Cowboys think that's BCS!

The BCS system needs to continuously be improved so that this travesty never happens again. Yes, the Bama-LSU shouldn't be happening again in the National Championship game. This game has already been settled in normal conference play.

The Cowboys are better suited to play against LSU than Alabama. Oklahoma State is touting it's number one ranked Big 12 Conference Championship title. It's the Big 12 who's the number one ranked conference in the country, not the SEC. Having more than half of their teams ranked, the Big 12 has dominated the landscape of college football this year.

OKST has been the bully in the best conference in football. They also have beaten more ranked and winning teams than Alabama. Most importantly, the Cowboys have won both their regular season and conference championships.

The BCS hasn't taken into account that Alabama wasn't good enough to win it's division , conference or regular season titles. When breaking down Bama's schedule, it's easy to see that they were only challenged twice,. The big win early at Penn State and in their loss to LSU. Besides blowing out a still overrated Arkansas squad, Bama still has a lot to prove. If they'd played LSU in Death Valley, it wouldn't have been a 9- 6 loss.

A rematch is unwarranted and unnecessary. It'll will only prove that LSU beat a division foe twice in one year. Nick Saban stated, just look to the NFL." I did and the last time I checked, the NFL doesn't allow conference or division adversaries play for the Super Bowl. The number one reason this game shouldn't have been played is, what happens if Bama wins. Every fan in the country knows that you they would at least have to play another game to break the tie. Sorry, that won't happen and no one will ever be really sure that Bama was a true National Champ.

All I want for CHristmas is the NBA

All I want for Christmas is the NBA

After the NHL, MLB, and the NFL found a way to negotiate and get their labor disputes behind them, finally the NBA decided to follow suit. Sources close to the agreement feel the main issue that continued to stall negotiations was the players felt the owners weren’t giving enough. If you look at the deal in its finality, the owners still didn’t give much. They gained five percent of all Basketball Related Income. This instantly gives owners $240 million dollars. Most would feel like they won the lottery at that point. The players feel as though they defeated the owners in forcing a hard cap, however this affects the players more. Not the Kobe’s and LeBron’s, but the mid-level guys who won’t make as much. Teams won’t risk going over the salary cap for these guys. The players are somehow calling this a victory for themselves as well. The real question is why did this take so long and how was this settled at 3a.m in the morning. The answer is quite simple….The NBA quickly found themselves as being irrelevant and saw how fast consumers moved on with the NFL, College Football and College Basketball. Heck, even some NBA veterans were coaching college basketball. Although people that were affected financially were concerned and watched and read everything they could to see if there was a deal on the horizon, most weren’t concerned. Don’t trust these words, look back at your favorite sports channels debates and storylines. Between the NFL, Sandusky, Joe Paterno, Bernie Fine (Syracuse), and the BCS drama, we didn’t have time for basketball. Even the once sought after charity game clips had begun to be few and far between. The NBA did the right thing in keeping their business going before it took a fateful hit, but fans now realize they can live without hoops. No MJ, Shaq, Bird, Magic, long gone is Jerry West, Wilt and Bill Russell, would you really be upset if the Grinch had stolen the NBA.

NFL Hour of Power

The NFL hasn’t gone on as many of diehard fans had planned. We are in the third quarter of the season and finally the cream is starting to rise to the top. The power list is out and this is how it shakes up. Green Bay started fast and is continuing their dominance within a league that can’t seem to even slow them down. Aaron Rodgers has all but solidified the league MVP trophy even with six games left to play. Green Bay improvements this year have come because of their lack of injuries. They are getting huge play out their last year injured tight end, Jamichael Finley. He’s having a Pro Bowl year and seems to be getting better each game. The Pittsburgh Steelers are second on the list because of the stellar play of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Yes they are still very dominant on D, but Big Ben is set to have his best statistical year since the 2009 Super Bowl win. The Saints come up third on this distinguished list because of their explosive offense. The Saints are led by Drew Brees who is having another great year in the N.O. Defensively they’ll need to make huge improvements to be set for a Super Bowl run. San Francisco has been the biggest surprise and one of the most consistent teams in the league this year. It is very evident that the talent was there and the weak link was with ex-coach Mike Singletary. Vernon Davis and Frank Gore have taken their offense to new heights. While defensively, the niner’s are being thought of as a Super Bowl winning Ravens defense in 2000. They’re youngsters are led by the NFL’s best middle linebacker, Patrick Willis. Willis just has a way to finding the ball especially if it’s in the gut of his opponents. The New York Giants push their way into this list next. Eli Manning has had a great season this year and has done it without big names surrounding him. It’s amazing that his critics seem to be unfazed by this lack of talent and continue to say he’s not an elite QB. The Giants D continue to be their backbones as their sack specialist have a way of finding their mark. The Brady bunch could be higher on the list. They also could have a defense. They don’t so they won’t move up. Come on Patriots. The Baltimore Ravens have used Ray Rice and their defense to power their way on this list. Joe Flacco isn’t the guy to lead them back to the Super Bowl, so GM Newsome needs to draft a QB in the 2012 draft. The Bears may have been a few slots better, but they are coming in at number eight because of the loss of Jay Cutler. After a rocky beginning to this season, Cutler had finally begun to show up as the guy they expected two years earlier. The Houston Texans have also been bitten by the injury bug and have lost their QB Matt Schuab for the season. This will inevitably stop them from deep play into the playoffs. However, their defense will always keep them in the fight. This Detroit team closes our top ten list with a vengeance. Yes no one thought they could start off so good. Yes, fans started to believe in them. No, they haven’t handled success well and have begun to drop some games. NO, no one wants to play this team in the playoffs because there’s not a team in this league they can’t beat. Kevin Lewis is a retired NFL linebacker who now does motivational speaking, complete athletic training, and coaching and football seminars. Also listen to him via radio on Fridays at 7p.m. on 740am and www.voiceamerica.com.Follow Kevin on twitter/klew59sports and facebook/klew59sports. If you have comments or inquiries contact him at www.klew59.com or klew59sports@gmail.com.

Study Long Study Wrong

The writing is on the wall. The Big East has lost their ability to compete as a football conference and lack the desired power of their once envied basketball conference. With the anticipated additions of Boise State, Air Force, UCF, SMU, and Houston, the Big East is doing anything to save their BCS automatic qualifying bid. Since losing Pitt and Syracuse, the pressure has mounted on Big East Commissioner Marinatto to save a conference that is coding. When no interest from other power conference teams seemed to come their way, the Big East begin to look to smaller conferences to fill the void left by two of their strongest teams. As the other teams saw the declining respect of a once proud football conference, West Virginia has pulled the trigger and has now joined the Big12. This leaves a well-respected Louisville, Connecticut and Cincinnati as the only attractive teams left in the Big East. So what are they waiting on? The best offer of course. In a college landscape that has been filled with so much money that even “the Donald” would envy, they are seeing which conference would best suit them. Louisville needs to make a play at the Big 12 and even the SEC, while UConn should only look to Pitt and Syracuse for direction and join the ACC. This leaves Cincy in a tough situation. They lack the luster of a dime piece. They’re about a 6 ½. They work hard, have a great mind, but they rarely wear any makeup to cover their blemishes and could stand to lose a few pounds in problem areas. In conference terms, they have a stadium issue, it looks like a big high school. They are solid in their football and basketball programs, but NCAA tourney births are rarely their and more consistency in football bowl games could be better. Marinatto has stood idly by as the rest of the power conference commissioners have been sharks and made their conferences better. About eight years ago, everyone watched in amazement as John Swafford (ACC commissioner) jumped on the opportunity of acquiring Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech away from the Big East. Because of that acquisition, the ACC was able to almost match the amount that was given to the SEC from ESPN in television revenue. The PAC12, SEC and Big10 have now followed suit which almost left the Big12 in conference disintegration. Now, because Commissioner Marinatto “studied long and studied wrong”, the Big East is in total disarray trying to save a once proud conference. Kevin Lewis is a retired NFL linebacker who now does motivational speaking, complete athletic training, and coaching and football seminars. Also listen to him via radio on Fridays at 7p.m. on 740am and www.voiceamerica.com.Follow Kevin on twitte.com/klew59sports and facebook.com/klew59sports.If you have comments or inquiries contact him at www.klew59.com or klew59sports@gmail.com.

Who are you when no one is looking?

The covers have been yanked off of Penn State and have exposed a problem that lies within our great institutions of higher learning. The Brown wall that protects these universities from transparency to the rest of us to see is alive and well. ESPN exposed the real reported rape numbers that were going on at some of the most notable colleges and universities around the country. They on the other hand, had blatantly lied in order to erase any doubts of safety on their campuses. And of course, if they released the real numbers, they would suffer financially. Hazing, alcohol, and drug incidents are consistently unreported and clearly illegal in every academic institution in the country. The Brown wall keeps insiders in, and outsiders out. Let’s take McQueary, the Penn State coach who caught Sandusky in the act. At the time of the incident, he was a graduate assistant, which meant he was on the bottom of the coaching pole and was their attempting to start his coaching career. When he walked upon the terrible scene with Sandusky, these thoughts almost certainly came to his mind. This can’t be going on. I need to tell coach Paterno. You may wonder why calling the cops weren’t involved in those first thoughts. Since high school, players are taught to trust coaches and coaches closest confidants are other coaches. When you enter college this is strictly reinforced as coaches tell you very plainly that if anything happens, players should come to them first. It’s the kind of the situation that most went through with parents who said, “What goes on in my house, STAYS in my house.” This is no different on college campuses and especially inside of locker rooms. Don’t believe these words; ask a coach or athlete you know who their closest friend is? Undoubtedly, most of the time after they get through their faith and hopefully their spouse, their ex-teammate will fall in next. McQueary’s decision not to call the cops doesn’t come as a shock to anyone who has played or coached college athletics. This Brown wall that you’re bound to, forces you to fall in line or be made an example of. Look how Penn State has handled the situation; they hid it until finally an indictment came. Then they sat around and watched as the entire country put them on blast and then decided to act in the “Best interest of the university.” Notice that I didn’t say, what was in the best interest of the young boys who were victimized, or they acted in the best interest of what was morally right. They are as much to blame in this as Paterno and his staff. Where do we go from here? The NCAA in all of its rules, regulations, and committee’s lack the muscle or care to protect players, coaches and athletic personnel from telling the truth and thus, blowing the whistle. The government has GAP (Government Accountability Project), and everyone else has OWPP (Office of The Whistle Protection Program), except of course players, coaches and athletic staff. What they have is the promise of being black-balled through ought the rest of their profession for not being a “standup” guy, or for not protecting the program. None of the people involved should be excused from their outrageous behavior but, there needs to be something done and put in place so that no one has to think about their livelihood before they think about a LIFE. Kevin Lewis is a retired NFL linebacker who now does motivational speaking, complete athletic training, and coaching and football seminars. Also listen to him via radio on Fridays at 7p.m. on 740am and www.voiceamerica.com.Follow Kevin on twitter/klew59sports and facebook/klew59sports.If you have comments or inquiries contact him at www.klew59.com or klew59sports@gmail.com.

T.O is who we thought he was!!

Terrell Owens has given all of us a reason to watch TV. Whether it’s because he had just bashed a teammate in the media, did a scripted routine after a touchdown, outside giving an interview while doing sit-ups with his shirt off or just for crying out, “that’s my quarterback.” T.O, as he’s known affectionately by friends, fans and the NFL, has dominated the league over his 15 year career. T.O has been better than any other receiver in the NFL except for his idol, Jerry Rice. He was granted the opportunity to learn from him as a young player in the NFL. T.O took the good from Jerry, his work ethic and approach to the game. But what’s not widely accepted is that Jerry also gave T.O that “ME” attitude. We forget that Jerry Rice never really discussed team often, he talked about his goals, his job and what he needed to do. This isn’t just reserved to Jerry Rice, most of the greatest athletes possessed the attitude, “if I can’t do it, no one can.” Michael Jordan was able to hide this from the public his entire career until his famous Hall of Fame speech. But, the media and fans call that being competitive. T.O celebrated in a way that offended fans, media, and opponents on plenty of occasions. His brash and brut opinions often sent the media and fans reeling. This does more to affect the way fans and the media feel about the player than the team. On the inside of a team, no one really cares. Of course you have the sensitive guys, usually QB’s and some corner backs, but for the rest of the guys, it’s about winning. Usually when T.O comments were made, the team was losing. This was definitely why his comments were always sensationalized. For instance, New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs is complaining about his role on the team. The media is widely ignoring it. Why? The New York Giants are winning and Jacobs doesn’t go by the name of T.O. Terell Suggs, just called out his entire offense and the Baltimore Ravens offensive staff, ignored again. What about Sanantonio Holmes offensive comments about the offensive line, quickly brushed under the rug after the Jets have won 2 games in a row. Owens has made these same sorts of comments in San Fransico, Dallas, and the most famed in Philadelphia. These opinions have been the truth according to T.O and although we may not yet be considering him for first team All- Nostradamus, he has been right a lot. He felt like the 49ers were nothing without him. Well they haven’t had a winning season since his departure. He felt like he wasn’t the reason for the Cowboys inability to get into the playoffs and win. Well it looks like everyone in Big D now knows who the real problem is except for owner Jerry Jones. And lastly, his comments about McNabb have been true if we compare it to T.O relentless approach to the game. Terell Owens is a man who came back from a broken leg to be the most dominate player in the Super Bowl in about two months. He also has come back from a torn ACL in 6 months, and looks better at thirty-eight years old than about 80% of the receivers in the NFL. Should T.O be blamed for not biting his tongue? T.O has made himself into a future Hall of Famer and may have ended his career in manner that would greatly be appreciated by Frank Sinatra. T.O would say, “I did it “My Way.”

NO Kobe,Lebron,Wade or Barkley

The NBA is quickly headed into a lockout and fans are upset about the ramifications. The superstars of the NBA won’t be floating through our 3-d laden living rooms to the basket for monster slams. The three point shot of Ray Allen won’t be breaking the backs of teams down the stretch in the 4^th quarter. It will be harder to emulate one of Kobe’s new moves without having the clear televised view. My game will struggle trying to use moves in these charity games having to solely depend on YouTube and its constant loading and its choppy at best picture quality. And worst of all, how can we survive without hearing Charles Barkley? You know, when Sir Charles listens to Kenny and Ernie has a conversation and then ignores them and completely talks about a different topic. Or he’ll all out create a hate campaign on an owner, player, general manager, referee, media member, or even a fan. No one’s safe from Sir Charles. All of this because of a lockout, what’s it all about. Well the owners made a bad deal in 1995 and 2005. In it they gave the players the right to make 56% of ALL of the NBA’s revenue. This put the NBA in a bad spot because teams that weren’t in well supported markets with lucrative TV deals weren’t able to cash in. David Stern (NBA commissioner) said that 22 out of 30 teams in the NBA are losing money. NBPA president Billy Hunter believes that number is really about 8. Why are NBA teams losing money at all? The reason is owners don’t share their money like in the NFL. NFL owners have practiced revenue sharing as a tool for decades and it has kept their league very lucrative. Basketball owners haven’t used this tactic and it has come up to bite them. Instead of using this smarter business plan, they’re individual greed is bankrupting their league. David Stern points the finger solely at the players to get liquidity back into the purses of ownership; however their problem may be solved themselves. The players should and are willing to give a percentage back to ownership, but owners for now seem to want wholesale changes. The owners want to garner majority of ALL NBA profits. They also want a hard cap. A hard cap will force every team to only spend a certain amount of money across the board like in the NFL, and is what helps create parody in their league. This means they don’t want teams like Miami to be able to exist. They want every team to have a superstar. The NBA forgets that their league was built to have major market teams dominate their league. If you think of NBA Champions, only a few markets matter, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Texas. Kobe, Lebron, Wade or Barkley, please, can any of you get us out this mess.

defense

defense?

Gone are the days when "defense won games and offense sold tickets." Irrelevant is the slogan, "offense wins games and defense wins championships." Today's game is a complete offensive game regardless of new or old rules. Coaches have figured out if they can score a lot of points, they can win. Only 3 out of the last 11 years has the NFL team with the worst offense won the Super Bowl. Case and point, one of the favorites to win this years Super Bowl is the New England Patriots. They are #1 in the league on offense and last in the league on defense. To add insult to injury , they are coached by a future hall of fame coach who is known for his defensive brilliance. It's far to easy to slice and dice through defenses that play with a bend but don't break mentality. There's only about 5 defenses every year that possess the kind of pride that Mean Joe Greene and Jack Tatum would appreciate. After that, defenses feel like if they can limit an offense then, they played well. Fans constantly cheer for their offenses and then look in total horror as their defense takes the field afraid they'll give up the big play. Far too often it just seems as though the losing team just ran out of time. Where's the D-E-F-E-N-C-E?

NFL week 6

ATL@Carolina

T.Brady,D.Brees, A.Roodgers, and Cam Newton, the list of the best QB's in the league. No, but they are the league leaders in passing yardage. Cam Newton has electrified the Panthers offense and given hope to a once ready to be traded, Steve Smith. The Falcons have struggled, Roddy White isn't the same receiver he has been.Matt Ryan isn't the super QB the Falcons thought either. If they're smart they'll give the Panthers a heavy dose of Michael Turner. Carolina Wins

Indy@Cincy

The Colts are bad. Cincy and Andy Dalton have managed to turn a bad Carson Palmer situation into a winning year so far. Cincy wins

Det@SF

The real big D is going to the Bay area to show their serious. Harbaugh has the once overlooked 49ers in a position to be the best team in the NFC. Detroit still hasn't played the perfect game this season, but they will against the 49ers. The D wins.

*******************Upet Alert**********************

Stl@GB

The Rams are coming off their bye week to play a red hot Packers team. GB has been awesome offensively. The Rams will put Bradford in the gun more this game to counteract the Packers blitzing. Also, to change up to a style more suiting for him. Rams win

Jac@Pitt

The Steelers seem to be back on track after starting the season badly. The Jaguars have steadily improved with Blaine Gabbert at the helm. The physical style nature of this game will play into the hands of a motivated Jaguar team. Jags win

Philly@Wash

Philly will win this game because they have to!!!!

Buf@NY

The Bills are a team that's full of confidence and will use it against a beat up Giants team. Bills win

Hou@Bal

This is the game of the week. Houston is without all-pro wideout Johnson, but they style have their money maker QB Matt Schuab. Baltimore will struggle with the Texans because Flacco won't be able to match their scoring. Texans win

Cle@Oak

The Raiders will continue to play for Al Davis and beat a bad Browns team.Raiders win

Dal@NE

The Cowboys will rally to Romos defense, but still won't have enough for the #1 offense in the league. NE wins

NO@TB

The Bucs will slow the pace of this game and force the high powered offense of NO to struggle. But missing the running game of Blount will prove to be too much for the Bucs to overcome. NO wins

Min@Chi

The boo birds will be out as a much thought bad Vikings team finds a way to beat the Bears.

Vikes win

Mia@NYJ

Jets will win because they need it to save their season. Jets win

OHHHH it's party Time!

LSU@Tenn

The Vols are a team that just can't get it together. Their fans have started to point the finger at head coach Derek Dooley. Tenn has had trouble getting the ball out quickly on offense. That will spell trouble because the front of LSU will make life miserable for QB Matt Simms. LSU37-13

OKST@Texas

The Cowboys are an explosive scoring offense who will put up plenty of points. Texas defense has struggled, especially last week versus Oklahoma. Texas defense couldn't have improved enough in a week. OKST 55-24

BAMA@OLE MISS

Houston Knutt , mama said there'd be days like this. This will be a blowout. BAMA 48-6

OKlahoma@Kansas

Enough said....OK 70-10

Florida@Auburn

Florida is in trouble. Brantley was an average QB at best, and they lack the experience behind him to make enough plays to win. Auburn has played in tough games and will be able to make just enough plays to win. Auburn 27-18

CLEMSON@Maryland

This is usually a trap game for Clemson. Not this time, Clemson with or without Taj Boyd will play well. They have just enough play-makers on offense and defense to get the job done. Clemson 20-10

ArizST@Oregon

ASU has a powerful offense led by RB Marshall and QB Osweiler. Burfict will also come to play on defense, but they won't be fast enough. Even though RB L.James won't play because of a dislocated elbow, Oregon is still loaded on offense. Oregon 50-27

************UPSET ALERT***************

Michigan@MichiganST

The Wolverines and Denard Robinson have been on fire this season. Brady Hoke has come in and returned Michigan back to dominance....Or so they think. The Spartans will come in and bring Michigan back to reality. Besides the running of Robinson, the Wolverines aren't very good on offense. Robinson has to get better throwing the ball but this won't be the game in which that will happen. Spartans 31-20

KState@Texas Tech

Kansas State has played very well and has been a huge surprise in the Big12. The Baylor win was big, but beating Miami wasn't that big of a deal. Texas Tech is pure offense and doesn't struggle to put up a lot of points on the board. KState won't be able to match their offense. Texas Tech 42-36

Time to make a change!

The 1st quarter of the NFL season has come to an end and the head coaches who are in a bit of trouble will begin to emerge. The proverbial "Hot Seat" is what we'll call it and there maybe more coaches who are deserving, but this is KLew59's list. And yes, the usual suspects are in play.

Jack Del Rio- I know , I know, I said the same thing last year. But Jacksonville needs to fill their stadium and attempt to give LA a fight to keep their team. Winning can solve this, Jack Del Rio just hasn't delivered. Three winning seasons in 9 years just won't cut it this time. Del Rio's seat is up in flames and everyone in J'ville knows it.

Marvin Lewis- Far, far gone are the days with the Superbowl champ Ravens and their glorious defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. Oh you probably forgot already because somehow, Baltimore's defense has become known as something Rex Ryan created. Lewis needs to leave, but he's good enough to get another job. The working relationship that he's shared in Cincy is at the best unpleasant. They seem to have never allowed Marvin the full control as the head guy even with the latest Carson Palmer debacle.

Tony Sparano- Let's just face it, Miami is terrible. They need a change immediately. Sparano has had one good year, his 1st as head coach. Since then he's had a losing season every year. It's time for us to stop saying look how Miami is improving, and demand results now.

Steve Spagnola

Three consecutive losing years in a division that flat out stinks can't spell success to the Rams new owner Stan Kroenke. You can argue that Spagnola doesn't have all the pieces to compete, but he's in a division where a 7-9 team went to the playoffs. The excuses end with him and his seat has begun to warm up.

Leslie Frazier

Leslie seat is still is as warm as sitting down in a seat that's been occupied for an hour. He's going to have much more scrutiny in a city that felt like their right on the cusps of a championship. They also need to be in the new stadium sweepstakes and winning always helps with that cause. If it wasn't Frazier's 1st year, he'd be out.

Saturday week 5!!

BAMA@UF

Bama, big,physical. UF small, fast. It's the old story, who will win the turtle or the rabbit. Just one small twist....they're playing football!! Bama 26-13

Nebraska@ Wisconsin

Nebraska finally begins BigTen play.They have played very well so far against lesser opponents. The Badgers have a running game that will be ready to strike. But they also have newcomer Russell Wilson who has the veteran leadership this team needed. Wilson will be the difference in this tough contest. Wisc 34-28

Texas A&M @Ark

The battle of the twins will be in affect as this match up gets underway.Fans will think they are seeing double as both teams will run spread offenses that will throw it fast&furiously. This game could go either way, but because A&M will have more to prove to their new conference (SEC) they'll win. A&M 38-35

Minesota@Michigan

Brady Hoke has finally allowed Denard Robinson to make plays with his athletic ability. After a 200 yd rushing performance last week, Robinson is now back in the Heisman hunt. The Golden Golphers have been down this year and just can't seem to find a way to finish.40-16 Mich

Miss.ST@Georgia

Miss.ST has a good football team that has the misfortune of playing in the SEC. Vick Ballard is having a really good year averaging 100 yards a game thus far.

Yes, as usual Mark Richt is on the hot seat again. Yep, the Bulldogs are loaded with talent again. Yea, it's a big game, they'll lose again. 23-17 Mississippi ST

LSU@Kentucky

Bad match-up, very bad outcome. 38-10LSU

Auburn@South Carolina

Auburn was exposed at Clemson. Their inability to cover in the passing game led loss. Steve Spurrier has to be excited knowing that he can finally get huge numbers out of his QB. Only problem is that QB is Stephen Garcia, a QB who is very inconsistent. Doesn't matter, Marcus Lattimore will shoulder the load and continue to be very effective in the running game. This game will boil down to both teams fight to win the rushing attack. Dyer vs. Lattimore. 29-20 SC

Baylor@Kansas.ST

No one is talking about him, the big schools fans don't believe. But I do. Robert Griffin III, is a beast. He's having a heck of a year and is the best QB in college right now. 85% completion rate, are you kidding. As long as he continues on this path, KST won't have a chance. 45-30 Baylor

GTECH@NCST

I have bite my tongue, Paul Johnson has done a fantastic job with this team so far. He also has AutoBot (mini Transformer) by the name of Stephen Hill (6-5 206), who is a Megatron (Calvin Johnson) in the making. Why did Tom Obrien ever leave BC? He's on the hot seat now. NCST needs GT to have a bad game in order to have a chance to win this game. They won't. GT 38-13

Clemson@VTech

Clemson always plays well at home, but it's something about leaving Death Valley that doesn't usually bode well for them. Clemson has wrangled another Florida speedster Sammy Watkins, who has electrified their offense. His speed makes him dangerous anytime he touches the ball. Clemson's hot streak will get cooled off by the Hookies defense.VTech hasn't really played a tough opponent yet, but they are back to Beamer ball, good special teams and great defense. VTech 28-24

Iowa ST@ Texas***UPSET ALERT****

Iowa St is a team on a mission and a lot of resentment for Texas, a team that usually dominates them. But, not this year. Texas still hasn't found their "mojo" in recruiting. They are still ripe for a couple of upsets this year.IowaST 29-27

NFL Week 3

NE@BUF

The Pats are going to the Bills to face a Bills team who is very confident. Offense will be at a premium as both defenses, especially NE's secondary, STINKS!! NE WINS CS

JAC@CAR

Newtown vs Gabbert! Newton vs Who???? That's what I said during the week of the draft when so-called draft guru's said this guy was better than Cam Newton. CAR wins CS

SF@Cincy

Alex Smith just isn't the guy, Harbuagh can't wait until he can draft Luck in next years draft.

SF wins TP

Miami@CLE

Brandon Marshall is a beast and Henne has figured out that he needs to force him the ball frequently. The Browns are continuing to improve and Colt McCoy continues to make belivers out of his doubters. Miami wins TP

Det@Min

Detroit is still feeling like this is their year, but the Vikes need a win desperately. Megatrone is a little banged up for Detroit, so we will see if Stafford can carry them. MIN wins OR

Hou@NO

The Texans have run into a more determined Saints team that has a lot to prove. Arrian Foster is down and the Texans depend on their running game. Saints Wins CS

NY@Phi

New York is the most banged up team in the league. This will hurt them and force them into a downward spiral until they can get healthy again. Plus, Vick is playing.Philly wins CS

Den@Ten

Tebow..Tebow...just kidding. Kyle Orton is playing well, and the Broncos will play well enough to beat the Titans. Will the real Chris Johnson please stand up? Broncos win OR

NYJ@OAK

This is the perfect game for the NYJ's, their defense was built to stop the run and the Raiders will run the ball. The Raiders will be able to run the ball and show the rest of the league while they"ll be in the playoffs this year.Oak wins OR

KC@SD

The college team impersonating as a NFL squad will get beat down this week. SD wins CS

BAL@STL

The Rams hope to rebound from last weeks miserable performance. They can't, Steven Jackson is hurt. Bal Wins CS

GB@CHI

GB is on fire on offense. Jay Cutler is ready to quit because of the lack of protection. GB wins CS

ARI@SEA

Bad teams!!!!SEA Wins OR

ATL@TB

The Falcons need to give Michael Turner more carries to take more pressure off of Matt Ryan. ATL wins

PITT@IND

Pitt destroys the Colts. CS

WAS@DAL

Romo plays. Wash Wins OR

TP-take points...CS-covers spread....OR-outright win

No work! Ditch the kids! It's Saturady...Gameday!!!

Arkansas@BAMA

Arkansas losing Nile Davis right before the season cost them a chance to upset BAMA. The Razorbacks have been completely one dimensional which plays right into the hands of Nick Saban's dominant defense. This one won't be pretty but Bama will play the bully role again.BAMA20-10

LSU@WV

The Mountaineers and their usual high powered offense will face LSU and it's NFL defense. The END!!!LSU23-7

FSU@Clemson

The Seminoles weren't able to match the ability of Oklahoma but they did show they are a team on the rise. Clemson had a huge win against Auburn last week, but they started off slow again. FSU will start off fast and because of their defense, FSU will run away with this game. FSU 38-20

OSU@TEXAS A&M

Oklahoma St and Justin Blackman are ready to introduce themselves to the rest of the country. Yes, they're a passing team. Yes, they have a go to receiver, and No A&M will not be able to stop them. OSU 48-31

UNC@GTech

Paul Johnson will continue to see that there's a reason why big time college programs have abandoned the triple option.... #1 You can't recruit with it.#2 You can't win with it. Johnson was blessed with talent on his arrival at GTech and won the ACC championship, since then, he has gotten worst every year as his non recruited players have since graduated. UNC seems to continue to amaze us all. Having struggled through suspended players last year, and a fired Butch Davis a few weeks before opening day. This team has been resilient and steady so far this year. UNC 28-20

SAN DIEGO ST@MICHIGAN ****UPSET ALERT****

Brady Hoke wasn't envisioning being the Head coach of Michigan when he scheduled his then Aztechs against the Wolverines. The Aztechs are a well balanced team with good overall speed. Unless Michigan finally unties Denard "shoelace" Robinson, and allows him to do more improvising, they'll lose. Because the Wolverines won't, they'll lose. SDST 34-30

NFL Surprises,Deebo's and I told ya boys!!

NFL Surprises, Deebo’s, and “I told ya Boys”!!

The NFL is the best league in professional sports because predicting its results is next to impossible.

Surprises- The Washington Redskins are 2-0. Okay they haven’t played expected Super Bowl contenders, but they are 2-0 with Rex GROSSman. The Skins have won the old fashioned way, playing team ball.

The Buffalo Bills are also 2-0. I predicted they would win 3 games for the year. They have played very well especially QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. He has begun his year with a pro bowl type attitude.

Minnesota has shocked the league with their 0-2 start. Of course everyone is blaming Mcnabb, but their real problems seem to be a defense that continues to make huge mistakes.

Deebo’s (Juggernauts, bullies, teams or players that beat you down)

The Jets are continuing to dominate and beat down their opponents. Teams are going into games against them knowing they’ll lose the physical battle.

Deebo’s don’t always come in big packages. Steve Smith (5-9’ 185lb) WR of the Carolina Panthers is overpowering his opponents. Cam Newton’s throws it up and he goes to get it.

Darren Mcfadden, #2 in rushing, is finally looking like the back the Raiders saw in Arkansas. His bruising style of running along with his top end speed is a recipe for fear to his opponents.

“I told ya boy”!

Cam Newton, has been exactly who I thought he would be. He’s an athlete unmatched in his ability. He has a top ten arm and about to play his third game. He’s a winner that is playing for a losing franchise, but that will soon change. Cam is a beast! Where are all the Blaine Gabbert fans? Still waiting……..

The Patriots are on a tear and ready for the Super Bowl. I’m sure no one else is wondering why their my Super Bowl pick.

I said the Chiefs would be 6-11, they may be worse than that. Last year was a fluke, and the rest of the league already knows it.

Kevin Lewis is a retired NFL linebacker who now trains, consults and gives clinics to coaches and athletes. He also does sports talk radio. Please contact him at klew59.com,klewis59@msn.com or 352-354-2134.

Saturday Picks, Week 3

LSU @ Miss ST (Thursday Night)

This game will be dominated by a the bully defense of LSU. LSU's running attack will also find success because the Bulldogs struggled stopping the run against Auburn, giving up 235 yds on the ground. Ford & Ware should have good games. LSU 31-13

OK @ FSU

FSU is back! After consecutive #1 recruiting classes they are locked and loaded and ready to shoot. The only problem is they're aiming at the #1 school in the country, Oklahoma. OK beat-em by thirty last year and I don't think FSU has improved that much in a year. OK is just too explosive. OK 45-36

UT @ Florida

This rivalry is quickly fizzling. UF has won the last few games by double digits, and UT has to win more than six games in the last twenty years in order to consider this a rivalry. Let's face it, this is a regular game and Tennessee will lose. Gators 42-23

Mich St @ Notre Dame ****UPSET****

Michigan St is overrated and they'll be exposed in my upset pick of the week. A well known weak ND will get their 1st win of the season. This win should finally give Chip Kelly his 1st good night of sleep of the season. Irish 27-10

Navy @ South Carolina

The Midshipmen have started out fast, having the #1 rudshing offenese in the country. They will come out and give SC a serious challenge. However Kenny Lattimore, Garcia, Jeffries and SC's athletic secondary will prove to athletic for Navy. Gamecocks 38-23

Ohio St @ Miami

2 storied program, 2 storied traditions.....lineup in what will be one of the worst games in their history. Both programs had tumultuous off-seasons and Miami still has players that haven't yet been reinstated. Ohio St is still more talented and they'll win. Buckeyes 23-13

Arizona@ Stanford

Arizona students will once again be looking forward to bball season, because their football will struggle. Andrew Luck will continue on his heisman campaign as he torches Zona. Stanford 51-20

2011 College Football Projections

College Football is underway and after getting the “preseason” over it’s now time to make my picks. My picks will only come from the Major six conferences, SEC, Big Ten, Pac12, Big 12, ACC and Big East. There’s other conferences out their but let’s face it, for almost the last thirty years no team has won the national championship outside of these conferences.

SEC- The last five national champions have all come from this conference. LSU and Alabama are the stars of this conference. After these two teams there’s a huge drop off. South Carolina was projected to be Champs of the East division but, they have struggled to win against 2 not very good opponents. Florida will surprise everyone and in Will Muschamps first year play for a SEC title. The West division has both juggernauts, Bama and LSU. BAMA will win games with their run game and great defense and LSU utilizes the same formula. They should play for the SEC title, but since they can’t. LSU will win the SEC title.

Big Ten- With Ohio State seemingly a much weaker team because of an tumultuous offseason, the Big Ten will be down. Michigan, Iowa, Michigan St, Penn State, and Purdue are not the teams we are accustomed to. Nebraska will easily win the conference title and the title game in their first year. Nebraska’s high powered offense will shock and awe the Big Ten into making huge changes around the league in order to compete. Notably, lookout for Wisconsin and Russell Wilson.

Pac12- With USC under probation, someone in the conference needs to step up. Oregon did it last year and will do it again this year. Also Andrew Luck and the Trees of Stanford will also compete. LaMichael James and Luck will meet at the Heisman ceremonies again this year while Oregon still has a chance to maybe slide into the BCS title game. Stanfords’ defense just doesn’t have enough strength to put them into the title game but the will have another great year.

ACC- This division has 2 really good teams and the rest mediocre at best. FSU and Virginia Tech are the class of the ACC. The Hookies are back with their dominant still of defense but aren’t as explosive on special teams. FSU has boasted consecutive #1 recruiting classes and it has paid off. They will beat OU this week after being humiliated by them last year and make a push for the conference and BCS title games.

Big East- South Florida will dominate this division and win the conference title game. They had a huge showing on the road at Notre Dame against a talented team. This will help the Bulls down the stretch in conference play and against a very talented West Virginia team. South Florida should go undefeated and at least be in the BCS title game conversation. Also, don’t be surprised to hear BJ Daniels name in the Heisman discussion.

Heisman Notables (Best Chance of Winning): Montee Ball, Jr., RB, Wisconsin, Matt Barkley, Jr., QB, USC, Justin Blackmon, Jr., WR, Oklahoma State, Michael Dyer, So., RB, Auburn, Robert Griffin, Jr Baylor, LaMichael James, Jr., RB, Oregon, Landry Jones, Jr., QB, Oklahoma, Andrew Luck, Jr., QB, Stanford, Taylor Martinez, So. Nebraska, Kellen Moore, Sr., QB, Boise State, Trent Richardson, Jr., RB, Alabama, Denard Robinson, Jr., QB, Michigan, Darron Thomas, Jr., QB, Oregon, Russell Wilson Wisconsin QB

National Champions: LSU, at every level defense wins championships and they have the best one in college football.

Heisman Winner***LaMichael James*** MVP of college football ***JUSTIN BLACKMON***

2011 NFL Projections

NFC North - The Packers won’t be able to repeat as champs because they didn’t make any free agent moves and didn’t get better in the draft. The Vikings will be steady all year behind the biggest move this year, Donavan McNabb and his calming influence. Lovie Smith will be on the hot seat early because the Bears will struggle out of the gate behind a lackluster receiving corp. Detroit or should we say Suh will dominate on defense, but Mathew Stafford has still yet to prove anything but he’s injury prone.

Green Bay 10-6

Minnesota 12-4 Division Champs

Chicago 9-7

Detroit 6-10

AFC North – Pittsburgh still stands tall in this division. The Ravens can’t win when it counts with Flacco. Colt McCoy will have a good year in Cleveland. Cincy? Who knows, bad ownership, bad management, bad personnel, bad free agency, just BAD.It’s time to bring the famous name back….The BUNGLES!

Pittsburgh 11-5 Division Champs

Baltimore 10-6

Cleveland 5-11

Cincy 4-12

AFC EAST – Host two of the best teams in football. The Pats got better in free agency and the draft. The will return to Super bowl form and win it all this year. The Jets will have a good year, but Rex Ryan can’t win fall short because the best team in the league, is in his division. The Dolphins will continue making strides to get better behind a tenacious defense. The Bills will continue to struggle this year.

New England 13-3 Division Champs

New York 11-5

Miami 9-7

Buffalo 3-13

NFC East Philly will dominate this division and face Minnesota to go to the Super Bowl. New York will rethink the Coughlin’s extension behind players’ unwillingness to play for him. The Cowboys still don’t have what it takes to win their own division. Shanahan may not be the guy we thought he was. The Skins get rid of Mcnabb for Rex GROSSman!

Philly 11-5 Division Champs

New York 9-7

Dallas 8-8

Washington 4-12

AFC West – In the year of the offense, the Chargers will fair very will behind Phillip Rivers and Vincent Jackson. The Raiders will steadily improve with the young talent that continues to grow. The Chiefs will faulter this year because they didn’t use free agency affectively. Kyle Orton or Tim Tebow, who cares? Denver won’t be any good.

San Diego 11-5 Division Champs

Oakland 8-8

Kansas City 6-11

Denver 4-12

NFC West Sam Bradford and Mike Sims Walker will light up the league this year. Arizona will improve from last year behind new QB Kevin Kolb. Seattle won’t be that lucky this year. The 49ers are about to years away from new coach Jim Harbaugh making his mark.

St Louis 10-6 Division Champs

Arizona 8-8

Seattle 6-10

San Francisco 5-11

AFC South The Jaguars will surprise everyone with their division title this year. Houston still won’t be able to get it done, even though the colts are down. The Titans will need more than Chad Johnson to turn this ship around.

Jacksonville 10-6Division Champs

Houston 9-7

Indy 9-7

Tenn 7-9

NFC South The Saints will cause havoc for defenses in the run game this year. Atlanta is just built the way a team should be and will have plenty of success. Tampa will continue to use young talent to improve their team. Cam Newton will have a good first year in Carolina.

New Orleans 12-4 Division Champs

Atlanta 11-5

Tampa 10-6

Carolina 9-7

Barry Bonds BFF

Barry Bonds BFF

Michael Vick should have had some Barry Bond’s type of friends. When Vick was accused of dog fighting charges, initially he denied them. It took the Fed’s about two weeks after to flip his Vicks boys. You know, those homeboy’s who athletes claim they will never leave or denounce. Take it from the politicians, if an associate you hang out with was found in the 3^rd grade stealing gum. Denounce him! If a secretary was filmed by TMZ running a red light, denounce her! And of course, if two of your confidants were caught cheating on their taxes and their mistress, even though you were too, you must undoubtedly denounce them!! Unless of course, you have Barry Bond friends. Bond’s BFF Greg Anderson has to go down in history as the Greatest Friend of All Time. This guy has been to jail four times because he refuses to testify against his childhood friend Barry Bonds, talking about taking one for the team. Vick boys on the other hand told on him as soon as the Fed’s said they were taking them in for questioning. Bond’s is now fighting a perjury charge on trial. He is accused of lying on the stand about not knowing that he had been given steroids. Bond claims that Victor Conti gave him what he thought were supplements that he now knows were steroids. This trial is nonsense because nothing can really come out of it. Even if Barry Bonds is convicted what happens? Bonds would go to prison from 15 to 21 months (because it’s his 1^st offense), while Victor Conti the guy who pushed steroids to many athletes spent only four months in jail. Baseball couldn’t be happier right now, having one of their home run derby ghosts of Christmas past blanketing news stories right as opening day begins. The only flip side is the fact that more viewers are interested in Barry Bonds than about whose going to be frontrunners for the World Series as this 1000 game MLB season begins.

Duke is Duke.... 4 a reason!!

Jalen Rose’s outstanding production “Fab Five,” showing on ESPN has exposed old feelings and scars felt by Chris Webber, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson, Juwan Howard and himself. The Fab Five were treated like rock stars by many but also hated as well. They were sent hate mail by Michigan Alumni! They were stereotyped in every way imaginable but seem to rise above it all. What struck a chord to many, was the comment made by Jalen Rose about Duke Black players, calling them “Uncle Toms.” He was also critical of Coach K and the Blue Devils recruiting practices. Let me be completely transparent. I am a Duke graduate class of 2000. I also was an athlete at Duke. Having grown up on Mercy Drive, Cross Town, and graduating from Jones High School (all inner city poor neighborhoods and schools), I completely destroy the Uncle Tom statement. But, the more pressing issue is what Rose said a couple days later after the first Fab Five show aired. Rose said that Duke’s recruiting practices lead them to only recruit “affluent kids.” I think I completely destroy those comments as well. Duke doesn’t only recruit affluent kids, but they do only recruit kids who they think will represent our school well. Is this wrong? It can’t be, when you don’t think about this you end up like Lane Kiffin at Tennessee who stated they would only recruit kids who are focused on the NFL. Kiffin ended up with a few “dumb” thugs who went out and robbed a convenience store across the street from campus in their University of Tennessee sweat shirts. Or, you end up like the University of Florida who now has a team arrest record that rivals their number of NFL draft picks. Why should Duke lower their standards to have graduation rates as low as Syracuse, Pittsburgh, LSU, Auburn, UCLA, Maryland, and Kentucky? Duke’s recruiting process is different, it is more strenuous. The first thing the coaching staff wants to know after they find out if the kid is eligible is, can he graduate here. Then they want to know if the kid is a Duke guy. This means can the kid represent the school with honor, dignity and respect. These questions are important and help maintain the image that Duke wants of its school and its graduates. Who wants to be known as Footlocker State University or have the image of the old “The U.” Duke isn’t perfect and actually far from it, but just like BYU’s honor code our recruiting practices shouldn’t be changed just because Jalen and the Fab Five couldn’t get in.

11 Tourney East

SECOND ROUND MAR 17-18 THIRD ROUND MAR 19-20 REGIONAL SEMIFINALS MAR 24-25 REGIONAL FINALS MAR 26-27 REGIONAL CHAMP APR 2 1 Ohio St 1 Ohio St 1 Ohio St 16 UTSA 8 George Mason 9 Villanova 9 Villanova 5 W. Virginia 5 W. Virginia 4 Kentucky 12 Clemson 4 Kentucky 4 Kentucky 13 Princeton 4 Kentucky 4 Kentucky 6 Xavier 11 Marquette 3 Syracuse 2 N. Carolina 11 Marquette 3 Syracuse 3 Syracuse 14 Indiana St 7 Washington 7 Washington 2 N. Carolina 10 Georgia 2 N. Carolina 2 N. Carolina 15 Long Island