The G2

Oregon's overtime win over Arizona was an instant classic. We even got a premature celebration by the Arizona fans who tried to rush the field ... with :40 left and Oregon near the red zone (if that isn't a sign of a program not used to success I don't know what is)!

In other news ...

-Florida, Alabama, Texas and TCU all won big. We are one week closer to the annual argument over who deserves to play for the national championship. Yippee.

-Notre Dame lost ... again. See ya, Charlie. I have to admit, since the season was shot two weeks ago, I couldn't help but feel happy for UConn's players, coaches, and the family of Jasper Howard. Seeing UConn hold up his jersey as they exited the field was touching. After three straight losses of 4 points or less since his death, they needed this. For ND, it would have been just another win; for UConn, it was their program's defining moment.

-Speaking of defining moments, Kentucky picked up a road win at Georgia for the first time since 1977 (i.e. before I was alive). If they don't name something after Rich Brooks when he calls it quits, I'll be shocked. Notably, Oregon's field is named Rich Brooks Field. Could he become the first coach in college sports to have TWO named after him? Hmm ...

-I could not have been more bored with the Ohio State v. Michigan game. Talk about a rivalry that has totally lost its luster (similar to UK v. IU in basketball). And if that's the best the Big 10 has to offer, well, color me unimpressed. I'm not sure I'll even watch the Rose Bowl, to be honest.

-Butler's hoops team survived a bit of a scare down in Evansville, escaping with a 4-point victory. Some see that as a bad thing, but to shoot 29% and come away with a win says you fought through struggles, showed some resiliency, and did what you needed to do -- got that W.

-In just a matter of hours, I'll depart for Cancun. Old Man will join me several hours later (I hope I'm coherent by then, since I just put in a 12-hour work day on what was supposed to be the start of my mini-vacation ... ask me how pissed I am ...), in what should be a wonderful week of hoops, booze, hoops, and more booze. Rumor is we have free internet access, so expect updates -- as well as regular daily posts -- here at the G2.

Enjoy the NFL action ... MAV is currently sitting on .500 and could use the support!

I couldn't help but laugh about this one ...

Here's to a big day for our G2 staff picks. And, with just about every team affiliated with a G2 reader or staffer in action today, go squads!

[Uhh, so where's the basketball gym?]

Well, in case you hadn't noticed, it's that time of year where I all but bid farewell to college football, in terms of my wagering tolerance. Don't get me wrong, I love college football as much as anyone out there ... but I've always stopped betting in mid-November. For me, it's time to sit back and enjoy watching the national championship and bowl game pieces fall into place. Oh, and there's that little thing called college basketball.

The early season has been packed with eye-opening individual stat lines (hi, Evan Turner), the all too common no-name small school knocking off mediocre BCS programs (just pick an SEC school not named UK or Tennessee and they lost to someone like Wofford or Missouri State), some end-game heroics (hi, John Wall), and more "pre-season" tournaments than there are bowl games (who knew that was possible?). Speaking of pre-season tournaments, I'll be attending the Coaches v. Cancer event tonight at Madison Square Garden, catching a glimpse of that silly 2-3 zone implemented by Syracuse, as the Orangemen *host* (yes, it's a home game anytime they play at MSG) North Carolina. Speaking of the 'Cuse, so much for that exhibition loss to D-2 LeMoyne, eh folks? They obliterated #12 California last night. Meanwhile, the Tar Holes blew a 19-point lead with 10 minutes to go, knocking off Ohio State by 4 in front of the 65 people who stuck around to see the meltdown.

But that's merely a prelude to next week's festivities, as Old Man accompanies me to Cancun for the 2009 Cancun Challenge, where we'll consume more poolside margaritas at the Moon Palace than a sorority on spring break. Kentucky leads an otherwise forgettable field down there -- Gillispie scheduled this event, and Calipari tried to withdraw due to the weak competition (Cleveland State, Virginia, Stanford), but to no avail -- but more importantly, we'll be sitting courtside with VIP access (we're talking about feet on the court with those fancy necklace passes and everything). Look for us on tv ... if they even televise this thing. I heard it was on CBS College Sports network or whatever you call it (as in, not *the* CBS). I'm looking forward to counting the number of times John Wall makes Old Man say "wow" in 40 minutes of action. The games are Tuesday and Wednesday, but we arrive on Sunday. I'm sure we'll find something to do in between.

Here are some quick hitters ...

01. San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum won his second straight Cy Young award, and did so with the lowest win total ever. I think they gave him the award because they realized that he was high the entire season.

02. Anyone else following what's going on with UFC champ Brock Lesnar? Mysterious undisclosed illness (they said it is definitely not HIV or cancer, though) has him fighting for his life.

03. Watching Ricky Williams torch the Panthers last night (sorry, MAV) reminded me that (a) Mike Ditka used to coach the Saints, (b) Ricky Williams' agent was Master P, (c) Ditka gave away 29 draft picks to get him, and (d) Ricky Williams was out of the league for awhile because he wanted to smoke pot and wear long robes while chillin' in Tibet. Quite a career this guy has had ... and here he is, back in the upper echelon of NFL running backs thanks to everyone's favorite Wildcat offense.

04. I actually think they should call a re-do on that soccer match thingy from the other day. The player who used his hands (hello, we all know that's illegal) even admitted to it and says he agrees they should replay the match. With something *that* important on the line (re World Cup bid, berth, advancement, whatever), it seems fitting. Otherwise, we could end up with another world war because we all know soccer makes people crazy and irrational outside the US.

05. I like the Irish (-6) at home over UConn. They'll lose the season finale at The Farm, but they'll win this one ... probably not for Weis, but for no other reason than Jimmy Clausen might have already decided that this will be his last game at ND Stadium ... and, well, they're a lot more talented than the Huskies. That said, if ND can't win this game, they need to fire Weis before the Stanford game and just let the kids coach. They'd probably do just as good, if not better.

Happy Friday,
Iceman

Short and sweet, as the results will do most of the talking, folks ...

Panthers (-3) v. Dolphins – Ronnie runs 200+ times in 10 games. Ronnie go bye bye. Is White the answer to fill that Wildcat gap? That’s what she said. No, no it isn’t.

Eagles (-3) at Bears – Rex Grossman’s dad is officially defending Cutler’s 17 interceptions and double chin. I was just kidding about the double chin. Fatness is indefensible.

Pittsburgh at KC (+10) – No L.J. and no Dwayne Bowe for the Chiefs. Addition by subtraction? Only two Steelers games have been decided by 10+ points all year.

Falcons at NYG (-6) – Every eligible Giant player is back in uniform and practicing. Greatness has ... scratch that. Goodness? ... no ... above-averageness has been restored! With Turner on the shelf, the Giants defense will be back to fool enough people into thinking this Giants team can keep up with the best of the NFC. Oh wait, the NFC sucks. They can keep up with the best of the NFC.

Think you can name the highest paid sports coaches in the world? Well, unless you're one of the 19 Americans who follow soccer, chances are you won't even come close. Here's a list of the top 25.

2-0-1 is never a record to sneeze at. Lets keep it rolling heading into this Bucket weekend.

My guess is that not many of you would have been surprised if I'd have told you there was a battle for the Pac 10 title this late in the year. But, you all would have guessed that battle was between USC and Cal. And, you'd be wrong. The battle is between Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, and Oregon State. And of those, only 2 control their own destiny to the Rose Bowl...Oregon and the Desert Swarm. This weekend, Arizona is actually getting 6.5 points at home to the Ducks. I'll take those 6.5 points and the Wildcats.

Next, I have to do it again. I have to take Notre Dame and give the 6 points. UConn isn't any good and surely Notre Dame knows they are playing for their coach's career. If they can't get up to play for him here and win by a BIG number, I think it says what the team thinks of him.

Lastly, for the SSSBTSD, I'll take the Buckeyes and give the 12 points up at the Big House. The Michigan faithful have all but decided Rich Rod isn't the man. A loss here secures a last place finish in the Big Ten with a 1-7 record. That is a joke. I know Jim Tressell doesn't win many games by more than 12 points, but here I think he will.

ARIZONA +6.5 vs. oregon
NOTRE DAME -6 vs. uconn
OHIO STATE -12 @ michigan

Happy Gambling and Boiler Up!
Statboy

Everyone's favorite exiled running back, Larry Johnson, has been signed by the Bengals. I thought for sure it would be the Raiders ... (a) because they have 4-5 running backs, so what's one more, and (b) isn't it obvious?

There may be no better birthday present -- no offense, TBIM -- for yours truly than the one presented by ESPN this year (my 31st, by the way). That's right, 24 hours of college basketball on the family of networks. If I didn't have a deadline at work, I would have taken the day off and watched every bit of it. As it stands, I'm set to get things started with this Cal-State Fullerton v. UCLA tilt. Will I make it for the 4am Hawaii action? Don't bet against it.

Couple of other random notes ...

- The Cleveland Browns have 5 offensive touchdowns in the last 60 quarters of football. Read that statistic again.

- Does anyone enjoy Stuart Scott anymore?

- Chad Ochocinco is hilarious on Twitter. Highly entertaining stuff.

- A couple of guys at the office approached me today, wanted to discuss the Colts / Patriots game, and ended up throwing out that stupid "Peyton isn't part of the discussion of all-time greats until he gets at least another ring" nonsense. I just think that is a ridiculous argument. You can disagree with me, and that's fine.

01. Florida 0.983 (Florida International, Florida State, SEC Championship - Bama)

02. Alabama 0.952 (UT-Chattanooga, @ Auburn, SEC Championship - Florida)

03. Texas 0.926 (Kansas, @ Texas A&M, Big 12 Championship)

04. TCU 0.869 (@ Wyoming, New Mexico)

05. Cincy 0.854 (Illinois, @ Pittsburgh)

Let's see here ... we've got a snub of a Colts player (Stover), a Belichik troll taking out a camera man, and a less than friendly gesture from Belichick ... I'd say that's a trifecta that sums this a-hole up perfectly.

... yeah, good game.