MCNABB CUT, MCCLAIN CUFFED, SHERMAN OUT, IS SUMLIN IN? PLUS THE COLLEGE LINEUP FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY
The Vikings beat the blackout deadline Thursday afternoon so their game with Denver can be televised Sunday. The other news out of Minneapolis is quarterback Donovan McNabb asked for & was given his release. He spoke to Kurt Warner at halftime of tonight's Philly/Seattle game & said he wants to weigh his options & a whole bunch of other blather. The bottom line is, McNabb is very near the end of his career. His former teammates & coaches have said McNabb isn't in top shape, gets winded easily & his arm is erratic. I think he's just tired & bored. He'll either come back next season & excel once again or he'll retire. If McNabb is genuinely driven to continue playing, he's going to have to take this off-season very seriously.
In legal news, Oakland middle linebacker Rolando McClain was arrested in Alabama Wednesday night after an altercation that grew into guns drawn & pointed. McClain, who has an ankle sprain, was cleared by head coach Hue Jackson to travel to Alabama to attend his grandfather's funeral. After the visitation, things got out of hand & McClain produced a handgun that he began flashing about. He was charged with 3rd degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment & discharging a firearm. McClain is still in jail. He's the defensive captain & signal caller, so this incident could cause some trouble for the Raiders.
The Buffalo Bills magical season is just about over, they no longer are serious playoff contenders & their fans know it. Buffalo's game with Tennessee is officially blacked out locally. Maybe WR Stevie Johnson can entertain those in the stadium with more of his post-touchdown antics.
Texas A&M has informed coach Mike Sherman that his services will no longer be needed. As they prepare to move into the Southeastern Conference, the Aggies will need to find a replacement ASAP. Sherman's team wilted in the second half too many times this year, surrendering double-digit leads after halftime 4 times this season. Their 5-7 record will keep A&M from bowl eligibility, another nail in Sherman's coffin.
Houston coach Kevin Sumlin is now the leading candidate for two vacant jobs, A&M plus Arizona State. Sumlin has led the Cougars to one of the two undefeated regular seasons in 2011 & with a win vs. Southern Miss this Saturday in the Conference-USA Championship game, his guys are BCS-bound. The former Purdue linebacker has always been an offensive coach, in fact was offensive coordinator at Oklahoma just 4-years ago. He was wide receivers coach at A&M before moving to OU. hard to predict where he'll wind up, but he is the hottest coach right now.
The West Virginia Mountaineers stormed back to beat South Florida 30-27, denying the Bulls of the six wins needed to become bowl eligible. The win makes the WVU at worst, a Big East co-champion. Some 4th quarter drama heroics boosted first year head coach Dana Holgerson's record to 9-3. With 16-seconds remaining & facing 4th & 10, WVU QB Geno Smith hit WR Steadman Bailey with a first down pass to the 16-yardline & they were able to spike the ball, stopping the clock with 3-seconds left. South Florida was penalized 5-yards for 12-men on the field & after another timeout, PK Tyler Bitancurt kicked the game winner as time expired. West Virginia will move to the Big-12 next season.
The Philadelphia Eagles continue to find new lows after being the media darling in the lockout-shortened off-season. The Eagles lost their 8th game of the season in Seattle as the Seahawks whipped up on the down & out guys from Philly. Backup quarterback Vince Young threw 4 interceptions in the 31-14 loss, but the obvious & I mean obvious, lack of effort by several of the Eagles, has to disappoint owner Jeffrey Lurie. Once again Seattle tailback Marshawn Lynch inflicted punishment on an opponent rushing for 148-yards & a pair of touchdowns. Tavaris Jackson completed 13 of 16 for 190-yards as the Seahawks moved their record to 5-7.
Tonight we have the first-ever PAC-12 Conference Championship game between 10-2 Oregon, ranked 9th in the BCS poll hosting the 6-6 UCLA Bruins who are not ranked. The game will be the last for UCLA coach Rick Neuheisal who was informed late last week he wouldn't be retained. In what has to be a record pointspread in a conference championship game, the Ducks are favored by 31 & honestly, I doubt it will be that close.
The lineup for Saturday is about a third of what we normally have as most schools have completed their regular seasons. There are a number of conference championships plus a pair of games in the Big-12 that will have a major impact nationally. Here's what I'll be watching:
So. Mississippi at Houston 11AM ABC Conference-USA Championship Game
The 12-0 Cougars are a 13 1/2 point favorite & with a win, they'll go to a BCS bowl, most likely the Sugar.
Iowa State at Kansas State 11:30AM FOXSports Midwest
Big game for the Wildcats as they attempt to win their 10th game this season. They have an outside chance to get an at-large bid into the BCS. Ten wins out of this team should get Bill Snyder plenty of coach of the year consideration. K-State favored by 11.
Texas at Baylor 2:30PM ABC
Texas wants a win to end on a positive note while the Bears want their 9th win. Baylor QB Robert Griffin III is still in the running for the Heisman, so look for coach Art Briles to feature his talents all afternoon long. Baylor a slight favorite at -3.
Georgia vs. LSU at the Ga. Dome 3:00PM CBS SEC Championship Game
I'm hoping the Bulldogs win, thereby throwing the BCS into chaos, but the Tigers looked like national championship contenders last week when they smoked 3rd ranked Arkansas. Bayou Bengals are big favorites at 13 1/2.
Virginia Tech vs. Clemson in Charlotte 7:00PM ESPN ACC Championship Game
Tech can avenge their only loss this season by beating the slumping Clemson Tigers. Tech favored by 10.
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State 7:00PM ABC
The annual "Bedlam" game, this year it's for the Big-12 Championship, the winner going to either the Fiesta Bowl of in OSU's case, possibly the BCS title game. Their chances are slim, but first they have to get by the Sooners, no easy task. Bitter, bitter rivalry, this ought to be a very entertaining game. Great offensive matchup between QB's Landry Jones(OU) & Brandon Weeden(OSU), plus the game features the nations best wide receiver, the Cowboy's Justin Blackmon. OSU favored by 3 1/2.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State at Indianapolis 7:15PM FOX BIG TEN Championship
The first-ever BIG Ten championship game between two teams that played a heart-stopper on October 22nd, won by MSU 37-31 on a Hail Mary rebound. I don't see 9 1/2 point fav Wisconsin losing twice to this team. It should be an excellent matchup of the two best quarterbacks in the conference, Spartan Kirk Cousins & Russell Wilson of the Badgers. Wisconsin is a 9 1/2 point favorite, which I think is too high. Another item of interest in this game are the seat-fillers the BIG TEN reportedly advertised for on Craigslist.
In legal news, Oakland middle linebacker Rolando McClain was arrested in Alabama Wednesday night after an altercation that grew into guns drawn & pointed. McClain, who has an ankle sprain, was cleared by head coach Hue Jackson to travel to Alabama to attend his grandfather's funeral. After the visitation, things got out of hand & McClain produced a handgun that he began flashing about. He was charged with 3rd degree assault, menacing, reckless endangerment & discharging a firearm. McClain is still in jail. He's the defensive captain & signal caller, so this incident could cause some trouble for the Raiders.
The Buffalo Bills magical season is just about over, they no longer are serious playoff contenders & their fans know it. Buffalo's game with Tennessee is officially blacked out locally. Maybe WR Stevie Johnson can entertain those in the stadium with more of his post-touchdown antics.
Texas A&M has informed coach Mike Sherman that his services will no longer be needed. As they prepare to move into the Southeastern Conference, the Aggies will need to find a replacement ASAP. Sherman's team wilted in the second half too many times this year, surrendering double-digit leads after halftime 4 times this season. Their 5-7 record will keep A&M from bowl eligibility, another nail in Sherman's coffin.
Houston coach Kevin Sumlin is now the leading candidate for two vacant jobs, A&M plus Arizona State. Sumlin has led the Cougars to one of the two undefeated regular seasons in 2011 & with a win vs. Southern Miss this Saturday in the Conference-USA Championship game, his guys are BCS-bound. The former Purdue linebacker has always been an offensive coach, in fact was offensive coordinator at Oklahoma just 4-years ago. He was wide receivers coach at A&M before moving to OU. hard to predict where he'll wind up, but he is the hottest coach right now.
The West Virginia Mountaineers stormed back to beat South Florida 30-27, denying the Bulls of the six wins needed to become bowl eligible. The win makes the WVU at worst, a Big East co-champion. Some 4th quarter drama heroics boosted first year head coach Dana Holgerson's record to 9-3. With 16-seconds remaining & facing 4th & 10, WVU QB Geno Smith hit WR Steadman Bailey with a first down pass to the 16-yardline & they were able to spike the ball, stopping the clock with 3-seconds left. South Florida was penalized 5-yards for 12-men on the field & after another timeout, PK Tyler Bitancurt kicked the game winner as time expired. West Virginia will move to the Big-12 next season.
The Philadelphia Eagles continue to find new lows after being the media darling in the lockout-shortened off-season. The Eagles lost their 8th game of the season in Seattle as the Seahawks whipped up on the down & out guys from Philly. Backup quarterback Vince Young threw 4 interceptions in the 31-14 loss, but the obvious & I mean obvious, lack of effort by several of the Eagles, has to disappoint owner Jeffrey Lurie. Once again Seattle tailback Marshawn Lynch inflicted punishment on an opponent rushing for 148-yards & a pair of touchdowns. Tavaris Jackson completed 13 of 16 for 190-yards as the Seahawks moved their record to 5-7.
Tonight we have the first-ever PAC-12 Conference Championship game between 10-2 Oregon, ranked 9th in the BCS poll hosting the 6-6 UCLA Bruins who are not ranked. The game will be the last for UCLA coach Rick Neuheisal who was informed late last week he wouldn't be retained. In what has to be a record pointspread in a conference championship game, the Ducks are favored by 31 & honestly, I doubt it will be that close.
The lineup for Saturday is about a third of what we normally have as most schools have completed their regular seasons. There are a number of conference championships plus a pair of games in the Big-12 that will have a major impact nationally. Here's what I'll be watching:
So. Mississippi at Houston 11AM ABC Conference-USA Championship Game
The 12-0 Cougars are a 13 1/2 point favorite & with a win, they'll go to a BCS bowl, most likely the Sugar.
Iowa State at Kansas State 11:30AM FOXSports Midwest
Big game for the Wildcats as they attempt to win their 10th game this season. They have an outside chance to get an at-large bid into the BCS. Ten wins out of this team should get Bill Snyder plenty of coach of the year consideration. K-State favored by 11.
Texas at Baylor 2:30PM ABC
Texas wants a win to end on a positive note while the Bears want their 9th win. Baylor QB Robert Griffin III is still in the running for the Heisman, so look for coach Art Briles to feature his talents all afternoon long. Baylor a slight favorite at -3.
Georgia vs. LSU at the Ga. Dome 3:00PM CBS SEC Championship Game
I'm hoping the Bulldogs win, thereby throwing the BCS into chaos, but the Tigers looked like national championship contenders last week when they smoked 3rd ranked Arkansas. Bayou Bengals are big favorites at 13 1/2.
Virginia Tech vs. Clemson in Charlotte 7:00PM ESPN ACC Championship Game
Tech can avenge their only loss this season by beating the slumping Clemson Tigers. Tech favored by 10.
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State 7:00PM ABC
The annual "Bedlam" game, this year it's for the Big-12 Championship, the winner going to either the Fiesta Bowl of in OSU's case, possibly the BCS title game. Their chances are slim, but first they have to get by the Sooners, no easy task. Bitter, bitter rivalry, this ought to be a very entertaining game. Great offensive matchup between QB's Landry Jones(OU) & Brandon Weeden(OSU), plus the game features the nations best wide receiver, the Cowboy's Justin Blackmon. OSU favored by 3 1/2.
Wisconsin vs. Michigan State at Indianapolis 7:15PM FOX BIG TEN Championship
The first-ever BIG Ten championship game between two teams that played a heart-stopper on October 22nd, won by MSU 37-31 on a Hail Mary rebound. I don't see 9 1/2 point fav Wisconsin losing twice to this team. It should be an excellent matchup of the two best quarterbacks in the conference, Spartan Kirk Cousins & Russell Wilson of the Badgers. Wisconsin is a 9 1/2 point favorite, which I think is too high. Another item of interest in this game are the seat-fillers the BIG TEN reportedly advertised for on Craigslist.
Comments