Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
The Opening Pitch: Texas is NOT No. 1. (No matter what Mack Brown's delusions might be.)
And in a bowl season of spectacular performances from wannabe top-ranked teams, it was almost refreshing to see a contender struggle.
Facing an Ohio State team mauled by its last two BCS bowl opponents — not to mention September's humiliation at USC, Texas' top rival for stray No. 1 votes on AP Top 25 ballots — Texas looked ... ordinary.
That same gritty Big Ten defense that USC garroted (twice: against OSU and Penn State) and against the SEC breezed through with ease the past two BCS title games, instead stymied the Longhorns' reputed offensive attack, one more data point that perhaps the prolific Big 12 performances this season were a result of shoddy D, rather than overwhelming O.
There is a silver lining for Texas fans: Their team did finally rally to make plays and win the bowl game, thanks to the baffling — and out-of-character — decision by Ohio State's Coach Sweatervest not to squat in the middle of the field, kick a gimme field goal to take the lead and, most important, leave Texas without enough clock to do anything.
Instead, the Buckeyes scored a TD relatively quickly (too quickly), leaving more than 2 minutes for Texas to score — something that ANYONE watching the game knew was going to happen, even with Texas' struggles against Ohio State's defense all game long. (Come on: It's Ohio State in a BCS bowl game.)
But in this college football season, style points count (unless you are lucky enough to actually be playing in the BCS national title game). USC and Utah set a high bar for spectacular execution and bowl domination — and that was against opponents superior to the one Texas was playing.
Texas was obviously looking ahead of Ohio State — after the past two seasons, who could blame them? — looking to making their case for that AP national title. Instead, they played themselves out of the Top 3.
And yet ... Brown still insists he is going to vote Texas No. 1!
Wow, he's SO principled: Not only does that violate his deal as a Coaches Poll voter to support the BCS title-game winner, but it totally undermines any credibility he has remaining on this issue. There is "politicking" and then there is insulting the intelligence of fans.
"Texas for No. 1?" Ha! But Brown's team did make a super case ... for No. 4.
But, hey: Of the teams without a claim on the national title, they are first in that line.
BCS Title Game Trash-Talk Update: Florida's D gets into it, with captain and All-American LB Brandon Spikes offering his take on the defense played in the Big 12:
"When I watch SportsCenter, I look at the scores, and it's 56-49, just basketball scores. I feel like it's a joke ... Everybody's offense can't be that explosive or there's really no defense being played in the Big 12." Then he added insult to insult by bringing up Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech.
Is Oklahoma's defense as porous as the rest of the Big 12? Well, the Sooners did give up 45 points to the same Texas team that could barely muster three touchdowns vs. Ohio State last night; OU needed to average 60 — when you give up 29 ppg in conference play, you HAVE to score prolifically.
More: Matt Hayes at BCS Media Day.
NFL Coaching Carousel: Drama in the front office! The Ravens won't let the Browns talk to their personnel director George Kokinis. I'm still not sure why Cleveland isn't breaking the bank for Scott Pioli; instead, they have allowed the Chiefs to get in the game as a second player.
No word yet on whether Jeff Jagodzinski has taken the Jets up on their offer — or his interest — to interview with them ... or, more importantly, if BC has made good on their threat to can him for doing it. It is the most compelling story line on the Carousel right now.
Meanwhile: Wouldn't you know it? Kevin Gilbride may want to coach in Oakland — but the Raiders don't want him. That's it: Turn down someone who sees the mess happening out of there and still wants to be there.
NFL Must-Read: Mike Florio's 10-Pack
NFL Awards Season: James Harrison wins AP Defensive Player of the Year. Given that he was the best player on the best defense, this makes sense. In the storied history of the Steelers' defense, to set a new team record with 16 sacks is impressive enough.
NFL Draft: If UNC WR Hakeem Nicks wasn't coming out early before the bowl season, his YouTube-worthy performance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl, was part of a sick 217-yd, 3-TD effort that put him on everyone's All-Bowl first-team.
CBB: Pitt is No. 1 for the first time ever. And they didn't just earn it because UNC blew it; the Panthers' dismantling of Georgetown showed that Pitt has — at this point — a stronger claim to be top-ranked than any other team in the country. DeJuan Blair for national POY!
Meanwhile, in the latest edition of the Big East Fight Club: Rallying from its humiliating weekend loss at St. John's, Notre Dame reclaimed some of its Top 10-ish luster by beating Georgetown, which went from a stirring win at UConn last Monday to two straight losses to league rivals.
MLB Hot Stove:
— Rays treat themselves to a slugger. After glowing about Tampa's "BudgetBall" success, it is weird to salute them for paying $8 million a year for Pat Burrell. But with last year's success, the time to invest to keep the winning going is now, and Burrell makes TB's strong lineup better.
— Cubs sign Milton Bradley: The fans in the bleachers will love him. And even though the guy might be certifiably crazy, he is also certifiably one of the most productive hitters in baseball — Bradley led the A.L. in OPS by 34 points over A-Rod. Terrific move for the Cubs.
— Jason Giambi (back) to the A's? It's like a Moneyball reunion. Where's Paul DePodesta?
— Andy Pettitte turns down Yankees: Um, does he think he'll get a better offer elsewhere? Is $10 mil for the season not enough? Apparently, someone hasn't heard about the recession.
NBA Instant History: How bad is Carmelo Anthony's hand injury? Not so bad he couldn't score 21 and dish 9 assists, but bad enough that he will miss a TBD amount of time. ... Spurs win at Miami for their eighth win in nine games (Tim Duncan: 19 and 9).
R.I.P. Carl Pohlad, 93: The billionaire Twins owner presided over two World Series titles — as well as the threat of contraction. Condolences to his family, friends and Twins fans.
The Last Word: "This is a tough injury. I would probably venture to say it's probably the toughest of my career. We'll see what happens."
— Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, on his nagging groin injury and the uncertainty/unlikelihood that he will play in this weekend's Divisional Round game at Pittsburgh. Then again, there is Darren Sproles!
Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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Isn’t this what San Diego fans are used to? LT is always hurt in playoff games. It’s gotta be killing him, as he’s still trying to shake that self-benching from last years AFC Championship. This year the poor guy is just unlucky. That sounds like a nasty injury.
by The Ghost of Marty Conlon on Jan 6, 2009 9:08 AM EST reply actions
Oh, and one more thing….
My Pats may have lost their franchise QB, most of their D, and the playoffs, but, I think this was a great year because this was the year that everyone turned on Favre.
There’s GREEDY…Taking money from EA Sports to be on the cover in your Packers jersey in tribute to your retirement.
There’s SELFISH…Taking a team and a fan base hostage, like Favre did with the Packers this summer (worked out great).
There’s EGOTISTICAL…Clearly leaking any and every convo through every possible outlet to make sure ESPN had some Favre piece to run on SportCenter each day, when no one else cared about you except Green Bay fans.
Then there’s just CLASSIC FAVRE…4 Game losing streak to end the year. Backbreaking INT’s that leave you scratching your head. Playing the injury card when you choke. Then trying to make people care about whether you come back next year. Which no one does. Bad career move pal.
I don’t think anyone can fault an athlete for wanting to keep playing. But you can fault someone for making things all about themself.
P.S. (The extended Wrangler Jeans commercial will be airing during the super bowl. Favre throws 3 picks for TD’s, fakes an injury after each one, and costs his team the game.)
by The Ghost of Marty Conlon on Jan 6, 2009 9:21 AM EST reply actions
The universal hatred of Mack Brown and the Texas Longhorns is only surpassed by the universal hatred of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys. Hmmm…., both Texas teams. Hmmm….
In the end, Dan, there is NO logical defense of the system for deciding a D1 college football champion. Mack is simply playing the game, and he’s proven to be pretty good at it. There will be no split championship this season, and there never was going to be one. Mack’s comments are more an indictment of the system than anything else. Only a Mack/Texas hater can’t read between the lines.
by J Bone A on Jan 6, 2009 9:24 AM EST reply actions
Shanof, get a clue. Regardless of what you think, it is all speculation on which team is the best in College Football. You can preach to me every which way about who is worthy and not worthy due to specific "facts" but at the end of the day its all opinion. Your just another one of those guys that searches for the limelight afforded to you by the bogus system that the media and College Administrations want to keep in place. Enjoy your time in the sun and keep insulting teams and fans while you hide behind your keyboard.
by dadofjth2 on Jan 6, 2009 9:39 AM EST reply actions
" Big 12 performances this season were a result of shoddy D, rather than overwhelming O"
The Truth will set you free!
Mac Brown is the only one that will be voting his team #1!
Texas was lucky they got Ohio State in a bowl game instead of Utah or USC!
I can only imagine what would have happened if Oregon State had beat oregon and sent USC to the Fiesta!
Utah and Winner of BCS title game should split the title!
by uscfan75 on Jan 6, 2009 10:38 AM EST reply actions
Your SEC bias has gotten overwhelming by this part of the season. Anyone can see that OU’s improved vastly as the season went on because they were a young unit. I’m not saying that their defense is as good as Florida’s, but they have grown up during the year. They are a better defensive team than when they played Texas, and looking at the points per game that the D gave up is a poor indicator of their ability because a lot of points scored against them were in garbage time when the D relaxed after having 20+ point leads. I think that both Texas and Texas Tech had trouble getting motivated for their bowl games after losing out to OU in the bid for a National Championship appearance and it was reflected in their bowl perfomances. I’m not saying that OU will wind up beating Florida because Florida’s D is better and defense wins championships, but your homerism is getting painful to read.
by BruinFan08 on Jan 6, 2009 10:55 AM EST reply actions
Your SEC bias has gotten overwhelming by this part of the season. Anyone can see that OU’s improved vastly as the season went on because they were a young unit. I’m not saying that their defense is as good as Florida’s, but they have grown up during the year. They are a better defensive team than when they played Texas, and looking at the points per game that the D gave up is a poor indicator of their ability because a lot of points scored against them were in garbage time when the D relaxed after having 20+ point leads. I think that both Texas and Texas Tech had trouble getting motivated for their bowl games after losing out to OU in the bid for a National Championship appearance and it was reflected in their bowl perfomances. I’m not saying that OU will wind up beating Florida because Florida’s D is better and defense wins championships, but your homerism is getting painful to read.
by BruinFan08 on Jan 6, 2009 10:58 AM EST reply actions
What a moron.
How about that awesome D that allowed 40+ points to GaTech? Or that amazing speed that only allowed 21 points to Utah in the first half. Oh, those were the number 2 and 3 teams in the SEC?
"…and against the SEC breezed through with ease the past two BCS title games…" Yeah, because the F-ing matters. You apparently forgot that after Florida breezed through OSU 2 years ago, they lost to MICHIGAN last year. Who gives a f*** who the SEC beat 2 years ago. Who have they beat this year? Who have they lost to this year:
Wake Forest – twice
Ga Tech – twice
WYOMING
Duke
Clemson
Iowa
UCLA
WVU
TEXAS
LaTech
Wow. Must have been tough for Florida to make it through a schedule that included opponents with all of those losses and only lose one themselves. They DEFINITELY should be in the title game. And who cares if OU lost to UT, they certainly should be number 1 if they beat Floriday…
What a F***ing moron.
by UT_BKC on Jan 6, 2009 11:30 AM EST reply actions
What a moron.
How about that awesome D that allowed 40+ points to GaTech? Or that amazing speed that only allowed 21 points to Utah in the first half. Oh, those were the number 2 and 3 teams in the SEC?
"…and against the SEC breezed through with ease the past two BCS title games…" Yeah, because the F-ing matters. You apparently forgot that after Florida breezed through OSU 2 years ago, they lost to MICHIGAN last year. Who gives a f*** who the SEC beat 2 years ago. Who have they beat this year? Who have they lost to this year:
Wake Forest – twice
Ga Tech – twice
WYOMING
Duke
Clemson
Iowa
UCLA
WVU
TEXAS
LaTech
Wow. Must have been tough for Florida to make it through a schedule that included opponents with all of those losses and only lose one themselves. They DEFINITELY should be in the title game. And who cares if OU lost to UT, they certainly should be number 1 if they beat Florida…
What a F***ing moron.
by UT_BKC on Jan 6, 2009 11:31 AM EST reply actions
The case against the over-hyped dominance of the Big 12 goes deeper.
Mizzou needed OT to come from behind against the smart athletes at Northwestern, Oregon laid a beating on Oklahoma State which, by the admission of their own players, "could not match the physical play" of Oregon in the 2nd half of their bowl. And of course Ole Miss stomped Texas Tech.
The SEC was taken down a peg by Utah which laid a beating on the highly touted Crimson Tide. 21-0 in the first quarter!
What we have this season is a level of parity in college football not seen for awhile. The ACC was the overall victor in head to head matchups with the SEC during the regular season!
And of course the PAC 10, the whipping boy of the regular season because 3 ranked MWC teams beat 5 unranked PAC 10 teams, won all 5 of their bowl games including 4 victories over ranked opponents.
PAC 10 at 5-0! Very impressive finish no doubt.
by Jim_SB on Jan 6, 2009 12:04 PM EST reply actions
The article writer is wrong about Tressel here. Tressel made no error trying to pick up the first down — BY RUNNING THE BALL — with two-plus on the clock. If they had been tackled on the four (instead of running it in), OSU wins with a FG — but they needed that first down to keep the clock going and make Texas lose its time outs. Unlucky for OSU. Such is football.
by oklahomazeppelin on Jan 6, 2009 12:40 PM EST reply actions
The article writer is wrong about Tressel here. Tressel made no error trying to pick up the first down — BY RUNNING THE BALL — with two-plus on the clock. If they had been tackled on the four (instead of running it in), OSU wins with a FG — but they needed that first down to keep the clock going and make Texas lose its time outs. Unlucky for OSU. Such is football.
by oklahomazeppelin on Jan 6, 2009 12:44 PM EST reply actions
If Florida kills OU, not only will the Big 12 be relegated to the status of the Big 10, we’ll have to listen to Dan gag about Florida for another year ;)
by qwagmire on Jan 6, 2009 1:35 PM EST reply actions
In general, there are alot of IFS in sports. However, D1 football (or FBS, or whatever in the hell they call themselves) has waaaaayyy too many IFS. Too bad the players are all still kids (mentally) who buy into the coach smack about how meaningful the bowl games are.
by J Bone A on Jan 6, 2009 2:19 PM EST reply actions
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