion until someone beats you. At home? Mad that they get no respect? Colts by 7.

Well, in my opinion, the biggest story in sports right now is Ohio State. Have we not learned anything? Ohio State has.

Let me tell you how much smarter Ohio State is than you. They know because they are "The Ohio State University" that playing in a weak conference against a weak schedule, all they have to do is put themselves in a position to be undefeated against Michigan. That's all they have to do. That may sound hard...look at that schedule and tell me otherwise. My fantasy basketball team could be Akron and YSU. Running the option with Baron Davis and Ben Gordon, Richard Jefferson at the hybrid TE. Yeah.

Look, Ohio State last year was the consensus #1. They went through their schedule, and yes, beat Texas on the road, which is nice. A Texas team that was completely depleted and overrated starting a freshman quarterback, but they did win and did so convincingly. This year, nothing stands out about this team other than their name and record in the eyes of the voters. What's the difference between Ohio State and Arizona State right now? Arizona State has won all the games they were supposed to win, like Ohio State, plays in a better conference than Ohio State this year, yet because of Ohio State's name recognition, Arizona State is #4. Boston College, who has a signature road win against Virginia Tech in the rain is #2, because Ohio State has name recognition. You think Ohio State cares? Assuming that Michigan beats Ohio State and assuming that BC loses and assuming that Oregon beats ASU this week, Hawaii will be the only undefeated team. So potentially you're rankings look like this, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio State (because they lost on the road and only have one loss, they will most likely still be ranked ahead of Michigan), West Virginia, Michigan (two losses), BC (one loss) and then whatever. Including Hawaii there's eight BCS teams. Notre Dame will somehow find a way to get in contractually, so there's nine. Either way, Ohio State has walked into the BCS to play someone who will get all over them. Take your millions get killed, give your AD a bonus.

It's what they do. They give themselves an opportunity to play in a BCS game, and take their chances with being over matched. They take their millions. AD doesn't care. The two best teams in the country right now are in fact LSU and Oregon. But at least BC has a quality road win. If your a voter and have to vote for undefeated teams at the top I mean, at least look at that win and not just "The Ohio State University." Ohio State structures themselves to go to a BCS game, not to impress anything. Winning is important at Ohio State these days, but not as important as the dollars.